December 2, 2024 • 61 mins
We’ve heard the gang endlessly wax poetic about the unseen heroes of Boy Meets World, and this week they’re talking to another example: one of their favorite actors from behind the scenes, Matt Kirkwood!
Matt worked on Boy Meets World for 6 seasons as a stand-in, even playing Chubbie for an episode, and he’s got stories that run from the very best of times, to…just some times.
Hear why child actors were cast for a real-life birthday party, and what happened when Matt yelled “cut!” on a scene he wasn’t directing.
This stand-in is a stand up guy, so get to know him on the new Pod Meets World!
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
I don't remember where I was in my quote unquote
cancer journey when I last updated you, our dear listeners
about where I am, but I have started radiation now.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
I was very hopeful, perhaps naively, that I wouldn't have
to do radiation, of all the things. I mean, I knew,
thankfully for me, going into finding out I had cancer
pretty early on, that I was not gonna need chemo.
I was like, the type of cancer I had is
almost never treated with chemo. It's just not effective and
(00:52):
not needed. So that was never like, that was never
something I was dreading. So the only thing I really
had to dread was radiation and or hormone therapy. And
I was really hoping I wasn't going to need radiation.
And I'm not really sure why. I didn't know what
to expect. I just I had heard that it's like
having a really bad sunburn, which I've never enjoyed, and
(01:16):
I am kind of sun avoidant. I have been, at
least for the last twenty years of my life. I
don't lay out in the sun, and I know that
it can change your skin, and I just like was
not looking forward to it.
Speaker 3 (01:30):
I'm sorry, a question change change your skin kind of
everywhere or just around the area, just.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
The area, so that area that you're doing. And this
is also something I had to learn, is that you
can do like depending on what where you get cancer,
most radiation that's done is very targeted. So it's like
the very small little area of your body that had cancer,
or maybe it's a bigger area of your body that
part gets radiated for breast cancer, especially the type of
(01:57):
cancer I had that was in the ducks, the ducks
are all connected, so it's really hard for a doctor
to feel very confident even after surgery, when they've removed
the cancer they can see, they do not feel super
confident that being that all those ducks are connected, that
there aren't some rogue cancer cells that may be benign
(02:18):
right now, so not obviously showing on an MRI or
on a mammogram right now, but that may travel and
eventually become cancer. And so the reason you do whole
breast radiation versus just very targeted radiation is for those
potential rogue cells that may have traveled that we can't see.
So I met with a couple of different doctors, asked
(02:40):
for a lot of explanation, and really ended up feeling
before I made my decision that yes, I was in
agreement with the science that I needed to have whole
breast radiation and memorial Sloan Cuttering, which is a wonderful
cancer institute. They do a lot of great work. They
(03:01):
actually have a tool online where you can go in
and enter all of your specific information. They have all
these prompts and you can enter in how old you
were when you found your cancer, how many surgeries you
had to have to remove your cancer, whether or not
you plan on taking hormone therapy. Like you answer all
these very specific prompts and it will give you a
(03:22):
percentage chance of recurrence.
Speaker 4 (03:24):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
So, based on that and all the information I entered,
if I chose to completely stop treatment after my surgeries
that I had, I had about a nineteen percent chance
of recurrence. If I do radiation, it gets me down
to about a nine percent chance of recurrence. If I
(03:46):
do hormone therapy on top of that, I get down
to somewhere between a three to five percent chance of Okay.
So to me, it was a very obvious. Absolutely my
fears and despite my hesitation, just do it all. I'm
gonna do it, and I want to leave as much
of it behind me in twenty twenty four as I can.
(04:08):
I will be starting hormone therapy when radiation is over.
But so I have started radiation at this point, I
have had only two radiation appointments. I had no idea
what to expect. It's very weird. It's I had never
had a ct scan before, so I like, I he really,
I'd never had one.
Speaker 4 (04:27):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (04:27):
And so when I walked in, they were like, I'm
sure you've had a CTEA before, and I was like,
I have not, and they were like, okay, so you
lay in my case, when you do radiation for rest,
you can either lay prone on your stomach or you
can lay on your back, and it all depends on
where your cancer was. And they line you up with
all these lasers. They gave me a little radiation tattoo.
They line me up every single time I'm laying on
my stomach. My arms are I'm like Superman and my
(04:50):
arms are extended, my head is turned to the side.
They line me up perfectly with the lasers, and then
the thing just kind of like spins around me. And
no one's in the room with you. They can only
talk to you through a microphone, so it feels very
On my first day, I was laying there going, what
does this feel like? And all I could think of
was it feels very much like if I had been
(05:12):
abducted by aliens. This would be what I would probably experience.
That they would put me on a table, they would
lay me down, someone would be like, Daniell, we're gonna
start the thing now, and then it would go like, yeah.
Speaker 5 (05:27):
You were saying you actually different.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
Yeah, you're so naive, Daniel, Come on.
Speaker 5 (05:40):
So you you were saying.
Speaker 6 (05:41):
You were telling me the other day that you actually
kind of get like a sunburn, but you don't actually
feel anything when it's happening.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
I was not expecting. I was not expecting to feel anything.
And part of me still I'm going to doubt my
own feelings because I'm like, maybe it's in my head,
it's psychosomatic. But there was a point in yesterday's session,
my first one, where I felt a little like zinger,
(06:08):
like just some some zingers. And that word is in
my head also because before my treatment, the doctor had
said to me things you can expect afterward, you can expect.
He said, have you ever been sunburned? And I said, yes,
he said, Okay, imagine the worst sunburn you've ever had.
It might be a little worse than that on that
(06:29):
one spot, which for his whole breast. So it's going
to be my entire right breast and I don't know
exactly how high up like collarbone, collarboned rib, I don't know,
but at least a significant square of my right breast
is going to have this burn. And that burn permanently
changes your skin. My skin may never go back to
(06:50):
being its normal color. It may always be a little darker,
it may feel leatherier, it may it becomes thicker. It's
not better. So the one thing it will do that
I think is better is it helps lessen your scars.
Your scars aren't quite as noticeable, so my two surgical
scars will apparently get better. But yeah, I felt that.
(07:14):
He did tell me that in after effects wise, some
people even years after radiation still get zings of pain,
and that that's something that could last. And so while
it was happening and I was like, I'm feeling some singers.
Today I had it again. I did not feel the
zingers as much this time, but I will say yesterday
(07:36):
I did leave the office thinking I already feel a
little burnt. I don't look burnt, but I do feel
a little burnt, which I'm not loving that as my
sign because it's cumulative, and like, I have nineteen more
days of this. Well, now I have eighteen more days
of this. And if I'm already feeling burnt on day
(07:58):
one and two, oh, what's stay twenty gonna be?
Speaker 4 (08:01):
Like?
Speaker 3 (08:02):
Yeah, can you do any Are you allowed to do
any like put on any cream or do any of
that kind.
Speaker 2 (08:06):
So I have some cream. I have colendula cream, which
they recommended I put it on before my procedure, but
not like immediately before. They don't want you like lotioned
up for your procedure, so I have I put lotion
on at five thirty in the morning. I'm doing it
at seven am. So I put lotion on at five
thirty in the morning, I get there at seven, and
then I'm out of there usually by like seven fifteen,
seven twenty. It's a really quick thing. Then I come home,
(08:28):
I take a shower, then I put the colendula cream
back on, and then several times throughout the day I'm
taking pauses to put on lotion or vasaline or aquafor
just things that are going to really help hydrate my skin.
And so yeah, so there's my update. I Will Jensen
was very this morning. I was like, oh, I'm so
tired this five thirty wake ups in the seven am
(08:50):
and the you know, the kids woke me up a
bunch of times last night, and he goes, I did
think of the stat it sounds maybe better than it is.
But after today two sessions, you're already ten percent done.
And I was like, hey, that's a good point when
I get to fultimism present. So I'm trying to find
the ways to just be positive about it. And uh,
(09:11):
you know, I will get through it. But i'll update
you as I, you know, eventually have third degree burns.
Speaker 7 (09:18):
You'll know about.
Speaker 5 (09:20):
Hormones are going crazy.
Speaker 2 (09:22):
I won't need to update. I won't need to update you,
and you'll be able to tell you. You'll know, you'll
know before I do. Probably Welcome to Pod Meets World.
I'm Daniel Fishel, I'm rather strong, and I'm Wilfredell. So
(09:48):
today we are bringing in a guest we are very
excited about. As we move along from season to season.
One thing we've remembered and hopefully conveyed to our dear
listeners is that many of the very vital crew members
for a TV show have to wear many hats, and
this week's guest definitely wore many hats for Boy Meets World.
He wore the hat of a paramedic, a photographer, an
(10:10):
infamous restaurant owner, a cowboy, and most importantly, a lunatic.
It's right we've spoken at length about stand ins and
how important they are, especially on a kid's show impacted
by the legal constraints of working with miners. But if
you've listened to all of our recaps, and we know
you completists are out there, you've heard us celebrate every time.
(10:32):
One specific stand in has also shown up as a
background actor on the show first scene in the shopping
mall where Will fell into butter while wearing a lobster costume.
We've also frequently wondered if we're hearing his voice when
a TV is playing or someone yells from nearby. He
was there since season one of Boy Meets World and
stayed for many a season, able to watch us grow
(10:53):
up and stay not only an incredibly friendly face on set,
but someone who still makes us happy when just hearing
his name even thirty years later, and Boy Meets World
wasn't his only gig. He was a working actor, appearing
on shows like Castle and Criminal Minds, and most notably
was in the twenty twenty one OSCAR nominated movie King
Richard and a music video for the most Famous pop
(11:14):
Star in the World. And no, Will, that's not Debbie Gibson.
What Welcome to Pod Meets World? A stand in who
stood out Matt Kirkwood, Tiffany, Taylor Swift. He was in
a Taylor Swift video.
Speaker 8 (11:29):
Yeshod Hard, guys.
Speaker 2 (11:34):
Good to see you in your voice. Oh my gosh,
just hearing your voice brought me back.
Speaker 4 (11:39):
So good to see you guys. Wow, wow, long.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
I know this is really the exact type of reunion
we hoped for when we started the podcast. Yes, yeah,
I mean when would have been the last time we
saw you?
Speaker 4 (11:55):
I might have seen you, so thanks to Will. My
daughter was my youngest daughter who was who was not
even in the picture when we were doing Bye Metes Well.
She was a big Girl Meets World fan And I
saw Will and Ralphs and Will was like, hey, I
can get you on the show. I'd love to see you.
(12:16):
You know, I was like, and so I took her
and a friend and I was the hero for the day.
Funya on a set. They got to meet some people
and I got to see some old friends and it
was a really I think that was the last time.
So I forget what season it was, I forget what
episode it was, but yeah.
Speaker 2 (12:36):
Somewhere between twenty fifteen and twenty seventeen, somewhere, Yeah, twenty
fourteen to twenty sixteen, some were right in there.
Speaker 4 (12:43):
So she would have been about ten or eleven.
Speaker 7 (12:45):
Yeah, at the deli counter at Ralphs and I look up, I'm.
Speaker 2 (12:48):
Like, it's Matt, It's Matt.
Speaker 7 (12:51):
Yeah. It was so much fun.
Speaker 8 (12:52):
Yeah, that was great.
Speaker 4 (12:54):
Yeah, that was that was That was a really great
experience for her, And I'm so glad. And that was
at La Center Studios, right right downtown because I ended
up working there for a few years as a teacher
and a program mentor, because there was a college that
was on that on that on that why a four
year BFA Acting for Camera, Dance, Musical, Theater and Film
(13:17):
college that was there for So I was like, I
remember this place.
Speaker 5 (13:23):
Did you taught acting?
Speaker 4 (13:25):
I did? I did, And it was very weird for me.
I started out the school is no longer there and
they were just taken over by AMDA. I don't know
if you know that school, but uh they I started
out as a program mentor. I directed a show with
a couple of students there and they liked what I
(13:46):
did and they they hired me on as a sub
and then they had this position open called program mentor
where I was academic advising, career advising, help with the scheduling, counseling.
I was like doing everything for these kids. And and
then you know, the year of the pandemic. Ironically, my boss,
(14:09):
Jeremy Kent Jackson, I don't know if you remember, you
know him. He was in Labrats. He was you know
he was. He was like the head of the department
when I was working there, and he, uh, he said, hey,
we need you to teach some classes too, And I
was like, okay, I've never taught before. I've been acting
and directing for years, but I've never taught. And he goes,
that's okay, we have a book. And then it was
(14:31):
for COVID. So my first experienced teaching was over zoom.
It was a sorrowing experience and to make it worse
was that we had sixteen weeks semesters, but because it
was we were doing everything over zoom, they truncated everything
into eight weeks. Instead of teaching a class two days
(14:52):
a week, three hours a day, I was teaching a
class four days a week, three hours a day. And
that was just one of.
Speaker 6 (14:58):
My class, Like the worst thing do over zoom, Like, yeah, well,
I can imagine how the dance teachers felt.
Speaker 4 (15:06):
So it was a really good, you know, baptism by fire.
Speaker 2 (15:12):
I guess you know, well, before we jump into your
time at Boy Meets World, I know that you had
a few jobs before you joined us there. It seems
with the research that we've done that maybe your first
job was beat was on Quantum Leap. Is that true?
Speaker 4 (15:27):
It was? It was that was my first job, and
it was interesting because my parents. I was like, I
was so excited. I told my parents and Scott Bakula
couldn't have been nicer. He was like one of the
nicest guys. Was a great intro into the the TV
world because I was sitting in there and I was
getting my you know, makeup and hair done, and Scott
(15:49):
Backla comes in and goes hi I'm Scott looking forward
to working with you. I was like, wow, that was
so nice.
Speaker 8 (15:54):
I was like, okay, yeah, and so I couldn't wait
to tell my folks back east, and they, of course
they saw it three hours earlier.
Speaker 4 (16:06):
And I called them. I said, what'd you think. I
haven't seen it, and they're like, well, we saw it,
you know, with a Rhode Island accent. And we saw it.
And turns out that like the camera was on went
back and forth between me and him, and I was
in the beginning of the episode and when it went
on me, the credits were in my face. So that
was like my intro the world. I was like, okay,
(16:28):
I never know what's going to happen. I never know.
I never tell anybody when I'm casting something. I never
know until I see it myself or someone else sees it.
You know.
Speaker 2 (16:39):
Oh that's so funny. So you're from Rhode Island. When
did you move to LA.
Speaker 4 (16:44):
I moved to LA after my graduation from Emerson. I
moved to LA in the November of eighty five, eighty five. Yeah,
and I had never been out of New England before,
except for a couple of trips in New York. So
it was really interesting. Us.
Speaker 3 (17:02):
I remember you and I talking about Emerson case. I
had a very close family friend that went there, who
was the DJ for the Emerson radio station. Okay, so yeah,
you and I would sit there talking about and then
we were talking about New England and all that kind
of stuff. But I didn't know your first show was
Quantum Leap, which is like one of the best shows
ever on television.
Speaker 2 (17:19):
Oh, it was such a good show.
Speaker 4 (17:21):
It was It was an amazing show. And he was
so gracious, he was such a wonderful guy to work with.
Rookie Acter mistake because I'm taking I'm playing the one
where he becomes a woman, the broad Burning episode. Oh yeah, yeah,
so I'm taking his picture and you know, the polaroid
comes out, and I made a huge Rookie Acter mistake
(17:41):
when there was no film in the camera and I
said cut that was director. And the second yeah, you
don't need to say.
Speaker 7 (17:56):
Man yelling cut yourself.
Speaker 2 (17:58):
That's awesome, that's hilarious. Well, our listeners have learned so
much about the many important jobs that help their favorite
shows get on the air, including being a stand in.
But we wanted to talk a little bit about being
a featured background actor too. You had also shown up
in the Tina Turner biopic What's Love Got to Do
(18:21):
With It? Right?
Speaker 4 (18:21):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (18:22):
Okay, Can you tell us what a typical schedule is
like to be a featured background talent.
Speaker 4 (18:28):
You know, I think it's different, and I only did
it for a couple of projects. It was different for film.
For film, I was there one day. For TV, like
what Boy Meets World experiences, it's it's different. You have
the same people come in and you know, do it.
For film, I was only in a couple of scenes,
(18:49):
so it wasn't really that.
Speaker 2 (18:53):
Monumentous of experience, like you said, one day of your life. Yeah,
one day in my life.
Speaker 4 (18:58):
You go in, you shoot you a line, if you
don't have a line, or if you do, it gets
cut or whatever. And I was like musician number six
or something like that, something like that. I still did
three cent residual checks from that, so perfect those. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (19:17):
So can you tell us how did you get your
job on Boy Meets World? Do you remember getting hired?
Speaker 4 (19:23):
Yes, so, Arlene Grayson got She was one of the
most beautiful people in the world. I was doing a
staged reading at my theater company and I was playing
multiple parts, and you know, it's just it was, it
was it was just a fun time. We were just
you know, reading a new play and I was playing
like four or five different parts, and she happened to
(19:45):
see it. So she came up to me asked her.
She goes, you, uh, do you want to have you
ever done standard work? I'm no, I have no idea
what that is. And she's like, well, could you show
up on the set on Monday. It's a show called
Boy Meets World, and I think it was like the
sixth episode in that is when I started. It wasn't
right at the beginning, and I was I was like sure,
(20:07):
and I showed up and you know, I got introduced
to everyone, and and I hadn't you know, I was
just like what do I do much what Rider's doing,
or what what Bill is doing or what Russ is doing,
you know, and just you know, when we asked just
go up and do what they're doing, I'm like, okay,
(20:28):
you know, and I've had experience on stage, so it's like, okay,
I can just follow the blocking and just step in
when needed. So that that was kind of like my
intro to Boy Meets World. But Arlene was the one
who got me in.
Speaker 7 (20:41):
The first year. Then it was you and Kevin and Tommy.
Speaker 4 (20:46):
Kevin, yeah, it was Tracy there too, and.
Speaker 7 (20:50):
There too. Okay, okay, Kevin.
Speaker 4 (20:51):
Tommy and Tracy. Yeah. Yeah. And I saw Kevin a
few years a few years ago, No, god about I
want to say about. You know, I'm getting old. So
a few years exactly, a few years ago, I still Kevin.
I was. I actually did an extra work on a
TV show and Kevin just happened to be there and
(21:14):
I was like, right, We've got to catch up on
a few things, and it was really good scene. Each soon.
Speaker 3 (21:19):
Well, I remember when you came to the show, because
you change my life. I still have Matt Kirkwood in
my life almost every day because you and I were
talking and you walk over with your same plastic cup
that you would always have, and you went to the
water cooler and you filled it up three quarters away
with cold water, and then you put in hot water,
and I went, what are you doing? And You're like, oh,
(21:42):
you never want to drink full cold water. It's like
it spikes your body temperature. You want to make sure
that your your water is always like room temperature. Or
close to it. And to this day still I still
every day go three quarters the way up with cold
water and then splash in the warm water.
Speaker 7 (21:59):
Every day I'm like, yeah, it's.
Speaker 4 (22:04):
Provide such a great memory.
Speaker 7 (22:05):
Still change my life right there.
Speaker 2 (22:08):
So you still drink room temperature water, mat I.
Speaker 4 (22:12):
Do, But you know what, I've changed my diet completely.
I ate a lot more fruit and vegetables, so I
get a lot of water through fruits, you know, and.
Speaker 3 (22:20):
Good for you, Matt, fru It's not good fruits and vegetables.
Speaker 4 (22:26):
Potatoes.
Speaker 7 (22:27):
Yeah, you can't supersize it. It's not good. Everybody knows.
Speaker 2 (22:35):
So was Boy Meets World then, your first time working
with child actors?
Speaker 4 (22:40):
Yeah? Yeah, it was. Sorry, no, no, no, I gotta say,
and I've been you know. When I knew you guys
were gonna have me on, I I thought about a
story that I was like, because you hear stories about
child actors and you know, their their helicopter parents, and
their their their their braddy. And it was such a
(23:03):
wonderful experience working with you guys. Because there was one
incident and I have to bring this up because I
was like, these kids are amazing. There was one producer
who shall rename named nameless nameless and he they were
kind of casting their child's birthday party. I don't know
(23:23):
if you guys remember that. They sent out a letter
to all.
Speaker 3 (23:26):
I know exactly who you're talking about and were saying, hey, have.
Speaker 4 (23:30):
Your agents send you a picture and resume. I'm like,
that's disgusting. I just.
Speaker 3 (23:36):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (23:36):
I was like, you're casting a birthday party. Wow, that's
that's showing your son who their true friends are, you know.
And it was like, but you guys collectively took that
piece of paper and just tore it up. And I
was like, oh my god, thank you you guys. And
you guys had you know, I always you guys always
had good heads on your shoulders, and you were always
(23:56):
talking about, hey, how can my character grow? There was
always discussions about how can I make my character grow? What?
You know, this character is the same in this episode
that I've done three episodes ago. Why can't you give
me a different issue? Why can't? And I was really
impressed with how much you guys cared about your characters.
Speaker 3 (24:19):
Well, I mean I think you, I mean, arguably, you know,
we're kind of you become a company. You know, you
become it's like it's like a stage company, and so
we all worked together every day. Yeah, I mean the
the you know, guest cast would come in, they'd be
there for a day or so. But I was working
with you more than I you know, as much as
(24:39):
I was working with writer and Danielle and Ben. I mean,
we were all acting together every day, and you'd start
to get to know each other's vibe and you were
very much there for all of that.
Speaker 5 (24:49):
So we're not only kind of but also our directors
were changing. Yeah, so in a weird.
Speaker 6 (24:53):
Way, like Matt was there, like he was part of
ours team as the actors. Right when these new directors
are writers, it would always be like those people would
be changing, but like our little actor crew, like we
were always there all day, every day, rehearsing together.
Speaker 4 (25:07):
So fun. Yeah, and it was you know, I remember
it was great. You know, David was so great grow
gracious as a director, and Jeff was so gracious as
a director. And I remember there are a couple of others.
There was Alan, and then John Tracy came in and
directed a few. David Kendall directed a few, so you know,
it was it was a really interesting experiencing how you
(25:29):
guys adapted to each each new voice, you know. You know.
Another thing that I thought was really impressive was the
way Michael handled everything in that I would see. I
would watch run throughs that were hysterically funny, hysterically funny.
I was like, oh my god, this has got to
stay in. Yeah, and then when Michael gave notes, he
(25:50):
was like, yeah, it was funny, but was it truthful?
And you know, he always went for the truth rather
than I think that's what was part of what boy
means world staying power was. It wasn't always for the
cheap laughs. You know, it was always for let's help
these characters grow. This is what the story's about. And
I really was I really learned a lot listening to
(26:12):
him during the run throughs and you know, giving notes.
Speaker 5 (26:16):
So, yeah, show has heart for sure.
Speaker 7 (26:19):
Yeah, yes, And he knows sitcom.
Speaker 3 (26:21):
I mean, you say what you want about Michael, but
the man knows especially family sitcom backwards, forwards and sideways.
Speaker 4 (26:27):
Yeah. Yeah. And that was apparent, Yeah, really apparent. Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (26:31):
So being a stand in on a kid show, you
were probably standing in for any one of us when
we were in school or doing something else. Do you
happen to have any memorable interactions with Bill Daniels.
Speaker 4 (26:46):
I don't. I was, you know, I was listening to
other previous podcasts, you know, and I heard DD's podcasts.
She was talking about Bill Daniels as well. I kind
of like was in the same boat. I was like,
oh my god, seventeen seven, twenty six n Adams for
a few years, and you know, I was like, I
was like quietly admiring of him. You know, I never
(27:10):
really had any interaction with him, just there's how how
are you type of thing, and you know, it was just, yeah,
I just never I always kept I was kind of
shy that way. If I was admiring of someone, or
if I had really had a fan kind of thing
that happened, I'd be like, I'm.
Speaker 2 (27:27):
Not not going to approach.
Speaker 4 (27:30):
I'm just going to keep my distance because I'll just watch.
Speaker 3 (27:33):
We kind of felt the same, at least for the
first few years. I mean, we felt the same where
it was like, okay, well we'll just keep our distance
and try to annoy him as little as possible.
Speaker 7 (27:44):
Exactly.
Speaker 4 (27:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (27:47):
Now, do you remember the week that we did Model
Family with Kathy Ireland.
Speaker 2 (27:54):
Yes, you played the photographer.
Speaker 4 (27:56):
I was the photographer. Yeah, that was a great experience.
And and do.
Speaker 7 (28:00):
You remember what happened that week with your hair?
Speaker 4 (28:05):
With my hair? Oh? I put it up.
Speaker 3 (28:07):
Yeah yeah, So I don't know if you were, if
you want to tell that story, if you remember, because
I reman, do I remember that because you and I
had a conversation right after it happened.
Speaker 4 (28:15):
I think I put it because it was long, and
somebody said it was in my face, so I put
it in a ponytail. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (28:22):
Yeah, they put it in a So they were sitting
there and we're doing the run like so a lot
of times the stand ins will stand in not only
for us, but also in the run throughs for the
guest cast before they haven't cast somebody or something like that.
So there was the part of the photographer, and so
of course you stepped in and you know, you did
it for the run through, and they were like, well.
Speaker 7 (28:42):
It's just be mad, like you should you should just
do the part.
Speaker 3 (28:46):
So you're doing the part, and you had your hair
down the whole week, and then we go to shoot
and I guess the war makeup and hair. Somebody put
your hair in a ponytail and we're shooting and then
you hear Michael.
Speaker 7 (28:57):
No, no, no, no no.
Speaker 3 (28:59):
All week long, I'm watching this guy, this photographer has
long hair and why is it up like that? And
oh my god, and you turn around and you're kind
of ashen face because Mike, that's how you said. So
they come out, they pull it, they shake it down,
we do the scene. You come over to me after,
You're like that was terrifying. I thought he was gonna
(29:21):
fire me, Like, oh my god, yeah, I'll never forget
your face.
Speaker 7 (29:26):
You're like that was terrifying.
Speaker 4 (29:29):
My first experience that I'm blowing on my go.
Speaker 6 (29:34):
You up on the show so often, like five episodes
we keep seeing You're like, oh, that's so great.
Speaker 4 (29:40):
It was, you know, it was it was really I
really appreciated all of that because it was just like
I still get residual checks and you know, I still
work at AMDA right now as an academic advisor, and
the students come to me. It's like, oh my god,
I saw a Boy Meets World or I saw Castle
or I saw and I'm like, oh yeah. So it's
(30:00):
it's you know, the fact that this show is still iconic.
You know, even my freshman when I talked to my
freshman last year, like, oh my god, I love that
show and it's really crazy, you know, so it was
really good to be part of a part of this
iconic experience. You know.
Speaker 2 (30:17):
Well, I want to know how many times have your
students recognized you as playing the Lunatic in an episode
the Eskimo episode of Boy Meets World.
Speaker 4 (30:29):
I'm the one that says jump right, yelling jump.
Speaker 2 (30:36):
Yes and one.
Speaker 4 (30:40):
I don't know if they you know, uh, I think
they remembered the the weatherman, yes, that as well. I
think they remember that and the photographer. I don't think
we talked about I don't think I've ever talked about
the Lunatic one.
Speaker 8 (31:00):
But you also got to be chummy at one point, right, Yes,
I mean I did, but I was like, you know,
I saw myself is chumpy.
Speaker 4 (31:07):
I watched the run through. I watched myself from going Oh,
I was so over the I was like, oh my god,
I'm over doing that, you know.
Speaker 2 (31:19):
I'm like, oh, okay, we thought you were great.
Speaker 4 (31:22):
Oh, I appreciate that.
Speaker 2 (31:24):
We have enjoyed every time your face has popped on screen.
You're also in, aren't you? In the Sprinkles episode you're
you don't don't think you say anything, but you're. You're
very featured in the episode with this in the yogurt
cup where the sprinkles are falling from the park.
Speaker 3 (31:37):
We shot it in the park and we have to
put the goggles on because Dosh Sprinkles is coming.
Speaker 4 (31:42):
And then yeah, Jesus, I forgot all about that one.
Speaker 2 (31:51):
Yeah, I remember seeing you prominently feature there. It literally
every single time it's happened, we go and there's.
Speaker 3 (31:59):
Mad Yeah, we love it.
Speaker 2 (32:12):
Do you remember did you watch the episodes when they aired?
Speaker 4 (32:16):
I did? Yeah, I did. I uh, yeah, I watched
the episodes every time. You know, I definitely did, because
you know, I wanted to see it. I wanted to
see what you know, you want to see what happens
during the run through and how the laugh track works
and how all of that works and how it's all
put together. And I was very interested also because I've
(32:37):
directed Stage, I was very interested in seeing how the
how the direct the sitcom, which was very similar to
Stage because it's very proscenium, right, and seeing how they
everything got edited together, and so it was very it
was very good to see, like seeing it the run through,
seeing the whole thing and then seeing how the pieces
were put together. So yeah, I watched a lot of
the episodes.
Speaker 2 (32:58):
So when you joined us then in season one, do
you remember what you thought of the show? Did you
think like, hey, this is a good show.
Speaker 4 (33:08):
I didn't know what to think, to be honest with you,
because it was I was very green when it came
to being on that show. Like I said, I came
from the theater, so seeing everything, it was getting to
know everybody, and I'm I'm like the type of person
that kind of I slink back, I look, I observe
first before I kind of like go in. And I
(33:30):
was like, these these are this seems like a really
good family that I feel like I'm just a guest
right now, because I wasn't.
Speaker 2 (33:35):
I wasn't there episode.
Speaker 4 (33:38):
The beginning, and so I'm like, okay, I'm a I'm
a guest. And then you know, when Arlene was like, yeah,
we'd love to hire you back, I was like, oh, oh, okay, cool,
this seems like fun. So it was. But I just
saw a great group of like one huge family. Yeah,
from the beginning, at least from what I experienced, And
that was like from the sixth episode in that you guys.
(34:00):
It's got a long great but seeing all you kids
like so tiny grow, well, some of.
Speaker 2 (34:09):
Us grew, so, some of us grew, some of us
stayed tiny, grew in the wrong direction. I was wider
wid yeah, but but I.
Speaker 4 (34:22):
Do remember It's like all of you were so good.
I remember, Danielle, when you first came in, you weren't
to Panga, you were.
Speaker 2 (34:29):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (34:29):
I think I was there for that. I think I
was there for that.
Speaker 2 (34:33):
So I think that was episode four. So you were
there for episode four.
Speaker 4 (34:36):
Oh maybe I was. Maybe it was episode four, But
I remember that that you were the friend and and
and that that kind of like was a good learning
experience for me too, because I was like, well, any
time someone could say this is right, this person is better,
let's bring them in. I think it happened with uh,
(34:57):
with you will with Jason, Yeah, I came in. I
was supposed to be your buddy and it just didn't
work out. And I was there.
Speaker 3 (35:05):
We worked with him until shoot day and then he
was gone, and then Marsden came in and that was it. Yeah,
we had Jason for just that one day. Yeah, we
would see that all the time. It was it was crazy.
Lots of that first season, lots of firing, lots of
fire out season. Were you married at the time that
(35:25):
you that used to Boy?
Speaker 4 (35:27):
You were? In fact, my my daughter was born during
during while I was on Boy. Me's my oldest daughter.
She's thirty now, so that's another thing that oh my god,
I'm aging. We all. Uh she was thirty at the time. No,
not at the time.
Speaker 2 (35:42):
She was zero at the time.
Speaker 4 (35:44):
Yeah, zero at the time. Yeah, but I was married
at the time, still married, And now I have two girls.
One my youngest once in college and my oldest one
is thirty living in New York and she so yeah,
so it's been a and you know, it's been it's
been a whirlwind. Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 5 (36:04):
Are your daughters in the business at all? Are they entertainer?
Speaker 4 (36:07):
No? No, thankfully, no one is. You know, one did
go to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. She it
wasn't for her, she didn't like it. And now she's
working for an attorney in New York. And my old
my youngest daughter is going to school for biochemical chemistry
(36:28):
you know jobs, yeah, real jobs. So but it's it's
you know, I'm kind of you know, my my oldest daughter.
You know, I said, okay, let's take you some acting classes.
Let's see if it's for you, if you want to
try it. And no, because she would she would come
see our plays. She would come see our plays, and
you know, she'd be on the school yard acting the
(36:48):
mouth the next day, you know, and I'm like, she
wants to do this, so but now she she was not.
That was not for her.
Speaker 2 (36:56):
Well, we mentioned the the different directors that would come through.
Do you remember having a favorite director, Like do you
remember seeing somebody's name on a script and going, oh, yes,
I can't wait for this week.
Speaker 4 (37:07):
Well it was, I mean I really learned from Jeff
and David. I thought they were amazing. They were the two,
of course, you know, favorites of mine because they've been
there the longest. Yeah. Alan was very very nice to me,
and I know there was a there was kind of
a descriptive he wasn't used to working on kids shows,
(37:27):
I don't think.
Speaker 3 (37:28):
Yeah, it was nice to me too, and to writer.
I mean, if if he liked you and you got along,
he was great.
Speaker 4 (37:34):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (37:35):
But but there were I know, some people definitely had
a problem with his style of direction.
Speaker 4 (37:39):
Yeah, in his style of communication, which was so I'm
not used to working with kids, but you know, having
Jeff there and also Lynn was there so then too,
it was it was really you know, it added to
that family atmosphere. And then John Tracy, you know, I
liked what he did. David was great. David knew how
to move things. You know, let's go, let's go, you know. Uh,
(38:01):
And David Kendall was like that as well. So I
would say, you know, David and Jeff, David Trainer and
Jeff McCracken were my two favorites because they were just
so easy going. There was no drama. They just did
it and and you know there was, it was very quick.
And one thing I do there was there was a
(38:23):
Halloween episode, a scream episode, yeah, that Jeff directed, and
again it was one of those that he edited in
such a way that I thought was so creative, and
you know, reading the script itself, I'm like, oh my god,
this is hysterical. It was like one of those where
you thinking, oh my god, this is hysterical. But he
(38:44):
edited it in a way that was just so creative,
and I thought it was so interesting what he did
with that script, so so things like that you look
at and you and you and you say yourself, oh,
this this creativity allowed in this sitcom, sitcom format.
Speaker 2 (38:58):
Absolutely. We also got to interview the great Jackie Fell
this year. It was the team of stand ins close.
Speaker 4 (39:08):
It was. It was especially you know, you know, Kevin
and Tracy I adore, you know, they're just such lovely people.
And then we had some you know, other standings that
came and went and things like that. But when Jackie
came in, it felt like that was a completion to
the puzzle. Yeah, yeah, you know, she she just fit
(39:29):
in so perfectly, and we just all got along so great.
And she I mean, she's just a marvelous person. She
you know, it just was a missing piece of the
puzzle that just got finally got put together. And I
get along, you know, we all get along great. I
do remember her and I heard her podcast. I heard
her on the show too, and just talking about being
that waitress. Funny, that was one of the funniest things
(39:53):
I've ever seen on the show. And you know, it
was just a great experience. Yeah, bringing her in was
just really that's what I felt like. We were a completion,
you know.
Speaker 3 (40:05):
So I have to ask, because I'm a huge television fan,
take Boy meets World out of the equation. Uh huh,
what's your favorite set that you've worked on That wasn't
Boy because obviously Boys gonna be your number one answer,
no matter what.
Speaker 4 (40:20):
Lincoln Lawyer was. Yeah, I was. That was a fun set.
I liked that, and I liked Castle. It was a
fun set, well, not fun, I was. It was. It
was just a good, easy going you do it, you're in,
you do your drop, you're out, and uh, you know,
(40:41):
Quantum Leap was was interesting.
Speaker 7 (40:42):
Yes, the Quantum Leap is oh Man. To have spent
some time on that set would have been great.
Speaker 4 (40:47):
For a first experience. It was really it was a
really good, nice easing moment. But those were nice. I
mean I think every set I've been on, Criminal Minds,
every set I've been on was very was very nice.
I mean, I would say the favorite was Lincoln Lawyer
because I was I knew Bruce Davidson, who played the
judge in that episode like years ago, like when I
(41:09):
first came out here. I got to know him and
it was great seeing him again. So I had a
little friendly face on the set as well.
Speaker 2 (41:15):
Yeah, that's always n yeah, so.
Speaker 4 (41:18):
It's kind of put my mind at ease. You know,
it's like, oh, we kind of just just gabbed backstage
and brought up old memories and things like that, so
let's cool.
Speaker 2 (41:27):
You were also in the will Smith Williams Sisters movie
King Richard. You played a tennis coach in that. Do
you have any stories about that experience?
Speaker 4 (41:36):
Tennis Dad number two?
Speaker 2 (41:39):
I love it.
Speaker 4 (41:41):
It was it was. It was a good experience. No
I because I I I'm the one that gives him
the line, hey, your other daughter's good too. I forget
what it was, but it was something along those lines,
kind of introducing that. Venus was there. Uh, Serena, Serena,
thank you. Yeah, but Serena was there too. And you know,
I kept checking IMDb pro I'm checking that and it
(42:03):
wasn't on there. I'm like, oh, maybe I was cut.
And I'm like, oh my god, If I was cut,
that's wrong because that was like a that was like
a huge moment, moving moment, and and so I was
like okay. And again I didn't tell anybody.
Speaker 2 (42:15):
Until it came out.
Speaker 4 (42:20):
Because I was invited to the premiere and I didn't
go because again I didn't want to see my you know,
go and not see myself. It'd be like kind of
like then go in and I had one day's work
and I'd be like, who are you? What did you do?
You know? And I have a very weird kind of
thing like that. So but a friend of mine who
had a bigger role in it, went to see it,
(42:42):
and you know, I saw his Facebook post saying, well,
I went to see you know, King Richard. I was cut,
but my buddy Matt Kirkwood is in it. So they
cut him out really fromone now you know, no, they
cut him out there Jesus. But I was. I was
a little nervous, you know, hesitancy has then because I
didn't want to you know, I didn't want people to think, oh,
(43:03):
he's in it. Oh I didn't see him. So I
am kind of like that, like I don't tell anybody
until until I actually see myself in it or someone
lets me know in a minute.
Speaker 6 (43:14):
So my first job, I was of three weeks on
a movie. I had one line in the script. They
gave me two extra lines while we were filming, but
I had to be in the back of this. It
was part of this family in this like dust Bowl
h California situation, and it was like a grapes of
wrath rip off. And then they called and said, we
need writer to come do looping, and I said, they
(43:37):
called my mom and I said, but I only had
one or one line, and they're like, oh, actually, yeah,
we don't need writer come do looping.
Speaker 5 (43:42):
So when we actually watched the episode, it's somebody. It's
like clearly a woman's voice, Like they took my one line.
Speaker 7 (43:48):
And dugged me over.
Speaker 6 (43:50):
Oh, my agent had to send out postcards because that's
what you used to do, send out postcards if you
were going to be able to Now all the casting directors,
so like everybody in Hollywood saw my my one line
that wasn't even my voice.
Speaker 2 (44:04):
Oh my god.
Speaker 6 (44:05):
I remember that was my experience. I was eleven years old,
and I remember being like, I'm never telling anybody. I'm
I'm month wait which movie was this again? Long Road
Home Mark Harmon, but it was It's it's yeah. But
like that was I had very early lesson, like don't
tell anybody you're going to be on TV. Don't just
don't even bother, don't bother because you never know what's
going to happen.
Speaker 2 (44:23):
Well, one role I want to know absolutely everything about
in painstaking detail. Is your time in Taylor Swift's music
video No.
Speaker 4 (44:34):
No, I wish I wish I was?
Speaker 2 (44:38):
That was Mark, Yeah, exactly. It's on IMDb. So that's
just something we you.
Speaker 5 (44:45):
Know, the Matt Kirkwood out there.
Speaker 4 (44:46):
Maybe I think there's another Matt Kirkwood who's a weather
man in Ohio or something.
Speaker 3 (44:51):
So maybe which which video is the other Matt Kirkwood in?
Speaker 4 (44:56):
Now? Which saw it's for?
Speaker 2 (44:58):
I bet you think about me for her remade version
in twenty twenty one.
Speaker 4 (45:02):
Oh okay, so I have to see that.
Speaker 2 (45:04):
Yeah, it's on your IMDb. So i'd start telling people.
Come up with some stories, Matt. Yeah, come out with
some stories about how amazing it was.
Speaker 4 (45:11):
So when I worked with Taylor, you keep going.
Speaker 3 (45:15):
Call Taylor because we know colored t t.
Speaker 2 (45:21):
Teez whizzle. That's fine.
Speaker 4 (45:28):
Oh my god.
Speaker 3 (45:29):
One thing I was trying to remember because am I wrong?
Did you leave for like a season?
Speaker 4 (45:36):
No? I did, though I left after the sixth sixth season.
Speaker 7 (45:40):
That's what it was, Okay, I thought, so yeah.
Speaker 4 (45:42):
And because and only normally, and it was only because
I really it was a great experience. I learned a lot.
But the thing is, as an actor, was very difficult
to go out for auditions. And Stephen and Michael shay
Steve Hayfer and Michael she were amazing. They were like,
all right, can you go now? Can you go now?
(46:04):
Or come back? Because I knew what I was needed,
you know, And I was needed as that was part
of my job, that was what I was getting paid for,
that was what I was needed for. So but it
was like I would get auditions, like in the middle
of the day, and I would have to go out,
and I was like, I don't I don't want to
get in trouble. I don't want to get Steve or
Michael in trouble. I know they were doing their best,
and and I didn't know, you know, if I should
(46:28):
stay on because of that. You know, It's like where's Matt,
you know? And I know how the schedule you guys
were on tight schedule. He's still in school, you know,
And and so I I that's why I left. I
was I got to find a job that yes, doesn't
you know, that pays the bills, but doesn't you know,
doesn't have that that that obstacle, you know, That's my
(46:50):
main goal.
Speaker 2 (46:51):
That feeling even just hearing you talk about it, of
like you have you're an actor, you were working, you
were booking jobs. That stress of like, I have the
opportunity to book an acting job versus mess being here
for being a stand in, and I'm not sure if
I'm going to be able to go because I'm currently
getting paid for this job, but I might have to
pass up this opportunity. Like the fact that you stuck
(47:12):
that out for six seasons. Yeah, that stress is that's
that's a lot that's hard to take on. So I
can totally understand. And you're like, all right, this show
sixth season, Come on, how much longer is this thing
gonna last?
Speaker 4 (47:23):
Anyway, I so missed working on the show. It was
a hard decision to make, but I so missed working
on it because you guys, again it was like this
is this job is gold. And I love you know,
I love when I'm working. I love doing, you know, watching,
I love observing, I love learning, you know, and and
you know, I got to sit in editing booths and
and selled editing and it was it was really cool
(47:46):
and so but it was a very tough decision, very tough.
So but I think you guys won one more season
after that.
Speaker 2 (47:53):
We did ye seven. Yeah, we did a seventh season.
Do you still keep in touch with anybody from the show?
Speaker 4 (48:12):
I well through Facebook. You know Jackie and Michael Shay
I saw a few years ago because at at we
had these Hollywood Nights at this college, and we'd had these.
We'd sometimes we bring in casting directors to talk to
the students, sometimes we bring in agents. But one time
(48:33):
we brought in television sitcom people and I asked Michael
and he came in and spoke and it was a
great experience. You know, he loved it because this is
he also was credited for working on How I Met
Your Mother? Yeah, and so I got to know him.
I got to work, you know, see him again, and
(48:54):
that was really cool.
Speaker 2 (49:01):
Us out. I just saw Michael Shay not even a
month ago. He is working on Happy's Place for NBC
and I am directing over at Lopez Versus Lopez and
NBC did a big our our sitcom Our Sitcoms and
like a little party, and Michael Shaye was there and
so I got to see him face to face and
give him a hug. We took a picture together. I
(49:21):
sent it to the guys. So, yeah, I just saw
Michael not even a month ago.
Speaker 4 (49:26):
Yeah, I see. Yeah, he's such a I mean again,
everybody was so great to work on work on the show.
Everybody that worked on the show was amazing.
Speaker 2 (49:35):
It really was.
Speaker 4 (49:38):
Everyone was Jarry McCain and and Michael and and the
David who is the sistant prop guy.
Speaker 2 (49:45):
He was really cool, Mark Pabsen, Mark Mark.
Speaker 3 (49:48):
We just talked to David Glazer too, so we just
we've got everybody.
Speaker 4 (49:52):
Yeah, oh my god, yeah, David and Mark and then Chris,
Chris Cayer, Yes, I remember Lindsay and who is the
Lily Lily Ridgeway. I'm so sorry and Lily. Yeah, but
you know what, Lily does a lot of stage work.
Now I see her and I was like, oh, I'm
(50:14):
so glad she's she's because I met it. It was
very hard for her being so young, yeah, and being
in this atmosphere, so it was it was great to see.
It's like, oh, my gosh, she was doing a show.
It out in I guess Ventura or something. Oh, that's
so cool that she's still doing this, you know. And
one of the funniest lines I still can't get I
(50:36):
still he's one of the funniest lines the series ever
did was when uh Lindsey came down the stairs I'm out. Ever,
what a great intro it really was.
Speaker 2 (50:51):
So we talked a little bit about your teaching. What
is some of the best advice you think you give
to acting students who want to make it as a
career in the entertainment industry.
Speaker 4 (51:00):
Now, training, keep training, And I always say, start out
in theater. Theater. You're really learning how to build a
character from the beginning. Yeah, you know, the arc of
the character, their journey, whatever their journey is, and that
that whole feeling of the live audience experiences is so
(51:24):
it's so paramount or tantamount to to that feeling on stage.
Is that feeling of oneness? I think that's that experience
of being on stage because I have some I have
seen some actors they start out on TV and then
they come on stage and then they they don't know
what to do with their hands. They just stand there
like sticks. They used to be from from here up.
(51:49):
But I always say, you know, stage, start out in theater,
start out finding a technique, whether it's Stanislavsky check off,
Huda Hogen Meisner, whether it's any of the start out
with something just to give you something to start with,
just to give you something that you can pull out
of your bag you need it, and then learning other
techniques as well, because you know, Stan Slawsky doesn't work,
(52:09):
so we need to pull out check off, you know,
and have that grab bag of different techniques. That's one
thing I tell them. It's just to stay trained, keeping
training even after you graduate. Yeah, and and don't don't uh,
don't give that up because uh, people say it's like
(52:32):
riding a bicycle. It really isn't. You know. You have
to get back and getting the footwork in and getting
the getting the training in.
Speaker 2 (52:38):
But if it's riding a bicycle, I have to say,
having done it not that long ago as an adult,
it's not. It's still difficult.
Speaker 7 (52:45):
I was riding a bike.
Speaker 2 (52:48):
It's not trouble, but it's not like it's just oh yeah,
this is second nature. I was like, oh, balance and
the bike and.
Speaker 5 (52:57):
Cannot ride a bike it. I mean she can, but technically,
but every time she she hates it. She just hates it.
So like life rented bikes when we travel and she's
had multiple accidents.
Speaker 2 (53:07):
She just d yeah, she like, I guess who rode
a bike? Will?
Speaker 7 (53:12):
I just rode a bike for eighteen miles in Aspen?
Speaker 4 (53:14):
Wow?
Speaker 2 (53:15):
Okay, well two shit.
Speaker 3 (53:18):
For most adults, drop shutdown, Danielle.
Speaker 2 (53:22):
For most adults, I don't think it's the most comfortable
if you haven't done it in a long time. But
it's just like riding a bike.
Speaker 7 (53:30):
It's literally in the.
Speaker 2 (53:31):
Same I get it, But the saying isn't the same.
The saying isn't good.
Speaker 5 (53:37):
You probably weren't great at riding the bike even when
you were a kid.
Speaker 2 (53:40):
Not true. I was great, although I do have a
scar from falling off a bike, so that's true. You're right, you're.
Speaker 4 (53:45):
My oldest daughter doesn't ride a bike. She never rode
a bike. We're in an apartment for like years, so
she never really had a place to ride a bike.
Now my youngest daughter can ride. But but yeah, riding
a bike is is you know, For me, it's once
you get on, it's easy. But yeah, but for you guys,
maybe for Danielle, it's different.
Speaker 2 (54:05):
For me, it's just not I don't think it's a
great I don't think it's great saying that's what I'm saying.
Speaker 7 (54:09):
What would your version of that saying be then, Danielle,
for you.
Speaker 2 (54:12):
It's a donut, You'll never have a hard time meeting
another day.
Speaker 3 (54:19):
Something you had to learn as a kids that doughnuts were.
Speaker 6 (54:24):
Not bagels, to stop eating doughnuts exactly.
Speaker 2 (54:30):
And then also donuts and bagels are two different things.
There were a lot of things I had to learn
about it. But now that no, Mom, I know it.
I'll never mistake it again. Anyway, this isn't about me object.
Speaker 3 (54:44):
Oh god, that's great.
Speaker 2 (54:46):
So finally, Matt, did you ever think, with as much
as you saw on set over the six seasons that
you were there, did you ever think we would still
be talking about this show thirty years later?
Speaker 4 (54:59):
I I think, yeah, I did. I mean thirty years later.
I don't know, but I did think that it was
it was something that was going to last. It was uh,
something that was that was again I want to say iconic,
but it was something that was going to last because
you lasted six seasons, and the stories did grow and
(55:21):
they got more serious, and they got more truthful, and
they got more It was more about issues. It was
more about you know, It wasn't just like, oh, you know,
Will forgot to take out Eric forgot to take out
the trash. But an episode on that it was you know,
there's some stories there was about abuse and and and
growing up with an alcoholic parent. You know, only I
(55:43):
thought was really, you know, that was going to last.
I had a feeling that those stories carried through because
people still relate to them. You know. It wasn't it
wasn't uh you know, like I said, Stock family sitcom
issues was real issues and and they, like I said,
(56:03):
listening to the way Mike Michael handled things and the
way they were directed and the way you guys grew
it was just something I knew was going to be. Uh,
it was gonna be long lasting thirty years, I don't know,
but yeah, have a say never, especially in this time
where it's like nobody remembers anything that happened five minutes ago,
you know. Yeah, Like I don't remember being in the
(56:25):
Taylor Swift video exactly.
Speaker 2 (56:27):
No, you were so good in it.
Speaker 4 (56:30):
Oh my god. I got to give her a call.
She gave me a number.
Speaker 3 (56:35):
You are never, ever, ever, ever gonna remember being in
a Taylor.
Speaker 2 (56:39):
Swift well with the lyrics.
Speaker 7 (56:44):
Little tea Swifty for you.
Speaker 2 (56:47):
Well, Matt, thank you so much for being with us
here today. Where can is there a project you you're
working on you'd like us to know about? Where can
people find you? What would you? Where would you? What
would you like people to know about you today?
Speaker 4 (57:00):
God? Well, I'm still working at Amber right now, academic advising.
I still direct and do theater once in a while,
and I still you know, I still go out on auditions,
but or self tapes or things like that. Oh, I
hate self tapes. I just think it's like you got
(57:21):
to put everything up and you got to, like, you know,
make sure the take is perfect, and if it's not,
you know, it's either perfect or by the end of
three hours you're going to I'll just send this one
because I love the idea of going into a room
and getting redirected, you know, which is.
Speaker 3 (57:38):
Where we're just having that conversation about just wanting to
be directed.
Speaker 7 (57:41):
How important it is.
Speaker 4 (57:42):
Yeah, yeah, you know, because that's I mean. And now
now what I see people are asking for is like
two takes. So it's like, you know, send in two
different takes if you want, you know, if you feel
like the first take you want to give us something different,
do that. But you know, I like the fact that
it's like maybe I'm missing a step here, maybe I'm
missing the uh you know, you know you try to
(58:04):
watch the show beforehand, or you know, you try to
look at some to see how the style of the
show goes, and you know, you try to bring that
into it. But you know, you want somebody to go, hey, yeah,
but before this scene happened.
Speaker 3 (58:18):
So well, it's because real acting is is a give
and take, and now it's just give and that's okay,
that's it's half of the process.
Speaker 7 (58:25):
So yeah, it's weird.
Speaker 4 (58:26):
Yeah, and then you have a reader that's like on
zoom while you're looking in your camera, and you know,
it's like it just seems kind of yet. Yeah. Yeah,
so that's the thing. Right. So right now I'm working
at American Academy of Musical and Dramatic Arts as academic advisors,
so uh in Hollywood. But yeah, that's what I'm doing now,
(58:50):
and you know, hopefully I'll get more work. Hopefully I'll
you know, just like everybody else, Hopefully.
Speaker 2 (58:57):
We will be there cheering you on the next time
you books thing. Please let us know. We will let
our dear listeners know when that is where to look
for you. Thank you so much for joining us. It
was such a pleasure to see you and to hear
your voice again. Thank you for spending your time with us.
Speaker 4 (59:11):
Thank you guys, and good luck with the rest of
the you know, rest of the podcast.
Speaker 2 (59:15):
You know, nice to see you too.
Speaker 7 (59:21):
Thanks Matt all right, bye bye.
Speaker 2 (59:25):
My gosh, you're right.
Speaker 7 (59:26):
That voice. It brings you right back, doesn't it.
Speaker 2 (59:28):
I know his voice is exactly the same. The minute
he said hi, I was like, it is so fun.
Speaker 5 (59:35):
It's so interesting to think that he was like our
first audience. Mm hmmm, oh yeah, you know what I mean.
Speaker 6 (59:41):
Like, because you do the run through or the read through,
and then you go to rehearse and it's really just
Steve Hayfer him.
Speaker 4 (59:47):
You know.
Speaker 6 (59:47):
It's like our stand ins and our prop and our
director and then our stage manager and that's kind of it.
Speaker 5 (59:54):
They're the ones that, like you have to feel comfortable
with and laughing at your jokes or not. I don't know.
It's so interesting.
Speaker 3 (01:00:00):
Yeah, And first season it was just Matt and then
three little people, right, so it was yeah, so he
essentially he would stand in for any of the adults, right,
and then the little people would stand in for all
the kids.
Speaker 5 (01:00:12):
Yeah yeah, interesting.
Speaker 2 (01:00:15):
Well, thank you all for joining us for this episode
of Podmeets World. As always, you can follow us on
Instagram pod Meets World Show. You can send us your
emails pod Meets World Show at gmail dot com and
we have.
Speaker 7 (01:00:24):
Merch by our merch It's like eating a donut.
Speaker 2 (01:00:29):
Pod Meets the World's show dot com writer send us out.
Speaker 5 (01:00:34):
We love you all, pod dismissed.
Speaker 6 (01:00:39):
Pod Meets World is an iHeart podcast producer hosted by
Danielle Fischel, Wilfridell and Ryder Strong Executive producers Jensen Karp
and Amy Sugarman Executive in charge of production, Danielle Romo,
producer and editor, Tarasubash producer, Maddie Moore engineer and boy
meets World Superman Easton Out. Our theme song is by
Kyle Morton of Typhoon. Follow us on Instagram at Podmeets
(01:00:59):
World Show or email us at Hodby's World Show at
gmail dot com.
Speaker 3 (01:01:06):
M
I don't remember where I was in my quote unquote
cancer journey when I last updated you, our dear listeners
about where I am, but I have started radiation now.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
I was very hopeful, perhaps naively, that I wouldn't have
to do radiation, of all the things. I mean, I knew,
thankfully for me, going into finding out I had cancer
pretty early on, that I was not gonna need chemo.
I was like, the type of cancer I had is
almost never treated with chemo. It's just not effective and
(00:52):
not needed. So that was never like, that was never
something I was dreading. So the only thing I really
had to dread was radiation and or hormone therapy. And
I was really hoping I wasn't going to need radiation.
And I'm not really sure why. I didn't know what
to expect. I just I had heard that it's like
having a really bad sunburn, which I've never enjoyed, and
(01:16):
I am kind of sun avoidant. I have been, at
least for the last twenty years of my life. I
don't lay out in the sun, and I know that
it can change your skin, and I just like was
not looking forward to it.
Speaker 3 (01:30):
I'm sorry, a question change change your skin kind of
everywhere or just around the area, just.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
The area, so that area that you're doing. And this
is also something I had to learn, is that you
can do like depending on what where you get cancer,
most radiation that's done is very targeted. So it's like
the very small little area of your body that had cancer,
or maybe it's a bigger area of your body that
part gets radiated for breast cancer, especially the type of
(01:57):
cancer I had that was in the ducks, the ducks
are all connected, so it's really hard for a doctor
to feel very confident even after surgery, when they've removed
the cancer they can see, they do not feel super
confident that being that all those ducks are connected, that
there aren't some rogue cancer cells that may be benign
(02:18):
right now, so not obviously showing on an MRI or
on a mammogram right now, but that may travel and
eventually become cancer. And so the reason you do whole
breast radiation versus just very targeted radiation is for those
potential rogue cells that may have traveled that we can't see.
So I met with a couple of different doctors, asked
(02:40):
for a lot of explanation, and really ended up feeling
before I made my decision that yes, I was in
agreement with the science that I needed to have whole
breast radiation and memorial Sloan Cuttering, which is a wonderful
cancer institute. They do a lot of great work. They
(03:01):
actually have a tool online where you can go in
and enter all of your specific information. They have all
these prompts and you can enter in how old you
were when you found your cancer, how many surgeries you
had to have to remove your cancer, whether or not
you plan on taking hormone therapy. Like you answer all
these very specific prompts and it will give you a
(03:22):
percentage chance of recurrence.
Speaker 4 (03:24):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
So, based on that and all the information I entered,
if I chose to completely stop treatment after my surgeries
that I had, I had about a nineteen percent chance
of recurrence. If I do radiation, it gets me down
to about a nine percent chance of recurrence. If I
(03:46):
do hormone therapy on top of that, I get down
to somewhere between a three to five percent chance of Okay.
So to me, it was a very obvious. Absolutely my
fears and despite my hesitation, just do it all. I'm
gonna do it, and I want to leave as much
of it behind me in twenty twenty four as I can.
(04:08):
I will be starting hormone therapy when radiation is over.
But so I have started radiation at this point, I
have had only two radiation appointments. I had no idea
what to expect. It's very weird. It's I had never
had a ct scan before, so I like, I he really,
I'd never had one.
Speaker 4 (04:27):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (04:27):
And so when I walked in, they were like, I'm
sure you've had a CTEA before, and I was like,
I have not, and they were like, okay, so you
lay in my case, when you do radiation for rest,
you can either lay prone on your stomach or you
can lay on your back, and it all depends on
where your cancer was. And they line you up with
all these lasers. They gave me a little radiation tattoo.
They line me up every single time I'm laying on
my stomach. My arms are I'm like Superman and my
(04:50):
arms are extended, my head is turned to the side.
They line me up perfectly with the lasers, and then
the thing just kind of like spins around me. And
no one's in the room with you. They can only
talk to you through a microphone, so it feels very
On my first day, I was laying there going, what
does this feel like? And all I could think of
was it feels very much like if I had been
(05:12):
abducted by aliens. This would be what I would probably experience.
That they would put me on a table, they would
lay me down, someone would be like, Daniell, we're gonna
start the thing now, and then it would go like, yeah.
Speaker 5 (05:27):
You were saying you actually different.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
Yeah, you're so naive, Daniel, Come on.
Speaker 5 (05:40):
So you you were saying.
Speaker 6 (05:41):
You were telling me the other day that you actually
kind of get like a sunburn, but you don't actually
feel anything when it's happening.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
I was not expecting. I was not expecting to feel anything.
And part of me still I'm going to doubt my
own feelings because I'm like, maybe it's in my head,
it's psychosomatic. But there was a point in yesterday's session,
my first one, where I felt a little like zinger,
(06:08):
like just some some zingers. And that word is in
my head also because before my treatment, the doctor had
said to me things you can expect afterward, you can expect.
He said, have you ever been sunburned? And I said, yes,
he said, Okay, imagine the worst sunburn you've ever had.
It might be a little worse than that on that
(06:29):
one spot, which for his whole breast. So it's going
to be my entire right breast and I don't know
exactly how high up like collarbone, collarboned rib, I don't know,
but at least a significant square of my right breast
is going to have this burn. And that burn permanently
changes your skin. My skin may never go back to
(06:50):
being its normal color. It may always be a little darker,
it may feel leatherier, it may it becomes thicker. It's
not better. So the one thing it will do that
I think is better is it helps lessen your scars.
Your scars aren't quite as noticeable, so my two surgical
scars will apparently get better. But yeah, I felt that.
(07:14):
He did tell me that in after effects wise, some
people even years after radiation still get zings of pain,
and that that's something that could last. And so while
it was happening and I was like, I'm feeling some singers.
Today I had it again. I did not feel the
zingers as much this time, but I will say yesterday
(07:36):
I did leave the office thinking I already feel a
little burnt. I don't look burnt, but I do feel
a little burnt, which I'm not loving that as my
sign because it's cumulative, and like, I have nineteen more
days of this. Well, now I have eighteen more days
of this. And if I'm already feeling burnt on day
(07:58):
one and two, oh, what's stay twenty gonna be?
Speaker 4 (08:01):
Like?
Speaker 3 (08:02):
Yeah, can you do any Are you allowed to do
any like put on any cream or do any of
that kind.
Speaker 2 (08:06):
So I have some cream. I have colendula cream, which
they recommended I put it on before my procedure, but
not like immediately before. They don't want you like lotioned
up for your procedure, so I have I put lotion
on at five thirty in the morning. I'm doing it
at seven am. So I put lotion on at five
thirty in the morning, I get there at seven, and
then I'm out of there usually by like seven fifteen,
seven twenty. It's a really quick thing. Then I come home,
(08:28):
I take a shower, then I put the colendula cream
back on, and then several times throughout the day I'm
taking pauses to put on lotion or vasaline or aquafor
just things that are going to really help hydrate my skin.
And so yeah, so there's my update. I Will Jensen
was very this morning. I was like, oh, I'm so
tired this five thirty wake ups in the seven am
(08:50):
and the you know, the kids woke me up a
bunch of times last night, and he goes, I did
think of the stat it sounds maybe better than it is.
But after today two sessions, you're already ten percent done.
And I was like, hey, that's a good point when
I get to fultimism present. So I'm trying to find
the ways to just be positive about it. And uh,
(09:11):
you know, I will get through it. But i'll update
you as I, you know, eventually have third degree burns.
Speaker 7 (09:18):
You'll know about.
Speaker 5 (09:20):
Hormones are going crazy.
Speaker 2 (09:22):
I won't need to update. I won't need to update you,
and you'll be able to tell you. You'll know, you'll
know before I do. Probably Welcome to Pod Meets World.
I'm Daniel Fishel, I'm rather strong, and I'm Wilfredell. So
(09:48):
today we are bringing in a guest we are very
excited about. As we move along from season to season.
One thing we've remembered and hopefully conveyed to our dear
listeners is that many of the very vital crew members
for a TV show have to wear many hats, and
this week's guest definitely wore many hats for Boy Meets World.
He wore the hat of a paramedic, a photographer, an
(10:10):
infamous restaurant owner, a cowboy, and most importantly, a lunatic.
It's right we've spoken at length about stand ins and
how important they are, especially on a kid's show impacted
by the legal constraints of working with miners. But if
you've listened to all of our recaps, and we know
you completists are out there, you've heard us celebrate every time.
(10:32):
One specific stand in has also shown up as a
background actor on the show first scene in the shopping
mall where Will fell into butter while wearing a lobster costume.
We've also frequently wondered if we're hearing his voice when
a TV is playing or someone yells from nearby. He
was there since season one of Boy Meets World and
stayed for many a season, able to watch us grow
(10:53):
up and stay not only an incredibly friendly face on set,
but someone who still makes us happy when just hearing
his name even thirty years later, and Boy Meets World
wasn't his only gig. He was a working actor, appearing
on shows like Castle and Criminal Minds, and most notably
was in the twenty twenty one OSCAR nominated movie King
Richard and a music video for the most Famous pop
(11:14):
Star in the World. And no, Will, that's not Debbie Gibson.
What Welcome to Pod Meets World? A stand in who
stood out Matt Kirkwood, Tiffany, Taylor Swift. He was in
a Taylor Swift video.
Speaker 8 (11:29):
Yeshod Hard, guys.
Speaker 2 (11:34):
Good to see you in your voice. Oh my gosh,
just hearing your voice brought me back.
Speaker 4 (11:39):
So good to see you guys. Wow, wow, long.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
I know this is really the exact type of reunion
we hoped for when we started the podcast. Yes, yeah,
I mean when would have been the last time we
saw you?
Speaker 4 (11:55):
I might have seen you, so thanks to Will. My
daughter was my youngest daughter who was who was not
even in the picture when we were doing Bye Metes Well.
She was a big Girl Meets World fan And I
saw Will and Ralphs and Will was like, hey, I
can get you on the show. I'd love to see you.
(12:16):
You know, I was like, and so I took her
and a friend and I was the hero for the day.
Funya on a set. They got to meet some people
and I got to see some old friends and it
was a really I think that was the last time.
So I forget what season it was, I forget what
episode it was, but yeah.
Speaker 2 (12:36):
Somewhere between twenty fifteen and twenty seventeen, somewhere, Yeah, twenty
fourteen to twenty sixteen, some were right in there.
Speaker 4 (12:43):
So she would have been about ten or eleven.
Speaker 7 (12:45):
Yeah, at the deli counter at Ralphs and I look up, I'm.
Speaker 2 (12:48):
Like, it's Matt, It's Matt.
Speaker 7 (12:51):
Yeah. It was so much fun.
Speaker 8 (12:52):
Yeah, that was great.
Speaker 4 (12:54):
Yeah, that was that was That was a really great
experience for her, And I'm so glad. And that was
at La Center Studios, right right downtown because I ended
up working there for a few years as a teacher
and a program mentor, because there was a college that
was on that on that on that why a four
year BFA Acting for Camera, Dance, Musical, Theater and Film
(13:17):
college that was there for So I was like, I
remember this place.
Speaker 5 (13:23):
Did you taught acting?
Speaker 4 (13:25):
I did? I did, And it was very weird for me.
I started out the school is no longer there and
they were just taken over by AMDA. I don't know
if you know that school, but uh they I started
out as a program mentor. I directed a show with
a couple of students there and they liked what I
(13:46):
did and they they hired me on as a sub
and then they had this position open called program mentor
where I was academic advising, career advising, help with the scheduling, counseling.
I was like doing everything for these kids. And and
then you know, the year of the pandemic. Ironically, my boss,
(14:09):
Jeremy Kent Jackson, I don't know if you remember, you
know him. He was in Labrats. He was you know
he was. He was like the head of the department
when I was working there, and he, uh, he said, hey,
we need you to teach some classes too, And I
was like, okay, I've never taught before. I've been acting
and directing for years, but I've never taught. And he goes,
that's okay, we have a book. And then it was
(14:31):
for COVID. So my first experienced teaching was over zoom.
It was a sorrowing experience and to make it worse
was that we had sixteen weeks semesters, but because it
was we were doing everything over zoom, they truncated everything
into eight weeks. Instead of teaching a class two days
(14:52):
a week, three hours a day, I was teaching a
class four days a week, three hours a day. And
that was just one of.
Speaker 6 (14:58):
My class, Like the worst thing do over zoom, Like, yeah, well,
I can imagine how the dance teachers felt.
Speaker 4 (15:06):
So it was a really good, you know, baptism by fire.
Speaker 2 (15:12):
I guess you know, well, before we jump into your
time at Boy Meets World, I know that you had
a few jobs before you joined us there. It seems
with the research that we've done that maybe your first
job was beat was on Quantum Leap. Is that true?
Speaker 4 (15:27):
It was? It was that was my first job, and
it was interesting because my parents. I was like, I
was so excited. I told my parents and Scott Bakula
couldn't have been nicer. He was like one of the
nicest guys. Was a great intro into the the TV
world because I was sitting in there and I was
getting my you know, makeup and hair done, and Scott
(15:49):
Backla comes in and goes hi I'm Scott looking forward
to working with you. I was like, wow, that was
so nice.
Speaker 8 (15:54):
I was like, okay, yeah, and so I couldn't wait
to tell my folks back east, and they, of course
they saw it three hours earlier.
Speaker 4 (16:06):
And I called them. I said, what'd you think. I
haven't seen it, and they're like, well, we saw it,
you know, with a Rhode Island accent. And we saw it.
And turns out that like the camera was on went
back and forth between me and him, and I was
in the beginning of the episode and when it went
on me, the credits were in my face. So that
was like my intro the world. I was like, okay,
(16:28):
I never know what's going to happen. I never know.
I never tell anybody when I'm casting something. I never
know until I see it myself or someone else sees it.
You know.
Speaker 2 (16:39):
Oh that's so funny. So you're from Rhode Island. When
did you move to LA.
Speaker 4 (16:44):
I moved to LA after my graduation from Emerson. I
moved to LA in the November of eighty five, eighty five. Yeah,
and I had never been out of New England before,
except for a couple of trips in New York. So
it was really interesting. Us.
Speaker 3 (17:02):
I remember you and I talking about Emerson case. I
had a very close family friend that went there, who
was the DJ for the Emerson radio station. Okay, so yeah,
you and I would sit there talking about and then
we were talking about New England and all that kind
of stuff. But I didn't know your first show was
Quantum Leap, which is like one of the best shows
ever on television.
Speaker 2 (17:19):
Oh, it was such a good show.
Speaker 4 (17:21):
It was It was an amazing show. And he was
so gracious, he was such a wonderful guy to work with.
Rookie Acter mistake because I'm taking I'm playing the one
where he becomes a woman, the broad Burning episode. Oh yeah, yeah,
so I'm taking his picture and you know, the polaroid
comes out, and I made a huge Rookie Acter mistake
(17:41):
when there was no film in the camera and I
said cut that was director. And the second yeah, you
don't need to say.
Speaker 7 (17:56):
Man yelling cut yourself.
Speaker 2 (17:58):
That's awesome, that's hilarious. Well, our listeners have learned so
much about the many important jobs that help their favorite
shows get on the air, including being a stand in.
But we wanted to talk a little bit about being
a featured background actor too. You had also shown up
in the Tina Turner biopic What's Love Got to Do
(18:21):
With It? Right?
Speaker 4 (18:21):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (18:22):
Okay, Can you tell us what a typical schedule is
like to be a featured background talent.
Speaker 4 (18:28):
You know, I think it's different, and I only did
it for a couple of projects. It was different for film.
For film, I was there one day. For TV, like
what Boy Meets World experiences, it's it's different. You have
the same people come in and you know, do it.
For film, I was only in a couple of scenes,
(18:49):
so it wasn't really that.
Speaker 2 (18:53):
Monumentous of experience, like you said, one day of your life. Yeah,
one day in my life.
Speaker 4 (18:58):
You go in, you shoot you a line, if you
don't have a line, or if you do, it gets
cut or whatever. And I was like musician number six
or something like that, something like that. I still did
three cent residual checks from that, so perfect those. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (19:17):
So can you tell us how did you get your
job on Boy Meets World? Do you remember getting hired?
Speaker 4 (19:23):
Yes, so, Arlene Grayson got She was one of the
most beautiful people in the world. I was doing a
staged reading at my theater company and I was playing
multiple parts, and you know, it's just it was, it
was it was just a fun time. We were just
you know, reading a new play and I was playing
like four or five different parts, and she happened to
(19:45):
see it. So she came up to me asked her.
She goes, you, uh, do you want to have you
ever done standard work? I'm no, I have no idea
what that is. And she's like, well, could you show
up on the set on Monday. It's a show called
Boy Meets World, and I think it was like the
sixth episode in that is when I started. It wasn't
right at the beginning, and I was I was like sure,
(20:07):
and I showed up and you know, I got introduced
to everyone, and and I hadn't you know, I was
just like what do I do much what Rider's doing,
or what what Bill is doing or what Russ is doing,
you know, and just you know, when we asked just
go up and do what they're doing, I'm like, okay,
(20:28):
you know, and I've had experience on stage, so it's like, okay,
I can just follow the blocking and just step in
when needed. So that that was kind of like my
intro to Boy Meets World. But Arlene was the one
who got me in.
Speaker 7 (20:41):
The first year. Then it was you and Kevin and Tommy.
Speaker 4 (20:46):
Kevin, yeah, it was Tracy there too, and.
Speaker 7 (20:50):
There too. Okay, okay, Kevin.
Speaker 4 (20:51):
Tommy and Tracy. Yeah. Yeah. And I saw Kevin a
few years a few years ago, No, god about I
want to say about. You know, I'm getting old. So
a few years exactly, a few years ago, I still Kevin.
I was. I actually did an extra work on a
TV show and Kevin just happened to be there and
(21:14):
I was like, right, We've got to catch up on
a few things, and it was really good scene. Each soon.
Speaker 3 (21:19):
Well, I remember when you came to the show, because
you change my life. I still have Matt Kirkwood in
my life almost every day because you and I were
talking and you walk over with your same plastic cup
that you would always have, and you went to the
water cooler and you filled it up three quarters away
with cold water, and then you put in hot water,
and I went, what are you doing? And You're like, oh,
(21:42):
you never want to drink full cold water. It's like
it spikes your body temperature. You want to make sure
that your your water is always like room temperature. Or
close to it. And to this day still I still
every day go three quarters the way up with cold
water and then splash in the warm water.
Speaker 7 (21:59):
Every day I'm like, yeah, it's.
Speaker 4 (22:04):
Provide such a great memory.
Speaker 7 (22:05):
Still change my life right there.
Speaker 2 (22:08):
So you still drink room temperature water, mat I.
Speaker 4 (22:12):
Do, But you know what, I've changed my diet completely.
I ate a lot more fruit and vegetables, so I
get a lot of water through fruits, you know, and.
Speaker 3 (22:20):
Good for you, Matt, fru It's not good fruits and vegetables.
Speaker 4 (22:26):
Potatoes.
Speaker 7 (22:27):
Yeah, you can't supersize it. It's not good. Everybody knows.
Speaker 2 (22:35):
So was Boy Meets World then, your first time working
with child actors?
Speaker 4 (22:40):
Yeah? Yeah, it was. Sorry, no, no, no, I gotta say,
and I've been you know. When I knew you guys
were gonna have me on, I I thought about a
story that I was like, because you hear stories about
child actors and you know, their their helicopter parents, and
their their their their braddy. And it was such a
(23:03):
wonderful experience working with you guys. Because there was one
incident and I have to bring this up because I
was like, these kids are amazing. There was one producer
who shall rename named nameless nameless and he they were
kind of casting their child's birthday party. I don't know
(23:23):
if you guys remember that. They sent out a letter
to all.
Speaker 3 (23:26):
I know exactly who you're talking about and were saying, hey, have.
Speaker 4 (23:30):
Your agents send you a picture and resume. I'm like,
that's disgusting. I just.
Speaker 3 (23:36):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (23:36):
I was like, you're casting a birthday party. Wow, that's
that's showing your son who their true friends are, you know.
And it was like, but you guys collectively took that
piece of paper and just tore it up. And I
was like, oh my god, thank you you guys. And
you guys had you know, I always you guys always
had good heads on your shoulders, and you were always
(23:56):
talking about, hey, how can my character grow? There was
always discussions about how can I make my character grow? What?
You know, this character is the same in this episode
that I've done three episodes ago. Why can't you give
me a different issue? Why can't? And I was really
impressed with how much you guys cared about your characters.
Speaker 3 (24:19):
Well, I mean I think you, I mean, arguably, you know,
we're kind of you become a company. You know, you
become it's like it's like a stage company, and so
we all worked together every day. Yeah, I mean the
the you know, guest cast would come in, they'd be
there for a day or so. But I was working
with you more than I you know, as much as
(24:39):
I was working with writer and Danielle and Ben. I mean,
we were all acting together every day, and you'd start
to get to know each other's vibe and you were
very much there for all of that.
Speaker 5 (24:49):
So we're not only kind of but also our directors
were changing. Yeah, so in a weird.
Speaker 6 (24:53):
Way, like Matt was there, like he was part of
ours team as the actors. Right when these new directors
are writers, it would always be like those people would
be changing, but like our little actor crew, like we
were always there all day, every day, rehearsing together.
Speaker 4 (25:07):
So fun. Yeah, and it was you know, I remember
it was great. You know, David was so great grow
gracious as a director, and Jeff was so gracious as
a director. And I remember there are a couple of others.
There was Alan, and then John Tracy came in and
directed a few. David Kendall directed a few, so you know,
it was it was a really interesting experiencing how you
(25:29):
guys adapted to each each new voice, you know. You know.
Another thing that I thought was really impressive was the
way Michael handled everything in that I would see. I
would watch run throughs that were hysterically funny, hysterically funny.
I was like, oh my god, this has got to
stay in. Yeah, and then when Michael gave notes, he
(25:50):
was like, yeah, it was funny, but was it truthful?
And you know, he always went for the truth rather
than I think that's what was part of what boy
means world staying power was. It wasn't always for the
cheap laughs. You know, it was always for let's help
these characters grow. This is what the story's about. And
I really was I really learned a lot listening to
(26:12):
him during the run throughs and you know, giving notes.
Speaker 5 (26:16):
So, yeah, show has heart for sure.
Speaker 7 (26:19):
Yeah, yes, And he knows sitcom.
Speaker 3 (26:21):
I mean, you say what you want about Michael, but
the man knows especially family sitcom backwards, forwards and sideways.
Speaker 4 (26:27):
Yeah. Yeah. And that was apparent, Yeah, really apparent. Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (26:31):
So being a stand in on a kid show, you
were probably standing in for any one of us when
we were in school or doing something else. Do you
happen to have any memorable interactions with Bill Daniels.
Speaker 4 (26:46):
I don't. I was, you know, I was listening to
other previous podcasts, you know, and I heard DD's podcasts.
She was talking about Bill Daniels as well. I kind
of like was in the same boat. I was like,
oh my god, seventeen seven, twenty six n Adams for
a few years, and you know, I was like, I
was like quietly admiring of him. You know, I never
(27:10):
really had any interaction with him, just there's how how
are you type of thing, and you know, it was just, yeah,
I just never I always kept I was kind of
shy that way. If I was admiring of someone, or
if I had really had a fan kind of thing
that happened, I'd be like, I'm.
Speaker 2 (27:27):
Not not going to approach.
Speaker 4 (27:30):
I'm just going to keep my distance because I'll just watch.
Speaker 3 (27:33):
We kind of felt the same, at least for the
first few years. I mean, we felt the same where
it was like, okay, well we'll just keep our distance
and try to annoy him as little as possible.
Speaker 7 (27:44):
Exactly.
Speaker 4 (27:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (27:47):
Now, do you remember the week that we did Model
Family with Kathy Ireland.
Speaker 2 (27:54):
Yes, you played the photographer.
Speaker 4 (27:56):
I was the photographer. Yeah, that was a great experience.
And and do.
Speaker 7 (28:00):
You remember what happened that week with your hair?
Speaker 4 (28:05):
With my hair? Oh? I put it up.
Speaker 3 (28:07):
Yeah yeah, So I don't know if you were, if
you want to tell that story, if you remember, because
I reman, do I remember that because you and I
had a conversation right after it happened.
Speaker 4 (28:15):
I think I put it because it was long, and
somebody said it was in my face, so I put
it in a ponytail. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (28:22):
Yeah, they put it in a So they were sitting
there and we're doing the run like so a lot
of times the stand ins will stand in not only
for us, but also in the run throughs for the
guest cast before they haven't cast somebody or something like that.
So there was the part of the photographer, and so
of course you stepped in and you know, you did
it for the run through, and they were like, well.
Speaker 7 (28:42):
It's just be mad, like you should you should just
do the part.
Speaker 3 (28:46):
So you're doing the part, and you had your hair
down the whole week, and then we go to shoot
and I guess the war makeup and hair. Somebody put
your hair in a ponytail and we're shooting and then
you hear Michael.
Speaker 7 (28:57):
No, no, no, no no.
Speaker 3 (28:59):
All week long, I'm watching this guy, this photographer has
long hair and why is it up like that? And
oh my god, and you turn around and you're kind
of ashen face because Mike, that's how you said. So
they come out, they pull it, they shake it down,
we do the scene. You come over to me after,
You're like that was terrifying. I thought he was gonna
(29:21):
fire me, Like, oh my god, yeah, I'll never forget
your face.
Speaker 7 (29:26):
You're like that was terrifying.
Speaker 4 (29:29):
My first experience that I'm blowing on my go.
Speaker 6 (29:34):
You up on the show so often, like five episodes
we keep seeing You're like, oh, that's so great.
Speaker 4 (29:40):
It was, you know, it was it was really I
really appreciated all of that because it was just like
I still get residual checks and you know, I still
work at AMDA right now as an academic advisor, and
the students come to me. It's like, oh my god,
I saw a Boy Meets World or I saw Castle
or I saw and I'm like, oh yeah. So it's
(30:00):
it's you know, the fact that this show is still iconic.
You know, even my freshman when I talked to my
freshman last year, like, oh my god, I love that
show and it's really crazy, you know, so it was
really good to be part of a part of this
iconic experience. You know.
Speaker 2 (30:17):
Well, I want to know how many times have your
students recognized you as playing the Lunatic in an episode
the Eskimo episode of Boy Meets World.
Speaker 4 (30:29):
I'm the one that says jump right, yelling jump.
Speaker 2 (30:36):
Yes and one.
Speaker 4 (30:40):
I don't know if they you know, uh, I think
they remembered the the weatherman, yes, that as well. I
think they remember that and the photographer. I don't think
we talked about I don't think I've ever talked about
the Lunatic one.
Speaker 8 (31:00):
But you also got to be chummy at one point, right, Yes,
I mean I did, but I was like, you know,
I saw myself is chumpy.
Speaker 4 (31:07):
I watched the run through. I watched myself from going Oh,
I was so over the I was like, oh my god,
I'm over doing that, you know.
Speaker 2 (31:19):
I'm like, oh, okay, we thought you were great.
Speaker 4 (31:22):
Oh, I appreciate that.
Speaker 2 (31:24):
We have enjoyed every time your face has popped on screen.
You're also in, aren't you? In the Sprinkles episode you're
you don't don't think you say anything, but you're. You're
very featured in the episode with this in the yogurt
cup where the sprinkles are falling from the park.
Speaker 3 (31:37):
We shot it in the park and we have to
put the goggles on because Dosh Sprinkles is coming.
Speaker 4 (31:42):
And then yeah, Jesus, I forgot all about that one.
Speaker 2 (31:51):
Yeah, I remember seeing you prominently feature there. It literally
every single time it's happened, we go and there's.
Speaker 3 (31:59):
Mad Yeah, we love it.
Speaker 2 (32:12):
Do you remember did you watch the episodes when they aired?
Speaker 4 (32:16):
I did? Yeah, I did. I uh, yeah, I watched
the episodes every time. You know, I definitely did, because
you know, I wanted to see it. I wanted to
see what you know, you want to see what happens
during the run through and how the laugh track works
and how all of that works and how it's all
put together. And I was very interested also because I've
(32:37):
directed Stage, I was very interested in seeing how the
how the direct the sitcom, which was very similar to
Stage because it's very proscenium, right, and seeing how they
everything got edited together, and so it was very it
was very good to see, like seeing it the run through,
seeing the whole thing and then seeing how the pieces
were put together. So yeah, I watched a lot of
the episodes.
Speaker 2 (32:58):
So when you joined us then in season one, do
you remember what you thought of the show? Did you
think like, hey, this is a good show.
Speaker 4 (33:08):
I didn't know what to think, to be honest with you,
because it was I was very green when it came
to being on that show. Like I said, I came
from the theater, so seeing everything, it was getting to
know everybody, and I'm I'm like the type of person
that kind of I slink back, I look, I observe
first before I kind of like go in. And I
(33:30):
was like, these these are this seems like a really
good family that I feel like I'm just a guest
right now, because I wasn't.
Speaker 2 (33:35):
I wasn't there episode.
Speaker 4 (33:38):
The beginning, and so I'm like, okay, I'm a I'm
a guest. And then you know, when Arlene was like, yeah,
we'd love to hire you back, I was like, oh, oh, okay, cool,
this seems like fun. So it was. But I just
saw a great group of like one huge family. Yeah,
from the beginning, at least from what I experienced, And
that was like from the sixth episode in that you guys.
(34:00):
It's got a long great but seeing all you kids
like so tiny grow, well, some of.
Speaker 2 (34:09):
Us grew, so, some of us grew, some of us
stayed tiny, grew in the wrong direction. I was wider
wid yeah, but but I.
Speaker 4 (34:22):
Do remember It's like all of you were so good.
I remember, Danielle, when you first came in, you weren't
to Panga, you were.
Speaker 2 (34:29):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (34:29):
I think I was there for that. I think I
was there for that.
Speaker 2 (34:33):
So I think that was episode four. So you were
there for episode four.
Speaker 4 (34:36):
Oh maybe I was. Maybe it was episode four, But
I remember that that you were the friend and and
and that that kind of like was a good learning
experience for me too, because I was like, well, any
time someone could say this is right, this person is better,
let's bring them in. I think it happened with uh,
(34:57):
with you will with Jason, Yeah, I came in. I
was supposed to be your buddy and it just didn't
work out. And I was there.
Speaker 3 (35:05):
We worked with him until shoot day and then he
was gone, and then Marsden came in and that was it. Yeah,
we had Jason for just that one day. Yeah, we
would see that all the time. It was it was crazy.
Lots of that first season, lots of firing, lots of
fire out season. Were you married at the time that
(35:25):
you that used to Boy?
Speaker 4 (35:27):
You were? In fact, my my daughter was born during
during while I was on Boy. Me's my oldest daughter.
She's thirty now, so that's another thing that oh my god,
I'm aging. We all. Uh she was thirty at the time. No,
not at the time.
Speaker 2 (35:42):
She was zero at the time.
Speaker 4 (35:44):
Yeah, zero at the time. Yeah, but I was married
at the time, still married, And now I have two girls.
One my youngest once in college and my oldest one
is thirty living in New York and she so yeah,
so it's been a and you know, it's been it's
been a whirlwind. Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 5 (36:04):
Are your daughters in the business at all? Are they entertainer?
Speaker 4 (36:07):
No? No, thankfully, no one is. You know, one did
go to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. She it
wasn't for her, she didn't like it. And now she's
working for an attorney in New York. And my old
my youngest daughter is going to school for biochemical chemistry
(36:28):
you know jobs, yeah, real jobs. So but it's it's
you know, I'm kind of you know, my my oldest daughter.
You know, I said, okay, let's take you some acting classes.
Let's see if it's for you, if you want to
try it. And no, because she would she would come
see our plays. She would come see our plays, and
you know, she'd be on the school yard acting the
(36:48):
mouth the next day, you know, and I'm like, she
wants to do this, so but now she she was not.
That was not for her.
Speaker 2 (36:56):
Well, we mentioned the the different directors that would come through.
Do you remember having a favorite director, Like do you
remember seeing somebody's name on a script and going, oh, yes,
I can't wait for this week.
Speaker 4 (37:07):
Well it was, I mean I really learned from Jeff
and David. I thought they were amazing. They were the two,
of course, you know, favorites of mine because they've been
there the longest. Yeah. Alan was very very nice to me,
and I know there was a there was kind of
a descriptive he wasn't used to working on kids shows,
(37:27):
I don't think.
Speaker 3 (37:28):
Yeah, it was nice to me too, and to writer.
I mean, if if he liked you and you got along,
he was great.
Speaker 4 (37:34):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (37:35):
But but there were I know, some people definitely had
a problem with his style of direction.
Speaker 4 (37:39):
Yeah, in his style of communication, which was so I'm
not used to working with kids, but you know, having
Jeff there and also Lynn was there so then too,
it was it was really you know, it added to
that family atmosphere. And then John Tracy, you know, I
liked what he did. David was great. David knew how
to move things. You know, let's go, let's go, you know. Uh,
(38:01):
And David Kendall was like that as well. So I
would say, you know, David and Jeff, David Trainer and
Jeff McCracken were my two favorites because they were just
so easy going. There was no drama. They just did
it and and you know there was, it was very quick.
And one thing I do there was there was a
(38:23):
Halloween episode, a scream episode, yeah, that Jeff directed, and
again it was one of those that he edited in
such a way that I thought was so creative, and
you know, reading the script itself, I'm like, oh my god,
this is hysterical. It was like one of those where
you thinking, oh my god, this is hysterical. But he
(38:44):
edited it in a way that was just so creative,
and I thought it was so interesting what he did
with that script, so so things like that you look
at and you and you and you say yourself, oh,
this this creativity allowed in this sitcom, sitcom format.
Speaker 2 (38:58):
Absolutely. We also got to interview the great Jackie Fell
this year. It was the team of stand ins close.
Speaker 4 (39:08):
It was. It was especially you know, you know, Kevin
and Tracy I adore, you know, they're just such lovely people.
And then we had some you know, other standings that
came and went and things like that. But when Jackie
came in, it felt like that was a completion to
the puzzle. Yeah, yeah, you know, she she just fit
(39:29):
in so perfectly, and we just all got along so great.
And she I mean, she's just a marvelous person. She
you know, it just was a missing piece of the
puzzle that just got finally got put together. And I
get along, you know, we all get along great. I
do remember her and I heard her podcast. I heard
her on the show too, and just talking about being
that waitress. Funny, that was one of the funniest things
(39:53):
I've ever seen on the show. And you know, it
was just a great experience. Yeah, bringing her in was
just really that's what I felt like. We were a completion,
you know.
Speaker 3 (40:05):
So I have to ask, because I'm a huge television fan,
take Boy meets World out of the equation. Uh huh,
what's your favorite set that you've worked on That wasn't
Boy because obviously Boys gonna be your number one answer,
no matter what.
Speaker 4 (40:20):
Lincoln Lawyer was. Yeah, I was. That was a fun set.
I liked that, and I liked Castle. It was a
fun set, well, not fun, I was. It was. It
was just a good, easy going you do it, you're in,
you do your drop, you're out, and uh, you know,
(40:41):
Quantum Leap was was interesting.
Speaker 7 (40:42):
Yes, the Quantum Leap is oh Man. To have spent
some time on that set would have been great.
Speaker 4 (40:47):
For a first experience. It was really it was a
really good, nice easing moment. But those were nice. I
mean I think every set I've been on, Criminal Minds,
every set I've been on was very was very nice.
I mean, I would say the favorite was Lincoln Lawyer
because I was I knew Bruce Davidson, who played the
judge in that episode like years ago, like when I
(41:09):
first came out here. I got to know him and
it was great seeing him again. So I had a
little friendly face on the set as well.
Speaker 2 (41:15):
Yeah, that's always n yeah, so.
Speaker 4 (41:18):
It's kind of put my mind at ease. You know,
it's like, oh, we kind of just just gabbed backstage
and brought up old memories and things like that, so
let's cool.
Speaker 2 (41:27):
You were also in the will Smith Williams Sisters movie
King Richard. You played a tennis coach in that. Do
you have any stories about that experience?
Speaker 4 (41:36):
Tennis Dad number two?
Speaker 2 (41:39):
I love it.
Speaker 4 (41:41):
It was it was. It was a good experience. No
I because I I I'm the one that gives him
the line, hey, your other daughter's good too. I forget
what it was, but it was something along those lines,
kind of introducing that. Venus was there. Uh, Serena, Serena,
thank you. Yeah, but Serena was there too. And you know,
I kept checking IMDb pro I'm checking that and it
(42:03):
wasn't on there. I'm like, oh, maybe I was cut.
And I'm like, oh my god, If I was cut,
that's wrong because that was like a that was like
a huge moment, moving moment, and and so I was
like okay. And again I didn't tell anybody.
Speaker 2 (42:15):
Until it came out.
Speaker 4 (42:20):
Because I was invited to the premiere and I didn't
go because again I didn't want to see my you know,
go and not see myself. It'd be like kind of
like then go in and I had one day's work
and I'd be like, who are you? What did you do?
You know? And I have a very weird kind of
thing like that. So but a friend of mine who
had a bigger role in it, went to see it,
(42:42):
and you know, I saw his Facebook post saying, well,
I went to see you know, King Richard. I was cut,
but my buddy Matt Kirkwood is in it. So they
cut him out really fromone now you know, no, they
cut him out there Jesus. But I was. I was
a little nervous, you know, hesitancy has then because I
didn't want to you know, I didn't want people to think, oh,
(43:03):
he's in it. Oh I didn't see him. So I
am kind of like that, like I don't tell anybody
until until I actually see myself in it or someone
lets me know in a minute.
Speaker 6 (43:14):
So my first job, I was of three weeks on
a movie. I had one line in the script. They
gave me two extra lines while we were filming, but
I had to be in the back of this. It
was part of this family in this like dust Bowl
h California situation, and it was like a grapes of
wrath rip off. And then they called and said, we
need writer to come do looping, and I said, they
(43:37):
called my mom and I said, but I only had
one or one line, and they're like, oh, actually, yeah,
we don't need writer come do looping.
Speaker 5 (43:42):
So when we actually watched the episode, it's somebody. It's
like clearly a woman's voice, Like they took my one line.
Speaker 7 (43:48):
And dugged me over.
Speaker 6 (43:50):
Oh, my agent had to send out postcards because that's
what you used to do, send out postcards if you
were going to be able to Now all the casting directors,
so like everybody in Hollywood saw my my one line
that wasn't even my voice.
Speaker 2 (44:04):
Oh my god.
Speaker 6 (44:05):
I remember that was my experience. I was eleven years old,
and I remember being like, I'm never telling anybody. I'm
I'm month wait which movie was this again? Long Road
Home Mark Harmon, but it was It's it's yeah. But
like that was I had very early lesson, like don't
tell anybody you're going to be on TV. Don't just
don't even bother, don't bother because you never know what's
going to happen.
Speaker 2 (44:23):
Well, one role I want to know absolutely everything about
in painstaking detail. Is your time in Taylor Swift's music
video No.
Speaker 4 (44:34):
No, I wish I wish I was?
Speaker 2 (44:38):
That was Mark, Yeah, exactly. It's on IMDb. So that's
just something we you.
Speaker 5 (44:45):
Know, the Matt Kirkwood out there.
Speaker 4 (44:46):
Maybe I think there's another Matt Kirkwood who's a weather
man in Ohio or something.
Speaker 3 (44:51):
So maybe which which video is the other Matt Kirkwood in?
Speaker 4 (44:56):
Now? Which saw it's for?
Speaker 2 (44:58):
I bet you think about me for her remade version
in twenty twenty one.
Speaker 4 (45:02):
Oh okay, so I have to see that.
Speaker 2 (45:04):
Yeah, it's on your IMDb. So i'd start telling people.
Come up with some stories, Matt. Yeah, come out with
some stories about how amazing it was.
Speaker 4 (45:11):
So when I worked with Taylor, you keep going.
Speaker 3 (45:15):
Call Taylor because we know colored t t.
Speaker 2 (45:21):
Teez whizzle. That's fine.
Speaker 4 (45:28):
Oh my god.
Speaker 3 (45:29):
One thing I was trying to remember because am I wrong?
Did you leave for like a season?
Speaker 4 (45:36):
No? I did, though I left after the sixth sixth season.
Speaker 7 (45:40):
That's what it was, Okay, I thought, so yeah.
Speaker 4 (45:42):
And because and only normally, and it was only because
I really it was a great experience. I learned a lot.
But the thing is, as an actor, was very difficult
to go out for auditions. And Stephen and Michael shay
Steve Hayfer and Michael she were amazing. They were like,
all right, can you go now? Can you go now?
(46:04):
Or come back? Because I knew what I was needed,
you know, And I was needed as that was part
of my job, that was what I was getting paid for,
that was what I was needed for. So but it
was like I would get auditions, like in the middle
of the day, and I would have to go out,
and I was like, I don't I don't want to
get in trouble. I don't want to get Steve or
Michael in trouble. I know they were doing their best,
and and I didn't know, you know, if I should
(46:28):
stay on because of that. You know, It's like where's Matt,
you know? And I know how the schedule you guys
were on tight schedule. He's still in school, you know,
And and so I I that's why I left. I
was I got to find a job that yes, doesn't
you know, that pays the bills, but doesn't you know,
doesn't have that that that obstacle, you know, That's my
(46:50):
main goal.
Speaker 2 (46:51):
That feeling even just hearing you talk about it, of
like you have you're an actor, you were working, you
were booking jobs. That stress of like, I have the
opportunity to book an acting job versus mess being here
for being a stand in, and I'm not sure if
I'm going to be able to go because I'm currently
getting paid for this job, but I might have to
pass up this opportunity. Like the fact that you stuck
(47:12):
that out for six seasons. Yeah, that stress is that's
that's a lot that's hard to take on. So I
can totally understand. And you're like, all right, this show
sixth season, Come on, how much longer is this thing
gonna last?
Speaker 4 (47:23):
Anyway, I so missed working on the show. It was
a hard decision to make, but I so missed working
on it because you guys, again it was like this
is this job is gold. And I love you know,
I love when I'm working. I love doing, you know, watching,
I love observing, I love learning, you know, and and
you know, I got to sit in editing booths and
and selled editing and it was it was really cool
(47:46):
and so but it was a very tough decision, very tough.
So but I think you guys won one more season
after that.
Speaker 2 (47:53):
We did ye seven. Yeah, we did a seventh season.
Do you still keep in touch with anybody from the show?
Speaker 4 (48:12):
I well through Facebook. You know Jackie and Michael Shay
I saw a few years ago because at at we
had these Hollywood Nights at this college, and we'd had these.
We'd sometimes we bring in casting directors to talk to
the students, sometimes we bring in agents. But one time
(48:33):
we brought in television sitcom people and I asked Michael
and he came in and spoke and it was a
great experience. You know, he loved it because this is
he also was credited for working on How I Met
Your Mother? Yeah, and so I got to know him.
I got to work, you know, see him again, and
(48:54):
that was really cool.
Speaker 2 (49:01):
Us out. I just saw Michael Shay not even a
month ago. He is working on Happy's Place for NBC
and I am directing over at Lopez Versus Lopez and
NBC did a big our our sitcom Our Sitcoms and
like a little party, and Michael Shaye was there and
so I got to see him face to face and
give him a hug. We took a picture together. I
(49:21):
sent it to the guys. So, yeah, I just saw
Michael not even a month ago.
Speaker 4 (49:26):
Yeah, I see. Yeah, he's such a I mean again,
everybody was so great to work on work on the show.
Everybody that worked on the show was amazing.
Speaker 2 (49:35):
It really was.
Speaker 4 (49:38):
Everyone was Jarry McCain and and Michael and and the
David who is the sistant prop guy.
Speaker 2 (49:45):
He was really cool, Mark Pabsen, Mark Mark.
Speaker 3 (49:48):
We just talked to David Glazer too, so we just
we've got everybody.
Speaker 4 (49:52):
Yeah, oh my god, yeah, David and Mark and then Chris,
Chris Cayer, Yes, I remember Lindsay and who is the
Lily Lily Ridgeway. I'm so sorry and Lily. Yeah, but
you know what, Lily does a lot of stage work.
Now I see her and I was like, oh, I'm
(50:14):
so glad she's she's because I met it. It was
very hard for her being so young, yeah, and being
in this atmosphere, so it was it was great to see.
It's like, oh, my gosh, she was doing a show.
It out in I guess Ventura or something. Oh, that's
so cool that she's still doing this, you know. And
one of the funniest lines I still can't get I
(50:36):
still he's one of the funniest lines the series ever
did was when uh Lindsey came down the stairs I'm out. Ever,
what a great intro it really was.
Speaker 2 (50:51):
So we talked a little bit about your teaching. What
is some of the best advice you think you give
to acting students who want to make it as a
career in the entertainment industry.
Speaker 4 (51:00):
Now, training, keep training, And I always say, start out
in theater. Theater. You're really learning how to build a
character from the beginning. Yeah, you know, the arc of
the character, their journey, whatever their journey is, and that
that whole feeling of the live audience experiences is so
(51:24):
it's so paramount or tantamount to to that feeling on stage.
Is that feeling of oneness? I think that's that experience
of being on stage because I have some I have
seen some actors they start out on TV and then
they come on stage and then they they don't know
what to do with their hands. They just stand there
like sticks. They used to be from from here up.
(51:49):
But I always say, you know, stage, start out in theater,
start out finding a technique, whether it's Stanislavsky check off,
Huda Hogen Meisner, whether it's any of the start out
with something just to give you something to start with,
just to give you something that you can pull out
of your bag you need it, and then learning other
techniques as well, because you know, Stan Slawsky doesn't work,
(52:09):
so we need to pull out check off, you know,
and have that grab bag of different techniques. That's one
thing I tell them. It's just to stay trained, keeping
training even after you graduate. Yeah, and and don't don't uh,
don't give that up because uh, people say it's like
(52:32):
riding a bicycle. It really isn't. You know. You have
to get back and getting the footwork in and getting
the getting the training in.
Speaker 2 (52:38):
But if it's riding a bicycle, I have to say,
having done it not that long ago as an adult,
it's not. It's still difficult.
Speaker 7 (52:45):
I was riding a bike.
Speaker 2 (52:48):
It's not trouble, but it's not like it's just oh yeah,
this is second nature. I was like, oh, balance and
the bike and.
Speaker 5 (52:57):
Cannot ride a bike it. I mean she can, but technically,
but every time she she hates it. She just hates it.
So like life rented bikes when we travel and she's
had multiple accidents.
Speaker 2 (53:07):
She just d yeah, she like, I guess who rode
a bike? Will?
Speaker 7 (53:12):
I just rode a bike for eighteen miles in Aspen?
Speaker 4 (53:14):
Wow?
Speaker 2 (53:15):
Okay, well two shit.
Speaker 3 (53:18):
For most adults, drop shutdown, Danielle.
Speaker 2 (53:22):
For most adults, I don't think it's the most comfortable
if you haven't done it in a long time. But
it's just like riding a bike.
Speaker 7 (53:30):
It's literally in the.
Speaker 2 (53:31):
Same I get it, But the saying isn't the same.
The saying isn't good.
Speaker 5 (53:37):
You probably weren't great at riding the bike even when
you were a kid.
Speaker 2 (53:40):
Not true. I was great, although I do have a
scar from falling off a bike, so that's true. You're right, you're.
Speaker 4 (53:45):
My oldest daughter doesn't ride a bike. She never rode
a bike. We're in an apartment for like years, so
she never really had a place to ride a bike.
Now my youngest daughter can ride. But but yeah, riding
a bike is is you know, For me, it's once
you get on, it's easy. But yeah, but for you guys,
maybe for Danielle, it's different.
Speaker 2 (54:05):
For me, it's just not I don't think it's a
great I don't think it's great saying that's what I'm saying.
Speaker 7 (54:09):
What would your version of that saying be then, Danielle,
for you.
Speaker 2 (54:12):
It's a donut, You'll never have a hard time meeting
another day.
Speaker 3 (54:19):
Something you had to learn as a kids that doughnuts were.
Speaker 6 (54:24):
Not bagels, to stop eating doughnuts exactly.
Speaker 2 (54:30):
And then also donuts and bagels are two different things.
There were a lot of things I had to learn
about it. But now that no, Mom, I know it.
I'll never mistake it again. Anyway, this isn't about me object.
Speaker 3 (54:44):
Oh god, that's great.
Speaker 2 (54:46):
So finally, Matt, did you ever think, with as much
as you saw on set over the six seasons that
you were there, did you ever think we would still
be talking about this show thirty years later?
Speaker 4 (54:59):
I I think, yeah, I did. I mean thirty years later.
I don't know, but I did think that it was
it was something that was going to last. It was uh,
something that was that was again I want to say iconic,
but it was something that was going to last because
you lasted six seasons, and the stories did grow and
(55:21):
they got more serious, and they got more truthful, and
they got more It was more about issues. It was
more about you know, It wasn't just like, oh, you know,
Will forgot to take out Eric forgot to take out
the trash. But an episode on that it was you know,
there's some stories there was about abuse and and and
growing up with an alcoholic parent. You know, only I
(55:43):
thought was really, you know, that was going to last.
I had a feeling that those stories carried through because
people still relate to them. You know. It wasn't it
wasn't uh you know, like I said, Stock family sitcom
issues was real issues and and they, like I said,
(56:03):
listening to the way Mike Michael handled things and the
way they were directed and the way you guys grew
it was just something I knew was going to be. Uh,
it was gonna be long lasting thirty years, I don't know,
but yeah, have a say never, especially in this time
where it's like nobody remembers anything that happened five minutes ago,
you know. Yeah, Like I don't remember being in the
(56:25):
Taylor Swift video exactly.
Speaker 2 (56:27):
No, you were so good in it.
Speaker 4 (56:30):
Oh my god. I got to give her a call.
She gave me a number.
Speaker 3 (56:35):
You are never, ever, ever, ever gonna remember being in
a Taylor.
Speaker 2 (56:39):
Swift well with the lyrics.
Speaker 7 (56:44):
Little tea Swifty for you.
Speaker 2 (56:47):
Well, Matt, thank you so much for being with us
here today. Where can is there a project you you're
working on you'd like us to know about? Where can
people find you? What would you? Where would you? What
would you like people to know about you today?
Speaker 4 (57:00):
God? Well, I'm still working at Amber right now, academic advising.
I still direct and do theater once in a while,
and I still you know, I still go out on auditions,
but or self tapes or things like that. Oh, I
hate self tapes. I just think it's like you got
(57:21):
to put everything up and you got to, like, you know,
make sure the take is perfect, and if it's not,
you know, it's either perfect or by the end of
three hours you're going to I'll just send this one
because I love the idea of going into a room
and getting redirected, you know, which is.
Speaker 3 (57:38):
Where we're just having that conversation about just wanting to
be directed.
Speaker 7 (57:41):
How important it is.
Speaker 4 (57:42):
Yeah, yeah, you know, because that's I mean. And now
now what I see people are asking for is like
two takes. So it's like, you know, send in two
different takes if you want, you know, if you feel
like the first take you want to give us something different,
do that. But you know, I like the fact that
it's like maybe I'm missing a step here, maybe I'm
missing the uh you know, you know you try to
(58:04):
watch the show beforehand, or you know, you try to
look at some to see how the style of the
show goes, and you know, you try to bring that
into it. But you know, you want somebody to go, hey, yeah,
but before this scene happened.
Speaker 3 (58:18):
So well, it's because real acting is is a give
and take, and now it's just give and that's okay,
that's it's half of the process.
Speaker 7 (58:25):
So yeah, it's weird.
Speaker 4 (58:26):
Yeah, and then you have a reader that's like on
zoom while you're looking in your camera, and you know,
it's like it just seems kind of yet. Yeah. Yeah,
so that's the thing. Right. So right now I'm working
at American Academy of Musical and Dramatic Arts as academic advisors,
so uh in Hollywood. But yeah, that's what I'm doing now,
(58:50):
and you know, hopefully I'll get more work. Hopefully I'll
you know, just like everybody else, Hopefully.
Speaker 2 (58:57):
We will be there cheering you on the next time
you books thing. Please let us know. We will let
our dear listeners know when that is where to look
for you. Thank you so much for joining us. It
was such a pleasure to see you and to hear
your voice again. Thank you for spending your time with us.
Speaker 4 (59:11):
Thank you guys, and good luck with the rest of
the you know, rest of the podcast.
Speaker 2 (59:15):
You know, nice to see you too.
Speaker 7 (59:21):
Thanks Matt all right, bye bye.
Speaker 2 (59:25):
My gosh, you're right.
Speaker 7 (59:26):
That voice. It brings you right back, doesn't it.
Speaker 2 (59:28):
I know his voice is exactly the same. The minute
he said hi, I was like, it is so fun.
Speaker 5 (59:35):
It's so interesting to think that he was like our
first audience. Mm hmmm, oh yeah, you know what I mean.
Speaker 6 (59:41):
Like, because you do the run through or the read through,
and then you go to rehearse and it's really just
Steve Hayfer him.
Speaker 4 (59:47):
You know.
Speaker 6 (59:47):
It's like our stand ins and our prop and our
director and then our stage manager and that's kind of it.
Speaker 5 (59:54):
They're the ones that, like you have to feel comfortable
with and laughing at your jokes or not. I don't know.
It's so interesting.
Speaker 3 (01:00:00):
Yeah, And first season it was just Matt and then
three little people, right, so it was yeah, so he
essentially he would stand in for any of the adults, right,
and then the little people would stand in for all
the kids.
Speaker 5 (01:00:12):
Yeah yeah, interesting.
Speaker 2 (01:00:15):
Well, thank you all for joining us for this episode
of Podmeets World. As always, you can follow us on
Instagram pod Meets World Show. You can send us your
emails pod Meets World Show at gmail dot com and
we have.
Speaker 7 (01:00:24):
Merch by our merch It's like eating a donut.
Speaker 2 (01:00:29):
Pod Meets the World's show dot com writer send us out.
Speaker 5 (01:00:34):
We love you all, pod dismissed.
Speaker 6 (01:00:39):
Pod Meets World is an iHeart podcast producer hosted by
Danielle Fischel, Wilfridell and Ryder Strong Executive producers Jensen Karp
and Amy Sugarman Executive in charge of production, Danielle Romo,
producer and editor, Tarasubash producer, Maddie Moore engineer and boy
meets World Superman Easton Out. Our theme song is by
Kyle Morton of Typhoon. Follow us on Instagram at Podmeets
(01:00:59):
World Show or email us at Hodby's World Show at
gmail dot com.
Speaker 3 (01:01:06):
M
Hosts And Creators
Will Friedle
Danielle Fishel
Rider Strong
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