Hey, they're folks. It is Sunday, August twenty fourth. And you remember when I said I was teen Conrad. Well, I take it back right now. Welcome to this episode of Amy and TJ. Just because I'm off team Conrad doesn't mean I'm on team Jeremiah actually robes, I want to withdraw myself from this debate. I unwittingly got into it.
I thought this was just all fun and game to talking about some teenagers your own team, this team that I had a debate and arguments in air quotes there with my twelve year old child about it on this podcast. I gotta take it back. This is a little more serious than I gave it credit for.
Uh yes, because people take their teams very seriously as a matter of life or death. Apparently, it's always remarkable to me. I think it's a good thing, obviously for Amazon and for any of the actors. When people are invested in your show, they care about the outcome. That's awesome. But there is a point in which people care too much and people forget. You know, this isn't a reality show. These aren't actual people who are actually in a relationship triangle.
This is a script. It was actually a series of three books. It's hits.
Yes, show hit correct it to be fun.
This is fictional. It's fictional, so it's fun to root for people. It's fun to be on someone's team. I totally get that, but I just think it's frightening that people can't separate reality from fiction.
Yeah, and I didn't realize when the show came out several weeks ago. When it launched this third season the show, Amazon in their official social media pages actually put up warnings of people about bullying and harassment and said it wasn't going to be tolerated. We'll give you the full text of that in a second. But they knew or they anticipated rhades this coming. You were talking about such a hit, and it's this fiction and well written. I mean,
how I think it should be celebrated. I was saying this to Sabine. I am a forty eight year old black man. This this book was not written for me. The show was not done for me. But I am engaged they have me reacting to things on the show. I think that must be brilliant writing. I think that is a great show. Why has it become such a negative thing that you gotta want Hey, heads up, this hit show's coming back. Behave.
It's disturbing because, yes, this was a trilogy for young adults. This is a young adult book trilogy that has been made into a show on Amazon Prime. But this made me laugh because it's made audience is not teenagers, even though yes, art you're soon to be teenager, and my nineteen year old and twenty two year old are like
that should be. You would think that's the target audience right anywhere from perhaps twelve or a tween, all the way up until you're maybe late twenties, even because it's all about young love and your first summer love, all of that. So I get it. But according to Amazon Prime, the main audience is not that age group I said, but twenty five to fifty four year old women. That maybe it's fun and nostalgic to reflect back on your first love.
That why is it that is the age group? Why would you say twenty five to fifty four year old woman would be so into this show?
So do you know what? It reminds me of nine two and oh so I'm fifty two, so I would be in that age group and back in the day that was the coming of age. Show on Fox nine O two and oh, and you were either team Dylan or team Brandon. This is actually reminded me so I remember my college roommate my freshman year. I was team Brandon. She was team Dylan, and so she put a poster of Dylan over her bunk bed and I put a poster of Brandon on my bunk bed.
The girl fighting.
Well, they weren't necessarily fighting over. It was just who you liked best. So it's not it wasn't necessarily a love triangle. No, no, this was no, it wasn't like that. But still there were the two kind of main heart throbs, and those girls would say over who they liked more, who was the better boyfriend? Who was the better guy?
Did she ever get to a fight over it? Did you lose your friendship over it?
I was annoyed that she liked Dylan. I thought she was crazy, and then she was annoyed that I like Brandon. But it stopped. It ended there. It was kind of a joke. We would talk about it. It would get a little heated sometimes, but we were joking.
It was passionate. Passionate is it wasn't ugly and we're talking about this now. Gavin cas Castelagno, Castelano, Castelania, excuse me. Gavin Castelanio is the young fella that plays Jeremiah. Jeremiah seems to be getting so much of the hate right now on the show. Full disclosure here, we said it. We are only up to season two episode four ish
or five ish, so we're not completely caught up. But apparently this last new episode people really episode seven, yes, really didn't appreciate something that went down that we haven't seen yet, but something with Jeremiah, So some more hate came. I'm still real. He just did a new interview with The New York Times. We'll get into his comments here, but he said he's been kind of detached from it, and some of that was intentional. And it's even spoken
about people coming up to him on the street. I figured he was going to say, yeah, they come up to me and they're all nice and fine. He said, no, they come up to him complaining and bitching about a fictional character that he plays as an actor.
Yes, among the many things he said to The New York Times, he was reminding readers and viewers who were reading his interview with The New York times that this, in fact is a fictional character, This in fact is a script based on a book that was already written. This isn't actually him, He is not Jeremiah, he is Gavin.
Why are we even having to say that it's scary? It is? And that's word was used by another actor as well, Lola Tong, who plays Belly in the show. She used that word scary. It's actually scary what happens out there. So we talk about this in looks sometimes how much of it is just heated debate and fun and passion says like whoa pump the brakes here? This is going too far? And I don't know robes some of the comments I plucked in here, and these are some of the most recent. I didn't have to go
very far to find these. Is this just passion and fun stuff on social media? Is it? Should we take it this? I don't know how how heavy do you find these comments?
I think that for the most part they're comical. For the most part, they're funny, But there are a few that are scary because not everybody you know, it's It's one of those things where it is disturbing because there are people out there and I do wonder in this age of technology where all of our kids and everybody is just online, there is almost a lack of social
there's this social ineptness for a lot of folks. Maybe it's difficult for some kids who have grown up with nothing but their screens and their connection to people online, and they kind of lump it all in the same boat where it's all just it's removed from actually having a one on one so they aren't able to actually discern with what's real and what's not. I do worry about that a little bit, and so yes, some of
these for that reason. And people are disturbed sometimes and people are, you know, mentally not the same as others. So yeah, there are concerns I would as an actor, I would be concerned that.
Is that's too bad. So just the example of the comments that's you're playing a Figure's one thing that you know, right, Comedians sometimes they take it to a line and their protests and things and they're targeted in some way. But we talk about real individuals. If to target someone we're playing a character seems bizarre, it does. It does actors, they're actors, Okay, So you be the judge. Folks, just a few examples, Jeremiah Fisher gets a lot of hate,
but it's not enough. That's not bad. That's fine. We get he gets a lot of hate, it's not enough. Still, that seemed to take it too far, but fine. Now they get into a little nastier stuff where we just say, fucking shag talking about the character. Guys, don't hate on Jeremiah without me. Yeah, that could be funny, it could be seen. But then a few of these get a little nastier. What episode does he die? Whoo?
That's stuff. I've seen ones that say like, Jeremiah is the smallest man who ever lived. This was straight up diabolical, you know, so they're attributing, you know, satanic like qualities to him. There are other concerning comments that just make people say, join with me, am, I the only one who hates Jeremiah. Like, just even using the word hate is disturbing to me. I never hated a character more
than I hated Jeremiah. Okay. And also people say like Jared knows exactly what he's doing here, how petty Jared knows exactly what he's doing here. It's almost as if they're attributing like a mindset to Jeremiah and then putting it on Gavin the actor as being a bad person for being manipulative.
I get the passion there. A lot of this is directed at the character A lot of times. A lot of folks are still the language seems a little strong, but a lot of it is directed at the character. I don't like how he's manipulating her. I don't like when he did this, and that criticism is fair and fine. I don't like this guy, and you're caught up in that fictional world too.
I think it's totally fun and fine to hate on characters. It's just when it bleeds over to the actual actor. I wanted to point out I loved what I thought. What Delta Airlines did was hilarious, and if you jump on their social media account, people were praising their social media team because it was a moment where the airline
jumped in on all of the social fervor. But they said seats for the boys, and they showed that one of their planes and it showed Conrad's seat first class, and then it showed Jeremiah's seat, the toilet seat, and people went off and just said same. I didn't realize how much I love Delta Flying Delta Forever now, I mean, it was really actually remarkable.
I'm okay with what they did even I thought that was kind of clever and they jumped on board. But when somebody writes, what episode does he die? Somebody writes fuck him and you in response to Amazon for just posting something about the show. When somebody says Jeremiah has such a punishable face, When somebody says he needs to die, I'm so serious, what episode does he die?
Now?
Again? Is it all? It's just this is just how people talk online. Yeah, that might be true, and we so desensitize now to this that this is no big deal.
Well, I wonder too, when you know, we talk about no one wants obviously we have First Amendment rights and no one wants to curtail speech, but when it threatens violence and when it proposes violence. I saw one where they were talking about, hey, can one of the episodes be written in where each character gets to punch Jeremiah in the face? And can I get in line too?
That's wrong?
You know, I wonder at what point is it actionable? You know, because you cannot threaten violence, you cannot incite violence. That is when free speech ends again.
But we're still talking about them suggesting violence on a fictional show. Now, my suggest my question is that still a problem? What you just relay there? If we have that mindset, and does that eventually bleed over into the real world.
Hopefully not, probably not, But you can't say that it wouldn't in an isolated moment with the right person when I say the right person the wrong person at the right time. Like you, just if you're that actor, if you're Gavin, would.
You want to be in a crowd of people? Would you want to be in front of thousands or something having an event and one person says something and cites something in some way? Would you want to be in that and think that this kid could be Again, there's no suggestion that his safety, any of their safety right now is threatened. But he spoke on this stuff. Amazon puts something out they are addressing and taking it seriously enough that they are speaking on it, then it must be that serious.
Yeah. Amazon, the official post did they put on x This was their community guidelines as season three was starting. They said, we have a zero tolerance policy for bullying and hate speech. If you engage in any of the following you will be banned hate speech, for bullying, targeting are cast or crew, harassing or doxing members of this community. Wow, it speaks volumes.
But it's good too. I guess it's almost as if Robes does every show. Certainly every reality show has to put that out before a new season comes out. Love Island just did it, and it got attention.
But I feel like that's fairly new though. I mean, the Love Island thing was a big deal and that absolutely happened. And I understand to an extent because these are actually real people portraying their real selves and their real lives, and so if the hate is there, the hate is directed at that person, not someone they're playing. So I understand that a little bit. This is well because Amazon had to say, Cousins, that's the beach, right,
Cousins is our safe place, Everything good, everything magical. Let's keep the conversation kind this summer. Yeah, they knew it was gonna get ugly, but I guess it's just to me it's different, Like it can be fun to root for people to not like a character. We all do that in every movie, every TV show we watch, And yes, I get that in reality shows like soap operas, Oh My God, My girlfriends and I again in college, would
root for people and not root for people. But if I ever saw the actor, I would be just as excited to see the person I was rooting against character wise as the character I was rooting for, because I understand their actors. I do think that there is language that is not okay period, whether you're rooting or you know, hoping someone isn't going to You can hope somebody dies
on a show. I get that that's fine, but as long as it doesn't get and they don't use certain words that we're seeing being used, it's that scary.
And folks will tell you the lead actress, Belly, she gets her own share of hate, but we'll give you her full quote that ended with this, it's not that serious. Also, we'll tell you exactly what Jeremiah himself told The New York Times.
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All right, folks, we continue now again. This episode all about me retracting my support for Conrad. On the summer, I turned pretty Rose. You were out of town last week a couple of days dropping anal software sophomore year at the University of Colorado. They're in Boulder, And so while you were gone a couple of days, Bean and I did a lot of the summer I turned pretty watching and then you came back and she was very excited.
You wanted to put it right on, and you didn't know all that was going on, and you looked in all this Conrad and Jeremiah stuff, you were hilarious because you immediately had an opinion as well.
Yes, I immediately was on team Conrad, like maybe, and I agree, sometimes it might just be a looks thing, but they're both gorgeous men, so it's nothing about like both of them are hot, so to speak. But there was just something about Conrad I liked more immediately.
And this is again, this is a woman who doesn't know any about the backstory and anything you might be upset with the character about You had none of that background. You just looked immediately and reacted.
And honestly, it was hearing them talk, hearing them just I gave it about five minutes and then I was like, oh, yeah, I'm completely team Conrad, like without it out.
That's just your lane and that's fine and it makes it fun. And Savine is in his screaming at us because she's on board.
With team Jeremiah. But I love that. That makes it fun to watch.
But she has good logic, I thought, and her logic was he is more into her, he is better for her.
He cheated on her though.
It was the what we haven't gotten to that yet.
Yeah, but I did know that, Oh I didn't know that part.
I didn't know that part.
And Conrad was her first love. And I think, look, I do think there is something to this idea, and maybe it's romanticized among women, but you've got your first love, your true love, and that's the one that's the most meaningful, that has the most roots, and so to cheer for that to return, or for cheer to cheer for that to outlive some new fleeting thing fleeting And I always I know the episodes I saw, and now I'm kind of into it, so I'm obviously going to be watching
it completely. Both of my daughters are fully into it. I've been hearing about this for a very long time. For years now. My daughters have been talking about every time, you know, we share a Netflix account, I always see where they are. On the summer, I turn pretty So I knew that they were huge fans of the show, but I guess I just I thought it was a teen thing. And then now that so beans into it,
we're watching it. It is fun to get into it, like it's just it's it's almost like watching a sporting event go that far. That's been preordained.
That's that's not go that far. Do not compare the summer. I turned pretty.
March madness all over again, except for in August. Intan, I did that just to get a reaction.
Out of here. Yeah, you got one. But the kid keep only the kid. It's grown ass man. Yes, he still play young people on this show.
But twenty five years old.
Yeah, Gavin sat again.
Wait, I don't have it in front of me. I have to look at it to be able to Cassolinio. Gavin Cassolino twenty five years old, married, by the way, which I did not know. Yeah, newly married, and has apparently been traveling in Indonesia and Thailand all summer, and he says he hasn't even watched an episode.
Good for him, do you believe that?
Yeah, if you've been traveling around. And also he said, I already lived it, I already acted it, I already know the scripts. I don't need to watch it again. I think a lot of actors are. It's hard for them to watch themselves period because they get critical and they start overthinking things. So that could also be a
reason why. But I think he knows and is very much aware of the hate online, and it probably might be good for mental health and continued career success to take a step back from that and to just live your life as a human being.
That's too that's too bad. You played a character people don't like, so why should that translate to people not liking you? And to your point as well, I believe him as well when he says he hasn't been watching because we and look, we've been in an industry on television a long time. Never went back and try to watch, never went back and watch.
The only reason I have ever gone back and watched, which I have, is to critique myself, to learn how to be better, how to do better, how to not make mistakes. So I have watched myself, but it's been difficult, and it's almost been mandatory. It's not been enjoyable or entertaining in any way. So I get that as well.
So good again, good for him. But he said I thought it was interesting the way he put this about the things and coming his way. So I don't think there's a single human being in the world who can carry the emotional negativity to the degree that stuff like this happens. And I think that's why Amazon did a good job of stepping in and being like, hey, no bullying, though not really going so well. It's this idea like who can who can bear this?
No one because people think it's all funny, and it might be to an extent. And he did say that what he has seen is comical. He said, his sister sends him memes, some of the funniest memes. So I'm thinking maybe like what Delta did, like he saw. He probably saw what Delta did and thought that was funny, Like that looks good, funny.
It's like she can filter things out and hey, check this one out.
This one's funny, this one's in good spirit. And so it is about the character, it's not about him and so and I would laugh at that too. So, yes, when you some people have to play the wicked Witch of the West or the evil stepmother, and those are actually really fun roles to play. Playing the good guy's actually really boring. So you can lean into that and enjoy all of that. It's just when it gets scary
and mean and threatening that it changes. But he did say for the most part, he finds all the hate comical that people are that invested that they care that much. But he can say that because he's not reading the comments, which is super smart and would encourage him to continue with that practice because that is the only way forward.
I'm sitting, I'm trying to think of a character that I've hated so much on a show or in a movie that I would if I ran into that actor on the street.
Oh yeah, that's different.
How could I feel any negative thing towards them?
For we interviewed Freddy Krueger, So I think that to me, like it's funny, like I love well, I loved the actor, Thanks Freddy Krueger. But yeah, I find it so.
Fun villain somebody you hated. So I'm not even a Monster type things, at least off somebody character Like I'm even thinking about Billy Bob Thornton in Monster right now. I'm thinking about like.
Just maybe the guy who does it puts the lousier to the desk, afraid of love that actor, But that's true, I wouldn't. I'm trying to think of somebody.
Who have you been turned off so much as a character, just the character that it would translate to the actor. I hate some characters.
I can't think of somebody were I wouldn't be able to be just as excited to meet that actor because they elicited a certain feeling from me, like I think, wow, you're a very good actor. If you can make me hate you so much in the movie, I want to know who you are and how amazing you are, because obviously you're a phenomenal actor.
We should try to come up with somebody. But also Lola toongue the young lady that plays Belly. These were her comments as well in a previous interview, saying, when people have an attachment to the characters, they want to see it come together at the end. I'm so grateful they care so much. But people get a little scary about it.
Wow, yeah, I mean, and maybe that's the right way to put it. They get a little scary, Like you don't know how scary it is until it actually becomes scary. But I do appreciate her other comment that she did, or the rabid fans out there of this show to adhere to. Please don't threaten to kill someone if something doesn't go your way. I promise you it's not that serious. And ain't that the truth. It's not that serious.
You have to say that is scary.
And they may be anticipating. So here's the deal. I won't give the spoiler because I looked it up of how the book ends, and I think a lot of people know how the book ends.
Well I don't know, but.
No, But here's the deal. The author of these books, who's been working with the she even had a cameo in one of the a couple cameos I think, in some of the episodes. But she has said that she has specifically been open to is how she put it, not having it end the same way as the books. So she's put it out there that the way the show ends might not be how the books end. So everyone is on the edge of their seats to see who Belly will end up with, even if you've read the books.
All right, so it's up in the air, folks. All right, we are clearly into this. I cannot believe in the past four days, I've done two episodes on the summer.
I turn pretty there's gonna be a few more, hunt. I'm pretty sure it.
Means it's a good show. So as always, we appreciate you hanging with Austin. If you all come up with a character that you hated so much on screen that you think it would actually translate to that real life actor.
We'll try to think of it too. It could be another episode. But in the meantime, everyone, thank you for listening to us. I made me Robock alongside t. Jhilmes. Have a great day.