Bellamy Young

Hey there, I'm Fella me Young, and I'm Brian's friends from work. Hi there, listeners, Welcome back to another brand spanking new episode of Off the Beat. As always, I'm your host, Brian Baumgartner, and you just heard from the wonderful, the delightful, the hilarious Bellamy Young. You probably know Bellamy from her role as President of the United States, Melly Grant in Scandal, or for playing Jessica Whitley in Prodigal Son,

or maybe Margaret Honeycroft in Promised Land. Whatever you saw her in, I can only promise you this, she was excellent. And Bellamy has had well, she's had an incredible journey which somehow includes being North Carolina's Junior Miss, becoming spokesperson for the Humane Society, and winning celebrity Jeopardy. Oh and also going to Yale to study physics. That's right, Bellamy seems to be very good at well, just about everything, and now her journey will include being a guest on

Off the Beat, a title. Well, I'm sure she's going to add this to her long list of accomplishments. I'm excited to dive into her story. It has taken her from the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Gulf Stream Waters, to Broadway and back. I'm not going to make you wait here. She is Bellamy Young, Bubble and Squeak. I love Bubble and Squeak on Bubble and Squeaker Cookie every month left over from the nutby Hi. What, I'm so happy to see you. I miss you. I am so

happy to see you. What's going on? You know? It's just a rain a day in New York City trying to make meet its possibility? How about you? What is is that? An? I love New York? Fuck it is? Can we curse on your show? Yes? It is? Wow? I mean that is I know that you live there, but that mug is a cliche. I love it. I'm a cliche. It's just how it happens. Be It's like

how I roll. I literally got this apartment. I was here after college for like a decade and then I was you know, l A was so good to me, and I'm so grateful to her, but she and I do not understand each other. And so when I got back, I literally went downstairs to the choky shop and got this mug and it is the only thing I drink out of the only thing. Oh, I love that. That is so that is amazing, the big apple and everything. It's just perfect. Um, here is a well, first off,

we should mention we have just worked together. And do you know what's crazy is we may have worked together before you worked Did we work together? We were never appeared on Criminal Minds. Oh yes, I did recur upon that, So there is a bit of a chance I was hotches woman. Right, Maybe maybe it wasn't this Did you kill people? Or did I killed people? Did you kill them? What? What? Tell me more? Well? I was a serial killer? You know that show. It's the craziest show where the lead

of every episode is the guest star. Yeah, so it's like you you literally show up and you don't know where anything is or who anybody is, and it's like, Okay, it's your show. It's all resting on your shoulder. It's all on you. And then every and he comes and you know, arrest you at the end and all that. But yeah, no, it's a crazy show. It is a

crazy show. And I I will swear those fans are so devoted of the time that anyone notices me and I you know, I'm very grateful for any of it, and but usually it's scandal, but no, forty percent of the time it's criminal minds. And I couldn't have done six episodes. I mean, I was a blip on that radar, but that's a throw. You know they're back. They're making shows again, are they? Oh? They surely are. I think he said you can creak out. I think I'm in jail.

I think I'm not. I don't think I'm coming back. They didn't call me about the about the reboot, then call me yet. Um, but we should mention, being very careful not to say too much. Bellamy and I are working together on a new show. Do you want to

tell us about it? In Atlanta, Georgia? Oh, yeah, and actually show we are doing a show h called The Other Black Girl, which was a book that came out I think last year by Zekia Delilah Harris, and she and Rashida Jones have made it into a series, like the most interesting thing to me, because I don't want people to feel like, oh, I can't read the book, I don't want to spoil the show, or I don't watch I don't want to watch the show. I read the book. It's a second swing at this, I p

where we've really diverged from the book. Uh. There's some, of course, amazing similarities and parallel paths, but it's it's a really cool project to be a part of. On our sweet Sinclair Daniels is our very leading, beautiful work. And I don't know that hack Eric McCormick. He hangs around sometimes, he's around occasionally. Well, it's been so much fun getting to know you and working with you. I've

loved it. It's been so much fun, and back in in my hometown, which I'm going to transition like seamlessly to. I think maybe the greatest similarity between you and I is this is what I would say that no one on first meeting us would guess that we're from the South. Do you think that's true? I think that's true. I think we re give it. You do. I think we're

there's a kind openness to both of us. Tell me, you know, you can have a conversation with a plastic bowl, and so can I. And that's definitely like a Southern superpower, you know. I mean, no one, no one would think we're from the Bronx and no one would think we're like Silicon Valley. Where where would you peg us? I? No, see, I would peg you New York. I would You're just flirting with me, now, No, I would. And maybe that's because I know how much you love it. Maybe that's it.

Maybe that's it. I don't know. Yeah I would. I would put you there for sure. Well that's really very kind, but I don't think I merit that. But you're not your Carolina Ashville, North Carolina, ash Vegas to those in the KNOWE whatever, I don't know Asheville, home of the I'm gonna screw it up. Pig Nut Chicken Farm, Hot pig Chicken Chicken nut Farm. You don't know what I'm talking about? No, all right, what are you talking about? No?

There's a big farm there in Ashville, ash by the way Asheville without the end, not Nashville Ashville in case I'm not Yeah, it's a totally different place. We have to build more house the Vanderbilt estate, right. We have a growth park in we have the parkway. I'm sure we have a lot of beauty, full and scenic farms. I am not aware of this one of which you speak. We have twelve Bones, which is the big barbecue place, so Vegan, I don't know how many bones there are.

You don't count the ball you no, no, no, I'm want to leave that one alone too. Um. How do you think that shaped you? Oh? My goodness, what a beautiful question, because I really can feel, particularly in people's singing voices, I feel like I can feel the topography that shaped them. So I feel the mountains inside of me, like the places to hide and then the places of wide open wonder and um, you know, home life was not the best. So that shaped you too, because you're like, hey,

I'm going to leave here. But but then once you get out, then you know, just knowing that you've come from a place of such beauty and art and food, and you know, like really um culture. Yeah, I love I love my hometown. I really do. I feel it with me always. Oh that's awesome. You started singing early. I did three. Wow, Santa Celle has been chatting you up. Wait is that three? Like professionally? Is that when you did your first album? I think we were still you know,

pressing things into vinyl in the seventies. But um, yeah, I'm adopted, and UM, they at the hospital, you know, I was in foster care for like two months, and so some wires must have gotten crossed. But the papers that were given to my adopted parents, UM, I had like two lines on My father had like a paragraph on my birth mother and um, and it said she like just so and singing, and you know, she was

an English major. And so my parents who had opted me, we're like, oh, we gotta, we gotta follow up on this, you know, in case we are not supplying what she needs genetically, you know. And uh, come to find out it was none of it true. It was none of true. She didn't I was so pretty in pink in high school, assoed everything war and I sang everywhere and I did all those things. Yeah yeah, yeah no, but I mean it turned out to be right for me, but just

not necessarily true in the abstract. So they encouraged you to sew, and well, they just sort of were like, here are some things you might turn we hear that you might be into. And honey, I loved it. Oh sing, and my goodness, I would definitely be in jail somewhere if I couldn't sing. It is absolutely my personal freedom.

Can Catharsis and joy and I'll be fussy, you know, I'll be cranky and I'll not know what's going on, but I'll get a song like going in my head and I'll be like, oh really, like literally, it's just how my body deals with being alive. But then they, you know, put me in dance. I was never quite as good at that, but I love still loved to sew. Oh yeah, I love all that stuff. Interesting, did you ever sew? No, I still can't sew. I'm gonna watch

season two. That's our goal that I learned to sew. Yeah, No, I don't sew. I think I should. There are a few things I think I should know how to do. And well, I mean I tried recently and I failed at trying to change attire the first thing I said to we really need to do that. No, I know I couldn't get the nuts. I couldn't get the nuts off. And I'm not just saying that to try to sound like I'm being perverse. I could not get I could not get the the lug nuts off of the off

the tire. Turns out I called someone who also couldn't, so there I think there was an issue. But um, I think no. I think changing a tire sewing at least. I'm not talking about making a dress or a pair of pants. But I mean, like just getting a button back on. It seems like a skill you should have, I think, right, I think that's something you can accomplish. Will work on this. Oh yeah, it's a big year.

I feel it. For buttons on. You're gonna put buttons on everything, on, just on everything, just no snaps, too easy. You gotta work for it. And then you really love it? All right? So singing was cathartic for you? Did you enjoy the act of performing? Was that a part of it? I've always loved to not be me, like the chance to not be me, for if it's three minutes, if it's three hours, if it's three years, what a delight? What what of? What of rest? Getting a job is

always like getting a vacation. I love it so much. And but even then, yeah, I know you feel similarly. I think you must like the story telling the story. It's such a joy. I'm not a person like I don't want to be the center of attention at parties scare me. Like Pedro and I got married and it was just us, you know, like I'm not ever going to be like a look at me if human. But I love to escape into something and deliver it and have it, you know, have an effect on people. That's

fun and so on. Songs are the best because you can feel like you can feel the energy in a room change. You know, it's magical to go on that with somebody. But they you know. It was the seventies and eighties in North Carolina and so most of the places you had to perform were pageants. And so that was my next question, because that that feels like like one would think that that's about being the center of attention. By the way, I totally get you. I feel like

I'm the same way. It's something actually my I think my especially my mom doesn't understand the difference between acting and doing that in front of people, but actually wanting that attention. That's not something that that I ever felt like or you know, that I wanted. But being a pageant now you North Carolina Junior miss sure, Now that's a scholarship program, Brian. It's a very different feat. Oh it is. I did pay for most of my freshman year at college, so yeah, it did. So were you singing?

Was that your talent? Did you? Oh? That was I mean that's a that's a thing though, because you have to, um, they look at your academics and your interview and your you know whatever pageant dress walking around stuff. Then you do your talent and wait for it, athletics, which is not something I've ever excelled at. So what kind of athletics? Honey. We had to do a little, like you know, a

little Jane Fonda routine, and I mean little. It was really really, really hard, and they assessed us because it's really clear who was good good at that? Wait a second second, you had to like like do I almost said jumping jacks, but no, like push up there? Yea. It was like a five minute routine and you had to hold one of those v things. I can't even do it. I was going to do it for you,

but I can't. You know, like where your abs hold your whole body in the shape of a V and you have to do push ups and you have to do jumping jacks and run around and fitness fitness, why wow, this was a part of it. But you but you in North Carolina, I didn't win in at Nationals. They they liked my singing. I had a talent award at Nationals. But but I stress. But I when I was little, because you know, this all starts. It starts in nineteen

seventy five, which was bicentennial year. My mother made this spectacular long dress hoop skirt bicentennial on PSMB but complete with bicentennial parasol. And you gott you know, five years old, and like walk around with your parasol and your hoop skirt and yeah, but I very quickly. I am not at all competitive except with like myself, I mean mean inside to myself. But I'm always like, you should get this,

or you know, I hope you went. So I started in seeing really she had all her friends were there, My mom's friends were there. So we're still gonna have to go, but I just like I would say, you know, Scarlet's in a beautiful future dressed to to lighter shield tap forest while twirling her baton. I'd say, climb every mountain while they tabulated the boats. And your southern accent just came out when you were chick channeling that. It must it must. How big was your hair? Oh? Higher,

the hair closer to God? That's right, as big as it could get. Yes, Wait, I have to ask, did you ever have to in Atlanta pageantify yourself? No, well there wasn't. I don't. I don't think there are pagets for boys. I don't know there was like cotillion respect as well. Alright, I'm gonna need it when I see your next I must see those pictures. Okay, I don't know, I don't know how much still be all right, we'll see um. Also probably google bule and be to everyone listening,

I hope not. Okay, So this is insane. You basically you're doing padgets and then you decide you want to go to Yale for physics. Now you want to be a scientist. Yeah, yeah, it was most and you're giving up performing. You're like that. That isn't a thing that you think you're gonna wait so talk to me. You think you're really not gonna you enjoy performing, but then you decide you you want to be a scientist. Is this what happens? Well, I wanted to leave North Carolina,

and I UM don't know how. Honestly, I don't know how Yale even came into my sphere of knowledge. But somehow I heard that you could. They had singing groups, um acapella singing groups, and I was like, oh I could still sing. I was like, if I could get in there, my mom cannot say no, right, Like that's a good enough reason to leave North Carolina. So I

applied early, and I loved physics. I was never I got to Catholic school and then like public school and like I never caught onto the like an exclusionary God, but like physics and science made me feel like I was seeing the face of God, like the truth, like you could really work to the truth. And oh, I just loved it. But again, just I wasn't. I didn't. I didn't turn out to being great at it on the world stage, but I was good at it where I was. Um. So I applied early and they put

me on the wait list. But I'm Southern, so you know, I thought they were just being polite and that they would tell me no later and just let me get used. To the know. I applied to twelve other schools and got really good at applications. Re submitted an entire application to y'all, and likely they thought, dear God, just to hush her up. Just let her in, Just let her in. So you might be the only person in history that went to Yale for physics. But really, because they had

an acapella singing group. You don't know that. Maybe you don't know. I think you are. I'm going to go out on a room. Let's say. Let's say that's it. So you started, you started singing, You get there, and you you discover you might not be a scientist after all. But but the singing you enjoyed. I loved it. I

loved it so much. And we I was in like the funny singing group that like co ed funny singing group because there's like you know, single sex and serious ones and all that kind of stuff, and I wanted to be I wanted to laughs and to sing that like you know, Todd Rundgren and like you know, stuff that I thought was cool, and I had a really

good time. But then it all, like those last few years in North Carolina kind caught up with me, and so my beginning of college was extraordinary and diverse and thriving, and by the end I was a bit of a wallflower and just going through stuff. Right, you do start taking theater classes. I do. I finished with a double major English and theater. Are you career committed? Then? At that point, what a what a fun way to ask that? Thank you? I think that's it's such a great I

was committed to staying out in the world. I didn't want to go home. I was game for whatever I was going to do. Ah Actor's Theater of Louisville had this internship program that everybody was always in the hospital. I mean, they worked you horribly, I think, but I was like, yes, I'm gonna do that. Um, and my friend Mike Zimmer, who was now real Marshall's like homeless partner, you know second hand. Um, Michael was like, calm down

to New York with me today. I'm an audition for a tour of meeting in St. Louis And like I should write my paper, but of course, I'm not going to write my paper. So I go down and got the job. And so I did the first national let me meet St. Louis instead unbelievable and that and that's

and that's how your career began. Yeah, and then that, you know, after the tour, I got a little apartment on the like where was it, I guess, and between second and third and just start going to the calls and doing summer stock and doing regional theater and doing stuff off Broadway, and but musical musical, musical, musical, and you know, a couple of law and orders as you do. Okay, so you so you were dipping, you were dipping your toes into some film and television stuff as you were

auditioning for theater. I mean, you really have the stink of musical theater on you, and like, especially back then New York was pretty bifurcated, you know, so I feel lucky I got in there, right. I do want to mention In nine you make your Broadway debut as Mary in the original cast of psy Coleman's The Life. Did

that feel like a dream come true? Yeah? It really did, And it came out of nowhere, and I just moved to my apartment on Sunday six between Broadway and West End, and my mom was actually here and we were unloading boxes. I got a super last minute audition. I wasn't gonna go because we're moving, and she's like, just go. And I don't even take like dance clothes. I have to pull sheet music out of the file cabinet at the casting offices. Um, they kept me a long time, but

then they're like, okay, thank you. And I walked from forty three to seventy six because I was like, my mother is gonna be so mad at me because I like left her unpacking. And then I tanked this audition and I swear as I walked into the apartment, my landline telephone rang and my son my mom was there for me to get my Broadway show. That's amazing, I know. And then we got the sewing machine out and we made some curtains, not kidding at all. Oh my god,

that's amazing. Um, so you you decide, because you're a musical theater actor. And at this point, merrily we roll a long fous book of days. You've done all this theater. You're gonna move to l A now, this is true. Your agent said you're too old. Yeah yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah, I was twenty nine. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I moved like right before I turned to thirty. And of course that there was a guy. There's always a guy. So there was a guy. We've done a little movie.

But so I went with very low expectations and I you know, the stuff I'd been sent out, but I was with Garish at that point, and the stuff they

were sending me out on wasn't that interesting. And I had absolutely no concept of Los Angeles, either it's physical geographical scope or like because there's a lot of work um or there was at that point, and um, I just got really lucky, really fast, not in terms of a big break that put me on the map, but just you know, working after, which is the thing that makes me the happiest of all. You know. Now it's at a little bit at different level, but all I want is like to get to work. I love it.

So I was l A was always very kind to me in that regard, and yet we were both LA and I would look at each other like total side. I like, really, you are you gonna wear that? And I'd be like, are you judging? Me. So it's always it was very much square peg, round hole, and I'm grateful for every minute. I mean, this is not exaggerating, truly. During this time, you begin guest starring on literally the biggest shows in television. I never did Friends. I really

regret that I never got to do Friends. I never did The Office either. Whatever. Okay, well, first all, sorry I misspoke. You start doing guest stars during this time on literally the biggest dramas in television. Yeah, I mean X Files, E Er, West, Wing, n C, I S. Gray's Anatomy, Private Practice. Yeah, there was a Fraser but

I no, But I mean that. I mean you were getting amazing experience on huge shows at the time, and you're loving you and you're loving it, loving it because you learn everything you know, from how people treat each other, to like what's expected of you, to all the things that they didn't cover. All my acting classes were very like, let's you know, are we going to read the scene cold?

Or should we rehearse it? But it wasn't like how to deal with a line producer or you know, get there early enough so that you're in the makeup chair at your call time, not ten minutes after your called, you know, like just how to work, and then you see who you want to be like and who you don't, and it's the best, you know, grad school of my life. Just a job around and eavesdrop on everyone. And they were always like, Okay, David Crusoe, did you ever go

over there and do those Miami whatever c s? I'm like, what that? There's plenty of you know, you're just like draw on the floor behavior from Caruso on those days. He's maybe he's a wonderful human now and I have no way of knowing that, but you know, there was a time at an APEX moment where they were just like, wow, that's not what I want to be, you know, other than other than employed and a franchise that's gonna go forever. I'm a happy girl. I'm not the girl that's like

another season. I'm like five more. She's I just I just want to show up, right. Um. I don't want to bore people because I have discussed this before, but I want your impression of this because you seem so

so positive. I have said many times the hardest job is the guest start job, you know, and I think it teaches you one as you said who you want to be, but two really teaches you how to work and adapt in different settings because as a guest starre often you don't know the crew, You don't know anyone's name. I mean, did you find that to be challenging as well? Every time? Because every time it's different, and you know, it helps you practice humility because you just have to

ask questions. The hardest part for me is always the crew because you don't know how they're used, like how fast or solo they're used to running. You don't know are they going to do thirty five takes? Or do I need to do this in one? And asking every question that comes to mind just wastes everybody's time. So that that's sixth sense of trying to mind read and into it. You know, it's like those child of alcoholic days,

sort of like walking on eggshells all the time. It's those like it's that sixth sense that you kind of pull into play and it's different on a on a one hour than it is on a half hour, And like those are big lessons, but I always just sort of stepped to it from the like it was school. School was always something I was good at, Like I could. I understood that paradigm, and so I just sort of always stayed in that paradigm for all those years, like, ooh,

what am I going to learn it? Oh? That's really interesting. Oh I'm not gonna put my chair there. Okay, alright, you know, but it's so hard, and it never gets easier. You're always other. So it's it's humbling, it's it's instructive, but it's hard. Yeah. A couple of shows I mentioned, Gray's Anatomy, Private Practice, they have a little something in common under rhymes. While you were working on those shows, did you have any direct contact with her or did you get to know her for her team a lot

as you're working on those shows. Sweet Linda Lowey cast for Shanda for a hundred years, and I auditioned for Linda a lot. So it's Linda that I knew and all of her beautiful team. And I was in the Private Practice world as they spun off from Gray's Anatomy, so it was like a two hour Grays but I

was within the womb of the national little private practice. Um, so I wasn't with her then at all, And the first time I met her was in my audition and my audition was, I mean, quicker than you can, you know, drink adver. No, I had two lines three lines in the pilot, and I was going to work the next day for Scandal, and so they brought like five of us it and I go in and there's only so many ways you can say two lines, and so it's all very fast, and it's also a little intimidating because

she's there and also her producing partner Betsy. Everybody's sort of playing the room, but Shonda this time to give the adjustment, and all I could think about Tony. I just worked with Tony Goldwin. He just directed me on Dirty Sexy Money, and so I was just thinking about like like standing beside him. He was just always sort of beside me in the room in my mind, and

those were sort of informing it. And then they you know, I I was the one that day they got the call and worked the next day and was supposed to just be on a couple of shows, and then they let me stay the whole damn time. So I got to know Shawn pretty well. But no, I think at that point not a bit in the world. So really, you don't have any idea this is going to exist beyond a couple of three episodes. And now that you're

telling me this story, it sure sounds like it. Because when you go in and you're working the next day or two days later whatever, like this is not they're not taking their time with it because they don't think that they need to. No, that's crazy. And then you just stayed. You just put your name on the trailer. I'm not I'm not leaving. Well, they I dressed up for that second table read honey, there's a Southern there's

another Southern superpower. I dressed up. I was like, oh, we got picked up the series and um shan we read this script and Shawna came around and sort of told everybody what they'd be doing. That first season was only seven episodes, so she kind of went around. She got to me and she's like, and I want to write a presidential divorce, and so I think you'll be here to maybe three episodes. And my heart like tried to keep smiling, but my heart like went through the floor.

I was so sad. I think they just I don't know, they just let me fight with people. They were like, hey, that kid does out to fight with people. I was like, yeah, let me do it. I'm do it. But they didn't buy me a wig till that second season. That was just my thel Bins. So that's how that's how you know they're not taking you seriously. Wow, what do you think it was about the character or you that the writers started to latch onto the fight? I think they

I don't It's not me. I think they started to realize them they could attenuate the leverage of the love triangle like that. There was there was more to explore there than just to like make it so easy and get rid of the wife. And you know, not that it would have been easy in that scenario with those characters, but it was messier to keep the other woman around, the other woman being the wife. Right when did you find out that you were going to be sticking around?

They called? I went to India with my friend Jules, who's great production designer, and I reckon I didn't have a phone that worked out of the country, and so I got back in the country and my manager was like, I've been trying to call you, and I was like, oh no, thinking I've done something wrong or you know, I was going to get fired from a job. I didn't have or it's like the making you a series regular on Scandal, and I was like, I wish I

bought that ring in Jaipor. I've gone so super budged India and I was like, Oh, I find only known we could have slept in a hotel that night. It would have been great. How did you find out that eventually you were going to become president? I don't even remember. I think it was something you were expecting, not at all. I think Jeffy was supposed to be president. I mean

he gets voted president destiny. Do you find that you don't really remember what happened on shows that you've done, because I just consistently we also we like, I don't know, I'll see you there, though we also shot a lot of alternate stories, like I still don't really Lena Donald was on Scandal at one point, and either she lives or dies, but we shot at both ways. And I don't remember at any rate. Jeffy was supposed to win, which if I think he still did and then something

happened we shot him or had a hardttorthing. But everyone thought Hillary was going to win, and Shanda had put a lot of sweat equity into that in that direction, and I think was really gutted as some of the rest of us about that that that you know that it went another way, And so I think it is only because she did not win that Melli became president.

I mean, I've never had a long conversation with Shunda about this, and I don't know that she's ever gone on record, but I don't think it was ever the plan. Interesting you shoot scandal, I mean Awards Critics Choice Television Award for your role there, beloved character on an amazing show, seven year run? How was that for you? Having to

say goodbye when it was over? It was um, I think everybody was tired and understood because she had She had been very forthright from the beginning about saying that this was a story to juxtapose with Gray's Anatomy, which can and probably will go forever. She was like, this is a story. I know where it starts and I know where it is. So we always knew we were on borrowed time, uh, and so we were grateful for

every season. Every season was a different number of episodes, Like everything was very fluid, and every time we get another season would be like yeah, and then when she was like, we're finishing, we were like copy. Um Josh, Milena was like, but my daughter still in college, and he was like sorry. But also at that point I was sweet Buckers, I love them so much, like we were a family. There was no way, like we weren't going to be together every day, but there was no

way we were not going to always be together. So it didn't feel so um grievous because we get to watch everybody do magical other things. What do you think it was about that group that makes it because it's not always like that. What do you think it was about that ensemble that made you all so close? I mean, I think Carrie, I think she's just a wonderful, humble, big hearted leader. She was like the quarterback of the

team when she still is. Like it was just very clear from the beginning that it was, you know, nobody left behind sort of situation. Even when we renegotiated. You know, so often there's a squeaky wheel somewhere, or just people who are super young and think they're now is there forever, or you know, so many different dynamics that can sort

of pull you apart. But we were all old enough to be grateful and and if Carrie wasn't gonna remember day Today's Show, like Season five Today Show wanted to do something live about the premiere, and we were all like, I don't want to get a bit one thirty to be ready for Hamera three thirty, but you know, like complaining. You know, Carrie's just sitting in the makeup chair and listening to us all. She's like, well, I'm going to

be here. I think it's amazing. A season five shows should get attention like this, And we were all like, you know, just yeah, that's right, you're right, right, I'm sorry, that's fun, You're right. What am I thinking? So? And everybody's just also family people, So it's been nice to see everybody's kids grow up, and it's a long time to share. You have that, You have that with your PiZZ Yes, no, we do, and it's special and you you bring up age. I think is a part of it.

People who have diverse experience in the industry and know how difficult it can be and feel very lucky to have found a show that you feel good about and a collection of people that you're lucky to be with. I think that brings appreciation exactly what you said. Yeah, and nobody was ignored. Everybody had heavy lifting to do. Everybody got great monologues, everybody gets a great storyline. So everybody felt like they left it on the field and it was time to go take a shower. When you leave,

you immediately have another show. Now it was a pilot that didn't get picked up, and then you take a little personal hiatus, do I I probably just didn't have a job. What did I do? You you went traveling? Oh? Well, yes, oh I did. I did. I went my suite. Now, husband he performs a lot, and I was like, well, I don't have anything to do. I'm gonna go be

his groupie. But then sweet Scott Foley was doing Whiskey Cavalier and so he let you do a job with him in Prague while I was over there, and so there we know, we've got a little bit of working here and there. But yeah, I did. I saw a lot of stuff. How long were you traveling? As long as they'd let me. I don't even remember. I mean I feel like I was gone a couple of months. I went to Okay, like eight places maybe remember, Yeah, Brevnick and Warsaw and Prague and Stockholm and then just

all over the place. Um, you begin in twenty nineteen working on Prodigal Son, a procedural show that I've heard you talk a little bit about. To me, that is a got to be a challenge as an actor to work on a procedural show where there is kind of a reset. There was more of a continuing storyline in that than on most But talk to me about Jessica. Well, the good I can say. I hear you about the procedural and it's tricky when you're with a cod within

that was part of the machine. But Jessica was so on the periphery of that and uh, such a nutbar and like a real character that is never boring. And it brought me back to New York. You know. They were like the show, but it's in New York. I was like, I'll do it, and I said, you want to know what it is? No, not really, but do

we know? But it's Tom Payne and Michael Shane and just lose Sweet Loue Diamond Phillips and you know, not everybody was easy on that show to juxtapose it with scandal, but um, but the people I love is still love really, really deeply, and the work was always like a masterclass, so that I never had to be like, you know who we who we killed this week, and how we can figure it out. I never had to do any

of that. I just had to spar with like really great actors and be this fantastic I mean a character. I would just never that sort of love about our jobs. Brian. We get to live so many lives in one lifetime, and that life was so fun. Drunk sucking Upper east Side Jessica. I miss her horribly. I missed her a little snark. I missed that she was really in on her own joke, like I really missed her. She was a ball of fun. Did the darkness of the show get you down? I was mostly safe from it, I

really was. I wouldn't have wanted to, you know, like have to spend all days staring at someone locked in a box or you know, like all that kind of stuff. I look at people who do years and years of like vampire shows or something, and I think I think that would really that's hard, especially because I mean I get a little higher at work. It makes me real happy, and I get joyful. They have to call me down you know. So I know it's hard, but Jessica didn't

have to mess with any of that. She just and if she was around it, she was drunk and so checked out. So in that way she was baked from it all. What's the darkest thing you ever did? Oh? Boy? Well, I mean, I mean we were referring to be playing a serial killer, so I don't know, by inherent definition if you can be darker than that. I do get more comments from my family about playing a pedophile. Deep. Yes, okay, that's fairly dark. That's that. That's definitely dark. That's no

fairly about it. Yeah, no, that's well. The character was that was oh that was the law and order, Law and order s vu that. The thing about that one to me is it wasn't It was not a large role. It was not a whole lot of exploring to have been done. So it didn't I didn't really have to like get internal right, Yeah, I didn't have to. Yeah, it was um killer. I did a lot of darkness, and we were the opposite in that in theater, I was it was dark. There was a lot of darkness,

whereas you were like merely we roll along happy. Well, I mean I was a hooker who I mean a stripper who became a hooker who went to l A to be a porn star. So it's not all Leven. Fine, that's true. What's the darkest you've ever played? Oh? You know, the deepest I went on prepping darkness was Lou Diamond Phillips and I did a movie about Richard Ramirez, The night Stalker, and that was I feel like that was

the time that I got scared the most. That's the project because it was a film, and so it was it happened from a very long amount of time. It was a slee a two hander, so a lot of it was just me and Lou and oh it was really tricky. It was really tricky. It was a rewarding work. We had a great director. Um Lou is obviously a wonderful man, and I adore working with him, and I adore um he just he takes care of you in

a lot of wonderful ways. Um. But I just that was a to get like to go inside that world, that mind. I don't want to call it to me. I don't want to be near it. You know, Yeah, just scares me. Do you want to go back and do theater. Yes, I do. Oh my god. I did a play this fall, just a fundraiser for a new UM beautiful like called Bonded, And it was very hard work. It was very deep issue, but it felt so rewarding.

And again just to be in the room and to feel to right, it's like surfing, right, It's like emotional surfing. You just have the You just go on the ride with people. Do you ever think about it going back? Yeah? Yeah, I've started two more. Is there a role that you're just like, I've got to do? Well, here's the here's the crazy thing, like of the like American cannon. I'm

not going to mention any role specifically. I'm not going to do that, but I will say this that a lot that I played, I'm now more of the age four correctly understand. I understand so that that intrigues me. That intrigues me. Um, you released an album speaking of Far Away So Close about growing up in North Carolina. It's just all songs I love and songs that have stories.

I had sung the national anthem at a Dodgers game we like scandal went and like did the whole somebody throughout the pitch and like Carrie called the names and I saying that, you know, it's like the whole thing, and then are very very kind gladiators. Uh, We're like start really started, and I mean like you need to make an album. And I was like, oh my god, you know what, I'm never gonna have this chance again. I better do that. They're so right, and I'm so good.

I did. I loved every second of it. And yeah, and I'm still proud of it. Yeah, congratulations, You're You're amazing. All right, talk to me about the other black girl. Are you having fun? I'm having the best time. Oh my god. I got to work with this guy named Brian. He's sort of fun. I don't know if you know him, but he like he raises, He like raises every scene. It's just it's like they're on the page. And then Bryan and then Sinclair. Oh my god. I love her

so much. We've had real we've had really beautiful times, she and I. But I've loved all of our directors. I'm interested in the story. This is the character I'm playing. In particular, I wasn't so much flux Um, Like they really didn't know who she was. They wanted to change so much from the book, but then they didn't want to go too far and is she going to be super comedic or is she going to be super dry?

And just to this wig, no to that wig, use your own hair, don't wear this clothes, don't wear that. It was really existentially disorienting. So that challenge was also fraught, but um rewarding, Like I feel like we came out the other side of it. But yeah, it's been wild. I love our show runners. Do you love our showrunners? Don't say no, I too. I uh, yeah, it's it's very interesting. Tonally, I think it's really interesting. And I you know, I get nervous because I don't ever want

to say something that I'm not supposed to say. I've been accused of that, of saying the wrong thing in the past. So I can't really say much about it. But here's what I think we should do. What is I think when it I think when it comes out, then we should we should reconvene again, maybe get maybe get that guy Eric and Sinclair and the whole gang. Let's do that. It's such a good group of people. And then and then we can really talk about it. Yes, we can tell we can tell the stories that we

can't tell. Now, Okay, it's a deal. It's a deal. Listen. I am so glad to have met you. You are so you are so one talented and funny and genuine and just. I mean, let me tell you guys something. Amy. By the way, Amy is her real name. Yeah, I mean, I don't know if we're I don't know if that's a secret, but it's not a secret. I don't actually tell tell the tell the story. I mean, I don't

know if people know this. You in the history of Hollywood, there can only be one person with your name, that's right. And some little girl took Amy on thought it was gonna perhaps be sort of like Rose at the end of Titanic or something, right, and I go to her like and pay, like, oh my should be like please, may I use my name now? And she would give me your blessing. But now it's some child, and so

it was impossible for me to be Amy. I could be Amy in Young in Equity the Theater Union, But sang, that's why you have so many weird named actors is because she can only be one person. I think the asterisk is Vanessa Williams. Because the other Vanessa Williams had the name first, but then we knew Vanessa from Miss America and from her singing and everything, so that they sort of like maybe did make her use her middle

and I don't know anyway, grandfather grandfather her in. She's the only person I know of that has a name that is another person's name. How did you come up with Bellamy? I mean, just tragic. I was trying to be Amanda or I am a realist or anything that I could still be Amy, and they were all not

am Else wasn't taken. But you can see why. But my dad's best friend sort of did all the dad's stuff like a tillion when he passed away, And um, so it's like a mushing of our names sounds like I'm Southern, so I thought people I kind of called myself Tennessee or Raleigh. Raleigh was on the list, young, I'll tell you honestly, I just told Pedro, does I know it is? But then I couldn't get back to Amy. The name I wanted was Susannah Grant. That's the name

I wanted. She's already a very famous producer and good at what she does, and so I couldn't have that name either, but I got to be Melly Grant, so I think it's close Susannah. So you were just making that out of thin air, making things up. But Raleigh Young was on the list. Raleigh Young. Oh wait a minute, but what was Susannah Grant something you considered or were you going to keep Young? I was just making a list,

just a spirt desperate list. Yeah. I mean that's a crazy thing, right, is like like if you have to change, there's no rules, and it was I was like, I want to not make people uncomfortable. And I was like, oh, but I could be this whole violent boat regard or whatever you know. So yeah, but then I just tried to fix something that had Amy at it, so people can still call me Amy. All right, Well, whatever your

name is, you're delightful. No no, no, Like seriously, I can be a curmudgeon and people get scared of me. You're a light yours. I don't believe it. I am just reflecting back your son. You're a delight and I'm so happy to know you now I am, And thanks for inviting me on for this fun. Well I'm gonna come to New York and I want a mug, I want to I want a mum. No, no, I want to I want to have a Okay, okay, sorry, sorry, I thought you all yours. Oh it's too much. Luck

now it's too much. Loving it all right? Thank you so much. I love you too that Thank you so much for coming on the podcast. And I'm with you. I am not a guy who says another season. No, I'm with you five more seasons of the Other Black Girl. That sounds just fine to me. To all of you out there listening, thanks for stopping by, I'm gonna be

back next week, same time, same place, with another phenomenal guest. Also, make sure to follow us on Instagram if you haven't already at Off the Beat and uh leave us a review on Apple podcast. Please all right, subscribe to the show. I cannot tell you how important that is. Thank you for all your support and we will see you next week. Off the Beat is hosted an executive produced by me Brian Baumgartner, alongside our executive producer Langley. Our senior producer

is Diego Tapia. Our producers are Liz Hayes, Hannah Harris, and Emily Carr. Our talent producer is Ryan Papa Zachary and our intern is Sammy Cats. Our theme song Bubble and Squeak, performed by the one and only Creed Bratton