Ellora Patnaik (T'Pril) Interview - "On Top of the Strange New World"

[00:00:00] This is Ellora Patnaik and you're listening to Open Pike Night, a podcast with a certain odor to it. Is this thing on? Hello, hello. Welcome to Open Pike Night, the Strange New Worlds podcast where your personal logs are the Prime Director.

[00:00:40] I'm your host, John T. Bolds, and I hope you're ready for a visit from Star Trek's most intimidating mother-in-law since Lwax on a Troy. Joining me tonight are my co-hosts, as well as callers waiting in the wings to submit themselves for judgment.

[00:00:55] First up, the man who WILL wear this dress to his wedding and NO, the one he's chosen is not appropriate. Host of green shirt, a new B-Strek through TNG, Cameron. Listen, I look good in a backless tool, okay? I can't help it. It's the way I was built.

[00:01:11] And of course, the man who was once told he would make a good Vulcan and is now threatening to make it his entire personality. I'm Jesse Bailey. I'm also weirdly hungry, like all the time? Is that just me? Ha ha ha ha.

[00:01:26] And our guest this week is an actress. Sort of. At least that's what IMDb says. Our guest today is instantly recognizable to any Strange New Worlds fan, but her acting journey to space began with a visit to Neil Armstrong's home,

[00:01:40] rallying with the Belters against the Inners, and finally finding her place among the amazing talent of the Strange New Worlds crew as DePril. And as a matter of to bring, let's hope we don't get too salty. Please welcome Elora Petnike to the Open Pike Night stage.

[00:01:56] Yay! Hi guys! Hi, hello gentlemen. Hello hello. Thank you for coming. We're really excited to have you here. I guess we can announce it now. We're kind of kicking off a bit of a charades marathon now.

[00:02:14] Cam, who do we have? Elora is starting us off, but who will we be talking to? Yep. Next up we have Mr. DePril himself, Michael Benyair joining our stage.

[00:02:24] And to wrap up the charades talk, charades director herself, Jordan Canning will be returning for a full-length interview with Open Pike Night. You guys are so excited! That's awesome. You're like you're getting all the really important people of this episode. OK.

[00:02:39] Absolutely. I mean, you would think we would be covering, I don't know, the musical episode or the crossover with five episodes total, but nope. It's going to be charades. It's going to be the family comedy like where we're here for it.

[00:02:52] Listen, I tell you, they've Rolling Stone and like it's been named one of the top episodes of 2023. Really? That's awesome. Oh, yes. Yes. Yes. Look at Jordan's Insta. You know, you'll see like, you know, I still have to post.

[00:03:10] I'm very proud of that and like being a part of that, that that was like it was up there with the bear and all these like amazing television shows and stuff. So it's like that's the episode from season two that was chosen from Strange New World.

[00:03:26] In no small part because of you, Elora, because we have the receipts to prove it. We were texting each other while watching it for the first time and I said, you guys, these parents are amazing. And I think it was just like we have to get them on.

[00:03:37] Get that monster in one. Get the monster in one. Oh man. Poor spot. I was like, it was really funny because I mean, I don't I'm just going to just jump right in because when I got the audition

[00:03:55] and I was like, I saw I was like, and it's always under a code name. So you don't know what you're auditioning for. It is like Fort Knox, everything is watermarked and like NDA this and don't say that.

[00:04:09] It's really, really like strict with a lot of shows, you know, they need to protect it. Otherwise it gets, you know, whatever. And so I was like, what is this? And then when I'm reading it, there's like all these code words in it.

[00:04:19] So you don't really hear Vulcan or whatever. But come on. I grew up with that guy. I know what this is. No way, no way. Because growing up there were no opportunities for a person of color.

[00:04:37] You know, I came in, you know, in the 90s back from drama school. I studied in New York and when I came back it was like, you know, slim pickings. I thought I was going to get into theater and then that was really difficult and stuff.

[00:04:50] So I started doing TV and film and when I got it, I was just like, oh my God, I think I'm going to be auditioning for a Vulcan. I was like, well, you know, it's just too big and it's epic right for us.

[00:05:04] So I did the audition and I got it and I was like now what? Then I got even more nervous every time it came closer and closer.

[00:05:11] And then Jordan, our director, amazing, she texted me and she was like, hey listen, you know, if you want to talk about anything, just open yourself up to me. And also, you know, a woman directing this like whoa, yeah, that so much has changed, you know.

[00:05:28] So and I've always felt like even though, you know, I grew up watching Star Trek from when I was very, very young and it felt very colorful anyway.

[00:05:39] You know, I was like, hey, well just like, you know, it's like, you know, I'll be one of the aliens or whatever. But you know, it is very diverse and it's wonderful to see that inclusion.

[00:05:50] And when I got it, I was just like, oh my God, my brother's freaked out. They're like, do you realize what this is? I was just like, okay, you're freaking me out now. I'm not going to be able to perform. That's a pretty common theme.

[00:06:07] There always seems to be a brother who's freaking out when somebody tells them they got cast. I've got two nerds. A brother, a nephew, always some guy. I mean, I think people have flipped out over this more than anything I've ever done in my career. That's so cool.

[00:06:28] Yeah. Now I just have to like, you know, figure out how I can like fly and do something in the next whatever I'm going to be. And I've got to be a witch or a sorceress or something. Something I got to top it. How do you top Trek?

[00:06:41] Well, I think that was a fantastic preview of everything we're going to talk about because you kind of touched on at least a dozen of our topics. But I want to take you further back first, Alora. Oh, we're done here now. Thanks for coming. Have a good night.

[00:06:55] Great. Yep. Good one. All right. Go on way back. As I understand it, dance was your first kind of performance medium of choice. How did you get into dance? Well, I think we can, I guess we could blame my mom for that one.

[00:07:10] Usually when somebody says that they're like, you know, my mom's really pushed me into this whatever. But my mom was a dancer and she grew up as a dancer in India, which is where my parents are from.

[00:07:22] And when she married my dad and came over, she would perform in little local functions, little cultural functions. This is Indian classical dance. So it's almost like when I say Indian classical, it's not like Bollywood what a lot of people would imagine.

[00:07:37] You know, this would be like Bollywood would be like it would be like comparing hip hop to ballet. Oh, OK. So she was like a she was these these classical dances they come they're very spiritual.

[00:07:47] They're they come from the temples of India and there's a lot of storytelling involved. And so she started performing and started a little school. And when I when I came along, you know, I just kind of just fallen in her footsteps. I had I was very sporty.

[00:08:03] I did a lot of sports, but I was also kind of artistic and expressive. So she started me off a little bit of dancing and it just kind of stuck. You know, and then I started teaching.

[00:08:11] She was teach she would teach her seniors and the school was growing as I was growing up. And then my brother came along, my little brother and he sort of he started drumming playing the Indian drums, the classical drums.

[00:08:24] And he was very more musically inclined, but then he also started dancing and teaching. So we the whole family was teaching dance culturally. And that kind of run on, you know, that was what I was doing growing up.

[00:08:34] So I really had a great experience staying in touch with my culture growing up as a Canadian kid. You know, I'm born and raised in Toronto.

[00:08:42] But I also was able to keep my my cultural heritage as well through the arts, through dance in particular, dance and music of India. That's awesome. What was your sport of choice? Sport of choice. I was I was I was really great track and field.

[00:08:58] But I also played field hockey and soccer. And I tried. I did a little bit of basketball when everybody I was the same size, but I ended up staying shorter. But that didn't last very long. Yeah, after grade 11, it wasn't happening anymore.

[00:09:12] You know, but I tell you, I was like a little like I my layups were incredible and great night. I was able to have like four feet off the off the floor when I would jump.

[00:09:22] I think I think a lot of dreams are broken around that that age transition. Man, curvy, curvy girl don't they don't fly after grade 11. It's like, OK, pick another sport, maybe something with buoyancy like synchronized swimming. I should have been a jockey.

[00:09:37] I tell you what, I love jockeys. I horseback riding is another one of mine. So, you know, any yeah, anything with animals. I'm a big. Yeah, but I did a lot of horseback riding when I was a kid.

[00:09:52] Very cool to get you bring you bring you back to Strangest New Worlds and you and Pike can go out horse riding in an episode. Oh my God. I don't know what the scenario would be. For how they get that.

[00:10:04] Yeah, that's that's an episode I would absolutely watch again and again. Like I can just see it would just be like if it's if it's to Pearl and Pike, it'd just be like a ride in like a science. I'm just picturing all the looks on Anson's face.

[00:10:18] Yeah, he's like muscular expressions and just like, you know, it's just clunk, clunk, clunk, clunk, clunk, and that's all it is. I don't think you groom your horses enough pike. How often do you groom them? That's right. It was like that saddle isn't shiny enough.

[00:10:35] But no, you did. You did have a dance and excelled at that. I hear you at a young age, you were chosen by a renowned guru, a dance classical dance instructor. Tell us about that. Yeah, actually he was here. He's very, very renowned.

[00:10:51] He's like, you know, Buriznokov, I guess of in the in the in this style of dance that I was doing. My parents come up from a state called Orissa on the East Coast, just south of Bengal. And that classical dance was from that region.

[00:11:05] So he was actually my mother's teacher when she was very young. And he was on here. He was here on tour with some other dance with another dance group and they came over for dinner and my mom was said, I'd love to her to show

[00:11:18] you a piece of yours. And so I danced after we had dinner and blah, blah, blah. I went down with the studio and everybody sat down and I danced for him and he pulled my mom aside. I was planning to go become a vet.

[00:11:30] I was going to become a vet and I was about to go to college after university and he pulled my mom aside. He goes, I think she should train in India with me. Wow. And that's like a huge honor guys.

[00:11:44] It's like, you know, I'm just telling it as this, but at that time my mother, my mother's jaw just like dropped because she's like, that's her teacher, her mentor. He's like a walking God. And so he, my mom pulled me aside.

[00:11:55] She was like, she's, he's saying this and then my dad was just sort of like, well, you know, you can always go to school. You know, you can always become a vet later. I go, I don't know. I get it. But I thought about it.

[00:12:07] I was like, you know what? Why not? It's only going to be like, you know, maybe a year or whatever ended up being about shy of two years. I went to India and I trained there. Dad. I mean, are you sure? It's a big deal.

[00:12:21] Like how many people could really be dancing in India? Like really? Is it really a giant number? You're like to think. Yeah. I wonder. Yeah. And I was like, okay. And at that time I wasn't thinking like, you know, security, whatever.

[00:12:38] I just like, yeah, you know, it was very like, and I was already doing a lot of, um, I was part of the drama club and you know, I was dancing already. So I thought why not? And it was an adventure. It was a beautiful time.

[00:12:48] Um, you know, to be living there, it's very different. I mean, you know, going there when you're 17, 18 years old and he was very strict. Like there was like the, you know, line up like, you know, we were lined up like daisies, the boys on this side

[00:13:02] and the girls on this side and you know, and sweating and it doesn't matter. Sometimes electricity would go. There ain't no generator. You keep dancing and I'm not dancing like, you know, when like a little leotard or like shorts, I was in a sorry dancing, you know.

[00:13:17] So I was like, sorry, I'm in a sorry. I'm going to sweat. Okay. And uh, you know, but yeah, I'll tell you something. I, it was an unbelievable experience as far as discipline and growing up turning like, you know, I was kind of

[00:13:35] like coming out of childhood and going into womanhood and it was just looking at, uh, looking at the world through a different lens and, um, it was a great, it was a great experience for me. I was performing, I was training.

[00:13:47] Um, I even did a little film in India as well. Uh, they, somebody approached a producer approached me and my parents and they were like, listen, you know, my teacher had had a heart attack at that time and he was in the hospital for two weeks.

[00:14:01] And in that two weeks, this guy was like, you know, we're doing this and I was also on hospital duty. So when students in India heard like, you know, you sort of serve the teacher as well a little bit.

[00:14:12] And so we were all like, um, you know, helping out and helping his, his wife at home who we call Guru Ma because he's like our dad and, you know, and so we were on kind of hospital duty and making lunch and helping out.

[00:14:26] And we were always together, the girls and the guys and we were all hanging out. It was like, it was like a party, you know, and thank goodness he was better. He got better and I finished the film and you know, I came back home

[00:14:36] and then I was like dead broke. I was like, now what? You know, and so, so now what? Now what happened then? How'd you get that leading to acting? Jobs. We had to make some money and I was thinking, I'll go back to school.

[00:14:51] I was trying to figure it out and I got a job, a part time job in the bank and I was doing odd jobs here and there and then this opportunity came along. My girlfriend was like, hey, you know, there's this school in New York,

[00:15:02] the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and I want to audition for it. And I was like road trip to New York road trip. I'll drive you, I'll drive you. And she was like, well, you know, they'll do regionals here but I want you to audition with me

[00:15:15] because I'm scared. And I was just like, I don't want to audition. She was like, oh, just come on, it'd be fun, whatever. You don't have to, you don't have to, you know, whatever. We both got it. Nice. Oh, that's good. We both got it.

[00:15:29] What would have been scary if only we got in and not her? Yeah, she would have dropped me like a bad habit. Luckily, like, you know, she was really awesome and she was a really good friend. And we both went, my dad was just like, you know,

[00:15:45] again, my dad was like, this is an opportunity. How many Indian girls get this opportunity? You should go, blah, blah, blah. And I was just like, she goes, you know, my girlfriend was like, there's millions of vets. You always want to be, you can always do charity work

[00:15:58] for animals later. Come to New York. So guys, I went to New York and I went to that's where I did my dramatic arts training. Mind you, there's a lot of dramatic arts training in the Indian classical dance that I do because there's so much storytelling.

[00:16:12] And so like they, there's abstract movement where it has no meaning where it's just like, you know, steps and turns and spins like regular abstract dancing. But then there's a lot of storytelling, how there are in indigenous stories as well with like, you know,

[00:16:25] that have to do with mythology of the spiritual part of the country. The tales of the temple from Hindu mythology. And so we use, we use our face of our hands and facial expression like mine in our dancing to tell these stories. So I was already a storyteller,

[00:16:45] you know, with, with by dancing. And so when I went to drama school, it just felt like, you know, I just added my voice and got all these techniques. And it was a, it was a wonderful experience. New York was just crazy incredible. And that was,

[00:16:58] I spent two years there getting my associates degree and then I got selected to perform an extra year in the company. Nice. And there. And so I was there and I performed, made the best friends of my life from, I have to say,

[00:17:12] I have a lot of friends, American friends, a lot of American friends. So I go, I go out to New York and LA every year and we hang out and it's, you know, it's amazing the friends you make when you're in college, you know? Yeah.

[00:17:26] And that's also the thing that you still visit them. Yeah. I don't do any, you guys keep in touch with your college base. I mean, Cam and I, yeah. We've been friends for 23 years now and yeah, started out making student films together

[00:17:40] and going to school up in Fairbanks, Alaska. So yeah, our whole friends group is pretty big. Yeah, most of us move down here to Portland. Most of my friends are still my college friends. Yeah. We'll be hearing from one. This is great. Actually coming right up,

[00:17:53] why don't we play Marcy's clip right now? Yeah. There's another one of our college friends here is Marcy. Hey boys, it's Marcy from Idol Ride podcast. It's been a while since I've called in, but I was super excited to hear you have Elora Patnik on today

[00:18:07] because I just started watching sort of and I'm loving her in that role. One of the things about both her role is to Pryl and her role as Rafa is that they're both strong matriarchal figures in their family and I was hoping she could answer a question

[00:18:21] about whether or not she had a woman in her life, an older woman in her life that influenced her journey on becoming an actor. The other thing is she's a dancer. She's got classical dance in her background. So I was wondering, I have kind of a funny question.

[00:18:37] So if to Pryl was to kind of throw off that really high collared overcoat and go crazy out on the dance floor, what kind of dance style would she use or maybe what would be her favorite dance move? Like maybe the sprinkler or the hammer dance.

[00:18:53] Am I aging myself here? I don't know. But I love to hear your take on a to Pryl dance move. Thank you so much for listening and I love you in sort of bye. Oh Marcy, you're so wonderful. Oh, how sweet. Oh my gosh, y'all have good friends.

[00:19:13] What a great, okay, two great questions. I think I'll answer the first one about a woman. I know a lot of people say this but my mom is probably, not probably, she is the strongest woman I know. But she doesn't come off that way.

[00:19:33] She comes off as very sweet and soft and almost angelic in a way. All my friends, they love her so much, they call her ma. But I have to tell you, her tolerance and determination and perseverance for and her general attitude towards life

[00:19:50] of being, you ask her anytime, anybody asks her how you doing, Ma? How you doing? I'm on top of the world, kid. How are you? It doesn't matter. She'll always be on top of the world. Conquers everything on an emotional level, spiritual level, physical level.

[00:20:05] She just, she's unstoppable this woman. And she is my biggest fan, my biggest critic, my best friend. She's been there for me and supported me through everything. She was sick and thin. It doesn't matter how small it is, she's not the job.

[00:20:21] If I kind of am like, oh, Mopey or whatever, she'll just be like, fuck up, you know, appreciate it. You should enjoy it. Take everything and enjoy it because life is short. We don't realize how short it is until you get to a certain point.

[00:20:34] And then it's sort of like, oh, you know, hold on to everything, you know? She's one of those people for me. She's been that way. She's also my first dance teacher. So she's also been there for me on so many levels in so many ways.

[00:20:49] And so my mom is definitely the first one. I had an acting master too, who in New York, who was somebody that really kept me inspired and made me feel confident, you know, growing up as a colored kid in a small town was pretty tough.

[00:21:09] You know, we also moved up north and it was rough sometimes, you know? And so you need people, like, you know, especially your strong females in your life to show you if you're female or identify as female to tell you that, you know, you can beat this.

[00:21:26] You can conquer this. You're above this. You're better than this and to be able to believe in yourself. She always tells me to believe in myself because I grew up with a lot of self-doubt, not because of family.

[00:21:37] A lot of people say it was because of my family. It was because of what was happening outside of the family when I was trying to, you know, get through school and stuff like that. So, yeah, I'd say my mom. Dance style for Tupro?

[00:21:51] Well, she ever gets out all those layers. Oh, thanks Bernadette. Boy, oh boy, did I look good. I gotta tell you, we'll talk about that gown. Oh, we will. We've got a question later for that. If that coat comes off, Marcy,

[00:22:07] and I guess I feel like there's a storm of ruin under all of that, all those layers, you know? I just see her doing like, you know, a tango. Oh, yeah. Really intense, like, you know. Bum, bum, bum, bum. Like a morticia. Sort of attitude.

[00:22:25] I just feel like, you know, she's going to grab one of those, like, you know, snacks off of like, like tray and shove it in her mouth and just be like, grab, grab, grab Sarah and go drum, drum, you know, right across the enterprise. That is amazing.

[00:22:39] That is actually really easy to picture. Like, you know, you would think, oh, that's kind of the opposite of how the character was, but it's like, you can tell that this, this character has passion and she buttons it down. And I love that answer.

[00:22:54] And you guys, we got to find a way to make the tango of T'Akril happen. Also, yeah, tango one, the name of Pike's horse, but two, that's not like, that makes sense because that's not an easy dance style at the moment.

[00:23:07] Like you don't just pick up tango, like, you could vote years and years. It's a ritual, yeah. Yeah. It is not like, you know, it's funny because people think of dance as, you know, they look, they look at, oh, the legs and the,

[00:23:19] the arms and everything, but it's got to come from the inside, especially something like the tango. There's, there's, there's passion, there's expression, there's like, there's eyes, there's, there's angles and it's a connection with your partner, especially any ballroom dancing, you know, anything, any type of

[00:23:34] dancing with a partner, dancing solo is one thing, but having a connection, I think because she's, she's, she's like, you know, she's so dominating, you know, I think she would be the lead and she would be like, you know, I'm not going to take the lead.

[00:23:47] You're going to take my lead and we're going this way and you put the rose in your mouth between your teeth. All right, the episode is called last tango and Rysa involves DePril on Pike's horse and a tango dance scene somehow. We'll work it all together.

[00:24:03] And it's Jesse, what you were saying about like, you know, all those, the passions, it's like both Vulcans have to suppress their feelings because they do feel more than what a human would feel and if they let it out, well, watch out.

[00:24:16] You guys, it's going to be hard for me to focus on anything else for the rest of this episode but I promise I will make an effort. I mean, that was such a great answer to a caller's question. I say we just roll into another caller's question. Agree.

[00:24:30] Yeah, let's go ahead and hear from Newman. Hi, open pike night. Newman the space hippie here from the movies for days podcast giving snaps, praise, roses upon roses to your lovely guest. Your fantastic performance as DePril in the episode charades which is an episode that has already stacked

[00:24:51] with marvelous performances. Yours was such an absolute highlight. It struck me that it is a real tightrope to have to walk to be such a worthy and effective antagonist in what is essentially a very lighthearted and fun episode

[00:25:07] and I thought you just knocked it out of the park. You just completely take over the room every time you enter a scene and I was curious not being familiar with your past roles and work, how similar is this character to the characters you have generally played,

[00:25:25] things that are generally in your hit? Yeah, I'm just gushing right now thinking about the episode again. I'm sorry. I don't have anything constructive to offer anymore. Newman the space hippie out. Oh, Newman. Thank you so much, sweetheart. Oh my goodness.

[00:25:41] Guys, I want to, I just want to keep coming on this show. Okay. Open invitation. Oh my goodness. Newman, thank you. Thank you. Thank you, sweetheart. Oh my goodness. I feel so, I'm just floating right now. Wow. To prill, I guess as a mother,

[00:26:00] there are parallels with other mothers I have played being the antagonist and you know, the wagging finger and you know, shouldn't do this or shouldn't do that. I mean, the fact that, I mean, it's obviously different because I've never played a Vulcan before.

[00:26:13] So, you know, being part of, I mean, I think that goes without saying. I don't think it's been this serious as far as trying to keep my daughter away or trying to sort of, I guess in a way, I don't know if I want to sabotage it.

[00:26:30] I don't know if to prill actually wants to sabotage it because she wants what's best for her daughter like any mother would. So I think there's parallels with being a mom as far as the other moms that I've played. A lot of the other moms I've played,

[00:26:45] and I say that because after Sornage I've been offered mostly mom roles. And now the sort of has happened. Every Brown show that happens, we need a mom call a Laura, you know. So, but I think that this mom to Pearl

[00:27:00] and sort of in sort of where Ruffo is my name in that Ruffo and to Pearl matter in the story. You know, it's, I don't know how much we are mentioned in other talks when it comes to charades because you know, the leads just take it

[00:27:17] and people really focus because they're obviously, you know in the limelight. I mean Ethan's just spectacular in this. It's just, I just, I even, I told him so many times that it was just like, you are, when I saw the episode

[00:27:30] I was like, oh my God, you're crazy awesome. Like, you know, he's just brilliant. But I feel like our side of it with the family with to Pring and the parents we really, really make this whole episode we lift it in a way, you know

[00:27:52] with that side of the story. And it's almost like, you know, there's Spock and then, you know, there's, there's, there's, there's you know, nurse, nurse chapel and then here's Pike and then here's like, you know, us and then there's

[00:28:05] there's so there's a lot of, there's a lot going on and you know, Spock's kind of like, oh my God and you know whatever and there's, you know the doc and trying to help them and but what I was trying to say is that

[00:28:17] that I really, it's very important for me that if I'm going to play a mom's role I have to matter like I have to, like the character has to contribute. I've told a lot of people like, look I understand you need a mom in the show

[00:28:28] but I can't just be, you know, standing in the kitchen stirring a pot because the kid has to have a mom. I've got to contribute to the story, you know and I think I've kind of earned my, my, my, my saying in that, you know, making that choice

[00:28:42] I've had to say like, you know, before it would be when we're struggling after you take anything I remember one of my acting teachers said you never say now to anything to take everything you know, okay, well, you know I don't want to take that literally because

[00:28:56] you know, anything can be anything but you know, I think I'm at a point right now where it's like, you know, I understand that everybody has their stories and everybody you know, needs a mom otherwise, you know if there's a story about nine year olds

[00:29:08] they're going to be like, where's the mom call child services, you know, somebody has to be somewhere around right but it was, it's really important and I loved that you know, to pro was that, that mom that, you know, there's you know, a follow-up tradition

[00:29:22] and, and customs and there's a pride and a status and things that have to be maintained and, you know, that's just the way it goes with some families you know, and there, there are laws, there are Vulcan laws and you know, all of that is there so

[00:29:38] you know, I also try to identify with the fact that you know, she's not we can't just color her and say like, you know she's a bad person. Yeah, it's awful because everybody's like, you know, you know pro-spock right? So it's like

[00:29:52] it's like, don't say anything to him he's perfect, you know so obviously, right away I become a villain you know, and but she's just, she's looking out for a daughter as well, you know. It's malicious compliance but it kind of swings back

[00:30:06] and forth as to whether it's compliance or malicious throughout the episode. I think that really came through you know, the care that Tapril has for Tapring because it's like, oh yeah, you know you can see that this is it's not that she is, you know

[00:30:22] there for her own self-interests she's there for her daughter and that really came across in your performance and that was, I mean like all the looks you were giving to Savette, it felt like hey remember we're here for her we talked about this

[00:30:38] please keep it buttoned down, you know like I just gonna agree with Newman, you knocked this out of the park. I also, I want to echo what Newman said regarding like you show up and you dominate Tapril dominates, you dominate there are big, big

[00:30:58] personalities in the rooms but whenever you're on screen like the attention is drawn to you and I always marvel when guest actors come on, they do one episode and they have to just dominate like the head of the cast list these major iconic characters like you put

[00:31:16] Pike and Spock in their place and is that intimidating when you realize that's your job in this episode or how do you approach that? Oh that's a good question Cameron you know I think when I thought about it beforehand like prepping and I mean I didn't meet them

[00:31:34] till the day off. I got to meet Jordan, the director I got to meet her once but I was in her make up prosthetics I was, we were doing testing testing and testing for a long time before the episode but just the thought of Pike you know that's

[00:31:56] it's different. Ethan I just think oh my god that's Gregory Peck's screen. I was like that's so great oh my god I'm so excited and he was sweet as Pike. Oh my goodness he's such a sweet soul he was so approachable he didn't have that celebrity shell thing

[00:32:14] and you know he's just very kind and warm and when you think about it ahead of time you're just sort of like but once you're in your element I love acting I've been doing it for so long and so you know you just go into

[00:32:26] performance mode and we're more on that set we're all equal that's just that just goes celebrity wise maybe we're not but when we're doing a scene together you're my scene partner you know and so um I I kind of kind of felt the power

[00:32:42] you know you put the costume on and you got the hair and like the ears and like the little crowd like got the ears and I was like oh I could also be an elf if I wanted to um I was the shortest one I probably

[00:32:56] looked like oh me and I are kind of the same height but like um but uh yeah and then once I got on there I just you know I felt her I had my you know I had the scene

[00:33:05] down and G and I were talking and Michael and I were talking I felt them behind me and I just you know it was it was good so when I was on I was on you know I just felt good it just it's go time

[00:33:16] you know I want the scene to work you know we got to make it work together so we work as a team yeah yeah well between uh school in New York and strange new worlds you have a long list of projects you've been in are there any

[00:33:28] roles or projects that really stand out that that mean a lot or that you want to direct people to um well I did I did a film called my own country with director Mira Nair filmmaker Mira Nair um and that was uh oh gosh that was

[00:33:46] not too not too long after I came back to Toronto I played the wife of Naveen Andrews who plays Dr. Abraham Vergees in this in this film and it's based on the life of Dr. Abraham Vergees he was an infectious disease specialist who came from India to Tennessee

[00:34:08] when in the 80s when AIDS was just starting to flare up in in the southern parts of the states and uh it shows uh it tells the story of his life there during that time uh treating patients and his bedside manner with certain families and based on

[00:34:26] true cases and it's very it's a heart heart wrenching uh film it's really beautiful I don't know where you could see it it was for showtime um somebody might be able to find it I don't know somewhere but there is there was that that that film

[00:34:40] was meant a lot to me um I went to India and I I've done a Bollywood film where I was the lead in that called the Bish T-A-P-I-S-H and it's called like the burning desire it's about burning means to burn and I play

[00:34:58] a young a young lady who uh gets married and gets widowed on her wedding night yeah and it's like the the real orthodox kind of like backwards way of how families treat widows uh in at a certain time it's not like that

[00:35:16] anymore I mean in certain places there are and very uh rural places but uh uh those kind of backward traditions that you know those are traditions that you just don't want and so that was a really um it was a really really lovely film that

[00:35:30] I did uh in India and I had to I knew how to speak Hindi but I never knew how to uh read or write so I actually learned before I started shooting so I could read my script hmm yeah yeah I've heard though that a lot

[00:35:44] a lot of times people just do it in Roman phonetics I was like why didn't somebody tell me that it seems way easier I just hired a coach for two months y'all listeners will be really excited to learn you can watch my own country for free on 2B

[00:36:00] which is very cool you can do that right now as soon as you're done listening to this episode Jesse you're such a nerd yeah was that before after lost uh that was before it was before he did tell explain lost to you

[00:36:16] and you can't explain it to us what I'm understanding yeah he's lost he's just lost I heard he's in a new series I think uh what was it called the Pradeeps of Pittsburgh or something so I can't remember the name of it I heard he was

[00:36:36] in town shooting something but I was immersed in sort of season 3 so yeah but hopefully we'll meet up somewhere sometime but it was fun doing that yeah and uh then I did the beach and I've done a lot of theater in Toronto that I took me a while

[00:36:54] to get into it I didn't do any of the big stuff because I kept knocking on doors no one would take me I'm all hello Stratford hello Shaw you know festivals we have up here um but then uh in the last

[00:37:08] I'd say about 10 years or so I've been able to do a lot of like indie theater here and stuff it's been it's been it's been amazing uh to be a part of be a part of that and uh some some more culturally like you know uh culture

[00:37:22] culturally in tune shows just to to some Shakespeare which has been fun as well because I'm classically trained in that as well when I went to drama school I wanted to do classical theater you know Shakespeare check off Shaw and all that stuff

[00:37:34] so you know so now there's more color blind casting here coming along so that's good too well yeah that brings up uh my next question is you kind of mentioned this before and I've heard you talk elsewhere about how you

[00:37:46] kind of you feel you put in your time it is the uh the post 9-11 terrorist or terrorist adjacent roles right and uh do you feel that there is more diversity in the roles for uh Indian women or women of color in general even now can we

[00:38:02] like now oh my gosh yeah yeah yeah like uh oh gosh worlds and I don't want to say that like you know it's it's perfect right now because there's so much there's so much discussion I just have to say like I've been involved in a lot of um

[00:38:20] panels and and discussions and stuff talks with uh the younger actors coming up now actors of color or different backgrounds or different groups and inclusion talking about inclusion and diversity and it definitely definitely has changed since when I came that's the difference for me

[00:38:40] I'm not saying it is where it's supposed to be we still have a long way to go but I just worked with a female DP on season three for sort of that was my first female DP I worked with and a more camera operators are female

[00:38:56] and more directors are female and I'm not just saying female but like you know people of color queer trans I mean sort of has not just in front of the camera but behind the camera our writers our crew I mean you name it producers female color

[00:39:12] queer it doesn't matter it's the right person for the right job that's what matters you know I'm still with I I I want to work with everybody I still want to work with my white middle-aged male friends you I'm not going to shun them

[00:39:26] out camera I love you don't worry I am here with three white men I couldn't be happier okay the secrets out everyone yeah I mean I can't because I've had conversations with people where you know they just like you know some sisters of mine they're like

[00:39:48] now it's our turn they're out and I'm just like dude you're not changing anything you're not changing anything by doing that you're just reciprocating the position and we're then you're no different than what was happening right I mean I respect for like you know like

[00:40:04] respect for the me too movement and you know the whole everything that's been happening that's it's very very important to address and have these conversations see something say something yes I'm all for that but we have to be better than what was

[00:40:18] it's not just changing the position and saying it's our turn now and you know you're not here that you're just continuing the groupism how can we work together in harmony you know what I mean wow do I sound like a happy in harmony peace love and happiness man

[00:40:32] you sound like Star Trek that's right and that is I mean that matters here yes that's my mission that's like to go where no person has gone before but um yeah I know I definitely feel there's a difference in what has happened I'm getting roles where

[00:40:52] my name doesn't matter I was named Beth in some Christmas movie and you know Lena in something else or you know Kim in something else and I was just sort of like okay they're sure they you know before it was like every audition was like Dr.

[00:41:06] Anjali Patel you know like you had to be that but like you know it they're doing it and they're including it and I'm hoping that you know it doesn't feel like tokenism because a lot of times you know you sort of think like okay they're only

[00:41:22] taking me because they need to have a colored person there because they have to fill their quota but you have to pick your battles you also have to be like I'm getting work my mom again once again she'll steer me and she'll be like it's work appreciate it

[00:41:38] you know tough love right and then I go in and I have a great time and like it's not color or about anything I just go and I act and I make a paycheck worst ways to do that that's what I wanted to do

[00:41:52] that's why I went to acting school you know we're getting jobs and more people I keep saying women because I'm a woman but like you know more people are making their own stuff you know it's not just about you know being part of a huge

[00:42:08] show like Stranger The World is one thing but to be able to make something like what my kid and sort of like Bilal Bey did like made something themselves and it became something that's another kind of love you know telling your own story and

[00:42:26] you know it's the world of art the possibilities are endless you know it's awesome I love it that's great I mentioned it at the intro and you've already called Jesse a nerd I'll just call myself as a nerd I love the expanse and I would love to hear

[00:42:40] if you have any stories on your time on the show I loved my time with Shoray you know like I played her daughter you know so cool and I we had the best time she's an okay that's a woman that can be a great influence in any

[00:43:02] like colored women's life that woman has bit came in a time where I just don't know how she did it she she was amazing I was like she was just like she said I don't give a shit and that and that she is like she was in her

[00:43:16] trailer like smug she goes get in here okay she was like I'm telling you my husband this and you know when I came in and she was telling me all these stories and I was just like that's the way I have to be

[00:43:28] I have to be like that how do I do that you know that woman is fire that was like but I had a lovely time on the expanse I really I really did I don't um I don't even know if that episode actually came out

[00:43:42] has anybody seen it because I have I don't know if the scene that was shot ended up in the episode because I was like I think I got caught I know I know but I love the show you're there so yeah it's part of working too

[00:44:00] sometimes you work and work and then it's like well time to change you know I know again but I'll tell you something nerding out okay yes you're a nerd Cameron you're definitely a nerd and so I just wanted to say all to my three nerds here

[00:44:12] and my beautiful audience that the expanse was a great show to be on and I knew a lot of people that were on it and being like being able to be sure his daughter in it and it was like a good little story and I was like

[00:44:24] why they have to be like you know cut it out I know I was good on it but that you know that also it's you know it just it's part that's part of it like you know once in a while you'll you'll do something you'll pour

[00:44:36] everything you've got into it because you will hope to be you know make another appearance or maybe just be a recurring once in a while or whatever but you know it just it just didn't happen but I still get credit for it. Exactly.

[00:44:48] Accredit is a credit. That's right. Yeah. Yeah, Chrissy Chong talks about how she was in Thank You John. The Force Awakens and they even had to re-film her scene and so she got paid twice and she got hired in the movie. Yeah. Yeah, isn't that crazy?

[00:45:02] It's an experience, a credit and a paycheck. Yeah. And you know as the person who gets most cut out of Open Pike Night episodes I can totally identify. Definitely happens. It's because I talk the most that's all it is. That's all it is. You're gonna cut

[00:45:22] you out, Jesse. I break the tea. Yeah. You hear that John? I'll put a whole Jesse cutting room floor episode out with no context. Just be a stream of thought. Great patience. Jesse's like, I'm gonna sick to prill on you. Oh, I'm so excited. We all need a

[00:45:42] to prill in our life. Who let to prill out? All right, we're about to get super nerdy and dive into the Star Trek for real but before we do that, you have mentioned a couple times your love of animals and

[00:45:54] that's a big cause of yours. So if you want to talk about that right now, please take the floor. Oh my goodness. People, I know you all hear it a lot. Adopt, don't shop, but please do that. That's all I can say. I it's an incredible thing to

[00:46:14] be an animal lover and to feel you know that the compassion for the voiceless you know with so much happening. I mean, there's so much happening in our world guys and the animals have always been there. I am not a vegan.

[00:46:34] I don't push stuff like that on people. I just about being kind and being compassionate. If you hunt for your food or your food, that's one thing. You know what I mean? And using it up on all of that but I'm not I just the cruelty that happens

[00:46:50] is unbelievable. I fight the dog meat trade which also involves cats as well and other animals and stuff. It's not the certain cultures they just have this very horrific festivals that they do and they have and it's supposed to go back years and years of tradition

[00:47:14] in certain countries and it's just a really, really awful thing that's happening and people's pets get kidnapped believe it or not. I fight for that. I fight to bring animals from dogs especially from different countries to get adopted over here in the west

[00:47:32] different organizations I'm a part of where we just get involved in charities and fundraisers and petitions and just to raise the awareness of especially that animal cruelty and testing on animals and stuff. That's basically it. I don't want to mention names and stuff because there's so many organizations

[00:47:50] that I'm a part of but that's the main thing and when you make commitment there were a lot of dogs during COVID that were adopted and then as soon as everybody went back to work the shelters were filled just filled they got the dogs because they were born

[00:48:10] and then it's really, really important to think about that and be careful when you're driving. I've seen so much roadkill it's unbelievable even squirrels everybody matters I'm also a big advocate for poaching as well in Africa the illegal poaching stuff so yeah, that's a big passion of mine

[00:48:36] I guess in a way not becoming a vet and doing this has helped me fill my soul that I'm doing something to help and just an act of kindness once in a while is always helpful so you know I always encourage people to

[00:48:52] if you want to do a charity or something a little small thing here or there it helps a lot for a lot of things so yeah what's your favorite animal? you got to pick one Selfie's Choice a selfish one a selfish choice that means I have

[00:49:13] implications are not great with animals on that question it's no as arc I have to have two of each yeah I guess I would say dogs that's fair, that's a cat I'm cringing but I love horses too dogs, horses elephant top three yeah, dolphin otter

[00:49:43] I got it, that's what I like but I love everybody now I'm picturing each one of you who would be which animal now you gotta tell us I'm just thinking here okay I'm seeing a badger Cameron I'll take yes you want me to say Wolverine honey badger

[00:50:05] I'll be honey badger honey badger that's gonna stick now isn't it John, I'm seeing I think I John's like Gibbon I think interesting, exotic I think so yeah I'm seeing because I feel like you can just hold a candle and err Jesse's

[00:50:31] oh my gosh that smile is so cute what am I doing to do here I'm thinking it's coming, he's coming you said the heart and fire I know Jesse's like I think bear yeah a little bear not a big one I didn't say a big bear

[00:50:59] I'm happy with that little bear because I think you look very cute right now not a stuffed teddy bear don't worry you're still alive thank you I appreciate that we gotta get shirts made now that's right and we gotta mix them with what Bernadette

[00:51:15] assigned us for our races too that's where my is Bernadette making something for you? no we just asked her to pick alien Star Trek races for us if you were gonna create an outfit or showing up as a background what would you put as a

[00:51:35] that was so cool oh she's so lovely she really is I'm an Andorian badger now yes tellerite gibbon I like that a fulkin bear like they kinda already have that right they got the sailor I mean bear totally counts I'm here for it oh yeah

[00:51:59] I can see that so we will now get into actual Star Trek talk too you mentioned that you watched Star Trek growing up what's your experience with Trek overall before being a member of the cast like what is the what is the Trek part of your life

[00:52:17] I'm not a Trekkie okay so I'm not gonna come on here and lie and be like oh yeah I'm so into it I was because I was always obviously I watch TV a lot when I was a kid my cousin is a Trekkie and he

[00:52:35] would sit there and be like come sit with me and I was like I'm talking Shatner Nimoy okay I was really tiny and I'd sit there and I'm just here like you know beat me up and all the sounds and everything

[00:52:51] it just became a familiar sound to me so everything was like you know so I knew that and then I think I guess next generation was when I you know I never really saw the movies I didn't go out and see the movies except for

[00:53:07] recently the latest ones but next generation like you know Picard and I did see the one with the Chris Pine and all those guys and whatever but yeah I you know feels like a part of childhood to me you know I just feel

[00:53:29] like you know it's always been a subject of discussion and it just feels very very familiar you know just just part of my childhood so I don't feel alienated from you ohhh yes tell a joke at the end that doesn't count if I do stand up

[00:53:49] I'll just fall down so you'd mentioned earlier about the secrecy with being a part of strange new worlds and we like in our work on this podcast like we have experienced a small bit of having to deal with that when it was revealed that you were

[00:54:07] going to be on or when it aired did you have any secret Trekkie friends reveal themselves to you and what was that like you mean like who had been on the show well no like like people in your life you didn't know we're into Star Trek

[00:54:25] all of a sudden friends who are like oh my god you were in Star Trek and oh my god I thought yeah yeah yeah my brothers were like obviously beaming I only told my family that I was in it because we weren't allowed to say anything

[00:54:39] and I'm terrified of getting in trouble so I don't I never post like we're not supposed to post anything we're dying to share the look that they had for me that I didn't get that the way I look in the episode is not what

[00:54:55] because we went through a whole bunch of different looks and tests right and I have I have a picture that I want to post at some point but I had some people come up to me call me and be like I cannot believe I saw it like yelling

[00:55:15] and they're in Toronto and I think that they were calling me from Japan okay they're like I cannot believe this I'm like why are you yelling you know but it was so I think it was more like the shock of it

[00:55:31] like I posted that it was the day up like you know this is happening and you know that's fine but like how many people see that you know the day of whatever but whatever they allowed us to post I put that on social media

[00:55:45] and like you know I'm not a big social media person I just kind of do it for professional stuff I put my bird on he has his own Instagram I have a little bird his name is Uppie and he has and he has his own little Instagram account

[00:56:01] so that's stuff I do otherwise I do mostly professional like just my projects and stuff and yeah so like you know people there were so when the secret came out was more of the big deal like you know it's like oh my episode they're like oh shit

[00:56:19] you're on like you know it's really good I was like is it I hope so I'm not just coming off as a hard hard cold bitch I'm like only when you're supposed to yeah only when you open up your mouth really that's all so we're gonna

[00:56:37] dive directly into charades here so you were saying during the audition process that it was really secretive and there were code words and things like that was there anything specifically that tipped you off to like oh this is a Vulcan or was there like some sort of

[00:56:55] character description where you're like I think I know that this is Star Trek now like when did that dawn on you um I think there was the they called it the Vishal ceremony hmm I think that's what it was there were certain words that just felt familiar

[00:57:17] then I showed the script to my brother because he helped me read you know cause I always make two copies I go read this be my reader you know and four five four so I sit down they're like

[00:57:27] he was really helping me cause he really wanted me to get it yeah right so he was like I know this is Star Trek this is Star Trek and I was like the phones can hear us I'm like turning off my phone

[00:57:41] putting it on airplane mode and like you know putting it face down and putting a pillow on top of it you know I was like they're gonna come and get me they're gonna come and take me and I'll be in some other galaxy

[00:57:53] so they can really do it I know they have the power to do it send me to actual Vulcan yeah or just being experimented on yeah so how did they describe the character in the auditions you know what I'll tell you something they don't give a few

[00:58:15] lines of the description they'll say like you know she's disapproving and very looking out for this or whatever but the writing was so good in this I'm only speaking for this episode charades because I thought that it just everything just kind of spoke for itself

[00:58:35] I was able to do it with the writing I thought that the writing was really good and so I felt that based on the bouncing off of character with the speeches and everything dealing with the dialogue it really it just made sense so did you do

[00:58:55] once you had the role you'd been cast did you do any extra prep work like did you go watch more Star Trek did you watch other sitcom moms or was it just all there in the script and with Jordan canning the latter the latter I I do

[00:59:13] believe in feeling inspired by other performances and actors but I didn't want that to manipulate my take on what I wanted to do because they were they seemed to be quite happy with what I gave in the audition and then when I met with Jordan she was

[00:59:33] I said is there anything we talked about it and she was like no I think we can just we can just she wanted to make sure that I was okay because especially with TV directors don't always have a lot of time to spend with the actors

[00:59:45] because they're so busy you know trying to get the shot and you know it's it's heavy you know that set is crazy it's amazing I mean I wish I would have been alone with the green screen that whole arena against the wall and whatever you know but

[01:00:01] I'm not complaining it was like you know I think it was supposed to be Pike's quarters yeah and it was beautiful and so beautifully lit and the set was gorgeous and you know but yeah it was incredible it really was you stepped into some serious

[01:00:21] like shoes right like Vulcans in general are are huge in pop culture I mean it all flows from Spock right but like you did not shy away from the challenge you absolutely crushed it and I think that's going to lead us into our next call

[01:00:37] from our very good friend zoe open pike night this is the last cinema zoe Richardson captain commanding also host of back look cinema the podcast so I would just like to thank you for extending the invitation to have a conversation with Elora Patnik Elora you are so

[01:01:01] incredible and so amazing on the episode charades I just rewatched it recently and your performance is just outstanding it's just amazing how there's like a gravity well about you in your scenes where all the other performances seem to revolve around you as you command a scene and

[01:01:23] I just can't say enough about how impressive you are one of the things I wanted to ask is that given your experiences in acting and the other things that you've been in and you're able to emote in your background in dancing did you find playing a Vulcan constraining

[01:01:43] or constrictive in any way it seems to me that this might be a challenge for many actors but you handled it like an absolute pro so please tell us your secrets that's all I've got Richardson out oh Richardson thanks zoe what a lovely oh my gosh

[01:02:09] I'm blushing the guys can't tell but maybe a little bit of burgundy happening how much you care alright oh my gosh thank you so um that's a great question because it's about the physicality of the character and um I know everybody feels that you know the

[01:02:27] Vulcans they're very like very still and almost very regal and almost almost in some ways some people I hate to use the word robotic but sometimes to like you know because there you know some people do play maybe a Vulcan

[01:02:43] but I think of it as like you know being kind of robotic but it might feel that way because you have to but I chose a very still kind of I was holding my uh my hands together you know for for Tupril and kept her very contained

[01:03:01] and um one of the biggest challenges for an actor is to be still you know especially when you're not talking because you know actors especially when uh you know I used to always like feel like I gotta do something you know I remember

[01:03:17] what I'm acting to you're just like why are your hands in your pockets take them out of your pockets and I didn't know what to do with them and I'd be like well I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do

[01:03:23] here like you know Vogue or like you know what is going on audience she is Vogueing yes 100% yeah um but yeah to stay that way to answer your questions oh I don't know but I think I think you know the gown also was very

[01:03:47] like you know it kept me very erect and very like you know when I pivot I would use my whole body there was no twisting the neck or you know when you turn you turn and that's almost it feels like a very legal kind of way of moving

[01:04:01] and the gown that you know was was built for Tupril oh my goodness it almost felt like I was in dance class again you know my teacher like just sort of like you know propping up my head and like posture posture posture you know

[01:04:15] and yeah after a few hours I would find that when I would finish the day I was I was there for two days and when I finished the day the gown came off I felt like whoa like you know I need to go use my

[01:04:31] thumb or on my back where's my miscoger where's that tens machine I'm like where's my yoga mat where's my foam roller like you know because sometimes to stay like contained like that that can that can be quite a challenge and you know being in the shoes

[01:04:51] and you know you're constantly like and the repetition of like you know staying still and being on set because you have to do take after take sometimes you know so that that can be and so you have to make sure that you're physically

[01:05:05] you know you stretch ahead of time and you know you do what you need to do your warm up to before you get into costume I don't know those people that may play monsters and aliens how they do that like being in that

[01:05:17] like hours and hours of prep and then having to you know eat and drink all day like whatever through those tubes and stuff they put poor creatures like literally poor creatures but yeah I guess that's to I hope I answered your question so but basically yeah it was

[01:05:37] a bit of a challenge not it didn't kill me thank God you know there have been other theater projects that have you know like you know on and off stage but kill yourself in theater but for this it was yeah I think the posture of to pearl that

[01:05:53] keeping myself but also helped my attitude as well with the physicality as well very cool you've said in previous interviews that your experience in dance helps your acting and your experience in acting helps your dance and it sounds like you know maybe that physical

[01:06:11] nature of that work really helped with playing to bring and you know it is sort of opposite where instead of moving a lot you're standing oh yes to pearl here instead of just you know standing you know and moving all around you're standing

[01:06:27] in one spot but you still have that muscle work is still done you're still used to doing a physical job so it sounds like that definitely aided you with that so along those lines what is something that you feel you were uniquely equipped with to bring

[01:06:45] to the character of to pearl I think including like we were I was talking about the body but just you make a great point of for me it would be the eyes eyes and especially the brow Jordan was very

[01:07:07] Jordan was very happy that I was able to lift one one one brown you know I went I look I think I gave I think I gave so that a look at one point that was very very very particular she turns

[01:07:23] and she gives him a look he's like I won't be well he's going to sleep in the dog house I think eyes eyes eyes eyes it's about staying grounded really breathing and really listening to what is going on it's not about speaking it's about

[01:07:45] like you know yes you speak your dialogue but when you let let everything you know you hear it and it must land and then reaction so I think that and I think that's why so amazing because with the facial expressions it's not just eyes

[01:08:03] it's facial muscles as well and you know everything speaks and it just like blows through the lens right because everything is so close with with with camera but I would say eyes and you know facial expression is is is really important but to feel it before emoting it

[01:08:23] because if you just try to do it then you're just being a clown right it's just imitation surface once again you have to work from the inside out right that's really cool that you picked that because I mean you're 100% right that like the facial work in this episode

[01:08:39] there's so much gets said without any dialogue in this episode and a huge part of that was you and to prill so that's really cool to hear that you actually recognize that and put a lot of thought into it I really like that thanks man thank you

[01:08:57] two quick questions one you mentioned the pikes reactions which made me wonder are there a lot of outtakes of people corp sing from this episode like it was it hard to not just crack up at some of the stuff but not just from pipe from you guys

[01:09:11] too but oh my god listen Michael was killing me yeah I'm so glad to hear that I've been going on and on gushing but my family we have our own chat we call it the Vulcan Fam when something comes out we're just like Michael knows

[01:09:31] everything guys you guys have so much fun talking to this boy because my boy he is like he knows everything if I was like Michael he knows everything about the unions how things work and everything he has all the answers

[01:09:45] and he has a lot of work under his belt and so you know his event was so beautiful like how sweet and like if you want to see an emotional Vulcan there's one right there you know he's just living life and he's so passionate and everything is

[01:10:01] yummy and you know you can see the love he has a positivity he has for everything like that's a cool Vulcan yeah so I was just like if anything like and we had a great time shooting like we were all in the line in chairs

[01:10:15] and you know it was Michael and Gia, me and Jess and Ethan we were all like you know long hours and me and Mia Mia was about to get married and so she was I think she was planning her

[01:10:29] wedding at the time and so we were talking about flowers and stuff so we had lots of fun talks and stuff but yeah there were Michael was killing he was like we were laughing a lot yeah he's such a like even his like it's not just

[01:10:43] a pike it's also Spets facial expressions and the way he like he changes his voice his voice is very deep and so he you know he just he works it and he's just lovely he just wants to be buds with a captain man I was gonna say

[01:11:01] to get just some scenes of them hanging out like you know they can talk shop like ah I think he was hoping that like you know the women and the tea would go away and like the brandies and the men and the cigars would come out

[01:11:15] and those canapes yeah some appetizers of course yes and yeah and Gia that was not I've played Gia's mom before oh really? oh yeah yeah this is the second time I worked with Gia and we played mother and daughter in a show called Hudson and Rex

[01:11:33] and it's kind of like the new action live action after a long time after like the littlest hobo and lassie and whatever we like we need another dog show I was like thank god not just thank god thank dog thank dog you know

[01:11:51] you know so I was able to I was so happy it shoots out there in uh Defand Lent and in St. John and so Gia and I were mother and daughter that and I've also worked with Bernadette before she dresses me for Jeannie and Georgia yeah

[01:12:07] talk about a privilege that leads right into our next caller who is a little famous around these parts for speaking about costumes let's hear from Abby hey hey open pike and Elora this is Abby Summer from the first flight podcast first of all I wanted to say Elora

[01:12:23] you were one of my favorite guest stars of season 2 absolutely perfect toxic mother in law energy and it was so much fun to watch charades is a great episode in season 2 now it won't surprise anybody that my actual question has to do with costuming

[01:12:39] because I am a huge costume nerd and Vulcan costumes are always exceptional but the ones in charades were absolutely perfection so could you talk to me a little bit about that costume and the jewelry which was also incredible and how costuming in general

[01:12:55] helps you to find a character or become a character while you're working so thanks so much for all that you do and also the same to you you find gentlemen of open pike we will talk soon oh my god Abby sounds so cool thanks Abby oh my gosh

[01:13:11] she's lovely yeah man I think what I was saying before about we had a lot of tests there were a lot of fittings that dress was exquisite and it was layers like the first layer and then there was the coat there were the gloves

[01:13:31] we had the gloves and these cool long earrings I remember they looked like little planets on the ends and yeah I don't think there was that much more jewelry it was mostly the earrings but the gown was just incredible it weighed a lot

[01:13:51] but I'll tell you something there was something the way they built it I mean when I would turn it would flow with me we did this the little insta story where I was just like walkie I don't know if anybody saw it it's on my Instagram but

[01:14:07] it's really really sweet and it just really really flowed there were a lot of like earth tones and golds and it was it was gorgeous you know like every other actress we're all worried about how we look and you know it was just

[01:14:21] weird I was like oh god I'm gonna look so big I'm gonna look like stumpy and I'm so scared about that wardrobe is such a nightmare for me but these these ladies made it so wonderful for me and made the experience great so I just thought it was

[01:14:37] just an exquisite design I don't know what they're gonna do with it I mean nobody else can wear it it's my dress they should give it to you they should give it to me I'll be hanging it on my wall see how much I love fabrics back here

[01:14:51] y'all can't see it but it's very colorful in my room extremely and it would look good hanging back there if there was any doubt left in your mind it does help elegance incarnate like it was you're an absolute presence in that gown so I'm glad

[01:15:07] that you had a good time in it too because we do often hear like yeah it's you know it looks great but it's difficult to wear and it really weighs you down so that's really cool I'm lucky I didn't have the whole Ryan Reynolds Deadpool

[01:15:23] experience so thank god you know you can see his pulse through the suit I was like thank god I'm mostly hidden and I look like a friggin queen absolutely but it does help you to answer further what Abby was questioning that it does help you

[01:15:45] find your personality not just the physical part of it but you start to feel it and I know that these like you know Bernadette is not like you know you think costume she's a designer she's an artist where everybody's an artist the way they

[01:15:57] build if the DP is an artist the way they will build the lighting or you know hair will build the hair whatever you know I still should have got my bangs I fought for them guys I wanted that friggin fringe man what do they do

[01:16:15] we went through hours hours I'm gonna now that we've done this and this episode has been on for a while I am going to put that design on my Instagram so all you listeners if you want to see it

[01:16:29] I can't get in trouble anymore I'm gonna put it up there it was one of the original like it wasn't even like something they were thinking of but they did have me in short hair with bangs and I was aching for that because

[01:16:41] I always put my friggin black hair up in a bun you know for you know I don't need to look like you know but I mean it was very exquisite the way they did it the hair was gorgeous but you know I still wanted

[01:16:53] to fight for my bangs a friggin Vulcan I was like Michael why are you bald you're supposed to have bangs everyone gets a bowl cut with bangs everybody gets a friggin bowl cut with bangs it's more logical that way everyone just gets the same haircut

[01:17:09] listen I'll do the bun I'll let down the hair I just wanted my bangs I looked so cute we'll start a campaign we'll send some letters to the showrunners I guess they didn't look mean enough maybe I needed to look more stern

[01:17:23] like you can't take somebody like that seriously so speaking of stern your character does participate in the ritual of awareness in which the subjects perceived flaws are shared with them in the spirit of total honesty what is something about yourself that you wish somebody

[01:17:45] had made you aware of earlier in your life or in your career made aware stop being so hard on myself yeah to stop being so hard on myself and it's okay to let go I needed to let go sooner definitely I have that awareness now but

[01:18:10] I think there's so many things that we wish could have been I don't want to live with regret but that is a great question and I think two of the big things would be to not be so hard on myself and to the point where it

[01:18:26] does not work it goes into almost like it backfires on you you think if you're hard on yourself you'll work harder and do this but sometimes it goes the other way and that can happen and I'm very careful of that and

[01:18:42] I think that comes from the dance training not just the dance training but also always trying to be better so that you can survive survive out there with the bullying or being different or racism whatever it was that I would have faced and I did face

[01:19:00] and surviving that always having to keep going and fighting for it and I wanted to love what I was doing on the way as well gotta be on top of the world like mom says yeah top of the world kid how are you smell the roses or

[01:19:22] clench them between your teeth there you go speaking of teeth okay captain pikes cooking is a topic of much discussion on our show so I just I have to ask you did you get to eat any of the food in this episode and if you did

[01:19:44] how was it no it was gorgeous listen I know it was so pretty you know and Mike are you gonna have to ask Michael because he was the one crunching crunch crunch crunch this is volucious no it's not yes it is, no it's not honey

[01:20:02] you know and he crunch crunch crunch crunch crunch you know so Michael will be the one to ask I mean I got the teeth I had the teeth that's all I got I just got freaking teeth alright and that too

[01:20:14] I had to act through it so I was like I was drinking whatever but no but it was so beautiful give this woman bangs and a snack what are we gonna do help me out everybody so I sit here like chopped liver in a beautiful gown

[01:20:30] oh man just not asking for much that's so brutal so we do have a written question from our friend David Jones he was in episode 8 under the cloak of war as one of the you know tough on the ground starfleet infantry guys and he says

[01:20:48] hi Laura you were fantastic in strange new worlds hopefully we get to see you return again PS you would make a great Romulan villain I love this boy maybe we can be villains together oh yeah I would love I would love that yeah holy moly

[01:21:12] I just like okay what did he want and what did he no questions there was no question he just wanted you to know that you were great which is a sentiment that we reflect you know and all of our callers have been wonderful

[01:21:26] and expressing that so thank you to the callers and to the people who wrote in you guys are what makes the show and we know you can't talk about whether you're returning or not but was there any talk of that

[01:21:38] when you were filming season 2 did they say hey you know these characters might come around again visit the ship another time oh Michael and G and I decided we're returning so there I was like okay it's been named like the one episode that we were all in

[01:21:54] was named the best episode one of the best episodes okay in 2023 so there's something I was like I texted as message Ethan when that came out and I was like hey dude obviously it's because you were but don't forget your brown posse okay the South Asians helped you

[01:22:16] you kind of owe us we brought a little sunshine to your life but I mean it is the great thing about this episode is that there's this great comedy that you would not expect this wonderful thing that it's horrible for Spock but it's wonderful for all of us

[01:22:42] it's a treat and you get this comedy and then you get this tenderness he has so many tender moments with Michael with his mom and with Amanda and to Pring as well the breakup is hard you know he's like you excluded me I'm like she's kind of right

[01:23:08] she's absolutely right I'm your fiance what the hell dog like what's going on so there's a lot of I mean I'm amazing she was just making me cry and I just thought it's really lovely to it's a bit different but I think it was a real fun

[01:23:34] balance of comedy those lovely little moments the love triangle and who knows and I do think that she broke up she said to be a part for a while she did not say this is the end important distinction and we all know that

[01:23:56] Nersi's not good with her relationship she said so herself that's what I'm gonna call her now it's Nersi I really like that you know why I'm saying that just because I played nurse in Romeo and Juliet and my director they all started calling me Nersi but

[01:24:14] yeah so Nersi Chappelle was like you know I mean it can't end there because we've got a ways to go we know it doesn't and I think it'd be kind of fun to see us obviously we would love to come back but I think that

[01:24:32] I think Gia is amazing she's got such fun presence and like you know she just I was like I kinda want to punch you but I love you too but you're so why? I'm like you could be kind of scary there's a stepford wife thing going on

[01:24:50] you know but she's so beautiful and she's just I think that they just had great chemistry together and the actors all work really really well together I mean everybody's just a pro but I hope I'm fingers crossed I also want to go to Comic Con god damn it

[01:25:10] yeah go to Star Trek Las Vegas we'll see you there I would love to go just once it'd be so much fun somebody of my friends have gone it's like that's my turn Star Trek Long Island is coming up in June

[01:25:26] they've only got a couple strange new world people we're gonna be there oh my god you all are so sweet I swear I just somebody said they were talking about you guys they don't even know your friggin names some rando that was reviewing or whatever

[01:25:46] the person that plays like Tuprelle I don't remember her, they're actors name I'm just like whatever I know you're under they don't care they're just like oh it's Tuprelle's mom we are here to give flowers and we're getting close to wrapping up

[01:26:00] but Elora if I may borrow a phrase from you you had mentioned this episode with these heartfelt things strewn throughout I gotta honestly say I can speak for the guys we feel that way about this interview with you like I don't know if we've laughed

[01:26:18] this much recently in an interview and like some real true you know feelings about your experience have come through and we are so so grateful for you so thank you for coming and spending some time with us guys it's been so great it's also so sweet and

[01:26:36] I just feel so welcome and so accepted and so loved right now thank you so much I also have to say you may be you're in the running for the biggest gap between character and actor personality Chrissy might have been there but as Laan warms up

[01:26:54] that's narrowly so you might take the mantle there thank god can you imagine if you were all like I leave and you're all like she's exactly like that she's actually going to perform the ritual of awareness on us there was no acting challenge there was nothing about

[01:27:14] she wasn't acting she was being herself just another day in the Laura's life damn bitch I honestly didn't know what to expect and after your first couple emails was like guys this is gonna be fantastic that is 100% true guys get ready this is gonna be

[01:27:30] full text and I was like totally excited I loved all the questions thank you everybody all of you you're just Marcy Newman Zo, Abby, David and everybody who listens support them open pipe nights so awesome I've been listening I'm gonna continue to listen and I'm gonna tell everybody

[01:27:50] get on here and listen to my boys cut it make an ad thank you so much well I don't know what else is there oh yeah Alora open pipe night is an open Mike Knight theme podcast did you bring a joke for us today oh my gosh

[01:28:08] I was like I wanted to I could say so many but I don't want to offend anybody so I'm gonna try to keep it clean okay alright like on my mic London a taxi cab passenger leans over to the front and taps the driver

[01:28:28] on the shoulder to ask him a question the driver screams loses control of the car nearly hits a bus swoops up on top of the sidewalk and stops inches from a shop window the cab is silent for a few moments the driver turns around and says

[01:28:50] mate don't ever do that again you scared the living daylights out of me the passenger says I'm sorry I didn't think a little tap on your shoulder would scare you so much the driver replies look mate it's not your fault it's my first day as a cab driver

[01:29:08] I've been driving a funeral van for the last 25 years one that's fantastic two are you telling me you could have been doing a British accent for this entire interview alright let's start over alright so question that one I can do it all you want Lattie can you imagine

[01:29:34] everybody like why is she sounding like that drama school all dialect coaching darlings the more dialect the more clean jokes go really good joke it's difficult to get a clean joke across wow you know I had to keep the tepril clean image going that's right I love it

[01:29:58] one to tell your kids yeah I will or nephews or nieces or whatever you have all of the above well thank you so much Alora this was the best podcast I could ever be on no one's gonna be able to top this seriously wait Alora

[01:30:18] I have one more question I mentioned a couple times fantasy and elves are you a fantasy nerd is there a say lord of the rings love cause we like to talk lord of the rings on this podcast oh lord of the rings game of thrones harry potter

[01:30:38] wheel of time chronicles of narnia yeah fantasy I just want to be a witch and a sorceress or something I just want to be like I want like you know or marvel or I don't know you absolutely belong in a wheel of time

[01:30:56] if you don't get on the season of wheel of time then that is a travesty I have all these dance moves yo can you see things coming out of these fingers and just like as you know oh my goodness I am advocating get on twitter I believe

[01:31:12] I know I should get on twitter I believe Bernadette Croft I am a big fantasy fan I am picturing some kind of lord of the rings watch along or commentary or something in the future with these wonderful people dog you should see her dress like she is

[01:31:30] she is exquisite the way she moves and just the way she is she is so grounded and so earthy I just love that doll she is amazing great personality you are talking about the Bernadette Croft fan club oh yeah yeah great talking with you guys absolutely

[01:31:52] thank you allura it has been fantastic well that was a great start to our charades series miniseries what we have coming up with allura starting us off we are going to have Michael we are going to have Jordan canny we are going to have the whole family here

[01:32:10] and we cannot stress how I wish you could all see the guest space especially allura's space for our callers you guys made her night she loved every single one of those calls and it was amazing if you want to hear your voice on the open pike night stage

[01:32:32] talking to the rest of the family the easiest way to do that is to go to openpike.com you can click record right there on the website you can send us your voicemail and the best way to know when to do that

[01:32:46] is to sign up for our free newsletter at openpike.substack.com the call to action will come directly to your inbox for free we don't charge for anything I know substack likes to monetize but we think that you guys make the show

[01:33:02] so why would we put a barrier in front of you because you are really helping us and yeah like john said the reactions that we're seeing I mean that's at least as much fun as learning the things we do about the shows

[01:33:16] and if you do want to throw us a little bit of actual financial support check out our patreon patreon.com slash openpike and all of this information is on openpike.com including and we are slowly working our way through our library of getting transcripts up for every episode

[01:33:34] but Apple podcasts will soon have transcripts available in the podcasting app it only took them 20 years to get there but hey they're getting there and it's going to be great so there will be transcripts there already are transcripts available for several episodes there will be for

[01:33:56] for sure all the interviews and we'll work our way through them as we can and Cameron when you're not on the openpike night stage where can folks find you? I'm around you can find me talking about Star Trek the next generation

[01:34:12] and Deep Space Nine now over on Greenchart a new be strike through TNG we are about to jump into the final season of TNG season 7 come join us as we discuss all things gambits and sex candles and lower decks and that's all I know about season 7

[01:34:30] all good things that's the name of an episode the final episode right Picard plays poker with him that's all I know about that episode so yeah come join us come join us and it's a lot of fun you can follow me at greenshirt87

[01:34:46] on twitter is where I'm most active and Jesse where can folks find you? you can find me in the social media sphere whatever site you use be it twitter, be it instagram blue sky wherever follow us at openpike and get at us we will get back to you

[01:35:02] not all of those are updated with the same frequency but they are all monitored so if you need to get a hold of us before you send in your voicemail or anything like that definitely come find us on the socials at openpike and keep your ears open

[01:35:16] I was recently a guest on a podcast called twist my arm which is all about trying new things and the tables were turned on me guys I got interviewed and I was really really grateful for that opportunity because it gave me a chance to

[01:35:34] shower Cameron and John with compliments without them being able to defend themselves and to talk about you know how the journey of openpike night has made my life better and different and I had a lot of fun so definitely keep your ears open

[01:35:50] for my appearance on the twist my arm podcast and if I may make one more plug on Patreon I believe by the time you're listening to this if you're listening to this on drop day I don't think we'll have done our Valentine's Day livestream yet for patrons

[01:36:06] of a certain tier I believe but we will be continuing the charades theme by discussing and I forget the name of the episode Jesse folding Vulcan in the bone zone something like that what was it Yes, how did you guess that it's a 67 and you guessed it complete

[01:36:27] we're gonna watch a mock time it's the original Ponfar episode to bring his in it Spock is in it there's love there's fighting I mean it's the first episode to include the Vulcan salute you guys so join us for our a mock time livestream

[01:36:45] we're gonna be feeling the love for Valentine's Day Be sure not to taste any of the snacks because they are too salty be sure to clean up after yourselves be sure to tip your servers you can go anywhere you want but you can't stay here you