Mindy Sterling (Austin Powers, Avatar, Chowder)

How you doing out there? It's me Tigger, I am Duc Wayne Duck. It's me Bunkers keep bobcat. All right, y'all? Did it Ray your favorite firefly you desire? Hold old knock goud. My name is Jim Cummings and welcome to tune in. Hey, everybody, are we recording?

We are?

Oh? Look at that? Hey, everybody. Jim Cummings here welcoming you to another tune dead with Jim Cummings. We have a really cool guest today, and I'm not gonna spoil it by telling you her name. Yes I will. It's Mindy. She's she's my old con buddy. We met a conventions and here we are once again, and ladies and gentlemen say, hello, wow.

But you know what I think we did the first time we met. I think we did. What do you call it?

Oh? Yes, the power girls?

No, no, no, it's the big thing I get. You did the dog.

All time, all time? Was it boll time?

Wasn't it wasn't it.

Was it was?

It was it ball time?

He did.

It's the big dog that talks, Clifford.

No, big dog that talks.

What's wrong with me?

No?

No, keep going, keep going, both. Remember it's every everybody, it's it's a mystery Scooby Doe. And I guess I'm completely wrong because you would have gotten it by it's big, it's Snoop. It's not Snoopy, but.

Mean Scooby do, Scooby doo. Scooby.

Did you do Scooby?

I did. No, I wasn't. I wasn't Scooby, but I was in a bunch of them.

Oh okay, Well then I guess I was wrong, and you're right. We did meet at a comic con and I was sitting next to you, and this was during COVID or after COVID, do you remember, because we had to have the shield. Yeah, and it was really hard to talk to people and stuff, and so we had the shield and I just you know, you had the most amazing you know, groups coming up to you and everybody was just in awe and it was like it

Yeah, oh, thank you. Well it's very sweet. Yeah, I'm very blessed in that regard. It's a he's universally loved. And then you know, I go out there and I, oh, mother, stay sweetest honey, and then everybody's happy. Then I can go back to being a weasel and it evens out. Yeah, I know it's not bad.

But they're hard to do. They're hard the concert. I mean, it takes a lot out of you, right.

A little.

Yeah, it's the feeling of being on all day and I'm exhausted by the end of the day.

I have my wine and then that's right, that's it. I go good.

Night everybody again. Yeah, no, I agree. It's a it's odd discipline because you because for me, you know, the fortieth person, one hundred, two hundred person deserves as much attention as the first.

Oh gosh, yes, because you want to gear up.

You want everyone, you know, every one of them is the super Bowl?

Yes, yes, and everyone is important. Yeah, and everyone is you know, a real person. I am probably I don't know, maybe that it's rare. But I absolutely love doing that. Yeah, I will absolutely love if I could do one every weekend. I probably my my physical health.

Probably would never you know, but get tired.

I would. But I really love doing them and mixing with all of you guys that are there and people that I didn't know. But I love the fans.

Yeah, it's really nice. I agree, it's you know, it's it's always fun to see someone come up dressed as Winnie the Pooh and you look and here's a ninety year old grandma. You oh, man, get over here. I gotta get some sugar here. This is too sweet. You know. My children love Winning the Pooh and I can tell you know, and.

It's just a sweet Yeah, it's very cool. It's yeah, it's a good it's a good job. And it's not even a job, it's a it's a good thing. Mitzvah.

Yeah what you said, mitzvah Yeah, yeah, a bat or bar. It's just mitz got it? Okay.

Besides frow, what are the roles that people mostly know you fall at the clon besides frown?

Me?

Yeah, oh, what I get mostly are surprises because the first they'll have one in mind, so it could be austin power. But as they're coming through they see all the other things that I've done and then they're like, oh my god, I didn't know you were chowder and Chowder. I didn't know you were in this. I didn't know you were that. So it's kind of really cool for

Yeah, I get out of that. Yeah. I like it when they go, I didn't know you were the third weasel on the left or you know whatever it was, yes, yes, And then sometimes I don't either. I go, are you sure it was me? You know, and then they go, yeah, you.

Know, I have a prob And when they start talking to me about so so remember Maquora did this and this and that and how did you feel? And I don't know about you, but I don't watch them. Yeah, And I feel really guilty saying this, but I just don't. And I mean, if somebody says, hey, maybe look at it, look or I'll see something. But I don't go, oh, it's time to watch myself and and uh so, but somebody told me to do this to them, you know, to just go oh yeah, yeah, yeah, what do you

Is there is there a raising? You don't watch it because you don't like watching yourself to take yourself or.

That's a big one. No, I just I don't know. I don't I don't watch animation. I will audition. I love doing the stuff, believe me. You know. I like to watch mysteries of dead, mysteries of people in Australia, or you know, I like dark stuff. I don't watch comedy. I really love to sit there and just be so intense and don't talk to me, and you know, and you just think, oh my god, this is going to end.

Yeah click, yeah, yeah, oh yeah, that's me.

Really do you do that.

A little bit? Yeah, binge?

Watch what do you like to watch?

Well? You know, I like I do like horror movies, and I like comedies and horrible horror filled comedies are good. Murdered by death was good? Was that horror was really? It wasn't really horror, but yeah.

Not horror. But do you like when they they break people apart and they you know, and they come out and you're in your mind going, don't go there, don't go oh oh boy.

Yeah, yeah, those movies that are mutilation and no, no, it's just like snuff films or something. No, stop that, yeah, stop that?

Yeah, you know, And what what comedies do you watch? I feel like I'm I hope you don't mind him asking a lot of questions, but that's what I do.

Well, you know, I like Steve Martin and Martin Short. The one they're doing right now.

Oh oh oh the building.

Yes, I mean that stuff's right up my alley.

And how I'm sorry about it? I think what's his name? Is so amazing in it? Martin Short, Martin Short he's at his best. I know, people don't think so I just am in awe of him going for it and just doing what he does. And I think he's brilliant.

Oh god, so do I. And uh, the other one up, Shit's Creek?

Are you okay with that one? Well, I've seen that SIT's Creek?

Yes, I know. I don't know.

I just am not weird. Well and I'm that's all I do is most comedy, and it's kind of like, I don't know, just you know, sometimes I think, especially sitcoms, is it's you know what's going to happen. You know, you.

Know what they're going to say.

It's not a surprise to me. And the murder mysteries, you know, because they'll go on for like, you know, five episodes until we find out what's going on, and uh and then you think, oh my god, okay, I know who it is. It's not yeah, you know when you I love that kind of the last one they just saw that wasn't British or anything like that was uh oh, this is where I just completely blank, just going nothing.

There, yes, good old yeah, murder ieta Chris No.

No, no, the one it was no, it was a redone one and it was you know, it was with what's the.

One where the person dies and then they found out who did it eventually, No, and he's.

He's innocent something like that. You don't know if he's innocent or not. We're all like to say, nobody's nobody gets me. No, it was what's his name? He's a great actor. Oh God can call in it. It was on Apple TV okay, and it was a redo thing and it was something innocent, presumed innocent and that thank you. And that was when that's when somebody says, you'll never oh,

That's good. I like those. So I was surprised, Yeah, exactly, because when you're surprised.

I think I was almost too off of it, Like I thought, well, I think it was just the guy sitting in the restaurant that we never heard of, just.

One of the extras.

Yeah, I know, because we didn't know anything about him yet.

That was the That was true mc capodi's character in that one movie, right, you always changed making me somebody that was introduced into fifth act. How can we guess that that's.

Oh no, that is so good that it's annoying.

Yeah, well then he had.

An annoying voice. That is so good.

I I almost met him once. This isn't a riveting story. Uh no, there was. I was in a band in New Orleans and we were in the Musicians Union and they had to have X amount of musicians because the circus was in town. And all they really did was hire a guy who I think played one guy was on accordion, and a drummer and I want to say a trombone player. That was the band. Oh, that was it.

So that is so great.

So that was my big Oh.

Yes, that's funny.

Yeah, very literate.

We've all had those. Course, I just can't remember any right now.

For me. Well, I'm glad I remember that sort of I'm not really glad.

Oh my god. No, it's very very funny.

Thank you. I'll take it. I'll take it.

But he must have some funny bathroom stories, right, Have you got a funny bathroom story?

She must have one, you know that there is. I know this is going to sound gross, maybe not, but they've got this new thing in some of the women's bathroom because some of the women tend to there's two pictures. There's a picture and it crosses it out and there's a picture to do it the right way. So the one that's crossed out is a woman just getting on top of the toilet.

Yeah okay, and.

But not sitting and on the toilet, so her her legs are, you know, and she's it's almost like if you.

Were elevated approach. Yes.

So what happens is when we go into the bathroom and I see the toilet completely filled with water and you're like, oh, that's is that water or is that piss?

Yes?

But that so this is crossed out. And then and then the one that you want is the woman's like this doing it normally. I've never seen anything like that in my life. No, I swear to god I should have taken a picture. Is that like creepy or weird?

Yes? Little yes, and yes.

I was in Tokyo last year. They had like similar signs. I used a bathroom. It was at a subway station, and they had so many different little ways of like not to use the toilet.

It was like somebody.

Standing on the toilet. It was even a picture of a T shirt. I took a picture and it was like no T shirts in the toilet, and I was like, what toilet? Yeah, it was like things to not use.

I mean, don't do you don't do your laundry in the toilet?

Yeah?

Yeah, And I was that had to have been what it meant. And I was like, what in the world who does their laundry in a well, in a public subway toilet?

That it will there has to be a sign to people. I would guess people that don't. Yeses so clean themselves. But oh my god, that is the That is the weirdest thing.

It was so bizarre, so bizarre.

Well, I do come across a lot of something on the toilet and I'm like, oh Jesus, all right, got to clean it.

Yeah, get those little those little T shirts that they give you. Oh no, those aren't T shirts India, I must ask you toilet here. This is good.

Maybe any agreed to do the podcast. Did you realize you be talking about how to use a toilet? Is that what you thought you'd be talking about?

Yes, I have saved this story for this place because I knew we didn't know anything to talk about. All the worst things that could have could come out of my mouth.

Yes, well there's a well that's that qualifies you win.

I'm the girl who is just a little inappropriate well.

I wanted to touch on because I want to touch on how you said you first got into show business because you realize you could pretend to be somebody else. Do you like doing voice acting more than standard acting because you can sort of really become somebody else and not be have your face on the screen.

Oh okay, Well I can tell you at this time in my life and the fact that I cannot remember things, that acting is really hard for me. And I'm very honest about it, and I really will work my butt off. But I always tell people I'm a great improviser and I'm really funny. So if you can work with me, I think that's.

Part of what makes you a great improvisor.

Well, I mean, thank you, and it's just and I'm not there to change everybody's writing or story. I just I mean, as I'm getting old and I've always had that sort of insecurity of not remembering things, but it's getting a little older now and I'm not trying to put this out there so everybody will be afraid to work with me. Don't get me wrong, But but I love doing a voiceover work and again make it simple, yeah, because there's a reading part, so but yeah, I mean,

That's pretty good.

Not so I like both, but I'd love to do more voiceover stuff. I mean, how did you I'm asking the questions, how did you? Was that the first thing that you did before acting?

Well, I was as a kid, I think we all you know, community theater, you know, and I said it before I did, you know, I was a cute little kid more or less. But I didn't want to play a cute little kid. I wanted to be the troll under the bridge, or I wanted to be the weasel who snuck around the barn, or you know, did something like that. And I was inadvertently preparing myself for what I've done now all these years character character voices, because you know, they always had to have a weird voice.

It would be interesting to see you, so sorry to know that it would be interesting to see you because I'm a character actress. So I loved doing it. So my first thing would go to my body or it's a visual oh yeah, so to see some of your characters, but how you would play it, and you know, as not as an animation but as a person.

Yes, you know what I mean. Yeah, yeah, we were actually thinking about that the other day. I the first time I ever saw myself on camera. It was it was Entertainment Entertainment Tonight, the first iteration of Winny the Poop, because when Pooh was came back in the eighties, he'd been gone for twenty years, so you know, you know, people forget that. Yeah, but and and Entertainment Tonight. And I saw that the obviously I saw it when it aired.

I mean I watched yeah, and usually you know, I mean, if you do, you change, you physically change you know, you're not wearing another wardrobe or anything, but I do. I find it really interesting to watch other people. Oh yeah, and they get into it and it's like, yeah, you believe it.

Yeah yeah. I used to stand all the time. I had to stand, had to stand. I don't know why, but it just felt like I was more felt like I was at work.

So if you had to do something, you would stand a long time. Yeah, when you're not doing something, and then.

Yeah, absolutely, yep, yep, yep, you know that's uh, that was the joke. When we were doing the Tasmania show, I would stop at the comic book shop and I would read and I wouldn't bother reading the script because all I would do was react to whatever anybody said

Love that's the trademark.

Yes, yeah, yeah.

Dialogue Oh my god, it's so funny.

So, you know, we do it odd little things, creep in but it.

But I think it's such a great business. I think. I mean, you know, when I first started, I was like in awe of everything and and watching everyone. And I still do that.

Oh me too.

I mean I still feel like I'm still learning.

Yeah. Oh yeah, Well hopefully we feel that way for a long long time, right, yeah, yeah, knock knock god, what is right?

Speaking of being in awe of somebody, what was it like working with Mike Myers?

Well, you know, I've had I had I've had so many people come up to me, even at the con and go, I heard Mike it was kind of tough. Well you know what, when you're having a bad day, maybe you're tough too. And I said, I only have incredible memories. I only have. He's always been very good to me. He's always he was about making things funny. If you brought something in and you tried something, he would listen to it. He would say, oh, do more of that, or yeah, you weren't. I wasn't there to

Was there a lot of improv on those sets.

Not a little, not a lot, no, not a lot. I think between Seth Green and him, when they would do things like you know, he'd be like and you know, and all that kind of stuff. They did that back and forth, back and forth and back and forth, and it was great that, I say, And then I would do like, you know, little things like yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, and add things to it. But they were just really like little things that you know, she responding, and but he was yeah. I mean we're not like we don't

Is yeah, not mister diva.

Yeah that's good. What seems like such a nice guy, you know, and you know he's doing watch m call it again? Who he's doing?

Shrek? Shrek five?

Shrek five?

Yes, yes, five?

Yes. I didn't even know there was four. Wow.

I didn't either.

I was gonna say, well, the first one was the best one, Yeah, did you it was?

I had like three lines.

Who did you play?

I was the Captain of the guard and and you could have pushed me over with a feather. Guess how many movies that made for me when I was in that movie? Okay, thanks to it was two. We were sitting there watching I am legend, Will Will Smith, I am legend. We're sitting there watching this after the Holocaust movie. You're familiar with the movie. Everybody else after the Holocaust whatever,

You that that guy?

Three or four lines and it just luck of the draw.

Oh my god, I love that.

Yeah, I meantching, And then it was I was in another movie for free.

That is very cool. That is working, very cool. Yes, oh my god.

What a way to sneak into show.

Can you just, Jim, can you just give the viewers at home that you there, ogre?

You there oga?

We want to hear it again.

Yeah, you there, Ogre.

That's that's the line. Any kids grow in that era, that's the line that we all remember.

You there Oga, you got it's a flying donkey And it was yeah, so it was fun.

Are you going to do it again?

Oh god? Yeah, I can't wait. I can't wait.

But you don't know, right because they're I don't know, they just put it together or it's.

Pretty much done now. I think I think it's They started production well into so it's coming out next year. I've heard yeah, yeah, has ever been talks of a potential fourth Austin Powers.

Or is every single year every day of my life? Well, all I can say is yes. All I can say is the last time I saw Mike was we did the commercial during the Super Bowl. Do you remember that about about these the electric cars? So they brought us all back and he said to me, hey, thank you so much for doing this, and they were like, yeah, thank you, and he said, yeah, I thinking of of

Oh that's the answer. All right.

So yeah, so it's a shame. I would love to do it before I die, if that's a possibility.

Yeah, that's all.

But yeah, and it feels like we're in a world now where fourth Austin POWs just feels right. Everyone's doing sequels, I mean.

Especially right now, especially we've had and I did not feel them, but we've had two earthquakes here. Yeah I didn't. I didn't feel them at all.

I felt one.

Okay, there's you know, a turkey is killing all of the.

Dogs.

I know, it's terrible for me. And so all this stuff that you know, you look at and you're like, I don't want to read about this.

I just can't.

There's this this war and this so going and this man wants to be president, and it is I'm having such a hard time feeling, you know, like every day is like great, yeah that's great, let's get out and do something fun. So it would be. It would be because and there isn't anything like that that's coming out anywhere. There's nothing on. When is the last time? And maybe you probably do it more than I do that you went to a theater.

To see I take the kids. I take the kids a lot from my wife and I very rarely.

Yeah, yeah, okay, but that's yeah, but you see, kids, I can't.

Think of the last time I went for Deadpool and Wolverine.

How was that?

That was great? I love that movie. Yeah, yeah, same.

Well I have not seen I have not gone to a movie and many many times.

Yeah, and.

Then if you go see a movie, make sure that it's something that like, you know, any action or something that's just you know, spectacular. But yeah, yeah, so it's I don't know how they're doing business.

Yeah, and even like I feel like that genre of like like the genre that Awesome Powers was even in, I feel like they just don't even really do that genre of movies anymore, you know. Like I I always say it's like the like the death of like the mid mid and when I say mid budget, like Hollywood mid budget, you know, like yeah, twenty to fifty million dollar movies, twenty to fifty million dollar comedies have kind of just ceased to exist. And I think that's why

Yeah. There it's again, it's all money and it's all power, and it's all you know. I always thought it was like so interesting that when they would do all of these animation films and stuff, that it would be you know, stars, big stars who don't make that as they're living, and why are they just using the most you know, another set of amazing actors who do voice and giving them one or two lines, right, do you know what I mean? And of course now I know because they want to

Blood?

Kids don't care, no, And so I thought, wow, that's that's a shame. It's a shame that there are not more people that get those opportunities to do that. But you know, that's just the way it is right now, and everything is different in Yeah, did I tell you.

Call me christ? I love Jack Black, But I think Jim would have been a Fantastie Bowser in the Super Mario movies. I feel if that movie was made in the early nineties, Jim would have been Bowser.

I think so too. I didn't see it, but I agree, I.

Didn't see neither. See those are the things I don't watch.

Yeah, yeah, I was just that gravelly villain. That's who Jim is.

You know.

Oh that's true. Oh I give good?

What kind of what kind of things do you do? A lot of like similar like mine? I do a lot of very strong women, and they're always angry and they're always mean to people.

What it was and then you're a punkin in real life.

So I'm such a.

No comprendo.

But do you what do you?

Yeah? Well, I get all my villains end up being comedic. Like there was a guy for Tailspin I was Don't Carnage and he was incredible, just ask him and he but he was a bad guy, but he kind of fell over his feet a little bit and he around, but he was still the perfect foil for Blue the Bear. And I'm now I'm blue hit too, So it's I get in fights with myself a lot.

And then, uh, I you have to create that. They didn't say to you, I want you to give him an accent.

Yeah, well, actually everybody they told me this, everybody, because when you hear a pirate, you know, it's always gone to be this fella, right terror, you know, And I've done him too. But I thought, well, and of course I wasn't thinking of pirates of the Caribbean, but they had them. And uh, and I said, why don't let him be vaguely from somewhere in you know, somewhere in Caribbean, Caribea wherever that is. But but it's he sounded vaguely

So that was that was it.

And then uh, who is my other one? My other?

But you do a lot, you do a lot of Honda is very funny with these quick Yeah.

Well yeah, HONDOAKA, he's a he's a space pirate, you know. Well, he is a cross between I did Brenner and Charles Bronson, and I put him together because and I've said this many times, but if you do bad impressions, it's good because nobody knows who it is, so it's a new character.

You're doing somebody.

And if you do a perfect impression, that's good. You never know you might be able to use it. But if you do one here and one there, and you can put them together, hondoaka is ule Brennard and and Charles Brunson put together, they would not have a good looking kid if they actually had a kid, but if they did, it would be hondo.

Oh, I love that.

I love that.

So you know, yeah, I don't do impressions.

Apparently I don't either, But but some of my biggest characters that like Tigger was already there, Paul Winchell, Sterling Holloway was already there winning the poop and so uh so that. But the rest are kind of me except for Louis.

I guess Louis.

Louis Louis Prima was King Louis. I'm I'm the orangutan. Everybody calls him an ape.

They're different, that's different. Orangutan and an ape Rangutan bigger.

Oh yeah, they swing man. Yeah, they get they gotta bring the fun come out your trunk and yeah it's he was a good old Louis Prima from New Orleans.

I just I feel like this little.

Girl, right, I was going to say, become a little child all of a sudden.

Yeah, I love it. No, I'm I'm really It's like I'd rather see it in person than because then I get to see the person completely transfer.

Yeah that weird face to make me too. Yeah. Yeah, well, like I said earlier, you know you have body language. It's interesting, that's it works.

Do you think you transformed for your roles frou nestin Powers when you're playing her?

You know, she's you know, I mean she's she's you know. It was kind of when I got the script and I didn't I know that there was a movie. You know, it was a movie that was like, oh, it's very much like von blah blah whatever. And I didn't want to watch it because I didn't want to think I have to be like her so kind and so I won't do that, and so then yeah, so it was just sort of this she's German. I don't know if I'm talking German or I think my German, my all

You know.

It's yeah, that was great and it is yeah for all and so, uh it was just one of those things where I just I remember leaving the audition and going which I do a lot.

I fucked up.

Horrible, it was horrible. Oh my god, I didn't I wasn't German at all. Sounded yeah, it's like, oh nobody laughed, and so you know, you just never know.

Yeah, well, you know, Sue Blue, she was one of the great voice actors and directors of all time. She years and years ago. She goes and when you go to do an audition, and you sitting in the room and you look and you get you do your audition. You do it in one or two, you do it three or four takes, so whatever it is. And they're sitting there and they're going, yeah, you know it's it's what you're supposed to think, is going, wow, I've never

Yes?

How could he possibly be this good? You know, we don't have to see anybody else. We're you know, you trans you take all that body language and put it in your head and then you try to try to throw it back out there in the room and see if it works.

But no, no, no, it's absolutely And now because we're doing uh you know, we're doing everything from home, so now you don't get that extra you know, like try this, try that, and you need mindy, mindy. She said it says she's crying. Oh oh, I didn't even see that, thank you. You know, I'm missing all the things that help me. And but you know I'm working and uh

Oh god, you know.

And and but you would tell someone else if they were in your position, going, you know what, you were great? You were great, right, and you weren't the person that they were looking for. Had nothing to do with you because you are amazingly great and that's just life, you know.

So yeah, yeah, well it's just yeah, what are you going to do? You can't fight city Hall. You got to do your best and then leave it.

Take that, you take those sides and you go throw them away.

Yeah.

Yeah, it's so true. Otherwise you drive your self nuts.

Yeah we're already nuts.

We're already nuts. Right.

What was some of the best things techniques you learned from your atomic groundlings?

Well, I was like the best, one of the best things I've ever done. And then have my son too, so.

It was.

It gave me so much confidence and it prepared me for what we do in the business. I love love improvising. I love Most people would be scared to death. What am I going to say, what are I'm going to do? But I seem to just eat it up. I loved it. I taught, I directed. I just you just have to really listen and work off of somebody and not think ahead. So all those kind of things. That acting is that

Wow, no kidding, I mean even during the read a pandemic.

Yes, they we stayed the groundlings. We were able to stay in business.

Really.

Yeah, I mean it was hard, but we had a lot of people that came and taught things for free and blah blah blah blah, and yeah, so it was I'm very very proud of them that they somehow were you know, still struggling about it, but it is one of the best places to be.

Yeah, that's so great.

Wow, I want to do that improv Well I did, but not on purpose. I mean, I was just I just couldn't remember a line. I was always in place, and when I was a kid, I was in place and I was the same way. I could not. I wasn't good at remembering lines. But I remember, I mean I knew what the scene was going to be about. I mean I knew that, and so I would ad lived my way around.

Through it, and which was fine. That's what I'm saying.

It was fine, you know. I Mean.

The thing is if I do and I've done plays, sure, okay, right now, it's like a little a little more work for me. But I'll do plays and I remember, you know, trying to get the lines and stuff. Because the good thing about a play is you take time. You know, there's more time. You're not thrown into okay, right first, let's yeah, oh good, all right, you're ready, you know your stuff? Great, let's do it.

It's not like that.

And so, I you know, I would I would cry, you know when I'm like, I'm not ready, I'm not ready. And this wonderful friend of mine and director Stan Zimmerman, he said, look, you know the play, you know who you are, you know who your other actor is, you know the story. If something goes, you're an improviser. You're an improviser. It's okay, you'll get back on track. You'll get back on track and blah blah blah blah, tap dancing. Yeah, and but you just you know, do whatever it is

And you know what I mean that you exactly what you say that that wasn't the mine and you know, so yeah, yeah, I have a really stupid, very quick, thank goodness story.

Yeah, Steve Garvey the baseball player turned politicians. Right somewhere when I very first started, I did a lot of work in sethiegoin for some reason. I was down there and I was doing a commercial and at a radio commercial, and it was supposedly he was at bat and I was the catcher and so, uh, you know, and I've got a catcher's and I'm smacking it and I'm doing this and that and all right there, Steve Reno looks like, you're up next. What are you gonna get? You got something for us?

And he goes yeah, oh god, oh god.

And he looks at the director and he's dressed to the nines. He's he's got like three thousand dollars suit on. I was like, okay, uh, and and and he says, uh, Steve Reno, and I went, oh, oh my god, okay, Stevie the butt plug, come on, let's go get over, you know. And he didn't like that either. No, he didn't like that either.

So I don't feel they're not they're not comfortable with stuff like that.

Apparently I had to call him Steve. His name is Steve.

I said, come on, but it's play. Yeah, I know, isn't that people? But people get weird, believe me. Yeah, if you if you do improv or you throw something out there. I've had people they just say freeze, and I'm like, but that's why I love improv, because we're doing something. I gotta listen to you and guess what. We don't say no, we don't negate. Everything is yes, and and we have to make that work because we are a team. That is how acting I think is.

Yeah, and acting is at least half reacting.

Yeah, yes, you know, put.

Your ears on.

Yeah, yeah, it's like so important.

Yeah, so damn true. But we are freaking solving some ship here today, aren't we.

That's great, it's similar similar, Oh my god, really two parts. Yeah, turn to clocks off. We don't care as long as the batters don't die on the cameras. But we can still do it as well. Doesn't even recording it. We just chat. Who cares. But I was going to say with interviewing as well, it's great with you can tell one of the people who are having a genuine conversation with the interviewee or the ones who are just reading the questions off a sheet because they don't actually listen

That's a conversation, that's being real, that's being real. Much when somebody comes to me and says, hey, I wrote a couple of a whole page of questions that I'm going to ask you, and I'm thinking why you're going to say something that everyone knows. Would you like to just you know, blah blah blah and see what comes out? Or ask me interesting things like did you ever wear a wig? You know outside? I mean things that are just stupid and.

You do you're watching in the toilet?

Yeah right, I did wash my socks because I threw up anyway, So it's that's the stuff I think is more exciting than fun. But when you know, so, yeah, I think that's a better way to play. Yeah, then have everything set up so perfectly.

Yeah, I think I.

Think it's important to have real questions and nights as it's important to have questions and nights. I think it's just as a backup, but don't rely on them. That's my motto.

Oh yeah, no exactly. And you yeah, we're all getting to know each other, but we don't want to get to know each other like every other thing that you were ever in, you know, it's the same going to be the same stuff. It's like, oh, no, one asked me about having an autistic son. I have one, so you know what I mean. It's kind of like and it's fun.

How old is your son?

Well?

God, I know he is twenty nine.

Yeah, he lives with me.

He's on the autistic spectrum. He he came to the last con that we did. He was sat there and was on his phone the whole time. And he makes me laugh. And I am just learning so much about him because these people are going to take the world over. There are more and more autistic people that ever imagine. Ever, I'm surprised that none of you have said, oh, yeah, my nephew is autistic.

I have a half sister who's here you go.

So everywhere I go, if that comes out, they will say, oh, yeah, I have a bah bah bah. And he luckily he you know, he's means mainstream, not meanstream, and so he can.

He doesn't.

He doesn't like to walk, he doesn't. He likes to eat, he likes to cook.

And well, I'm there, that's that's my man right there.

And he's yeah, he's just and he knows. He's really smart, so much smart than I am. I mean, we were watching Open what is it? Oppenheimer? Yes, okay, and I'm like, and so you know, I watched it and five minutes into it, I'd go, Okay, Max, what is going on here? You go all right, listen and you go into a whole thing that I couldn't even catch up with. That's great, you know, So there there's some information that you know, I'm sure people that are going to watch and listen to this are going to go.

You know, I've met some autistic people, and you know, in our profession, I think a lot of autistic folks are drawn to it because they can analyze it, they can get into it. It's a beautiful thing. And some of them are I'm this far away from saying it's slightly a super power. Yeah, you know, you may have lost something there, but you've gained something. It is.

It is very different, and they there's something wrong with them. They're just their their brain is wired different, set up differently differently. Now some of them do they've got the one it can't speak and then it becomes really sure. But these are the you know, we can't say, well, which which one is he? Or is he five? Or is he seven? So that's why I think they say it's just on the spectrum. But he and he's adopted. I adopted him. I didn't know what I was going

Hello.

So so that's what I get.

What's his name?

Max?

Ame is Max Gatson? I was married and I'm not and and so yeah, so it's me and him.

Yeah, that's great.

How does he how does how did he first react to seeing mom on television?

Uh?

I you know, I don't remember. That is not he didn't react much. I mean, it's not like he he cared. You know, we would we would go out and people would recognize me or something and they'd come up to me and they'd you know what, my autographer, They wanted to talk to me, and he'd be like, yeah, it's my mom. Yeah, you know. Now he's pretty like he's not in AWE. I mean he would be in awe, you know, of Jim, he would be in all of

Yeah.

So that's what I love about him. He's so and he's so open about being autistic, and he's so open about being h like he liked to be alone. He doesn't like socially they have you know, and we know a lot of people like that. Oh yeah, I mean you know that given name.

Last week on the show, we had Billy West voice out to Billy West who's autistic. Yes, and he's very open with it.

And Billy West and I we were we were sitting across from each other going to this the last con, and he brought up He goes, well, I'm autistic, and I said, so it's my son, Oh my, you know, and he is Billy. I mean, I've never talked to him as much and got to know him. I adore him. I mean, he is just so interesting to watch and talk, brilliant and what a lovely person. So that's all it is. Don't be afraid of them.

He's got an encyclopedic knowledge.

I'm telling you. They are one of the smartest people. He Max loves. You know, so many things you know, not he I mean, he loves anime. I mean, I mean he's into he knows. He'll come out and he'll go, Mom, this girl blah blah blah. She was she did anime for blah blah blah, and she died and I'm feeling really sad and I'm like, oh, I'm sorry, and you know what I mean, I don't know who these people are. When he was growing up, he loved he read. He read at a very young age, but he loved things

Oh and Frank and Frank World War Yeah, I was thinking, is this gal Gado? Is this wonder woman?

He was obsessed with all of that, and you know, so it was interesting things politics. He's a little different, That's all I'm going to say. And but I love that he is. He's open to things sometimes as we all are, and and sometimes he's just this is this is me.

Nice is who I am.

And I'm still at twenty twenty nine. I'm still learning about what what not to do, what to do, how much I should do blah blah blah blah blah blah. You know, And and he is and he's just a sweetheart. Anyway. That's my son Max, you doing.

Max Jim. This is Uncle Jim saying hello, I love that. Don't cut that? Hey leave that one?

Hey, Chris, Chris, should we play a little voice swap game? Because you know, Mindy does a little voice acting.

Yeah, yeah, what are we doing?

Oh yeah, if you're going to ask me something, they won't remember.

We always we always know, well, we always. Whatever we're wrapping things up or what have you, there'll there'll be a voice like I'll get a character or two and give you the line of that character, and then you give me a character and you give me the line, and I'll do it in my character, but it'll be your line.

So so basically, Jim, Jim will quote Winnie the p He'll do Winnie the Pooh line.

So I'll say to him, I'll say to him, okay, so if he'd started, I'll say him, ago, great, Okay, So I want you to do do I give a name or do like it's not already made, right, No, you.

Do the line as a quote from one of your iconic characters. You do it as your character, and then Jim will do the same quote as his character.

And then vice versa. Does that make sense?

Okay? So if I did, you know if I did from So now I give him a sentence and he has to say it, Yeah, isn't a sentence that I said because I don't remember.

Anything, don't remember anything from the film. Doing to Google for our quotes.

Well, it's pretty much. She just yells, yeah, yeah, yes, let's see. Oh my god, yes, give me a quote.

I don't know, sending the clone.

That is true. Okay, but she but she yells.

Okay with the air split and loud and boman. That's it, right?

Was that it? So you say sending the sending the clones, sending the clones?

And does it sending the clones whatever those are?

Oh that was good.

Oh it was as if we were in the room.

Oh that was spooky, creepy, creepy and spooky. So now what does he do for me?

He'll do a line as tiger or dark wing or whatever, and then you do it.

I just came up with anything because I don't remember what I've done.

You you just copy the same line he says as a character as frowl.

Oh as frou Okay, okay, okay, I like that, Okay, okay, So you'll make it too long, cluse.

Okay, Let's let's do some hondo onnaka here. I may not be as young as I once was, but I'm older.

I may not be as young as i've b swaz, but I am older.

Did that work that's fine, that's great.

I think that was perfect.

That was very funny.

Yeah, and I think it was interesting because now hearing you do that after made Hondo sound vaguely German in my own ear, and I know he's not. I don't I don't know. I don't think he's anything.

That's funny. Oh my god, that's a very funny character. There's so many of your stuff.

I don't know same here, but don't worry if if I go to a con. You know. My favorite one is when I very first started doing this, these guys were adamant do the line and oh.

You could remember we had terror No, no, no, the line.

Oh bar no, the line. The line. And I went to like three or four characters that you would think and they go, oh no, it's one from Balderus Gate go forward the eyes boo, And I go, okay, I did that thirty years ago. How could that be the.

Line for them? It was right?

Yeah, for them, it was the line.

And you never kicked that right.

Literally, you couldn't remember.

Oh god. They had to tell me, well, how many different how many different characters that are different? I mean, you know, because there's always like have you ever done the same character in something else, but nobody would know that. I mean, is that can you people do that? I guess you can because you're doing a little bit maybe a little bit different.

Yeah. Yeah, I had a lot of New York tough guys and you know what, I mean, what the hell you're looking at? You know what? But yeah, I think you have to. It's you're gonna end up sounding like yourself here and there. It's just gonna happen.

So but I don't think I could do this when people, you know, when when I did this, I got a lot of people that wanted to have me audition or wanted to use me as frau And I said, I can't do that.

Yeah how about no?

I mean, yeah, I just and so about Yes, yes, I should have said what I thought. There's more I can do. You guys, you're just gonna have to trust me. But yeah, that was a weird thing.

Yeah. Yeah, besides you have to pay, you know.

Yeah, I mean I can do it, you know, and on the in the con but I'm not not for another show.

Yeah yeah, come on. Yeah. Well I've had people ask me to do a cameo for them or or something at a con and could you do it as way the Pooh and then could you say you know, you know, expletive And I go, no, no, you don't have that kind of money.

Oh my god. So they want you to say something horrible.

Oh yeah, they want to say something horrible, something sexual or something the Pooh. Yeah I know, And I just told him. I said, okay, first of all, no, and second.

Of all, really no, that's terrible.

That is just back up the note truck.

Here for you give me that autograph picture.

Yeah yeah, yeah, oh yeah, yeah. I actually ripped up one thing one time really, because yeah, there was a few years ago these guys brought here. We did this yourself. Look there's Pooh and look what he's doing. I go, that's great. Oh oh darn, and I've ripped it.

But it was theirs or yours.

It was theirs. I don't care. They said, Wenna, have you sign that?

Man?

It's okay. I wasn't gonna sign it, so now yeah, I'm not gonna sign it.

And it was I'm not even gonn It sounded like they were really fucked up.

Oh yeah, well there you go, big shock. Oh God, Jesus, I turned into my dad for.

A minute there, you know, I love but I know that was like that is so inappropriate. Yeah, so inappropriate, don't Yeah, I can't even how many? How many different what do you call them? Not dolls? Oh things or well whatever, things like like I don't know, I don't have a cocoa pop thing, but whatever you call them things that you have, like you.

Know, I don't know action figures, thank you.

Oh, this is what my son does when I can't. When I can't, I started talking to go and he goes like it actually goes, yes, yes, a figurines.

Yes, figure eates?

Do you have yes figures? Do you have any figure eates?

I do, but I don't have any of them here, damn it?

Do you How many do you have?

I don't know. Wennie the Pooh has X amount of them, and dark Wing Duck has a couple of them.

So they can they can people can buy those things.

Yeah, yeah, they sure are.

That's pretty cool. Nobody they didn't. They never did anything with me for Austin Powers.

That's weird. It seems like they Yeah, I mean you know what I was.

Also, I was, you know, the one on the low one on the totem pole when it started. And but also too, they didn't do okay, number one, it was number one, number two. Who's number two? What's his name?

Yeah?

Oh so young boy. Yeah it was what's his name? Robert Wagner?

Robert Wagner.

So they didn't do me or him. Oh I know, I know, and uh yeah, So I never really got a yeah, got anything from that.

But well they're going to see this podcast and that's going to change there, missy.

Right now, somebody did make one about this big for me because they knew that I'd never gotten it, and they brought it. This was a couple of years ago, and they brought it in and they said, just I know that you'd never got a you know, blah blah blah, and put it all together and I was like, oh my god, and it was just about this big. But I still have it. I mean, I was like, that's great, sweet very So, yeah, there are things I definitely have kept. Yeah,

Yeah it is.

I'm just looking up on Google here there's costumes for you, just not action figures. What there's there's our costumes you can buy just.

Not action figures, right, right, yeah, well, but then that's that What does that do for me? I got nothing from it? I yet, you know, I don't get anything off on it. I have a I have a couple of things that I took to think the last you know, frow you know, fashion, and it was like, can I take that home?

Sure?

You know? And I could.

And then I could say to my son, I think I think I even have the one of the original the very first time that Austin Powers, the very first script. And I went into my son and I went, hey, just want you to know when I go, you better get a lot of Yeah, that's right.

Oh god, that's funny. You know. I did that same thing when I first started. I was Dumbo Circus and uh it was my first job in the business many moons ago, and I started saving I thought, well, that's been great when my kids when I'm dead, my kids will sell these or do whatever. And I filled up a trunk. Then I was starting to work on the second truck, and I go, wait, I don't plan on dying for a while, and I'm not. I'm not going to give myself a hernie every time I walk into

Oh you really don't know where it is.

Yeah, I really I don't know what I did with them, but uh, I mean I save a couple of them.

Now people have made pup like a puppet, a fra Oh wow, this big puppet that I'm when you would get that, I'm sorry. You know, when you get you have arrived no matter what you do from now on. It's kind of like wow that they put together something like that and knew I was going to be there.

Yeah, I love them.

Yeah, yeah, right, you gotta love that. Yeah, that's love, That's that's fanny. That is true. Fan fan Dart.

Did you get some meet Beyonce?

Yes, she was very sweet. She thought my son was adorable at the time. And yeah, very very lovely. The women were like, you know, gorgeous. You just you can't you know, you can't stop looking at them, watching them, and blah blah blah. But I hung out like with Seth Green, so when we were not you know, working in stuff, we would just hang out together. So became like friends with him and men and men. Yeah, he was really sweet. Yeah, and then the stories came from Robert Wagner.

Oh yeah, and.

There was another British person that that is on the show. He yeah, sorry, Michael Yorke, No, he he was there too bad.

No.

Who's the other one that came in for the last one?

Michael Kaine? Who with Michael Cain and Michael Michael.

Kain Michael Kay, Oh my gosh, yes, I do a bed Michael Kaine.

That is not that's amazing, thank you. And he has relate stories and I mean stories where you.

Go oh okay, right, well he One of my one of my favorite Michael Kain stories is they asked me about Jaws for the Revenge, a terrible film, right, They go, what do you think about you? You're rolling Jaws four? And he goes, never saw it, but I do enjoy the house that I paid for.

Isn't that the truth?

Yes?

Absolutely? Oh that's funny.

I remember his joke.

His big joke was, so we're British men, goes home, goes home up early and the knee and he walks into his bedroom. It there is his wharf in bed with free blokes and he says, hello, well lo well, and that's.

The funny joke, it's over.

I love that.

Yeah, it's British humor.

Right, Oh my god, I love that.

Yeah.

What is the hardest thing for you to do?

Uh?

Taz physically because it's just physic. I can do this part all day long. But you know, I when we were doing that show, I said, Okay, this is great. I love it. I love it. I love I'm poo in the anti poo. But we have to do it on Friday afternoon because get the weekend. The heel.

Oh that's that's so smart. That's yeah, definitely, and they were kind they let me do it. Oh that's good.

Yeah yeah. And now now it's when I always I always think about this. I would get a like a little Avion bottle or not Avion, some some water and get a bunch of no because it has to be no bubbles, and then you put get like two or three recall the cough drops and you put it that there and as soon as it looks disgusting, you can drink it because then it's it's good and it coats the throat and.

Interesting hit recoller for a co op for some they should be helping with your.

Yes commercial sponsors sponsors, Yes, yes, okay, Chris, You've got your you got your work cut out for you. All right. Well, this is so cool that you came and did this with us. I am I can't thank you enough.

Well I am again. I'm incredibly flattered that you asked me. I love seeing you when we were out there. You are a treat, You are an inspiration. You are just a nice human being.

Bless your heart and little too much.

Drink noous and so I know that's wrong and no but and I thank you, guys, because I feel like I've made it.

Oh fantastic.

All right, guys, thanks for checking out the latest episode of Tuned In with Jim Cummings with Mindy Sterling. If you're watching us on YouTube, do not forget to hit that subscribe button. Gives the thumbs up and comment below tell us what you think of the show. Jim reads all of the comments and he is much much appreciated. Remember you can also follow us on social media at Jim Cummings Pod and if you want to get in touch,

Thank you for having me.

Jim Chris, it's always a pleasure. We've done it again at you in the next episode of Turned In with Jim Cummings.

Are you goingcome back?

Yeah? Damn time. Okay, fantastic, Thank you.

Oh it was so fine.