Partner Track

who I was so happy to reunite with today. Partner Track is available on Netflix right now, so you can go watch it as soon as you're finished listening to this. And with that being said, let's dive on in. Hello. My name is Arden Chow and I play ingrid Ian on Partner Track. Hey guys, I'm Desmond Charm and I play z Hi. My name's Robert and I play Nick Laren Yo. Hi. Thank you guys so much for being here and I miss you. I miss you too. Where are you? I am currently in Santa Fe, New Mexico,

in the seventies, so that's my life. We should really be thanking you for joining us. In that case, I think I had the longest community, traveling, traveling all that way through time, a lot of effort, real effort, just to get a laptop the works. Yeah, WiFi hold of a very particular stage. Yes, it's true, it's true. That's been looking fun. By the way, I'm seeing Lawrence's shots from that, it looks dark. Thanks so much, Thank you guys so much for being here and for doing this.

This is great. Yeah, thanks you all for being here today, and congratulations on such a fantastic show. You know, I really really am so proud of I mean, obviously Dominar Nerd two of my oldest friends, but the show is fantastic, and I'm just I'm so proud of you guys, and I'm so happy that we get to celebrate it. You're on the podcast today. Thank you. Likewise, Yeah, thank you. Who's got the airplane? Did you guys hear that? What a plane? Oh? Maybe it was on my and then

all I heard was this massive airplane. Well it was actually just me breathing very low into the mind. Sorry, Das, Are you on set as well? No, No, I'm just at home. I get to hang out for a few days. It's so nice. That's nice. Yeah, me too. I'm just unemployed, so please watch the show. I'm with you. I'm very excited to be here. But I do have the Queen's I do have the Queen's funeral on we do to my left. Yea happening right now? It's actually insane. It's wild. Yeah,

it's really wild. Like I don't know. You're not in England, right, you're in your Yeah, it's England's like desolate, like London is is manic decor is in London right now. London is like insane. But my town, my little town where I'm at, is nobody on the streets, like nobody. It was no cause there's no motion. The The entire sort of gone dead except for London. Yeah. Is it because everyone's traveled to the location, either traveled to London or

people are inside watching it? Right? Well, first of all, let's let's let's deviate this is this is half my job of the podcast is getting us back on topic that. Let's let's talk about partner track. When you first got your auditions. Obviously, Dom and I have been a part of a TV series based on books. Did you all read the book? Did you choose not to read the book? I know different actors have different kind of ways of going about and accessing characters when it's based on source material.

How did all of you, you know, get to the project and did you read the book and tell us a little bit about that process for you? Well, for me, and after reading the pilot, I had to read the book because I wanted to see what was going to happen, especially if it was something I was going to jump into and commit. I was like, all right, let's let's

see where this goes. Because the pilot so much happens, but you know, obviously for my character it's quite triggering, and you hope that the story will be redemptive and that there will be so much more. And of course the book was amazing, and there really was, and they love that. Our show has you know, elements of the book, but it's also developed characters and deeper ways and made a you know, dramatized version that fits for television. You

can appreciate the book, you can appreciate the show. And I don't think they're really in competition with each other, if that makes sense. Yeah, yeah, I think on that note, I think Helen's actually done a really lovely job of sort of I think she's done it really gracefully, associating herself with this production in a way that doesn't feel kind of territorial. But she's just played. It's just she's really proud of that, the way that this story has

kind of evolved into this medium. And I think I've really enjoyed that while watching her and just how happy she is and how proud she is to have this story, this amazing thing that she wrote. I don't know out in the wide world, it's really really cool. I think it does help that there's like a consistency of tone, right, Yeah, it's an offer to see that preserved. I think is one of the biggest things, because that's I think the hardest. That's like one of the most intangible things to translate

into film or TV. And I think, you know, Georgia and stuff have done pretty well totally. And writers never like films of their work. It's like it's just he's like, even Stephen King hates the shining. It's like, what do you you know? What are you're talking about? This is the most amazing entertainement. So it's really lovely to see someone that's actually happy. Page fifty three. Yeah, but answer to your question. Really it's funny because I was like, oh,

Nick Laren, okay, cool, sounds like a cool character. And I bought the book on Kindle and then really cool. Obviously the first thing idea is go to the little search icon at the top, Nick no results. Hang on if is it? Maybe it's spelled an I K no, Nic no, no, he's not in it. I was like, so I I didn't, you know, I didn't bother reading the bookcase I don't care if my character is not anything, and I'm not interested. No, I did read it. I did a moment. It's a moment to be like, okay,

then I'm going to read it anyway. You know, you recovered you you, you got your you know, you recovered with your your emotions. And then Dove write it. You said your aside and Dove straight it. I love that you set your prior to side. Thanks Rob. I did. I did read it, and then I almost stopped because I thought, I actually don't want to know what happens here.

I don't want to find out because there's obviously when the ending is different, right, so like it is, dex read it while I was auditioning, and and then I was like, Oh, these are the things that happened, and then I got some more scripts and I was like,

I don't think so. I don't think any of this happens, And so like, we're definitely changing some bits that you that you are holding onto, but again you know that, and Kat and I have been through this many a time with book fans of the shows that we were on, Like, you have no choice but to change certain things. You keep the elements of the things that you really like, and you try and whole dear to the and true to the characters and the sort of general story as

much as possible. But it's such an interesting thing that some book fans, some sort of very fervent book fans, want a carbon copy of that book to just to be on screen, versus having that story told via a new medium, via new storytelling techniques and actually make it sort of interesting and something engaging rather than waiting for like I know this thing is going to happen. I want to see this happen. I wanted to see this happen.

I don't think there's a right or wrong way of doing it, but I know, from my point of views, at least as sort of TV storytelling. I find it more interesting to be able to adapt certain things and change things and make it, you know, a little bit ours, whilst also being like, we understand that this was your baby first, and we want to you know, we want to cherish it and make it interesting again, you know,

a second time, make it real interesting. It's it's lovely when it still stays true to the heart of what the story is. But even folks who know every word of the book verbatim, it can still be something fresh and something new and something exciting, and it's almost a re experiencing of the book for you know, for these

fans that even know it so so very well. Yeah, that's actually one of the common things we've heard from the fans of the book that have said, oh, it's really fun to see even Rachel and Tyler having their characters expanded and then having new characters like Nicklaren and you know, I think there's so much fun to be had and it's like sort of the fantasy dreamland of Partner tracked the book. You know, we get to glamorize it for TV and you know, exactly, and it just

allows for so much growth, So it feels fun. Yeah, I think there's no way to fully fully do it textually. I mean, there's there's certain things that will I think in any book be impossible to produce. Just fundamentally, as long as there's sort of mutual respect between the two, the respective both of the two different mediums, I think

it tends to work out generally for the best. Well, speaking of fun, I'm very jealous because New York City is one of my favorite cities in the world, and the fact that you guys not only get to live there and shoot there on a show that was set there. Um, Shadow Hunters was also set in New York and we

shot in Toronto, so you were extremely lucky. Tell me what that was like and what that you know, that whole experience was for you, and what were your favorite or maybe least favorite parts of filming in New York City, The plaza man, getting to shoot your pa. I grew up.

I think I've said this already, but you know, I remember that age where I grew up watching films like Crocodile, Dundee and Home Alone to like these iconic movies saying as the hotel, it's just it's so so exciting to realize that God that you know, that's where they stood there, and that's where that amazing scene happens on those steps, and yeah, it's magical. It's magically I had. I was

sort of lucky. A lot of my scenes we're all on locations, so I wasn't doing as much obviously, I didn't have any stuff in the jury box everything like that, So I was actually had this kind of intense days early on where we'd be in Bemleman's Bar in the Carlisle Hotel, which was I think that your first day as well done. It was my first day. There was a lot of first days actually, and that's the kind

of iconic bar on the Upper east Side. And actually during the making doing production, this this article came out in the New York Post saying all these like old timey Upper east Side seventy year olds are furious that the bell Woman's Bar has been taken over by a new generation of tiktoker's who are like queuing up to go and get you know, like get themselves in the bar. And remember reading that Chow into Georgia going, yeah, we're going to be part of the problem there, aren't we. Yeah.

That was literally like that article came out maybe the week that we were shooting there, because I remember we were all discussing it, like in our chairs, sat in Bemleman's bar, like, oh no, this is us, we're doing this. Actually rushed it through the press. The journalist was were shooting and they were like, we're writing this. They we're very angry about this. They were mostly angry at Dom and really that's where Yeah, these drinking all our whiskey.

It's true, they're always taking over drinking our whiskey. Yeah. I think for me, shooting in New York was just it felt so surreal, especially when we go back and watch the show. I think when I watch it, I see how big of a character New York played in our show. But then when we were filming, you're just so in it and it feels so hectic. Because when you film on a set or a lot, you just kind of live there. You know, everything actually feels quite easy.

You're sort of on the same set every day, you kind of check in, check out, it's all the same. But when you're shooting on location and you're shooting in this big city, the city plays a huge character. Trailer moves, the locations move sometimes you don't know where the trailer is. Sometimes you don't know where set is. You're like wondering this city kind of think for me, yeah, it's chaos.

It's really wild because there's days where you know, you know, Dom dez rob I, we would all just be like on set and you can never go back to your trailer. It's so funny. Sometimes you don't realize that even having five minutes of silence can be quite healing for an actor and give you time to sort of recharge. But we were just in it, and if I think about that now, I'm like, oh, wow, we did that. It's

really cool. Like New York played such a big part in our show, and I never spent a long extended time in New York, so I feel like I learned about the city while we were shooting, and I saw so much of the city. And even when we shot a retreat that was beautiful where I was like, oh, look at New York. There's greenery and it's nature. I love it because I feel like I'm such not a city girl. In New York itself is like terrifying for me.

Like everyone's mad, everyone's so angry, and everyone's like yelling I get it, man, I lived in London for so long, Like I just I understand. People got places to be, and like if you get stuck behind the slow walker, it drives me crazy. And like my girlfriend's quite a slow walker, and I will be like walking the dog and talking and then I turned around. She's like eight meters behind me, and I'm like, I've been I've been talking to you for an hour and a half, Like

what's how long have you been back there? Because we're talking about some serious stuff, like I don't you agreed to a bunch of things like that. They I hope you like the curtains because I picked them out and ordered them. Whether you heard it or not, I've already been on my phone this whole time. Yeah, it was a day where we I think it was the day

where we just went for lunch. Wasn't there Rather the day that we shot in the arts club where they were like, oh, yeah, we're going to shuffle you back for like a weird sort of crafted dunch. No, there's just there's a restaurant literally that's just go and have some sort of stacey And that's what we did, and that that's one of the things about being in the city. Yeah,

well that was one of the best days. And I think it was because it was one of those things where if we were to walk back to our trailers, it would have taken us nearly twenty minutes. But you what's lunch, we get like thirty minutes. We were like, why don't we just eat here instead of walking all the way back to our trailers and then coming all the way back to set. We'll actually save time eat quickly versus like walking twenty minutes, eating for two minutes

and then walking back. That's themagining in New York. The block provides, right provides. Yeah, actually, that was my first time. Yeah, that was my first time. It was one of the transfer guys, but it was it was my first time in New York ever, and was it really Yeah, that was my first time literally stating for New York, and I kind of took to it like a dufter water because I'm a city I am a city boy. I

love it. I love that place. I'm like, I'm going to walk behind these tourists and make them feel like they're walking too slow. Even though I was like the second day in town, I knew that was you YouTube series like it just walks slightly too fine and like the Asian Australia and superhero down of innocent bystanders. Honestly, I can see Dessi playing a superhero in a heartbeat, and like, I want you to have a better power than than like slightly quicker walking, but like I can

see you playing the superhero. That might be all we get. That might be all we get. Speed walking. Man, what was it like being your first time in New York? Well, it was, it was. It was intimidating at first because they put us in a hotel right on Times Square, like the front opened up two Times Square, which which is which I quickly found out as the worst place

in New York. But yeah, So the day the transport guide said that to me and picked me up, I was a little freaked out because I'd gone through the whole Time Square crushed to find him, and I was super stressed, and I was late because he couldn't get into there was something going on. He couldn't get to the front door, and I was trying to have a gate and I was like, oh man, that's gonna be crazy, and he's like, don't alright, dude. The block provides cool.

What the fund does that mean? Yeah, you get it after a while. Yeah, I first met you just because Arden did this amazing Thanksgiving dinner for everyone. She hosted everyone that was in town drink Thanksgiving the best company ever, has to be said, and she invited everyone over who was in town, said to where she was staying in the West Village and have this amazing spread. And that was that was That's actually one of my best memories. And it wasn't even I totally forgot about that. And

your parents parents, parents are so precious, you guys. Rob's parents emailed me like the sweetest emails and we just went back and forth because they were like, thank you for having us for our first American Thanksgiving. So much special. It really did. And you know what's crazy, we don't have a single photo from that day because everybody was

in it. We were having so much really cool. Yeah, it's like it's like when you know when everyone like nobody's really talking when they're eating, and you're like, oh, everyone's enjoying this, like everyone's having a good like this, you don't really need to be chatting, Like we can

chat before and after. It's the same thing with the photos, like everyone was so sort of interconnected that there was nobody thought like, let's take a photo of all of us right now, because we just you know, you were in the middle. I wasn't there. I don't know if it might invite got lost in the mail, whatever it was. We invited everyone but Dominant, Oh, of course was invited.

I was invited. I was. That's why we didn't chat the photo is because we would have had to photoshop domin, which normally and then he would have he would have been all funny about it. And it's just and then this shop him in and then what like gasolt him

into thinking he was there. There's let me tell you, I don't know how this keeps happening, but like I look like I'm photo shopped end photos, even when I'm when I was there when the photo was taken, like the last one on my wes, because you're so photogenic, dumb. It's just what happened, isn't It's not that it looks like a cut out. I look like like this one. Can you see this? I'm here that's sort a different field of focus, and like I'm in different lighting. Somehow

I was there. I was with every paris your Christmas defines the laws of conventional physics. It's crazy and it happens to be all the time. We need to never put down on the end. Whenever he's on the end, his whole body is like reflecting light and he's like focus only on me. Let me be like the standalone. At least one hand needs to be on the shoulder at all times. Someone needs to be connected to me so that you know that I was there. But it's really weird. We have like ten group photos and they

all look like dominics. Isn't so speaking of being connected because all of these seem to have made such a connection on set. What's the connection been like with the audience? What's the reception to the show been like so far? For you? Have you had some you know, encounters with folks in person or on social media anything that's what's been your favorite sort of moment of someone connecting with

the story so far? I think my favorite thing has been all the Asian American women and men, also mothers and fathers sending me letters saying how much this means to them for their children and for the little girl that they were fifteen twenty years ago. And feeling so

excited that our stories are being told. Yeah, I think I didn't realize the impact that the show would have in such a deeper level, because you know, when we're filming the show, we're just we're acting, we're having fun, we're make believe, right, we're shooting at the plaza, We're wearing gowns and taxes, and it's like doing the lawyer thing.

But then you realize for someone watching, I mean, it can feel life changing for someone to see a person that they relate to or someone that they feel like they can identify with. And so that's been really incredible. Yeah, I mean I think for me and said everything for the response from the Asian community has been nice. Um fundamentally, I don't think I've done a show that represents in any particular way before, and it is nice seeing that.

I think I said this to you yesterday. But the search that that search for community and that social identity is such a powerful engine and I think I'm was starting to see our community sort of tune it up as it were, you know, it's getting a couple of bells and whistles at it, and it's just been nice

being part of that process. Yeah, really, I open up for me this stuff because you know, there's that difference between understanding something and as a concept in your head and then understanding it kind of more in your heart physically. And that very much the case to me with representation, because I was into the off course. Yeah, of course it's a good thing. But this has been a real Oh I get it. I actually actually get it. Why

this is so powerful and it's really it's quite emotional. Actually, it's very there was we had it this week with a little Mermaid Trader came out who's you know, obviously African American and all that this foot is all these little girls, all these like all over this footage of these guys watching it. Oh my god, She's like me, I didn't even I never understood. Yeah, because I could be in this story. It's it's it's very moving a path and and I genuinely feel so proud to be

to be involved in a story like that. And Halle is just incredible. She's freaking powerhouse and I'm so proud of her. You know her, I met her ages ago, like Disney Channel days back when she was doing radio Disney stuff, and she and her sister are just the sweetest humans and also just overly, overly, inordinately talented, and the fact that this is happening for her, I just I couldn't be happier. Yeah, I cannot wait to watch it and play that trailer on repeat, and I was like,

Oh my gosh, the little girl in music. I mean, the boys know, we used to like sing Disney songs on set all the time. That was like the thing that we would do. We've got so many musical people on our set, so I'm just like, oh my god, a little more. My uber rating is still a bit hurt by how many times we would scream Disney songs

in the car after drunken nights out. And it got to a point where like like new guest stars would come in and they'd be like, oh, I haven't uber right away, and we're like, why don't we have a new bern. It's because they weren't picking us up, because we get in the car and suddenly we're singing I'll make a man out of you, and you know, can you feel the love tonight at the top of our lungs.

We had to refrain, We had to refrash, or at least I did I was very refrained from singing lion king stuff around Bradley because I didn't want to, like, I didn't know if that was like stepping on toes or whatever, because Bradley was Timber on Broadway. And I was like, yeah, I don't know, like, maybe I'll just like because otherwise I'd be in every day. And they were like and I tried to do that every morning,

you know, yeah, oh my god, I love it. Also, dude, I have to say the amount of people that I know texting me being like, obviously, Nick, what is wrong with you? And they're so passionate, they're so angry, and then they're like, oh, Murphy, I'm going to kill him. I can't tell you how many texts I've had from friends that are like, I hate Murphy, but I really like Dominic. So I feel really torn, and I'm like, my mom said that. Actually, my mom said the same thing.

She left out there, but I really like Dominic. She was just like, wow, Murphy fucking sucks. And I was like, all right, mom, well then you did your job. You know, if you've made your mom justlike you, you've done your job. I'm like, you guys, they're great, actors, incredible actors. I'm like, you have no idea. They're so different from their characters.

It's funny, though, isn't it, Because you do you get like you are you or you as as you know, as actors or anyone I suppose in the public eye used to read these things, and it's difficult to even for us to separate they're talking about a character that versus they're talking about a person. And I think I've sort of slowly gotten the handle of it um over the years, with a lot of help from Jack Daniels

um and elicited this behavior and me where now. It's like the fact that that the people are talking about the fact that people are so passionate that Murphy sucks means not only were they enjoying it, they were engaged that we told the story the correct way, but also that I kind of did my job, which makes me feel really good. So that it's sort of the more

aggressive people are, the more I'm like, that's awesome. That's kind of exactly what we wanted to kind of, right, like, that's what we wanted at the end of the at the end of the show, right you got under their skin. Well without spoiling things too much as we sort of start wrapping things up here, What if someone hasn't watched Partner Track yet, the few people in this world that have yet to embark on this series, what is the one thing that you would tell them before watching the

show or to get them to watch the show. I would say, get ready for the ride, and there will be surprises. I think people kind of come into it, especially after the trailer, thinking, oh, is your standard romcom, Like I know what to expect. But I would say give it a fair watch, and I think there's a little something for everyone, and you might come for one

thing and stay for something else. And I genuinely feel like every episode gets better and better as you get deeper into the show, and so really give it a full watch. I mean, it's only ten episodes, guys, it's easy. Most of the most of reviewers have finished it twice in a weekend, so you know all ton episodes. But you've got to give it a full watch. If you watch like one or do episodes, it just doesn't do it. Yeah, exactly that there's just so yeah, there's just so many

surprises along the way. And it's not that that's the biggest feedback I've had is People, which is not the show that they were expecting, even after the episode becomes darker in many ways and a lot more intriguing and yeah, you've got You've got to You've got to see the

whole thing. It's very I think. I think the later episodes are properly powerful, agree and they have written I guess, the stories cleverly to sort of lead to not just what happens in sort of that last scene towards you know, ongoing telling of the stories, but also they've sort of laid these beautiful threads, like threads that I'm really excited to see flourish, you know, without giving too much way.

I think everyone here knows the other ones that I'm talking about, and is too potential new love interests, I think is potentially something very excited. You have no idea, You have no idea what I'm talking about. I get it, I understand. I'm winking, and it just dawned on me that this is all the I am. Can you can you wink louder into the mighty? Yeah, dominic, wink louder with your left eye? Did you hear that? Oh my god, it's a real talent that's going. That's going all right

on the CV. That is, he's a loud winker. If only they could see all the boys winking. Now it might just be a muscle twitch at this point. Yeah, yeah, someone someone called someone Tom is a very very good winker. Has to be said, Wait, you guys, actually this is hilarious watching all of your winking. Rob's into the face like the higher face comes in. You get a little pope, yeah for sure, and then does makes like a puppy face when he winks like he makes triggers some face

muscles that shouldn't be trigging. Sorry, never know what's going to happen on this podcast. My favorite thing worried and I'm talking about we always say that we have a plan for these episodes, and then we just always go after rails, but in the most wonderful way organic association. Yeah, for sure of it. But I was shopping Just a quick story to me. I was shopping in in supermarket yesterday and at the check out there was the lady next to me, when are you coming back? I was like,

coming what to the supermarket? Are you coming back? Season two? I went, oh, well, we don't know you actually wrote what I hope, so it's thank you. Then the woman on the on the till next to me, when, wait, what's you talking about? I said, I'm in a show, and then another guy, what you're on a TV show? Was like, yeah, I'm in a show. I'm the first person. What's it called? I was a punture? And then another person walk It's called what I was like before I knew it, I'm like in this circle of six six

sort of morning shoppers. It was it was who all went away? Hopefully that I love it. That's that's what it takes. Yeah, hopefully all of our listeners will do the same if they haven't already, you know, for indulged in the series. But thanks so much you all for being here today. Are I miss you so much. Let's get lunch soon when we are in the same city because I miss you crazy back. We keep saying we're going to grab food or a hike or something, and so far away, I know, come to Santa Fe. There's

plenty of hikes here, if one could say mostly hikes. Yeah, basically. But thanks you all so much, and congratulations on such a wonderful, wonderful show. I really appreciate you taking the time to come into our podcast today and there for taking such good care of dom. Wow. We try, I mean as anyone can. I mean I always told Tom every time he would group chatos, it was like something tragic had happened. He's always getting injured. I know, were

you there, Daisy when that happened? When you like the first one, the first one was I didn't even think this is the first one. It was like midway through I like I stepped on a sea urchin over New Year's and I just came back spines inside my furs. It was why do you know what's embarrassing is I was.

I was snorkeling with Decca and I was pointing out said aforementioned search in two Decca saying, don't worry that because it looks dangerous, And as soon as I turned around, I just booted the thing off the off the coral like screamed into my snorkel went out, and then all the Hawaiians are laughing at me, like you stepped on a urchin. Like nothing I've done that. It's it's horrible,

It's extremely in Australia. You must have them everywhere, right more or less more or less more in New Zealand happened to be New Zealand, but oh really, and it was terrible because we were specifically diving to get them and we knew they were there. We need to be careful. We've been run through the ropes and just just idiot me. It was like, I'm gonna step while looking this way for people who can't see. I just turned. You've experienced this,

and you won't make them stake again. Hopefully, well you would, hope, yeah, you would. Cat and I if we were with all of you boys, we would just be like boys. They're like, Mom, we are We're there, literally Mom. Yeah. Well, thanks folks for being here today. It's been so lovely to meet all of you. And hopefully we'll be able to, you know, share a whiskey in person one of these days York,

exactly while we're shooting season two. And if you make another lawyer I'm here, you know I'm currently working on that. Cat would crush. It would be so fun. We'll all grab a drink at Bemlement's right after filming our second season. All these actors taken over the part done them. Oh my god, Well, folks, until that time. Thank you so much, it's been a pleasure. Thank you, thank you. I Return to the Shadows is hosted and executive produced by Katherine

McNamara and Dominic Sherwood. Our executive producer is Lingley. Our senior producers are Liz Hayes and Diego Tapia, and our producers are Hannah Harris and Kristin Vermilia. Original music by Alex Kinsey and performed by Alex Kinsey and Katheryn McNamara.