You're listening to I Choose Me with Jenny Garl. Hello, everyone, welcome back to I Choose Me. I'm so grateful to call Cameron Matheson a true friend. So I hope you enjoy this bonus episode filled with behind the scene antics from our holiday movie sets. We laughed, we ate our weight and sugar cookies and well, you'll just have to listen. I want to talk to you because Christmas movies, the time has come. It's coming. Well, no longer a season, it's an annual. It's like a whole year.
You get it was it sort of like kind of goes up, but Christmas kind of comes down a little bit, then kind of goes in this July like and then it kind of just and then starting around fall, it's just you're all in.
Yeah. You know, once you start watching the Christmas movies, if you just type in Christmas movies to like a little searchy thing on your on your TV, there's so many options there are.
There's more and more. I mean, I think I think obviously Hallmark Movies back in the day created this like budding whole genre like Netflix and Amazon now and yeah, obviously great American Family has taking it and going through like the amazing movies over there, and then there's Lifetime, and like Christmas movies are everywhere now. Yeah.
Yeah, people live for them. And we had so much fun working together doing a Christmas movie together. Yes, so I thought we would do a little rapid fire, let's do it Christmas movie. Okay, Mistletoe Memories. This is what we've been titled Mistletoe Memories with Cameron. Okay, so I'm gonna ask you some quick this or that or short answer prompts. Okay, okay, answer fast, no overthinking. Okay, who was more in the holiday spirit on our set?
You're me me. I don't know I did, because I just I was not a judgment on you. No, but I just feel like I'm like I've sort of like bouncing around mister Christmas all. I don't know, I just kind of like it's sort of annoying.
You're always like filming yourself on the set.
With them, You're right, Yeah, so that's for sure, Like I'm definitely like, hey, everybody were on sets, like you know, like it's it's not you know, I'm a bit of a parody with that.
Did you ever break into song while filming a Christmas movie or what is your favorite Christmas song?
My favorite Christmas song is Felice Novedad. I can't stop singing and I think it's so catchy. She yeah, it's so fun. It's so so fun. But I have a soft spot in my heart for Oh Come only Faithful because my mom was convinced, for some reason that I never knew why, that that was my favorite Christmas carol. So whenever it came on, my mom was like, Cameron, oh, come on, and I was always like yeah, Mom, like
what are we doing? Like it was always very confusing, but I went along with it because she was convinced it was my favorite, So now it's my favorite.
What about that?
Do you like?
Oh Christmas Tree, that's a nice one. Yeah, I like that.
I like that one. I like not to so many good ones. I like what's the Mariah Carry one?
All I want for Christmas is how do.
You not love that? Song? Like? That is a literal NonStop crowd please. Of course I could remember the name.
October right the day after Halloween is when Christmas begins for us, and we just listen to NonStop Christmas.
That's the best, the best. And then when do you shut the christ Is it like on the twenty six no more Christmas? Or is it like after New Year? Now?
Hard stop at twenty six?
When does the tree come down?
Twenty yeah?
Yeah, yeah, so yeah good.
I like to like, I like to preserve that time so it's special. Yeah, like, don't want to bleed it into the rest of the way.
I agree, I agree, I can. I usually start decorating around Thanksgiving and then and then shut it down pretty quick.
Yep, gotta shut it down.
Okay.
Which Christmas tree would you definitely steal off the dessert table?
First?
Cookies? Fudge, fruitcake?
What cookies?
You're a cookie guy?
Sure? Cooker?
Oh with ice? Kind?
Just the one? I don't know. But my mom used to make sugar cookies and now I'm making them with my kids, and they're just I'm addicted to my eat the dough. It's it's a problem, sugar cookies. Yeah.
You know, when you eat the dough that has the eggs in it, you're just it's not great. Yeah.
Yeah, well we find that out. I told you about my gut, right, Yeah, we know how we got there.
Yeah. I love to make Christmas things, so it makes me happy to know that you make Christmas cookies with your kids, do you like roll it out and all of it with all the different colors.
We have one day of making the dough and we put the dough in overnight and then once it's cold, you kind of roll it out and then you have a whole like lineup with the kind of cut they get to choose, and then we decorate them and bake them.
Speaking of cooking, you, somebody said, oh, Cameron, soup, what you you have a soup.
That people are I have? I mean I made a soup on Instagram, but I mean I don't think I didn't know it was.
A thing somebody. I know it was really good.
It was really good at like bone broth and sweet potatoes and a little bit of wild caught fish and it was like, wow, it came together.
I can't eat any of that. What could you make me?
Tell me what you can eat? And why can't? Because you are you vegetarian? Vegan? You're vegan, so so no that Yeah, well you can get vegetable broth okay with sweet potatoes, and we could do some veg like other veggies, like some broccoli frozen broccoli in there, and then some some tofas for some protein or maybe some chickpeas or something like that. Okay, is that protein? I mean, I gotta work on that. It's a new one for me.
So I appreciated if you would come up with some vegan options for me.
Thanks, you got it is. I made some peanut butter protein balls that are vega. Those are vegans.
Those are good.
They were really good.
I need some posting for the vegans.
Okay, all of that stuff I ma is not vegan.
No, you're like way protein you eat that.
I do eat weeg protein, but it's a it's a it's a very good way protein.
I want to ask your protein.
But I also eat pee protein.
You don't eat dairy, do you?
I et a little bit of dairy.
It's okay for you.
Greek yogurt does all right for me. But I do only have like I don't have like milk and cheese and stuff like that. I'll have some goat cheese.
These goat cheese dairy.
Well, it just it has a difference. It's not as inflammatory as cow dairy.
Right, But why can they call it dairy if it's from a goat.
I can't answer that. You're right because it's a dairy cow. Yeah, it's not a dairy goat.
So I eat goat cheese and don't feel bad because goats love giving you their milk.
Right, yeah, it's not. I guess technically I gotta do some on that, like being recorded. How I answer this, I gotta be careful.
Okay, who were the ugliest Christmas costumes? Seriously? Do you always like your Christmas movie wardrobe?
Do I always like it? Definitely? Not for sure?
I mean, you know, the turtlenecks have you worn in Christmas movie?
Can I be honest? I don't mind a good turtleneck.
You know what I think I'm seeing you intlens.
I don't mind a good turtle neck. Not everybody agrees with me, like, I definitely got some. I got some flak for wearing some of my turtle necks, but I like them. I like a big sort of question. And really, the things that I don't necessarily jive with with wardrobe or often you know, ill fitting things, things that are just kind of you know, boxy, or don't look like
it's just not like what I would wear. And I love what I play like an outdoorsy kind of guy because then you're wearing like sweaters and coats and like you know, jeans and boots and that that's kind of more my vibe versus you know, being proper and suits and dress and like dress shirts and tucked in like tucked in dress shirts into your jeans is not my like mine.
You're not talked in. I always like, I think about you going into your wardrobe fitting is not in a weird way that sounded crazy, but like I think about what it must be like for a man to go into a room full of women, usually or gay men usually just generally, and they are like Cameron's coming in at one thirty, everybody get excited.
I have to say that I make sure that everybody's because I want those things to be quick. I do not want to leave and go into the other room and change and come back. I'm like, listen, you guys comfortable with what change right here?
And usually are they like I'm really not comfortable.
They've never said that. They've always said that they were comfortable, and I change right. I mean, I don't care, Like I mean, everybody's seen everything on me anyway, Like I'm like, well, yeah, I have my underwear on, but.
You know, I have no problem just getting maked in front of strangers either.
Yeah, it's like we've been through it.
I think it's wrong with us.
I don't know, Yeah, there probably is. I have no blinds on my windows that like, you know, like I'm like, oh, like it is what it is man, you know, like I just let my Instagram like it's all air.
Have a good look. I love it. Okay, if you were a Christmas decoration, would you Oh, I'm gonna ask myself this question. If Cameron were a Christmas decoration, would he be a candy cone, a snow globe, or a nutcracker? What do you think I'm gonna say.
I think you're going to probably say a snow globe.
Oh my god, you're so wrong.
A nutcracker.
You're definitely a nutcracker, am I. I look at you and I see nutcracker?
You do? Can you elaborate? Like? How how how do we? Hell?
Do you have the stature?
Okay?
Of the nutcracker?
Oh? I see it.
I feel like you like you if I put something in your hole. This is getting me, like you crack it, You'll crack it.
Got you. I love how you said hole and you pointed in my chest, like.
There's no hole. The nutcracker puts it there, doesn't it?
Yeah he does?
Or does it put it between his neat?
That's true. But here's the so I guess I went a different direction with nutcracker. I just thought about like cracking nuts. But I guess you're right, like the nutcrackers like a soldier. I see what you're saying. See what I just saw, like snowglobe because you shake me up and I'm happy, and I like I try to, like, I just feel like I bounce around life like a bit of a snow glow.
Me too, I feel that way too. And Linda, when the snow gets.
Shaky, yeah, yeah, yeah, it's like, dude, you gotta go to class meditat and it's just like, yeah.
That's a good feeling. Okay. Funniest blooper moment while filming a holiday scene. I'm the worst at answering questions.
Like this, by the way, the funniest out of all. Gosh, that's a tricky one. Terrible at like, yeah, remembering those because we have lots of them.
We have talked all the day long.
All day long, but then you got to think of them like it's almost like you gotta make notes, like when it happens, you were right down to put it into like a note file on your phone.
Funny thing happened today, Leoh, you're right, I need to do that. We're just like even a voice memo to yourself.
Oh wait. There was a behind the scenes moment on our very first Christmas movie where we had like a leg off, like we showed each other have a there's a photo of us standing next to each other.
Our legs and we have our pants pulled down.
Yes we do. And and you won that. Like I was like, man, I gotta get I gotta do more squats and legs that area. Yeah, you're fit, like they look great. I was like, I get my now. I had leg day this morning. I was crushing squats this morning.
Good for you. And and you chase the dog down Silver Lake Boulevard.
Or whatever, muscle and my flip flops cramps like holding him on as you that's not easy to do. I can.
I can kind of imagine it.
Actually, it was definitely people if they had their phones. It was a comedy routine. I didn't feel like that.
I pray to see someone capture that and puts it up for you.
And also I didn't handle it like I was. Like, I wasn't grace under pressure like I was. You know what I mean, you were panicky if he got run over. Yes, so people like in case someone, Yeah, my dog ran down the street and he's one hundred pund my dog, my foster and he literally looked like he was on the mission to go eat humans. Like that's what it looked like. He's like, I'm coming to eat you. And I was nervous that I was.
Really okay, if I saw your dog coming, your foster dog coming at me, I would lay down and pee my pants just right there on the ground.
You'd lay down first, then pe yep, I'd just be like and he would love it. He'd come and like probably he's very friendly. He just looks like he's a monster. I call him a monster.
He's like a big monster.
He's a huge monster.
I love it so much. Okay, so while we're in the rapid fire Q and A, we're empty nesters. Yes, well you're really an empty nester.
I'm not.
My middle daughter moved back in with me. But we don't have to think about our kids or what they want all the time. I mean we do, but on a daily basis, our lives are a lot different. So would you choose if you had to choose between set sweet and savory a snack that you would have, what would you choose? Like, do you ever sit down? Do you, Cameron Matheson ever sit down with a bag of Fritos?
Not Fridos. That's not gonna be my thing. It wouldn't be free doos. It would be like just regular salted, good quality chips that have like avocada oil or you know, like you know, so I'll.
Have this is me right now, Sorry, but I'll.
Have like a bag of chips, but as healthy as you can get them. Even though chips aren't great never.
Never anything bad goes in you.
Well, yeah, that's not great. I had a huge, like bucket of movie popcorn yesterday on my birthday. You did, Yeah, I watched Weapons with my son and I popcorn, and I had a little bag or a box of peanut m and ms.
Oh okay, yeah with that.
This is how my this I had. Also, I had chicken skewers with it because it was an ipech so I needed to balance them with some protein, which, by the way, I mean it's just stupid, but it just made me feel better.
I love that you go to a movie theater where you can get chicken skewers.
Well yeah, like the rest of America, LA, but there's a place called IPIC that serves you food in the theater. And it was my birthday. We wanted to like kind of you know.
It's a special occasion. Yeah, okay, good, I'm glad. I just I was like, I don't think he sits down and eats.
Peano and M and m's and a big vat with butter, with butter, with butter.
Real butter or fake butter? Like what do you know?
What do use that?
I I don't it tasted like real butter, but I mean you haven't had butter in a while, that's true. Anything probably put on there real butter. Oh my god, I need to see that. That's so good because I just couldn't imagine it. Okay, city or small town vacation. I know who you're going to go with this, because where do you go next? Like, what's your vacation?
Small town? I mean I'm going to help my daughter move into her college place in Paris, so obviously big city and I'll enjoy it, and I love it, and I love the big cities, but when I have a choice, yeah, small tow. I took my kids to Oregon and it's just a random, like little cabin in the woods and we went to the like. I just love quiet, small town nature. I love it. I went camping on the weekend just by myself with my rescue monster and just yeah,
it was great. Just you went camping in La just an hour from here, up in Angela's right above were basically where you live. It was I do people know how close you were to the fires? Have you talked about that? I mean you were like literally, I mean clearly you were evacuated, but okay, goodness that everybody here was okay and like you got you were right adjacent by the way.
Yeah, I have survivor guilt. I had it really strongly when it was all going down. But it's it's like being someone who didn't lose their house, or someone who who doesn't live here and has no idea what it's like. What should someone a friend say to someone that's in your position who's lost their house? How should I like, Because I don't want to make you think about bad things, but you know, like what's the protocol.
That's a very sweet question because I think even the fact that you're asking the question is like, you know, all people need to kind of feel and hear, like you know that the lost thing. So, first of all, I don't know, I can't really speak for everybody that lost their homes in the fire, but like, I'm so happy when I see a house standing when I drive
through my neighborhood. My neighbor saved his house. I've never mentioned this, going to my pool and filling up, took my ladder that was in my backyard, thank goodness, it wasn't in my in my shad or whatever. Took my ladder, put it outside, and you bucket by bucket from my pool and put out the fire on his house. All night as the area of different areas sparked up as houses were I love that. I love when I see houses stay in and survive and like the originals, like
this is a beautiful, beautiful, thank thank goodness. So first of all, we say that, like I say that, and I'm sure others do too, like for people that have survivor guilt, like I love that these houses survive, like thank God, that's like some of these beautiful homes survived. But that also I'll only say, like, what's a little tricky to hear when people say when they find out that that you lost your house, Like and I say this with gentleness and understanding that it's tough to know
exactly what to say. But when people say things like, well, thank goodness, you're all right, you know, like, well think you know you're gonna renovate. What do you like when they, of course, thank goodness that we're okay, then we survived. Of course, it minimized, like it minimizes the fact that well we've talked about this, but that we lost everything. Every single piece of our evidence of existence was gone, and you know, and that's a big deal. And of
course we're grateful. There's lots to be grateful for, but we don't need to be reminded of that in that moment, you know, Like in that moment, it's just like, hey man, I'm so sorry I for you're lost. That's all. That's just like a nice simple thing. You know, if it's authentic to people to say that, I would say that that's just something simple like that is all we need to hear, Like you don't need to fix it. You don't need to tell us what we should be grateful for.
We don't need to tell us that we should be happy that we survived it, because we know that for sure. I hope we all know it. And also to remember that everybody has a different relationship with their home. Like
people rent. People have stuff at their mom's house in Kansas, oh in storage or in storage or maybe it's their second out whatever, like every you know, people house flip and they don't have a lot of attachment, and they sell their furniture when they move places like everybody, or some people have lived there their whole lives and their children have grown up there and they don't know anything else, and every single piece of their possessions we're in that house.
And some people renovated every corner and picked tiles and spent years making the house exactly what it was and meaningful to them and their kids. Said four days before it burned down, Layla said, I want to raise my kids in this house. So it's like, you know, it's different, and it's like people don't know that, but you don't know, you don't know, and so people can be kind of short and assume because their relationship with where they live feels different to them than yours does with you. And
that's okay, but I don't know. I would gently say to try to be sensitive to know that you.
Yeah, are you going to rebuild?
The plan is to try to rebuild. Yeah, that's the plan. There's a lot of challenges with that. And one of our unique challenges is obviously Vanessa owns half the house, and so half the insurance money is she deserves goes to her, and so that leaves half of everything and the insurance. Doesn't you know, we're already losing between one and two million on the insurance and the rebuild, the value and stuff. So that's a lot of money already,
and then half of it goes to her. So it's like there's things to big things to consider it.
But then who would stay there? Who would live in the house that you rebuild?
I mean, I guess in theory I would, and the kids would spend half of their summers there or whatever.
I have an idea for you. Make your man cave, your house, that's your main house, right exactly the way you want it, Okay, just for you. I love Jim, your kitchen goes like all the things your scale that gives you your body index. I know you have one of those. I do, and then do do two little cottages like if you you know, small guest housey little thing for the kids when they come home.
I think that's amazing.
I like this idea.
I like this idea a lot.
I'm excited for you. I'm so excited for you. What's what's happening because after this kind of you know, time in your life when everything falls apart, you got nowhere to go but back up and put the pieces back together, and you get to do it however you want.
That that's so exciting, it really is.
Thank you for coming on over, and thank you for.
All the beautiful things you said, like it really means a lot.
You're listening to I Choose Me with Jenny Garlan