And That's what you Really missed with Jenna.

And Kevin an iHeartRadio podcast.

Welcome to and That's What Really miss podcast Big Guest Today.

Big Guest Today is like an actual Glee Zoe's Extraordinary Playlist crossover.

Sidener Auston, the one and only Skyler Auston Skyler was a part of the Glee family from the beginning because of the Spring Awakening connection.

Who's around, but he's also then got on the show, left his mark very quickly in a very impactful way, and then went off and had done Pitch Perfect and Zoe's Extraordinary Playlist and crazy ex girlfriend.

Just everything you name it.

We talked about the Hollywood Bowl like he's just so multi talented, so kind, so good at what he does.

There's nothing he doesn't do or can do.

Curious, Hey guy, how are you Skylard?

Good?

Good?

No, I'm doing great, you know, can't really complying.

Wow, we love it.

Worst guest ever, it gives you nothing like it's good.

I'm an actor in between jobs just like I don't know.

No, we well, we're here to talk about all the things that you have, the accomplishments you have accomplished, all the things that you have done in addition to anything that you're doing.

Cool, You've been on so much stuff.

I feel like you haven't stopped working the thing.

I don't like to stop working, So even though there's a thing I might be working on in a a few weeks actually, but even just that, like, yeah, I just like to be working.

I really do.

I love it.

That's why you're so good.

I think, Yeah, I belong on like some sort of a set or or stage or something like that, or else my energy just goes crazy.

Yeah, you know the place to put it.

You also have such a unique set of skills that you can just pop between TV, film, stage like it's nothing.

Maybe, yeah, maybe that's what helps it not feel so monotonous.

And I always get asked what's your favorite, and like which one do you prefer?

And I'm like, honestly, I could never part with any of them.

They'll scratch a different inche yes.

And also I don't think I could ever just do one because not because it would get just monotonous.

Every thing is a different kind of exhausting and a different kind of incredibly challenging.

Why the hell are we doing this to ourselves?

Eight shows a week or how the heck of my hand on this, Like I'm indoors with the windows for fifteen hours a day.

And that's not to complain, Like I really don't like to complain, especially when I'm working.

They're just very they have their unique challenges.

So like I do like to go from that kind of long day's vibe to and go to the stage where it's like a different kind of thoroughbred it calls for yes.

So you know, that's kind of my outlook on it.

I'm very grateful that I can at my toe in all of them, because I do love all them kind of equally.

I Mean, obviously, the stage is I was going to get, you know, that's the initial dream.

That's what I started doing.

That's what I only ever thought i'd do.

But I've grown to really love the process of being a series regular, especially when you're loving the thing you're doing and you get to kind of feel a part of the creation of it, which is I've been lucky enough to do for the past couple of projects.

Yeah, speaking of which, we just watched Zoe's Extraordinary Playlist.

Okay, the whole series, the whole series.

Just to speak to you, we watched the pilot pilot.

Okay, you know you were there from the creation of it.

You got to be there the inception of it.

You had been on Glee obviously, and so not many people have been on multiple music television shows because they're pretty rare, right, you and Alex I feel like had that special I don't know, you know, entry point into all of that.

How was that you know that project came around setting that all up, seeing how you saw how we ran.

Yeah are our thing, yes, the ups and downs.

Also just because that's the other thing you were around.

You were necessarily in a lot of episodes, but it felt like you had been there since the inception of the show, because you were friends with everybody, A.

Serial clinger on a stage five, because you just kept I would go away for a little bit and then I come back when you least expected.

It flare up.

Actually, Leah used to invite me all the time, and I actually really don't like going to sets that I'm not on.

I think I actually visited the actual set properly one time, Yeah, and could not have felt more what the hell am I doing here?

I'm the kind of guy that when I wrap from my own show, I don't stick around because not because I don't love it, and not because I don't love the people and love to support them.

But I'm always at one point or another faced with like a crew member being like you're still here?

Really?

Yeah?

Wait?

Like and they they're not even being judgmental on purpose.

In fact, they're actually confused themselves.

Why would anyone be here when they're not supposed to do?

And wait, am I in the like They're looking at me like, am I in the wrong place?

Because you're here, you know?

And I'm just like, you're right, I should leave.

Very rarely do I stick around.

There have been a couple of times, actually on the set of Zoe's, because there was such like a performance level excitement.

Most of them we did as one ers.

For those people who don't know, that's like one take where the camera doesn't cut and it would start on Jane's face, go to the person who's singing, do this whole whirlwind of singing, and then back to her face without cutting.

So it really had to feel like theater, which I loved.

I loved because everyone's got to be callet by the way, some times we did full on live singing as well.

I so wanted to ask about because we thought, yeah, we just found that out that because we could tell on the pilots some of those were live, some of them were pre recorded.

And most of them are prerecorded.

I'd say seventy five percent are prerecorded.

And that's not because we're what'sn't out, that's actually just because it's creatively creatively sound editing wise, like it's just too much.

If there's yeah, if there's Mandy Moore choreographer level dances, yeah, it's too much.

No one wants to see that on NBC.

But but if there were quiet, emotional kind of you know, park and Bark kind of songs, they wanted to hear the timber and I think every time we did it, I almost I almost wished we did it more because like there was some Peter Gallagher especially was very adamant.

He's like, no, you know, I don't want to sound polished.

I want to sound like this person and you really feel like you're in the room with him.

There's a couple of ones that I did in season two that were like I did Demi Levado's Anyone, which is like a big power ballad.

You did Anyone live live Yes, that was a highlight for sure.

We were just talking about how people are going to be singing live and.

You want to feel confident that they're going to nail it.

And there's like like watching Lauren Graham.

On TV, You're like, I know she's gonna nail it.

She's just great.

Like we were like we want to watch Skylard.

I'm not worried when Skylight opens his math, like I know we're in safe hands.

I can relax and have to get nervous.

But if I could bring the ease that Lauren Graham brings, that's like a career like you did, that means a lot because she's I'm still such a fan.

There's few people that I work but then I'm still like kind of starstruck by and she's.

One of them.

Oh you've gone to work with like everyone Titans, some Titans and some like titans of both forms like the Patty Lapons and Sudden Fosters of the world, and then some pretty crazy Oscar winners like Marcia Gay and Harry Steam Virgin and Nalty and those are like my favorite people to just like hear old Hollywood stories from.

Yeah, she get in the wild.

The other day for the first time.

How was that I didn't even go up to her.

We were at Jesus Christ Superstar and I was just of course, of course cap and it was like I can't im Like, I.

Know, I didn't feel worthy enough to even be in the audience.

That's why I just watched from home.

Yeah, but it looked amazing.

Okay, tell us about Zoe.

You did Waners, which is very different from our show, but having done some musicals on screen in front of a camera before, what was that experience like for you going into Zoe and were people kind of looking to you and the Alex and people who had done this before, or like, what was that experience like?

Yeah, I think it was a very collaborative set.

Austin Winsburg, our creator was like really really collaborative, more so than most creators I've ever work for.

I had a familiarity with Harvey Mason Junior, who is the head of the Academy but also did the music supervision for Pitch Perfect and for Zoe's so I was very comfortable with him.

We've done a lot of like Christmas such a sweet man has worked with Beyonce and so many of the like and that's very very cool for me, And yes, I was not only you know, I feel like Alex lorded a lot of his Glee knowledge in the proper way.

And I had just come off of the final season of Crazy Ex Girlfriend, actually, and that was a unique experience because I had heard it was the most fun set to be on.

I had heard that it was like summer camp, and I had heard that the people were amazing so much so that when I showed up, I was like, oh my god, if I don't have the time of my life, I guess I'm the ass because literally everyone's like you have to be.

It's like people who are like, if you don't like Jonathan Groff, like as a person, something's then wrong with you.

Yes, that's always like my rubric for like that.

And then Crazy X And so of course I did have the best time.

I'm still very very very good friends with all of them, the cast.

I wasn't there long enough, but I feel like I bonded with them for the amount of a series worth of bonding.

And so I was fresh off that, and so I think Jane would probably forget about this Jane Levy who is Zoe.

But I think at the beginning, everyone was like enough already with what we did on Crazy X, Like it was even harder because there were original songs and you had to like learn them on the spot.

This was, I don't know, like Zoe's was for me so cool.

I don't know if you had this, Okay, I have like two equal parts being like a theater jock playing basketball in my basement on my little Fisher Price hoop, doing the countdown of like three two one buzzer buzzer beater, like the Michael Jordan thing.

And also of course there's like the accepting the speech in the shower.

And this is crazy because this is a dream I never I never, I never knew because Glee hadn't existed at this point.

This is when I was like a kid.

I didn't even know what dream I was reaching towards.

But like you would hear those you would listen to, a cover you would listen to and sync you would listen to like all these hits.

I had a CD player like sharper image CD player, shower situations.

You know what I mean.

And so you are rich.

On a gift.

So I was like night one.

I was just rippin cast recording and that's obviously we know a dream that is that's so you could revive it one day and do it one day.

And but then there was this other one where you're like singing like justin Timberlake and you're like, I'm I'm definitely this isn't my lane, but like where would I scratch It's itch and years later it was Zoe's Yeah.

Because like there would be a few instances where it always had to be plot related because we were always singing in character similarly to Glee actually, and so you would think, like, you know, sometimes Austin would give me like, hey, this is like a song where it's not like he thinks he loves her, like the pilot I Think I Love You from the Partuer's Family.

This one in the second episode for when you guys go back and watch later of course and binge it Yes, the second episode, it was definitely like a we want like a no doubt about it.

He's into her and maybe even in a sexual way.

And so like there was like Nile Horan slow hands on the table.

There was like a bunch of things, and then we settled on Sucker by the Jonas Brothers, which was great.

Yea and like really lifted it off.

And there were a few moments like that that I got to kind of I mean, of course it depended on like what rights they can get and whatever, all those kind of business affairs calls, but the creative calls were exciting because I would make a little playlist or my sister would make a little playlist, and we would just be like, oh my god, like what dream do I want to try to fulfill?

There were things that I tried for that I did not get.

Of course some I was always going for a lot of swift stuff, and we got one.

We got shaken Off in the movie.

Yeah, were you all in that collaboration like suggesting songs throughout the series.

I was careful about that because a lot of people did, and like, I never want to overwhelm Austin with requests, so I really only did it when I was called upon.

There were a few things where he'd be like, any writer doesn't want to be like constantly told what they should be doing.

They kind of want not not that Austin wanted it to come from him again, like very collaborative, but it's just just like things you don't want to initiate you're not going to go up to a writer and be like So for my character, I was thinking, like, in the next few episodes, he could like get a job, and you're like, what, like let them do that.

I really feel like this he would actually.

Write, right, my character would never say that, so like or you know, but if he was like and this didn't happen, but if he was like, hey, we're thinking about having him get a job outside of spark Point, Like what do you think that job would be?

Then it would be fun.

So a few times there were situations like I really wanted for me and this actress Katie Finlay in season two we did it was like a duet and it was supposed to be a sexy duet, and I really wanted I Can't keep my Hands to Myself by Selena Gomez and they really wanted Fever just great and you know, and like, yeah, it was just a different, like temp different and at times I was like, but this is so relevant, Like you don't even I've always loved getting sometimes like not enough people know that song and I'm like, yes, I am speaking on behalf of a generation that for sure does.

And we settled on in excess Need You Tonight, which had that perfect It was anyways actually kind of better in many ways than the Selena Gomez one would have been.

So I never feel like we didn't settle on something that was excellent.

We never really did that.

Yeah, we did it like once we.

Would out song so we would sing them.

Sure, sure, or just like send them a little little chivy voice memo or something like that.

Yeah, I think other people could get away with it more.

I think I was more in your lane of like, I don't want to overstep here exactly.

There's also a time I did want something and it got put in and then I didn't like the version we did, so I was like, you know what, maybe not I'm gone.

Maybe I'm an actor for hire for the reason, Yes, exactly totally.

What was your rehearsal process, like what what you know?

On Glee we would maybe have a compliments here and there to just throw everybody in the rehearsal studio and do that thing really quickly and figure it out and keep it moving.

What was it like on Zoe's Uh and the recording process?

Like what were both of those?

Remind me to remind you about watching you guys in the finals and watching you learn on site was one of the most thrilling things I've ever seen.

I was like, God, learn it that day is how.

The sausage is made.

This is crazy.

Also spoiler alert, they oh, no way, you didn't win, but still I was like, but they're like the best, and like these poor people are like learning it in the moment.

It was blowing my mind how fast you guys were picking it up, or how they would do certain coverage of you guys that didn't fully feature the dancing.

And then by the time it got to the wides, you guys were like, all right, let's give it a shot, and it looked amazing.

And as a fan of the show, I was like, I can't believe that this has probably happened more times than not.

And I understand because any series is a fast and furious shooting schedule, and scripts are coming out while you're finishing the last one and there's a table read and then you go straight to set.

And similarly, I would get pulled from set as much as possible.

And Mandy Moore, our choreographer, was thankfully she was the one that was pushing for more rehearsals constantly, so she kind of had our back in that regard.

Certain people like to rehearse more than others, so she would even offline with certain cast members to just make them feel comfortable.

Everyone had a set of a level of comfort or more discomfort with certain especially dancing.

I was kind of somewhere in the middle.

I feel like Alex is like just because he comes from your world, just being like, just show me on the day and then it was something really elaborate, but it really varied from some to song, and since they were wonners, I think there had to be a little bit more, not even just rehearsals for the because it wasn't proscenium dances.

I mean, I know, you guys were technically in the choir room in the.

Round, but like the kid, right, yeah, yeah, So this.

Was really three sixty and it was really important for the camera operators to know what the hell they're doing.

We had an amazing steadycam operator, Brad Crosby, and he was a full on dancing partner.

I mean, four athletic dude.

Wow.

I would always say he instead of like thinking of.

Things in this form like okay, so Skyler is going to jump up on there and then he's going to come down.

It never felt like that herky jerky Michael Bay looking steady cam.

It was so smooth.

He would mine for gold, he would make the discoveries with me, which was so cool.

There was one particular and it's funny because this we actually ended up for story having to cut back to Jane's face quite a bit, so we didn't even get the full wonder though it does of New York state of mind in season two and like it was a lot of like jazzy kind of dancing throughout this restaurant that I then owned, and people were like watching you and Bradley like go up and down together was its own duet and it was really magical.

I also was able to my lasseries that I did so help me.

Todd was actually on the same stage in the same town, no way, Vancouver, Yeah, like just of North and Richmond, British Columbia.

This like industrial looking like former button factory now turned soundstage that we like, you know, christened on Zoe's is not the only other show, and now there's probably been another one, but the only other show was Todd and so we had a lot of similar crew members and they come in and out, and Todd was very special and holds a very special place in my heart.

But a lot of the crew members would say that about Zoey's.

They were like, I've never been a part of something that there's like one day a week, or even more so that were like, we get to like watch them do their this other thing.

It was really special.

I'm sure that had to be the vibe only because you guys had not only an insanely amazing cast that was growing even more amazing as the series progressed, but insane guest stars, like such exciting guest stars.

So yeah, back to your question, we did get pulled as much as possible.

Obviously it was harder for Jane, but in the first season she didn't really sing a lot because she's the one that sees it.

She's our way in.

We did it when we could.

I was one thing I pride myself on especially, and I could.

I could probably give most of the credit to Harvey Is.

The pre records were very fast, like it was a few takes and a few a few puncheons, and like, as long as I was happy, it was pretty straightforward.

I came pretty prepared.

I never really had to like fully learn a song.

They were songs that I was somewhat familiar with or super like tearing up my heart.

I'm like, let's go, what.

Cay we you know?

Yeah, okay, upper third harmony for hours?

You know, like, yeah, so we were just It's also that thing that I love too about when you're kind of like loose and you're on set all the time, it's just the lines come quicker.

You're just in your in practice.

And so to be in practice with so many things that I do and love to do was a real gift.

And that's why that show was very special, and that's why coing on Glee, though that was entering a machine already very much in progress.

Right.

But you know, I wasn't in every scene in that episode, so I was lucky enough to I was scheduled fairly fairly well.

You had a big ass number, though, yes, much.

I get every time I see that or hear that, I'm like, how does he sing that high?

And I forget that you can that that is your voice.

It is my voice on the recording, but that's not where I sing.

They never asked, Yeah, that's fair eight shows a week.

Oh no, you didn't even ask, did not ask.

You just sent me the demo and I was like, ok and then I went somewhere you did it, I did it.

I did it.

Yeah the top.

I was like, Okay, I forgot who was recording me, but I was like, I will I will do this a few times.

The first few is going to be cobweb City, maybe a crack, and then hopefully we'll get one.

And thankfully we did.

And then I got the special reward of doing it in front of you guys time after time, making it seem like I'm just pulling this out every time.

Okay, we know the magic.

We're not trying to pretend.

I never got to see Spring Awakening, so this is my first time getting to watch you perform.

Oh my god, that was really cool.

I was really excited because when you get offered Glee, you're not told what character you're playing.

Do you know this?

No, no, this is what you really missed done Glee.

When you get an offer, even for Gwyneth Paltrow, you say yes to the opportunity and then they'll tell you what you're playing, which was wild and like, I couldn't imagine a role that I would say no to, but just the fact that there was like a slight I don't want to say threat, but a slight like terrifying take it or don't.

And thankfully the role was so fun and so so exciting to doe yeah, or like what if they're like great, so you're not singing, you know, you're like Darren's like friend, you're Darren's brother.

You have one scene which would have been, by the way, also fine, I would have done it, but still like, I'm glad that it worked out, and I'm also glad that I was able to sing within the context of the character would be singing, not just realistically but like he it's it's a competition.

So that was really.

Fun in the world in the world which by the way, I would have loved to sing about my feelings in that hallway of course, But it was also really special because I I watched the show.

I knew the show, I knew the formula of the show, and I knew that like the Nationals.

I was gonna say, the finals, the Nationals were like a big episode and like that's.

A big deal.

This season's kind of build towards that.

And so the fact that I got to kind of you know, because Jonathan, I know, played your guys' rivals for a while, so to be kind of that but a little bit sillier and whatever was really right, you know, Jonathan to you.

When she came on the show and.

There you go, and she's incredible voice.

What a disservice.

So so exactly, I really lucked out and I got to do this thing that I remember doing on Pitch Perfect when we had our like nationals or whatever it was called, like the finals, where we got to actually sit in the audience and be filmed in the audience, but then when it was actually over us or even you know, inside of us, onto you guys like I'm like, I'm chilling, like this is a free concert.

This is so fun.

So I really really loved every part of that experience.

You really have done all of the things like modern pop culture relevant musicals like you were, Pitch Perfect, Glee, Zoe's You Really Girlfriend is the only one You've at all.

There's gotta be.

Snowe No, okay.

You really are?

You're it the one?

Yeah.

The first of all, there's got to be other shows that we're not even thinking about.

The TV musical Jedi, well.

I guess like the Nashville's of the World, and that's true, you know.

But nobody's beating your number.

Yeah, that's crazy, I think.

So yeah, hey, I'll take it.

You brought up two really good points that I wanted to because obviously we've been talking about Glee for forever to longsu might say, but there's not a lot of other musical TV shows, especially ones that were in our same era, and hearing you say one that the crew would talk to you guys about how special it was and how special it felt.

We got that from the very beginning, but it's so nice to hear that that experience is not limited.

And it's nice because it's so rare to have a musical and the joy that that brings on set.

Obviously, the joy comes through when you're watching it as a viewer, and it did in the pilot of Zoe's, but the joy that you can feel from the crew who have long hours and we do on sets of course, and have families to go home to most of the time, and they're gone sixteen hours a day, and there's something that music does and I think with these shows is that always comes through on camera.

So even though we're only performing to a handful of people on sem The joy and excitement and support that we all get from them is what then translates onto the screen and into the homes of the people who are watching.

And it's lovely to hear that that was the same for sure.

I Mean there's been projects where there's limited crew, you're kind of acting in a vacuum, or it's just kind of like to them, it's you know, I've worked with some incredible cruise, but obviously it gets monotonous, gets slow.

It's like we're doing the same friggin scene and it's like seen thirty seven of sixty and it's such a transitional whatever scene.

It was so special and there was a real transfer and a real like energy transfer with the way you would have with an audience like so it really did feel good on the day and it felt right, and oftentimes we did this incredible Probably one of a career highlight is this season one finale of Zoe's was a seven minute oner where we did the entire Don McLean American Pie.

Oh, and there's time passage.

There are sets that have to come and go when the camera's facing another direction.

There are actors bringing people into rooms and then there's a total other tableau that kind of comes to life.

It was so beautiful.

It was alstually a very emotional song and a very emotional moment of the of the show.

And I was watching that show Cheer at the time, and which was the cheerleading show, and I remember it was a very big thing for them to hit zero, meaning like everyone know your part, know what you do, and we have to hit zero, like we have to be perfect.

Then I kept saying that to almost like we got to hit zero, guys, like everybody know your entrances, keep going, like if you trip over a cable, like keep going.

And to have that moment with Alex, who you know, wouldn't even pretend like he was nervous, you know what I mean, even if he was right like he had it.

In the bag.

But then you have people like Lauren Graham and Mary steam Bergen and like everyone rallying together and of course Alex, but you know what I mean, like, yeah, Alex is such a leader in any ways, And I have an amazing video of some of our crew and grips, like because they had like a huge shower curtain, like a big backdrop, they would have to kind of like you know, show the Day on Time one and they're throwing their bodies into this curtain to get it to move fast, and because it's like no one wants to be the reason why.

Yeah, And one of the few times that the entire cast and entire crew went behind the monitor to watch playback because it was like, once we got it, we got it.

It's a Warner.

It's going to be one of these two.

And it was one of two that were perfect.

It was like take five and six all in my kind of dark, funeralish kind of clothing, and it was just it was like I knew I would remember that forever.

But I'm sure there's crazy action sequences in movies that took a bigger village and but this was very special.

And I felt that a lot of the people that would come up to me after, you know, on Todd that I had worked on Zoe's.

When they talk about Zoey's, there was this like emotional cup cup filling feeling.

That they had of life.

It's not just another job.

No, and they've said that, like they would say that all the time.

I was just I would go home, I would tell my wife, I would try to explain it like you know, and it's what we're doing it for.

I mean, we're doing it for the audience.

But every time the show gets canceled before it maybe should have been, I feel the worst for the audience that gets left hanging.

And then the crew that is like they do this thing with you, and they're there, like you said, Kevin, like all day, every day.

They become your family, and they see you, you know, not feeling well.

They see you when you were not at your best, they see you when you're at your best.

They've seen some of your best work.

And you just get to know these people.

And then to be able to write when they would forget that this is a musical, like oh of today's a musical day, And it was just it was such a such an amazing thing to be a part of.

Oh how special.

Also like the specific set of circumstances to be able to use all of your skills, everybody's using all of their skills in a musical to do something like that seven minute one er for example, totally like that may be a once in a lifetime career thing that you all get to do together.

I never thought going into it when I knew that I'd be working with Mary Stemberg and Lauren Graham, that I'd be a part of one of their career highlights.

Right, So that was another huge berk.

I'm so fascinated by this wonder idea and like how everybody has to really just rally together in general.

If for these shorter numbers too, when you guys were shooting on those days, like you know, for Glee, especially when you did nationals, like those are eight.

Hour performances, right, were.

Your musical days shorter on Zoe's because of it?

Or was there more preparation and rehearsal that had to go into, like the rehearsal on the day on set to get it before you start shooting.

It varied, Like if it was a really big sequence, we would have to go to the set like on a Saturday, or like the location that was very location specific.

We shot this big Christmas song and like a town square in somewhere in British Columbia, and like you know, on a rainy Saturday, like me Jane and Mandy with her like boombox went over there because we wanted to make sure we're ready and some of the some of the dancers as well, and sometimes that was necessary, but I gotta say it was treated sometimes like any other scene.

Yeah, and of course it would vary depending on the song and that, you know, what the scale of it.

But there were times where it's like we do like scene thirteen, then we're doing are you going to be My Girl?

Then we're doing scene eighteen, and then Mary's doing like, you know songs, and you're like, we did two songs in three scenes today, Like that's too many things a lot.

But I think we shot eight day episodes, which is probably what you guys did.

No, we were.

Scheduled for that.

We never made it.

See, we can never go over yeah we were eleven ever we know we went over time, but we never went over days.

I don't think we could afford that.

Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah.

I mean did you guys ever have did I never mention like having coming up against like songs that were in your script and then did it happen often where it didn't get approved or it was too expensive or like what was you know, did you guys have to change those a lot?

Thankfully?

Gosh, they were such a I'm sure behind the scenes it must have been chaos at times, but they really kept us out of it.

I can't think.

I think there's a few, a couple, but really none that come to mind.

And honestly, it was more internal bs of life, like a creative decision of like Austin hates the arrangement, or like we're still working on the key.

We did the previews and like we sent it to the people and they're like kind of confused, So we're gonna simplify it, and we're worried that these these because like Austin and Mandy and whoever was directing, they would like crack the code of whatever the song was because it was very it was always tough, like it was it was, it was always different, like we had a bit of a formula.

But yeah, sometimes when I would sing the songs in the booth, I had no idea what I would be physically doing, right, so I would be like, can I go back in and like like make it more of an exertion or something, And sometimes sometimes we would do that, but rarely, and so I at least would like get with Mandy and be like what is this?

What's going on?

And you know, but Mandy's like the type of person that wants to have you up to her her dance room and really like roll around and like get into it.

But I was like, just please, like you know, I know we're not marrying what we're doing, but like, is this a full modern dance or am I standing and singing?

Or generally was somewhere in between.

Yeah, which is nice.

I mean that also makes more sense because I mean we never had that uglee, so like the voice could be completely disconnected from the movement you're doing, where that seems a more intentional choice on your Guys's show, which you then feel as a character, like Jenna was saying earlier when we were talking before this, when she did a musical movie where it's doing it live or at least with the intention of like trying to mirror your movements is freeing and liberating for your performance.

Definitely, people don't understand how tricky it is and technical and how like the left hand sometimes doesn't talk to the right, Like we had to figure out this machine in season one, and I remember the moment where I was like, you know, because the vocal department is trying to schedule me for a pre record while the dance department hasn't yet, you know, And I was like, hey, like, I know that you want to get me in, I gotta like do a dance rehearsal with this demo singer first because I need to know how I'm singing this right.

And so it was kind of like chess that you'd have to like plan in your head.

Then it kind of like became kind of clear and kind of all flowed in a really really cool way.

I guess it all comes down to the type of musical you're doing, Like it's very established in your pilot immediately that it does feel more natural, it does for more real right right.

And our show it was like everything squeaky clean, super polished from the beginning.

That's our layout.

Well, that's why I blew me away.

How you guys were learning so many of those movements because you can't even like, god forbid, I do my hands opposite, you know what it's supposed to be left right, I go right left.

It's kind of just me most of the time.

We had a few group numbers, but I mean, you guys are in formations.

It's full on glee clubs.

So like that blew me away?

How How there's also an editing room.

Oh ye, but yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, we and we you know, we worked together so much too.

There was like a cohesiveness and like a shorthand that you just learn and people are like pushing you in ways because you missed the rehearsal and like you just all got each other and we make it work.

But right, like you wouldn't have been able to do a seven minute number at the pilot, but you were able to do it by the finale.

That's totally true, like from Pitch Perfect.

But it's kind of like if you don't know what you're supposed to sing here, just like listen to the demo and like pick one something like pick a male voice, like just don't look like you don't know what you're doing.

And there's a little bit of like fun in the like kind of winging it too, which I probably made it really like helped with the energy that you guys had too.

Yeah, which brings you to another point that you mentioned earlier of when you're getting to a musical show like this, the dancing, the singing, and the acting, you're getting to get into that rhythm of being practiced at all of them at the same time.

And I know we spent a lot of time saying like, oh, you know, the schedule was so hard, but but it's also so fun.

Yes, it is so.

It is exhausting, but to be able to exhaust those parts of you that you want to be able to use on every job and hardly ever are able to do that, Yeah, and push yourselves in those ways is such a gift.

And you guys were sharpening your tools, Like you guys were able to kind of go into a world tour and be like, well, I mean we're somewhat like this, Like we are just kind of used to being thrown at, like just thrown into it.

Alex and I once had to take a red eye to get to the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting.

We didn't get to have a sound check, and we just like eight million people here comes something like George Michael or baby please come home, and like I think about that now, and I'm like, I would definitely be begging for that at least sound check.

I want to make sure they didn't even have time to think about it.

Yeah, right, Normally I like a good amount of sleep.

I'm like, oh, I didn't sleep at all.

You know, it is exhausting, of course, but it's very privileged work and it is our dreams, so like I try to never lose sight of that.

That.

Yeah, yeah, that's such a good point.

Also, two of the best hands to have a no sleep performance of you and Alex again those are arms are feel comfortable holding me In that rising song.

I've just cut to him and I like in the elevator, just being like, do you want to run it?

Like with like an AirPod in each and just like see if we know what key we're going to do this.

In Oh my God.

Speaking of fast paced, you also did the Ball, which was.

Scary, fun, fast, furious.

Eight days of rehearsal, so I guess technically, but eight no, I believe it's like eight days and that includes like then it's the show.

And that was the case for rent when I did it in twenty ten, and that was terrifying, yeah but fun.

But I always like to say, like I feel like I rented that role, like I never fully took ownership again, trying to remember the lyrics to love Eboem as much as possible.

Yeah, funny new culture Zinger story about that where she kind of went up in the same space every night, and and and the Colt Scherzinger also stole the show, and I feel confident saying that even though I was the one, she was probably stealing it from.

Technically I had a big part, but I was just like, man, she's what you're talking about when you're leaving.

And but and she was so flawless, except she would go up on this one spot every night in the second act and it was just this big vamp and she would look at me and she looked at me and she said help, and I like would say her part with her, and then of course here comes that point.

It's like the one of the honey, I know you're there, please pick up the phone.

She would play Maureen.

And then the second night, same spot, same flub, and I was like, she looked at me too, like it's happening again because I've made mistakes, even on the bull stage, by the way, where you're like you don't sleep, and then you're like, I know that if I do one thing right, it's going to be that spot.

Yeah, And the same spot happened her again.

That's a block on it.

So I asked, was like.

Are you okay?

And then we got back to it.

So that was super fast into.

The Woods was also super fast, and all.

Of those shows are incredibly difficult alone with a proper rehearsal schedule, to then be thrown into a Bowl experience like that is actually my stomach is true.

It's crazy.

And they get these like insane power house TV, film stage stars, and I guess there must be a reason, and I think a small portion of them is.

I'm sure it's like so they can do a certain kind of contract, but I think it's also like and they're so busy and so obviously we can only get them for the short amount of time.

And like, I feel like I could speak on behalf of every cast I've ever worked with at the Bowl that were like, we'll take another week, I will clear, I will clear this week to give me less panic attacks.

Yes, I did so.

Into the Woods was the first time they ever did some time at the Bowl.

And it ain't sure when.

We did Hair at the Bull, it was ain't got no that song.

I'm not kidding.

I don't think I ever learned.

Yeah, oh the way, I'm sure there's plenty of people that didn't.

Your fault is just like nowhere to hide.

It's because it's solos and it's just.

For you right four for yeah, I really.

I told my Nicolsha is a going story, so at least I'll tell my own.

I mean I definitely did, like but it is no no, no non fault And like I did, I did a no no no noa in one and it was so horrible.

Chips In was there and he like kind of roasted me about it.

He was the original Baker.

But that Saturday the next night, I was like, oh, your fault is going to be and it was such a stupid thing.

I like, I remember being on stage and I had the thought outside of what I was doing, which was like, wow, this is going really well.

Like nobody's rushing, Gayton's like Gayton's leading the charge and and I was like, that's my line and like immediately no, no no in my line and I was just like I can't believe I no none had son right, twenty thousand people, it just.

Doesn't stop moving without you.

That's exactly right.

That especially that song, and like you know, I got to do Sunn Foster's dream role with her right here because she played the Baker's wife, which was really exciting and fun and cool.

But yeah, I mean it's fast and furious, and I then did another.

I did a Sondheim celebration which had some of the same castes into the woods, and then Patty Laphone and Brian Stokes Mitchell.

I get to do all the Sunday in the Park with George stuff, which is my total dream roll.

And I got to do like finishing the hat in front of you know, bowle full of people, scaled up, scaled up so it's like bigger than it would ever be on Broadway.

Yeah.

Cool, Yeah, it was really an amazing moment.

And we had the guy Adam who does the imagineering projections onto the Castle for the shows at Disney, doing projections onto the arches of the Bowl for Sweety Todd.

It was like a bunch of blood splatter and a bunch of Sweeney Todd like looking art.

And then for Sunday he had the actual Sunday in the Park on the arches and we ended with Sunday too, which was beautiful.

So I got to do the eleven o'clock number was here at Box.

It was really really fun, and that leads me to my final thing that I did at the Bowl most recently, which was the music of Claude, Michelle Schoenberg and Elaine Bublil, who wrote Le Miz and miss I Gone.

How did I miss this?

Was?

I don't know you have children about to say, I wouldn't have missed that.

I bring it up because so many people just like you, Jenna, are humongous fans, and so when you're doing those songs, yeah they're a bit slower.

Thankfully, they're humongous things.

Not only does everyone know all the words, they know the dynamics of how it's supposed to sound.

They know that you're supposed to date crescendo with perfect vocal control by the end of bring Them Home or whatever, so that each one of them had their own unique like I can't believe I'm about to be in my own aware essentially in front of all these people who are just clinging and clanging their dinner, just like as if you know, sit back, relax and smell the weed.

By the way, that was the first time I've ever like smelled weed when performing during.

The re Oh yeah, that was right, yes.

And something they don't tell you that I then was able to like tell other casts was there's like a very slight delay in the audience reaction, and so I'll never forget finishing each Yes, the opening number of Rent with me and Aaron Tavate, he played Roger.

And we do the big everything is rare.

After twenty minutes of exposition, we like finally have our first applause break and it was just crickets but then rumbling down the hill.

I heard it and finally got hit with it, but it was so weirdly anti climactic.

If there could be a close up on my face, I wonder just like, did I do something?

Like is is it out?

Like?

What's what is?

What is the thing that's making them not obviously clap is like it's teed up for us.

So I told people, I said, when we finished and home before dark, bo just know a quick millisecond for you to hear that, Oh god, the panic full.

This is all good to hear.

I'm new to theater, so this is making me feel.

You got to do the bullet some point when I'm.

Ready do the bullet some point.

But like everything I've ever done at the Bowl, I've always been like, God, would it be amazing to close the balls and just do this in a private theater with acoustics and did you.

Do your sits probes in the in the because that's a highlight major.

It was like highlight They do all theirs.

With the La Philharmonic better than Yes, they now do it at I've done both, but now my most recent times they do it at like a big you know, like rehearsal space.

And Banker was, yeah, exactly, which is still cool to jam fifty or sixty at the best musicians and you're just staring right at each other.

But the concert all is amazing because it's made for literal acoustics.

So oh my god, oh my god, I'm just you did a little shop.

How was that?

Yeah?

It was fun.

I've never replaced before, and I got to just be thrust.

I was one of the first replacements to end, and it was during a COVID outbreak, so there was I've never You probably know a little bit about like how when you go into a show, you rehearse with the understudies and the stage manager is kind of the director.

Like I didn't even work with Michael Mayer, who I know so well.

He's like, how's it going.

I'm like kind of a mess because like everyone's out, it's literally just me and a stage manager, and like literally I think I had like scene members to rehearse with like a few times, and I begged Michael, I said, if you come, please do not come on my first performance because it's not a true opening night.

I need to see how this goes.

Of course, the only time he came to see me was my opening night, and it did get He's like, but it went so well.

I'm like, I know, but it so easily could have not.

And so that was crazy.

And also that another incredible experience, similarly to Crazy Ex Girlfriend, where the reputation proceeds itself.

It's like the most fun sandbox ever.

Everyone's warm.

It's such a special theater, such a special space, such a special production, such a special cast, I remember.

But the theater doesn't have like spotlights, so you have to literally be in your on your mark, like you have to be on four on six, like two and a half here if you want to like end in the pool of light for the opening.

And so that was a little stressful.

And the stage manager at the time was definitely giving me.

And I pride myself on being like a quick learner, but he was giving me more than I could ever ever he was even like and Jesse, you know, Robert sometimes overshoots his mark is sometimes Jonathan like moves him over in the blackout.

I'm like, what do you give me?

Yeah, yeah, I used to do.

I'm not a fixer yet.

I'm trying to like insert myself in here.

To be like jumping other people.

I'm not gras yet.

I know.

I don't know if you remember Skyler, but my first performance in Spring was no.

I had no put in.

I didn't even have a costume because there was a flu going around, and so I think Lauren was out, Phoebe was out, Aaron went in, Uh Aaron, because then had to go in also, so then I had to go in as Honor.

Maybe Phoebe was out, Yes, exactly.

It was a full blackout moment.

I'd never stepped foot on that stage other than rehearsal with the stage manager.

I had not performed with any of the girls.

I'd never done Mama before, and I literally was like they were like go and I thought I was going to vomit.

And I neede it through obviously, but like it is.

That was you guys are freaks.

I don't know how you guys do this.

This wasn't by choice, Kevin, Like, we didn't quite Jenna didn't really sign up for that moment.

Like, that's an actual actor's nightmare.

And for those of you don't know, actors' nightmare is when you it's similarly when you didn't study for the test.

You have a dream and you don't know your lines and you're on set one's looking at you, and that is literally as close as you'll ever come to an actor's nightmare.

We had COVID breakouts where they're calling people from the original in twenty nineteen run in twenty twenty two being like do you.

Remember urchin number two?

And like tight harmonies, tight choreography, like these are people that swung those roles, like Jenna was a swing meaning she has to know every part of every you know, imagine doing the five person girl group, but you know every harmony.

So if you're on for Remy tonight or on for Phoebe tonight, it is like same but totally different.

Absolutely not.

I can't.

I can't.

That is a special skill that I'm sure Jenna like you're grateful it happened, but also probably don't ever want to do that again.

Thrilled it feels like a rite of passage and something that like it's funny because I remember even when Lauren was leaving the show, when you guys all were departing and they were looking for the new cast, like I was like, hey, Michael, I'd love to be considered for real, so like, of course you want to be like put up to bat like everybody else, and he was like, you're too valuable, like I can't, I can't take you, and.

You're like I hate to be fair.

Like whatever it wasn't my roller would have been, you know.

But like still there's a part of it that's like swings are so valuable and they it takes a certain skill set, but it also takes a certain amount of like being able to handle the pressure and then deliver that is so stressful that I was like, I do not want to do this again.

This is it sucks and is so unfair that that's the answer.

But that's that's definitely the truth.

It had nothing to do with whether or not you're capable.

You're clearly capable for all of them, which is why you're more valuable.

But it's like you don't want to hear that because you're like, hey, I want to be like a full timer.

Yeah, just give me one and be like, I want to be full time.

I don't want to have to always be like Also in that show, the understudies were on stage singers.

This is Jenna Storytel meant.

That you out, we need your time, we need.

You for act too, because so and so sprained their ankle or there was a lot of mid show call outs in that show.

I pride myself on never having done that before.

I would have to be thankfully, we're not going to mention names.

Also because I would never claim to say that it wasn't warranted on their end, but I would have to literally be a vocal cord would have to be snipped off me or I would have to have an ankle dangling, because I just I think that's such a mind screw for the audience to be like by the way, all the like, and it's literally as like you're like, well, how did they even like alert the audience.

It's like, oh, it's literally like the curtain or non curtain comes down.

There's just a blackout, and then it's like the least sexy stage manager voice.

Being like ladies and gentlemen, so right now, actually everything's different and this person's a different human ka keep going and everyone's like and sometimes it would happen like deep into act too and we've already spent two hours with these people.

Yeah, yeah, we were.

The last scene even like Purple Summer.

Well because like we also and now I will defend and I'm glad we're not naming names because it was a little bit of everyone had their own thing going on, and like it was a very rigorous, very physical show, and there were injuries and there were sicknesses, and there was some like youth partying and came through it, but there were definitely moments where I'm like, really, we couldn't just hold on for one more number, and this poor girl like with a different haircut, probably different ethnicity, different everything, different colored dress is coming on being like, hey, you don't know me yet, but let me just wrap this sukka up.

I just thought that was a crazy thing for the people that have paid so much, but hey, that's why theater that it does happen.

It does happen, yes, And also by.

The way, people get to say, oh my god, I was at the show when I got to see this person, and then Jenna Ashkowitz, who went on to do she like wrapped up the show.

M hm, they got to see.

You know, it's always very memorable.

People like it.

It's always very re memborable for everyone in citing for many different reasons.

Everybody before we let you go, we ask everybody what is the feeling that Glee leaves you with?

But because you were only in well you were there, but like because Zoe was your your baby as well, I'm going to ask you, Zoe, what is the feeling that Zoe's playlist leaves you with?

Pride?

Pride and a feeling of you know, we got a lot of people through a lot of grief during the pandemic, and I pride myself on you know, it's nice to be a part of a show where you think it was great and the show was so great, and like the acting was so great.

But like there's something that transcends the show when people are like, hey, I really like it was really a vehicle for getting through the death of my father, or like it was just a great escape, whether it was grief or just like, hey, the world's kind of crazy right now.

I get to turn on NBC right now and like watch my favorite people, and that's always been a dream of mine to have a home on a show.

I still have yet to have one that's like run as long as Glee and that I know so many people who are diehard Gleeks and like what that did for them, Like, no matter how old they get, they that will have a very special place in their heart.

So even to be a small part of that and then a bigger part of Zoe's which didn't go as long but definitely had an impact, I think I think pride.

Yeah, yeah, beautiful sky Time.

So nice to see you.

Thank you so much, so much time.

All right, love you guys.

Skyler.

Why we could just talk form forever?

I mean literally what a great interview.

I mean this is he does.

He's literally done everything.

Yeah, it's crazy, he doesn't stop, That's what I'm saying.

Social, multi talented, but also like a good human.

It's so nice and he's great to work with, Like he's easy to work with.

He as you can tell, he loves to work so smart.

Yes, the craft.

Thank you Skyler for coming on and for it was a nice crossover too because we had him for Glee and we had it so easy.

Hope you guys, enjoyed that episode.

I learned so much.

So next up Rocky Horror Picture Show, so you can watch with us.

And that's what you really missed.

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