One on One: Rusty Schwimmer

two as Suki's midwife Bruce. She first appeared in the season four episode seven, The Festival of Living Art, and her last appearance UH was season four episode eight, Died Jerk. She is a very very versatile actress. She's appeared in both dramas and comedies. After starting out in Chicago, Stay Age love Chicago actors, love them, you love them. You guys get beat up in New York a lot, but

you don't deserve it. You don't deserve it. I mean, I remember, I remember when Malkovich marched in there with burn this and they just beat him up, man, And it was such such a great performance, you know, such a it was, wasn't it such a stunning performance? Um Uh, Chicago stage. You ventured to Hollywood, where you landed roles in various television series. In the early nineties, you appeared

in films as such as Little Princess, Twister. You were in Twister, Wow, great film, Perfect Storm and other great film, Uh, Runaway Jury, North Country, The informant Um and The Sessions. But most recently, Russy has appeared on The Righteous Gemstones, which we're gonna get into a little bit, Chicago, mad better call Saul Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday special. You were in that, yes, sir, okay, So you know what that's that's tell us a little bit about that. That's fantastic. Well,

a gentleman by the name of Seawan. There you go. Who was who? We became friends? I think actually in um he and I have a bunch of friends, including all of his brothers, and one of them is called James Gunn. And James Gunn likes to hire his friends whenever he can, so before he left the franchise of Guardians of the Galaxy, he wanted to have all of his friends and his relatives in the franchise. And so he called me up and said, hey, you want to play?

And I said, oh sure, why not. I'll cancel my massage. I'll be right over. That's funny. That's really great, really really great. Um anyway, so let's get started. Let me let's start off with how did you get the role? Well, I had a really really um auditioned for Suki way back, and and then also uh rose Abdu's part also Gypsy. Yeah, they loved you. They they they had to have you. They loved what you did in the room. Did do you remember the Suki audition and it weren't really really

well for you, and you're disappointed that you didn't get it. Yeah, a little bit. But then you know, when you see Melissa do it, you think, wow, well there it is,

you know. So um So that's how it started. And then I just kept kind of coming in and doing my thing, and this one just felt more like I could do it just because of the uh huh, I don't know why, uh something about it because you're all such fast talkers and on screen, I'm not a fast talker, and I thought, oh my gosh, I don't know if I can do this, and the fact that mostly I'm

hired for my reactions. I think that Bruce was probably the best role for me on that um so it was offered to you didn't have to come in and read. Oh no, no, no, I had to come So you had to come in and fight for it. Good and glad you got it. Glad you got it? Um, thank you. I mean it was hysterical you would play. Look, you had plenty of television experience from before alimbeel picket fence as you are. Well you talking about a little bit you touched on our PREVILEW what was it like joining

our cast? Well, the thing that I remember probably the most, besides goofing around with Melissa Um, was at the table read. I was petrified, absolutely petrified. An intimidating room, isn't it? Incredibly And I'm not happy anyway about those table reads because there's always that fake laughter from the writers and you always know which writers said which line and rowe which line because they laugh the hardest. And Um, afterwards you came up to me and said, great job, great job.

And I'll never forget because I thought, oh, bless his heart that he said that. Now I can feel so much better and not be fired before we even start felling. Just to add a little context that let me interject these rooms that that you won't it, I mean even for us. It was scary because you know, I don't know if you imagine walking into a conference room at the c I A or the Pentagon or the war Room. I mean, these are these are really expensive tables, that

really large tables. Everything is just set out with name cards and the whole thing and bottle of water and pens and your scripted and then there's then there's another layer of chairs behind the table. So it's like that's where the executives and the writers and and and the head of departments sit, and it's very very intense. It's

very intimidating. You really want to put on a good performance because really, even though they said you have the job and you are there and you have a signed contract, that's still an audition that is not you don't have it secured because if you blow that table read, they will recast. Yeah, it's it's over, man. So you got

to deliver in that table read. And so you've got to be good enough to deliver the goods and the table read so that the writers don't go to to Amy and say, you know that these are great lines that actor really wontched it. You know we should. Yeah, so so good on your family Um, so was the original plan to have you on for two episodes that or? I think so, I'm pretty sure it us for two episodes, which was always fun because being a guest at somebody's party,

which is what a guest star is. Um, you would like to you know, come back and be at the party a little bit longer. Um because sometimes, as as it was with Gilmore girls, you worked so fast that it would be one day and then you're out. And so I had two lovely days on the Warner Brothers lot with you guys, and everybody was lovely and um, but you work so fast, so fast that usually you have a you know, a wardrobe fitting beforehand. But Brenda, the costume designer, said I'll just come in before we

got it taken care of. And I was out of my mind with that thought. Um. But she was amazing and everybody was amazing. But yeah, you guys worked fast. We had a lot of scenes to do every day, you know, so we had to get to him, man, we had to get to him. So so you were doing your scenes with Melissa McCarthy and Nick Offerman, who was also a guest star as well in your first episode.

Was he I think so and Nick. Nick and I were friends before that, and so when we found out that we were cast together, we lost our minds because we thought, oh my gosh, we're gonna be able to play it again. And Nick and Melissa and I are from around the same area, is that right? Yeah? So while we were off screen, we were talking to Chicago doing the Chicago Now. One day the wind stopped blowing. We all fell down. Yeahs right, dish right, you know, two three wind guys, you know, and there you go.

But uh so Nick and I were very, very excited. So when we were on we were on set, we were like kids in a candy store. It was nuts. Yeah. Isn't that wonderful when that happens? Yeah? Right? Yeah. So your character Bruce, first of all, the name is hysterical. Never cracked a smile during your scenes, and it was and it was hilarious the way you just say uh huh and you gave orders to everyone around you. Did you have a hard time keeping a straight face and

keeping it so serious? The only time, to be honest, that I had a hard time keeping a straight face is when I had to look into Nick's eyes, and then I was I said, you know, don't don't make me laugh, right now, do it right? But for some reason, once I was in Bruce for the for the most part, I I kind of had that mindset that this was

a very serious situation, very serious, right. Yeah. And also it helps that when my sisters and I used to play when we were younger, uh, we always talked about how we couldn't break, we could not break, So I had some experience with that. I mean, we dream, you know. The dream scenario is to work with people that you know well and that you love and who can just crack you up, you know, just by looking at you.

But then that comes to bite you back in the in the ankles when you have to do a serious scene with them, and it's just very difficult to do it. Very very true, it is, it really is. Um. Have you ever come across a woman like Bruce? You know, Um, my mother was a nurse and I went to visit her one day while she was to her nurse stuff

and she was Bruce when she was a nurse. And yeah, and so I just went to my mother was kind of like tyme daily in a way, you know, super serious, and you would just be so scared of her so intimidated, and um, so I kind of took a little bit from my mom. And yes, I definitely knew some people that were humorless because Bruce was humorless any kind of right. And and Lauren Graham is all about its all about humor, right, Yeah, so perfect. That was just a perfect I mean, you're

so right. I mean, you put Lauren against Bruce and you're going to have like wonderful comedy produced from that. Um, how long has it been since you watched back the episode? Did watch it back last night? Or to give yourself a little refresher or I didn't. I'm horrible, aren't I Well, you don't need to. You remember very well what it was like, you know. Yeah, so you didn't need to. So it's been a while. So it's been since maybe you know, eighteen years or whatever. Okay, I got you,

it's een. Well you're busy, you got other you know, you've got a lot of you know, you've got a lot of irons in the fire man, you know, you know who's got time. I mean, yeah, yeah, it's true. And and in life, you know, life does it to you, right? Yeah? Sure? And you know it's like you know, you're still on. Everybody's still on the hustle man. The business has changed. It's hard to get work, even though they're producing more shows.

It's crazy. Um yeah, yeah, Uh. What do you remember about your time on set other than what you've already discussed. What I remember, besides joking with Melissa and and and Nick Um, I remember panicking that I was not going to be able to get my lines out fast enough. And before I started, I would say them as fast as I could, as fast as I could, as fast

as I could. And I believe was Chris Long, the director on this episode, maybe maybe on your first one, on my first one, and then yeah, and so what was really tough is they basically would just come up to me and say, yeah, faster, yeah, And that's us too, every day all day. It's really good. Really go faster. And you're thinking, I got a moment here, yeah no no, no no no, no, no moment. We don't care about the moment, just go ahead. Yeah. And I remember that.

But I also remember I'm such a history fanatic, like Hollywood history attic, that I was so excited to be on that little street because I knew so many other things were being filmed there. I remember that very clearly. Isn't the history of Hollywood just fascinating? Fascinating? You probably know a heck of a lot more now, I but I I delved into it a little bit. I read, I don't know, I read a bunch of books about it. It's it's fascinating how it all began, why it began exactly,

just fascinating. It really truly is um. And it all came about because you know, the Eastern European uh, Jewish immigrants were not um ascending into people, yeah, and not ascending into the upper rungs of high society in New York City. So they created their own royalty. It happens, It happens with yes, but what a wonder what a wonderful result. We'll go to the West coast. We'll get the best market and pr people from you know, I

guess Lou Wasserman was from Cincinnati or Cleveland. Um. Oh wow, you know so much more than I. Oh no, no, I don't, I do not, I do not. I don't you know more than me? Um? And we'll go, you know, we'll go buy some land and build build some buildings and make some pictures. Fascinating. Absolutely. Do you get recognized a lot for this role? Um? I do, and I always know, you know, usually I can tell what a person recognizes me from just by their aid or their gender.

So when I see women between the ages now of you know, Queen to about forty, I know it's going to be either Gilmore Girls or Little Princess one or the other. And but you know, if if, if, if, if, if a dude around your age comes up to me, I know it's not going to be Gilmark. Netflix has really changed the game for the show. And here's you know, I'm gonna brag a little bit because I'm so proud of this to be just a part of it. Um. You know, Gilmore Girls is the number five streaming show

every single week on Netflix. I mean, I'm sorry, across all platforms and listen to this. They get a total Gilmore Girls averages seven hundred sixty million minutes streamed per week. That's twenty million episodes per week are consumed by the

world of Gilmore Girls episodes, oh, every single week. So I do these fan conventions from time to time, and you know, seven year old girls stand in line and their parents and there's stays start shaking when and their parents say say something, it's Luke, and they just they're dressed like Luke and they you know, you know this kind and and it's just it's everybody's all. These newer generations are discovering the show doesn't matter whole they are. So, Yeah,

babies recognize the characters. Babies because the Netflix, because their moms and dads are watching them all the time. Yeah. Absolutely, they don't know why. They're happy. They look at me and they their eyes light up and they recognize me. It's wild. It's wild. My niece, Uh made a game for all my other nieces to play, and it's Gilmore Girls. It's a game that he had with Gilmore Girls. And I said to her, am I on that, and she looked at me guiltily. No, you didn't make the cup.

You didn't make the cup. Yeah, so, oh, I've heard that plenty of times in my life. You didn't make a cut. Oh man, Well you know what, what a what a great performance, What a great performance. Thank you. So you've worked on The Righteous Gemstones starring John Goodman. How is that it is? Heaven? I just did another episode? Uh, you know because Sriff Brenda has to come back into town once in a while. So uh, once again another

tough broad. You know, tomte a dish. You know. But you're one of those genius, versatile character actors, aren't you. You can do anything, you can just do it any I can tell you, just do anything. Wow, got playing a lawyer with exposition. I'm not good at that, okay, But but Righteous gem Stones. That whole cast is amazing. That crew is amazing. They're tight, and but they were welcoming and lovely and I thought, I'm I'm gonna I'm gonna die. I'm so nervous, and uh, they were all

so welcoming. And John Goodman watching him work is glorious. And he's so hard on himself though, and he could have just phoned it in and he refuses to phone it in. Amazing to watch. So he's so he's he's plumbing the depths he's bringing he's trying to get to the gold every take. If he doesn't get it, he wants another take, and it's like he wants to talk to the director, he wants to just he's not going to leave that scene until he's given it his his best.

That is absolutely coz he's one of those guys he just digs in and fights, he fights. And if he's not him fighting, right, because because you're not feeling it every day, you can't possibly feel it every day, and some days it's not going to be there, right, you gotta fight and that means you got to fight for the time. And you know this as because I'm a sports fanatic, um, you know this as a ball player. This is something that you just have to keep fighting

even if you're not feeling it. You know, you know you're gonna have to pitch that curveball as well as you can. But but sometimes it's not working, but you still have to keep going. In my case, most most of the time it wasn't working. So bringing back bad memories, I had to get my next scope because you know, I throw the curveball, you'd hear the crack of the bat and I go like that jerking to watch it fly away. So anyway I think I might hold the well, let's not go into it. Uh. I want to get

into the I want to get into the baby. Okay, we have to talk about the baby. The baby. Now we have been bantering back and forth on the podcast ever since you appeared on screen, and and we you know, part of the discussion goes into is it a fake baby? Is it a real baby? What's going on? Is a rubber baby? Is in a plastic baby? We think it's a rubber baby. What's going on? Tell us the truth? Is it sometimes a real baby and then a rubber baby.

And now I think it was if I am remembering correctly in my eighteen years, I believe it was a rubber baby the whole time, baby the whole time. I was right. I was right, And I was vilified for this opinion. I was vilified. I was castigated. Yes, yes, I was ridiculed. And look, how dare they? Some people said it was real. I said, it's not real. You're

not gonna have a real baby on set. You're not gonna it takes hours and hours and hours to film a scene, right, they're not gonna do it, especially with your with your show. They didn't have time for that. Yeah, and I truly believe it was a rubber baby. I'm pretty sure it was. Was it? Did you remember how it felt? Was it cold to the touch? Was it sort of rubbery and cold? It was rubbery? Rubbery, rubbery, and to the point where it was just kind of like funky and it was a funky rubber baby. We're

gonna add funky to the rubber baby. Yeah, it was a thinky, funky little rubber baby. Yeah, yeah, sure it was. Yeah, but you know, it looks real. It looked real. Yes, it's amazing. But I you know, I'm usually the baby whisperer. I've worked with lots of babies and doggies and stuff like that on screen, and I thought, I'm ready for this, but I didn't have to be because it was a rubber baby and they had no time thinky, funky rubber baby. Oh god, oh man, we are. Let me tell you something.

You have immemorialized yourself in this podcast with that comment. I'm telling you, all right, we're gonna a little game called rapid fire. Okay, well, I'm gonna I'm gonna fire a bunch of questions out you gotta and unfortunately you still we just faster is better? Okay, Yeah, I know it's it's you're back in Gilmoreland. How many coups of coffee if you had today? Probably about four? Are you team Wow? Are you team Logan? Jess or Dean? Oh uh Dean. Um, because he's gentle. He was gentle. Who

was your favorite Gilmore Girl's character? Um? I you don't have to be pressured into saying that actually was Loue. Okay, thank you it Actually what would you What would you order at Luke's Diner? Well, absolutely coffee, and I would have to say eggs and bacon. There you go. I'm an exit and bacon guy too. Would you rather go on the road with Taylor or Michelle? Oh? Michelle, Michelle, Okay, finish the lyric and where you lead, I will follow

dot dot dot everywhere, damn it, close, very close. Where you lead, I will follow uh Donna, Uh damn it. I'm bad. I'm so bad. I'm gonna be honest with you. Just like full disclosure. I don't watch a lot of TV and watch sports. I watch sports. Um, it's anywhere that you tell me to which is which is not a line I would ever remember because I don't like doing things that people tell me to do. It's still that way. Jackson's Vegetables or Suki's baked goods, Jackson's Vegetables.

Would you rather listen to Drella's harp or the Troubadours cover songs. Oh gosh, Troubadors cover songs. There you go, um children Prep or stars Hollow Hi, Stars Hollow Hi go Public School all the way. Um, Rusty, thank you so much for joining us. It was a pleasure. Hope you come back on and and and that's what you do? You have you don't you don't have any more episodes? Do you? Thank you? Scott? I don't what a what a what a wasted opportunity to bring somebody of your

skill level? Oh your lovely darn it? All right, So that's gonna do it, Rusty. Look, we're gonna stick or you're gonna stick around. I'm gonna do the intro with you here. I just wanted to get to the interview right away. But don't go away, don't click off. And thanks for joining us. That's gonna do it. Uh, Rusty Swimmer, any relation to David No? But we are friends. Okay, Yeah, yeah,

there you go. Um. Yeah, the the the monumental talent of Rusty Swimmer graced Our Our Love series for two episodes. Should have been twenty, should have been two hundred. For god's sake, why not a series regular? Um? But thank you so much for joining us and be well, happy holidays, all the best. Thank you, you sweet man, thank you, and you're too very very welcome. Hey everybody, and don't forget follow us on Instagram at I Am all In podcast and email us 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 C O T T y P dot com, Scott e P dot com Grade one Specialty Coffee. Yeah.