August 15, 2024 • 25 mins
While Lamorne is off being Emmy nominated, Hannah chats with the iconic Shirvang, aka Satya Bhabha. He describes what it was like having THE Taylor Swift literally sweep him off his feet and more in this week's Loft Meeting.
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Speaker 1 (00:27):
Okay, so we're here where you are calling a loft meeting.
Lamurna is out being great, so I called in someone
special to help conduct this meeting. He's an engineer, he
cries at movies, he proposed twice, and he's in love
with Taylor Swift, just like the rest of us. Please
welcome Satya Baba aka Shivrong Satya, welcome to the line.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
Thank you so much for having me. It's a nice
to be with you, Hannah.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
Oh my gosh, I've missed you so much. I feel
emotional just looking at your face.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
It's always so good to see you. There's something about
like fate getting married, where kind of you sort of
real get married in a certain way, Like we kind
of fell in love in this friend way, in the
most beautiful way. It was so nice, and it's always
nice to see you.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
I have such a clear memory of me sitting in
your trailer. We had like some hours and hours to
wait before shooting something, and yeah, it was like a
real falling in love with each other. And we got
to know each other's stories and how we got into
the business, and yeah, it was like such a real connection.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
I felt like we talked about our parents a lot,
also like our Indian parents and the connection between food.
I know your dad loves to cook, and as we
were talking about all of that stuff so much. It's
so nice to see you whenever I see you, and
to connect here is really exciting.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
Yeah, oh my gosh. Before we dive into so loft meetings,
we go through all of our big fan questions and
people have sent in. But man, you are such a
huge part of the New Girl universe and we've never
really talked about them. Do you remember how you became
part of the show. How you got this part totally?
Speaker 2 (02:08):
You know, it was one of those auditions you never
really know is it going to go anywhere. I knew
Liz a little bit from college, but we hadn't really
been in touch. And it was right. I mean, you
guys were blowing up. You know. It was like halfway
through season two and season one had picked up a
huge amount of heat. But then it was just like
(02:28):
growing in a way that like is really really rare
these days. It was rare back then, but I feel
like for that momentum to just sort of snowball and build,
And I remember I did the audition. The funny thing is.
I remember I went into the audition and I did
it both with a British accent and with an American accent,
and no one could tell me which one I booked
it with. I was like calling my reps being like,
(02:50):
do they want it English? Do they not? And I
got to set and I pulled a director aside and
I'm like, hey, listen, like I really don't know what
I'm about to do, like do you want English or
and he goes, oh, just do it. How you did
a new audition? It was great, and so I sort
of thought, you know, I'm just gonna stay with my
regular accent. It's a little more natural to me. I
feel like I can be a little funnier that way,
(03:10):
and just stuck with it. But then we dove in
and you know, the other thing was it was gonna
just be one episode, Like initially they came to me
and it was just that date at the movie theater
and then we come home and the playing to America, the.
Speaker 1 (03:24):
Big Cooler episode, which is like one of the most
iconic episode You've been in all the iconic episodes.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
Well, that's also like I'm super grateful for that because
like the fact that that just and nick kiss happened
just as this character turned up just increased the kind
of like threw logs on the fire of the Newgo fandom.
Everybody just went crazy.
Speaker 1 (03:45):
Yeah, that's true. I realized, because there's like a you know,
top ten list of the episodes that people rewatch the.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
Most, uh huh.
Speaker 1 (03:52):
Cooler of course is one of them, and you're in that.
And then Elaine's Big Day is probably the other one
because of Taylor's swift, and you're central to that, which
is probably why because you think about it, like there's
so many episodes of New Girl, but everybody knows you.
I mean, do you get stopped in this street? Do
people recognize Chevron?
Speaker 2 (04:11):
It's so funny, they really do. I Mean, it always
kind of depends on like where we're at on the
streaming cycle. Like I remember, like the show aired and
people recognize me all the time, and then it went
away for a little while, and then it was on
Netflix and suddenly a ton of people were recognizing me
all of a sudden, and then it kind of went away,
(04:32):
and then it was on Hulu and now a bunch
of people I was just start a wedding this weekend,
and this guy, George came up to me and it
was like ship rang and this and that and this
isn't he just knew it's so top to bottom. It
was really adorable. His wife was like, honey, leave the
guy alone, and he was like, no, no, no, I've
got to tell him. It was really cute. Ah.
Speaker 1 (04:50):
I love that. Yeah, that's so funny. I feel like
you just fell into these episodes where everybody knows you
and everybody loves you, you know, like it's a thing
when you're playing a love interest of like a main
character on the show. Sometimes they're not the most loved characters,
right because they're rooting for like the other two to
(05:11):
kind of get together, like the Schmidt and Ceci thing,
but people love shiit wrong.
Speaker 2 (05:16):
Well, you know, I think you and I had a
really good vibe. I also think that the shows did
you know, It's like we needed a bigger diversion from
the will they won't they of Schmidt and Cec. Maybe
it was like that, particularly because you guys were kind
of hooking up already, so it was like, we know
(05:36):
that's chemistry, but there's this bigger conversation that they're not
kind of able to have and I think that, you know,
because you had such well documented excellent sexual chemistry, I
think everybody's sort of knew, oh, it's gonna happen sometime
down the line. But there was this fun introduction of
this new storyline, and also, I mean the way that
(05:58):
the writers dovetailed it through the season. It was also
a really cool time where all the main characters kind
of came together with the wedding and with some of
these other things, as opposed to it being like just
a CC's storyline or you know, it's like your storyline
was like the central plot of the season finale, which
(06:21):
is like kind of newish in that in that ecosystem
to sort of focus so much on that, and I
think it just kind of brought everyone in together. And also,
you know, one thing I was thinking, and then this
guy at the wedding who I just met kind of
brought this up right to me, and I was like, wow,
you really are a super fan. He was. Like. One
of the other things that I think is really exciting
is that there's this kind of like unlocking of the
(06:42):
Winston character that happened around this storyline. Like I remember
there's this line when he comes to your apartment to
ask for a condom, and you're like, we don't know
each other like this, like we're not even like good friends.
And then that changes so much, and then Winston's so
central in the final episode, He's doing all of that
hilarious stuff and it kind of like Lemurne's sort of goofy, funny,
(07:05):
playful wackiness. I feel like really grew towards the second
half of that season, and so much of that was
surrounding the storyline.
Speaker 1 (07:14):
Yeah, it is interesting how everyone's the things that like
season two by far the best season. Oh, a lot
of people feel that way, and I do feel like
it's like when we all kind of figured it out,
like our characters and like how weird we could get,
and we really got into that really good groove. And yeah,
they gave me so much more to do in that
(07:36):
second season, and a lot of it had to do
with you. And I remember when you were cast and
I was really nervous. I was really nervous because it's
a lot more you know, heavy lifting, and you know,
you always have that like slight bit of imposter syndrome
or whatever, like, oh gosh, can I really do this?
(07:56):
And they were I will say this for a New Girl.
They were so so phenomenal, and the casting of couples
and love interests where the chemistry was so real, Like
it was so real. We met each other, and I
feel like we just did instantly fall in love with
each other. As friends, we got each other, We were
gentle with each other, We gave each other space to
(08:18):
do the things whatever we wanted to do on camera,
and we remain friends till now.
Speaker 2 (08:23):
Yeah, so it's wild.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
It was beautiful casting that way, and New Girl did
that time and time again, and that's rare because if not,
you watch it and you feel it, you feel it
if it's not there completely.
Speaker 2 (08:37):
And I also think that there's something about you know,
as performers, we know we need each other. You know,
we know we need to be able to lean on
each other. We know that we're going to do bad
takes and they're going to be whispering behind the monitor
and the person who I'm going to be right next
to in the bed with going oh, I could do
that better as you And I think that you were
so welcoming and supportive. It was such a tight ecosystem.
(09:00):
All knew each other so well, even though it was
relatively early in the show. It's still a lot of
hours together on set, and I really felt like you
made particularly just like such a concerted effort, because coming
in as a guest star is a very strange thing
to do, and it's not always assumed that anybody kind
(09:20):
of gives a crap about you, you know, particularly the
series regulars. They're they're doing their thing, and you're sort
of added into the mix. Sometimes it's almost a burden.
And so I felt like you were so warm and
so welcoming that I just really felt comfortable and thus
we could really support each other.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
Oh, I'm glad that's how you felt.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
I'm glad that's.
Speaker 1 (09:40):
How you felt.
Speaker 2 (09:41):
Yeah, I love you. I love you.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
I mean, my goodness. Now I'm a little mad at
Taylor Swift. I'm like, this could have been a real thing,
another world, another life. I did you know, what's really
I did not know that you auditioned for this role,
And I feel like, which is so funny. These conversations
are so cool because I always thought you were friends
with Liz. You're so talented that I thought that they
(10:05):
had just offered you this role, and then you're on
the show. I didn't know that you auditioned.
Speaker 2 (10:09):
I fully auditioned. I remember I had a film coming
out and I was like doing a shoot for some
article when I got the call, and it was very
much just one episode and then didn't hear anything. And
then they'd call and they'd be like, they're pinning you
for one more, and I'd be like okay, and then
I'd do one more, and then they were pinning you
for one more. And it was really only a couple
(10:33):
episodes in where they were like, Okay, they want you
for a chunk of them. But I really had no
idea that it was gonna go beyond that, and so
it was a real gift and also really lovely to
reconnect with Liz after some years I'm not seeing her.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
I also remember. The other thing I remember is that
I remember that someone says something about your dad. That
was the other thing I remembered that he was like
he's an icon, and that people had t shirts that
said Homie is my homie.
Speaker 2 (10:59):
That is, my dad's an academic and his name is
Homie Baba, and he's an academic and kind of big.
He's a big guy in a very specific world. And
so yeah, the people who had studied my dad in
college or in grad school, like obsessed with him and
totally made like homie is my homie t shirt?
Speaker 1 (11:18):
Okay, ms be somewhere true memory, that's really I was like,
is this real?
Speaker 2 (11:23):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (11:29):
Okay, we are going to dive into some of these
fan questions. We've got two that we've pulled for you.
All right, here we go. Letter for Sothia. Hello, if
you ever have Satya on the show, can you please
ask him what it was like to run away with
Taylor Swift? I mean, Elaine and a series full of love.
I still think this is one of the most romantic
(11:49):
things I have ever seen. Plus at freed cc up
to return to Schmidt, so honestly, it may be the
most romantic gesture in New Girl history. Anyway, Satia, you're
the best. I would love to hear what it meant
for you to be part of one of New Girl's
most memorable moments. Tell me about t Swift best Joe, Yo.
Speaker 2 (12:07):
Joe, thank you for your letter. Wow. Yes, running off
with Taylor Swift was as we can all imagine a dream.
Taylor was so fun and like light and easy. You know,
shooting television is quite slow. Is long hours. These setups
were big. There was a couple of hundred extras, and
(12:28):
while she was not the like global phenomenon, like Queen
of the Universe that she is now, she was still
really well known and really famous at the time. And
you know, she's sitting in the middle of the audience
with a bunch of strangers around her, and she was
such a friendly and kind and easy presence. And you know,
(12:48):
I also think that there's something funny about, like, how
do you end a love story? Right? Like we had
this love story. There was definitely hints that it wasn't perfect,
that Ceci and Chevron weren't totally locked in, but there
was also some really nice times, and I think that
the writers were really smart in knowing, like the person
(13:08):
has to be someone that everyone who's watching the show
is like just fascinated by, attracted to, interested in things.
Is so super cool. And I remember, I don't know
if you remember this, but there were all of these
names flying out about about who he was going to be.
They were talking about Cameron Diaz, they were talking about
Lena Dunham. There was all of these different ideas and
(13:30):
then finally, I don't know how the stars aligned in
at landon on Taylor Swift. It was really fun and
I think that there was something also about like both
the reveal that both Chivrong and CC were sort of
being pushed into this you must marry someone from within
the community, from their family, right, because Chevrong says, I
(13:52):
don't even care what my parents say. I want to
run away in a lope with you, you know, And
I think that there's something in that, but it kind
of echoes what we know is going on in CEC,
which is why because Chivrong, God bless him. We love Chivrong,
but you know, he's not one of the main characters
you're tracking from season one, episode one, but Cec is,
(14:12):
and so to hear what might have been something Cec
was feeling but coming out of Chevron's mouth, I think
really landed with the audience, which is why it felt romantic,
because in that moment, you're like, great, I like that guy.
I don't want him to be like alone and destroyed.
He gets Taylor Swift. Cool, but now Cecy can get Schmidt,
and that's what we really care about.
Speaker 1 (14:32):
Yeah, do you remember meeting Taylor? Do you remember like
any chats you had with her before, you know, the
being you know, picked up and all that kind.
Speaker 2 (14:40):
Of stuff, all of that stuff. I remember that Taylor's
trailer was in a separate bit, like all of our
trailers were somewhere, and then Taylor's trailer was behind the stage,
like as close to the stage as humanly possible. And
I remember she was sitting in her chair between takes,
like on her phone, and I was really like so nervous,
(15:01):
but then I was like, you know, I've got to
go up and say something. The first time we're going
to talk to each other is not going to be
on camera. But no, we talked about Nashville, where she'd
obviously had a huge relationship with this city. We talked
about touring. I played in a band not quite as
famous as Taylor's with, but and she had been on
the road, you know, already so much. And so we
(15:22):
talked about that life and how she was kind of
bouncing from city to city, and what it was really
charmed by was, you know, how present she was in
the moment she was there. She was chatting to everybody.
She's incredibly friendly, she was like radiantly beautiful and really
had a lot of fun and I do. The moments
(15:42):
I really remember is us running out, and then we'd
have to be super quiet because you guys were finishing
the scene and just being in the back being like,
was that good? I think that was good? And she
was kind of nervous. She'd be like, I think that
was okay. I was like, you were amazing, And then
we were waiting and then cut and then we'd all
go and again it was really fun.
Speaker 1 (16:01):
Oh wait, can I wait? I can't remember. Do you
carry her? She carries you?
Speaker 2 (16:05):
Well, no, Hannah, you do remember, because the last time
I saw you, I was like, I can't believe I
carried Taylor Swift out and you were like, honey, she
carries you out, and guess what you were right. So
she sweeps me off my feet, as she has done
to the rest of the world ever since, and carries
a great feeling.
Speaker 1 (16:23):
By the way, when someone picks you up and carries
you like a little baby, it.
Speaker 2 (16:27):
Is it's always nice. It's like, you know, whatever I
was at that point, early thirty year old man, to
be swept off my feet by a girl ten years
younger than me and carried out like a little baby.
It's mildly emasculating, but you know what, you do it
for the art.
Speaker 1 (16:41):
You do it for the art. Oh my gosh, so funny. Okay,
let's go to our next question. Hey, Hannah and Lamour
and I don't know if you can answer this. Well,
maybe Lemurn can since he's just got nominated for an
Emmy for Best Supporting Actor.
Speaker 2 (16:53):
Woop woop.
Speaker 1 (16:53):
This is true, very exciting news for our Lamore. And
my question is what does it take to be a
good curring guest star on a series. I'm an aspiring
actress and I always think it must be difficult to
gee with a cast and crew that spent years together
and you're kind of just dumped in the middle, and
you have to support these ongoing stories without overshadowing the
main cast. What advice would you have for a young
(17:15):
performer given a featured guest role?
Speaker 2 (17:18):
Thank you, Heather, Hm, great question.
Speaker 1 (17:22):
Yeah, it's a great question. You know, I remember kind
of echoing what you were saying earlier. Jamie Lee Curtis
plays Jess's mom on the show, and I remember her
talking about the awkwardness of being a guest star. And
I've never actually been a guest star on show, so
(17:44):
I didn't know what it was like. And for me,
as being in the main cast, I was just always
like so so so excited, so excited when someone new
showed up and someone wanted to be in the world,
and it was like, you know, I don't know, it
was like having someone exciting coming to family dinner or something.
Speaker 2 (18:00):
Totally.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
There is never a thought of like overshadowing or something
like that. Never even cross my mind.
Speaker 2 (18:05):
Yeah, I mean, I think the overshadowing thing is kind
of less of a concern. I do think that there
is something about the rhythm of being on set, which
like when you're a series regular, you are on set
every single day, morning to night, and it becomes very natural.
When you're a guest performer, this might be the only
(18:25):
time you've been on set in many months, maybe a year,
and that getting into that energy, getting into that rhythm,
there's so much sitting and waiting and then you've got
to get up and do it really quickly and kind
of getting that muscle worked out quickly and figuring that
out is hard. Now I'm a director now, I don't
really act so much anymore, and I've worked on a
ton of TV shows and I have seen people come
(18:49):
on as guest stars, and I know this is a
huge deal for them, and I've watched their audition and
they were amazing, and they don't get there. It's really
hard for them. And I always think of it as
really myrusibility and the responsibility of the rest of the
cast to know that, hey, we are comfortable in this ecosystem,
this is our family. I know the camera guy's name,
I know the costume person's name, but they it's all
(19:12):
strangers to them. And so I think that firstly, it's
a dream if you have someone like Hannah, honestly, because
she was so warm and welcoming to me, and that's
not to be assumed. But then also I think that
you know, sometimes as act as, our fear stops us
from kind of shining our light that we know is
in there, because it gets you get scared and you
(19:35):
get nervous, and so you're not expanding into the biggest
and best version of yourself. And I think that what
I've always noticed on both sides of the camera is
take the swing, get out there and make the choice.
Do the thing you think it's funny, make people laugh.
I remember one time we were in a scene I
was in a scene with Nick I guess with Jake,
(19:57):
and we were in a car and we were waiting
to pick you up, I think, and I just started
like improving and singing songs, not really thinking that they
would then have to clear the songs and buy the
right So I like start singing like, I'm like, what
a funny English songs? I start singing spice girls, And
instantly the assistant director runs over and it's like, you
sing that. You can't sing that? So okay, I didn't
(20:19):
do it in the next take, but at least you
take the swing and people get to know your personality.
And I think, particularly with the show like Nugol where
it was being written as we were shooting, the more
you show yourself, the more they know what to write to,
and the more they know how to make you your best
version of yourself.
Speaker 1 (20:36):
Yeah, all of that incredible advice that's so true is
to just go for it. I feel like this is
the thing that I always wanted to be able to
say to guest stars that would come on that weren't
as seasoned, you know as you and so many other
people that we were so lucky to have on the show,
Because I would watch them and they would do let's say,
two takes right, and then the director would be like,
(20:58):
all right, we got it, moving on, and I would
watch them in their eyes. I could see it just
spin out right because in their mind they didn't get there,
they didn't get it, and they just think like they
screwed it up, right, or the director comes in with
a note to kind of help them, and then all
of a sudden they get in their head. And what
(21:18):
I wanted to be able to say always is like,
we're all on the same team. So here's the deal.
We will never move on unless we've got it. So
if you just did that in two takes, even though
you might not feel like you got there or you
feel like you could do it better, trust that this
show is never ever going to put something out there
(21:40):
that isn't the funniest, the best that puts you in
the best light and the show in the best light.
So if they've got it, trust them they've got it right. Also,
we have the best editors in the world. They will
protect you and protect the show. I don't think anybody
has ever watched themselves, who's ever been on New Girl
and watched it and didn't like how they were portrayed
(22:02):
on the show, or like a choice that was made
that made it into the show because the show was
just it had that magic thing where they knew how
to pick that best take and to do it. But
I would watch people get in their head a little
bit because our show would move fast, we would overshoot,
we had a lot to shoot, and so I wanted
to be like, you're so protected, and man, you just
(22:23):
didn't want take that's a good thing, You're okay. Or
if the director's coming in to talk to you and
you might have actually nailed it in the last take
and now they're just looking for options in the edit.
It's not a comment on your performance. And it's those
things where you kind of wish that like you could
leave like a little like leaflet in the trailer to
be like, this is all of the show operates. We
(22:45):
got you, we love options in an edit. You are protected,
it's going to be great. Just go out there and
just try to put all of that weight we put
on ourselves. Just try to put it down. I know
it's hard. I probably couldn't do it, but it was
like what my heart would always be saying when I
would watch people spin a little bit. I was like,
we got you.
Speaker 2 (23:04):
And the interesting thing as an actor is like, when
you really commit, those nerves go away. You know. It's
when you're holding back that you kind of in your
head when you're like, I'm just gonna make a fucking
choice and see what happens, and you go for it. Actually,
it's really freeing and relaxing and you come out of
(23:25):
the take and you're like, well, i'n I wasn't even
thinking in my head during that because you took a swing.
Speaker 1 (23:30):
I bet you. I don't know this for a fact,
but I bet you with that Taylor Swift moment where she,
you know, picks you up and runs off with you,
holding you in her arms was not in the script,
and I bet you it was not the first or
second take. I bet sure it was an option and
the fact that you were up for it, she was
up for it, because it's super silly.
Speaker 2 (23:52):
I think how it is literally something that we tried.
I think we were back there and we were like,
do you want to pick me up? Should you pick
me up? That would be so funny. I was wearing
that big turban and those shoes, and I definitely know
there were takes where shoes were flying and turbans were
falling off, but like we get it in the end.
You know, all you need is one.
Speaker 1 (24:11):
All you need is one. This has been the best
hanging out with you.
Speaker 2 (24:15):
Thank you so much for having me. This is so
so fun.
Speaker 1 (24:19):
Yeah, well that concludes our loft meeting. You guys, thank
you Cynthia for joining us from London.
Speaker 2 (24:24):
Aren't you in London right now? I am in London
right now. Want to hear it in my voice? I do?
I do? I hear it?
Speaker 1 (24:31):
Well, that concludes our loft meeting. If you want to
submit questions to any of our guests about a specific episode,
or even if you want to just tell us a story,
you can leave us a message or a voicemail at
the mess Around pod at gmail dot com, or leave
us a comment on our social at the mess around
pod on ig. Also this cute little merch I'm wearing.
Go to the mess around pod dot com. Get yourself
(24:53):
some and we keep doing drops. They keep selling out.
I'm going to send you.
Speaker 2 (24:56):
Some stuff, ye please.
Speaker 1 (24:58):
We will be back on Tuesday with episode two nineteen.
Quick Hardening cop Ooh says be a lad.
Speaker 3 (25:10):
That was the mess Around This has been an iHeartMedia production.
Our executive producer is Joel Monique. Our engineer and editor
is Mia Taylor. Additional production from Daniel Goodman, Wendy Heisler,
and Kyle Shevron. Our theme song was written and composed
by Ronald Jukebox Jackson. So We're gonna catch you next time. Bye,
Okay, so we're here where you are calling a loft meeting.
Lamurna is out being great, so I called in someone
special to help conduct this meeting. He's an engineer, he
cries at movies, he proposed twice, and he's in love
with Taylor Swift, just like the rest of us. Please
welcome Satya Baba aka Shivrong Satya, welcome to the line.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
Thank you so much for having me. It's a nice
to be with you, Hannah.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
Oh my gosh, I've missed you so much. I feel
emotional just looking at your face.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
It's always so good to see you. There's something about
like fate getting married, where kind of you sort of
real get married in a certain way, Like we kind
of fell in love in this friend way, in the
most beautiful way. It was so nice, and it's always
nice to see you.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
I have such a clear memory of me sitting in
your trailer. We had like some hours and hours to
wait before shooting something, and yeah, it was like a
real falling in love with each other. And we got
to know each other's stories and how we got into
the business, and yeah, it was like such a real connection.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
I felt like we talked about our parents a lot,
also like our Indian parents and the connection between food.
I know your dad loves to cook, and as we
were talking about all of that stuff so much. It's
so nice to see you whenever I see you, and
to connect here is really exciting.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
Yeah, oh my gosh. Before we dive into so loft meetings,
we go through all of our big fan questions and
people have sent in. But man, you are such a
huge part of the New Girl universe and we've never
really talked about them. Do you remember how you became
part of the show. How you got this part totally?
Speaker 2 (02:08):
You know, it was one of those auditions you never
really know is it going to go anywhere. I knew
Liz a little bit from college, but we hadn't really
been in touch. And it was right. I mean, you
guys were blowing up. You know. It was like halfway
through season two and season one had picked up a
huge amount of heat. But then it was just like
(02:28):
growing in a way that like is really really rare
these days. It was rare back then, but I feel
like for that momentum to just sort of snowball and build,
And I remember I did the audition. The funny thing is.
I remember I went into the audition and I did
it both with a British accent and with an American accent,
and no one could tell me which one I booked
it with. I was like calling my reps being like,
(02:50):
do they want it English? Do they not? And I
got to set and I pulled a director aside and
I'm like, hey, listen, like I really don't know what
I'm about to do, like do you want English or
and he goes, oh, just do it. How you did
a new audition? It was great, and so I sort
of thought, you know, I'm just gonna stay with my
regular accent. It's a little more natural to me. I
feel like I can be a little funnier that way,
(03:10):
and just stuck with it. But then we dove in
and you know, the other thing was it was gonna
just be one episode, Like initially they came to me
and it was just that date at the movie theater
and then we come home and the playing to America, the.
Speaker 1 (03:24):
Big Cooler episode, which is like one of the most
iconic episode You've been in all the iconic episodes.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
Well, that's also like I'm super grateful for that because
like the fact that that just and nick kiss happened
just as this character turned up just increased the kind
of like threw logs on the fire of the Newgo fandom.
Everybody just went crazy.
Speaker 1 (03:45):
Yeah, that's true. I realized, because there's like a you know,
top ten list of the episodes that people rewatch the.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
Most, uh huh.
Speaker 1 (03:52):
Cooler of course is one of them, and you're in that.
And then Elaine's Big Day is probably the other one
because of Taylor's swift, and you're central to that, which
is probably why because you think about it, like there's
so many episodes of New Girl, but everybody knows you.
I mean, do you get stopped in this street? Do
people recognize Chevron?
Speaker 2 (04:11):
It's so funny, they really do. I Mean, it always
kind of depends on like where we're at on the
streaming cycle. Like I remember, like the show aired and
people recognize me all the time, and then it went
away for a little while, and then it was on
Netflix and suddenly a ton of people were recognizing me
all of a sudden, and then it kind of went away,
(04:32):
and then it was on Hulu and now a bunch
of people I was just start a wedding this weekend,
and this guy, George came up to me and it
was like ship rang and this and that and this
isn't he just knew it's so top to bottom. It
was really adorable. His wife was like, honey, leave the
guy alone, and he was like, no, no, no, I've
got to tell him. It was really cute. Ah.
Speaker 1 (04:50):
I love that. Yeah, that's so funny. I feel like
you just fell into these episodes where everybody knows you
and everybody loves you, you know, like it's a thing
when you're playing a love interest of like a main
character on the show. Sometimes they're not the most loved characters,
right because they're rooting for like the other two to
(05:11):
kind of get together, like the Schmidt and Ceci thing,
but people love shiit wrong.
Speaker 2 (05:16):
Well, you know, I think you and I had a
really good vibe. I also think that the shows did
you know, It's like we needed a bigger diversion from
the will they won't they of Schmidt and Cec. Maybe
it was like that, particularly because you guys were kind
of hooking up already, so it was like, we know
(05:36):
that's chemistry, but there's this bigger conversation that they're not
kind of able to have and I think that, you know,
because you had such well documented excellent sexual chemistry, I
think everybody's sort of knew, oh, it's gonna happen sometime
down the line. But there was this fun introduction of
this new storyline, and also, I mean the way that
(05:58):
the writers dovetailed it through the season. It was also
a really cool time where all the main characters kind
of came together with the wedding and with some of
these other things, as opposed to it being like just
a CC's storyline or you know, it's like your storyline
was like the central plot of the season finale, which
(06:21):
is like kind of newish in that in that ecosystem
to sort of focus so much on that, and I
think it just kind of brought everyone in together. And also,
you know, one thing I was thinking, and then this
guy at the wedding who I just met kind of
brought this up right to me, and I was like, wow,
you really are a super fan. He was. Like. One
of the other things that I think is really exciting
is that there's this kind of like unlocking of the
(06:42):
Winston character that happened around this storyline. Like I remember
there's this line when he comes to your apartment to
ask for a condom, and you're like, we don't know
each other like this, like we're not even like good friends.
And then that changes so much, and then Winston's so
central in the final episode, He's doing all of that
hilarious stuff and it kind of like Lemurne's sort of goofy, funny,
(07:05):
playful wackiness. I feel like really grew towards the second
half of that season, and so much of that was
surrounding the storyline.
Speaker 1 (07:14):
Yeah, it is interesting how everyone's the things that like
season two by far the best season. Oh, a lot
of people feel that way, and I do feel like
it's like when we all kind of figured it out,
like our characters and like how weird we could get,
and we really got into that really good groove. And yeah,
they gave me so much more to do in that
(07:36):
second season, and a lot of it had to do
with you. And I remember when you were cast and
I was really nervous. I was really nervous because it's
a lot more you know, heavy lifting, and you know,
you always have that like slight bit of imposter syndrome
or whatever, like, oh gosh, can I really do this?
(07:56):
And they were I will say this for a New Girl.
They were so so phenomenal, and the casting of couples
and love interests where the chemistry was so real, Like
it was so real. We met each other, and I
feel like we just did instantly fall in love with
each other. As friends, we got each other, We were
gentle with each other, We gave each other space to
(08:18):
do the things whatever we wanted to do on camera,
and we remain friends till now.
Speaker 2 (08:23):
Yeah, so it's wild.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
It was beautiful casting that way, and New Girl did
that time and time again, and that's rare because if not,
you watch it and you feel it, you feel it
if it's not there completely.
Speaker 2 (08:37):
And I also think that there's something about you know,
as performers, we know we need each other. You know,
we know we need to be able to lean on
each other. We know that we're going to do bad
takes and they're going to be whispering behind the monitor
and the person who I'm going to be right next
to in the bed with going oh, I could do
that better as you And I think that you were
so welcoming and supportive. It was such a tight ecosystem.
(09:00):
All knew each other so well, even though it was
relatively early in the show. It's still a lot of
hours together on set, and I really felt like you
made particularly just like such a concerted effort, because coming
in as a guest star is a very strange thing
to do, and it's not always assumed that anybody kind
(09:20):
of gives a crap about you, you know, particularly the
series regulars. They're they're doing their thing, and you're sort
of added into the mix. Sometimes it's almost a burden.
And so I felt like you were so warm and
so welcoming that I just really felt comfortable and thus
we could really support each other.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
Oh, I'm glad that's how you felt.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
I'm glad that's.
Speaker 1 (09:40):
How you felt.
Speaker 2 (09:41):
Yeah, I love you. I love you.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
I mean, my goodness. Now I'm a little mad at
Taylor Swift. I'm like, this could have been a real thing,
another world, another life. I did you know, what's really
I did not know that you auditioned for this role,
And I feel like, which is so funny. These conversations
are so cool because I always thought you were friends
with Liz. You're so talented that I thought that they
(10:05):
had just offered you this role, and then you're on
the show. I didn't know that you auditioned.
Speaker 2 (10:09):
I fully auditioned. I remember I had a film coming
out and I was like doing a shoot for some
article when I got the call, and it was very
much just one episode and then didn't hear anything. And
then they'd call and they'd be like, they're pinning you
for one more, and I'd be like okay, and then
I'd do one more, and then they were pinning you
for one more. And it was really only a couple
(10:33):
episodes in where they were like, Okay, they want you
for a chunk of them. But I really had no
idea that it was gonna go beyond that, and so
it was a real gift and also really lovely to
reconnect with Liz after some years I'm not seeing her.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
I also remember. The other thing I remember is that
I remember that someone says something about your dad. That
was the other thing I remembered that he was like
he's an icon, and that people had t shirts that
said Homie is my homie.
Speaker 2 (10:59):
That is, my dad's an academic and his name is
Homie Baba, and he's an academic and kind of big.
He's a big guy in a very specific world. And
so yeah, the people who had studied my dad in
college or in grad school, like obsessed with him and
totally made like homie is my homie t shirt?
Speaker 1 (11:18):
Okay, ms be somewhere true memory, that's really I was like,
is this real?
Speaker 2 (11:23):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (11:29):
Okay, we are going to dive into some of these
fan questions. We've got two that we've pulled for you.
All right, here we go. Letter for Sothia. Hello, if
you ever have Satya on the show, can you please
ask him what it was like to run away with
Taylor Swift? I mean, Elaine and a series full of love.
I still think this is one of the most romantic
(11:49):
things I have ever seen. Plus at freed cc up
to return to Schmidt, so honestly, it may be the
most romantic gesture in New Girl history. Anyway, Satia, you're
the best. I would love to hear what it meant
for you to be part of one of New Girl's
most memorable moments. Tell me about t Swift best Joe, Yo.
Speaker 2 (12:07):
Joe, thank you for your letter. Wow. Yes, running off
with Taylor Swift was as we can all imagine a dream.
Taylor was so fun and like light and easy. You know,
shooting television is quite slow. Is long hours. These setups
were big. There was a couple of hundred extras, and
(12:28):
while she was not the like global phenomenon, like Queen
of the Universe that she is now, she was still
really well known and really famous at the time. And
you know, she's sitting in the middle of the audience
with a bunch of strangers around her, and she was
such a friendly and kind and easy presence. And you know,
(12:48):
I also think that there's something funny about, like, how
do you end a love story? Right? Like we had
this love story. There was definitely hints that it wasn't perfect,
that Ceci and Chevron weren't totally locked in, but there
was also some really nice times, and I think that
the writers were really smart in knowing, like the person
(13:08):
has to be someone that everyone who's watching the show
is like just fascinated by, attracted to, interested in things.
Is so super cool. And I remember, I don't know
if you remember this, but there were all of these
names flying out about about who he was going to be.
They were talking about Cameron Diaz, they were talking about
Lena Dunham. There was all of these different ideas and
(13:30):
then finally, I don't know how the stars aligned in
at landon on Taylor Swift. It was really fun and
I think that there was something also about like both
the reveal that both Chivrong and CC were sort of
being pushed into this you must marry someone from within
the community, from their family, right, because Chevrong says, I
(13:52):
don't even care what my parents say. I want to
run away in a lope with you, you know, And
I think that there's something in that, but it kind
of echoes what we know is going on in CEC,
which is why because Chivrong, God bless him. We love Chivrong,
but you know, he's not one of the main characters
you're tracking from season one, episode one, but Cec is,
(14:12):
and so to hear what might have been something Cec
was feeling but coming out of Chevron's mouth, I think
really landed with the audience, which is why it felt romantic,
because in that moment, you're like, great, I like that guy.
I don't want him to be like alone and destroyed.
He gets Taylor Swift. Cool, but now Cecy can get Schmidt,
and that's what we really care about.
Speaker 1 (14:32):
Yeah, do you remember meeting Taylor? Do you remember like
any chats you had with her before, you know, the
being you know, picked up and all that kind.
Speaker 2 (14:40):
Of stuff, all of that stuff. I remember that Taylor's
trailer was in a separate bit, like all of our
trailers were somewhere, and then Taylor's trailer was behind the stage,
like as close to the stage as humanly possible. And
I remember she was sitting in her chair between takes,
like on her phone, and I was really like so nervous,
(15:01):
but then I was like, you know, I've got to
go up and say something. The first time we're going
to talk to each other is not going to be
on camera. But no, we talked about Nashville, where she'd
obviously had a huge relationship with this city. We talked
about touring. I played in a band not quite as
famous as Taylor's with, but and she had been on
the road, you know, already so much. And so we
(15:22):
talked about that life and how she was kind of
bouncing from city to city, and what it was really
charmed by was, you know, how present she was in
the moment she was there. She was chatting to everybody.
She's incredibly friendly, she was like radiantly beautiful and really
had a lot of fun and I do. The moments
(15:42):
I really remember is us running out, and then we'd
have to be super quiet because you guys were finishing
the scene and just being in the back being like,
was that good? I think that was good? And she
was kind of nervous. She'd be like, I think that
was okay. I was like, you were amazing, And then
we were waiting and then cut and then we'd all
go and again it was really fun.
Speaker 1 (16:01):
Oh wait, can I wait? I can't remember. Do you
carry her? She carries you?
Speaker 2 (16:05):
Well, no, Hannah, you do remember, because the last time
I saw you, I was like, I can't believe I
carried Taylor Swift out and you were like, honey, she
carries you out, and guess what you were right. So
she sweeps me off my feet, as she has done
to the rest of the world ever since, and carries
a great feeling.
Speaker 1 (16:23):
By the way, when someone picks you up and carries
you like a little baby, it.
Speaker 2 (16:27):
Is it's always nice. It's like, you know, whatever I
was at that point, early thirty year old man, to
be swept off my feet by a girl ten years
younger than me and carried out like a little baby.
It's mildly emasculating, but you know what, you do it
for the art.
Speaker 1 (16:41):
You do it for the art. Oh my gosh, so funny. Okay,
let's go to our next question. Hey, Hannah and Lamour
and I don't know if you can answer this. Well,
maybe Lemurn can since he's just got nominated for an
Emmy for Best Supporting Actor.
Speaker 2 (16:53):
Woop woop.
Speaker 1 (16:53):
This is true, very exciting news for our Lamore. And
my question is what does it take to be a
good curring guest star on a series. I'm an aspiring
actress and I always think it must be difficult to
gee with a cast and crew that spent years together
and you're kind of just dumped in the middle, and
you have to support these ongoing stories without overshadowing the
main cast. What advice would you have for a young
(17:15):
performer given a featured guest role?
Speaker 2 (17:18):
Thank you, Heather, Hm, great question.
Speaker 1 (17:22):
Yeah, it's a great question. You know, I remember kind
of echoing what you were saying earlier. Jamie Lee Curtis
plays Jess's mom on the show, and I remember her
talking about the awkwardness of being a guest star. And
I've never actually been a guest star on show, so
(17:44):
I didn't know what it was like. And for me,
as being in the main cast, I was just always
like so so so excited, so excited when someone new
showed up and someone wanted to be in the world,
and it was like, you know, I don't know, it
was like having someone exciting coming to family dinner or something.
Speaker 2 (18:00):
Totally.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
There is never a thought of like overshadowing or something
like that. Never even cross my mind.
Speaker 2 (18:05):
Yeah, I mean, I think the overshadowing thing is kind
of less of a concern. I do think that there
is something about the rhythm of being on set, which
like when you're a series regular, you are on set
every single day, morning to night, and it becomes very natural.
When you're a guest performer, this might be the only
(18:25):
time you've been on set in many months, maybe a year,
and that getting into that energy, getting into that rhythm,
there's so much sitting and waiting and then you've got
to get up and do it really quickly and kind
of getting that muscle worked out quickly and figuring that
out is hard. Now I'm a director now, I don't
really act so much anymore, and I've worked on a
ton of TV shows and I have seen people come
(18:49):
on as guest stars, and I know this is a
huge deal for them, and I've watched their audition and
they were amazing, and they don't get there. It's really
hard for them. And I always think of it as
really myrusibility and the responsibility of the rest of the
cast to know that, hey, we are comfortable in this ecosystem,
this is our family. I know the camera guy's name,
I know the costume person's name, but they it's all
(19:12):
strangers to them. And so I think that firstly, it's
a dream if you have someone like Hannah, honestly, because
she was so warm and welcoming to me, and that's
not to be assumed. But then also I think that
you know, sometimes as act as, our fear stops us
from kind of shining our light that we know is
in there, because it gets you get scared and you
(19:35):
get nervous, and so you're not expanding into the biggest
and best version of yourself. And I think that what
I've always noticed on both sides of the camera is
take the swing, get out there and make the choice.
Do the thing you think it's funny, make people laugh.
I remember one time we were in a scene I
was in a scene with Nick I guess with Jake,
(19:57):
and we were in a car and we were waiting
to pick you up, I think, and I just started
like improving and singing songs, not really thinking that they
would then have to clear the songs and buy the
right So I like start singing like, I'm like, what
a funny English songs? I start singing spice girls, And
instantly the assistant director runs over and it's like, you
sing that. You can't sing that? So okay, I didn't
(20:19):
do it in the next take, but at least you
take the swing and people get to know your personality.
And I think, particularly with the show like Nugol where
it was being written as we were shooting, the more
you show yourself, the more they know what to write to,
and the more they know how to make you your best
version of yourself.
Speaker 1 (20:36):
Yeah, all of that incredible advice that's so true is
to just go for it. I feel like this is
the thing that I always wanted to be able to
say to guest stars that would come on that weren't
as seasoned, you know as you and so many other
people that we were so lucky to have on the show,
Because I would watch them and they would do let's say,
two takes right, and then the director would be like,
(20:58):
all right, we got it, moving on, and I would
watch them in their eyes. I could see it just
spin out right because in their mind they didn't get there,
they didn't get it, and they just think like they
screwed it up, right, or the director comes in with
a note to kind of help them, and then all
of a sudden they get in their head. And what
(21:18):
I wanted to be able to say always is like,
we're all on the same team. So here's the deal.
We will never move on unless we've got it. So
if you just did that in two takes, even though
you might not feel like you got there or you
feel like you could do it better, trust that this
show is never ever going to put something out there
(21:40):
that isn't the funniest, the best that puts you in
the best light and the show in the best light.
So if they've got it, trust them they've got it right. Also,
we have the best editors in the world. They will
protect you and protect the show. I don't think anybody
has ever watched themselves, who's ever been on New Girl
and watched it and didn't like how they were portrayed
(22:02):
on the show, or like a choice that was made
that made it into the show because the show was
just it had that magic thing where they knew how
to pick that best take and to do it. But
I would watch people get in their head a little
bit because our show would move fast, we would overshoot,
we had a lot to shoot, and so I wanted
to be like, you're so protected, and man, you just
(22:23):
didn't want take that's a good thing, You're okay. Or
if the director's coming in to talk to you and
you might have actually nailed it in the last take
and now they're just looking for options in the edit.
It's not a comment on your performance. And it's those
things where you kind of wish that like you could
leave like a little like leaflet in the trailer to
be like, this is all of the show operates. We
(22:45):
got you, we love options in an edit. You are protected,
it's going to be great. Just go out there and
just try to put all of that weight we put
on ourselves. Just try to put it down. I know
it's hard. I probably couldn't do it, but it was
like what my heart would always be saying when I
would watch people spin a little bit. I was like,
we got you.
Speaker 2 (23:04):
And the interesting thing as an actor is like, when
you really commit, those nerves go away. You know. It's
when you're holding back that you kind of in your
head when you're like, I'm just gonna make a fucking
choice and see what happens, and you go for it. Actually,
it's really freeing and relaxing and you come out of
(23:25):
the take and you're like, well, i'n I wasn't even
thinking in my head during that because you took a swing.
Speaker 1 (23:30):
I bet you. I don't know this for a fact,
but I bet you with that Taylor Swift moment where she,
you know, picks you up and runs off with you,
holding you in her arms was not in the script,
and I bet you it was not the first or
second take. I bet sure it was an option and
the fact that you were up for it, she was
up for it, because it's super silly.
Speaker 2 (23:52):
I think how it is literally something that we tried.
I think we were back there and we were like,
do you want to pick me up? Should you pick
me up? That would be so funny. I was wearing
that big turban and those shoes, and I definitely know
there were takes where shoes were flying and turbans were
falling off, but like we get it in the end.
You know, all you need is one.
Speaker 1 (24:11):
All you need is one. This has been the best
hanging out with you.
Speaker 2 (24:15):
Thank you so much for having me. This is so
so fun.
Speaker 1 (24:19):
Yeah, well that concludes our loft meeting. You guys, thank
you Cynthia for joining us from London.
Speaker 2 (24:24):
Aren't you in London right now? I am in London
right now. Want to hear it in my voice? I do?
I do? I hear it?
Speaker 1 (24:31):
Well, that concludes our loft meeting. If you want to
submit questions to any of our guests about a specific episode,
or even if you want to just tell us a story,
you can leave us a message or a voicemail at
the mess Around pod at gmail dot com, or leave
us a comment on our social at the mess around
pod on ig. Also this cute little merch I'm wearing.
Go to the mess around pod dot com. Get yourself
(24:53):
some and we keep doing drops. They keep selling out.
I'm going to send you.
Speaker 2 (24:56):
Some stuff, ye please.
Speaker 1 (24:58):
We will be back on Tuesday with episode two nineteen.
Quick Hardening cop Ooh says be a lad.
Speaker 3 (25:10):
That was the mess Around This has been an iHeartMedia production.
Our executive producer is Joel Monique. Our engineer and editor
is Mia Taylor. Additional production from Daniel Goodman, Wendy Heisler,
and Kyle Shevron. Our theme song was written and composed
by Ronald Jukebox Jackson. So We're gonna catch you next time. Bye,
Hosts And Creators
Lamorne Morris
Hannah Simone
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