Transcript

Brittany Snow | Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard

From Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard · Episode page · Watch on YouTube

· 1 h 30 min · 19,115 words · 409 timestamped sections

This is the full, timestamped transcript of "Brittany Snow | Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard", an episode of Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard published November 2, 2026 (1 h 30 min, about 19,115 words). It mentions 94 people, works and ideas, including Addiction, Dak Shepard, The Hunting Wives, Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard, Brittany Snow.

What this episode is about

Brittany Snow discusses balancing fame, personal insecurities, and the comfort of consuming and creating content, including how true crime and familiar voices calm and motivate her. She reflects on shared struggles within the industry, finding reassurance in relatable peers and the process of self-awareness.

Key takeaways

  • Podcast rituals reveal how we curate calm: comfort, not competence, becomes productivity’s quiet fuel.
  • True crime fandom doubles as mental training: predicting outcomes, reclaiming control from chaos, safely.
  • 12-step culture in public spaces tests boundaries: honesty challenges perfection, but risks groupthink if unchecked.
  • Admiration for 'Love on the Spectrum' shows us empathy’s collective currency; shared humanity beats celebrity hype.
  • Culty programs and self-help overlap: devotion can heal, yet discernment preserves individuality and autonomy.

Who speaks in this episode?

What is discussed, and when

  1. – 10:00: People, Tampa, Florida, Allstate, Emmy Awards
  2. – 20:00: People, New York, New York, Addiction, Hypervigilance
  3. – 30:00: Guiding Light, Malin Åkerman, The Hunting Wives, People
  4. – 40:00: Addiction, People, McDonald's, Allstate
  5. – 50:00: People, American Dreams, Addiction, Parachute
  6. – 1:00:00: Hairspray, People, Pitch Perfect, Nip/Tuck
  7. – 1:10:00: People, Hulu, The Beast in Me, Hypervigilance
  8. – 1:20:00: People, Addiction, Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard, The Hunting Wives
  9. – 1:30:00: People, Monica Padman, The Hunting Wives, The Bahamas

Notable quotes from "Brittany Snow | Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard"

  • Oh, that's lovely. Is he passed?
    about Dak Shepard · at
  • Hypervigilance. And it sort of seeps into Oh god, I'm really an armchair expert on but I think that it seeps into every aspect of my life. It sort of defines everything that's happened in terms of you know addiction or partners that.
    about Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard · at
  • Okay. so you're we're on the we're on Gutting Light for three years.
    about Guiding Light · at
  • Started therapy when I was 16. I started going to program, and I learned what like an eating disorder was. I read an article in a magazine. I have a charity called September…
    about People · at
  • Yeah, but I that was what I learned in program that was so fascinating is that you just insert item here, alcohol, drugs, food, Yeah.
    about Addiction · at
  • And it was dealing with doing normal human things, going to a restaurant, talking to somebody about like going out to eat with your friends, going to the movie theater.
    about Outpatient treatment · at
  • Some The Hunting Wives and Nip/Tuck are scratching the same itch for all of us, I think.
    about The Hunting Wives · at
  • But anyway, the whole story the long story short is Pitch Perfect was my thing that I got back where I don't know how I got it cuz I was so nervous in the audition, but I ended up doing it and.
    about Pitch Perfect · at

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

  • Dak Shepard — Person · Host · 5 mentions · first at
    Interviewer and host of Armchair Expert; guides the conversation and prompts topics around recovery, career, and The Hunting Wives
  • Brittany Snow — Person · Main guest · 2 mentions · first at
    Primary interview subject; discusses her acting career, eating-disorder recovery, directing Parachute, and starring in The Hunting Wives
    And then I directed a movie a couple years ago called Parachute and that was really about the beginning of figuring out how to get better and the final day that I got.
  • Monica Padman — Person · Co-host / Producer (Armchair Expert) · 5 mentions · first at
    Co-host on the show; present in the conversation and participates in banter with Brittany and Dax
    To her. No one's even going to notice what just happened. You're fully focused on Monica and at the very far corner of your eye you just see me put something to my mouth and you don't miss it.
  • Kristen Bell — Person · Friend / Colleague referenced · 4 mentions · first at
    Mentioned as someone Brittany has worked with and as a personal friend; referenced in anecdotes and praise
    Hers would just be about She wants to do the thing. The other stuff's just ancillary and the consequence of loving the thing.
  • Jeffrey Johnson — Person · Referenced industry professional · 1 mention · first at
    Mentioned as a favorite prop master and organizer of a prop master union awards bit; used in an anecdote about carrying him onstage
    I love Jeff Jeffrey Johnson. I don't know if you've ever worked with him. He's a prop master.
  • Esther Perel — Person · Referenced expert/idea source · 1 mention · first at
    Referenced as a comparison point when discussing motivations for affairs — idea that people often cheat to reconnect with a lost version of themselves
    People often think their partner has cheated on them with another person, but in fact really their partner cheated on them to be with themselves, to revisit a version of…
  • Malin Åkerman — Person · Co-star / colleague (referenced) · 2 mentions · first at
    Mentioned as a co-star on The Hunting Wives and as a friend whose views on bathroom behavior made Brittany uncomfortable in an anecdote
    I So yesterday I was on another podcast and I was with Malin Akerman who's on Hunting Wives with me and she went on this whole like five minute thing about bathroom behavior and I like looked off.
  • Zac Efron — Person · Referenced co-star · 2 mentions · first at
    Referenced as a close friend and co-star on Hairspray; mentioned in context of downtime on set
    Zach and I we had two months where we didn't work at all, because they kept us there just in case John Travolta or Michelle Pfeiffer had a day that they didn't want to come.
  • Konstantin Stanislavski — Person · Referenced acting theorist · 1 mention · first at
    Referenced in a discussion contrasting formal acting technique with instinctive/soap-opera style acting
    You're not in your head because you don't have time to be in your head. So you're just doing the first thing that pops up, which for a kid actor is really good because you're there's no technique.
  • Donald C. Murphy — Person · Referenced creator/director · 1 mention · first at
    Proper noun; ensure spelling and quotes.
    It was on Niptuck on and it was the beginning of Ryan Murphy being Ryan he was already Ryan Murphy, but it was I thought that was his first big hit.
  • Courtney Eaton — Person · Actress in Parachute (referenced) · 1 mention · first at
    Star of Parachute; Brittany notes Courtney's performance and shared experience helped shape the film
    Was exercising this thing by seeing it in somebody else's eyes. Cuz the actress, Courtney Eaton, who is extraordinary in it, she came with her own experiences and it sort of the movie became both of our.
  • Matthew Rhys — Person · Colleague (referenced) · 1 mention · first at
    Referenced in praise (Brittany enjoyed working with him on The Beast in Me); Dax mentions interviewing him previously
    No, no. he and I became friends and he was such a good, person to have on that set too because I was in and out and as a, a.
  • Rebecca Cutter — Person · Referenced collaborator / showrunner (creative) · 1 mention · first at
    Referenced in relation to creative interpretation of the character Sophie (agreement about addiction framing).
    But that I don't really talk about and it's not really talked about, but Rebecca Cutter and I really agree on this, is that I think that Sophie is an addict in a way and she sort of displaces and sort of mismanages her.
  • Maggie Kiley — Person · Referenced director/friend · 1 mention · first at
    Mentioned as a director friend who advised Brittany on her performance approach for Hunting Wives, urging extreme intensity
    And I got a lot of notes from the directors in season two. My one friend Maggie Kiley, who's a dear friend, she was you are a crack addict. Like you need to go into every scene when it comes to Margot with if I'm going if I'm.
  • Claire Danes — Person · Referenced peer · 3 mentions · first at
    Standardize to correct spelling
    It was a therapeutic experience rather than you were talking to Clara Danes and you were saying you have a scene on the show and you're letting it rip on your against your mom on the show.
  • Adam Shankman — Person · Director referenced · 2 mentions · first at
    Mentioned as director of sequences in Hairspray and someone Brittany admires for his energy
    Okay. Hairspray, Adam Shankman is this the first time you sing the new girl in town? Is that your first time singing on screen?
  • Chris Pratt — Person · Referenced celebrity · 1 mention · first at
    Referenced by Brittany and Dax in a light-hearted discussion about his comedic past and their desire to see him back in comedy roles
    That's how I feel about Chris Pratt. I want him back in comedy.
  • Cleatus McFarland — Person · Referenced personality/local figure · 1 mention · first at
    Mentioned as a Tampa-based personality who runs a car-racing compound — referenced when discussing Tampa
    Yeah. Yeah. There's this incredible guy Cleatus McFarland that lives down there who's got a compound.
  • Tom Pelphrey — Person · Referenced peer actor · 1 mention · first at
    Mentioned as an example of a successful actor who started in soaps; used to discuss soap training ground.
    Tom Pelphrey and I were just talking about it. He just won and he was you were on Guiding Light? I was on Guiding Light. I was oh, see?
  • Sanford Meisner — Person · Referenced acting theorist · 1 mention · first at
    Mentioned in passing as an example of formal acting methods contrasted with child-actor instinctive work
    Really. You're not like studying, Stanislavski and being like Meisner taught me this. You're just being a kid.
  • Sarah Ramos — Person · Referenced co-star · 1 mention · first at
    Spelling is correct; keep
    Did Okay, so that was one of my questions. Did you feel any of the weight of carrying a show as your second job.
  • David Semel — Person · Referenced TV producer/director · 1 mention · first at
    Referenced as a producer/director connected to American Dreams and someone who supported the guest during earlier career.
    Great and they're still my friends to this day. A lot of directors and the producers and the main producer David Semel, he might have done a lot of Parenthood actually, but he there was meetings and things.
  • John Travolta — Person · Referenced celebrity · 1 mention · first at
    Mentioned in anecdote about Hairspray scheduling (actors being held on standby).
    Zach and I we had two months where we didn't work at all, because they kept us there just in case John Travolta or Michelle Pfeiffer had a day that they didn't want to come.
  • Jonathan Tucker — Person · Referenced actor acquaintance · 1 mention · first at
    Mentioned in an anecdote about Jonathan Tucker joking that Brittany 'ruined his life' around the release of John Tucker Must Die
    Really quick, do you know Jonathan Tucker?
  • Jack Black — Person · Referenced comparator · 1 mention · first at
    Standardized personal name formatting
    And now Pitch Two is [ __ ] [snorts] enormous, right? It makes $286 million.
  • Dermot Mulroney — Person · Referenced co-star in Hunting Wives · 1 mention · first at
    Mentioned as the actor whose character the guest's husband works for in the show 'Hunting Wives'.
    He's taken a job. he's working for Dermot Mulroney.
  • Robert Downey Jr. — Person · Referenced celebrity sighting · 1 mention · first at
    Standardized suffix spacing
    Would you like to join me? So yes, we went on that trip. It's so memorable because so we saw you and we also saw Robert Downey Jr. in the lobby. Did you see Robert Downey Jr.?
  • Emily Blunt — Person · Referenced celebrity (comparative remark) · 1 mention · first at
    Briefly referenced in a compliment/comparative face expression during the interview.
    Nothing probably. [clears throat] Your face just made an interesting shape that resembled Emily Blunt. I've never seen that before, but have you ever gotten that?
  • Marvin Gaye — Person · Referenced musical example (American Dreams) · 1 mention · first at
    Correct canonical reference to a musician when used as an example
    These stars that would come on, Usher was Marvin Gaye and they would go Yeah, people would come on and play their favorite '60s artist and so my character was a dancer on American Bandstand, but she also was going through the changes of.
  • Alanis Morissette — Person · Referenced musical guest on American Dreams · 1 mention · first at
    Mentioned as an example of musical guests who appeared on American Dreams, illustrating show context.
    Me. I had no idea anyone was watching it. I had no idea that it was a big deal. Whenever we would get Alannis Morissette or Ashanti or someone would come on I'd be like why? What are we doing? It was just because I was also a kid. I had no.
  • Gal Gadot — Person · Referenced celebrity anecdote · 1 mention · first at
    Mentioned in passing related to a separate anecdote about Tom Cruise's cake and celebrity interactions.
    This is like when we told Gal Gadot she didn't get Tom Cruise's cake and it was a big, it was a big We're letting people down all over the place.
  • Tom Cruise — Person · Referenced celebrity anecdote · 1 mention · first at
    Mentioned in an anecdote about celebrity cake and party moments; not part of core discussion.
    This is like when we told Gal Gadot she didn't get Tom Cruise's cake and it was a big, it was a big We're letting people down all over the place.

Companies & orgs

  • People — Company · Referenced publication · 37 mentions · first at
    Referenced as the magazine where Brittany read an article that helped her identify eating disorder behavior and later published her recovery story
  • Netflix, Inc. — Company · Distributor (The Hunting Wives) · 1 mention · first at
    The Hunting Wives is a Netflix series mentioned several times; Netflix is the platform airing it
    Yeah. Listen, I hope everyone watches as I don't even need to urge them to, but The Honey Wives, it does come back November 26th on Netflix. I'm really blown away and impressed…
  • Nabisco — Company · Referenced company · 2 mentions · first at
    Company referenced in context of product placements
    It was Oreos and Wheat Thins, and I think I got the Wheat Thins part of the commercial because it was still the it was under the same umbrella.
  • Soap Opera Digest — Company · Referenced industry award/show · 1 mention · first at
    Referenced to note Brittany won a Soap Opera Digest Award while on Guiding Light; used to illustrate early Soap credit recognition
    Is there an award show for that?
  • Stars — Company · Referenced TV network · 1 mention · first at
    Referenced as a network (Stars) that Brittany thought she wouldn't need to audition for on a later project because a producer had seen her short film
    And I talked to my reps, and I guess Irwin Stoff, who was the one of our main producer, he had seen my short film that got nominated for an Oscar, Red, White and Blue, and so he.
  • Hulu — Company · Referenced platform · 2 mentions · first at
    Mentioned as platform for 'Murdaugh, Death in the Family' where the guest had a role.
    Well, professionally there was Murdaugh, Death in the Family, Hulu. You were in that. Then The Beast in Me.
  • JetBlue — Company · Referenced company · 1 mention · first at
    Mentioned casually when describing frequent flying during child acting career.
    I mean more I was more friendly with the Jet Blue flight attendants than I was my friends in school because I was on a plane every week going back and forth.
  • Fred 62 — Company · Referenced food vendor · 1 mention · first at
    Referenced by Dax as a place his daughter wanted mac and cheese balls from — used as an anecdote to explain addictive behavior.
    Dairy did you have yesterday? And she's this isn't that. So, last night, I'm what do you want for dinner? And she's I want macaroni and cheese balls from Fred 62.
  • Reddit — Company · Referenced platform · 1 mention · first at
    Used as a platform in the conversation; taxonomy adjusted to platform usage
    And I really appreciated so many women friends of mine that were like that happened to me and I would go on Reddit and look up stories from women going through things in their later 30s and finding people later in life and, you know,.
  • T-Mobile — Company · Referenced telecom · 1 mention · first at
    Mentioned as brand of cell phone in an anecdote about calling Kristen Bell while hanging Christmas lights.
    But one of the first things was I said to her I called her. I'll never forget I was hanging Christmas lights. I was on a ladder and I'm like talking to her on my T-Mobile cell phone or whatever that thing was. The Samsung blue cell phone.

Concepts & topics

  • Addiction — Concept · Core topic · 9 mentions · first at
    Central theme — conversation links eating disorders, hypervigilance, recovery, and parallels between behavioral and substance addictions
  • Hypervigilance — Concept · Key personal trait · 3 mentions · first at
    Brittany describes hypervigilance as a central pattern from childhood acting that influenced her choices, relationships, and addictive behaviors
    Yeah, I mean I think that's my biggest it's my biggest thing that I deal with in therapy. Is hypervigilance. And it sort of seeps into Oh god, I'm really an.
  • Outpatient treatment — Concept · Recovery approach · 1 mention · first at
    Brittany credits outpatient treatment with providing practical skills to rebuild trust and handle everyday situations during recovery
  • Alzheimer's disease — Concept · Personal life topic · 2 mentions · first at
    Brittany shares her father has Alzheimer's and discusses prolonged grief and shifting relationship dynamics
    Oh, that's lovely. Is he passed?
  • Twelve-Step Program — Concept · Recovery framework (referenced) · 1 mention · first at
    Mentioned as the model Brittany encountered and as the structure non-addicts may not experience firsthand; broader conversation about support groups
    Well, I was really just like oh wow, for people who aren't addicts and don't get to enter a 12-step program, where on earth would they experience what happens in there? It doesn't exist in real life.
  • Body dysmorphia — Concept · Referenced concept · 1 mention · first at
    Mentioned when discussing eating disorders and how perceptions of one's body can diverge from reality; used to contextualize Brittany's adolescent experience
    I remember in '93, my senior year of high school, there was this beautiful girl and she went away for a while and then she came back and she.
  • Flow state — Concept · Descriptive concept · 1 mention · first at
    Referenced when describing the high Brittany felt acting as a child — entering a flow/transcendent experience
    Short film called Milkshake about this, but it was the first time I got like high as a 12 year old because you leave your body and you're you're doing something that's way bigger than you and you're whoa, where was I?
  • Cocaine — Concept · Illustrative example · 2 mentions · first at
    Referenced by Dax as an example of a substance some people can quit entirely, contrasted with addictions that require continued contact (food, sex)
    They've all made boatloads of money. I don't know why we wouldn't go ahead and Everybody just doesn't want to do it if we're going to have Facet Yeah.
  • Abortion — Concept · Referenced plot element · 1 mention · first at
    Mentioned as a significant storyline (character Kristen Bell played had an abortion) in American Dreams.
    Yes, that's what it was. And it was a big hot topic of And it was a really important role and so they were sort of worried about who was going to play that role because it was a big They had to be.
  • Nazi — Concept · Character descriptor · 1 mention · first at
    Referenced when describing a particularly 'naughty' character Brittany played on Nip/Tuck — used to indicate the extremity of that role
    That's as far as naughty That's the worst. That's very naughty.
  • Insanity — Concept · Referenced idea · 1 mention · first at
    Referenced in the colloquial sense as 'definition of insanity' when discussing repeating the same actions expecting different outcomes.
    Doing the exact same thing and expecting a different result.

Places & events

  • New York, New York — Place · Work location / career setting · 7 mentions · first at
    Referenced repeatedly as the place Brittany commuted to for Guiding Light and other early acting work
    Never shown on your 10-hour day at work, where is it burbling up? What were you doing when you got off work in New York City at 13 years old?
  • Tampa, Florida — Place · Biographical setting · 2 mentions · first at
    Specifically identifying location; add state for precision
    Weirdly enough I just booked a plane ticket to go to Tampa in November.
  • Emmy Awards — Event · Referenced event · 2 mentions · first at
    Mentioned as 'Emmy's night' where Brittany met the Love on the Spectrum cast and discussed related feelings of appreciation and connection
    Person and so it's it's nice. It's inspiring in a way. Like oh I should say what I feel as well. He last night Dylan who was on the show on Emmy's night he was like you should…
  • Toronto — Place · Filming location · 1 mention · first at
    Mentioned as the location where Hairspray was filmed and where Brittany spent extended production time
    Legends. And so I was really intimidated, but I had so I had so much fun. I was there we were in Canada for six months doing that.
  • Miami — Place · Referenced location · 1 mention · first at
    Location referenced in an anecdote about meeting Brittany and Kristen at a hotel and attending events; used as a setting for a short personal story
    Would you like to join me? So yes, we went on that trip. It's so memorable because so we saw you and we also saw Robert Downey Jr. in the lobby. Did you see Robert Downey Jr.?
  • The Bahamas — Place · Anecdotal setting · 2 mentions · first at
    Ensure proper capitalization and definite article usage
    Room the night before we went to That was very memorable. Still my favorite score. Then we went to the Bahamas and you must remember we've only been together a couple months.
  • Sweden — Place · Referenced country · 1 mention · first at
    Location with proper capitalization
    Malin grew up in Sweden. She is a Swede.
  • Prop Master Union Awards — Event · Referenced event · 1 mention · first at
    Referenced as an awards show Brittany attends yearly where she presented a bit involving carrying prop master Jeffrey Johnson on stage — used in a humorous anecdote
    He was a prop master on Parenthood for six years. I of anyone I've ever met in the crew, he's my favorite. So every year I go and present or do a bit for the prop master union awards show.
  • Los Angeles — Place · Referenced location · 1 mention · first at
    Mentioned in discussion of being in LA and working with others in the industry.
    And I had I was in LA with these new friends and these new people that were doing the same thing that I was doing and I was so focused that I didn't ever think about normal.

Media & podcasts

  • The Hunting Wives — Media · Featured current project (TV series) · 5 mentions · first at
    Series starring Brittany Snow; much of the interview discusses the show's plot, Sophie's psychology, season one reception, and season two developments
  • Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard — Media · Host show · 4 mentions · first at
    The podcast where the interview takes place; Dax Shepard is the host and Brittany Snow is the guest.
  • Parachute — Media · Personal creative work (short film) · 5 mentions · first at
    Short film written/directed by Brittany Snow about addiction and her own recovery; discussed as therapeutic and a proud accomplishment
    And then I directed a movie a couple years ago called Parachute and that was really about the beginning of figuring out how to get better and the final day that I got.
  • Pitch Perfect — Media · Career milestone (film) · 3 mentions · first at
    Brittany Snow discusses landing Pitch Perfect as a major turning point in her career after taking time off for recovery
  • Guiding Light — Media · Early career credit (soap opera) · 5 mentions · first at
    Brittany's early work on Guiding Light is discussed as intensive training and part of her child-actor upbringing
  • American Dreams — Media · Past TV credit · 4 mentions · first at
    Brittany discusses her role on American Dreams as formative and the set environment that influenced her (dissociation, young career pressures)
    Would go Yeah, people would come on and play their favorite '60s artist and so my character was a dancer on American Bandstand, but she also was going through the changes of…
  • Hairspray — Media · Career credit (film) · 4 mentions · first at
    Brittany discusses singing in Hairspray and being intimidated by the cast; marks another milestone in her career
    Had such a blast, and we became really good friends, and I was so I knew what a big deal it was to be in Hairspray, and I fought to be in that, and I didn't know if I was going to be, and so I really knew that was a big deal. And so I was.
  • Nip/Tuck — Media · Past acting credit reference · 2 mentions · first at
    Brittany references guest-starring on Nip/Tuck (playing a neo-Nazi) as a challenging role that drew on dark material
    It was on Niptuck on and it was the beginning of Ryan Murphy being Ryan he was already Ryan Murphy, but it was I thought that was his first big hit.
  • Red, White and Blue — Media · Referenced short film · 1 mention · first at
    Referenced as Brittany's short film that got noticed by a producer and helped her secure a later role without audition
    And I talked to my reps, and I guess Irwin Stoff, who was the one of our main producer, he had seen my short film that got nominated for an Oscar, Red, White and Blue, and so he.
  • Jon Snow — Character · Referenced fictional character · 3 mentions · first at
    Mentioned in a humorous anecdote about Brittany Snow's father being named John Snow and the Game of Thrones cultural references it triggered
    John Snow. Yeah, when Game of Thrones was really hitting it hard in the world we had a lot of problems in our house because every time we would go.
  • Love on the Spectrum — Media · Referenced show / cultural touchstone · 2 mentions · first at
    Brittany references meeting the Love on the Spectrum cast and reflects on vulnerability, bravery, and acceptance shown in the series
    Why I was so starstruck and what that show means. And I thought to myself and why it's relevant is that it's so beautiful that there is a show that we all collectively agree on…
  • Prom Night — Media · Referenced film credit · 1 mention · first at
    Standardize capitalization
    Prom Night right after. The cinephile in me will talk about Prom Night. No, no, because it's like obviously the best movie that I've ever done. no, it was a campy sort of movie that it was very fun to do, and I met a.
  • John Tucker Must Die — Media · Referenced film credit · 1 mention · first at
    Canonical title form; remove duplication
    Three letters separating him from John Tucker Must Die.
  • Harry's Law — Media · Referenced past TV job · 1 mention · first at
    Guest said she was fired from Harry's Law during recovery period; example of career turbulence.
    And so it was I think oh I was doing the show called Harry's Law. I got fired.
  • Murdaugh: Death in the Family — Media · Referenced credit · 1 mention · first at
    Ensure proper title formatting with colon
    Well, professionally there was Murdaugh, Death in the Family, Hulu. You were in that. Then The Beast in Me.
  • Kyle — Character · Referenced fictional character (Hunting Wives) · 1 mention · first at
    Character referenced as being killed in season one — part of the plot summaries discussed.
    That's not giving anything away is that obviously at this point in the season, you know in season one that Sophie has killed Kyle, Margo's brother, with another vehicle by drinking.
  • American Bandstand — Media · Referenced show within American Dreams · 3 mentions · first at
    Correct title capitalization maintained
    Know, Usher was Marvin Gaye and they would go Yeah, people would come on and play their favorite '60s artist and so my character was a dancer on American Bandstand, but she…
  • The Beast in Me — Media · Recent credit (referenced) · 3 mentions · first at
    Referenced as a project Brittany appeared in; used when speaking about recent work and colleagues
    Did you fall in love with Matthew?
  • Parenthood — Media · Referenced show · 2 mentions · first at
    Referenced because Jeff Johnson worked on Parenthood and as an example of crew relationships Brittany values
    I love Jeff Jeffrey Johnson. I don't know if you've ever worked with him. He's a prop master.
  • Parks and Recreation — Media · Referenced comedy influence · 1 mention · first at
    Standardized title for the referenced show/franchise
    I miss him in comedy. He's so funny. My algorithm is all like Parks and Rec bloopers.
  • Night Agent — Media · Referenced series (guest appearance) · 1 mention · first at
    Guest mentioned filming an episode of Night Agent in Thailand at the time she read the Hunting Wives script.
    At the time I was shooting I was in Thailand. I was doing a Night Agent episode where I die right away and I just remember thinking, oh, I really like this, but I'm sure I'm going to.
  • Tootsie — Media · Referenced media · 1 mention · first at
    Referenced as a film Brittany and Kristen watched in a hotel room on a trip (personal anecdote)
    Then we watched Tootsie in the hotel room the night before we went to That was very memorable. Still my favorite score. Then we went to the Bahamas and you must remember we've only been together a couple months.
  • Game of Thrones — Media · Cultural reference · 3 mentions · first at
    Referenced humorously in relation to Brittany's father being named John Snow and the Game of Thrones cultural moment
    John Snow. Yeah, when Game of Thrones was really hitting it hard in the world we had a lot of problems in our house because every time we would go.
  • That ’70s Show — Media · Referenced show · 1 mention · first at
    Standardized title with correct punctuation/apostrophe
  • Glee — Media · Referential media example · 1 mention · first at
    Referenced as a later show that had similar musical relevance as American Dreams.
    It was a good show. It was so before its time. I mean Glee and all those shows that had such, musical relevance that American Dreams would have really existed in also a social media world.
  • Deadwood — Media · Referenced show · 1 mention · first at
    Corrected alias to standard show title
    No, if you ever watched the Western she was in the Milc project Deadwood.
  • When in Rome — Media · Referenced film (host/guest past collaboration) · 1 mention · first at
    Mentioned as a prior film where director Adam Shankman worked with the guest and Kristen Bell; used to illustrate connections.
    I feel like cuz Kristin obviously knows Adam and Well, Adam came and directed a this whole sequence in a movie that she and I did called When in Rome.
  • School of Rock — Media · Comparative media reference · 1 mention · first at
    Referenced as a prior top musical comedy that Pitch Perfect allegedly dethroned at the box office.
    And now Pitch Two is [ __ ] [snorts] enormous, right? It makes $286 million.
  • Clueless — Media · Cultural reference / formative media · 1 mention · first at
    Referenced as a formative movie the guest knows every line of; example of media that shaped her.
    Clueless and movies that shaped me, I love every I know every word to that movie. I and I know every character and every character is important.

Sponsors

  • Allstate — Sponsor · Episode sponsor · 4 mentions · first at
    Sponsor read promoting checking Allstate first for an auto insurance quote; included twice in episode readouts
    I totally agree. There's like And I think for a Are we in it?
  • McDonald's — Sponsor · Episode sponsor · 3 mentions · first at
    Sponsor read promoting a limited-time Quarter Pounder with Cheese meal for $8
    Nobullproject.com all holiday season to shop new deals every week. This episode is brought to you by McDonald's.
  • NOBULL — Sponsor · Episode sponsor · 1 mention · first at
    Sponsor read during the episode promoting NOBULL training shoes and holiday deals
    Availability. Allstate North American Insurance Company and affiliates, Northbrook, Illinois. We get support from Noble.

Full transcript with timestamps

Hello. Hello. I'm so excited to be here. Oh, you are. so excited to have you. Hi, honey. I'm such a fan.

Oh my goodness, great. can't be possible. Well, I I've never met you before. I don't think so.

I obviously have known you forever. Yeah, I've just been like listening from afar and waiting for my turn. Oh my goodness.

self-indulgent, but do you have an area that you're listening to it? Is it like during exercise or you don't have a standard commute like a lot of people?

No, but I'm a podcast girl. Like I I clean with a podcast. Do you listen at night ever?

Yeah, I listen at night. But I I pretty I don't know what this is about me, but I think it calms me when I have another voice in my head other than my own my own.

Same. yeah, yeah. with you. Yeah, yeah. We'll get into that. But yeah, I so that's why I listen to podcasts because it's like soothing to me.

What are your others? A lot of true crime. Nice. Because I think if I can solve the murder before the detectives do, then I get like a high.

Oh. that means you're safe because it means oh, I'm good at this. I will never be a victim of this. I can see this coming, right?

And I also I like that I'm occupying a part of my brain where I'm not thinking about my own [ __ ] I'm like thinking about someone else's way worse [ __ ]

on out there. My stuff's small. Yeah, but I also listen to you guys because I like to hear that other people who are in my business that I like relate to and respond to and look up to have [ __ ] too.

Well, isn't that I mean, I guess that was the original premise which is like I know all these people. We have all these peers. Everyone thought it was going to be utopia and it would solve all the internal issues. But yeah, I think that was my like the thing I hoped to talk about.

so like nice that you thought about that for yourself too. You're like I'm going to do two things at once. I'm going to help other people, but I'm also going to help myself hopefully.

Well, I was really just like oh wow, for people who aren't addicts and don't get to enter a 12-step program, where on earth would they experience what happens in there? It doesn't exist in real life other these support groups. And I find them so special. And I thought, oh, could you kind of behave like that in public? What would be the response? You know, yeah.

I I have a lot to say on Yeah. Have you been in those situations and do you find them to be like so unique? Like, oh my god, 15 people being insanely honest and vulnerable and no one's judging them and the worse you were, the more relatable that is and more helpful it is. Like, you know, an example of the opposite of everything we think. Like, I got to be perfect and be a champion so people like us. And it's like, oh my god, it's the opposite. And how else would you experience that?

No, I I felt like that cuz I went into program when I was like, I think I started when I was 16. And so it was I was a kid still and I was like, all these women are around here telling each other that they love each other and there's no comparison and there's an answer to this thing that I thought was so crazy and it was very helpful. But then in a certain way I felt like you could get lost in it a little bit so you have to kind of discern the difference between where you begin and the group ends and vice versa. And so that was But that's as you grow up, how you navigate the world. And so it's sort of like a microcosm of of just growing up and I was in there.

I totally agree. There's like And I think for a Are we in it? We are supported by Allstate. Checking Allstate first could save you hundreds on car insurance. Not checking whether the turkey was fully thawed before Thanksgiving morning. You were told days ago to thaw it, days. And now you're standing in the kitchen holding a 20-lb ice block wondering if a hair dryer counts as cooking. Yeah. Checking first is always a great idea. So check Allstate first for an auto quote. It could save you hundreds. You're in good hands with Allstate.

Potential savings very subject to terms, conditions, and availability. Allstate North American Insurance Company and affiliates, Northbrook, Illinois. For a lot of people

that have gone through programs for a very long time. There's a really funny comedian um who's been in the program for I don't know, 20 30 years. And and and he's been very honest about his journey with it, which is like there are points where you're like, okay, it has some cult elements to it. I need to flag those. There's some people presenting as experts that are not. Um, you know, there there are things that you after it saved your life, you also can get a little it's fair to get a little skeptical of some of the elements, I think.

But I think it's so it's so helpful. I was just thinking about this has nothing to do It sort of has something to do with this topic, but I on Emmy's night met the Love on the Spectrum cast.

Uh-huh. And I was like, this is so special. I was more starstruck by them than anybody else that I probably could have ever met. And then I started psychoanalyzing why I was so starstruck and what that show means. And I thought to myself and why it's relevant is that it's so beautiful that there is a show that we all collectively agree on and that we have a community of people that really understands the the elevation which like the world needs to exist on because we all love this show and the reasons that we love it are very beautiful.

reasons? Because we're seeing like humanity and empathy and we're seeing real people that we don't get to see every day actually do the most basic truest thing to themselves, which is fall in love or try to find love.

It's the best of us, the part that likes that show, that all of us like that show. Like it's the Yeah.

But it's like bringing the community together where I'm like, oh, I have I have restored faith in humanity.

Yeah. And that's what program did for me a little bit too. Where I was like, oh, there's people out there that really just want the best for other people.

Yeah. Yeah. That are rooting for other people. Which is hard to believe. And for themselves.

Do you think another layer of Love on the Spectrum and I've only watched it a little bit, but do you think another element that's quite appealing is again, back to the thing I just said about like people showing the darkest side of themselves and yet they're still loved? For these autistic kids, they can't even put on a filter. They cannot be anything but their truest self.

I love that. Which is what we're all like we have so many filters and we're trying so hard to not let anyone see our truest self. So to watch people do it, there's also this element of like there's bravery and then you see acceptance around it. Like I think that's another gear of the show that's like intriguing to us.

Just so it's so vulnerable to be so honest and it's so we like look up to that type of of person and so it's it's nice. It's inspiring in a way. Like oh I should I should say what I feel as well. He last night Dylan who was on the show on Emmy's night he was like you should do more singing movies. Ask your agent to do more singing movies. Why don't you? And I was like Dylan, you're right. I should ask my agent. Why don't I? I don't know. I guess I'm scared of singing sometimes but he just like outwardly said it and I I would love to go up to someone at an Emmy party and be like you should do more thrillers.

Yeah. Right? Ask your agent. Yeah. That's how I feel about Chris Pratt. I want him back in comedy.

There you go. Oh I know. I miss him in comedy. He's so funny. My algorithm is all like Parks and Rec bloopers.

Yeah. And they're Bloopers. Like He's so funny on those bloopers. He's so brilliant and they're all him. Like they're all improvised and and [clears throat] it I'm like guys.

Let's get him back on a network sitcom. right. NBC, call him up. Okay, so you're from Tampa, Florida.

I am. Weirdly enough I just booked a plane ticket to go to Tampa in November. On purpose?

On purpose to do something that's so Tampa which is I'm going to be in a car race of old police cars. Doesn't that sound pretty on point?

Tampa. Yeah. Yeah. There's this incredible guy Cleatus McFarland that lives down there who's got a compound.

That is that name is also very Tampa. I love Cleatus already. Okay, now this is impossible and this is great. So your mother's name it starts with a C.

Cinda. Cinda. Uh-huh. But [clears throat] hit us with your father's name and go the full name.

JOHN SNOW. OH MY GOD. WHEN I READ THAT IT JUMPED off the page. John Snow. Yeah, when Game of Thrones was really hitting it hard in the in the world we had a lot of problems in our house because every time we would go like my my brother is also named John Snow and so he would, you know, be buying beer, and they'd be like, John Snow? Winter was always coming in my house, you know. There was a lot of Game of Thrones paraphernalia and like things that we would buy each other and stuff like that.

wondering what like what I guess now I didn't know your brother's name was John. That's fantastic. Although he I suppose is John Snow Jr.

Yes. Okay. Um yeah, making a reservation like I feel like it would be helpful even though it shouldn't be cuz it's a fictitious character.

It it was helpful, and it was also a really good conversation starter for my dad.

Of course. At the time when when it was really prevalent. And what did Sinda and John do in Tampa? Did had they moved to Tampa or they second generation?

They moved to Tampa when I was um before I was born. And then my dad was in insurance, and my mom was in sales. And then um shortly after that uh I got I I worked I started working when I was a baby basically. My mom got me into it when when I was like two or three.

Yeah, yeah. So I've never known anything else. And so slowly, very slowly over time my mom sort of became my manager, which I didn't necessarily know. Um I thought she was just my mom, but she was both. And then my dad um retired when I was 12, and I did the soap opera called Guiding Light, and so he took me to New York, and we were together when he and I went back and forth from New York to Florida um every day.

because you were being you were successful? No, no. Is he an was he an older father when he had you?

He Yeah, he was 48 when he had me. 48? Well, that tops me. Yeah. I like that. And that's not terribly normal in 1986.

No, it was not. I love that you know my birth year too. Um I'm doing March 9th.

9th. March 9th. you're really good at this. And like I don't even remember my birthday. Um I'm the second iteration of kids because I have a brother and a sister from his first marriage. And so I'm not sure if he, you know, needed to do the whole thing again, but there we were all together in in And um yeah, my my dad and I had a uh interesting relationship growing up. And then when I was doing the soap opera when I was 12, it really shifted for me, and we got really close. We're like we were so close.

Oh, that's lovely. Is he passed? He's not. He has Alzheimer's actually. Um, pretty uh extreme at this point. And so I I shouldn't refer to it as we were close cuz we are close, but you know, it takes a different shape.

Yeah. my only experience with that was my grandma Yolas, which was truly my second mother. She raised me every summer.

Yeah, and she got it really bad, and it's a very disjointing feeling to look at her, and she doesn't know who you are. And you have all of this that you have.

Yeah, yeah. It's it's been such a beautiful, tragic, sad, all the words I guess of understanding how you can have a different type of relationship with someone in such a different shape and form. But I mean it's I'm looking at as I'm grateful that I got six years with him cuz he got diagnosed in 2020, so that I got six years that I wouldn't have had if he got cancer or something like that, you know, and I got to really be present in those years because I knew it was happening. And so I really don't take that for granted.

I think with Alzheimer's my grandfather also had it. We were also very very very close. And it because it's more over time, I do feel like you you can There's like two deaths in some ways. Like you have your own closure and you like your own goodbye kind of while they're still living, which is a little complicated and confusing cuz you're around them and and they're physically there, but like the one you knew

Mhm. is no longer there. It's true. It's And then you're kind of waiting for this other death. It's it's a very strange experience in my for me it was anyway.

think that's exactly how I feel is it's a prolonged grief that you can either take as it being very helpful because you can sort of look at it in such a bigger way um as opposed to just grief hitting you and then it having to come on the back end.

Yeah. Like you're you're sort of mining all the stuff before. Uh-huh. Um. Oh. You ready for something?

Oh, it's nicotine. Oh, it's nicotine. We're about to kiss. Oh, you didn't get your publicist didn't tell you that's part of the show.

I kiss every guest uh boy or girl. I I was just like wow, he's just fresh to death no matter what. Alzheimer's?

What was that you said? Oh, it's nicotine. I get it. Okay. Okay, hypervigilance.

How did you know that? Are you a psychic? What do you mean? You're hypervigilant.

How do you know that Oh, because I've said it in the interview? to her. No one's even going to notice what just happened. You're fully focused on Monica and at the very far corner of your eye you you just see me put something to my mouth and you you don't miss it.

Wow. Well, um I'm going to get comfortable. Um yeah, I mean I think that's my biggest it's my biggest thing that I deal with in therapy. Is is hypervigilance. And it and it sort of seeps into Oh god, I'm really an armchair expert on Um but I think that it seeps into every aspect of my life. It sort of defines everything that's happened in in terms of you know addiction or partners that I've chosen or anything like that because when I was a child actor I learned very early on because I was a baby actor like I get the most reward system and the biggest doses of love if I am managing everyone's emotions and really perfect and doing everything right and performing to the best of my ability and everybody gets really happy.

Yes. You can control the temperature in the room Oh, I love it. with your existence.

Yeah, and I have to really it's my favorite thing to work on too of just like I don't need to control the environment. Why would I? You know.

So hard. Isn't that interesting how much you have to put into practice? And that uncomfortable feeling that you feel that just feels icky is okay sitting there.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. And it goes away. You can just sit in uncomfortable pain. You won't die. I mean your brain's telling you you're going to die.

Right, or that it's just you need to get it off of you and I think that's I'm sure a lot of addicdy people feel like that. Yeah, you got to do something to change it or you don't have to.

But don't you like like what what I love I think like I would take it all on because of that cuz like I know I can I know you right away. You see each other.

Yeah, yeah. And I love that. I think that's really special. That's like the gift in my opinion.

I think it's such a a gift and it's been so useful for me for my career to be super in tune with people's needs and empathetic in a way where I can read a room. And I think I learned that because not because just only in my childhood but being a child actor like I could tap dance and do the things and sometimes that is what people need and I try to take that as like a super power instead of it being detrimental.

Also I would guess as an adult like look as an adult in a scene it might take me six goes at it before we have the thing the adults in the room are happy with. Now as an adult I go yeah that's standard. Everyone is going to need multiple takes. But if I'm a child and I know the adults want something

Yes. that I cannot give them right now or that I seemingly am not cuz we keep doing it. I have to imagine without that perspective that is an extremely stressful situation on a little person's nervous system.

Yeah, I learned very quickly to to get to where I needed to go and doing it at any means necessary.

Yeah, just be perfect right out of the gate. right out of the gate and and to and to use whatever you needed to to cry or get there and I'm talking like it's so terrible. I was I was having a blast you know I loved being a kid actor but

no no we don't have to apologize. Yeah, yeah, exactly. But it still was just yeah it's weird like I shouldn't have to make myself cry to get validation but you know that's what we did.

None of it's complaining. It's just the reality check of it. Like that's a lot of stress on a little body. Because what I was thinking is, so yeah, you're in like, you're in the department store catalog at three years old, right? So you're part of photo shoot. I can't even imagine getting my three-year-old to cooperate for a photo shoot.

was I just always was so ready to rock. I don't know what that means about me, but I was like, this is my destiny when I was a child. Um like the Lands' End catalogs, the commercial like the baby commercials.

Did you ever eat any baby food or did you get to play with toys in a commercial?

had an Oreo commercial. The dream. a dream. It was Oreos and uh Wheat Thins, and I think I got the Wheat Thins part of the commercial because it was still the it was under the same umbrella. Yeah, it was a Nabisco commercial. And I had this was when I was in like fourth or fifth grade, which is weird that I had braces, but I remember that I had braces on or like a retainer that you couldn't take off, and my mom took it off.

Oh, but she got in there and it's orthodontia. no, like I had to go to the orthodontist and get it taken off because she didn't want to mess up the the Wheat Thins commercial. It was going to get stuck in my teeth. So

And were you aware of the fact that all that you were accumulating like hundreds of thousands of dollars? Did you have any sense that you were generating a ton of money?

I didn't even know what money Okay. was. Yeah, no clue. I didn't I also had no idea where it was going.

be honest, though Wheaties are rather a Nabisco commercial. Yeah, in the in the in the in the late '80s, that's a cash cow. That [ __ ] probably ran for 13 months.

I do yeah, it was it was in the '90s at that point. I remember it being a big deal. I remember knowing that like, well, I've made it.

Yeah. Yeah, in fourth grade. Were kids at school seeing you in commercials and what how what was their reaction to it? I mean, I have a guess your advocacy work is about bullying, so I'm I'm assuming that there's some story there.

go either way, though, because people could be like, that girl's cool. She's in commercials.

Well, that's what you would hope. Well, that's what I thought would happen or maybe you know, I actually wasn't I wasn't really aware. I think I was so focused on achievement and you know, it's like one of those kids who's just really the school work or or soccer or something like that and I just was laser focused until about um middle school and then the girls got really mean. Really mean because they I mean honestly from their perspective in their little middle school brains I got to fly in and out of school. I was on a soap opera in New York. I got to go to two days of school, take my tests.

Were boys obsessed with you? Oh, no. I had No, no. I was I I had really curly hair and I didn't know what to do with it so I would it would be curly and then I would put gel in it and then I'd brush it out so I had like really big

big frizz. unadvisable. But Britney, if I was in seventh grade and you were on television I could watch you on I would have been obsessed. I I can't imagine none of these boys were like watching the program.

no. I had no. Not in middle school. No. But the girls I think they thought how why did she she get to do this? Yeah, why did she get to do this? And to be honest, I don't know why I got to do this. It just I was going in and out and it was it was a lot because my my parents thought it would be normal for me to be in school in Florida and go to work in in New York. It was a bad decision in retrospect.

thought it was the best thing and how does one know? You are afraid your kids not going to have a real life, I imagine, if you have a child actor.

Yeah. And then you yeah, and you don't know anyone to call. I'm trying to make a case for them here.

Of course. Yeah, you know who are they going to call and be like, hey, did you send Tom to normal school Ben Cruise? You know, who are they going to find out from?

I think they didn't want me the option was that I was going to go to a professional New York school and while I was doing the soap opera and she didn't like that there was other actory kids there and she wanted me to have a normal life but you know, in hindsight we look back and it was not a normal life.

Yeah, the ship has sailed once you're on a soap opera. I mean more I was more friendly with the Jet Blue flight attendants than I was my you know, friends in school because I was on a plane every week going back and forth.

How did you get Okay, so you you got on Got to Get You Like at 12, right? How did that come about? I don't even know how you're auditioning for things in Tampa.

I went up to New York. I got an agent. It was my first audition. and Ashton Kutcher, baby.

Oh, his first audition? Was 70 Show. Oh, really? Yeah, first audition. That's the only thing we haven't gotten. Not dollar amounts, just that. But yeah, I I I just that was the first audition I went to and I I wish I had as much confidence as I did back then about my acting. I just was like I'm going to get this.

Yeah. Yeah, and now I'm I'm never going to do an audition like that. Yeah. So yeah, it was my first thing and then we had to move there and so my mom was like oh [ __ ]

Yes. good for you that you got your first audition, but now our life is completely changed.

Okay, now I love talking about this cuz we've had, I don't know, a dozen folks that have started in soaps and

Yeah. what people may or may not realize about soap operas is you film an entire episode of the show

In one day. which would normally take on a sitcom five days and on a drama eight days. So you're you're doing like and they're hour long, right? So you 45 pages

Oh yeah. and you got to you got to move, right? Oh, my mouth sneezes. When do you leave? You walk out to cough, right? Is that when you leave?

if I'm having a cough attack, I will leave because it's too embarrassing. Okay.

It's so polite of you. It's disruptive. This is a war between us. She won't I've known her for 11 12 years now and she's not farted in front of me and I'm like this is this is this is insane.

Okay, so you are with me on this. What about when you're in partner Well, now we're really deep. We were talking about such serious interesting subject and now I talk about farting.

there waiting. When you're in partnership, are you relaxed enough to fart? I So yesterday I was on another podcast and I was with Malin Akerman who's on Hunting Wives with me and she went on this whole like five minute thing about bathroom behavior and I like looked off into the distance and I disassociated and then and then the podcast Britney was like, are you okay? And I was like, I completely left my body.

Yeah. I can't talk about this. for you. Yep, it's not for you. I Uh-huh. I think it's my my mom comes in my head and it's like that's not a thing.

But this is part of the perfection. I'm going to bring this back. This is part of like being perfect, nothing's don't look over here in any way negative, which I relate to, which is why I've never farted.

Okay. Um By the way, I know Malin You're You're going to bring that back. Yeah.

know Malin very well. Yes. So without you even telling me what her take was, I know what it was.

I'm sure. Malin grew up in Sweden. She is she is a Swede. Yeah. Um They're naked a lot in Sweden.

naked with their parents, you know, presumably fart fart fart, who cares? if you're naked, like I don't know, I assume you had some farts that were coming out.

It's very free. It's free with it's free. Yeah. Now would even saying the word would be a lot, right? Like it would make Yeah, that's why I'm not going to ask you to, but I am I I can I think I can feel what what your body would feel like inside if you said it. Yeah.

ALSO A LITTLE [screaming] OH MY GOD. THAT'S AN EXCLUSIVE. HONESTLY, it is, and I'm sweating.

That's an exclusive. Oh my god. That's It's also has farts. It's on every headline of every paper.

My publicist is like, how did it go? And I'm like, well, I had a breakthrough. She's like, I knew I was supposed to come. Yeah, exactly. Don't you feel good now? I do. I do.

No, you don't have to lie either. No, you don't You don't feel good about it. It's okay.

Yeah, yeah. But but freedom, back to freedom, um I did think when you were talking about uh um not having control, which this is we're now making putting you in a position to not have any control. It is freeing. I was talking to my therapist about this the other day. I was like, man, I was in a situation recently where I normally would behave very hyper vigilantly and very like

Controly? Controly, sharify looking thinking, and like, I'm not doing it. And I didn't. And I was like, wow, it feels so good.

the best. It's my favorite thing to do. Yeah. I And I do I mean, I'm so proud of myself that now I can see it, whereas before it's reactionary.

Yes. And now I can like make the choice to not. And it is freeing. It's it's really important.

feeling. Well, it's just too much of a beatdown on your nervous system to not learn how to put that away

But you don't realize it when it's your MO. It's just what you do. And you tell yourself that's who you are as if this is a immovable object, right?

that it's it's on you. Like it's necessary for you to behave this way or everyone's going to die or everyone's going to fall apart or whatever. And once you realize like you're not that important, it it like feels like that's the worst thing you can acknowledge, but it's actually feels so good.

Oh, yeah. I'd say to myself, I mean, [snorts] I don't even know how many times a day like nobody gives a [ __ ] about you. Like it's not in a bad way, but like nobody cares. There's so much What's that like old adage where it 's like today's news is another man's fish wrap or like today's newspaper is another Whatever. I mean, I love it. Never heard it. Love it. but it's something about like the the front page news is like tomorrow it's going to be somebody's going to just throw it away. And I truly think that all the time where I'm like, you could be freaking out about this, but really nobody nobody really cares.

Yeah. I love Jeff Jeffrey Johnson. I don't know if you've ever worked with him. He's a prop master. Um and he's also the head of the union. He was a prop master on uh on Parenthood for six years. I I I of anyone I've ever met uh in the crew, he's my favorite. So every year I go and present or do a bit for the prop master union awards show.

so cool. So it was Saturday. And he thought this year's bit might be Hey, you why don't you carry me across the stage and then put me down and then when you go to the microphone say, you know, uh the prop department's always carrying us actors. I thought I'd return the favor. So I go, okay, great, no problem. And and um I then I I underestimate how long the is, right? And I'm going to say that Jeffrey probably weighs like, know, probably 185, 190. But I'm like, no problem. I'll do that. I carry him like a baby. And I'm walking, walking, walking, walking, walking. And I'm like, oh, this is a very long walk. And then I set him down and I'm like, I got to get back to the [ __ ] microphone. So then I scurry back to the microphone. And then I start trying to read this uh teleprompter, which is it's like a three-page setup for this award.

Uh-huh. In about 10 lines in I'm like, I think I'm going to pass out. I'm trying to not breathe really hard while I'm reading the thing. And then [snorts] I have to stop and I go, okay gang, I thought I was in better shape than I was. I can't breathe. Hahaha. But now that there's laughs and then I feed that a little bit. I never really get my breath that I needed.

Oh no. Yeah, and then I try to continue on reading. And it was the craziest experience I've ever had on a stage cuz I kept thinking I was going to pass out and I could barely read out loud cuz I was so out of breath. I leave and I literally went and this is the freedom of like being 51 and whatever it is. I'm like, well I I [ __ ] the bed on that. And who gives a [ __ ]

Also, if anything it's kind of it's kind of cool. Yeah. It's awesome. Memorable.

I think it's endearing. there was a period in my life where I would have left and the whole ride home I would have been like, oh my god, how the [ __ ] I [ __ ] that up. I should have blah blah. And I was just like, oh yeah, that's one thing that didn't go well. Other things have gone well and we're going home and who gives a flying [ __ ]

Yeah. And reprogramming that your external validation doesn't make up who you are. Like it doesn't take away from you being like great that you went there and did that and had that you were supportive of your friend and tried something cool. Like why do we need it to be go well in order for that to mean something?

it didn't. And that was fine. And it's oh really okay if things don't go well. We all survive. Life will be this pretty much the same.

Yeah, totally. Okay. Um so you're we're on the um we're on Gutting Light for um three years.

Mhm. You win the Soap Opera Digest Award. Wow. Young I mean yes. Oscars, Soap Opera Digest, it's all the same.

Is there an award show for that? There is. There was. I I know if there is anymore.

Okay. Cuz I I do think that soap operas might not be as relevant today, sadly. sadly.

Right. many moms I know whose programs And you know what? So many great actors came from soaps. Like

Yeah, yeah. Tom Pelphrey and I were just talking about it. He he just won and he was like, you were on Guiding Light? I was on Guiding Light. I was like, oh, see? It's not so bad.

No. Almost [clears throat] everyone we've interviewed that started there is a phenomenal actor cuz I think it's great training. It's like, hey, you're going to learn how to memorize dialogue in a hurry.

Yeah. You're also going to learn to like move and and pace and not be precious.

And you're so you're so on instinct. You're not in your head because you don't have time to be in your head. So you're just doing the first thing that pops up, which for a kid actor is really good because you're there's no technique really. You're not like studying, you know, Stanislavski and being like Meisner taught me this. You're just being a kid. And so it's really there's a lot of acting that sometimes I just go back to like, what would I have done on Guiding Light? You just you're trying to just go back to that reactionary sort of like feeling.

Yeah. Um but yeah, it was it was a really good training ground. But also for a kid, maybe a lot more pressure than I probably

Mhm. should have had. Taken on, yeah. Yeah. But you know, in hindsight, I I feel like it was it it made me fall in love with acting because I I started to realize the reason that I liked acting was because it was a therapeutic experience rather than

you were you were talking to Clara Danes and you were saying like, you have a scene on the show and you're letting it rip on your against your mom on the show.

Yeah. And you're getting to behave in a way you would never be allowed to behave towards your mom. And then at the end of that, there's like a round of applause. Everyone's so happy. And that's like the first time you go from like, oh, I just show up here, I do this thing and this was like, oh, wait, this is rad. I like this.

Yeah. I mean, now it's sort of [ __ ] up to realize that that validation that I got from getting in touch with some teenage anger was probably like discombobulated. What like, you know, I shouldn't have probably found it there, but I think that in that moment, I think that sometimes what acting is is using your own experience and sort of going into this meditative state where I don't I was yelling at my mom, you know? Um and so I I fell in love with that feeling. That's sort of that that was the first time I did a short film called Milkshake about this, um but it was the first time I got like high as a 12 year old because you leave your body and you're you're doing something that's way bigger than you and you're like, whoa whoa, where was I?

You're in flow. You're transcending it all. Yeah. I mean, yeah. Yeah. Stay tuned for more armchair expert if you dare. We are supported by Allstate. Checking Allstate first could save you hundreds on car insurance. Not checking the weather forecast before you walk out the door. You looked outside, saw a blue sky, felt great about your outfit choice. No jacket, no umbrella. Fast forward 2 hours, you're sprinting through a parking lot in a downpour holding a notebook over your head like that's going to help. Yeah, checking first is a brilliant idea. So check Allstate first for an auto quote. It could save you hundreds. You're in good hands with Allstate. Potential savings vary subject to terms, conditions, and availability. Allstate North American Insurance Company and affiliates, Northbrook, Illinois. We get support from Noble.

The holidays can get hectic. You finally hit a post summer routine and suddenly you're on hosting duty every week.

That's when you really need to ground yourself. Exactly. And that's why I keep my training routine through the holidays. It's the whole noble idea. There's a no [ __ ] training brand built around consistency, honesty, and just putting in the work. It's not about adding more pressure to an already packed schedule. It's about having the gear and the habits to move through the season your way. My personal favorite. All three of the shoes are fantastic. The Outwork, the Outwork Flex, and the Drive Two. I like the Drive Two because it's a hybrid. And I lift, of course, but I also like to do what's called box jumps.

Oh. Right? I do a lot of jumping onto a little platform, and I want a little more flexibility, and boy, do they deliver.

And if you're a cardio person, and you're running, and you also need to be lifting.

And the style is banging. I don't know what to say. Beautiful style, very breathable, very, very comfortable, lots of support. They were built for lifting.

They also make a great holiday gift. You know I love gifting, a purposeful one that actually supports someone's goals and routines, and it's not a gift that just ends up in the back of the closet.

Stay stronger than the season. Head to nobullproject.com all holiday season to shop new deals every week. This episode is brought to you by McDonald's. The quarter pounder with cheese with medium fries and a drink is now $8.

But Okay, I need to talk about something that doesn't get enough respect, the quarter pounder with cheese. This is not a casual burger. This is a crafted burger. We're talking 100% fresh beef cooked right when you order it. No artificial flavors, no fillers, no preservatives, just beef doing what beef is supposed to do. And here's a detail I love. There's a cow bell sound in the kitchen. When somebody orders a quarter pounder with cheese, a cow bell goes off, and the grill master throws a fresh patty down. That's like having your own entrance music at McDonald's. I want a cow bell for everything in life. The onions are hand topped by someone who just knows the right amount. Two slices of cheese laid out in a star pattern, so every single bite gets cheese, and two pickles side by side, so you never in a pickle desert. Every bite is accounted for. Someone engineered this thing with love. I love a quarter pounder.

too. That's my order is a quarter pounder with cheese. I love it. I didn't know they put so much effort that they did a star formation. I should have known because you can taste it when there's effort.

Yeah. The lot, don't tell anyone this, but I'll put two of them back in one sitting.

I'm not surprised. The quarter pounder with cheese with fries and a drink now $8 for a limited time only, only at McDonald's. For a limited time only, prices and participation may vary. Prices may be higher in Hawaii, Alaska, and California and for delivery. Fresh beef not available in Alaska and Hawaii. Offer not valid for delivery.

parked? Like all that anxiety that was never shown on your 10-hour day at work, um where is it burbling up? What were you doing when you got off work in New York City at at 13 years old?

this it it gets a little dark, but I think that anybody who cares about knowing me knows this story or where it's going because I didn't really have an outlet. Um and so I decided to start emulating the women on set and they were all on diets and they all were all looking at their bodies and talking about their bodies and I my body was changing and I thought I don't want to be, you know, a chunky teenager, so I start dieting and and then it starts becoming this sort of best friend and definitely like an addiction where I I was really hyperfocused on that being the only thing I cared about.

Yeah. So it was just work and and that and that and controlling that, counting every single calorie, working out for 2 hours after rehearsals before I would shoot the, you know, the day of of soap opera acting and so um it was just it was repetitive and it it made me feel safe that I could I got a high of like every time I got on the scale there was a new number and I did well if it went down.

There's very few areas of your life that you can quantify and measure. It's so true.

Yeah. It's it's extreme validation on a an immediate scale literally because you have something coming back at you being like you're doing something right supposedly. And at that time it was right because there wasn't any talk about eating disorders. I didn't even know what that was and nobody's talking about that being a bad thing necessarily. Everyone's losing weight.

Yep. And so I mean it's the '90s at this point. I remember in '93, my senior year of high school, there was this um beautiful girl and she went away for a while and then she came back and she made a speech to our class about where she had been and what she had gone through.

wow. Yeah, and she'd gone to treatment for anorexia. And I remember like a, this is the ballsiest thing, much ballsier than the two dudes I just saw fighting in the hallway. Like this is nuts, right? This is so brave. Um, oh, that poor girl, and she was so beautiful. The trying to comprehend how she could have had some body dysmorphia was challenging, right?

Yeah. Uh, for me. And then yeah, that's a whole new thing. This is the first time I'm really going like, oh, this is a thing someone could have, and that's in '93, and I'm 18.

That's so important that that happened because at that time nobody was talking about that, and what a brave person to even put a name to it because at 18

Well, she was also the Tracy Flick of our school, right? She was very outgoing. She was very like confident. And again, that's another It's like it doesn't match with your whole stereotype of any of this stuff.

I think that's what was really hard for me too is that I felt I thought that I could not only control this, but then I could control the recovery of it too, and that it wasn't that big of a deal. And um, and of course it was. And And you know, I'm I'm I'm not an addict in in other ways, but I'm an addict in in that way in terms of like hyper fixating on something in terms of control in my body. And I got down to a weight that, you know, was scary. So Yeah, dangerous.

yeah. And who intervened? My dad actually. Um, and that was the first time that I went to therapy. I started therapy when I was 16. I started going to program, and um, and I learned what like an eating disorder was. I read an article in a magazine. I have a charity called September Letters that is about this moment, but I read an article in a magazine um, about this woman who had an eating disorder, and I was like, the way she's counting her food and the way she's talking about her body, that's exactly what I do. And I said, eating disorder? I don't even know what that means. And so I ripped out the magazine, and I carried it around in my back pocket for a while because it sort of signified that somebody had an answer to this and it made me feel not alone.

And then later when I got recovery and I did a People magazine article, I talked about how that article had really changed everything for me. And I talked about it in the People magazine article and I went to a coffee shop and a girl was in front of me in line and she was crying and she turned around and she was carrying my article in her back pocket.

Yeah. And I started crying and she started crying. And I always wanted to do something about that notion that you're you're thinking like the girl in your school that, you know, this is something that you're doing for other people, but you're really doing it for yourself. And and making sure that your story means something, that that it's going to continue on and that that you can help someone else in the same way because you're offering hope.

Yeah, I think there's probably a lot of misconceptions about it, but the thing that it makes it an addiction, right, is like you're regulating your emotional state with this outward behavior.

Mhm. And that's what I'm doing too when I go by coke. You know, I'm going to regulate how I feel. I don't like how I feel. And I have a solution for it.

Yeah. Yeah. And it's it's it's expensive. It's Yeah, yours is way more expensive. Mine was like donuts instead and like a treadmill. Yeah.

Well, it's expensive emotionally. Yeah, but I that was what I learned in program that was so fascinating is that you just insert item here, alcohol, drugs, food,

Yeah. gambling, whatever it is, it's that external thing that's supposed to solve the inner hole that you're feeling and you can't seem to fill it up. And so I I had a lot of friends that were alcoholics as a kid and things like that because we were all going through the same thing and and um it made me feel better that in program too it was taken just as seriously

Yeah, yeah. my [clears throat] was not a, you know, frivolous sort of A girly, frivolous vein. No, it's a life-threatening illness like all these are.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And then I I directed a movie a couple years ago called Parachute and that was really about the the beginning of figuring out how to get better and the final day that I got better. I've I've 17 years of recovery tomorrow.

Oh my god, tomorrow. That's amazing. The 17th for 17 years. Yeah, it's a golden recovery day, birthday? I don't know what you call it. Yeah, it's my golden day or whatever.

What are you going to do? Nothing probably. [clears throat] Your face just made an interesting shape that resembled Emily Blunt. I've never seen that before, but have you ever gotten that?

I have gotten that. Such a Such a compliment. Thank you. Yeah, not a bad thing uh to hear.

I didn't I didn't get Yeah, it was really specific. Um I wish I had that cool accent and was just as classy.

Okay, so you go from uh the soap to American Dreams. With Sarah Ramos. With Sarah Ramos and maybe more importantly to me uh Kristen's

Your wife. Oh, that's right. guest star of her life. That's right. And she said, you know, Brittany was so nice to me and I remembered that my whole life and I always loved seeing her just cuz she was so so nice to me um I like second guest appearance.

remember I remember that you remember? You do. I do remember. Really quick, the premise it's you're a dancer on um um American Bandstand.

Mhm, but it's about the '60s. It was a great show. I loved that show. It was a good show. It was so before its time. I mean Glee and all those shows that had such, you know, musical relevance that American Dreams would have really existed in also a social media world

Totally. these stars that would come on, you know, Usher was Marvin Gaye and they would go Yeah, people would come on and play their favorite '60s artist and so my character was a dancer on American Bandstand, but she also was going through the changes of women empowerment and civil rights and all the things that happened in 1963 to 1966 and so it was a really special

It was a very good show. And you remember Kristen showing up? I do because I remember that role was really hard to cast and they kept asking me if I had any friends that could play the role.

What was the role? She played a lot of hookers at the beginning. Was she a hooker?

She was a hooker? She was a teenage She She was a No. She was a prostitute. me his model hooker when I went on there.

No, if you ever watched the um Western she was in the Milc project Deadwood. Oh.

She was famously a hooker for a long time and then got killed in it. that because Kristen doesn't give a hooker to me. But you know what? I played a hooker too, so I

What is a hooker? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh, with a heart of gold, obviously. Um but no, I I remember she was a teenage pregnant

Oh. girl. Oh yeah, she had an abortion. Yes, that's what it was. And it was a big hot topic of And it was a really important role and so they were sort of worried about who was going to play that role because it was a big They had to be good and and also it comes with a lot of eyes on it and so um especially on NBC on Sunday nights, you know? So I I remember that being And then I remember when she she got it and I thought wow, she's really good. So they they nailed it.

Ah. why I remember. It's an interesting dynamic that you're like you're the star of the show at a very young age and people that are older than you are coming in. So there's like this this um contradictory status thing that's uh on the table when you're a young star.

I don't know. I didn't think about it like I was always so just overwhelmed with everybody who was on the show and I know that a therapist would have a field day with this, but I didn't I dissociated a lot on that show. I didn't think it was really happening to me. I had no idea anyone was watching it. I had no idea that it was a big deal. Whenever we would get Alannis Morissette or or Ashanti or someone would come on I'd be like why? What are we doing? It was It was just because I was also a kid. I had no idea it was my show.

Okay. Did Okay, so that was one of my questions. Did you feel any of the weight of carrying a show as your second job.

idea. You didn't know you were doing that, really? no idea. I knew that the show was so good and I I really relied on that, but I was so sick at that point um with my eating disorder that I was just really trying to just get by. Yeah.

Do you feel this may be not fair because people are still working, but like do you wish now that someone on set that people on set would have in stepped in?

They did. They did. Okay, well good. I'm glad they did. great and they're still my friends to this day. A lot of directors and the producers and the main producer um David Semel, he um he might have done a lot of Parenthood actually, but he he there was there was meetings and things.

Was it so embarrassing when that was happening? Or were you in denial enough to

No. I was pretty worried. Uh-huh. Yeah, I was I was worried and I just didn't have an answer at that point and I didn't have time for an answer.

Yeah. And I was like, you know, you're 16, I'm falling in love with my first boyfriend.

A parachute? No, that's later. Um that was in my 20s. Yeah, that was like the the relationship that got me better.

Okay. Okay. Okay. But I'm thinking of the metaphor of the parachute is that sometimes they tell you in early sobriety, no matter what it is, like try not to have a relationship in the first year

Mhm. because they become this parachute. That's the metaphor of the movie, right?

yeah. Yeah, that breaks your fall basically. Definitely. And I got really really connected to this person who's still a good friend of mine. He's like my best guy friend. Um and he's, you know, friends with my my current partner and it's really just a beautiful relationship of this person who was trying to save me in a lot of ways and I needed to just completely remove myself from that situation in order to save myself and that's how I got better.

I'm really glad to hear that because sometimes I think we when we are watching TV and we see someone who we feel like might be struggling, especially in um in eating disorder realm. Or I think it's a lot of us judge. We're like, why would they let that person work? Why aren't people stepping in? They're just letting her And it's like they are probably.

Yeah, and I was so young and I think at that time there was not a lot of information about it. It was definitely not prevalent in in conversation with I mean, now people talk about their mental health all the time. We're talking about it right now. This would never happen back then. And it was definitely not cool to talk about an eating disorder. Um and so it was all very not any fault of anyone's, but it was hidden and and tried to be dealt with in a in a contained way.

I've said this numerous times on here, but I'm going to say it again. The the the compassion I have uh for that specific addiction is is one, it's obvious, right? There's no hiding really. Whereas like on the same cast, some dude's got a gambling addiction no one knows about. Some guy's got a sex addiction no one knows about. Someone's using drugs uh you know destructively. But we don't know that.

Right. So yours is like it can be easily observed, you know? So there's really no hiding. So that that I feel bad for cuz hiding's half the thing. And then secondly, as I always say, like if you told me I had to have one line of coke in the morning, one line of coke in the afternoon, and one line of coke in the evening, how?

Yeah. Yeah. That's what makes it the most gruesome. That in love addiction, which is like you still have to be in love and have sex. You still have to eat. I don't ever have to do cocaine again.

Right. You know? I'm not required to. It's I mean, that that was a huge part of when I was in recovery that people would talk about all the time is like you're letting the lion in and out of the cage, you know, three times a day because you're having to face it. And that why I went to rehab twice and um the thing that worked for me the most was an outpatient um situation where I had to I quit acting for a year and I was in an outpatient program with this guy named Ray Santa Maria, who I love at one-to-one treatment. Props to Ray.

Shout out. Shout out Ray because he saved my life. And um and it was dealing with doing normal human things, going to a restaurant, talking to somebody about you know, like going out to eat with your friends, going to the movie theater and not knowing what if you should get popcorn or not. You know, things like that where you had to be really um accountable and not lie, which is, you know, we love to lie. And we love to be sneaky about things because we and to just really show up for yourself and trust yourself. And that's what I learned with outpatient is for a year I was just like with the thing that I did every day, which was like, you know,

in it. immersed in and I and I think that's what really helped me is because I learned to trust myself every day.

Yeah. [snorts] Um okay, so I know what I want to say. You you're playing like you're on this show American Dreams, and then you go get naughty. Now, this I remember. This is probably the first time I saw you a

hooker? No, I would say I know way naughtier than than a hooker cuz sex workers aren't even naughty, but um you played a neo-Nazi on this show.

that's real naughty. Yeah. I mean, that's as far as naughty That's the worst. That's very naughty.

the naughty spectrum is being a Nazi. definitely I hadn't gone into recovery yet at that point, so I was I was really dark at that moment, too. Not not that dark. There's no way that I could get there.

Not hey cry me dark. No. Um but I tried to I tried to draw from things that I just I didn't know how to deal with. I didn't know how to like um wrestle with. And this was a character that had absolutely no perspective on reality.

Yeah, yeah. I sort of had to use my own non-perspective with reality of of what I was doing with my life or getting better or recovery and things like that. And that's what I had to draw from, which I felt was an interesting exercise for me, and that's the only way I could do it because you can't relate to a Nazi.

Right. It was on Niptuck on um and it was the beginning of Ryan Murphy being Ryan I mean, he was already Ryan Murphy, but it was

I thought that was his first big hit. Yeah, he directed, you know, the last episode that I was in and that was really cool and it was such a a vision for that show that I really appreciated and

it. Yeah. It was so naughty. It was so so naughty. naughty. Everything on that show was naughty.

some The Hunting Wives and Nip/Tuck are scratching the same itch for all of us, I think.

That's true. Yeah. No Nazis on on Hunting Wives. No. But around this time I got curious. Now you're for Nip/Tuck you're 19.

Mhm. Um you're clearly starting to notice people your age are like on backpacking trips or they're going to college. Are you at any point during this getting aware of like oh man, I'm um this is a tradeoff. I'm not going to have these certain experiences and there's no going back to these certain experiences.

I never thought about it. It never crossed your mind. I never wanted anything else at such a bad time in school that I never looked back. I I dropped out um which is goes to show how educated I am. I I only went to one freshman year of high school and then I got my I I I went to school on set on American Dreams, but like I went to school on set, you know. I don't know what I learned, but um but then I got my equivalency which meant that I could work any all hours.

Sure. And I had I was in LA with these new friends and these new people that were doing the same thing that I was doing and I was so focused that I didn't ever think about normal.

Yeah, quote normal. Yeah. Okay. That's good. That is good. Okay. Um Hairspray, Adam Shankman is this the first time you sing you sing the new girl in town? Is that your first time singing on on screen? Or you sang backup on American Yeah.

sang backup on American and it was the first time I I sang and I was really nervous and um I don't think I'm a very good singer and so I think that was really interesting because there were so many really good Broadway stars in that and legends. And so I was really intimidated, but I had so I had so much fun. I was there we were in Canada for six months doing that.

Holy smokes. Zach and I we had two months where we didn't work at all, because they kept us there just in case John Travolta or Michelle Pfeiffer had a day that they didn't want to come.

Toronto, wasn't it? Mhm. Ear mark a story. You and I after this are going to ear mark a funny story about that.

I feel like cuz Kristin obviously knows Adam and Well, Adam came and directed a this whole sequence in a movie that she and I did called When in Rome.

Oh, yeah. And so we just worked with him for two days, and it is the most memorable experience. Like he had what an energy Shangman has.

yeah. He's the best. Yeah. Yes, yes. But yeah, what what did you guys do in all this downtime in two months?

I was pretty sad during that time. That was pretty But, you know, luckily Zach and I were really close.

He's a sweetheart. I also know him pretty well. had such a blast, and we became really good friends, and um I was so I I knew what a big deal it was to be in Hairspray, and I fought to be in that, and I didn't know if I was going to be, and so I I really knew that that was a big big deal. And so I I was fine being there.

Yes. Um But yeah, and I I was so nervous around Michelle Pfeiffer, and she was so lovely, and it was a lot.

It was intense. Yeah, it was intense. is a lot. Kristin told me you are a great singer, just completely un un unprompted.

singer like Kristin. I she I'm just telling you what she said. Oh, that's great. Thank you.

Okay, is do you when do you take a minute off? Is it after Hairspray? When is this year you take off?

Prom Night right after. The the cinephile in me will talk about Prom Night. No, no, because it's like um obviously the best movie that I've ever done. Um no, it was it was a campy sort of movie that it was very fun to do, and I met a lot of my really close friends on that. But I did that right after. And I did a another couple movies.

Well, you did John John Tucker Must Die. That was huge Die was before Hairspray.

was before Hairspray. Really quick, do you know Jonathan Tucker? I do. And when John Tucker was coming out, Jonathan Tucker came up to me at a party and was like, you ruined my life.

Very It's a John Snow situation. three letters separating him from John John Tucker Must Die.

I know. He really had to deal with that for a long time. Thank God it's Jonathan. But were you tired? I mean, this sounds like you've just been working literally nonstop.

I had no idea about anything else and of course I didn't know that I that was the way that I was getting And it's And I still have that sort of feeling where if I'm not working, who am I?

Yeah. Um and I think a lot of people in this business feel like that. I think especially if you started young.

Mhm. Yeah. Okay, when Pitch Perfect comes around, is that How do we get that? So what I the movie I directed Parachute is exactly what happened. Other than there's a there's like a sort of movie not a movie theater um like a musical theater sort of element and a murder mystery theater that I'm sort of just encapsulating to be Hollywood. And that's in the movie, but everything else really happened and so it was it got pretty interesting and I had to get better, so I took a year off. And then um I was 23 when that happened and then around 24 25 I'm starting to try to audition again and I just I can't audition. I have I'm so anxious. I feel like I'm not going to get my career back. I'm so nervous. I've been put on a lot of different medications that weren't correct for me because I don't think they understood what I needed my doctors and medication is is great and and very helpful, especially for what I was going

through, but I think I was misdiagnosed and so I just could not get a job and it was really

That's terrifying. was terrifying because I didn't know anything else. Yes. And at this point I'm thinking I'm I'm I don't know what I'm going to do.

Yeah. Um and so it was I think oh I was doing the show called Harry's Law. I got fired.

Oh no. which in which I do feel was not I mean I understand why it happened because I was still not like okay

Uh-huh. and I it was too soon for me to go back to work. Brittany, you really [ __ ] went through it.

Yeah. But you know what? It was it was interesting because it was sort of a ramp into something that now feels really long lasting and I have this the foundation of I'm never going to falter like that again. I I'm so grateful that I went through all that it in those years because now I see my my friends who I grew up with, you know, in my in my time that are going through it now. And I I went through it then and I'm so

And you came out of it. Yeah. Yeah, you know, that's the funny thing is like everyone's going to have to go through it. Some of us have certain habits that force it to happen sooner,

Right. which in a weird way for me at least I feel like is a huge blessing. It definitely is.

Yeah. But anyway, the whole story the long story short is Pitch Perfect was my my thing that I got back where I I don't know how I got it cuz I was so nervous in the audition, but I ended up doing it and it just made me fall back in love with acting again and sort of felt really easy and natural and I made great friends and I was like oh I I can do this again.

Stay tuned for more armchair expert if you dare. I wasn't there. I would just be guessing that there was a pretty fun energy and

Oh yeah. Where did you guys shoot here? in Baton Rouge for one and two and then Atlanta for Pitch Three.

Okay. Um and now Pitch Two is [ __ ] [snorts] enormous, right? It makes $286 million. It's the biggest musical comedy of all time.

Oh, really? Oh, I don't know. at least it was at that time. Dethroned School of Rock.

Oh, wow. Sorry, Jack Black. He's okay. Don't worry. I saw I saw I saw him at a restaurant Friday. He looked he was doing good.

He's living after that. He's totally fine. on eating eating a steak. Um what Can you cuz you sound thus far pretty unaware of the fact that your show even airs on TV on Sunday nights or that these things are popular or whatever.

Yeah. It Was that one unavoidable? Was it Did that one penetrate you? Like were you moving through the world and you're like, Oh, yeah. Wow, this is a [ __ ] mega hit. I'm in a mega hit.

Yes. Kind of. It's It's I knew that the movie was big, but you know, I'm a perfectionist and so I didn't feel like I did I wasn't I was like okay in it, you know? So I'm like the movie is amazing, but I can do so much better and and

wow. And my part is fun, but you know, it's silly. So I I'm still looking at it like I'm enjoying it and I'm so grateful for it, but but I always like to have perspective on Well, you're not, you know.

You're like it's still work. No, it's not work. I just wanted I just This is bad. This is not good.

I know it's that. And I Here's the analogy I'm going to make is like I know the math you did to come to this conclusion. Like that's not a mystery to me how you did it. You're like, well, you know, uh Anna's blah blah blah and then this and that, right? You just go through this list and you you start prioritizing yourself and like the ninth important or whatever you start doing. But I would urge you to think of your favorite movies growing up and if you had any sense of who was what or just did you just love characters that were in these things? I mean, that's really how it works.

Clueless and movies that shaped me, I love every I know every word to that movie. I and I know every character and every character is important.

Exactly. that that is insane to think. Oh, okay, okay, okay. Um, but I think I at the time, you know, now I I'm aware, but at the time I just thought, wow, this is a great thing that's happening to us.

Uh-huh. And I hope we get to do more because you never know. And I also had such understanding of not knowing if I was ever going to work again. So when people would be on set and be sort of challenging or things would happen on set, I was just sitting there being like, guys, we're going to sing and dance in a movie and we're working. Let's everybody just shut up.

They're going to pay us on Friday. Yeah, and so I I really loved being in that seat of of gratitude. I mean, that sounds so cheesy, but that's what I felt when those movies were happening were like that's the best part of it.

When you were having the kind of crisis of conscience and an identity like, wow, can I do this? How do I access this? I know specifically from your chat chat with Clara that it's like the tools you were using to act were no longer at your disposal, right?

Yes. They were gone. All the unhealthiness is gone. So it's like it's back to the drawing board in a sense.

Yeah. Were you having financial insecurity at that point? Cuz that's where I would be. I just be like, what am I now going to do at 50? Like what am I I would be in a panic over finances. Was that that's not on your radar?

I mean, not really. Not to say that you know, I wasn't like drowning in money or anything. I think my biggest concern was that I couldn't do the thing that I loved the most and that I know I was supposed to do. I don't know how I'm supposed to do anything else. Not because I don't have another skill, even though I probably don't, but I that's the one thing that I know I'm supposed to do and I can't do it the way that I used to. So I have to now come to another understanding of of what that means and I can't use the same tools that I used to use.

It's dangerous because it it could you could easily tell yourself, oh, I was better off when I was sick.

Sure. that's a very slippery slope. and think can't be funny because they're not like

Yeah, you're like, I was working. I was working non-stop. I my life I guess my life was actually pretty good. What have I done Like it could get very very slippery mental health wise, I think.

I think I never wanted to go back to being sick though because I was so unhappy and I was so all of a sudden really happy.

Yeah. I couldn't work and so it was this very strange dichotomy. You have the right answer by the way. The and that would be Kristen's as well. Hers would just be about She wants to do the thing. The other stuff's just ancillary and the consequence of loving the thing.

Definitely. I would be like, oh my god, can I buy this I remember I didn't work for like a year and a half or something. I had a few stinkers in a row and it was like I wasn't getting and I was going back to writing and I was like I needed a couch for my living room. I had no couch in the living room and it was like the couch from Sophie You Love was like $2,000 and I was like

Sophie You Love I know exactly who Yeah. Yeah. on Western. I was like I have $100,000 I think for the rest of my life. I don't I can't buy a $2,000 couch.

Right. Right. all I'm thinking about all day long. Like not like oh I'll never get to do that's there too. But just my panic of like how are we going to stretch $100,000

real. That's life. Life is you need money to live. people go through this too when they switch jobs or have to re-calibrate in a way and I did feel very a part of a bigger unit where I'm like, okay, we got to redo this and maybe even redo my mindset on what I'm using or why this is so important to me.

Can there be a four? Good question. I would like for there to be a four. Yeah. Me too.

They've all made boatloads of money. I don't know why we wouldn't go ahead and Everybody just doesn't want to do it if we're going to have Facet

Yeah. Yeah. and we don't have a good story yet. Or maybe they do. I'm the last to know. I was the last person cast on on Pitch Perfect One and so I'm I'm always the last to know.

Um Parachute, we've talked a bunch about it, but I just guess I have a couple directing questions. Um one, um, it got acquired.

Mhm. It's super highly reviewed. So you've definitely proven you can write and direct a movie. Do do you want to do more of that?

Oh, definitely. Talk about if you love control like I do. It's so nice to to get that validation and that high of putting a puzzle piece together and all the puzzles fit fitting.

Solving the problem is so fun, right? they like fit into place and you're like, I'm the best. But it never really gets there because then the next puzzle piece the puzzle breaks apart and you have to continually do it. But it was definitely using another part of my brain that I that I really appreciated. I didn't have to think about me. I got to use my my mind in in a way that was very helpful for me. And I got to do it as a therapeutic exercise because it was a movie that was about something that I had been through and I was exercising this thing by seeing it in somebody else's eyes. Cuz the actress, Courtney Eaton, who is extraordinary in it, um, she came with her own experiences and it sort of the movie became both of our

Your shared experience? experience. Um, yeah, I think the the obsessive mind that is your best friend when you're an addict is is is an asset when directing.

Yeah. Cuz there's just a catrillion little strands that you're constantly trying to weave into this thing. And like if you've had a lot of experience juggling a lot of stuff at once, I think it like really sets you up well to do that job.

I think that's why I was saying it's it's turned into a super not that I'm it's a superpower cuz it I'm so good at it. I don't even know if I am necessarily, but it's it was definitely helpful for me the hypervigilance being a director because I knew how to be a different type of person to different actors and different the prop department, the makeup department. Somebody needs a different director or a different person for each thing that they're going through. It was helpful because there was a lot of things that I could answer that I used to go through or I know personally that I could really understand in someone else. And I thought to myself, wow, this is a great opportunity to use my own experience with this to help someone else.

Yeah. Okay, so 2025 is an enormous year. Yeah. Professionally for you. Yeah. Ish.

Why did you smile? No, because there's so many things happened um [clears throat] in 2025.

Okay. personally, um yeah, it was just a big year. [ __ ] show. A big year. Okay.

year. Yeah. Well, professionally there was um Murdaugh, Death in the Family, Hulu. You were in that. Then uh The Beast in Me. You were in that.

Great show. Did you fall in love with Matthew? I love Matthew. god, we interviewed him. We were both like, take us home.

I know, isn't he the best? He's so funny. He deserves this this moment more than anybody. I love him.

Did he offer you to take you on his um Movable Feast? That's the name of the boat, right? Movable Feast.

no, actually. Oh. Bastard. I'm sure if you were in New York, you would have. Yeah.

Yeah. This is like when we told Gal Gadot she didn't get Tom Cruise's cake and it was a big, you know, it was a big We're letting people down all over the place.

Yeah. No, no. I mean, he he and I became friends and he was such a good, you know, person to have on that set too because I was I was in and out and as a, you know, a person that's sort of in every couple scenes or or every episode, you don't really know where you fit into the whole thing as a whole and he always made me feel so comfortable and he was going through the same thing as well. You know, he's so aware of of not he doesn't feel like he's the the greatest guy, greatest actor either. You know, he's always like very real and has perspective and it's really nice.

And he's so Welsh. That was a great show. When you read the tell me the whole experience of getting The Hunting Wife as a script and what your first thoughts are.

At the time I was shooting I was in Thailand. I was doing a Night Agent episode where I die right away and I just remember thinking, oh, I really like this, but I'm sure I'm going to have to work for it.

Yeah. An audition for it, but I'm in Thailand. There's not exactly like a self-tape studio I can do. And I don't know anybody really here, so I don't know how I'm going to put myself on tape for this thing. I had a feeling there sometimes I just get a feeling. And I thought, I think this one I'm going to get, and I don't know how.

Yeah. Um, and I and I talked to my reps, and I guess Irwin Stoff, who was the one of our our main producer, he had seen my short film that that got nominated for an Oscar, Red, White and Blue, and so he we didn't I didn't need to audition.

Wow, great. And that at the time was for Stars. And so I was like, oh, I'm just going to do this and no one's really going to see it. So I knew it was really cool. I couldn't put it down. I read all eight episodes

Yeah. while I was filming there, and I loved it. But I also thought I mean, no offense to Stars, but

Yeah, yeah. Yeah, you were like, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. had already been cast.

And did you know her at all? We had friends in common, and we were always told by our mutual friends that we would get along. And so I always knew and I had heard stories that she was just the coolest, and she had great perspective on what this business is about and

Yeah. you know, drinking tequila and just, you know, and I was like, that's my girl.

Yeah. She's as cool as they get. She is. She really is. Okay, so I think um this is going to be a big spoiler time now. I find it hard to believe anyone would not have seen season one at this point. It was wildly successful.

very. Did you feel that one? I did. Okay. I did feel that one. Okay. But I sort of dissociate from it where I think it's happening to someone else.

Uh-huh. I I don't really I I think this is a good thing that I'm not really walking around thinking that people care about me or looking at me. I just knew that this show was a big deal because of all the TikToks.

So many. Oh, tell me about the TikToks. I don't know about the TikToks. really wild reactions.

Oh. Okay. And I really appreciated that because it's such a campy fun show. Yeah,

yeah. It has the most plot of any show I've ever watched, I think. is way more plot. Just plot everywhere.

Yeah, so I want to give I want to I want to kind of march through what happened in season one so then we can then talk about season two, which is you and your husband move from Boston down to Texas. He's taken a job. Uh he's working for Dermot Mulroney.

Mhm. Also a radical dude. We love, [clears throat] right? What a champ. Yeah. At any rate, you guys moved to Texas. It's a totally you're a fish out of water. Everyone loves guns. They like day drinking. Everyone's rich. The girls are all like final touches at all times. They've done hair and makeup. It's a uh it it's a it's a real extreme scenario.

Mhm. Um and then you meet Malin's character, Margot. Mhm. And yeah, how would you describe because I think some people like to frame what happened one way and I know you have a different uh idea of what happened and and I of course agree with you, but you know you decided.

I mean, I'm going to give you the hot take that because I'm here on Armchair Expert,

Yes. but that I don't really talk about and it it's not really talked about, but Rebecca Cutter and I really agree on this, is that I think that Sophie is an addict in a way and she sort of displaces and and sort of mismanages her addiction to other things. I mean, in the first season we have her like biting her nails and is she an alcoholic? Is she not an alcoholic? But she becomes really fascinated and almost addicted to Margot in this way of this person's going to solve this emptiness that I feel, which is I need to be this perfect mom. I can't be who I am anymore. I'm moving to this town and I want to be this free sort of different woman that I've been caged to now become.

Yeah. And I think she latches on and becomes addicted to the idea of Margot and also falls in love with her at the same time, which is a really dangerous combination.

Yes. And gets mixed up in this whole sort of murderous plot because she can't quit this woman.

Yes, yes. And and season two was even more of a reflection of that. Why is that a hot take?

Because I don't think we talk about the addiction part of it ever. Yeah. That's a choice that I made.

I like that. Well, yeah, I I what I love about the show is it's preposterous. Yes.

And yet you're dead real. And then this element is dead real and truthful, which is yes, you're what we would call in recovery. You've basically accomplished a geographic cure. So you are clearly an addict. You were in a vehicular accident that resulted in a fatality due to your drinking. So that's a that's a pretty big red flag.

low, I would say. And then so a lot of addicts, I'm moving. I think, you know, I'm going to move to St. Louis. I won't drink there. And then this kind of worked for you. So your geographic was like, I'm going to get married and I'm going to be a perfect mother. And that's going to be my solution to this problem. And this solution's been working for a while, but as we know, these solutions don't ever really last forever. So then yes, you meet somebody who opens the top of the box you put yourself in.

Mhm. And so we could blame her, but really I think you're in search of someone that'll give you permission

Yeah. to rejoin the little gremlin you really are and haven't dealt with. I definitely think that's what it is. I think that's what the show is. And that's why it's so alluring and sexy. It's sort of giving permission of these women behaving badly, but it's also this woman who's just really caged to to open back up the lion's den in a lot of ways and sort of face these demons and we're watching her sort of fall apart.

Yes. It's also very um it's very Esther Perel and that, you know, she she says that people often think their partner has cheated on them with another person, but in fact really their their partner cheated on them to be with themselves, to to revisit a version of themselves that they miss or that is gone or that existed in their twenties. Like they're actually longing for their old self. And this person is a is a an avenue to that.

Yeah. And so I think very much that's the dynamic that's happening here. Oh, definitely. That I think that's And in season two, I think something to say that's not giving anything away is that obviously at this point in the season, you know in season one that Sophie has killed Kyle, Margo's brother, with another vehicle by drinking.

Yes. And so back to back to the beginning. Doing the same doing it What is it? Doing the exact same thing and expecting a different result.

definition of insanity. Yes. the definition of insanity is how Sophie is the the whole second season. I made the choice at from the very beginning I got the pilot episode and I read that one of the first things that Sophie does is she has a panic attack in her car and her nervous system is her nervous system is completely shot.

Yeah. And then in the next scene she's, you know, crying and I think I had a line saying like Sophie paces in every single episode. She's just having a total nervous breakdown the whole the whole show. And I think it's because she's realizing that she's now in back into an addict cycle of this woman where she's so desperate to get her that her whole life starts falling apart.

Also we're we're getting to see the side of you that all addicts have pretty polish, which is you're now going to be the perfect person. You so you the season does start. It It It picks up right where we left

Right. off you know chronologically. And you and your husband are on like a trial separation situation.

Right. And then you're in therapy together and you're basically perfect. Trying.

Yeah, you're perfect. But she's about about to fall apart. saying all the right things. You're taking ownership of everything. You're You're really convincing that you know you don't really have a problem anymore. And And it's quite convincing and quite addicty.

Yes. Lies. Well, and then I start crying right in the in the therapist office. You know scene we'd played so many different ways and it's it's interesting the takes they pick. I think they pick a lot of the ones where Sophie is just completely unraveling.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. And I got a lot of notes from the directors in season two. My one friend Maggie Kiley, who's a dear friend, she was like, you are a crack addict. Like you need to go into every scene when it comes to Margot with if I'm going if I'm going to die if I don't get her.

Yeah. Um and so that level of intensity is just I was tired. Yeah, that's intense.

Yeah. Um that scene in therapy, there's a few, but there's one scene in particular that I had to say it it ended and I was like, that's a [ __ ] phenomenally written scene. That that whole sequence in therapy was like really really well crafted.

Oh, good. Thank you. cuz again, there's a lot happening in the show. It's like you're getting the juiciest salacious soap opera drama. Someone's dying every 15 minutes in this show. Again, this is walk everyone through season one. You meet her. We find out she's also sleeping with a teenager. Then we find out that the teenager's girlfriend catches her. Then the teenager's girlfriend gets killed. Then we think it's this this one mom. No, it's not that mom. Then that mom goes to confront. Then she kills that person. Then they go to confront her and then they kill her. And then you kill.

There's like six or seven murders and deaths. I am so impressed that you said that so eloquently and followed it through. Um yes, all that happens. And then the funny thing about season two is that even more [ __ ] happens.

You got to you're going to run on a character. That's I have anxiety about It's like Game of Thrones. You're just like killing everyone you know.

The Red Wedding? I know. That's what I sort of FEEL LIKE. TO WATCH AND YOU'RE LIKE, OH, I guess there are there's there's still people.

Yes, so many people die and also such outlandish things happen where not one single episode goes by where it's not what the [ __ ] did they just do?

Yes, yes, yes, yes. That's so fun. We need fun. And I think that's what people really have enjoyed about this show. They're just like, it's easy, it's fun, it's it's a little wild. Like, people want an escape.

Back This is just a um fun anecdote, but back to you saying you got to enter every scene like you're a crack addict, right?

Right. So, I'm I'm with my [clears throat] 11-year-old last night, and she clearly has a a a dairy allergy. That is quite obvious to me. I too cannot [ __ ] with dairy. I get so congested, right?

Yeah. So, and she has a cold. And so every morning when we're walking to school, she's like, do you know what that I don't I'm like, how much cheese and dairy did you have yesterday? And she's like, you know, this isn't that. So, last night, I'm like, what do you want for dinner? And she's like, I want macaroni and cheese balls from Fred 62. And I said, I go, but you know you're going to you're going to it's going to [ __ ] you up, right? And she's like, [clears throat] yeah. And I go, ooh, Delta, this is so great. It's probably so abstract that I'm an addict, but I want you to know this moment right here was like, you have full knowledge that this is going to hurt you. And you go, yeah, I want it anyways. And I'm like, that's it. That's you've experienced it.

Right. At 11, you already know what this thing is. I know it's bad, and watch me go do it anyways.

Yes. Let's hope it it's just mac and cheese. That's boring. But you know what? I relate to that.

Yeah. It's a unique experience when you really know, yeah, this is going to end poorly, and I'm going to do it.

That happens a lot in season two. There's about five different scenes that I can think up off the top of my head where you're like, I think that's also what's really been funny about the the reaction of of Hunting Wives is that people are so mad at me, my character, not me, but at Sophie because you're watching someone who just is willingly blowing up their life and making really dumb decisions out of reactionary

Yeah. things put in front of her. She's prone to emotion. She's reactive. She's angry. She's doing She leaves her kid at home to go drink and drive. And the amount of anger that people feel towards a mother who would do this to their child, you know, I sympathize with because it's like, well, I'm not really like that. This is obviously a character, but I I think what's the psychology that's interesting is that we really don't like that that emotion in ourselves.

Yeah, we don't mind if a dad's doing that, but we Yeah, it is pretty gendered. oh yeah.

You can be reckless. You can't make bad decisions. And I I've done a lot of interviews saying like, isn't that interesting that the protagonist there's a lot of in there's a lot of anger with the the one of the main female characters doing really stupid things. Really people do not like that.

Well, also um a good percentage of us do this. We do make decisions that we know are wrong, and we do it. And I think a good chunk of the audience watching knows the internal feeling, the self-abuse that follows that, the shame, and the self-hatred.

Mhm. So it's a real emotion they're experiencing cuz they've experienced it. It's not a hypothetical. I think that's why it's so powerful.

And I also think in the brass tacks of it all, it's it's almost that feeling when you're watching a horror movie and the girl the killer is inside the house and she's like, I need my bracelet. I have to go back to get my bracelet.

go in the basement. Don't open the door. Yeah. And you're thinking to yourself, you dumb ass. Why are you going back in the house? I hate when movies do that, but it's it's that sentiment in this show a little bit. You're watching someone be a little silly.

Yeah, and isn't that funny? When I watch the horror one, it's like I'm like, you're being stupid, but I have no actual emotion attached to it. Whereas this is like, no, I know what it's like to go get out of my car. Okay. Stay in my car.

Oh yeah, that's me. Yeah. she jumps in the car. Get out of my car. Please don't get out of my car.

but I'm crying cuz I want to kiss her. Yes. Yes, yes. Um well, I love it. It's [ __ ] so juicy and season two is everything season one was or at least what I watched so far. Um you I just want to put a real fine point. You're really really incredible in it. You're so so good. Yeah yeah. I mean truly you're really really good. And I would say in a kind of challenging

Definitely. Again, it's like very heightened And to be really grounded in heightened stuff is a little bit of a challenge.

Thanks. I didn't think I did very well with the divorce. No, I I'll never think I do well, you know.

It sounds like it. Is there anything you're proud of that you've made? Like in life?

That in that you've made. I'm really proud of Parachute. Okay. There we go. Uh yeah.

one. Yeah, yeah. Okay. That's out of 65 credits. That's not bad. One out of 65.

It challenges me, you know? Yeah. Truly feel free that if you don't want to talk about this, it's fine. But I couldn't help but notice just in my research, what was the exact day of lockdown? Do you remember? I feel like it was March 15.

Yeah. Was that when it was? Yeah. And you got married on March 14. Oh, that's hard.

It made me think, boy, if anything didn't have a great shot, it would be getting married and you're starting your new life together and literally the next day we go into lockdown. And then I went berserk in lockdown myself. And that's just a really of all the the worst wedding dates I think I've ever heard, that's probably top of the list.

There was so many Yeah, we don't have to talk about that stuff. Yeah. Yeah. What a What a time. And you know, I've I will say now looking back at at that time, I am so grateful that I went through that because the person that I am and the partner I'm with now, it's just so different and I'm I can't believe I'm grateful for my divorce. I'm so

Yeah, yeah. I think people need to hear that, honestly, because 37 and I was living in an Airbnb just staring at my dog being like, I don't know what's going to happen. It's just you and me, kiddo, and we're going to try to, you know, rebuild this.

Yeah. And I I really appreciated so many women friends of mine that were like that happened to me and you know, I would go on Reddit and look up stories from women going through things in their later 30s and and finding people later in life and, you know, we we have to make it what we make of it.

Yeah. Listen, um I hope everyone watches uh as I I don't even need to urge them to, but The Honey Wives, it does come back uh November 26th on Netflix. Um I'm really really blown away and impressed that you went through the thing you went through, found out how to do it again, and I've had such an incredible last few years. I'm so happy and proud for you.

Thank you. Yeah, I appreciate it. Happy golden birthday, Tara. I hope you do something to celebrate. I should.

You should. It's a big deal. I used to have parties. I think I would. Honestly, don't tell me that's a good time. Um but yeah, I should have dinner.

Okay. And then I just want to throw this out. Um I've met you in real life in like in social situations and you're very lovely. This is not a presenting self. This is really you. Yeah yeah yeah.

god, I hope not. Um I always remember that there was a there was a you and Kristen had first started dating and you guys Do you remember I saw you in a Miami hotel and we talked outside the hotel? You probably don't remember this. But I remember thinking, oh, they're going to to get married.

Really? Yeah. That was 19 years ago. It was so long ago. we were just The funny story behind that is, so we started dating. I was dating her and someone else. And then I got this very distinct feeling one time when I went over to her house like, oh, this she's exclusive and I'm not. And I feel very unethical about that. And And then I just said I think we're in two different places and I don't want to mislead you. So we had a little breakup. We got back together very shortly after that.

Mhm. But one of the first things was I said to her I called her. I'll never forget I was hanging Christmas lights. I was on a ladder and I'm like talking to her on my T-Mobile cell phone or whatever that thing was. The Samsung blue cell phone. And I go, hey, I got offered to like come to this New Year's Eve party in Miami and if I go, they'll send me then to the Bahamas for a week or five days or something. And she's like, um, oh cool, that sounds fun. And I go, yeah, you think that would be fun? And she goes, hey, if you want to [ __ ] invite me to the Bahamas, invite me. And I was like

She said ask me like a lady. Oh nice. yes, yes. She was starting to really, um, you know, advocate for herself and especially given the So I was like, I'm so sorry. Let me rephrase. Would you like to join me? So yes, we went on that trip. It's so memorable because so we saw you and we also saw Robert Downey Jr. in the lobby. Did you see Robert Downey Jr.?

not. Okay, that was fun. would have remembered that too, I think. Then we watched Tootsie in the hotel room the night before we went to That was very memorable. Still my favorite score. Then we went to the Bahamas and you must remember we've only been together a couple months.

Right. And we start walking on the beach at night, the night we've arrived, and she starts bawling uncontrollably. And uh cuz it's pretty. And I

I relate to this. And I'm like, oh my god, what, um, what am I supposed to do right now? Like what do I am I supposed to comfort her? Am I supposed to It was a real, uh, introduction to her emotional availability.

Yes. Yes, and I was very, very scared. And then the irony is she doesn't cry anymore and I cry nonstop. So it's really It's we've 180.

Oh, because you're a Pisces, right? Yeah, she's a Cancer. You guys are both water signs. It makes sense that you would cry at Oh yeah.

Seeing water, I guess is what it was. That is true. I'm about to cry at all times. I'm going to cry when I get in the

Well, um, I'm glad you thought that. That's nice. And you were right. You were dead right.

was very I was I was very jealous that that's what was happening. Oh. was like, look at them. They're in love.

Thank you. That's very sweet. Well, Britney, please come back with your next show. This was so fun.

you for having us. Yeah, you're fantastic. And what an exclusive we got, fart. Fart.

Yeah. We won't make you say it again. We already got it. In the back. Fart. Oh my. Now she can't stop saying it.

is like you holding hands with Franco. I I feel free. Good. Okay, good. I'm so glad. Thank you guys.

adore you. Congratulations on everything. Everyone watch The Honey Moons. Yay. Yay.

Questions about this episode

Who speaks in "Brittany Snow | Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard"?

Brittany Snow (Guest), Dax Shepard (Host), Rebecca Cutter (Guest).

What is "Brittany Snow | Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard" about?

Brittany Snow discusses balancing fame, personal insecurities, and the comfort of consuming and creating content, including how true crime and familiar voices calm and motivate her. She reflects on shared struggles within the industry, finding reassurance in relatable peers and the process of self-awareness.

What is mentioned in this Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard episode?

94 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Addiction, Dak Shepard, The Hunting Wives, Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard, Brittany Snow, Hypervigilance. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "Brittany Snow | Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard"?

The episode runs 1 h 30 min; the transcript is about 19,115 words in 409 timestamped sections.

More from Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard

About this transcript: the episode's spoken words as captioned on YouTube, split into timestamped sections. Reclip.Me locates every person, work and idea in the text, keeps the time it is first named, and quotes the words around it verbatim. Last updated November 9, 2026.