Jack and Rebecca's Road Trip to LA | "Sometimes" (307)
01:11:22 Share

Today on That Was Us, we are discussing Season 3, Episode 7, Sometimes. Kevin and Zoe arrive in Vietnam to retrace Jack's footsteps and uncover more of his past. Rebecca and Jack hit the road to Los Angeles and take their relationship to the next level. Yeah, they do. Yeah, they do. What's up, y'all? Yes. How's everybody doing?

We're okay. We're here. Yeah. You feel okay? You guys don't give the finger. What is your go-to when you need to vent? I'm not like a rager. Yeah. But sometimes I have to let a little out. And I've been letting like, you know how if you ever lived in New York City, like sometimes the radiators, they go. Yeah. That awful little pressure. Yeah. That's what my finger is in traffic. Just a psss.

Yeah, you. You know? I get a little road ragey. Do you really? Yeah. I curse. Good. And now I hear my children curse sometimes and I'm like, well, I know where they got that. What do you say? I try not to do it in front of them, but every now and then I'm like...

Sorry. Like, you guys are behind me. Someone cuts me off or something. My wife, she's a sailor. Yeah. Curses up a blue streak, right? I'm more internal, and it freaks her out because if somebody cuts me off or something...

I just have to drive next to them for about 10 to 15 seconds. Oh, that's scary. And look them in the eye. You look at them. You get a good eye. I just need to let them know, like, I see what happened. Yeah, yeah. You see that I see it. Yeah, yeah. And then I can move on. Yeah, I had an altercation. I had an altercation. That scares me. I had an altercation with a woman where I walked up next to her car. Yeah. She backed up onto the sidewalk.

And was like, no, I'm going to park here and go in and get some food. Come on, bro. And there was a kid chasing a ball whose dad caught him right as this lady was backing her Tesla up into the sidewalk. And I was behind her, too. And everybody stopped. And I kind of walked around to the passenger side and looked down in the window to see what was going on. And she got out. With an attitude? And was like, can I help you? Yeah. And I was like, Chris, walk away. There you go. Walk away. Nothing good's going to come out of this. Man, you're on the sidewalk? Even if I have...

Like six foot five, white guy, five foot tall Asian lady. It's not going to go well. This is not a win. Step away. Step away. Yeah, yeah. This is not a winnable. Which is fine. I walked in my thing, came back because I was getting something from the playground and coming back. And as I was walking back, she was coming back to her car. So now. That's when I take the deep breath. I was like, oh boy. And I didn't look at her. And she, I could feel her staring at me.

And she goes, what's your problem? And I, okay, so now I'm going to stop. And I was just like, I was like, you almost ran over a kid backing onto the sidewalk. Yeah. And she said, my car would have stopped me. Well, it didn't. And I said, it's a sidewalk. It was like, you know how she started at a one, so I took it to a two. Then she took it to the volume one. She took it to a three. So I was like, how about a six?

How about a six? It's like, it's a sidewalk, not a parking spot. And she's like, and then she says, no shit, Sherlock.

Oh, hit you with the old school. And I was like, and then I was like, okay, you're an idiot. I have to go. Because what you just said is, I know I parked on the sidewalk. Yeah. And now if I go above a six, that's when other people start looking. Yeah, they start looking. And I'm like, and all they're going to see is six foot five guy. Big ass guy. Yelling. Yelling at a lady. And I'm like, this is not going to work. And then I turned around and Howie Mandel was right there. Did you give him a fist bump? He didn't touch anything. Yeah, I was about to.

Yeah. Yeah. He just gave me a little head nod and we kept walking. For those who don't know. Yeah. We both were like, I mean, that's the thing you

you know about Howie Mandel. It's what we know about Howie Mandel. Used to do stand-up germophiles. Deeply. I love that you both expected Howie Mandel. I said Howie Mandel and you're like, of course. Of course. Who else would be standing there? Sure. This is Los Angeles. Little stuff like that where I'm like, this is something. I'm like churning. Well, guys, speaking of road rage, how about we take a road trip? You like that segue? That's right. You like that segue? Yeah. That was fantastic, Mandy Moore. This is

Yes. Was one that I feel like just sort of sat in the ether, like the talk about it, at least for Milo and I, like you guys are going on a road trip. Jack and Rebecca are going on a road trip. Prepare for the road trip. I feel like it was something we heard about for like half a season. Well, it's also because like you say, like, are we going to take this ride? And you agreed to it at the end of an episode. And then it's like a couple of episodes go by before the trip happens, right? I believe so.

- Oh, yeah. - Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So it's lingering. - It's percolating, as it were. - Yeah, yeah, yeah. - Great metaphor for an entire relationship, a road trip. - That is true. - Especially a cross-country road trip. - Yes. - This is their third date, correct? - Yeah. - Jumping in the deep end. - Yeah. - Talk to us about it, 'cause we got a chance to be observers in this one. And so I have an outsider's perspective on a few things, but you're in it. Let's talk about this road trip. How'd it feel? What was it like?

I always mention the fact that everyone on the periphery, like all the other department heads, get excited when Milo and I get to be the younger version of these characters because it's like, the fun wardrobe and hair and makeup. And it's like, there's a giddiness and a lightness for Zoe and Michael, hair and makeup, and Paula, our costumes, just because it's normally like...

What button down and slacks. What dowdy. Yeah, dowdy outfit can I put you in as Rebecca present day. So this is like a fun sort of celebration. And this time period and the fact that like they're going to California and being able to like, you know, Rebecca's trying to pursue her singing career. So being able to lean into like that aspect of like Laurel Canyon in the 70s and Los Angeles and.

all of that was really fun. And, you know, this is another Ken Olin joint, this episode. Love Ken Olin. Yeah. And so there's like,

There's like a familiarity, but also you know what you're going to get with Ken, the sort of like curmudgeonly, but like ridiculous and funny and like you're always kept on your toes. But I love this is new territory too because we get to explore like the very early courtship days of Jack and Rebecca. Like how did they like...

How did they really solidify this relationship? Because we saw their first date and then them sort of coming back together and that beautiful scene of them doing the dishes and the idea of the road trip being kind of put out there and the offer accepted. Like, yeah, let's go to California. So, yes, jumping in, we knew this was going to be fun. And it was like, you know, we got to see them in the car and kind of like...

aligning with one another. - Was there a lot of soundstage stuff for this? - No, there was a lot of like practical location. - Cool. - Yeah. - Even in the car. - Yeah. - You know, 'cause it was a situation for us over the course of time, almost season one and two, I recall most car scenes were practical. - Right. - Then at a certain point in the show. - Pandemic?

I feel like it was before the pandemic. It might have been a little before the pandemic, but I feel like the pandemic definitely was sealed the deal. For everybody that's listening to it, basically you go into a soundstage with a stationary car. They have sort of a projector that shoots in the background of like,

scenery going by. You shoot on a green screen. You shoot on a green screen. And it was such an interesting, because earlier part of my career, you're always driving and I always sort of enjoyed that. It also just made it easier to like, oh, I actually have to turn the car. Whereas when you're on the soundstage, you have to act like the car, the steering wheel don't want to move. No. The steering wheel is like this. Because the car is kind of like locked. Yeah, it's locked. So I'm curious, did anybody else experience that loss of the practical or did it feel more convenient? No, no, no. I mean,

Obviously, it's air-conditioned. That's nice. That's nice. But other than that, I like driving. And it was always weird because you're on a soundstage, so it's quiet. Everything's sort of insulated. You're...

insulated from the outside world. So it's like, you're not feeling the heat of the sun and the like, just the energy of being outside. It's always like, you have to kind of put yourself back in that place again, which is weird on top of like, oh yeah, and my lines and remembering to drive. Sure. And don't roll up the camera in the back window. Yeah. Yeah. That's important. Okay. So wait, I have a couple of notes on like the first thing. I just want to make sure that I get them because I want to continue with the road trip. Listening to Joni Mitchell. Yeah, obviously. I was like, Joni, it's,

I feel like Dan always infuses the Joanie for me specifically, or maybe I just...

I imagine that. You like Joanie. That's my favorite Joanie song. I know it's kind of obvious. I mean, it's an obvious choice. It's a great record, but that I love that song. Bear loves that song. There's a, I show him, there's a live performance of her doing it on like a French television show. That's just her and the, and the lap dulcimer that yeah, we watch a lot. Okay. I love that. Other notes, Pittsburgh feels small to Rebecca.

Yeah, like she's the small fish. Or the big fish in the small pond. You see Jack, so you're like, hmm, okay. He just listens. Save your emails, Pittsburgh. We don't want them. No, we love Pittsburgh. We love Pittsburgh. Come on, Three Rivers. It's all good. Jack wants to go see some friends in Reseda, but he kind of keeps it close to the vest.

He just says that, yeah, like she's going to go out there to pursue the music career. I got some friends that I need to see. Yeah. But they both like turkey. So that's good. She made turkey sandwiches. She's a little wary of that whole situation. Jack and Rebecca eating dinner, discussing her career. People don't slow dance nearly as much as they should, she says. Yeah. Oh, Jack takes the cue. Yeah. They get up. Yeah. They do a little slow dance. Yeah.

Turns out he used to dance with his mom to old Blue Eyes Christmas album, and so dad never danced. But oh, Jack, just full of surprises, right? Of course. But he keeps things so close. So close. Jack, I'm trying to learn who you are, but you won't tell me. There is like, yes, he keeps his cards close. Yes. The conversation is always a little stilted when it starts to get into personal territory. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And I think Rebecca's like, clocks it, is like a clock.

She's like just trying, I think, every different angle in different situations to like, how am I going to get this guy to like open up to me? Right. Because not only are you trying to develop some kind of connection, but you've got 7,000 miles. Yeah. It's a trip there and a trip back. We've got 7,000 miles, my friend. But here's the thing. We only know about 3,500 because she's like, I might not go back. Like that's something that's put out there at a certain point. Yeah, yeah. He's like, are you going to come back to Pittsburgh? And she's like,

I don't know. Before that, you ask him if he's a crier. And he says, and this is a partial quote, nope, I've gotten really good at just swallowing the bad stuff. Sounds about right. Are you guys, do you guys consider yourselves good at swallowing the bad stuff? Or do you feel as if you share readily?

I'm, everything's on the surface for me. I feel like I share readily. Always have been. I wish I could like hide it a little bit more. I don't think I'm very good at like masking when I'm hurt or I'm frustrated or angry or something. And yeah, my emotions just sort of like bubble to the surface. You guys? Christopher? I don't think anyone.

hides it well. - Well. - Well. - Like stuffing-- - Not even jack. - Stuffing or ignoring the bad stuff. - Sure. - I used to be really good at it. - Did you? - And it was unhealthy. - Sure, yeah. - In every way. And it comes out sideways and it comes out of your pores and it ruins relationships. - Yeah. - And it's, yeah. So it's...

Yeah. Good at it? No. So I think I'm of two minds because I feel like I try to be open sort of book person. I think I'm attracted to people who readily share their lives. There are times in which like maybe certain negative things I don't do the best job of being open.

forthwith or you know because i because i i think sometimes i possibly fall into the realm of toxic positivity right do you guys understand what i'm saying i have heard this referred to as uh spiritual bypass explain that one this is this sounds interesting where you you you use your your uh um

spirituality or your, your higher self to circumnavigate something instead of dealing with it. Spiritual bypass. Spiritual bypass where somebody is like, no, no, it's okay. And they, and they, they use their tool, whatever the tools are, whether it's meditation or prayer or whatever the thing is, uh,

to pretend as if they're above it. Not above it sounds arrogant. But they're unbothered. They're unbothered or they've moved past it and instead they've just gone around it and it still exists and it's still a problem. Let me respond to that because I think mine is slightly different. Mine is I'm keenly aware in which something negative is weighing on my soul. And because my desire is to affect

things in a positive way, I don't always share the negative thing. I know it. I'm sort of like trying to like sort of deal with it myself, but I don't want to burden. I was just about to say burden. I think maybe that's where Jack is in this whole idea because we'll get to it a little bit later in the notes. But Sterling, you do need to find a way. You're never burdening people, the people that you love. I appreciate that. You can't just carry all of that. I love that she didn't just let me. Yeah.

I was like, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. You can't just carry all of that. Yeah. You have to find some outlet, therapy. Like a podcast. Or a podcast. Tell the world. So I do. I do. Get ready to clip this. What? I do have a group of friends from undergrad. Good. That we all sort of have. We have a Marco Polo chain. Yeah.

And we like talk to each other pretty much every day. And we can go pretty deep with each other because we've known each other from 18 to 49, right? And so that's been really, really helpful. But in terms of what we're talking about in this particular episode, sharing things like that with Rye sometimes is not the easiest thing for me to do. I think...

For me, I say like, well, my wife has a tough enough life as it is.

I don't know if she really wants to hear about what she considers to be my problems because she'd be like, this is me projecting in my head. So I don't want to like put this on her officially. But she's like, Brown, really? Do you really have problems? Like things are really hard for you? Like you have your TV show and your podcast and your podcast and your movies and the other movie. Oh, you did another movie. You know what I'm saying? So it's like sometimes I feel like maybe I just don't. Yeah, but that –

I mean, I'm not projecting on Ryan either, but like, but we all have like real shit outside of like, we're very lucky. We get to do what we love to do. There's so much privilege there. Absolutely acknowledge that. But that doesn't make you not human and not have other things with your family or other disappointments or other things that you're grieving, that you're digesting that like also need to be talked about and addressed with someone. Because like we all just need that outlet, you know? Yeah. Yeah.

Thank you guys very much. I do appreciate it. So like, what's one specifically that you'd like to say? Sterling, we just love you. And I'm like, I just, you know, like, yes, we're all very lucky, but that doesn't mean that we are immune from being human. Yes. To...

talk to the other side of it. Go ahead. The other side of it being that there are certain people who are not equipped to hear you. Yeah. To like receive that information. You're right. Yeah. And if I have certain issues in my life, there are some people who are not literally emotionally equipped to help me process it. And so telling them or involving them is irresponsible on my part.

because they're not ready or they don't speak the same therapeutic language or they don't, you know, whatever the thing is. And I think that this is what, because I have a lot of friends who are veterans of war. Yeah. And they're like, why would I talk to you about that stuff? You don't need to hear that stuff. Yeah. I didn't need to experience that stuff. Yeah. You know what I mean? Yeah. And so it can be a tricky thing to...

talk about because veteran services are they're so underserved yes when they come back sure to discuss the things that they've experienced that they can't talk about it with their wife talk about it with their kids what are you insane yeah why would i put that image of me into somebody else yeah like it's this is going to be a clip that gets you i'm curious to hear what the listeners have to say to this because those those are two sides of of a

of the same conversation, but different takes, right? So I'm curious to see where people fall on it. It's very tricky. Yeah. We'll be right back with more. That was us.

Between work, family, and everything in between, finding time to eat well isn't always easy. That's why I'm a huge fan of David Protein Bars. I love David Protein Bars. I have a big pile of them in a drawer and I do not leave the house without one in my pocket or one in my bag. I use them for all of my between meal snacking so that I know my snacks are healthy and packed with protein. David Bars are packed with

28 grams of protein, just 150 calories and zero grams of sugar. Plus 75% of their calories come from protein, which is better than any other bar I have found. They're great for staying full and hitting your protein goals without added junk. David now has eight flavors with their recent additions, cinnamon roll and red velvet. If you haven't already, you got to check David protein out.

But David is.

We have a very busy household, right? We have a dog, we have three children, and we have three cats. Being illustrated by Chris Sullivan over here. I love my cats. They don't require a lot of effort. In fact,

while they love the children, they really come alive at night when everyone's gone to sleep. Like, they are their best selves when they don't have to worry about little fingers and little hands, like, trying to pick them up. So I love when the kids go to sleep. My husband and I, like, have all three cats on the bed. We have one cat in particular, Peanut, who sleeps on my pillow every night. And you best believe that...

that I will curl and contort myself up in some sort of ball in order to give Peanut- - Some space. - Some space. Yeah, I will wake up with a backache and a neck ache because I don't want to disturb Peanut. - When Peanut climbs up in there, you're like, "Hi, Peanut. Hi, my little Peanut girl." That's what I say. - I love it. - Yeah. - Listen, if you have a cat,

You know, the cat is more than just a pet. They are. Mandy, they're family. They are. And like any family member, they deserve real food. Not mystery meat or filler. Real, fresh meals. That's where Smalls comes in. Smalls makes protein-packed, preservative-free cat food with ingredients you'd actually recognize from your own fridge. It's delivered right to your door and even named the best overall cat food...

by guess what? Cats.com. Come on now. Smalls has helped with energy, fewer hairballs, and even a softer coat and the litter box. Guys, way less stinky. Listen, Smalls was started by two guys in 2017 who just wanted better food for their cats.

And now they've served millions of meals to cats across the country. You can try it risk-free. If your cat doesn't love it, they'll refund you. After switching to Smalls, 88% of cat owners reported overall health improvements. That's a big deal. For a limited time only, because you are a That Was Us listener, you can get 35% off Smalls plus an additional $3.

50% off your first order by using code TWU. That's an additional 50% off when you head to Smalls.com and use promo code TWU. Again, the promo code TWU for an additional 50% off your first order plus free shipping at Smalls.com. ♪♪♪

But anyway, shall we? I want to continue, but I don't want to cut anything off. No, no, no. Okay. We get to the motel. Pop.

It's two twin beds. All right. Jack offers up the sink. We see Rebecca look over through the mirror as Jack takes off his shirt. She's like, okay. She just clocks it. Cool, cool, cool. Got it. She says, what's a gem? He jokes. He teases her about her pajamas, which is really, really cute. She likes to be toasty when she sleeps. She likes to be toasty. Same. Can I say brown? Brown.

Sleeps in his birthday suit. Of course you do. I have a question about this. Go ahead. I used to. Yeah. And I don't anymore. Yeah. Because I'm- Because you got a little girl running through the house or what? No, no. Just because I'm up two or three times a night walking around helping people with it. Yeah. Correct. And then I've also, like, there's been a couple of nights before that where like a fire alarm, like a smoke detector malfunctioned. Okay. And I'm running around before someone was in my backyard. Yeah.

Like literally we had an intruder. I can't. I can't. I can't. Yes. Go to YouTube. You are down by the knees. That's right. Guys. And...

Oh, man. And I'm like, I should be at least prepared enough to leave the house. That's a good point. Is it more comfortable? Way more comfortable. It is way more comfortable. I think just any, like, clothes getting sort of, like, snagged up on you or whatnot when you're trying to sleep, like, I feel free. Yeah. Yeah. And I get hot. My temperature runs high. Got it. But rye is...

I mean, you think she was a nun? Rachel's got two... Everything. Rachel, the other night, had two pairs of pajamas on. She had two sets of pajamas on. Can I say something to the wives? How do you get the party started with all them damn clothes on? Well, the clothes can come off. Yeah, but man, I'm just saying. Isn't that part of the fun? Is the clothes coming off? Sometimes the message to me is like, you don't want the party to start at all. Rachel's may be... Her pajamas may be flannel, but they are tearaways. Oh, okay.

Oh, okay. I'm talking like 1980s NBA style. Like a basketball team. Is that part of your fantasy life? Next coming up, number 27. If I get into bed and I hit play on, y'all ready for this? I feel the power to say that. She can stand up and flip those pants off. Oh my God.

- Oh my God. - Hey, no, buy tearaway pajamas for Ryan Michelle back then. - Look on Amazon. - Okay, okay, so there is the sweetest of kisses that transpires right before bedtime happens, right?

And then there's a nice little sort of back and forth playing with time because we see the next morning that the two of them are in bed together. So something happened. So then we jump back in time just a little bit. I think Rebecca, she's like, why am I in this twin bed by myself? Yeah. Why am I in this twin bed? I got a man right there that I drove cross country. I should go ahead and crawl in this bed.

So then we assume that the banging begins. And then we have a montage. Of all the different rooms. Of all the different rooms that they've gone to. You figure on a cross-country trip, you think three or four motels or what have you? No, I'd say they're not driving that. I think there's like six or seven. It's an old car. He's like, let's get it in. Today you can get a cross-country in four days. Then it took seven or eight. Let me say this too. There's something really lovely about the growth of the kisses and whatnot. And you guys can speak to this.

in terms of like, there is a certain sort of decorum with the on-camera kiss, which is normally like, you can open your mouth or whatnot, but you normally don't slip.

The tongue. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Right? But as I was watching the thing, there's one when Mandy Moore just said, they just slipped. It was like right out there. And I was like, yeah, it's on and popping right now. And that's the way it's supposed to be. Like these are young lovers coming together for the first time. It's a beautiful thing. Right? Yeah.

I love it. If you don't subscribe to this podcast on YouTube to see the hand gestures, even if you're listening, even if you're listening on, on one of the podcast services, go to YouTube, smash that subscribe button.

So that you can pause. You're missing out. You can pause now and go watch Sterling with his hands imitate a tongue going into a mouth. We're actors. It's what you want to see us. Yeah. So now the sort of culmination of it is they're in bed. And I think my man Jack has a nightmare. Yeah.

He has a bit of a flashback in the middle of the night. Rebecca clocks it and just, are you okay? Trying to check in on him. And he goes back to swallowing the bad stuff. Yeah. Right? So he tells us about the bad stuff. We see good stuff happen. Bad stuff happens. And then we swallow it again. Rebecca's driving, trying to connect. Jack is shutting down a little bit. Yeah. Doesn't want to talk about anything. Doesn't want to talk about it. They make it to L.A., which is, did you guys shoot in Ladera? Yes. Yes.

It's beautiful. It is. And it looks like old... It's like classic mid-century. That house, I was like, oh, this is so my cup of tea. Architecturally delightful. Yeah. Big, like single-story houses up there. Those like long...

Gorgeous. I mean, the set decoration, all of the extras. It was just... I was like, this is like... Yes, checking every box of like... Your street name? What's your street name? Stop. Okay. What was your girl's name who you guys are staying with? Do you remember? Nicole. Nicole. Yes. So you and Nicole, Jack goes to grab drinks for everybody. You and Nicole are chilling. And you say...

You talk about how giddy you are and you just want to be wherever he is, et cetera. But there's also, I feel like I don't know any more about him than when we first started. Yeah. Right? Yeah. Deep road trip, et cetera. So, like, do you feel like you guys have been with your partners for some time? You a little bit longer than you, me a little bit longer, et cetera. Like, what do you feel like has been, like, the nature of getting to know each other over time? I'm just curious. Chris? Mandy's like, Leon, you go first.

I will say that Rachel and I early on lived parallel lives for a long time. She had her career. I had mine. We were obviously living together, married. We were in New York City. We were young. We were out all the time. We were busy. We were just kind of coasting. And so it wasn't really until we moved to LA that we were like...

All right, we need to like turn and face each other and you guys move not too long before the show for the show You move for the show a lot of things happen 2016 yes, sir And and so at that point we were married for like five or six years Yeah, but we were just going and and you know I was I was in at the theater every night and she was in a high-stress job and like all of these things and so there was like a

All right, I think we need to do actual work. Yeah. Actual organized therapeutic work. We had couples therapy last night. And it was the first couples therapy session in...

almost a decade that was like fully lighthearted and productive. Touchdown. It was a touchdown. Amazing. It was like there was laughing and joking but also talking about things that were bothering us and it wasn't heavy and it was like oh I can do this I can do this couples therapy. That's awesome. Amazing. But yeah so it took like intention Yes. to get to know each other. I hear you. But yeah the great like

metaphor of this road trip on the relationship. It's like, yeah, there might be a thousand miles of silence. And then you're going to have to be like, no, tell me about your past or tell me about your baggage or your hurt. And those are hard, again, those are hard conversations to have.

And another gift of this show, context to turn, to watch an episode and turn to your person and be like, tell me about your stuff. Tell me about your stuff. We should be doing this. I love that. I'm like, God, Sally, you're beautiful. Always. What about you, Mandy? I mean, I feel like, and you guys probably would agree, becoming a parent unlocks a different level of getting to know someone and getting to know like maybe baggage that wouldn't be brought up

necessarily otherwise, like outside of that. It's like you think about your childhood and your relationship with your parents and all of those dynamics sort of like factor in, in a way, that like until becoming a parent wasn't really... They didn't need to be addressed. Exactly. Yeah. Exactly. So I feel like the last four plus years I've known Taylor in a completely different context and light. And he would probably say the same of me. Sure.

that, yeah, I just wasn't aware of. And like that level wouldn't have been unlocked otherwise. Yeah. I mean, there's things like, I think for Raya and I, there was an agreement. They're like, oh, we can agree to disagree because this is, life has worked for you in such a way that it's allowed you to ascend to wherever you are in life. And life has worked for me in such a certain way that it's worked for me. But what are we going to teach these kids? Like,

Like, you know what I'm saying? It's like, what is it that we wish to pass along to them that we can't just sort of run on parallel tracks, but we have to be on one accord. Right. So that when they see us, they're like, all right, you guys are saying the same thing. We can't just agree to disagree. Yeah, yeah, yeah. We can't just have two styles. Yeah. It has to be aligned. Yeah. So it is interesting. And I was saying this to friends of mine who are engaged to get married next year. And they're going to have a lovely marriage. And I'm very excited for them.

I was just saying, you know, it is very easy like to run on parallel lines like that.

But over time, sometimes if you don't check in with each other, those lines can start to sort of drift apart. That's right. And either you have to make it a conscious effort to be like this or this so that you guys can come. And it may go like this for a lifetime. But if it goes like this for too long, and this makes no sense to anybody listening to the daygum podcast, but I have two fingers that are running parallel to each other. And sometimes they drift away and you have to make conscious efforts to come back together again.

Yeah. That's basic. And at least once a week, those lines have to bump into each other over and over again. Hey, let me tell you something. At least once a week. I've been listening to podcasts about it. Once a week is not bad. Once a week is good, especially because you lose a week. You understand what I'm saying? Yeah. You lose a week. So at least three times a month. Wait, what are you saying? I'm talking about menses. Okay.

You lose a week. You asked. Mensis. You asked. I can't. Is the chosen word. Yeah. I'm talking about mensis. I'm talking about mensis. There's our first piece of merch. Okay.

Okay, so wait, hold on. I want to finish with this one. Champagne pops. There's a reaction to the champagne being popped at the party. And so Rebecca's just clocking that little bit again. And he then explains to her, he's like, what does he say? I can't talk about it because he doesn't want to bring that part of his life into this part of his life with her. So I guess that's a good explanation. I think it sort of...

puts a bandaid on the situation for now. Yeah. But it's, it at least acknowledges like, yes, I get it. There is, I know there is. It's not third dates stuff. Yes. There's an elephant in the room. Yes.

The same way that you guys just spoke to me about it is like, you know, band-aids are one thing. Like there's treatment and there's cures or what have you. But like in order to actually sort of exorcise something, like you have to at some point get it out. Yeah. Right? The idea of just keeping it in and thinking that it will take care of itself, I think is something that we know now is not,

realistic per se. It may be easy in the moment, right? But not necessarily long-term health-wise the most beneficial practice. And also necessary in the moment. Like a third date, road trip. Yeah. We're not talking about Vietnam. Yeah. We're going to band-aid that. You clearly know it's an issue. I know it's an issue. Maybe if we get further down the road, we can then talk about it. And I think we come to realize in this episode too, like

He has a huge thing weighing on him. Yeah. Right? The reason he agreed to go out to California, beyond wanting to get to know Rebecca and, like, spend this time with her, is, like, he has to visit someone. He has a task at hand to handle when he gets out to California. Yeah. And I think once...

He's absolved from the weight that he's been carrying in that situation, which is he's going to recede it to visit the parents of Squirrel, who was someone under his command that passed away in the war. And he blames himself for his death. So he's going to meet his parents and tell his parents how sorry he is, how it was his fault, and...

I'm not sure what else he's sort of expecting other than just to be able to tell them that, right? Yeah, right.

unburdened himself with that, that information. It's also just a motif of Jack that everything is his responsibility. Yes. Of course. His brother's his responsibility. Yeah. All of the men under his command are his responsibility. Yeah. As if he could have prevented Squirrel. I mean, Squirrel stepped on an IED, right? Like it, and, and,

Yeah. So he drops Rebecca off at her meeting. She's going to meet with this A&R department at Warner Brothers, I assume, where Joni Mitchell has a deal, reprise or whatever. And she goes in for her meeting and then he goes off to Reseda to meet with Squirrel's parents. Her meeting...

Uh, is, so she's sitting in this like record company office. They're playing the tape cassette that she sent them. Yep. And, uh, it's my voice, a sweet song that, that Taylor and Sid wrote together. I think that was Taylor's like first, their first collaboration on the show. Um, and, um,

You see the A&R guy, the big boss, and I don't know, maybe the person that got me the meeting sitting next to me, both moving and grooving listening to the song. Yeah. It ends.

And I'm waiting for feedback. And he, you know, was just sort of very diplomatic. Yeah. Just not super forthcoming. Right. That was great. Like, keep in touch is what he says. Keep in touch. And she's like, well, what does that mean? And he kind of elaborates like, if you're ever playing a show, just let us know. We'll try to get somebody there. And she sort of accepts it and goes to leave and then is like,

I think thinks better of it and asks him to be more specific. Yes. Keep in touch. What does that really look like? And then he asks her where she's from and she says Pittsburgh. And he tells her that she's Pittsburgh good. I think you're Pittsburgh good. And that is all she needs to hear. It's like the realization and the death of a dream kind of in one, in two words. Yeah.

And she realizes like, okay, and kind of like turns on her heels and leaves and goes downstairs and waits for Jack to come back from his meeting to pick her up. But it's interesting because it's sort of like she came all the way out to California to hear those two words. How do you guys deal with...

Rejection. Many more you've never had to deal with rejection, I'm sure. I deal with rejection... Stop. Stop. I don't want to hear it. ...daily. I won't get into specifics, but yes, I don't think that you're ever immune from it to some degree. I mean, it is the name of the game and the crazy world and profession that we chose, but I feel like I'm good at digesting it. Yeah. And trying to realize that like...

what is for me will find me kind of thing. And when it's not for me, everything happens for a reason. Like I'm a pretty glass half full sort of person in that regard where I can recognize, okay, I really thought that might have been the thing. I guess it's not and we'll move on and the right thing will present itself in some fashion. How do you guys deal with it? It still hurts. Gosh. So I have...

Which is very annoying to a lot of people is I feel like I'm very similar to you. We're both Aries in this way. And I felt like even before anything really sort of popped off, and I would say that there's been different phases of my career, but the phase that I'm in is post-OJ, right? I would call it that.

And I'd say even pre-OJ, I would walk into a room and I'd be like, auditioning was fun. And it was fun because I was like, I get an opportunity to do the thing that I love most, which is to act, right? And even if I didn't get the job, I knew that I'd given them something that was cool and probably they hadn't seen before and was going to be unique and, you know, et cetera. So I was like, okay, as long as I did what I wanted to do. And I was very good about...

If in the moment I didn't do what I wanted to do, I'd just say, guys, you mind if I do that one more time? Right? Because I think at the early part of the career, I would hear, thank you.

And then I was just like, "Oh, you're welcome." And I leave and I'd be like, "Oh, I should have done, I should have done whatever it was." Like litany of things in my head. - Of course, of course. - So instead now, then after I reached that point, I was like, "You know what? I can do that better. You guys mind if I give it one more shot?" And I would leave the room after I felt like I did what I wanted to do. And as long as that was the case,

Everything else is out of my power. And now as a producer being on the other side and seeing people's tapes and seeing people's auditions, sometimes it has nothing to do with you doing a bad job. - Right. - You can do a great job and it just doesn't, you don't fit with the other person that's already been cast. It could be a height thing. It could be all kinds of things, right? So you kind of have to like just do it and then release it, right? Knowing that eventually, like you said, the thing that is mine. - Will find me. - No one can take away from me. It's gonna come my way. What about you, Sof?

Yeah, I'm up and down with it. You know, it's hard to explain to somebody who is not in our business the amount of rejection. There's a lot. Yeah, it's a lot. Especially early on, like the numbers game. The number of things you audition for versus get, you know, is one in a hundred? Yeah, exactly. A hundred to one. Yeah. And...

And then the ironic part becomes is the more successful you get, the fewer things there are for you to get. That is ironic. It's strange. To get. I just want to act. I just want to act. No, no, you have to wait for it. And I'm like, I don't want to wait. Yeah. It was like, or I could, you know, there was a time where I could do an episode of TV a month. Sure. On 10 different shows. Sure. Yeah. And.

And be in a Broadway play at the same time as doing those things and doing voiceover campaigns. But then you reach a certain point in your career or a level of success and it's like the numbers just dwindle. That's true. As to what... The opportunities. Yeah. And it's hard to express to like your quote unquote team like...

You know, I'm interested in... Anything. ...work. ...in like a smaller role with a good director, you know what I mean? But they're looking for, let's say... The next big thing. Number seven on the call sheet, this is us. They're looking for that or better. Right. And it's like, you realize that it doesn't get much better than that. Yeah. Like, what are you looking for? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Like, yeah, we can incrementally move up. So the rejection, it's ironic because...

I think the rejection used to remind me that I was involved. Now there's not even rejection. Now there's like all this just...

Yeah. You know what I mean? Yes, I do. Which is way worse. True, yeah. Just waiting. Just wait. Rejection meant that the wheels were turning. Yeah. Yeah, good, good. Not for me. Not for me. Stuff is happening. Yeah, but you know what I mean? Yeah. And so it's an interesting thing. And I think that's probably where all these middle fingers in traffic are coming from, which is I'm just sitting around. I love that he brought it back. You're like, let me do it. Waiting. Yeah.

What are we waiting for? Really? There's nothing? I hear you. Yes. Yes. Yes. There's nothing. There is nothing. There's nothing. We'll be right back with more That Was Us.

Quince?

has everything for this season and beyond from Italian leather sandals to luxe swimwear and linen shorts and dresses for $30. Now, summer to me is all about linen. So I just purchased a great little pair of linen pants and a matching top and

I bought a button-up linen dress. I'm going to be living in linen this season. Take it from me. What I love most about Quince is that their products are all about half the cost of similar brands. They partner directly with top artisans and cut out the middlemen, which means you get real luxury without the markup.

and everything is made with safe, ethical practices and premium materials. Give your summer closet an upgrade with Quince. Go to quince.com slash TWU for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. That's Q-U-I-N-C-E dot com slash TWU to get free shipping and 365-day returns. quince.com slash TWU

You know how some of the scenes from the show are those flashbacks that made you nostalgic for childhood? Soda is kind of like that for me. Nostalgic, but maybe not great for me. Right? Growing up, I was a root beer guy, man. I was a bit of a connoisseur. I loved all the different brands, all the different flavors. But now we have Olipop.

You know, a new kind of soda that actually tastes amazing and supports gut health. Like real fiber, low sugar, and all the classic flavors you remember. I'm team vintage cola, baby. It gives me that old school vibe. But with just two grams of sugar. Olipop has two to five grams per can. Plus nine grams of prebiotic fiber. So you're actually helping your digestion while sipping something delicious. And gut health is no joke.

If anyone on that show could have used some help calming their nervous stomachs,

Okay, well, we won't name names. Yeah, we've been seeing our fair share of emotional eating. That's why I like having Olipop around. It tastes like the real deal, but doesn't leave me feeling like I need a nap. You can find it pretty much everywhere. Olipop is sold online, drinkolipop.com and Amazon, and available in almost 50,000 retailers nationwide, including Costco, Walmart, Target, Publix, Whole Foods, Kroger, and HEB. And you can even get a free can.

Buy any two cans in store and Olipop will pay you back for one. Yeah, it works on any flavor, any retailer. Just head to drinkolipop.com slash TWU. That's drinkolipop.com slash TWU. Your gut will thank you. So I want to finish out the storyline because...

As Jack goes to see the Wattersons, tells them that he's responsible for their kid's death, and he's so earnest and just, he believes it. Yeah. And they're deeply appreciative, and the first thing that comes out of their mouth is like, son, it's not your fault. It's not your fault. You didn't do this, right? Mm-hmm.

You see little flashbacks of that night when they're playing with the football and Jack talks about how he took his eye off the ball and I don't know whose idea it was to play. Maybe it was squirrels or maybe it was so-and-so. And he just goes out for a pass and he lands on the IED and it's just tragic. It's tragic. A tragic accident. A tragic accident. Like, not on you, Jack. And we'll echo this in the other part of the Vietnam because one time when he goes to pick up Nikki, I just want to dovetail this and then I'll get into it more deeply.

Nikki says to him, he's like, "It was just a nickname, bro." - Superman. - "You're not really Superman. Like it was just a dumb nickname." - Yeah. - And Jack's like, it's almost like he almost short circuit. He's like, "What are you talking about? Like I fix everything." You can like see it happen in his head. - Yeah, it like did not compute. - Yeah, let's let that go 'cause I'm gonna fix it. 'Cause that's what I do. I'm here to fix stuff, right? Anyway, after letting that go and you guys come back together, you let him know, you're like, "You know what?

This weather, 70-something degrees and no change of anything like that. Who needs it, right? Yeah. They used to tell me it was Pittsburgh good. Like, maybe we go back. He says, how'd your meeting go? He said, I guess as well as could be expected. Something to that effect. And he goes, can I hear the song? And she's like, really, dude? And he's like, please.

Like, please, Beck. And so it's the first time that he called you Beck. Yeah. And she clocks that. He's like, I can't ever call me that. I kind of like that. And so then the dulcet tones of Amanda Lee Moore pour forth. And as would with anyone who is sitting in her presence. After he says, like, I don't really cry. I don't cry. I let the, you know, I'm pretty good at swallowing the bad stuff. You see old Jack just like.

And this is actually like one of my favorite moments. I wrote that down too, one of my favorite scenes. Of the show, because there could have been, like what happens sometimes, which like is not the thing that like people, like if I have an emotional response or whatnot, and folks would be like, oh, you okay? And oh, let me rub you and do all this and dah, dah, dah. And Rebecca is just like, she sees it, it happens. And she's like,

Let me just let this dude have his moment and sing this song. And then I keep singing. Because I kind of stop for a second. For a second. And see that he has tears in his eyes. Yeah. But he's kind of facing away from me a little bit. And I just keep singing. It feels like the kinder thing to do. It's gorgeous. It was real. I mean, it was just like, you're like, okay, I read the room. Like, I've had enough conversations over these three days. Like, I could do something else.

He asked for the song and we give him the song. And then at the end, she says, let's go home. It's beautiful. She's going back to Pittsburgh. I'm going back to Pittsburgh. I'm going back with this dude. Like, I don't, maybe I don't know everything I need to know, but, but, you know, I know enough that I want to be where he is. Yeah. Right? Yeah. It's beautiful. Yes. Anything else in that storyline that you guys want to touch upon?

No. I think, you know, we have, obviously we are a little short on time, but the interesting thing, we're going to be able to talk over the next few episodes to Justin. Yeah. Yes, we will. Which, guess what, everybody? It's happening. He's coming.

Justin Hartley is coming. I feel like we feel like collectively Captain Ahab. That's right. And we have landed. That's right. We have. We are also going to get to talk to Melanie Libard. This is true. About this Vietnam story. Yeah. Because we went...

Two Vietnam guys. That's right. We have to do this Vietnam story. Just to sort of... Wait, I don't want to cut you off, but finish your thoughts. What I mean is we could get into the details. I don't know if we necessarily need to get into all the details of this episode's Vietnam story because we're going to be able to talk about the entirety of the Vietnam story with the two of them. Sure. Because the relationship that they have on this trip...

Is mirroring this road trip, right? Yeah. Yes. And two trips. Two trips, right? And two couples trying to get to know each other. And the main like revelation of this trip with Kevin and Zoe is that she, Kevin pushes the way Rebecca pushes. Yeah.

And Zoe reveals that part of her resistance to relationship and all of these things is that she was sexually abused by her father. That is correct. Which is why relationship is so difficult for her, which is why opening up is so difficult, why she tried to keep herself safe. And it instantly is... It's amazing, right? You can have all these like...

about a character or a person. And as soon as you have one piece of information, just like everything comes into clarity. Yes. Yeah. Because you're like, why is she so reticent against it? Like she doesn't want to reveal anything to Kevin. Like he wants her to live with her. Like all of these things and you're just questioning everything

what is it that Beth said? She's complicated. And it's all kind of floating around in your head and you're right. It's like, once you're given just this one piece of information, it's, there's so much grace offered to someone like,

"Oh, of course, like, why couldn't we have that beforehand, before knowing the full picture?" - Yeah. And so we're definitely gonna get to talk to her and Justin about this whole story. - Right on. - But I think we shouldn't leave this episode of the podcast without talking about Dustin Nguyen. - This is what I want, you knew what I was, okay. So one of our producers, Sam, she like does the notes for us in the thing.

And you talk about the guests in the show, Michael Angarano, Dustin Nguyen, Porter Duong, et cetera. But in the notes for Dustin, she goes, Dustin has gone on to be in TV shows like Warrior and Dope Thief, which I think is very sweet. Because Dustin is one of the original members of 21 Jump Street. Really? Yeah.

Yeah. And I love that like, she's like, you know, he's gone on to do some really big things in his life, like Warrior and Dope Thief. And I was like, this dude has been acting since before you were born. He is another TV legend. TV legend. He is another TV legend who, and tell me if I'm getting this right, after a certain point decided that he needed to go, he is Vietnamese. Yeah.

He lives in Vietnam. He does. And he was essentially the locations director for the shoot. He was the film council... Get out. Liaison. Liaison. He works in Vietnam to promote film in Vietnam. He works as an actor in Vietnam. I think, if I'm remembering this correctly, that this is what I was told by...

Yeah. And that he lives there full time and is a big part of the film industry in Vietnam. Got it. He's gone on to be done big things. He's a dope thief and warrior. A couple of anecdotes because they did shoot on location and it was not the easiest shoot for everybody. I know that Ken Washington like

fell, I believe, like into a rice paddy or something. Ken fell into a, yes, I believe he was. He was walking and thinking that it was only so deep. He took a step back and disappeared. And like fell into like waist-length water or something. He walked up like waist and got to his neck and like had to be pulled out of the thing. God, I wish we had seen that. Yeah, it's a real Ken moment.

And Justin and Melanie went to Vietnam too? Of course. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That was all in Vietnam. I was just making sure. I couldn't remember who all went. So we're going to get all those stories. And Milo as well. We'll get those stories. And Milo. They were all there. Very cool. So, okay. That's good. We'll touch base on the other parts of the story, especially with Melanie and with Justin. But we should get into the Jack and Nikki storyline really quick too. Go for it. Please. Yeah, because Jack goes to...

rescue his brother, essentially, who's been charged with Article 15. He is out handling the latrine, as it were. That's the duty that he's been... On doo-doo duty. Yeah, doo-doo duty. And that's when that line comes up where he just sort of like, you know, accosts his brother like, hey, you're not... It was a nickname. You're not really Superman. Like, he...

Full Sail rejects his brother. Like, doesn't like, like, just leave me alone. I'm here. They've given me this, like this, this duty. Like he doesn't want to be there. He's, he is this duty, the duty duty. Do we know what he's on? Did they ever say, they never say clearly what he's on. They don't. It's heroin. Is it? I mean, that was the big problem in Vietnam. I didn't know. I didn't know. Okay. Well, yeah, he's, he's. Thanks. Unwell. Um,

Ultimately, at the end of the episode, the commanding officer gives him two weeks with his brother. Yeah, initially he rejects Jack's request of having his brother and then he comes back around and is like, just sort of helicopter lands in the ville where Jack is. This next three or four episodes have just one monologue after the other. But you guys, I have to say, this run of episodes that we just watched, absolutely.

After every episode, I did the Sterling thing where I was like, it's a good show. Good show. Good show. And then I texted you guys so much too. I was like, you guys, this show is good. Yes, it is good. Because these four episodes also kind of felt like a movie. Yeah, I think maybe because of the Vietnam thread in there. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

But yeah, just I loved like, you know, Jack going to get Nikki and then being rejected. Yeah. His request and him having to sort of like find a way to get back to his ville with Bao who was giving him like the motorcycle ride. And then Bao turns out to be like VC. You're good or bad guy. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, sometimes. Sometimes. Yeah.

So good. Complicated nature of death. Really complicated nature. And then in the end, Nikki gets dropped off. They've got two weeks to figure it out. And Jack's going to, you know, do what Superman does. Shepherd him through this whole process. Yeah. Okay. We're going to take a break. Come back with our favorite fan segment. A fan segment, our favorite segment. Right after this. Boom.

All right. It's time for one of our favorite parts of the podcast, our fan segment. And today we're talking road trip stories. But not just any road trip stories. The ones where, like Jack and Rebecca on their drive to Los Angeles, you connected on a whole new level with a friend or loved one while on the trip.

So we asked listeners of the pod to email us your road trip stories along with any memorable photos, and we received two stories that were very special. Who wants to read this one? Teresa wrote to us, and she said in writing...

Hello, Chris, Mandy, and Sterling. My name is Teresa. I have a lot of road trip stories, but one road trip sticks out in my mind, especially concerning This Is Us. On February 10th, 2016, at the age of 19, my father passed away after being in the hospital for six months.

So much of your show I can see in my life. I am the youngest of three siblings, all girls. I am mixed race and can relate to Randall wanting to connect with his black culture while having grown up in a predominantly white area and household. My dad had been sick for most of his life, but it got worse during my senior year of college. Hence, I ended up going to community college for two years and earning my associate's degree so that I could stay home and be with my parents.

I am so glad I did this. My dad and I got closer than ever in the last two years of his life. On the road trip, after my dad passed away, I finished my associate's degree and was accepted to the University of Northern Colorado as a musical theater major. My mom loves a good road trip and has a goal to visit all 50 states, which she accomplished last year by visiting Alaska. We packed up her car with all of my college stuff and started what I thought was

was the 13-hour drive to Greeley, Colorado from Dallas. Well, I thought wrong. My mother had planned a five-day road trip from Dallas through Oklahoma with stops in Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wyoming before ending up in Colorado.

We stopped at the Wizard of Oz Museum, drove through the Badlands, visited Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse and the Black Hills National Forest, went to part of Yellowstone and stayed in the cutest bed and breakfast. I'm sure we did a lot more over those five days. My memory from that time isn't the best, but it's still one of my favorite stories. Driving and listening to Hamilton with mom and not being sad for those five days.

Thank you for your in-depth conversations. The artist in me loves to nerd out over the acting and story choices that were made. Thank you. Teresa. That's sweet. I love that. Sounds like a good trip. Oh, there's Teresa. Oh, great. There she is with her parents, with her father and her mom. Hey.

And a picture from that beautiful five-day road trip. And pictures from her wedding. It's beautiful. Oh, my gosh. Oh, Teresa, thank you so much. I guess you all just have to get on YouTube to see. Yeah. Right on, man. See all the beautiful pictures on YouTube. I would rock some Hamilton hard on a road trip, no doubt. I can jump in here. Go ahead. Read these first two. Who's it from? Zana? Zana and Keaton? Yeah, that's what I think. Hopefully we're nailing that. Zana, I hope we said your name right. I was going to go. X-Z-A-N-A. Zana.

- It could be. - It could be Janna. - But I got no idea. - Well, because I'm playing Xavier right now, so the X is often a Z sound at the top of things. - Sure, sure. - Violin. - So it would be a ZZ? - Janna or Zana. - X, Z, A, N, A? - X and K?

Either way, it's beautiful. It's beautiful. It is. Hi, TWU friends. My fiancé Keaton and I are huge fans of This Is Us, and that was us. Thank you. Thank you. And when we heard you were asking for road trip stories, we immediately thought of our favorite one. A few years ago, Keaton got his motorcycle license, something that had always been a dream of his. His dad is a lifelong motorcycle enthusiast, and he's been a motorcycle enthusiast for

and helped him every step of the way from picking out the bike to teaching him how to ride. Once Keaton was confident and licensed, we decided to take a trip together to the mountains of North Carolina.

Now, there are two important things to know. I had never been to North Carolina, and I had never been on the back of a motorcycle for more than five minutes. Okay. So, yeah, I was nervous, and so was Keaton, though he tried not to show it. Our destination, a cozy little cabin in the mountains. But the highlight and the most nerve-wracking part was riding the legendary E-Mobile.

Tale of the Dragon in Deals Gap. Tale of the Dragon. If you haven't heard of it, side note from Chris Sullivan, it's called Tale of the Dragon. Stop what you're doing and go look it up. It's an 11-mile stretch with 318 curbs. Yes, you read that right. We bought...

I survived the dragon t-shirts before we wrote it clearly manifesting our survival. The ride was intense, but

Twists, turns, sheer drops, but Keaton handled it like a pro. We made it through in one piece, and even better, we had photographers stationed throughout the ride to capture us in action. I attached a few here for you guys to see. Look at him! Keaton was so proud of himself, and I was so proud of him, too. It was scary, exhilarating, and unforgettable. And for me, it wasn't just about surviving the dragon.

It was about being with the person I love, watching him tackle something big, and knowing we'd done it together. Thanks for being you and allowing us to share our own stories. Zana and Keevy. Look at those pictures. It's friggin' awesome.

It's freaking awesome. You do do it together, too, because being a passenger on a motorcycle is no... It's not passive. That's no joke. It's not a passive activity. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You're holding on. Look at her. Look at her triumphant. Like, here we are. I love that. And you are keeping yourself centered. You guys, Zana Keaton, it is a reminder to me. I feel like the older we get...

the novel things that we do are the things that stick in our consciousness, right? So doing new things together is important, right? I don't know if I'm gonna get a motorcycle because that may not be my jam and to each his own, but I wanna do something with the wife that feels just like fun and new and exciting for us. So thank you for the inspiration. - Thank you so much. - You guys have any road trips to stick out?

I have a couple. The Bird and I traveled from here to Charleston, South Carolina when I was doing Army Wives. We took the 10 across, had a lovely stop in New Orleans. It was my first time going to New Orleans, which I think is one of the crown jewels of these United States.

Found a barbecue spot in Alabama that was insane. Went to Atlanta and had a great time there. Stopped by Alabama Shakes as well just to see it for the first time. And then you cut up from Atlanta to go up into Charleston. We do really well.

Like when we just have time with each other to connect unencumbered by anything else. Like, yeah. Lovely. Yeah. Yeah. When Taylor and I were first dating, one of our, like our first time really being together as a couple, I visited him on tour and we rented a car and followed the tour bus. Okay. We were, yeah, but we were in the plains of Canada.

We were in Saskatoon and Winnipeg, and then we drove down to Minneapolis. We went to... Gosh, where else did we go? It was like five or six different cities. Sioux Falls. Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So I wouldn't say they were like places that were on my bucket list of like, this is where I would love to go with my future husband for our first road trip. But it was incredible. Yeah. Yeah. It was like...

I found one of those New York Times 100 questions you're supposed to ask each other while you're getting to know each other kind of thing. Have you ever been inside a dumpster? Have you gone dumpster diving? This is a different episode. People will be confused. They'll get it. Listen, just remember that, this little reference for episode 310, okay? Dumpster diving. But it was what solidified everything for us and just absolutely fell in love. Listening to music, I have the most...

indelible memories of certain songs that we listened to on that road trip. It was great. You? You know, I feel... I think I feel like a person who should have a lot of road trip stories. Because you love cars. Like, I... And I have...

almost none. Really? Yeah. And I've recently started thinking about like, I need, not this summer, not next summer, maybe the summer after that, I need to get Rachel and the kids in an RV and we need to go for like a month around the country. That sounds so fun. Just go see, like set it up. We have friends in Nashville. We have friends and just see the parks, see the people and make a big loop and come back. That sounds so fun. And like put the kids like

into some situations. Yeah. You know what I mean? I feel like get them out there and, and, and, but I, the, the, the, get them in a dumpster. See what's in there. You know, we're running out of money. Get together. I'll find the whole foods. Um,

But I have the very first feature film I ever did was in Bayard, Texas. I was living in Chicago and the director said, well, my sister's driving down from Minneapolis. She could stop at Chicago and get you. And I'd never met this person before in my life. She pulled up in front of my apartment building. I got in the car with her and we drove 20 hours without stopping. Oh.

With a stranger? With a stranger. In a time when it was still book of CDs. Yeah. It was book of CDs time. Totally. Whoa. And...

We got along great. Were you the DJ? I was trying. I did the lion's share of... Music choices? Yeah, yeah. Did you guys flip? Rolled through St. Louis as the sun was coming out and a rainbow was coming out over the arch. Over the arch? Yeah, it was beautiful. It's pretty. But it was like one of the longest trips of my life. Did you get to know each other?

There was a little bit, but there was a lot of sleeping going on. Okay. I feel you. It was exhausting. It was exhausting because we didn't stop. Yeah. We should have stopped. I was like, what were we going to rush for? I've driven 20 hours by myself. Yeah. Oh, that sounds intense. I drove from Los Angeles to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, straight through. It's 20 hours. Took a nap in the parking lot of a hotel and drove the other four hours home to St. Louis.

24 hours and 28 hours. Wow. Yeah. It was nuts. I wouldn't do it again. You guys, this is our favorite section of the show. Please reach out to us at thatwassuspod. At gmail.com. At gmail.com. Or you can, you know. Hit us on that emotional hotline. Yeah, you can give us a call at 412-

501-3028. 3028. Yeah, that's where you can call us. We will memorize it. Yeah, that's where you can call us. You can leave us a message. It's only been how many episodes? 50-something. Yeah, tell your doggone friends. Support a sponsor. Thanks for watching. Thanks for listening. Love you guys. See you next week. That Was Us is filmed at Rabbit Grin Studios and produced by Rabbit Grin Productions. Music by Taylor Goldsmith and Griffin Goldsmith.

That was us.