Interview with Brenda Song
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I'm calling a loft meeting, folks. Today, I am joined by a very, very special guest. Brenda Song's career is longer than my dating history. How dare you? I've dated quite the number. Anyway, like literally, she's been doing TV for like 30 years, something like that. Yeah, since I was like three, four. Oh, my God. I know. I'm psychotic. There's something wrong with me.

I mean, she's, you know, to some, she's London Tipton, the hotel heiress from The Suite Life of Zack and Cody. Are you reading my IMDb or are you reading like a bio? I'm reading a bio. It's a bio we wrote. It's a bio we wrote. We wrote this. We wrote this out.

The social network. And a lot of you folks, if you're listening to this podcast, you know her as Daisy from New Girl. Please welcome Brenda Song to the show. Oh, thank you for having me. I'm so excited. I'm so excited. What were you, when I saw you in Toronto, what were you promoting?

I was promoting a movie that's going to come out in January called The Last Showgirl with Pamela Anderson, Jamie Lee Curtis, Dave Bautista, Kiernan Shipka, Billy Lord. I am, I literally just, I'm in the background holding lights. Like I am so, just me.

a part of this project. It was wonderful. I hadn't seen you in so long. It was so nice to see you. It was such a lovely surprise. - Oh my gosh, yes. That was a fun little gathering that we had there over at the Toronto Film Festival. That was my first time being there. - Same. - I'd never, yeah. I mean, I go to Toronto often, but that was my first time at the festival. - And you were promoting the "Saturday Night Live" movie, right?

Yeah, yeah. It's out now. So for all those folks who haven't seen it, you are a fucking asshole. How dare you call me that, sir? Oh, you haven't seen it? You just told it yourself. You should have made it up. We have been born. You know how the story is. When do you have time? When do you have time? Let's be real. That's true. That's true. Me and my daughter, we have our date nights here. So her and I just watch pretty much the same movies over and over and over again. A Saturday Night Live movie?

Yeah, I just let her watch what I do. Exactly. Could you imagine all your kids are only allowed to watch the things you're in?

Listen, you know what I mean? I run a tight ship. They got to know. Education. It's education. Get to know your parents. 100%. I only do educational work. So let's dive in. What is your New Girl origin story? Like, how did this, like, had you seen the show before or did you start watching it or have you watched it? What is New Girl? Ask the world.

- Ask the world. - Here's the thing, I'm sure you guys get this a lot, but the truth is this was the first and the only show that I was a huge fan of, watched the entire first season, was "Obsessor," that was my favorite show. And when I got the call, they're like, "Oh, there's this part that I think would be great for you, but it like literally starts shooting next week." And I was like,

I don't care what it is. Yes. Yes, yes, yes. Before I even knew what it was, I was like, yes, a thousand percent. And then I read it and it was such a cool, it was such a fun episode. And I was like, this is the dream. I get to be in the loft. I get to meet everybody and this sort of story and this like such a different character for me because obviously I forgot that this show is, like we shot this 10 years ago, a little over 10 years ago. And I remember at the time-

I was like kind of just coming out of finishing up like the Suite Life stuff and it was like very much I feel like life imitates art, art imitates life. Like this is sort of was where I was in my life. And so when that came to be, I was like, oh my gosh, this is my favorite show. I don't care what I'm doing. Yes, yes, yes. And it was the best. It was, I had like, I was so nervous. I remember that first day on set, I was so nervous because

I'm like, I am such a geek. I love all of you guys so much. I was like such a creepo fanatic, like could not wait. And it was so much fun. I had like such a blast. I know what it was. I know what made you nervous because you realized in that moment, once you saw the script that you're going to be working with an Emmy winner and it freaked you out. I couldn't, I couldn't handle it. Couldn't handle it.

- They literally said future Emmy winner, Lamorne Morris, you ready for it? And I wasn't. - So when our characters meet, Winston feels okay to go and talk to Daisy because you're wearing an engagement ring.

You know? I've used that trick before. I've used that trick before. So you've used this trick before. Would you... So did you find it useful on the dating scene before you met your husband? You know? No, not married yet. Not married yet.

- We're a hip, you know, we're a hip couple. We're, you know, we've got two kids. I just, here's the thing. We've got two kids. - Oh, you guys are living in sin. - It's time to get married. - Oh, you're living in sin. I see. - We are, we are. We are a thousand percent living in sin. - My grandma used to say, "Oh, y'all shacking up? Y'all living in sin?"

How dare you? But you know what it was? It actually happened by accident. The very first time it happened, we, I'm, you know me, I don't really go out very much anyway. I usually just go to dinner with my girlfriends. We like, that's, that's my idea of going out. And when I was younger, I remember I went out with my girlfriend and her ring was too big. And she was like, can you wear, you have, you have, we have the same size fingers. And I was like, oh my God, let me try it on. And she's like, can you, I don't want to lose it.

So I was like, oh my God, I'll wear your ring. And I remember this group came over and all this stuff. And I was like, oh wow, I've gotten like, no one's interested, fine. But it was like this weird, and all of a sudden they're like, oh, how long have you been engaged? And I was like, wait a second. And then it kind of like, my girlfriends and I were talking about, and I'm not going to lie, there are times where I have a fake like engagement ring. If we just want to go out and like, don't even want to like,

It's the best excuse. And it's terrible. But like, it's like, sorry, I'm engaged. Don't even want that's not what we're going out there for. I know it's terrible. I know. It's not that it's terrible. I'm just saying you're setting yourself up for danger because there is an entire group out there. I'm not saying I'm in one of these like group chats or anything like that. But there's a tire brigade of men that only want to date women that are in relationships.

Wait, what? Why? Yeah, because they don't have to, you know, like you're not going to stick around. You're going to be like, I got to go home to my husband. Great. It's one of the things that

I remember when I read The Nerd for the first time in our kind of like breakup, I remember reading it and like laughing because Daisy was so unabashedly like, yeah, I'm seeing a guy. And I respect that because the thing about, what is the point of cheating? Come on. If you want to like, if you want to go and mess around, don't be in a relationship. If you don't want, you know. Hold on. Daisy wasn't that upfront about it. Well, yes.

- She was trying to lie. She was being real sneaky. - She was trying to lie. I mean, did those not look like my shoes a little more? And I feel like I could fit in them. They were... - We used to always call you Big Feet Brenda. I was like, "Oh, okay." - I remember when we were rehearsing that and we pulled out this shoe and it was so comically gigantic and also ridiculous.

It was a, it's, it was very fun, but. You know what's funny? Because of that, because I'll tell you, because of that, there have been maybe a couple occasions in my life where if I like just start dating someone and like, I'm talking like, maybe this is our first time, my first time going to her apartment or her home or whatever. And I'll see a pair of shoes that clearly are not hers. And it's none of my business. I just got there for the first time.

And I have flashbacks of that episode, of us filming that scene. - That's funny. You know, the gift that keeps on giving, Lamorne. - 100%. 100%. But like you said, you know, she cheats, she gaslights, she lies. Is there any def-- What's your real defense for Daisy's behavior? - My real defense is we were not in a committed relationship.

I feel like being in your 20s, you're figuring stuff out. You are you're offering to like babysit my cat, which is really funny because when we filmed that I was not a cat person never had a cat. Now I have three like I am full cat baby. And I feel like you know, she's just kind of like why she's not putting all her eggs in one basket. You know, I feel it. You know what I mean?

- No, no, I-- - Things weren't clear, so therefore, you know, she's just having a good time until things were clear because she did say, well, no, I guess we lied because she was seeing someone until we were exclusive. But then, I think I recall, she was like, no, actually, I did see him. - Yes. - After. - Oh, 100%. 100%. Me, that's why I just stay single. So I don't have to deal with all this tomfoolery.

This podcast is sponsored by PayPal. One of the things I'm loving right now is the PayPal debit card. It is so convenient and I'm earning 5% cash back in the monthly category of my choosing on up to $1,000 of monthly purchases. Total game changer. I'm so excited to be able to

I'm using my PayPal debit card to earn cash back in the apparel category this month. Shopping for the perfect outfit is so much fun, especially when I'm putting together a look for a special occasion. Knowing I'll get cash back just makes it that much more exciting. What's really great about the PayPal debit card is that every month I can choose a different category to earn cash back on, whether it's restaurants, apparel, health and beauty, groceries, or gas.

Plus, I can get cashback offers within the app from brands like DoorDash, Sephora, and Instacart. Download the new PayPal app, sign up, and start earning 5% cashback today. Don't just pay. PayPal. Terms and limits apply. See paypal.com slash rewards pal. Cashback earned as points redeemable for cash and other options on up to $1,000 spend per month. The PayPal debit MasterCard is issued by the Bancor Bank N.A., pursuant to license by MasterCard International Incorporated and may be used everywhere MasterCard is accepted.

Black Friday is coming, and for the adults in your life who love the coolest toys, well, there's something for them this year too. Bartesian is the premier craft cocktail maker that automatically makes more than 60 seasonal and classic cocktails, each in under 30 seconds at the push of a button.

And right now, Bartesian is having a huge site-wide sale. You can get $100 off any Cocktail Maker or Cocktail Maker Bundle when you spend $400 or more. So, if the cocktail lover in your life has been good this year, or the right kind of bad...

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So am I, did I hear this correctly? You were on Disney, but also doing the social network. Was that a, was that a bit of a conflict there? Or was it fine to just get out and be able to go and do this movie? Because I hear Disney runs a pretty tight ship. Oh, a thousand percent. It was, it was pretty crazy because I remember at the time, I,

you know, working in a sitcom, you rehearse three days, you shoot for two days. And we'd been like doing this for a while. Now this was like during, I believe the last season of The Suite Life on Deck. And I got this audition and I was like, they're, they never let me, they're not going to let me out to go and audition. And I like read, I was like, oh my God, I need this. Like this is,

"Fight Club" is one of my favorite movies and favorite books. David Fincher is one of my favorite directors of all time. So when I read this, I was like, "Oh my God." And mind you, I'm getting like two pages. Everything's like blacked out, but like two lines. I have really no idea what I'm doing. They're like, "It's a Facebook movie."

And I just knew that I wanted to work with these people. And it just happened that the casting director, Loray Mayfield, her office is in Hollywood, like not even 10 minutes from where we filmed. We were shooting in Hollywood at the time. And I went during my lunch break and I went, I auditioned. And then they were like, got a call back. Can you come and read with David Fincher? And I was like, like, are you kidding me? The dream. And I was able to go and,

I think it was like either the next day or one of the days, it was again during my lunch break. It just kind of, I didn't tell anybody until I booked it and then they had to approve it. And then they didn't approve it because of, of course, the intended bathroom scene. Yeah.

And I was, yeah, I mean, I was heartbroken. And I had to chat with the head of casting and with the head of Disney Channel at the time. And we were like, because they were like, we understand this is a great thing, but you just can't do it. And I was like, I'm an actor. This is the last, I am an actor. This is the last season of a show that,

that I have been doing for seven years. I was like, remember when you first met me? Was I a hotel heiress? I don't remember being a hotel heiress. I was like, I'm an actor. And I was like, and what have I ever done in my personal life to ever draw any bad attention, bad publicity to your company? Have I misrepresented you guys in any way, shape or form? Because if I have, please let me know. But it's- - Didn't you have a bulletproof car or did I make that up? - How dare you? How do you remember that?

- It was a different lifetime. It was a different lifetime ago. I was maybe dating a rapper. - Soulja Boy. - Oh, goodness. - I'm kidding.

But the thing about it is, and, you know, and fortunate enough, they obviously, you know, understood and allowed me to do it. They, it was funny though, because they had to read the script before they approved it. And they were like, we can't give you the script. So they sent over like the scenes that I was in for them to like, sort of see that it wasn't as nefarious as they thought.

But thank goodness, because I would have been so heartbroken. So they obviously, they allowed it. Yes. But would you say, after we saw how great the movie was, were they like, oh, okay, awesome? Or was it like...

No, here's the thing. I will say this. Disney Channel and everyone there has been nothing but extremely supportive of every aspect. It was the only time that I've ever actually had to even sort of had to, like, speak up. Like, I'm very, very fortunate. Like, they...

Just, I mean, I wouldn't be here without them. I mean, the opportunity, the experience, the work experience, the life experience, it's been absolutely incredible. Like, I really don't have much to complain about. It's just the simple fact that this one job was just so heartbreaking because I can also understand. But at the time, I was 22 or 23 on the last season of a show that...

You know, we were, we knew we were coming to an end and it was actually pretty crazy because I feel like we wrapped it and I had like less than a week off. And then I started rehearsals on this movie, which was the polar opposite. And it was such a shock to me, my system as an actor, as a human, but it was amazing because I think it reinvigorated my passion for acting. Like just to jump from such a different project to work with people who,

are just so talented, so incredibly, just so different from what I was doing. It just really inspired me and kind of lit a fire under me to remind myself why I love doing what I love. It's like we get to do crazy things from day to day. Like we can be working on a sitcom and then working on a David Fincher movie a week apart. It's really crazy. - Oh yeah, 100%. The happy endings don't happen for folks.

all the time, the way it happened for you in this situation. I had a situation years ago. I started as an actor in Chicago. I get a job as a TV host for BET in New York. You know, wasn't my favorite city at the moment. I, you know, I had to move to New York, and New York was so busy that it gave me a headache every single day. And-- but luckily for me, my show came on right after our flagship show, and I started the show with jokes.

And Ellen DeGeneres would watch the show. And then she would watch my show and ask me if I could come and do her show as a correspondent. And they were willing to work with my BET schedule and fly me back and forth. But BET was like, no, you cannot go and do it. And I tell you, when I tell you I was so hurt by that, I was like, people, Rob Lowe does this all the time. Rob Lowe.

Rob Lowe is on shows. He's hosting shows. He's on 17. 17 shows, competing shows too. Yeah. Literally on rival, like two game shows, two different networks. Yes. Yes. Yes.

And so I, you know, so to hear that it worked out for you is great. You know, it just kind of, especially nowadays, it lets me know that we're in a good space with streaming and all these things that, you know, you can't, you shouldn't really tie performers down necessarily. I understand if it's in direct competition with something, but, you know, you have all this talent and all this ability. Imagine we never saw you in that movie. You know, it would be a different conversation. Can I tell you, I mean,

I always say that, like, for me, I can only speak of myself and my journey. But it's, you know, I think it's just it's about being honest with I don't know, I don't think if I had called and had like an honest conversation with this, you know, head of casting and with, you know, the president of Disney and just was like, really honest about it. I don't think that's

like this would have happened. And it was like a huge lesson for me to learning how to speak up for myself because me normally would have been like, oh my God, that's such a bummer. Like, but for me, I'm like, oh, the show is my priority. That's what I'm working on. Like, I get it. But there are just times when it takes something this big or this like career altering, life altering for me to learn how to stand up for yourself. And I think that was the biggest lesson for me is like, even if at the end of the day, they had said no, um,

I can walk away happy knowing that I at least stood up for myself and tried to, like, I always just ask for my day in court, whether it's an audition or in fighting for, you know, making something work. Because at the end of the day, seeing actors, you know, in different projects only helps the projects that they're currently in. You know what I mean? Getting out there, doing different things.

things and also it makes me a better human a better actor for the projects that i'm working on um i never want to be resentful of any production that i'm doing because obviously like i'm so incredibly grateful how many people get to wake up every day and go to work and be like i get to do the thing i've dreamed of doing my entire life you know it sounds so cheesy to be like oh i get to wake up and live my dream you know it's like it sounds so corny but it's the truth i mean on my like on days where i'm tired or stressed or whatever it's like

Brenda, this is what you do for a living. You know, you go to work and you literally step into someone else's shoes. You get to like perform and like be artistic for your job. Chill out. So yeah.

Yeah, I mean, like 30 years in this business, starting as a child, how are you so well adjusted? Your outlook is so not jaded whatsoever. You're very positive about it. You know, how do you look at life that way? How do you look at the business that way? First of all, I think it all comes down to family. Like, I think, you know, being a child actor is a very, very specific and niche and a very...

You know, it's not easy learning rejection at such a young age, understanding learning this business at such a young age. I was very fortunate because my family never treated it as such. This was an after school activity until I was old enough to sort of take it on as my career. And I think that's the most important thing was that this was just a job. This was not my life.

for so very long. It wasn't until the Suite Life where I got accepted to college. My mom got breast cancer for the first time and I booked the Suite Life all within like a week. And my family sort of sat me down. I was like, okay, look, you got into the school you wanted to go to, but...

You go to school to figure out what you want to do. And if acting is what you want to do, you have an incredible opportunity. But if you do like move forward with that opportunity, it has to become a career. Like mom can't drive you to auditions anymore. You know, she's going through treatment. My dad's working. My brothers are in school. And I think that's when it sort of kind of became, oh, like this is more than just like, oh, I get to like, you know,

go to work every once in a while, go back to school. Like it wasn't that anymore. It was like, okay, I, it was my first like long-term show. I like, it just, I think that was a turning point for me. And the truth is it's like, I think it's just a constant reminder that I get to, with all the no's,

there's so many no's in this industry i've just learned to celebrate all the yeses and i've learned to just celebrate all the beautiful things that we get to do like getting to meet wonderful people make friends we don't see each other for a decade and i run into you and i feel like oh my god the one i haven't seen you in so long there's so much to catch up on and i feel like that's constant for us because we're constantly you know we work in these little bubbles all the time you get very very close with people very quickly and you may never see them again and it's a very unique kind of lifestyle and

I think for me, it's just life is too short to just see the negative in everything. I 1000% don't get me wrong. Like I have my negative Nancy days. I'm a 36 year old Asian American actress in Hollywood. That's been doing it since I was three years old. There's no,

You know, I mean, I have like heard it all, felt it all, seen it all. Like all of there have been so many more no's and so many more disappointments in, you know, my career. But I always just say it's a part of my journey. You know, if I focus on those, all I can do is learn from them going, OK, that was not my journey. I have to move on. I mean, there are I've cried over projects. There have been projects where I thought this was mine. This is it. I put my heart and soul into it. And I was like, nah. And you're just like, what? Yeah.

And then I realized it's just the nature of this business. And as with like any job, we're all disposable. We all have our moments of time, we're all just disposable. So why not enjoy it while we get to do it? And I think that's sort of just my mentality that every day that I'm on set or even like auditioning, putting myself on tape,

My reps always think I'm crazy because I love putting myself on tape. But I always say like for me, well, growing up, every audition was like, I didn't have a lot of them. So every single one was like a job in itself. So I found so much joy and like,

you know, getting to like every audition going, "Okay, what can I do?" Because I didn't have a lot of them. So I think for me, that's just sort of the case is I think mind over matter is sort of how I live my life because I could sit here every day and be like, "I've slept for four hours today." 'Cause both my kids, one decided to wake up in the middle of the night, one decided to wake up at like 5:00 AM. I haven't slept, but you know what? My boys are happy, healthy. I get to like hang out and chat with someone that I haven't seen in a while. Like life is, you know, there's not much to complain about. I'm very, very, very fortunate.

This podcast is sponsored by PayPal. One of the things I'm loving right now is the PayPal debit card. It is so convenient and I'm earning 5% cash back in the monthly category of my choosing on up to $1,000 of monthly purchases. Total game changer.

I'm using my PayPal debit card to earn cash back in the apparel category this month. Shopping for the perfect outfit is so much fun, especially when I'm putting together a look for a special occasion. Knowing I'll get cash back just makes it that much more exciting. What's really great about the PayPal debit card is that every month I can choose a different category to earn cash back on, whether it's restaurants, apparel, health and beauty, groceries, or gas.

Plus, I can get cashback offers within the app from brands like DoorDash, Sephora, and Instacart. Download the new PayPal app, sign up, and start earning 5% cashback today. Don't just pay. PayPal. Terms and limits apply. See paypal.com slash rewards pal. Cashback earned as points redeemable for cash and other options on up to $1,000 spend per month. The PayPal debit MasterCard is issued by the Bancor Bank N.A., pursuant to license by MasterCard International Incorporated and may be used everywhere MasterCard is accepted.

Black Friday is coming, and for the adults in your life who love the coolest toys, well, there's something for them this year too. Bartesian is the premier craft cocktail maker that automatically makes more than 60 seasonal and classic cocktails, each in under 30 seconds at the push of a button.

And right now, Bartesian is having a huge site-wide sale. You can get $100 off any Cocktail Maker or Cocktail Maker Bundle when you spend $400 or more. So, if the cocktail lover in your life has been good this year, or the right kind of bad...

Get them Bartesian. At the push of a button, make bar-quality cosmopolitans, martinis, Manhattans, and more. All in just 30 seconds. All for a hundred off. Amazing toys aren't just for kids. Get a hundred off a cocktail maker when you spend 400 through Cyber Monday. Visit bartesian.com slash cocktail. That's B-A-R-T-E-S-I-A-N dot com slash cocktail.

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Go to 80dayobsession.com. That's 80dayobsession.com. So it's so funny that you say, you know, you didn't really, like the auditions weren't coming at a high volume. Yeah. But is it, but apparently you haven't stopped working since you were eight? You haven't had a year, like a full year off since you were eight? Maybe even before that. I did commercials for a very long time. I got on my first series when I was nine. And then...

I've been very fortunate to just sort of kept on working. The longest time that I took off not working besides the pandemic was after I finished the second season of "Dollface." I went back to work right after, seven and a half weeks after I gave birth to my first son, we wrapped the second season. And you know, it was a pandemic, so it was like the longest season of our lives. And six weeks after we wrapped, I found out I was pregnant again.

I had two pregnancies in the same calendar year at LeBron. It was insane. Oh, boy. And yeah, and so my partner was like, you have to take some time off. And so I took that entire year off. And it was the most like, for me, mentally challenging year, not just because of being a new mom and my parents.

so many changes, my body, emotionally, mentally, everything. But also I'm just so like working, I realized is a huge part of just, you know, how I feel like I like, it's just such a huge part of who I am. And, and also it was a huge lesson that year. Cause I realized that it was also like how I felt like I earned my love and I earned, I was like, because we're so used to, you know, working all the time. And it was actually really nice to,

to just not and really focus on me and my family and where I was. And I feel like coming out of that year, I changed. I like realized how much I had changed. I mean, I had, I mean, I think for the first time in my life, I mean, as you know, being a parent, I didn't know what real responsibility was until the moment I had my kid. I was like, oh, this is responsibility.

You have to hold their heads up. You have to burp them. And for me, I'm like, oh no, this, everything about this little thing depends on me. Like I have to literally feed this child from my own body. Like this is crazy. And, and after that year, I kind of went through this like, like awakening and I left my managers of 26 years. I left my publicist of 26.

a over a decade i kind of just was like i'm a new person i need a new perspective on who i am where i'm at i feel like being a child actor for so long i could act feelings and emulate feelings but i didn't experience them and i feel like for me

to really get to a place in, you know, in a scene or with a role. I have to, like, have to pull from something real out of myself to make it feel real, to get to that place that I need to go, whether it's in comedy or drama. And I really feel like the last, like,

few years of my life and especially since being a mom and the pandemic really just spending time on me I feel like I've become such a more well-rounded human being um therefore making me a better person better friend better partner better daughter better mother um and that was the one thing for me in this past year that like

you know, going back to work was huge for me. And I don't know about you, but I realize, you know, the guilt of leaving your kids to go to work is the hardest thing. And I know we're so lucky because we get to do it in a pocket of time and we don't have a nine to five every day. And so I give it to all the moms and dads out there who have to like leave their kids every day. I don't know how you do it. 'Cause I do it for chunks of time.

And it's so hard, but I realize for me to be the best mom, I have to be the best me. And acting is a huge part of that. My job is a huge part of me being me. So finding that balance has been the journey this past year. I can tell you what's tough. I got some great advice from someone. I'm not going to say who it was, but a famous father. Now I know. Now I want to know who it is. See, kids hate you like that. I'm kidding.

I'll tell you. I'll tell you. I know. No, no, no. Tell me the story. But she said to me, I told her I ran into her two days after I after my daughter was born. And she was like, I was at a friend's birthday party. And I was like, hey, I had a baby. I had a baby. I'm telling people I had a baby. And she goes, she goes, can I give you some advice? I said, yeah. She goes, your daughter doesn't care or won't care about any things.

of those work-related goals that you may have. You know, you might be chasing the next big award or the next tour or the next thing because you're very passionate about it, but all your daughter's going to care about is time spent. That's all she's going to care about is how much time did you make for her. And so that's what keeps me

That's what that's my that's my filtration system. You know what I mean? When when things come in, it's like, OK, where is it shooting? OK, great. So I'm less I'm less concerned now about some of the other particulars that I would have been had I not had kids. Now it's more about stability. Can my daughter come or is it local where I could still, you know,

go to my have my daily daddy daughter routine um and you know and i've been lucky since she's been born um you know and i co-parent too so you know it's it's great to have a a mom who's local you know what i mean and i don't have to

I'm not gone for crazy amounts of time. You know what I mean? Because my daughter notices it. Sometimes when I'm here, I'll walk into my office to jump on a podcast or something. And she's like, is daddy going to work now? And I go, yep. And then she'll sit. There's like a glass door that I have here. And she'll just sit there and like kind of look. She'll be looking in. And I'll just... And the reason why I want it to be glass doors is so she can know that I'm still here. So I'm like...

I'll just like, I can wave at her and when the nanny's here and I could just, you know, get my work done. But yeah. So I think, I think that's, I think, you know, I think that's what keeps you in line, you know, having, having family and, and, and children's children, especially you just look at the world a little bit differently. Oh, a lot different. Oh yeah. Oh yeah. So one of the things that Hannah talks about you,

you know, on this show and about New Girl in particular is how complex and engaging Liz Merriweather's characters are. I could imagine you had a very similar feeling when reading the Blue-Eyed Samurai script, right? Can you talk about your character a little bit on Blue-Eyed Samurai?

So, Blue-Eyed Samurai is one of my most favorite projects that I've worked on because it all happened during the pandemic. So up until then, I hadn't done a lot of voice work. I do little bits here and there if someone asks me to, but it was during the pandemic that I was on a Disney show called Amphibia. And then this audition came through literally right in the middle of the pandemic. And I was like, "Sure, what do I have to lose?"

I was like, the beautiful thing about animation is something that I feel like I would normally not get cast in live action. You can do it. It doesn't matter. You get to do whatever you want in animation. So I went into a kind of just like messing around. I set them like a couple of like different takes and I'm, I always tell people I'm a one trick pony. What you hear is what you get. I can't do crazy voice. I can't, that's not me. And if I, I've tried and it's not me. So

So I kind of just messed around and then didn't hear anything. And then I only, and then they sent me the script before I had like my, like, I wouldn't call it a screen test, but like my meeting with like the showrunners and writers. And I was just like, this is such a crazy, like,

like such a crazy detailed story. Like I felt like I was reading a script for a live action show, not for animation. And I was like, this is incredible. And so working on it has been amazing because I only get the scripts weekly. Like I don't get them like in advance and it's,

And sometimes, most of the times, I don't get all the scenes. So I don't know what's happening, anything outside of what I'm doing, which is so hard. But we just started season two and it's been so much fun. Yeah. Yeah, it's crazy. I mean, with animation, you probably won't see the show for another like 10 years. Oh, yeah. Yeah, I know. But it's one of my favorite projects because it is so different and the animation is so beautiful. The cast is absolutely incredible. I feel so fortunate to be part of such...

a wonderful and talented cast. It's pretty crazy. Like I, yeah, it's one of my favorite projects. I have so much fun on it. - Ah, very, very nice. Before I let you go, I do have to ask, it's a question that has been on fans' minds for probably like last six years. I forget how long we've been off the air now, six or seven years. But throughout the pandemic, our show has become

even bigger than it was when we were airing, you know, in real time. And the fans want to know that if there were a New Girl reunion, would you want to come back on the show? - 1,000%. Are you kidding me? 1,000%. - Now, I'm gonna pitch a storyline really quick. - Okay, I'm ready. - 'Cause my character's now married, so he doesn't cheat. You know what I mean? Stop it. And he's married, he's got kids.

You come back, but I also have a pet cat named Ferguson. You come back and, or there's these sightings of you and, and, you know, maybe Schmidt says, you know, I was on a jog and you know, I saw it hanging outside of the loft. Like who? Daisy. Like you saw Daisy. Why? And we can't quite figure out what you're doing hovering. And it turns out you've come back for your stolen cat. I'm here. I stole your cat. I stole the cat. Can I tell you that is something that would, I never understood. I was like,

If someone took my cat, do you think I would just have left for the rest of the seasons? I never even tried to get the cat back. Ever? Not once? Never. Not even once.

- I think what it is is it's actually, like Ferguson just goes missing and then you find out Daisy had a whole like epic, like break in situation to get her cat back after, you know, 15 years. - Yes, and now I gotta go back and get my cat back. - She decided she wanted her cat back in the golden days. - Yes. Do you have any pets? Do you have any cats? - I have three cats. I know.

- Oh my God. - Well, we have two cats and my mom is with us 'cause my mom has room in our house because we don't have a nanny. We're very lucky my mom is here with us. And so she has her cat. So technically we have two and her cat. - Oh my gosh.

So you heard it here. No, no. You probably had cats before, before this is a character. Once a cat person, always a cat person. Um, you heard it here, folks. Brenda song is a cat lady. Um,

Brenda, thank you. Thank you for your time. I really appreciate you coming to chit chat with us. The fans will truly appreciate this. No, this was so lovely. I just honestly, this was it was just so nice to chat to you more. And it wasn't long enough when we saw each other. So it was nice to kind of know and reminisce. Yes, indeed. And next time we chat, I want to hear more about this bulletproof car.

- Well, now I actually, you know what? I will say, I really do have a bulletproof car again. - Again? Oh my gosh! - Come on, Lamar. - You stay protected. Oh my God. Stay protected. - I like big cars. - Listen, so do I. I have a couple of really big cars myself. I don't have that car. I ordered it, but then I canceled the order.

Because it didn't have full self-driving. It does. Now it does? I don't want to have three cars. You don't need three cars. Okay. This is another conversation. Yes. Much love. I appreciate it. Thank you. Peace, y'all. We'll be back next week with another fantastic episode of The Mess Around.

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