104: Enemy of the State w/ Liza Weil

Unpacking the Toolbox is a production of Shondaland Audio in partnership with Higheartradiots.

Katie, my son today got his cast off.

Oh yeah, how does he feel? Is he happy?

Well?

Now he has to be an embrace. Well, we have a cast off party this afternoon. He's requested two friends to be a Pokemon trading company.

Were you ever into Pokemon?

Hell? No, yes, I still don't understand it. I still didn't even understand what Pokemon is. Who is Pikachu? Is he a cat? Is the mouse? What is it?

It's a bunny. I think it's a bunny. I have no idea. I literally have no clothes going on.

But my son is so into it, and for the first time, okay, he's only the cards he gets are shit ass knockoffs that are like five cents because I'm not spending money on this ship. And some of these cards are like five hundred dollars. It's like collecting baseball card, like limited edition. You know, Pokemon's being around for thirty years or something. So when he got his cast off, I got him his first like real it was like

They're going to be like, kid, this.

Is a fake. Like this is a fake. You're a fake, You're a phony. Your parents are ponies.

Yo.

The only time I loved Pikachu is when when Pikachu was a fucking happy meal box? Do you remember that? Just a few months ago? And all I listen, I don't love anything more than I love a good happy meal. It makes the food taste better. Well, you could either have a hamburger or cheeseburger, and then it comes with small fries, apple slices, or yogurt, and that's pretty much.

Pikachu, the only time we were into it.

It is so annoying, but he loves it so much, and he was very brave and actually surprisingly have you ever had a broken bone?

Uh in my foot? Yeah? I have?

Uh huh oh you did you have to have a cast.

Uh no, you know, you know what in my hand too. Yeah, I had to have a I had to have a cast.

So I remember when I was a kid, I broke my leg.

I remember them taking the cast off and it hurt so so so badly, and it was so scary, and I feel like the thing like touched my skin and it was like a saw. Now, it's things have come so far from when we were kids. Have this like saw machine that takes off cast now and kids for in literally under one minute, it tickles their skin as it's doing it. I don't know how that's possible. But and Albi was hysterical laughing.

Are you serious?

Yes, he's so ticklish. And he was a start laughing and had the best time of his life. Like he wasn't scared.

I thought he was gonna be like Jesus Christ, this is like a loud saw.

Meanwhile, back in the day, we're like, please don't cut my arm off when you're taking the cast off my.

Skin, Like I'm terrified. It's not like that at all. It's come very far. And so I've had a very active morning.

I liked Friman. Do you ever hiking?

I have Yeah, I like hiking. Fryman Friman is a trail up here in a North Hollywood, right, what do we end like? Was that considered North Hollywood?

Yeah, it's it's in Studio City and it's a trailhead and it's like a three mile hike. It's like a mile and a half up into my half down and it's really beautiful and it's very clear right now in Los Angeles because we've had rains, which means this smog has sort of moved out, and you can see that there's like snow capped mountains nearby, and it's really beautiful

Oh, it was awful.

You gotta let them go ahead. You should have off put off to the side and sat down for a second, let him get ahead.

I couldn't get behind. I couldn't figure out where I fit.

And the whole fucking hike I'm hearing like such annoying shit, and I just was like, fuck is this my feet? Like God damn it, teenage girls are the fucking worst.

Like it was so annoying.

Wait, you didn't have music or anything.

You'd have music music in my ear and it made no difference.

It was like like it was just suck and so disturbing. And if I went too far, because they were all in clumps, like their little clicks, it was like seventy my girls all.

Split up up around you, all around me.

I was surrounded and I only had a certain amount of time. So really, if I had been smart, I would have just pulled over for like a long time. And really, just like.

You didn't have time, I still want caught up.

I'm a fast fucking hiker.

You are. We gotta go hiking one day together. I love hiking.

I would love it. I do too.

It's like it's like the only the only form of working out that.

I actually enjoyed.

I do too.

Yeah, like I just enjoy it.

I like look around. I like you're listening to Madonna. I listened to podcasts.

I'm listening to Madonna on my iPod. Would they don't even make them anymore? Right?

I have to tell you you are the only person on planet Earth that I know that still uses an iPod.

I love my iPod?

Is she here?

Oh shit?

We're already in it.

We're already laughing because the greatest guest is here, the one and only Liza While Hi, Eliza, Hi, right, Yes, you did it, You crush it.

Welcome to the Scandal Rewatch Podcast.

It's so nice to be here, you guys. I'm so excited to dig in this with you.

Man.

See, you're unpacking the toolbox. We're talking about episode one oh four.

Called Enemy of the State, which originally aired on April twenty sixth of twenty twelve, and.

It was written by Richard E. Robbins who I don't remember this writer, Katie. And it was directed by Michael Cattleman.

And I don't remember that director.

Gear Mack guest starring Liza Wild, Amanda Tanner, Brendan Hines is Gideon Wallace Bellamy Young his first lady, Mellie Grant, Dan Bugatinski as James Novak, Joshua Molina as.

David Rosen, Matt Lesher as Billy Chambers, Jose Zuniga as Hanadadi, Benicio Flores, Valerie Cruz is Gottolina Flores, leland Or Sir as Sanders, and Kate McGregor Stewart as Mary.

And just to take you, guys, Scandal pace through the synopsis like we do. When a dictator shows up at the OPA office pleading for help to find his missing wife and children, Olivia faces a moral dilemma on taking the case.

Then, when the truth comes out about the dictator's missing family, the entire team faces an even more difficult situation.

Olivia and Cyrus navigate the Amanda Tanner.

Case, and who better to have on the Scandal Rewatch podcast than the one and only Amanda fucking Tanner.

Yeah, yo, Liza, how did this part?

Like?

Did you guest star on all the other great like all the other Shondaland shows? I mean, obviously you and Paul were husband wife. You knew Shonda that way? How did you get Amanda Tanmaer?

Okay, Well, I mean we're gonna get We're just gonna get right into it.

Right into it.

I had done an episode of Private Practice, and I think I did an episode of Gray's Anatomy. I went in for Scandal and read for Quinn and Abby. What I didn't know that shit? Yeah, But the weird thing was is that I read for Quinn and then they found you, which is like Chef's Kiss. They had me come in right into a test for Abby and I like had a complete psychotic break in the audition room. It really stands as one of the worst auditions experiences

Were you crying? Were you hyperventilating? Was your heart racing?

I remember like turning away from them and like facing a corner of the audition room and just sort of like touching the wall like trying to like bring my bring myself back to some Yeah. So it was really

A lot of actors, I know, like literally take beta blockers, like oh, I'm an actors taking take like they actually take like beta blocker, which is far less than like a eras of PAM or an adavan or something, because they need because they're.

Going to have a full bone anxiety.

This is our lives as actors, Like that shit happens for me. How it manifests for me is my hand shake and I'll be holding sides. So now I got a tip from another actor, Gary Perez, my buddy, and he was like, just bring a heavy, heavy book and hold the sides on top of that book and it sort of gives weight to your hand. Because I sometimes I get so nervous that my hands are shaking and then all I'm thinking they're looking at my shaking hands and my shaking.

Fucking tongue rock.

And by the way, like that's happened to me before on like like a live talk show.

And then some days you feel amazing, like a fucking king and a queen right in the room and you're like the most confident and chill.

Yeah, but you just chasing it. And then that's I think why we keep doing it is to like chase that that Graystone, right, and it's so rare, so well with that, Yeah, I also am a firm believer that, yeah, without Amanda Tanner, like I needed to do Amanda Tanner, but I could have never done Bonnie winer Bottom without

I did it.

When you booked Amanda Tanner, did you know that she was going to die?

Did you know?

Did you know what it could be episode?

I don't think I knew any of it. I think I gradually heard that it was going to turn into like a little bit of an arc and be like five or six episodes, but I didn't know anything. I mean, and you guys, because I'm so curious about your experience going back and watching this as well. But I'm realizing now that it was such a primer for me in terms of sort of the the Shondaland staple of really like going for a fucking ride because you don't know anything.

Yeah, you trust it, Yeah, you trust it.

For some actors, it's like wildly unsettling and they don't like it, and they're sort of used to like sitting down with the showrunner at the beginning of season and hearing what their whole characters arc is going to be and what the writers has planned for them and all of that in Shonda Universe, which tell me if it was was it the same for how to get with for Murder too.

Yes, yeah, oh yeah, so you were not told a thing.

We show the table read, you're not you don't ask questions, you don't know where your character's going.

I think it's because they don't know.

Really where your characters is, right, They're kind of waiting to see what you do and what develops, and like build off of that what I found complete freedom in it.

Yeah, it becomes I think very liberating. There is like a you know, a wonky like adjustments period because I think you also just like you're you're up against so many other things. It's really hard to be good on TV, you know, like on fast paced, like you're just up against so much. But there is there is a a liberation I think once you're like, I don't know what's going to happen to me tomorrow in life, I don't know what you know, Like, yeah, so it's I think

I like the part of TV two of doing an episodic like like Scandal or Murder, that you you know, you don't have time to stress out or get too nervous about something because the shooting pace is so freaking fast and just going, going, going. You don't have time to be like I'm gonna stress and overthink this monologue. You don't have time for that shit. You just got

Was Amanda Tanner your like big job after Gilmore I mean, I know you worked a ton, but like, was it your first?

Like did you say Gilmore Girls?

Wait a minute, gave Giermo fucking loves Gilmore Girls.

When we had Shawna on the podcast for episode one, he was like, Shawna, you watch Gilmore Girls. And Shawna was like no, and Geirmast like almost died.

I was like, I almost. I almost turned off my camera and like left the podcast. Now, No, because because Liza, because she cast you, she cast the lovely actress who played Lane on Gilmore Girls. Yes, and then of course Hollis Doyle who was Greg Henry also on Gilmore Girls. Like all these like wonderful people that were on Gilmore Girls, and oh man.

I always assumed that she did watch it, But that's news to me that she did it.

She never saw it, which is so crazy because when I go back and I think about like the fast paced talking shows, it's like West Wing, Gilmore Girls, Scandal, Like there's not so many shows where like the Secret Sauce, one of them in the recipe is speaking as fast as humanly fucking possible.

Yes, one hundred percent. I mean I Gilmore Girls ended, I got married, and then I was having like a really hard time going back into audition rooms.

I feel like the.

Whole time I was on Gilmore Girls, I wasn't really getting out for other things, so like the audition muscle was like I had no idea like and again did just a lot of panic attacks and a lot.

Of anxiety, just a lot of straight up anxiety because.

Yeah, so I didn't work for for like three years, I think after Gilmore Girls, and then oh wow, I had my daughter, So yeah, Amanda Tanner was like the first job back after having a baby and sort of all of it, and I was freaked out. I was really really nervous because you guys were you know, you got you guys that were coming to play.

We were not you were I.

Want to I want we wanted to talk about this episode but literally I will never forget that scene in the pilot with you and the dog and Carrie Washington and her having that monologue about you better get out of town and here's all the things she's going to do to you if you don't, and where'd you get that dog? And you just have to literally thob for like ever take it?

Yeah, I mean, do you remember that day and how the generous thing that Carrie did?

Remember but please tell okay, because.

So it was you know, it was there was a big build up for that scene and like it was a long process and I was like, I think I had kind of blown my wad.

Yeah, and she did not say we called for tearstick, which I did all the time. Liza never did that.

Well, I think my moment. But honestly, it was again like the motivation, like the motivation for crying was out of like I am going to like whiff this, like I had this is I'm going to fail publicly. So it was all just like, you know, you better fucking do this. But then I remember having to break for lunch before they yeah, and I was like, oh no, no, no, no, please, let please, let's not make for lunch. And then just like sitting in the honeywagon, like rocking back and forth, like trying.

To starving, starving because you know you're not going to eat yet.

But Carrie did like the thing for my coverage where she just it just wasn't there, and she went off script and sort of like added some personal stuff that would sort of get a response out of me. She knew that, you know, we were starting to try to like find child care for our daughter, and it was so stressful, and it was like I was leaving her alone for the first time, and she put she kind of like sprinkled those little.

Nubbles into the hell yeah.

And and it just saved my ass, man, And I was so grateful for her to her for that.

Uh well, it struck in place, man, because that scene.

I'm convinced, like that scene is probably why we even like got to pick up for a second.

Oh stop.

Yeah, that's one of those iconic fucking scenes where we know who Olivia Pope really is. We know like what lengths she's willing to go for her for her love for the president. We see that she doesn't give a fuck that this girl is just like a regular girl who was in the fucking wrong place at the wrong time, although we kind of learned that that's not who Amanda Tanner.

Yeah, and that scene they used that They use that scene in a lot of promos too, like that's the scene that when the show first started sort of being publicized, right, Yeah.

It's iconic and you were phenomenal and however you got there, Like I just remember it was forever. That scene was first of all outside, which is impossible. They can't like really control lots of things that needed to be controlled. He did shoot it, like wides and masters and carries coverage eight billion times from hours before we turned it around on Liza. So by the time we turned it around on Liza, she's like, I can't hear this. Like when I hear this doesn't have any effect on me anymore.

Yeah, and so.

For Carrie, yeah, she would. She used to do that to me too. I don't know if she ever do that to you Garama too. But sometimes she'd just save your ass and she would be like, sprinkle in just a little something that would make it feel different, sound different, wake up, like let me have an.

She didn't give me shit. She barely remembered her lines when they were doing my coverage. I'm kidding. She's great.

Now in this episode, we have so many firsts it's insane, Like, yes, we have so many first First we have like Carrie Washington speaking Spanish, which she knows how to speak Spanish, righte giaramo. Because the case of the week is this this dictator from.

Yeah, Benicio Flores.

I don't remember where he's from, but like he comes in and needs help because his children are and wife are missing.

And Olivia speaks.

Why does Olivia, I mean, excuse me, why does Kerry watch you know how to speak Spanish fluently?

Knows how to do everything fluently?

Oh my god, she's really smart, right, and she knows probably all the things we have.

Amanda wants to revisit the five minute like all you want, like all you want.

For your end game.

Olivia Pope is saying to you like okay, great, like what do you want, and You're like, I want, oh the god, you fucking kill you want fucking five minutes with the president.

Five minutes with the president. Yeah, that scene is so good.

This where you say I want them all to burn for this.

Yes, yes it is, Yes, it is to.

Kill that that would be so hard to do for so many people, and doing.

All these guys are really nice, man, I mean, because I.

Think it could be kind of melodramatic, you know what I mean.

Yeah, we'll be right back. Guys. Did you rewatch this episode Liza? And it's okay if you didn't.

We we I did, no, I one hundred percent.

Was it nice being sort of separated, like having the time from you know, cause I always talk about how we were so close to the material in the show when we were shooting it, so it was hard to be really be like, oh, this is a great show because I would remember stupid shit I didn't like that I did or whatever. But now having that time, I'm like, it's such a great show.

It's such a great show. I mean I started, I like burned through like six episodes, like I couldn't stop watching it. Yeah, Like I had the intention of just watching until episode four and then now I'm like fully in it again. It's and it's just it's such a it's such a delight.

Yeah.

How did you prepare for scenes like like the burn for this Were you working with anybody at the time, or were you just like I like, how what was your like prep?

Yeah, I was not working with anybody at the time. I mean I think I was just doing problem blease, some like not great unhealthy prep of just like just self hatred. And but again, I think so much of of my fuel was just a real, like authentic fear of not doing well like this. And it was such an exciting set to be on. I mean, you guys were just so it was just so lively and like there was such a potent, palpable feeling of like joy and commitment and enthusiasm that was so special to be around.

What a gift for you.

That show was hard, like it was you know, as you were saying, very dialogue, uh heavy, and we were shooting crazy, crazy hours on that show. But Michael came in and just he was like the whisperer you know to everybody, just very soothing, calming and like just made it feel good there.

So I'm so glad that he was your person during this episode because you just have a lot of heavy lifting in this episode, like, well and you get fucking kid, we gotta get there, We gotta get there.

Yeah, I mean I remember Katie, like I loved Urlave Amanda and Quinn stuff so much because it just felt like when I got to be in a scene with you that I was just being bathed in like warmth and kindness because Carrie as Olivia really was pretty harsh with Amanda and she would just look at me like a fucking piece of shit, like and like so much judgment.

Yeah, well she thinks you're pregnant with her fucking love boyfriend with her boyfriend.

What am I saying? It's so so complicated for her. Yeah, I mean it is a really intense thing for her to take on it as webby as fuck, you know.

Yeah, but Quinn, Quinn and Amanda were just like I'm just like I just want you to be okay.

Yeah, it doesn't.

Come be a client I come be a client and like I'm trying to do a good job, and I felt, I feel like Quinn feels so bad for her, Like I just.

Think she relates to her in a way too, right, Yeah.

There's empathy there, Yeah for sure.

I mean, also, let's take it back too, like this is the cook Man. This storyline aman A Tanner sleeping with the president. I mean that is literally ripped from Judy Smith o. Olivia Pope is based on representing Monica Lewinsky.

Yes, yes, right.

That's a lot of pressure. I mean, your your case and your person is very loosely inspired by probably the most famous political presidential scandal in the history of time other than Nixon, And like yeah.

Yeah, I mean there was also a thing where, you know, the writers were sort of like, we don't really know if she did sleep with him, you know, yeah, like having to be like, Okay, well I think I just have to play that I did, but I think it also, I mean to get kind of raw about it. It was bringing up like a lot of interesting things for me because I was like, I did just have a baby.

Man, you you're gorgeous.

We're are worst enemies ourselves.

You are.

Yeah, you are gorgeous every day of your life, like in any any version of you, brunette, blonde, short hair, long hair, post baby.

That's not why I'm bringing it up. I didn't mean it to be a we got it.

We're gonna be the ones to tell you and then we And also you're doing some mad sketchy shit. It's not on in this episode, but in previous episodes you're like on the phone and you're like, I have to tell her.

I can't like lie anymore.

I had no idea who I was calling.

By the way, who you're talking You don't know you're talking to Billy Chambers. You don't know you're actually pregnant with Billy Chambers.

Baby. No, I have none of that information. But it was such a great light and going back, I have to say like I was like, oh, I wish I made a little bit more of a choice there, because it was a pretty.

General we all felt like that. I keep going back and I'm like, god, why was I playing that? And then I'm like, oh, because I didn't know.

You didn't know, but it worked.

Yeah, you just have to embrace like the general like I'll just do something general.

Yeah.

I remember distinctly one day on set, not in this episode, on an earlier episode, I want to say, maybe even the pilot.

Yeah.

I think it was the pilot.

The scenes where you are in bed after you've slit your wrist.

Oh.

Yeah, and you brought Josephine to set. Oh, and she met Shanda.

Oh, and it was so stretched like I was like as a young like as a person who wanted to be a mom. I just remember like looking at you and being like, oh my god, Like she's married to an actor and she is bringing her child to set and she's working, and you're doing it amazing job. Like I just remember being like, holy shit, like I hadn't I hadn't seen that before because I only guest starred on procedurals where men were the leads. I really hadn't seen any people bring babies on set. It was the

She was lovely about that.

Okay, A few other firsts and orders of business that I need to touch upon is this is the first time we see Olivia drink the biggest fucking glass of red wine in the history of fucking television, which became a staple.

Yeah, it really does make you want to have wine immediately the way she drinks it.

You're just like, ah, so she does this huge wine thing, which became such a staple, like such a joke. Like I remember seeing so much any sketches I think even on SNL or some shit that just had like some Olivia Pope thing with the glass like the size of a room. We meet James played by Dan Bugatinsky, and we learn that Cyrus is gay. Yes, fucking episode, Oh my god, that is huge. I mean Jeff Perry will have when we have him on, like he didn't know Cyrus.

Was gay, remember talking damn about it.

Yeah, he had no clue.

And I mean we have to have Dan Bukatinski on who plays James Novakuum's performances absolutely legendary, and it starts in this episode. We also this Sanders Black played by Leland Orser.

Yes, it's hired by the White House.

And we learn for the first time some of the like stray dogs in o PA their backstory. For example, that Hawk's a killer. We learned that Abby was beaten, which we didn't know before we've really We learned that Quinn Perkins didn't exist until two thousand.

And eight, motherfucker. Yes.

And we learned that Harrison Wright was like a car salesman kind of you know, slimy dude turned lawyer, right.

Yeah, and we caught up in some money, like.

Yeah, some money laundering type bad shit.

And that Steven Stephen was an attorney as well who had a breakdown. Yeah, yeah, doing a case and Olivia brought him sort of took him under her wing.

Yeah, alright, he had the breakdown.

Yeah, And then I have my next note is Jeff gives the best monologue ever.

Whoa. He says, you know, you've got a man of Tanner's pregnant, and the President is like, well, what happens now? And he takes him through the trajectory of like what is his downfall and ultimately, like you know, his demise and like how he's just his life is just completely ruined and.

He's gonna shoot himself with that gun that his dad gave him, blow the back of his skull out. Yeah.

Uh good God.

Nobody can do what Jeff Perry does. It is like, I watch him with such wonder There should be an entire podcast just devoted to how he like, how he brings stuff off the page. It is just astounding.

What And yeah, he has this little giggle at the end as he's walking out the door. Do you remember that, Liza.

Yes, And he's like, no, but write your speech like that matters, that's important, brilliant.

Just that little moment is like, ugh, it's so amazing. He's so good.

And then we're prepping a man to Tanner for Diane Sawyer and it seems like she may not want.

To yeah, because that paternity suit's going to be a little bit of.

When we do that and they realize that she's not pregnant with the president's husband, I mean, the president's baby. And this for the next first is that we've got the words Abby throws papers at her when I wanted to leave Charles, and she has the most beautiful scene.

Oh, when I wanted to leave Charles.

Yeah, well I wanted to leave Charles.

Abby and Olivia have been at odds for a while because Abby thinks Olivia keeps fucking up. She's her gut is not in the right place, she's taking on the wrong cases, she's she's misstepping right and left and yeah. For the first time, Abby says the phrase over a cliff, yes, which like, are you joking? Like who comes up with this shit?

I know?

Also, Katie, I don't know if you if you noticed, this is the first time that we hear Abby mentions Olivia taking a tire iron to her ex husband's kneecap. Yes, And it's the first Like I heard it for the first time when I watched it on this rewatch and I was like, oh shit, Like Olivia got violent on this dude because he, you know, he hit her friend. And I was like, oh, wow, that's that's cool. That's interesting information.

Shadowing of.

What's his name with the chair wow, which is like seasons later. I cry so hard in this episode because of the fucking don't ever show me an episode of television anywhere, anytime where a baby's being ripped away from its mother while the baby's fucking crying.

Baby's performance is amazing.

I can't This baby is unbelievable.

I don't know whether the baby's really crying or they added it in post, but it is absolutely.

Crying. It's on's face.

Oh yeah, it's really heart wrenching. I mean, it's absolutely heart wrenching that the dickhead dictator who's abusive and a piece of shit, like the wife wants to save her family and leave him because he's not the man she married. And he's like, yeah, fine, you can leave me, but I'm going to take all the children. And they have to like and over the sobbing baby and the older son, and it is just absolutely heartbreaking.

And those those guest stars, can I just say really quickly, Jose, Oh my god. Yes, Jose's Uniga, who plays handed out Benicio Florida is h He's been in a like over one hundred and forty like films and TV shows like he's in everything. Yeah, And speaking of first, me and him did my first movie ever, Fresh where I got my sag card, a movie with Sam Jackson and bouchet wright. Jose was in that film with me, so we did. He was in you know, my first first movie ever.

Oh I love that.

Anyway, he's he's a wonderful actor. And then and then Valerie Cruz, who plays Gottolina Florida is she's amazing and she was on Off the Map. Do you remember that, Katie?

Oh yes, yes, I knew she looked familiar to me. Oh my god, that's crazy.

Was that that was a Shondalance show right now?

Was the Doctors Without Borders like Gray's Anatomy sort of spinoff that lasted for one season and it.

Was my only show that did not become a huge wow.

And I tested sort of for like all three female doctors and didn't get them. It was the year before Scandal, and thank god, because I wasn't supposed to be fucking doing that.

And our makeup artist are amazing. Makeup artist Denise worked on Off the Map, and I remember her and Valerie always just chatting and connecting and reminiscing about shooting that show. I think they shot it in Hawaii or something right at Yeah, yeah, yeah.

I have a question.

Gideon watches the tape in this episode where the President's like whispering in your ear?

Do you remember shooting that.

I do remember shooting that.

Fuck was he saying?

I think he was just leaning in and he didn't say anything, I think, and that was I remember it was. There was a lot of discussion I think about like how they wanted it to look and it was so I don't I don't recall him. I mean, I think he was probably just joking around when we did it, and just you know, at.

The end of the episode, when you get man Tanner gets kidnapped, it's amazing, it's eerie, it's fucking terrifying. Did you was it George Newburn doing it to you or was it like just.

A standard No, I think it was a stunt person.

So you didn't know at the time when you were shooting it that it was Charlie.

I didn't know. I didn't know any of that. Yeah, yeah, I didn't know shit the yeah, the needle in the foot, you know. I think I remember reading that episode and being like, oh, I think this is my last episode because the needle and the toe. I was like, this isn't from your foot.

Acting was on point, like no pun intended to Ballerina's Yo. That ship was the way trying to pull away from that needle. It was so good. It's such a great scene.

Funny watching it is that I realized that I couldn't. I wasn't keeping my eyes open, like my my instinct was to like just be squinty. So wished were you watching? And I'm like, open your eyes, dummy, open your eyes.

See who's doing it? Like, see see what's happening?

Yeah, Like and it wasn't. And so that's I wish I did that differently as well.

But I didn't even think of that about it.

I justly see is that you're fucking terrified, and like, yeah, but that's so fucked up. When I'm watching it, I don't even think I realized. I don't know if tell me if I'm completely wrong. Do you think everybody was like, oh, this is when she's dead. I just assumed that he puts something in you to make you fall asleep, not something that kills you.

Yeah, I guess. I yeah, I probably just went to the worst case scenario for myself as an actor.

Yeah, yeah, Like, gee, did you think this like that Amanda Tanner is dead or were you like she's going to be put out and we're not done with.

Her yet exactly. Yeah, I didn't think. I didn't think they were going to kill her off either. Yeah, at least at that point, I.

Think Seanda brought me in and told me that she is to die, but that there was going to be like some flashback stuff and then.

Wait, we need to talk about that while we have you though. I'll remember that day like nobody like we were in Long Beach, I think.

And then she told me that they're going to pull my body out of the river. And I was like, can I please do that?

Oh man, I have no idea what disgusting thing happens. But you were pulled up on this this vest crig, this.

Rig and just dangling. Was it freezing cold?

They put I mean they really geared me up. I mean I think I had like layers of wet suits on under my clothes and everything.

And they painted you blue. They like painted you.

Your makeup was like obviously someone had been dropped in the Potomac.

There was a lot of discussion about like keep your mouth closed, like make sure like this water is probably not great.

Oh shit, that's disgusting.

So they dunked your ass in. They dunked you in, pulled you out for the seat.

Well, there was the thing that they did have a stunt person because I guess you're not allowed to be like I couldn't be underwater and pulled up, so they said they yeah, so they did the stunt person for that. But then they did let me.

Just like when it was like the close up on your face and really knowing who it was that is you got to do that.

And it was so fun, Like I was like so excited to do that. That was just some next level like I cannot believe I get to be doing this. This is so cool soun like river death moment.

Yeah, yes, please, un fucking believable and also so effective for us because you know, we have so many episodes after you die where we're talking. You know, it's so crazy that you're not there because you're so allot. You know, it's like those plays where like you never meet the dad but the pictures on the wall and they talked about dad so much or whatever, but like it felt like that like you were so I mean, you were the engine and the fire of the.

Whole first season.

Yeah.

Yeah, and if people didn't really care and feel for you, it would never have worked. And that's just like such a testament to everything you did.

Wow. Thanks guys.

We will be back with more after the break.

If this was twenty twelve, right, this aired on April twenty six and twenty twelve.

Do you remember when you first shot Murder?

Twenty fourteen, so it was two years?

Yeah, two years, that's yeah, that's wild. My god.

I remember being at the one of the evening before parties, those Emmy parties as a scandal casting. We were already on seas I don't know what season we were on, two or three, maybe right before Murder started, and then all of a sudden, How To get Away with Murder was a hot.

Show, huge show.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Did you have scenes again with Carrie when she crossed over to How To get Away with Murder?

Because we did it?

Oh, that's right.

No, they had to do a really weird thing with me because they couldn't have Amanda Tanner and Bonnie Winterbottom exist in the same universe much.

Oh shit, Oh.

My god, that's insane. Did someone tell you that?

No? I mean I think that it occurred to them in the room when they were trying to break that crossover of like She's gonna like I was kind of problematic.

I had to think about that either, because you also look so different between the two roles. I mean, I mean you're also you're a chameleia of an actor, but like you look wildly different. I mean you have a short, blonde bob and you're in these suits and like really powerful and just such. I mean, honestly, I don't even know if I didn't know you that you were the same person.

That you would connect that. Yeah, which is which is great.

I wish I got to be a part of those scenes, but yeah, they just didn't. They just didn't bring Bonnie into that story.

Holy shit, I never even thought about that. Now, Wow, that would have flipped fans out.

Yeah. Yeah, Yo, Liza, were you ever on how to get it with murder? Did you ever have days where you were like, I don't know what the fuck is happening in the story, Like what what? And then just do it? Because me and Katie talked about that. There'd be days where I'd be like Katie, I don't know, I don't know what the fuck is happening in the storyline. I really don't I'm so lost.

Yeah, but I'm.

Just going to act the shit out of it or try, like I don't know what's happening. And we were on the show and I know how to get it watching how to get it with Murder. Sometimes I'd be like I'd have to rewatch and read because I was like, wait, what I say? Why?

Yeah? And we were braiding time in such a weird way too on that show.

Well, they were like going back and forth and jumping back in time and the night of the thing and then that I'm like, I don't know where we are.

Yeah, I mean yes, we were constantly doing that. And it was also like our you know, like the night X stuff, like we would shoot the Murder night stuff that you know that comes together at the end of the season. But they hadn't even figured it out out, like they didn't know the trajectory. So we're shooting it in like piecemeal little sections as well. And they've never they never wanted to break that story fully, so everybody

Like it's just like, oh my god.

You know, we had the whole season of like Who's under the sheet? Like we know we were told like one of you who's gonna die? We don't know who it is.

I mean, Scandal became a show sort of like that. I remember I was actually just gonna see the question like Scandal when we when James died, Oh yeah, you know, we we we were very very quickly shaken to realize like, oh yeah, people can die on this show, like like Columbus Shorts character died, like James died, and I remember being like, oh shit, none of us are safe.

But how do you survive it?

I mean it's too much, you know, when you're on such serious shows, it's like you gotta like let some of that air out. We also make farting sounds all the time.

Oh my god, Liza, that's what we do, like right, before shooting on Scandal, we would do that all the time.

Serious.

Action and then we'd go.

It's levity, man, you gotta have the levity.

I know I can't.

I wish we could like all go back and we're going to make the Scandal musical comedy.

Yes, oh I know.

I mean if you guys think that there will be like a reboot thing like like, I don't.

I think has always been like no, it doesn't in the cards, but I whenever I whenever we've like said it in passing like carry or anyone, I know that the whole cast would do anything because we really loved working together and we Yeah, you know, I think that's the hardest part. I think so much about Scanal being

Yeah, I know, that's the stuff, man, It's it's magic.

It's the stuff.

Yeah, all right, y'all, let's get into our favorite.

Do doo doo tweets, the.

Mess y'all.

We read some of the tweets of the time. Were you on Twitter during this time?

I wasn't yet. I was we were. I was mandated to get Twitter and Instagram when Murder started and so, but I wasn't fully doing it. I remember watching you guys do that. Well, I guess you guys didn't start the live tweeting phenomenon until season two, right, that was like the big ship pilot. Okay, it was the.

Pilot, Yeah, I believe so. Yeah, we started tweeting from the from the beginning, but it took off later.

Yeah, yeah, it took off second season, but the first season we started it. But some of the tweets from April twenty seventh of twenty twelve, this is like going back into our our time capsule Liza is at end the fact it said, whoever this Amanda Turner is has balls of steel lying like that hashtag scandal. Nice job, Amanda Turner.

They would mess up our names all the time. I get called.

Hawk, Oh, would be like I love Puck.

Yeah, I got pucker Hawk.

Love that hawk. I'm like Yo, you're.

All this stay at home I stay at home daughter at fuddlecutdo, says mean while watching Scandal, bitch, you know they can kill you, right. Take the fucking money serious, which is not wrong. Where's the lie? Where's the lie in that statement? Yep? Nowhere? It was ten million dollars. Amanda Turner said no to ten million.

A minute it was, wasn't it?

Yeah? It was ten million.

I thought they were off friends right meeting man.

God, she must really love that Billy Chambers.

Yeah, like she really loved that Billy Chambers at lex Boogie one on April twenty seventeenty twelve, says I just finished doing that.

I don't know what that's it, replies to.

Lol retweet, Oh here it is, guys. I'm just like remembering how to read twitter at. I need to watch Cyrus read the President for blood one more time on Scandal hashtag DVR.

Who's this?

At Rolake says the blondie and newbie on Scandal are kind of awe.

I know, I was trying to figure out who they were talking about.

Who is that?

That's YouTube? Oh that's YouTube?

Than blonde?

She was kind of dirty blonde?

Oh was she Oh my god, Oh my god, they're talking about us.

Fuck you so.

A no, it's fine, please. That is nothing compared to the shit I got for the next seven years.

It's a very strange thing, the Twitter. It's a blessing and a curse. Man, I don't know.

The key is not responding to to that bullshit, not feed into that like I did in the beginning a little bit, and then I was just like, I can't do that. I just would mute people.

For me, it would be like a hundred compliments, but the one thing that someone said that was unc hind would be the thing I would think about her and my husband would be like, Katie, there's literally like ninety nine people telling you that you're prettier, you did a good job or something, and the one person who said I was had a fat ass, or you know, that I was stupid or somebody fucking killed Quinn Perkins or something would be the thing that would like.

Eat what you would harp on. Yeah.

Yeah, It's like it was such a lesson. But also I'm so grateful for it, because my god, I have a thick skin now, Like I don't even fucking care, Like I'm just like think what you want.

Like, when you get put.

Through that, you're just like the the only way I'm going to survive this is to just yeah, you just you just build up immunity to it.

You're just like, yeah, I can't care.

Yeah, yeah, ye, Liza VI, you are so tell us what you're up to now and then we'll let you go.

We can catch you on the Cleaning Lady.

You can catch me. I'm the Cleaning Lady. Yes, you can watch it on Hulu and I believe that the first season is on HBO Max. But yeah, I've had a really lovely time recurring on that show, really really nice.

I've heard it's amazing.

It's a really fun show. And again, like I get to do some really fucking cool shit on that show.

Man, Like what are you playing? What are you playing? Now? God, you're such a chameleon.

Assistant Special Agent in Charge Catherine Russo who is FBI and I play sort of this the boss supervisor to Oliver Hudson, who is, yes, a little bit of a loose cannon rogue rogue agent.

This is very cool. I'm very into this.

Yeah, it's a cool show, but I get to I got to like fucking jump out of a helicopter with like swat gear on, and I get to do cool actiony stuff a little bit yo.

And Liza's fucking strong.

How I used to take pilates private doubles with her. We had the same pilates teacher, Juliet Kaska. Who's so I can do one move? She asked me, not a single fucking one.

It took me months, Katie, like, like I think, maybe even a full two babies.

I have lost everything I ever knew or.

Was when I I mean, I started working with her like six months after I had Josephine, and I had zero body awareness or like I couldn't feel any kind of muscle.

An ab good luck, I know, but I used to do doubles with Liza when I was in great shape.

And Liza's a beast.

You are so strong, you.

Are so fit, and anyone who's anyone should go and watch the Cleaning Lady and watch Liza jump out of helicopters and kick some fucking yeah. Thank you all so much for listening to the Scandal Rewatch podcast Unpacking the Tool though, and.

Thank you Liza. Thank you so so much Eliza for hanging out with us.

Thank you guys, as it's lovely talking to you. I could talk to you all day long because it is so fun.

Oh my god, rings and let's do that. Yeah, I want to hang out, Liza. I miss you terribly. Thank you for coming on. Next week we are on episode one oh five called Crash and Burn.

That's a really good episode. The next one too. Oh yeah, it was a huge plane crash. Yes, yeah, you guys got to come back and check it out.

I'm back check it out with Katie Lows.

Unpacking the Toolbox. Hi. Thank you guys for joining us on Unpacking the Toolbox. If you enjoyed the show, please subscribe, share with your friends, rate, or leave us a review.

Scandal is executive produced by Sandy Bailey, Alex Alce, Lauren Homan, Tyler Klang, and Gabrielle Collins. Our producer and editor is Vince de Johnny, with music by Chad Fisher.

Scandal is a production of ABC Signature, and you can follow along by rewatching Scandal on Hulu.

Unpacking the Toolbox is a production of Shondaland Audio in partnership with Iheartrate. For more podcasts from Shondaland Audio, visit the iHeartRadio app or anywhere you subscribe to your favorite shows.