I Thought you Were in the Congo or Philadelphia or Something (S1 E16, “Star-Crossed Lovers and Other Strangers”)

give us the synopsis for the episode, please. This is episode sixteen star cross Lovers and Other Strangers, Air date March eighth, two thousand one. Emily agrees to let Rory miss the weekly dinner so she can celebrate her three month anniversary with Dean. Elsewhere, the town prepares for a festival that celebrates the founding of Stars Hollow. Oh my goodness, what happened to Dean? I mean, in in in what twelve episodes he goes from like, I'm from Chicago. I'm

not from here. Hey, come on over here. I'm gonna kiss you in the cabbage section in front of everybody, and uh, you know I'm talking to your mom, And now is at my turn to speak, and hey, let's watch Boogie Nights. What what happened to that guy? And all of a sudden, he's sitting in his junkie car that he's building for this girlfriend that's never got a chance to be safe or pass inspection at the d m V. And he says, and he says, I love you, I love you, And at big mats of ball hanging

out there, Amy, am I wrong? Giant? Like that's the biggest mats of ball hanging out there I've ever seen on television. And then she just but but her face, that's sweet innocent, sixteen year old face with those blue eyes like open wide, like how's waiting for her to say thank you? Thank you? Oh oh, that's a big swing and a miss for Dean. I mean, I've been there, I've been that guy. It's happened to me. It's not a place he was so dark though I didn't think

it needed to be the breakup. Yeah, but that's but that's how But that's that personality, that guy. He was so humiliated. Dean was so humiliated he had no other choice but to save face. Right, just shows you he's not the guy for her. Right, he's not cool, calm and collected that he came. I see, I knew it. I knew it. I had him nailed from the beginning. That tough guy act. It's it's all, it's just an act.

He's just a softie underneath. And if he doesn't get his way, he gets butt hurt and he runs home to mommy, and but he's these are kids, you know, these are kids. But he started out so he was such a cool dude, right, yeah, Bold, this this great looking kid, and he had his act together and he was just contained and he was cool. And then he's sitting in a junkie corvet going I love you? Is it a corvett? I thought it was at I don't think we know, yeah, right, little junk junkyard corvet that

he was. Yeah, Oh my god, what a scene. I was so happy. I was so bored with that whole thing because he was he was like he had softened to the point where it's like Jesus, what's what's going to happen now? And then he dumps her. He breaks it's like raft, yeah, and you and she was completely justified and just sort of staring at him like what

this is moving very quickly? Three boy? I tell you being a guy, an eighteen year old guy, seventeen year old guy feeling that much for a girl and actually saying those words, boy, that stuff most teenage girls would have set it back. She's just a unique teenage girl. She's a Gilmore. Yeah. It's like, listen, man, we're in a junkyard and I'm I mean, we're not in the We're not even in a used car lot, which should

be bad enough, right for a Gilmore. I mean, maybe she could have dealt with like a used jeeper something. She handled it well. She sort of tried to explain to him, like, you know, my family, you know my life, like I can't just be as comfortable with this as you are. But he was not having it, and she was like, don't be mad, and it was like, yeah, don't be mad. How can you not be mad? You just you just you just put your cards on the table.

I mean, what if I was sitting there in that booth, right, because I do remember that scene where you know my all I am all in scene? Right? What if Laura la I just said that's nice? Anyway? Should we order? Wait? We have so much to talk about because Rachel, Yeah, wow, Rachel show. What did you think watching yourself with Rachel Um? I don't know. I think I, you know, acting wise. I just think it was just too much on me.

I didn't I didn't like what I did behind the owner with the pausing and I was really kind of what I was kind of mugging a little too much. I think it was that was pushing everything. And I didn't really particularly likee. I liked the scene with Laura lay on the bench during the festival. I did too. Did you see the knee touch when you touched her knee? Yeah, with a fist, with a fist, you know, it was like solid move though solid, But did I tell it was an open handed It was like a bro It

was somewhere between bro and best friends. It was subtle, but it was so sweet. I really was like, wow, Yeah, I like that scene. I really like that scene because that scene had that was you know, that had a fine line you know where you had to sort of you know, walk down the middle of that scene. Um. But but yeah, I I did not like my reaction to her when she came in. I didn't like my I like the scene. I thought that the girls were great, and I didn't think I was I didn't serve that

scene very well. Like I think I was just too wide eyed and shocked. And it's like, okay, so that's like, that's the girl we were talking about. That's the model chick, right, That's that's the girl. That's the girl in my dreams who heard aisodes who got me but hurt. Maybe I said I love you to her and she say, I've

got to go clean my lenses. Yeah. And the whole thing was interesting because Luke does really sort of reveal like she's not one for staying no no. She uh, she boked my will hawk and she she went off the Middle East. Then she went off to you know, she went off to war zones. You know, she's a serious, serious uh photographer. So she's you know, just a tough thing to deal with. But yeah, you see how comfortable LUKEA is with Laura La. That's the point. Yeah, that's

the point. It's easy. It fits like a glove. We're just such good friends. Are rhythm is just there, you know, we pick up immediately on that rhythm. It's like we're we're on stage playing jazz and we know each other's moves, right, So it just fits, it works, it's great. Yeah. Um, And that was the whole point. It's the rhythm of it. So maybe maybe my reaction wasn't so bad because that

really stopped the music. That's like the needle goes off the record and she walks in everybody just staring at her. So anyway, that's how I played it, I don't think. Yeah, and Laura had to sort of take control. I had to handle it for you, right, And so she got to act as a friend like, oh, poor poor guy's heart, his wounded heart, his poor wounded heart. I must help here. Yeah.

I don't know. It's like it's like everything that happens to that guy, it just makes him look better in her eyes lately, right, So um yeah, yeah, I mean and now she's got uh a threat. I don't know what the word is. She she's got competition Rachel's back. She's handling it well, I thought so too's handling it. I think Laurel is handling it beautifully. Yeah, and probably because she's self aware enough to know. Like I've dated Max recently, I've dated other guys. Who am I to

be mad about this? Yeah? I thought that too. Plus she's missing Max and dialing his number, and you know this kind of really miss Max. Chase, Chase, how great was Come on, how do you like your scotch, Chase? How do you what do you want to drink scotch? Need? Oh they're not good for you? That's fine, And you knew Richard was like, this guy is no good. Lets her crawl out the window. I thought that was some

of the funniest stuff that I've seen so far. Those scenes with Chase and and and Laurel and the and the Gilmore parents were just supreme, just hysterically funny. I mean, her messing around with all the little chot skis the crystal Little John so good. I know we'll talk about it later, but the misery reference was just so genius. Oh my god. You know what, we have somebody who uh could be regarded as my nemesis and this show. It's not Darth Vader, but it's kind of the Darth

Vader of stars Hollow. Mr Taylor Dozy of Dozie's Market. Michael Winters, the the incomparable, the brilliant Michael Winters is waiting in the wings. I cannot wait to talk with him. He is such a great guy and such a great actor, and uh, I miss working with him so much. Um, and I can't wait to talk to him. So after we after we come back, we're gonna we're gonna saddle up and rid the prairie with Taylor Dozy. Okay, So I'm Scott Patterson. This is I am All In podcast.

My Heart Radio will be right back after these words with Michael Winters, Ladies and gentlemen. Michael Winters is in the waiting room. He's in the green room eating lollipops and striped candies and caramels. And I how are you doing, buddy? How are you? I'm great? Where are you? Where are you? Where are you from? Where you where in Seattle? You're in Seattle. Yeah. So listen, now we've got you. We probably don't have you for long because you're in such demand.

I want to start from the beginning. Beginning. There's a bunch of fan questions, a bunch of listener questions. They want to know things. We got to give him. We gotta give him some answers here. They want to know, Um, how did you get the role of Taylor? Um? And did you know when you got the role of Taylor. You would play the part for many years. That's from Kristen and Boulder, Colorado. Boulder. I spent a summer in Boulder. Beautiful place. There's a great Um. I got the job

in the normal way. It was another audition like anything else, and Uh, I went and I did a call back and I got the job. Now when they when they offered the job, they said it was a four arc. Uh, you know, four episode arc with the possibility of recurring. Well, every job you got at that time was that, you know, yes, it will probably recur, it could recur, you know, and you just sort of stopped thinking about that. So when I started it, UM, I had no idea it would

be more than four episodes. And in fact, I told them, you know, I was going back and forth between Seattle in l A. Because I had theater connections up here, and I would come up here and do plays and then I'd go down there and audition and stuff. So I said, okay, four episodes. How long did that running said great, because right after that, I'm going back to Seattle, uh to look for theater work up there. And they said, that's fine, We'll do the four episodes and then if

we ever need you again, we'll fly you down. So um. So I did the four episodes, and after that it never stopped for seven years and the reboot, and you know, it wasn't constant. So I did come up to Seattle. Uh. Every year i'd come up. I would come up at the end of what used to be pilot season. I guess there isn't one anymore, and come up because the theaters I worked at a lot of played over the summer, so I'd come back up here for a few months.

And I would always say every one of those seven years, I think I said, Okay, I'm going back to Seattle do plays. Um. I won't be done there till late in August. You know that's about when you start again, right, I said, just don't put me in the first episode.

Every single time they put me in the first episode, and so, uh, several years in a row, I'd be doing a show and on a Sunday night, I'd have a friend waiting and they streak me to the airport and I'd get a late flight, which because you can't get anymore after the you know, after nine eleven it stopped, and I would fly down someplace and like spend the night in Las Vegas or something and get a quick hop over work all day Monday, which was my day off,

and then into Tuesday, and then fly back up here first show on Tuesday night. That happened four or five seasons in a row. But I, you know, I didn't mind doing and it was great to be able to come back. But but you know, it was it was a smaller part, so I, um, I didn't have to be there all the time. You know, I only worked and I only lived then. I only lived about well it was ten minutes tops from my house to Warner Brothers that traffic day. So it was really interested. So

let me ask you this. So you did recurring roles on shows like Cheers and Fraser and what was it? How was how was Gilmore Girls different? Well? It was long. Those other ones were they didn't even really I wouldn't even call them recurring. They were guests, star parts, and some of them were just you know, one episode. A couple of them. I did more than one episode, but they were small, you know, they they didn't go on

for very long. But Gilmer Girls ended up going on for seven years and then the Netflix reboot after that. So it was pure luck and I'll always be grateful for the house I'm sitting in right now. I was able to put a down payment on because of all the time I spent on Gilmore Girls. So what did you think of the character of Taylor Dozy? What did

you Michael personally think of it? I just thought he was a jerk, but it was but it was he was funny, and I always thought, I think what happens is, you know, an hour long show, that's a lot of stuff, a lot of time to fill. And I thought they'd get to a point where they had some time to film and say, okay, uh, make Taylor do something annoying

and will spread it out over the episode. And I'd get there and be a thorn under somebody's saddle, you know, and cause trouble and then it would all get cleared up. So it was a fun distraction I think from the oh the romance and uh stuff that the girls had. You know, I was one of the local eccentrics and my my job was to annoy people. But I love it was great, It was It was. It was always

fun going to work. Now when I was going to be sparring with you, if I remember correctly, the first episode was a Halloween episode, and I wanted to put pumpkins and stuff all around the door of the diner, and you didn't want it, and so we tussled. Though.

That's how we started and continued for years, and you, you and I personally got along very nicely to sort of a buffer that well, it was the Yeah, I mean, I just I just love working with you, I realized, I mean, I love working with all of them, but especially you, because I did too. It was great. They were just such fun scenes to do. I mean just that that bred conflict going on, I mean, it was just it was just so much fun, so much fun. Display So what did your character What did you think

of Luke? What did your character think of Luke? Just another oh, somebody who didn't understand the good that I was after, you know, he was he was an obstruction to me making this town a better place, a greater place, and I knew exactly how to do it if you would just let me have my way, if you would just get out of the way and let me do what I wanted to do. So uh so we were always just sort of at friendly loggerheads. We were up against each other, but you know, it never came to

blows or anything. Just so you you don't feel you were misunderstood as a character, that you were just trying to take control of the town, because just what I'm saying, nobody understood how much I had to offer and how good my ideas were, and how essential it was that we did this for the town. And of course all it did was make life impossible for everybody else, and so they came. You were sort of the spearhead of that, of of standing up to Taylor and his wacky ideas.

So so here's a question that I think a lot of people would be interested in. Yeah, were you given any or any amount of direction on the characterization or did you come up with that purely yourself. Well, it seemed to me the characterization was in the language, and you know, just like just like any acting job, and so I followed what I felt were the clues to

the character from that. So, yeah, everybody got direction. Mine was usually go a little faster, I take it up because I was just used to the stage where you're able to sort of expand and take the time that you need. This is just a whole different world. And when I when I finally hooked into after a few episodes, then it got easy because then I was able to make all those mental connections just happened immediately. Instead of

thinking about something, just react to it, you know. And so it gave me this kind of rhythm of jumping around from one thing to another. Yes, okay, fine, whatever you say, but the important thing is and I moved right on to the next thing. And uh so yeah, that kind of direction, uh really helped me sort of focus on what they were after and how they wanted to get there. So so we're we're in season one still, we're about halfway through, maybe a little beyond halfway, but

you know, it's a lot of Dean. What what did Tailor think of Dean? Um? He he didn't sort of get in my viewfinder, you know. Um, yes, so that that's Rory's boyfriend. I guess I don't know, but he didn't have anything I don't remember having much to do with how the town ran itself, and that was my most important thing, uh, you know, how we make it better, How how we become the greatest little town in America,

you know. And he was off dating um that girl you know Rory and uh, so I didn't have much opinion about him, you know, I just as long as he kept out of my way and didn't try to stop me from doing what I wanted to do. Most of the guys were like that, And I didn't know Jared much at all. Now my level, I knew a lot better and um uh Matt Zuki. Later on we were a little more friendly, you know, just the actors were. But those guys were almost in like a different story,

a different world, a different level that I. Um. They were there, and you know, I'm sort of aware of their presidents, but I never ran up against them like I would you and well lots of other people would. You know. Your character is uh very much involved in the town celebrations and overseeing them and getting permitted properly in that kind of thing. What were your favorite celebrations?

I love, um, I love the art one, you know, the live I don't know what season that was, the thing that was based on the thing from Laguna Beach

where they did tableau vivon of famous paintings. That was so much fun to be involved in, although it was difficult because it was another one of those things like the town meetings where I had I wasn't in the heart of the scene, but I'm running them, you know, I'm narrating them or something, or I'm trying to keeping them going so that most of the shooting of all

of those would be on everybody else. And then at the end of the day, uh, we the cameras would turn around, and then I'd have to do all my stuff at the end, which was all stuck in the middle, you know, so that I remember particularly that one of the living art paintings was tyfficult because we worked all night and then it got to the end of the night and I sat around in the tucks all day and did virtually nothing, uh you know, little bits here and there. And then I had all of these introductions

to do, and everybody went home. All the crew was dying to get on the road, just get out of there. And I had to do these long, complicated speeches with a lot of Italian names in it. And the guy who was directing that episode said, I don't want you know, I don't want to put the extra pressure on you, but where you're standing, the sun is going to hit you in the face. In about twenty minutes, we need to get this all done in twenty minute. Early on in the very first season, because it was the first

time I had it. We did the uh, the reenactment, the the Revolutionary War reenactment stuff, and we had all that stuff in the snow and the uniforms and the rifles and everything, and um h Huddleston and what was his first David David, who was the mayor. Everybody thinks I'm the mayor. I was never the mayor. Uh, David was the mayor. He did two episodes, I think was all he ever did. But he sort of ran it and he looked out for us. There were a bunch of us who had to kneel in the snow all

night long. Was another night shoot, and and uh, we just had to kneel there because we were in these styrofoam things that looked like snow banks because the snow got bigger as the night when and he he finally just sort of said, listen to you've got to let these people get up. You have to get out of here. He took care of us all and I was always

appreciative of that. But all of the all of those celebrations, I always had something fun to do, running around trying to keep them going, uh, trying to you know, troubleshoot as things went on. The food fair there, which was I guess in the in the reboot. That was kind of fun running around with all the countries and the food. And I loved the uh the dance marathon. When we went over to the high school out in the valley

and spent the day out there. It was fun because we were in a different place and a whole different situation, and I wasn't as much in charge of that. I don't remember being, but it was something. It was sort of fun to be around. The right they were all great, you know, it was always a variety. So Charlotte from uh Smyrna Beach wants to know if the food and

Doesi's Market was real. Uh, well, the canned goods and the boxes were all but the produce only if we needed to use it, if somebody had to pick it up. Then it seemed to me that the produce was real. The others, you know, they make fabulous plastic fruit you can't you know, and vegetables. You can't tell the difference. You know, a green pepper plastic looks like a real green pepper, especially you know when it's sort of at

a distance. So yeah, the can goods, that the non perishable stuff, that was all real as far as I know. Maybe it's just the boxes. We never actually dealt with them. Was mostly in background. If anything had to be packed in a sack or you know, anybody was checking out or anything, then that was much more likely to be real. But you couldn't grab an apple and eat it. I don't think you would very careful about that. Um So here's a question. This is one of my questions. You know,

it's too thousand twenty one. We did the reboot five years ago. Where do you think? Because I always think in terms of, you know, when I was preparing the two rebot, where you know, where's Luke Ben? Where is he now? That kind of thing? Where's Taylor? Does he in two one? What is he doing right now? Uh? Boy? Probably if he can get away with it exactly what

he's always done. You know, maybe he is mayor maybe he uh maybe he does run for mayor in fact, he runs for you know, there's a one episode which has some very fun stuff in it. I think where I ran for Ambudsman. Uh, Who's a sort of a voice for the people, not the mayor, but somebody who could bring up problems and difficulties with the people who actually run the town, even though I felt like I was running the town. Um and and Laura I decided that I just wanted out of hand. There was no

there never was any opposition. I just sort of got the job every year. So she decided, no, I'm going to and she got she got somebody to run against me, and I can't remember who it was, but of course everybody wanted to get rid of the Taylor, so he

was winning. And then and and uh. One of my favorite moments in the entire series for me, my fun moment was by that time, they had opened that window up between the diner and the sweet shop, My Sweet Shop, so you could see from the diner into the sweet Shop. In the middle of the night, you and Laurel I were talking in the diner about the election and looked over and saw me sitting at the at the counter in My Sweet Shop with the lights off, looking very

dejected because I was about to lose this election. And uh, and at one point I picked up a can of ready whip and just sprayed a mouthful of it in my mouth to make itself a better And she felt so bad about that that she turned it around and you know, sort of put the kai bosh on whoever it was she was getting to run against me, and I want again anyway, I'm I can only imagine that Taylor is just finding new ways to annoy everybody in town. He doesn't mean to annoy them, but he just has

big ideas and great possibilities. If everyone would just understand how right he was, you know, so my bad. He's doing the same thing. I don't imagine he every time. I can't imagine taking a vacation, like taking a cruise or anything like that, because who knows what would happen in his absence. What are the memories you have of the two of us getting into trouble, Well, mostly our trouble was with each other, wasn't it? Uh trying to get things done and uh and uh just butting up,

betting heads against each other. Yeah, there were no high jinks off set. We were definitely not that kind of It's not like we you and I after shooting him was finished, we go grab a drink and get into bar fights or anything like that. We didn't do that. Oh you mean you and me, not Taylor and Luke. No, no, I think they've mean Taylor and Luke. Yeah, yeah, no, absolutely not. I can't imagine Taylor going to the bar.

Everybody would have kicked him out if he had tried to go, because he wouldn't been able to go in and just sit down and have a drink. He'd be bugging everybody about his Lady project. So I think if he ever went, he'd go home and drink alone. You know, maybe he'd have a bottle of wine or something. So what is your absolute favorite memory of the show? Wow, the Ready Whip as the one I always think of.

I love Um. I had to ride a horse and we did another sort of Civil War reenactment where I had to ride a horse, just ride it into the shoot and get off the horse. I didn't even have to get on the horse, which was great because I couldn't do it. And I was in this huge uniform with a sordinary thing, and that was fun. And they sent me out because I am not used to horses.

They sent me out to a ranch way the hell out in the valley to work with the guy who was the horse wrangler, and he was very very helpful and help me get on and ride, and I rode around a whole bunch that day, just around a corral, you know, so if the whole event was really really fun, and I remember that that being great. Um. My favorite moments often were the town meetings because Liz and I were would sit up on that dias and not do anything most of the day, just throw the lines in,

you know. We wouldn't even get dressed, we'd get makeup on and just sit around in our street clothes and talk. And and she was so full of starters. She knew and had worked with everybody. And we had a thing we do where um um, somebody would start singing a song, you know, because she was a singer, and uh we sing old saloon songs, you know, famous old standards, but none of us knew neither of us knew all the lyrics.

So one of the others would start and do three lines, and then the other person would try to remember the next three lines. It was just this endless game, and I love that. I loved the day that Carol King was there and did that was the reboot again, I think, And we worked all day and she was fantastic. We had we had great fun and worked all day on that one scene because it was all of us in a circle and so everybody had to get there their

separate shots. And at the end of the day, you know, everybody was starting ready to go home, and she said, well, you can all go home if you want, but I'm just gonna stay round and play the piano. If anybody wants to stay, that's fine. And she did half hour at that beat up, old out of tune piano and nobody left. Everybody stayed, and that was a high point. That was just so amazing, so great. I heard about that. I wish I was there. It was sublime. Those things

were great. That never happened with Sebastian Bach though, you know, no, but he said he stick around. You guys can go home, but stick around. I'm gonna screech for you know half. Yeah, not his style at all. That was another fun one with all the with all of Amy's favorite pop stars as street troubadors. You know, when when she got them all on the show, that was sort of amazing, Uh, to have them all around, only half of whom I know, being as old as I am, I didn't know who

everybody was. So if you want a period product that looks out for your body, your lifestyle, and the planet, you've got to try flex Flex is innovating period care with products that are body safe, made for comfort, and made to keep you moving. There's the Flex Disc, which is one time use menstrual disk that fits perfectly inside your body. One Flex disc can be worn up to twelve hours and folds as much flow as three super tampons.

And if you want to go zero waste and have the planet will love you even more, pick up the Flex Cup, a reusable mental cup that Cosmo rated number one, with helpful videos, in depth diagrams, even gifts and flex birds available to walk you through the entire process. You'll never go back to products from the past once you try flex, so say goodbye to cramps, put sex back

on the table, and lend mother nature at hand. Go to flex fits dot com slash all in and use code all in for off Flex Disk starter kits or off your first Flex cup plus free US shipping. That's code all in at flex f l e x fits dot com slash all in. So are you ready for rapid fire? Were we do a thing called rapid fire, and fire questions at you, and you gotta answer as fast as you can. Here we go, okay, get me all right? How do you take your coffee? I don't

drink coffee. Can you smell snow? Dare you? People say to be in the theater? I never drank? Can you? Can you? Well? It's good. Can you smell snow? Yes? Oh? Absolutely? I grew up in the Midwest. I know it's are you team Logan, team Jesser team Dean? Hard to say, like I said, I knew those two guys much better, so I guess I'd have to say Logan. I like Tim a lot. I thought he was the real deal. Who's the daddy in what situation? That's that's the thing

that shifts, wouldn't you say? I the Rory's baby. Rory's baby at the end of the the Netflix thing, she's pregnant. I don't know. I wonder if they know. You don't know. You can't speculate, you don't want to speculate. I don't want to. I wanted to leave it mysterious. I like that. CLIFFP. Hager. Maybe it means we'll all be back chance graduation from High school or something. Best memory of Gilmore Girls, Well, she's so hard to say. I just loved starting, I

loved coming. But you know what was great was coming back for the reboot and everybody knew how long the shoot was going to be, so there was none of that my god, will we ever be finished with this? And I think that was great for you guys who were always there. But when we came back for that, it was like a reunion and everybody was free and loose and knew they were only going to be doing it for three months. Everybody was wild about being employed again, you know, on a on a place that was such

wonderful work to do. You know, it was a pleasure to look forward to going to a show that was good. You know that we were on a show that had quality, and because you know, we all did bits on other shows where it was like, oh God, thank god, I'm not on this week after week after week. You know, was I'd love to be on this week after week after week when I could do it. So that was a great way when coming back for that, that was a it was a big deal, um show that you're

binge watching right now. I just got done with Hacks I watched Hacks. That was the last one. What happened to me is I've only had a smart TV for a few months and when I got it, I got Turner Classic movies again, which I had not had on my other one for three years. So I am now up to my ears in old movies and I haven't been watching streaming things. But I did watch Hacks because

I like her and i'd heard it was good. And she used to work in Seattle before um team Smart who was the main the main person in that, and so a lot of people I know in town know her and they all said, oh, you should she Sacks Hacks because she's really great. And I had just seen Mayor of Easttown she just got done doing and she was so fabulous in that. So so that was my last That was my last big binge uh cast member you texted most recently, UM, well you for this, But

before that, who would it be? Well, um, um cast member, not a cast member, but Valerie Campbell who hooked me up with this woman named tarn in New Zealand who has already written a big encyclopedia book about Gilmore Girls, and she's writing a new one now and she wanted to. She wanted to talk to me, and Valerie hooked us up. So val and I were trading uh emails. Alright, Valerie, it is one word to describe Gilmore Girls. Sweet good. Are you familiar with the creepy clown pillow? I shan't explain.

I shan't explain it, um, which is something on the show. It was a pillow that that's in laulized living room. Because you know what, we keep caring it. We're working, we're a little bit well, some people on the show are a little bit obsessed with it and they want to spot it in every episode and we're it. Oh, well I can I can understand that. Well, I'm going to look for Michael. It's been a pleasure. So see you again. Good to see um. You know, I'm just you know, my wife and I are raising our son.

He's seven now, and he's he's seven and he's in second grade, and and you know, we're just we're just living a normal life, you know, and that is great. I'm so happy for you, and it's good to see you. To my friend. I hope we get to work again soon on something, if it's not Gilmore Girls. Something, Yeah, any place. You're one of the people who just made it a homey place to be. Well you too, but I thinkes place to go to work. I loved it, and I've always been very fond of you. Thanks a lot,

and thanks for asking me to do this. We'll have you back on. You're the best. Do Yeah, when you get farther into the seat. I forgot to. Amy had left me a thing saying, look at this episode, and I just didn't do it. I forgot to do it. So if it happens again, let me get a leg up on it, because I haven't watched them all for years. It will Well, we'll be in touch for sure. It was really fun and God knows I don't have all that much to do, so my time is free. Thanks God,

Thanks Amy to take care buddy. Yeah, the best talk to Oh my god, he is so lovely. I literally was texting Danielle going, this guy is so great. He's such impeach literally impeach. Just a total class act. Yes, and you know, he was a kind of guy. He was such a professional. Uh. And everybody knew we had

this tight schedule and he was always doing a play. Uh. And he would, you know, have to really put together, you know, his hit a tent dialogue to do and rapid fire, and he always came to the set fully off, book, fully prepared, hotly professional. It was amazing. It was just amazing. He's an acting machine and he's so good at it. In doing this, every single person that we have spoken to loved making this show and and they want to come on with you, And we have so many more

people coming up, and it's like that means something. So it's like, we love watching this show, and all of you loved making it. It's really touching. We knew that we were in something very very unique. We did, and

it didn't take long for us to realize it. I mean I realized that the minute I read the script before the first audition, UM, that it was very very special, And I mean I don't think anybody could have predicted what it would become what it has become, but we knew that it was very high quality, uh, and that we were very lucky to be involved in it, UM because it would have been very easy not to cast us,

you know, UM, thank god they did UM. But yeah, I think that's we really miss because we've all had experiences prior and especially after the show with other productions, and they fall well short of how that show was run, the people involved, the quality of the writing and and and the actors, and it was just it was just wonderful. It was just a wonderful experience. Yeah, you would hope that something like that could go on forever and ever

and ever. But maybe that's what it makes it so special is that it had was it lasted a finite period of time that will be forever be frozen and the emotional memory banks of the planet Earth. I think it does mean a lot to people that love the show. How much you guys loved doing it. Yeah, it's really contagious. And then you're just like, oh, it makes me love

it more, you know. You know what they don't see is and a lot of them do know, Uh, the road that it the road that we were on to get to that point in our careers where we had a shot at something like that. And then you find yourself in in the belly of the beast, as it were.

I mean, there you are, you know, you know, maybe ten years prior, you know, I was in New York and I was sweating it out man and doing off Broadway theater and off off Broadway theater and acting classes and no money and hustling and you know, working jobs till five am and and just really trying to make things happen, and auditioning for agents and getting rejected, and you know, going on commercial auditions and getting rejected, and every once in a while you get one and you

could eat for a couple of months. And you know, there was a time where I was eating. I could not afford Kraft macaroni and cheese because it was cents a box. I had to go for Springfield because it was like thirty three cents of box, and then maybe I'd steal a potato. And I think everybody's been there, and it was just like you're you're just but you love what you do, you believe in what you're doing.

Um and then here you are. You find yourself with people that you admire and respect, and you're on this show and the critics love it and the network loves it. And limousines and then the parties and then this then the celebrities that you meet, because we didn't feel like celebrities. I mean we were, but we didn't feel like it. We felt like the new people. You know that got

invited to the party somehow, and we didn't belong. I remember the first I went to the to a Golden Globe party before after the Golden Globes in like two thousand or two thousand and one, and I saw, you know, I saw the most stunning, stunning looking woman I ever seen in my life. And it was Charlie's there on and she was surrounded by a gaggle of like short handlers and here she was the statue istue like queen of the Amazonian beauty of a human being. And it

was shocking. And I was like, I was with the unique. I was, I think I was with you unique and uh. And we just stared at her, like, good lord, what are we doing in this room? We are not worthy? And Pacino was over there and this it's like so we felt like you know, kids in a candy store. Um. Whereas you know, we all struggled. We all came from

you know, very humble beginnings. I think, uh, And I think, I mean, even if Herman were alive to tell his story, you know what he went through in New York too to get in to get to the level that he got to. Yeah, I mean everybody has their story and it's just and you here you are and you're making money, and you buy a house and you're going on vacations and you and people want to phtograph and it's like

it's it's wild. Well, that's like Michael saying he bought that house that he's in now because of Gilmore Girl's money. And that was like wow, and he he doesn't take it for granted. If it feels like everyone that we've had on appreciate show. So I stayed in my ice had a little studio apartment in West Hollywood. I stayed in there for the first three years of the show. I was afraid to buy a house. And my account is like, you need to buy a house now. I said, well,

I don't want to buy a house. I like where I am. I'm I'm used to this. It's like, you know, it's like I didn't I didn't want to come out of my cave. Um, I've been there for so long. And he said, well, you have a decision to make. You either have to buy a house or you have to write the government a check for this amount of money. If you don't, I said, let's buy a house. So

I was kind of forced to do it. And it's a it's a nice position to be in, but I mean, I never ever thought I would be able to afford a home, especially in l A. And uh and even back then home prices were high. But yeah, it's just it's just a wild it's like. And then you think of that, you know, I think of those early years a lot, when I when I first started studying in New York and the craziness of that city and how

wonderful all those experiences were. But all of the work that you put in and then there you are, You're working with a Michael Winters in a candy shop and lighten it up and it's like, wow, you know, all the training pays off, all the years, all the blood, sweat and tears are just paying off, and and uh, yeah, it's a it's a it's a strange profession, you know. It's a it's feast or famine, and we we definitely

feasted for for seven years. And then you see the craft service table and it's just filled with food and you're like, Okay, I'm going to go over there home. Oh my goodness. You know, I hadn't I hadn't worked in a couple of years after Gilmore was over. And then I did a couple of episodes of I did something while I was working in independent films, and you know, they don't have huge budgets for craft service or food or anything like that. I mean they do what they can.

They're great about it, but um. And then I did a couple episodes. I did an arc on nine O two one oh and drove down to Manhattan Beach where they're filming in these oh yeah, the new one, the new nine two one oh yeah on the c W. Yeah, right, these great studios down in Manhattan Beach. And I walked onto the sound stage and it was like something out of a sci fi film. It was so large and so clean and so high tech. And the craft service table was like the stadium full of food. I've never

seen anything I get it in my life. And I thought, oh yeah, I forgot how good network television was. Man, they really feed you. Yeah, we don't have that at I Heeart. You get like a bag of weird oreos and you're lucky weird. Yeah. Like those mini orio they are not even like the full size and there that's wrongs them up and you go that's just wrong. I cannot dunk that. Look at how how lucky you are now, Oh my goodness. Yeah. Yeah. So anyway, Michael is a

real deal. He's like super professional and just gracious and grateful and and such a great actor to work with. Man. I mean, you know, I think he carried me more times than I'm willing to admit in scenes because his timing is so good. And um, I remember one time I was really tired and I just couldn't deliver the kind of energy that the scene needed, and he just, you know, he had a little talk with me and he told me he was there for me. That's all he did. He said, you know what, I'm here for

you man. You know, he was just offering support. He knew I was struggling a little bit because I had this sort of rapid fire monologue, you know, and how to really get through it, and I just wasn't getting it. And I was just like, God, am I going to be able to do this? And he just took me a sign. He said, you know what, because you're doing great. You're doing great. No, he says, I know how tired

you are. I know what the schedules like sometimes and he says, you know what, but you know you wouldn't You wouldn't be here if they didn't believe in you, you know what I mean? So you can, you can, you can do this in your sleep. And I just gave me a little lift and we kind of held the scene and he's just a lovely guy, lovely team logan because so am Yeah. Well that's the one black

mark against him, all right. Uh So anyway, that was the illustrious, lovely, talented professional actor, the real deal, the real raw deal. Michael Winter's to a k A. Taylor dosy uh and we're gonna have him back on. What a great interview. Love the guy. I love you, Michael, thanks for coming on. Let's dive into pop culture, guys. Riley take it away. I'm Riley and this is your

pop culture. So first we have Laura La looking looking like she's having so much trouble in the kitchen and she says, I want to arrange things on a plate so we look like a pretty little hat. I want to be an iron chef. So Iron Chef was a

Japanese cooking show from two thousand two. The show was recreated in America on the Food Network from two thousand five to two thousand eighteen, And there are actually eight hundred pounds of food stocked in the pantry for each episode for the chefs to use, and there's a hundred and fifty pounds of dry ice pumped through the studio for the filming, so the fog can create dramatic moments, and finally, the schedule can be grueling with back to

back battles. The Food Network shoots twenty six episodes in just three weeks. Next we have um Tristan is making out with the girl against the locker and he quotes uh Sonnet forty three by Elizabeth Barrett Browning and when he says, ah to be young and in love, and Paris says, what a shame. Elizabeth Barrett Browning wasn't here to witness this. She put her head through the wall. So Elizabeth was a poet and the eldest of twelve children.

She battled an illness her whole life that doctors at the time could not diagnose, and her family made a fortune from Jamaican sugar plantations. Colonialists. So Laura La talks to Rory about the way Luke and Rachel are acting in the diner. You could tell they were still in love. And by the way they looked at each other. Luke was stuttering and Rachel was staring deeply into his eyes. And Laura La says, and he's looking at her like she's Miss September, and she's looking at him like he's

Johnny Depp. So at the time of the episode in two thousand one, Johnny Depp was known for his iconic roles in Edward Scissor Hands and Chockole Lot. Hang on, I hate to interrupt here, I have to interject here is I want to take a poll with you ladies. Yeah, so you know what I'm gonna ask. He's all that a bag of chips, right, Johnny Depp is like beyond beyond right, Yes, yeah, okay, I would say up until like but yes, And he's got himself into a few

pickles lately. So it's kind of like, but I've heard there's been some controversy. Um, but I love the one jump Street Johnny Depp the most. Yeah, you know, I met him. I met him backstage at a Patti Smith concert a couple of years ago in downtown l A. He was with he was with Joe Perry, he was with. It's quite a story telling it here, but I did make had lots of bodyguards outside. Was he nice though?

Was he nice? Yeah? He was all that and a bag of chips, so much that he was named sexiest Man Alive two years, two thousand three and two thousand nine. But he's best no own for his role as Captain Jack Sparrow on Pirates of the Caribbean from two thousand three to two thousand seventeen. And it is a little known fact that Johnny Depp appeared on a Nightmare on Elm Street in nine four. He got murdered by Freddy Krueger. Remember it got like sucked into the bed and murdered.

What a nightmare on Elm Street. Rory says to Dean she would be relocated in a plastic bubble if she misses dinner for their three month anniversary, and Rory says, well, that special occasion better include my being relocated to a plastic bubble if my grandmother is gonna let me out of the dinner. So this is in reference to The Boy in the Plastic Bubble, a nineteen seventy six drama film starring John Travolta inspired by the Life the Lives

of David vetteran Ted Da Vita. During filming, twenty two year old John Travolta and forty year old Diana Highland began dating and fell in love. Sadly, Diana passed in nineteen seventy seven of cancer, and then in John's wife Kelly Preston passed a cancer as well. Jake Jillenhall also played a boy in a plastic bubble in the two thousand one comedy Bubble Boy. It's a lot of bubbles. It's a lot of bubbles. Run Roy says. Dean is

taking her to a fancy restaurant for the anniversary. There's an iconic scene in the animated film Lady in a Tramp where Tramp pushes the meat ball with his nose and the lady uh he and Lady Sheriff strand of spaghetti. Laura Lai says, Wow, it's going to be just like Lady in the Tramp. You'll share a plate of spaghetti, but it'll it'll be just one strand. But you won't realize it until you actually meet in the middle. Animated

romance film produced by Walt Disney. Animators use their own faces as a reference for the characters, and Tramp was first called Homer, then Rags and Bozo, even though the canine was referred to as Tramp. Laura Lai says, oh god, this is where the Misery reference comes in. Get ready, Amy, Oh God, mom has gone a little crazy with the figurines here, huh, a little Cathy Bates. Although you probably haven't seen Misery, which is a good thing, because Rory

couldn't sleep for a week after she watched it. Do you remember from Missouri when James Cohn's character Like gets out and then he accidentally knocks the figurine, but he catches it and he puts it back up. But she was some cuckoo that she knew the direction it faced, and so that's how she caught him get out of the cocka duty car. That movie was so so good. Oh, very very funny. Genius reference to genius. So for those

of us that don't know. Miseries an American psychological thriller novel written by Stephen King and made into a horror film in nine. Cathy Bates actually won the Oscar in for her role as the terrifying Annie Wilkes. The original inspiration for King's novel came from a nightmare he had while flying, and Jack Nicholson was offered the leading role of Paul Sheldon. However, he had such a difficult EXPERI riants filming the Shining. He didn't want to do another

King adaptation. And who can actually watch the horrific ankle scene without cringing? I cannot, I cover my eyes. But interesting tidbit about Jack Nicholson, I might be the only one that stood up and applauded during that scene. Oh, that movie was so good. Chase was explaining to Lorela.

He grew up around the corner and the names of his dover min's were Leopold and lobe So Nathan Leopold and Richard Loebe were famous killers who were convicted of the kidnapped and murder of a young boy in Chicago. The Rope was American psychological crime thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, loosely based on the famous Killers, and the film provided industry first since it took place in real time, which is also crazy creepy that his dogs were named

after killers. Paris is trying to get to a locker and Rory refers to the girl Tristan is making out with as Belle Lotley, Paris says, yep, right behind Bell Watley. Bell Watley was a prostitute and later the madam of one of several houses in Atlanta's Red Light District. From Gone with the Wind, Gone with the Wind was a ninety nine American epic historical romance film adapted from the

six novel by Margaret Mitchell. Margaret Mitchell actually wrote Gone with the Wind out of boredom and had no intention of publishing the book. Lastly, we have laurel Ized having a nervous conversation with Richard and he tells her to just sit down and put her hands in her lap. Emily comes in and asked if they're having a good conversation and Laura la says, yeah, we're having a great conversation,

me and Maury. So this is in reference to Tuesdays with Marie, a memoir by American author Mitch Album about a series of visits Album made to his former sociology professor Maury Schwartz as he slowly passes from a l s. Morey's final days are spent giving his former student Mitch his final lesson of life and discuss various topics important to life and living. The book was adapted into directed by Mick Jackson, and then into a play That's it

for pop culture. Wonderful. A round of applause. Yeah, well done, Riley, that's hard work. Well, thank you very much. Okay, everybody, we're back. I'm Scott Patterson. This is the I Am All In Podcast with I Heart Radio, one of leven productions. We are going to get into favorite lines here we go. We are often running with favorite lines. Amy your first. Okay. So they're at dinner with the guy Chase, and he says, are you in the d a r And Laurel says

d A r in? And she says, boy, these carrots sure are tiny, and then she stabs the d A r in and they're all looking at her like so good, so good. Okay, Riley, you're on Mind's from Laura Lay and she's talking Luke and she says, hey, tomorrow, if you have time, I'm planning on despising everyone who says says, hey, how's it going? M hm, Danielle. My favorite line is after Dean professes his love to Rory, she goes, I I love the car Scott, Uh, you stole Amy, you

stole my favorite line. She had some really good ones, some really good ones. But yeah, I really enjoyed that d A. R. And the tiny I thought that was a wonderful little piece of acting right there, because that's all you know, that's that's where you show your comedy chops. It's like, not a lot of people can do that. I agree, that would be hard. It's hard all that, all those little subtleties and pauses and inflections and how to use your props in the whole thing. I mean,

it was just it was just wonderful to watch. You have to nail it. Yeah, Yeah, it's really funny. Just uh, it's disconnected yet linked altogether and it flows beautifully. So, Riley, what episode is after this one? We still have more to talk about. We need to turn this into a two parter. But Riley, what episode are we all watching for next? Next week? We have episode seventeen, The Breakup Part two. Hi everybody. Uh, that's it for the star

Cross Lovers and other strangers. And that was episode sixteen. And thanks for downloading, And we're gonna see you next week. I think we're gonna do a mini Uh, we're gonna We're gonna follow with a mini discussion about the remainder of this episode because we got into a little bit and that was fun. Uh, this is one of the better episodes to to dissect. But we're gonna get into it a little more with this additional episode that we'll I guess we'll drop in the middle of a week

or something like that. Uh, you know how we do it. Um. Anyway, all the best, loved, everybody, stay safe. I'm Gott Patterson and this is the I Am All In Podcast with iHeart Radio and one eleven Productions. Be well, dot hey everybody, and don't forget follow us on Instagram at I Am all In Podcast and Emailie at Gilmore at I heart

radio dot com. Oh you Gilmore fans. If you're looking for the best cup of coffee in the world, go to my website for my company scott ep dot com, s CEO, t t y P dot com, scotty p dot com Grade one Specialty Coffee