We’ve got another acting podcast today! Actor Megan Heyn (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, The Big Bang Theory, 2 Broke Girls) joins us on the Box Angeles podcast episode 356. Megan stops by the bungalow and discusses her new web series Actors Anonymous, how this industry can feel abusive, using coaching on auditions as acting class, having those moments of actor tantrums, and more!
“I also am deeply insecure and need the validation of a coach saying,
I did it right.”
— Megan Heyn
Beats
00:00 – Megan slates.
00:11 – Introduction.
02:10 – Being high energy.
03:17 – First impressions and journals.
13:46 – Megan’s new web series Actors Anonymous.
17:04 – Everyone thinking about quitting the business right now.
19:23 – How gaslighty and abusive this industry can be.
23:21 – Appreciating the struggle.
26:49 – Enjoying auditions.
31:52 – Coaching on auditions and using that as an acting class.
35:35 – Actor tantrums.
39:26 – Megan’s challenge directing Actors Anonymous when she likes feedback.
41:35 – Learning from shooting eight episodes.
43:45 – The struggle with editing.
46:54 – Funding your own projects.
51:12 – What Megan wants actors to take away from Actors Anonymous.
54:27 – Side hustles and residuals.
56:27 – Will Megan ever quit and it being okay to want to act.
59:25 – What would you do if you quit.
1:00:17 – Not auditioning or booking commercials.
1:02:37 – Who took a chance on Megan.
More Megan
– Check Megan’s IMDb.
– Follow Megan on Instagram @megheyn.
– Watch Megan’s new web series Actors Anonymous.
– Listen to Megan’s first episode of Box Angeles, #152.
Transcript
MEGAN HEYN (00:00)
Hi, my name is Megan Heyn.
MIKE ELDER (00:10)
Hello, and welcome to Box Angeles with me. I’m your host, Mike Elder. Thank you for listening to the show. It means a lot. There’s so many podcasts out there these days. I don’t know if you guys know that, but there’s a lot of them out there. And the fact that you’re spending your.
Your hard earned time listening to my podcast does not go unnoticed. Thank you so much. I appreciate you. While you’re listening, go to Apple Podcasts and leave a rating or review for me. That’d mean a lot. That’s it. That’s all I want to say about that.
Okay, we’ve got a really fun episode this week. My guest is actor Megan Heyn. You know Megan from shows like 2 Broke Girls, Crazy Ex Girlfriend, the Big Bang Theory, Mulaney. She was also in the movie Freak Dance. I interviewed Megan about nine years ago on the podcast. You should go back and listen to that one. But we had a really good conversation because she has a new web series coming out to their out right now, or it’s about to be out, depending on when I post this.
But it’s called Actors Anonymous. It’s about actors that are addicted to acting. It’s very funny. I watched the first two episodes.
So fun, so goofy. It’s a mockumentary like the Office oR Parks and Recreation. And I think most of my audience will appreciate it and maybe have some feelings about it, but it is very funny no matter what your reaction is to it. So go watch that web series as well. Actors Anonymous. But we talk about the web series, what she learned making it, writing and directing it. It’s eight episodes.
We talked about the weird state of the business where everyone’s sort of on edge and wants to quit. We talked about actor meltdowns. We talked about therapy. This was a good one. This was. We talked. Honestly, we didn’t even get to anything I wrote down because we just had so much fun stuff to talk about about the business.
So this is an inside baseball therapy session of all time. So without further ado, ladies and gentlemen, I give you Megan Heyn.
🎵 ROCKFORD (02:25) 🎵
You wanna talk to me? You wanna talk.
MIKE ELDER (02:10)
Hi, Megan.
MEGAN HEYN (02:06)
What’s up?
MIKE ELDER (02:10)
I love the energy you’re coming out with.
MEGAN HEYN (02:12)
This is like my normal energy, too.
MIKE ELDER (02:15)
Yeah, I’m elevated. And they always say, Mike, bring it down.
MEGAN HEYN (02:18)
Take it down, take it down.
MIKE ELDER (02:20)
You get that, too. You do seem really animated.
MEGAN HEYN (02:23)
I am. I definitely am animated. And I think that I’m a person who’s like, okay, don’t overdo it. So I take it Down a little, but then they’re still like, is that really you? Because I think it’s easy to kind of turn it up a notch if you’re like. Like me, you know? And maybe they will if I’m just that little bit more cute or sweet or loud or funny. So I.
That’s like my life journey.
MIKE ELDER (02:54)
Tell me more.
MEGAN HEYN (02:56)
Accepting who I am instead of trying to be what other people want me. Oh, yeah.
MIKE ELDER (03:04)
How’s that journey going?
MEGAN HEYN (03:06)
It’s long, but it’s going good. I’m getting, like, so, so much better. I even thought, because we. I remember the podcast we did.
MIKE ELDER (03:17)
Nine years ago, you look the same.
MEGAN HEYN (03:20)
Nine years ago, man. So do you.
MIKE ELDER (03:21)
I lost some hair, but.
MEGAN HEYN (03:22)
No, you didn’t have hair then. You don’t know.
I don’t remember. I remember your face is the same, but I was thinking, I was like, oh, I wonder what that was like then. And I wonder how he perceived me. Because I feel like, I hope that I’m more genuine now because I feel I wasn’t as genuine then because I wanted to maybe be, like, seem to be more successful than I was or, you know. You know, and now I’m just kind of like, I am where I am. I am who I am, and I don’t want to pretend that I’m something I’m not.
MIKE ELDER (03:58)
Yeah, totally.
MEGAN HEYN (03:58)
Yeah.
MIKE ELDER (03:59)
That’s really interesting. Do you want me to candidly tell you what I thought?
MEGAN HEYN (04:03)
Yeah.
MIKE ELDER (04:04)
Let me. I got to think about it for a second, but let me just rant for a second. I think about that all the time when I have people. You alluded to when you came in here. I have to keep my house clean. I think it’s so vulnerable that I have very well known people coming into my house every week and talking to me, and I’m always like, do they think I’m messy? Do they think I’m a weirdo? Do they think I laugh too much?
Do they think I’m too loud? Do they think I’m too excitable?
And I never get the answer. So that’s funny. So maybe we should both tell us what.
MEGAN HEYN (04:32)
You go first, then I’ll go. I’m going to give you the last one and this one. Impressions.
MIKE ELDER (04:38)
Okay. I remember you being very sweet and not as quirky as I thought you were gonna be. Cause I think I’d watched Freak Dance and you were such a goober in Freak Dance in the best way.
MEGAN HEYN (04:49)
Right, right, right. And really, I went full ingenue, guys went full ingenue.
MIKE ELDER (04:55)
But you seem much More, you know how you meet some quirky people and they’re just always that. You seem much more grounded than that in real life, if I remember correctly. And honestly, I journal every day. I’ve journaled every day for like eight years. So maybe I’ll see if I wrote anything down about.
MEGAN HEYN (05:10)
Go, go back in.
MIKE ELDER (05:11)
I’ll send it to you after.
MEGAN HEYN (05:12)
Yeah. Oh, yeah, do.
MIKE ELDER (05:14)
That’s always a fun thing to like settle arguments and stuff about what happened.
MEGAN HEYN (05:17)
That’s nteresting.
MIKE ELDER (05:18)
So I’ll look. That was right around the time I started, so maybe there’s not much, but.
MEGAN HEYN (05:21)
Do you do like. Are these like artists way pages? Are these like a sentence a day? What do you do?
MIKE ELDER (05:28)
No, I think I’m borderline autistic. So honestly, it’s mostly like meeting. It’s like minutes throughout the day. It’s like everything that I did.
MEGAN HEYN (05:35)
Interesting.
MIKE ELDER (05:35)
Occasionally, or I venture into how I’m feeling or what I’m thinking. But mostly it’s just minutes throughout the day.
MEGAN HEYN (05:42)
This to me is like a very. Perhaps you were a British man in the 19th century. Because I believe Jane Austen, one of her leading men, would refer to this as a diary.
And he’d be like, yeah. And he’d be like, there’s this movie, the Sandra Dee movie, the Reluctant Debutante.
Such a good movie. Absolutely recommend that. You wouldn’t like it. It is from a play.
MIKE ELDER (06:06)
Don’t judge me.
MEGAN HEYN (06:07)
I know he doesn’t like Sandra Dee, I can tell. But it’s Rex Harrison, Sandra Dee. And there’s this moment where he’s like, oh, well, I don’t know what I was doing. Let me look at my diary. And he pulls out his book and he like, goes back several months and he’s like, oh, October 14th. I was doing this.
That’s what you do.
MIKE ELDER (06:27)
That’s me. 1000%.
MEGAN HEYN (06:28)
Yeah. Now, okay.
MIKE ELDER (06:31)
It started as a way, honestly, like a morning page to like, encourage myself to write.
MEGAN HEYN (06:35)
Yeah.
MIKE ELDER (06:35)
I don’t write much, but that’s what I do write every day. It’s, you know, 2,500 words a day. Honestly, it’s a lot. It’s a fuck ton. I had my family in town this weekend.
MEGAN HEYN (06:45)
Do an accompany picture with your pod so people can be like. So people can see it.
MIKE ELDER (06:50)
Sure.
MEGAN HEYN (06:50)
Yeah.
MIKE ELDER (06:51)
Okay.
MEGAN HEYN (06:51)
Get that vulnerable.
MIKE ELDER (06:53)
I will get as vulnerable as anyone wants. I don’t care. Honestly, I’m an open book at this point. I realized to your point about like life journey. Who cares?
MEGAN HEYN (07:01)
Yeah. We get there don’t we?
MIKE ELDER (07:02)
Nobody cares about honestly, what. They’re gonna forget about it the next. You know what I mean, like, we care about what people think so much, and we. Everyone’s their own main character, right?
MEGAN HEYN (07:12)
Yeah.
MIKE ELDER (07:12)
Like, you’re coming on my podcast, but you in your world are like, I’m doing a podcast. You know, it’s like. Or whatever those words are. Possessive words. And it’s just like, nobody cares about anything. So, like, if I’m vulnerable.
MEGAN HEYN (07:24)
They care about themselves.
MIKE ELDER (07:25)
Yeah.
MEGAN HEYN (07:25)
They care about themselves. Yeah. Really quickly, I have thought about doing. This is really strange, but just so we can get into the actor brain. Thought about, like, whenever I’m like, oh, what did I do that day? I should start writing down what I do that day just in case there’s, like, a murder and I’m a suspect. No, I’m, like, the least likely person to murder anyone.
MIKE ELDER (07:51)
That’s what a murderer would say.
MEGAN HEYN (07:52)
Maybe you’re right. But it’s like, that’s like the anxious, catastrophizing artist brain for me is like, I’m constantly, like, jumping ahead and being like, but what if.
And I make plan. I, like, make fake plans to fulfill the plot of the fake story. Yeah. It’s weird.
MIKE ELDER (08:15)
I don’t hate that thought, though, because I will say this. Like, do you remember what you did at yesterday at noon? Like, it’s crazy how quickly you forget it.
MEGAN HEYN (08:25)
No. I don’t.
MIKE ELDER (08:25)
I had my family in town this weekend.
MEGAN HEYN (08:27)
Oh yeah.
MIKE ELDER (08:27)
And I didn’t journal at all on Friday. We went to the beach and all this stuff. And then I journaled at midnight. It took me 45 minutes to write down everything we did throughout the day. And it was. It’s like. It’s weird how quickly you forget little things you’re doing.
MEGAN HEYN (08:41)
Oh, yeah.
MIKE ELDER (08:41)
And so, like, if you don’t write it down that day, it’s hard to remember, to your point, about alibis.
MEGAN HEYN (08:46)
Yeah. So he’s. Now we know if there’s a murder, you’re covered. You’re fine. You have it written down.
MIKE ELDER (08:54)
Unless I journaled that I did the murder.
MEGAN HEYN (08:56)
Lest you’re the murderer. Yeah. But so are you one of these LA. Cause I’m one of these LA people that never goes to the beach unless there’s a family member in town.
MIKE ELDER (09:05)
It’s very rare, yeah. It’s very rare.
MEGAN HEYN (09:19)
And they’re like, let’s go to the beach. And I’m like, okay.
MIKE ELDER (09:11)
But while I was there, we went to Zuma, and I was thinking, I should come to the beach more. It’s beautiful. It’s chill. It was a Friday. I quit my job recently, so I have much more free time.
MEGAN HEYN (09:19)
Oh, yeah.
MIKE ELDER (09:19)
So I feel like I should just get out there and read. Get some sun on the guns, you know what I mean?
MEGAN HEYN (09:23)
Oh, I know nothing about sun.
MIKE ELDER (09:25)
Contemplate life.
MEGAN HEYN (09:26)
Yeah. I don’t know. I don’t know anything about. I know the sun hates me and is trying to kill me. Yeah.
MIKE ELDER (09:32)
All right, well, by the end of this, you have to tell me what you think about me, but let’s talk about you.
MEGAN HEYN (09:36)
Oh, yeah. So wait. Read you under really quick now, or do you want to do it again?
MIKE ELDER (09:39)
Do it. Yeah, do it.
MEGAN HEYN (09:40)
Okay. Okay.
MIKE ELDER (09:40)
This is fun. I like this. Yeah, this is soft into it. Ease into it.
MEGAN HEYN (09:44)
We’re easing in. Okay. My first. First one. I just remember you being very nice, very cordial, very professional and very.
Did you just go, ugh?
MIKE ELDER (09:57)
Well, I feel like I. Yes, I think I do that too much to a negative degree.
MEGAN HEYN (10:01)
Oh, okay. I’m gonna disagree with you.
MIKE ELDER (10:03)
Oh, thank you.
MEGAN HEYN (10:04)
But, yeah. And I remember feeling like, you know, this is like a woman going into a strange man’s house. And I felt completely safe and great.
MIKE ELDER (10:12)
That’s great.
MEGAN HEYN (10:13)
And then this time, since clearly we’re best friends, I felt.
MIKE ELDER (10:18)
I know we’ve hung out every week for nine years.
MEGAN HEYN (10:21)
That’s all this has been, I feel like. But I do feel like I know you because you are so nice. And, like, we reached out and we’re like, hey, would you help us with this? And you’re like, yeah, sure. I mean, that’s so nice.
MIKE ELDER (10:32)
Yeah, of course.
MEGAN HEYN (10:33)
You know, so. And I don’t remember this amount of plants, so I think now that you have extra plant points. This is like the.
MIKE ELDER (10:43)
I got addicted to plants at some point. Covid exasperated It.
MEGAN HEYN (10:47)
Your. You do really well. You have a fiddle fig.
These aren’t easy things to keep. They aren’t.
MIKE ELDER (10:53)
They’re like one of the easiest.
MEGAN HEYN (10:54)
No.
MIKE ELDER (10:55)
Well.
MEGAN HEYN (10:57)
Damn you. I’ve killed three.
MIKE ELDER (10:58)
Well, where’s. What? It’s all. It’s all about light. Which way are your windows facing? South is ideal.
MEGAN HEYN (11:03)
Well, I’ve killed three in three different places.
MIKE ELDER (11:06)
Okay.
MEGAN HEYN (11:06)
So I am just trying to accept that I don’t have a location for one in yet. I have to, like, wait for the next house to have a successful one because it’s just. I haven’t. Haven’t gotten there yet.
MIKE ELDER (11:20)
If and when I buy a house, it’s going to. I’m going to focus on the light. That’s going to be a selling point for me.
MEGAN HEYN (11:25)
Yeah.
MIKE ELDER (11:25)
Is there good lighting for all my plants.
MEGAN HEYN (11:27)
It’s so true.
MIKE ELDER (11:28)
It’s funny you mentioned like. And this is Something I got to work on. Like, you mentioned a woman entering a man’s house. And my last apartment was not in a great neighborhood, if you remember.
MEGAN HEYN (11:37)
No, I do remember it. Yeah. It wasn’t. It was like in Hollywood, right?
MIKE ELDER (11:39)
Yeah, East Hollywood. I remember Mary Holland saying I stepped over a pile of trash to get in there, which I thought was funny. But like, I gotta remember that as far as like acting wise. Like, I talk about this a lot. Like, I took a class, I don’t know, a couple years ago, and it was a woman teacher.
MEGAN HEYN (11:52)
What studio?
MIKE ELDER (11:53)
Oh my gosh. I knew you were gonna ask.
I always forget the name. It’s like a. It’ll come to me later. But the first scene we did was a drama where I was a lawyer and she thought, mike, you’re scary. You gotta pull that back. And I’m like, that’s so interesting.
MEGAN HEYN (12:09)
Cause you so, you’re like a teddy bear. Yeah.
MIKE ELDER (12:10)
I feel like a lovable teddy bear. But my size 225 pounds, 6 foot is like. First impressions, if you don’t know me, can be a lot.
MEGAN HEYN (12:19)
I think, yeah. Do you feel like, let’s say you’re walking down the street and a woman is coming towards you. Are you like, okay, soften the eyes or you know, like, just so that she’s not like scared of me?
MIKE ELDER (12:30)
No. Unfortunately, what I do is I just go wide out. Like I do a wide turn and you know, it’s so funny. I went for a run yesterday and I didn’t do that. And I was coming behind her and her dog like turned and she said something. I had the earbuds in, but she was not happy. And I was like. I literally went not as wide as normal, but wide.
And she was furious. And I was like, oh God, I’m just gonna keep running.
MEGAN HEYN (12:53)
Yeah. Just like pretend I didn’t hear her. Yeah.
MIKE ELDER (12:56)
But that first impression thing, it goes back to like us being quirky. It’s like when I slate, people laugh at my slates. Cause I don’t modulate well. I’m like, hi, I’m Mike Elder. I’m excited to be here.
MEGAN HEYN (13:06)
Oh, that was the best slate. I love that.
I love that. I love when people are just them themselves. Even when it’s like, it’s like maybe not exactly normal. You know, I think that’s, that’s why you get hired. That’s like the best part. So maybe that’s why you booked your one liners.
MIKE ELDER (13:28)
I don’t book my one liners.
MEGAN HEYN (13:29)
You’re modulate. You’re over modulationing.
MIKE ELDER (13:33)
Here’s your package.
MEGAN HEYN (13:35)
Anything for you, Matlock.
MIKE ELDER (13:39)
I told her I had a Matlock audition, and that was my line.
MEGAN HEYN (13:41)
Yeah.
MIKE ELDER (13:41)
Anything for you, Maddie.
MEGAN HEYN (13:43)
Oh, Maddie. Yeah.
MIKE ELDER (13:44)
It’s Maddie. We’re intimate.
MEGAN HEYN (13:45)
Oh, man.
MIKE ELDER (13:46)
Okay, let’s talk about you. You came here to talk about your new web series.
MEGAN HEYN (13:49)
Yes.
MIKE ELDER (13:50)
Which is Actors Anonymous.
MEGAN HEYN (13:51)
Actors Anonymous.
MIKE ELDER (13:53)
Which is great. I watched the first two episodes.
MEGAN HEYN (13:55)
Thank you for doing that.
MIKE ELDER (13:56)
You looking at this camera, you break the fourth wall, and that killed me every time.
MEGAN HEYN (14:01)
Oh, good.
MIKE ELDER (14:01)
You are such a goof in that way. You’re like. You made John Krasinski’s camera breaks look weak compared to yours. You are so funny in doing that. But tell me about this project and why you felt like you wanted to do it now.
MEGAN HEYN (14:14)
Yeah, it. Actually, I’ve been working on this project for, like, seven years in that I like the moment of the idea was in an acting class. Craig Archibald. I remember my acting teachers names. Some people don’t, but everyone go see Craig. He’s wonderful. And they. You know.
You know how some acting classes, they have, like, a little opening moment where it’s like, you can say your feelings or did you book something? Or what are you going through? So we were having one of those kind of, like, sharing forums, and I was like, not in a good place.
And I was like, I. I know. I don’t know.
I can’t book. And I feel like I’m in an abusive relationship with acting. I don’t know how to leave. And I’m sorry if anyone finds that offensive. I did say it. And then I was like, that’s kind of a funny idea if someone is, like, like, addicted to acting and maybe they, like, try to, like, go to AA to figure out how to leave acting. So that was the idea.
And I worked on it with, like, a couple different people in a couple different ways. And then I took the idea back over myself, and I was like, okay, maybe I’ll make it into a feature. So it was like, making it into a feature slash, a noir, kind of like a Kiss Kiss Bang Bang type thing. And then it wasn’t working. And someone said. I was like, oh, it could be a good idea for, like, a web series. Like, not like a.
Like a long thing. Like, how much does it have the mileage for, like, a full movie? I’m like, maybe that’s the issue.
Maybe it doesn’t. So I started focusing on it as a web series, which was. I started writing it about summer of last year. So now we’re about to release it. So. So it’s been a year of actual writing pre production, production, post release. But seven years of having this stew.
MIKE ELDER (16:16)
Thought, thinking about it.
MEGAN HEYN (16:18)
And doing different writing partners and different, yeah, mediums, and finally got it out of my brain.
MIKE ELDER (16:29)
That’s great. Congratulations. How many episodes is it?
MEGAN HEYN (16:32)
Eight.
MIKE ELDER (16:32)
Okay. And you’re gonna release it every week or binge drop.
MEGAN HEYN (16:35)
I’m going to just. I’m gonna binge it. Yeah, I’m gonna just plop them out there. And there’s this other web series I saw that did really well. And they. They had it, like, on their site. It would play the first one, it would just go to the next one, go to the next one, go to the next one.
And I just sat there on my phone like, oh, this is so much fun. I was like, I think that’s what I’m gonna do. Just give the opportunity for people to just watch the whole thing. Cause hopefully it will be that watchable all the way through.
MIKE ELDER (17:01)
I mean, I knocked out the first two very quick.
MEGAN HEYN (17:03)
Thank you.
MIKE ELDER (17:04)
I love the first, like, two minutes of the first episode, like, where you really set it up. I thought that was really fun because you’re, like, toying with the idea of, like, quitting the business, but you’re, like, trying not to, like, say that out loud because you feel like that will be committed, committing yourself or whatever. And I feel like we all, especially lately, are wrestling. Like, I. I just released a Mo Collins episode I did a couple weeks ago.
And like, I told her. I was like, I feel. I felt weird saying out loud, like, I’ve never thought about quitting until the last couple months.
MEGAN HEYN (17:33)
Oh, really? Yeah.
MIKE ELDER (17:34)
Well, it’s not even quitting, but it’s like, I shouldn’t say quitting. And I also don’t like the word quitting. You’re not quitting.
You’re moving on, growing.
MEGAN HEYN (17:42)
Growing. You’re growing.
MIKE ELDER (17:43)
You’re on your life journey. But I’m not seriously thinking about it. But it has crossed my mind, like, what are we doing? Is this worth it?
MEGAN HEYN (17:52)
I’ve tried to quit so many times.
MIKE ELDER (17:55)
And you failed every time.
MEGAN HEYN (17:56)
Yes. Do you think I ever called my agent and said, I’m taking a break?
No, I quit. And then I was like, okay, but if someone. I get an audition, it’s fine. And it seems like every time you say, I quit, an audition comes in.
MIKE ELDER (18:11)
Oh, yeah.
MEGAN HEYN (18:11)
You know, so there’s also that temptation of, like, well, it seems like when I turn away, something comes back. But I, I.
It’s just such a hard business. It makes no sense. It, it’s never about you. It’s always like, it’s never about your talent. It’s. It, it’s loony.
MIKE ELDER (18:32)
Yeah.
MEGAN HEYN (18:32)
It’s so hard to stick to. It’s hard to live in this city. It’s expensive. People aren’t necessarily the most friendly. You’re your only fan and you just have to like army crawl up that ladder for as long as you can. It’s hard.
MIKE ELDER (18:50)
Yeah, yeah, it’s, it’s. It’s funny though that you say when you quit you get an audition. Because I feel that way about traveling. Obviously. Every time I literally book a trip. I just went to Maine for like three days and I got a call back right in the middle of it. I’m like, fuckin’ a.
MEGAN HEYN (19:03)
Good for you.
MIKE ELDER (19:03)
Well, I didn’t do it. I couldn’t do was in person only and it was in the middle of my trip.
MEGAN HEYN (19:08)
Was it a commercial?
MIKE ELDER (19:08)
Yeah.
MEGAN HEYN (19:09)
Yeah. That’s commercials or do in person.
It’s weird to me.
MIKE ELDER (19:14)
I’ve done a lot of in person commercials.
MEGAN HEYN (19:16)
Have you? Yeah.
MIKE ELDER (19:17)
But I’m going to New York for two weeks on Friday.
MEGAN HEYN (19:20)
That’s when you’ll book. You’ll book a movie.
MIKE ELDER (19:20)
I’m gonna get something and have to fly back. But it is interesting how like fickle it is. And I know you. I think you apologize for calling it an abusive relationship, but it kind of is. It’s like, no, but it’s weirdly coercion.
MEGAN HEYN (19:31)
I know, but like, I don’t want to offend anybody.
MIKE ELDER (19:33)
I get it. But like.
MEGAN HEYN (19:34)
Even the idea itself, like, I worked with an actor friend who was in class with me at Stan Kirsch Studios. I remember the names of the places that I take classes at, but not everybody does. And he was in the program in AA, so he like read my episodes and he like told me, are these offensive?
Are these not offensive? Because they didn’t want people to think we’re making fun of addicts or people who are alcoholics or anything.
Were absolutely extreme. Exclusively making fun of actors. So. But it can be a lot. You know, everyone. It gets very. Everyone’s very sensitive and that’s fine and that’s good.
But I don’t, I don’t want to. I don’t want my intentions for the piece to be misunderstood. That would break my heart.
MIKE ELDER (20:21)
Yeah, I understand that. But to your point, I do think there is something there about like how you leave town and then it’s like needs you and it’s just sort of. The industry as a whole is very gaslighty because it just makes you second guess everything what you’re doing. And it’s like coercive in certain ways. And it’s just, like.
MEGAN HEYN (20:43)
Your general worth as a human being. Yeah.
MIKE ELDER (20:46)
Constant comparison.
MEGAN HEYN (20:48)
Oh, that’s the worst.
MIKE ELDER (20:49)
Constant work for no words of affirmation. You know what I mean?
MEGAN HEYN (20:52)
Yeah. It’s so true. You really do have to learn how to, like, you have to give it all to yourself. Like, you have to validate yourself. You have to learn how to pick yourself up, brush yourself off, because there’s just no one else to do it.
MIKE ELDER (21:05)
Yeah.
MEGAN HEYN (21:06)
And that’s. It’s so hard.
MIKE ELDER (21:08)
So do you think this is, like, the perfect time to put this out?
MEGAN HEYN (21:11)
You know, I actually do.
MIKE ELDER (21:12)
Or is it gonna trigger people?
MEGAN HEYN (21:13)
No, no, I think it is.
MIKE ELDER (21:15)
Or is it gonna. Is there gonna be a mass exodus of people leaving?
They’re like, you’re right. I should leave.
MEGAN HEYN (21:19)
No, we can’t. We want it too bad. You know, one more day and you’re gonna run into Mar on the street. No, I think that I. I think it’s the perfect time. More so even, like, than last year when I was writing it. Because this year has been so bad.
You know, I think, like, everyone kind of started 2025 feeling like the industry’s coming back, and then the fires, and then it was, like, worse than ever. I mean, I’ve had. The amount of auditions I’ve had this year total is like, what I would normally get in two weeks years prior.
MIKE ELDER (21:58)
Yeah.
MEGAN HEYN (21:59)
There’s just very little opportunity. So I think people need to laugh, and I think people are probably feeling this way, and to be able to look at it and laugh at it is a good thing.
MIKE ELDER (22:12)
Yeah.
MEGAN HEYN (22:14)
And to laugh at, you know, how actors think and, you know, versus how other people think and what’s important to us, what’s important to other people, and just have a good time with it, and maybe it will bring hope, because in the end, you know, it’s about one actress in particular trying to quit.
And does she end up quitting? Does she not? You’ll have to watch, but I will say there are three actors trying to quit, and one quits and two don’t.
MIKE ELDER (22:49)
spoiler. But which is which.
MEGAN HEYN (22:49)
So, I know huge. What are the blogs gonna do with that information?
MIKE ELDER (22:57)
The blogs are gonna run away with the assault bit.
MEGAN HEYN (23:00)
They’re gonna be like, Megan Heyn, Hollywood bitch.
MIKE ELDER (23:03)
You’re gonna be the new Sydney Sweeney controversy.
MEGAN HEYN (23:06)
What’s? I don’t even know it. What is it?
MIKE ELDER (23:07)
That’s hilarious.
MEGAN HEYN (23:08)
What is it?
MIKE ELDER (23:08)
It’s dumb. She talked about her genes, wearing jeans, and then they thought it was like, thing about Nazis.
MEGAN HEYN (23:14)
What?
MIKE ELDER (23:15)
Yeah, it’s. Look it up. It’s Dumb.
MEGAN HEYN (23:17)
I don’t want to.
MIKE ELDER (23:18)
But that might be good. Controversy might be good.
MEGAN HEYN (23:20)
That’s true.
MIKE ELDER (23:21)
I will say most of the clips, I. So my podcast now is mostly little clips off of. I cut them down to a minute.
MEGAN HEYN (23:29)
Yeah.
MIKE ELDER (23:29)
And all the ones that blow up are about successful people struggling right now.
MEGAN HEYN (23:33)
Yeah.
MIKE ELDER (23:33)
Which is really interesting because I think the masses. Like when you say, like, you want to quit. And I’ve talked to a lot of really good people. You know, Frank Caeti recently was like, questioning if he was a has been or never was. And I’m like, you were on two seasons of Mad TV. That’s wild.
Where I’m sitting. So I think it’s cool because we always compare up. We never compare down. So I think it’s important for people to. At my level and even below me to see this sort of struggle from people above us.
MEGAN HEYN (24:03)
I think it’s. Yes. I mean, I think it’s. And I do think it’s everyone. I think. I think even. Can’t even believe I’m going to say this. I think even Brad Pitt has his moments.
And maybe not necessarily about what he’s offered, but this lifestyle, you know.
MIKE ELDER (24:22)
Sure.
MEGAN HEYN (24:23)
Even though he’s dealing with a whole other can of works. Worms. Because he has no anonymity and. Is that how you say anonymity on a.
MIKE ELDER (24:30)
On onomatopoeia.
MEGAN HEYN (24:32)
That’s what I said. Yeah. I. I was writing this other project.
I don’t know. This isn’t. This. Okay. This wasn’t my project. This was a friend’s project. And it was a feature.
And they sent it to. They were trying to get their leading male. They sent it to. Who’s [REDACTED]? It’s [REDACTED].
MIKE ELDER (24:50)
[REDACTED]
MEGAN HEYN (24:52)
They sent it to his agents and, you know, I don’t feel like I should say his name. Can we not say his name?
MIKE ELDER (24:59)
Okay. Sure. We bleeped it.
MEGAN HEYN (25:01)
We bleeped it. A very successful leading man, you would think would never be depressed about his career. And their agent said, I’m so glad you sent this for him. He’s so depressed. No one’s giving him any offers right now.
MIKE ELDER (25:15)
Wow.
MEGAN HEYN (25:16)
And this is a. A list.
MIKE ELDER (25:18)
Yeah.
MEGAN HEYN (25:19)
Movie star. So I.
I just think. No. No one escapes this life of the. I hate to say tortured artist, but you’re always gonna be tortured in some way.
MIKE ELDER (25:31)
Yeah.
MEGAN HEYN (25:32)
Whether you’re successful or not.
MIKE ELDER (25:34)
Yeah. And I wonder, too. It’s like when. Like for me, my torture is very different. Cause I feel like I haven’t even had a chance. But when you’re an A lister. And you’ve had huge movies.
You got the taste of the good life. And rather than our human natures, rather than be appreciative for having an opportunity that 150,000 SAG actors want. We want more of it. And it’s really interesting to think about.
Like, back to Frank Caeti. It was like I was trying to shift him and be like, dude, from where I’m sitting, you’re the king.
MEGAN HEYN (26:07)
Yeah. Yeah.
MIKE ELDER (26:10)
So I think it’s one of those things of, like, we just want more and we’re not satiated, but we need to be happy with what we. I’ve been reading a lot of stoicism, and it’s like, be in the moment and enjoy it while it’s happening and not thinking about the future thing or the next thing.
MEGAN HEYN (26:27)
Yes. I think that is, like, really powerful. Just within the acting work in general of just like, forget booking, forget working. But when you’re auditioning, just living in that person for those few moments and discovering that’s like, the most exciting part of acting.
MIKE ELDER (26:49)
I agree 1000%. I do struggle, though, with like, okay, I had one yesterday. I knocked it out, but then I had to set up for it. I had to tear down for it. I had to edit it. And it’s harder to enjoy it in those moments. But you had, like a big audition this morning. Did you.
Did you find yourself enjoying it or did you find yourself hurrying through it to get over here?
MEGAN HEYN (27:08)
No. First of all, because I had such great first impressions of you that I knew, like, even if I was late, you’d be chill.
MIKE ELDER (27:13)
Oh, I actually hate when people are late.
MEGAN HEYN (27:16)
But I was on the dot.
MIKE ELDER (27:18)
As long as you give me time. Some people are late and don’t even warn you and that infuriates me.
MEGAN HEYN (27:23)
No. Yeah. That’s just unprofessional.
MIKE ELDER (27:24)
Yeah.
MEGAN HEYN (27:25)
But I was so excited about the audition because it was one of those auditions where the person is insane. The character was insane.
Like, like, like killing hungry insane. And it’s like, how many times do you get to play that? So what I’ve been doing lately in my process, a lot of the, you know, like every different coach I work with is like, you get a new set of acting tools or whatever. So the coach I’m currently working with, Robin Dale Meyers, she’s amazing.
MIKE ELDER (27:58)
Okay, I’ll look her up.
MEGAN HEYN (27:59)
Look her up.
MIKE ELDER (28:01)
I won’t need her for my one line auditions, but.
MEGAN HEYN (28:02)
I know I’m also addicted to coaching. I can’t, like, do an audition without a coach, but.
So where was I going? Oh, yeah. So with her, she’s so like improv based. So while I’m like setting up, I’m just talking in character and I’m just pretending in character. This character naturally had like a gun. So I’d like my prop gun in my pocket, you know, just so I could be like, aware of it. Like pull it out every once in a while if I hear it, the floor crack. I did.
I was like, what was that? But yeah, so that’s, that’s what I try to do. I try to like, kind of like be in character like an hour before and just play in that character. Speak to whoever I’m speaking to in the scene so I see them and behaving with them and creating some history and then do the audition. All that stuff is already there and like steeped in it. And then. And then once I’m done.
This is so silly. I’m normally so excited. I’m like, I can’t wait to put this together and send it off.
MIKE ELDER (29:14)
That’s great.
MEGAN HEYN (29:15)
Yeah.
MIKE ELDER (29:15)
As you should be like, if you’re not like that, then what are you sending? You know what I mean?
MEGAN HEYN (29:19)
Yeah, that’s true.
MIKE ELDER (29:20)
You’re like, oh, whatever. That’s not good.
MEGAN HEYN (29:23)
It’s probably also.
MIKE ELDER (29:25)
And people can read that, probably, when they’re watching it.
MEGAN HEYN (29:26)
Yeah, probably. It’s like that. There are so few auditions now that like, if I get one, I’m like, let’s do this.
MIKE ELDER (29:34)
I love that. I’m not sure every actor’s like that to my point. I’m gonna be honest with you. And I hate saying this. I still hate saying this.
MEGAN HEYN (29:40)
He hates being honest.
MIKE ELDER (29:41)
I’m SAG eligible. I’ve been SAG eligible forever. I was supposed to join, I think, many times.
But they’re not knocking down my door. So I’m not gonna join because I get so many non union auditions. But when I get.
MEGAN HEYN (29:51)
Especially for commercials. Right. Cause they’re all non union right now. Right.
MIKE ELDER (29:55)
People say this is a bad year. I’ve had more auditions this year than a long time.
MEGAN HEYN (29:58)
Excellent.
MIKE ELDER (29:59)
Including TV auditions.
MEGAN HEYN (30:01)
Wonderful.
MIKE ELDER (30:02)
So I’ve had like five one liners for HBO shows.
MEGAN HEYN (30:05)
Amazing. You’re doing something right.
MIKE ELDER (30:08)
I’m not booking anything, so I’m not.
MEGAN HEYN (30:11)
But they’re seeing like, just. I want you to go on. But I do just want to say now, post Covid, everything’s on tape. They’re seeing like so many more people. I mean, our odds are so much different than when you were up against 30.
MIKE ELDER (30:24)
Yeah. And I probably wasn’t going in.
MEGAN HEYN (30:25)
Now you’re up against 100.
MIKE ELDER (30:26)
I probably wasn’t going in when there was 30 people. Let’s be honest.
MEGAN HEYN (30:29)
There you go. Yeah. So it changes the game.
MIKE ELDER (30:31)
When I get a non union that pays like 500 plus 500. And my agent’s pretty good at that. Not. He filters good. I love my agent, but like when I get those, I’m like, I don’t care. I don’t want or care about this.
MEGAN HEYN (30:44)
Yeah, yeah.
MIKE ELDER (30:45)
And I feel bad about that, but like, it’s something I wrestle with for sure.
MEGAN HEYN (30:50)
I think you also get to a point in your life where it’s like, I don’t want to do anything for 500.
MIKE ELDER (30:55)
I know. It’s not gonna move a needle. It’s not gonna move a needle.
MEGAN HEYN (30:57)
It doesn’t make a difference to me.
MIKE ELDER (30:59)
It’s not gonna move a needle.
MEGAN HEYN (31:01)
It’s like a good thing because it’s like I’m mature in my finances or my perspective on money. But then it’s also like, well, it’s not like I made any other money, you know, I just don’t care about that. $500.
MIKE ELDER (31:15)
Yeah.
MEGAN HEYN (31:15)
Yeah.
MIKE ELDER (31:16)
I’m also. So I quit my job and I’m having an interesting relationship with money since then. But I’m reading this book called The 5 Types of Wealth.
MEGAN HEYN (31:23)
I’ve heard of this book.
MIKE ELDER (31:24)
It’s great. Well, I mean, it’s fine. I like the general idea. He’s getting into a lot of more than you need to. With every self help book they try to fill 300 pages. But the thought that financial wealth should be the least important scoreboard we’re looking at. We should be looking at time wealth and social wealth and physical wealth and all that.
MEGAN HEYN (31:42)
That’s really. That takes a lot of the pressure off.
MIKE ELDER (31:44)
1000%.
MEGAN HEYN (31:45)
Yeah.
MIKE ELDER (31:45)
And like we’re all time right now. I’m a time wealth billionaire. I have a billion seconds left on this earth and that’s very important. Anyways, what I want to now say is you talked about coaching and I love that. I feel like a lot. And I’m pointing my finger at you. You. Sorry I didn’t mean to do that.
MEGAN HEYN (32:00)
Just. Let’s do it all like this.
MIKE ELDER (32:02)
I’m not as nice anymore. You.
I feel like a lot of people that have booked a lot of stuff don’t want to coach. And I love coaching, especially if it’s something more than one line, obviously. But like I’m an actor and I do need direction and a coach gives me direction and ideas that I don’t have in my own brain. So is that why you do it or have you thought. Run it by me.
MEGAN HEYN (32:27)
Naturally I’ve thought endlessly about this.
MIKE ELDER (32:29)
Cause also most people don’t like to pay for auditions.
MEGAN HEYN (32:31)
And that which I get, I get, I have just found historically for me, I book more when I coach and I have more fun. And at this point I. Because I’m busy being a mom and writing and you know, auditioning, editing, whatever. It is like working on my own stuff that my auditions I use as acting class. So I want to do them with an acting teacher.
MIKE ELDER (32:58)
Yeah.
MEGAN HEYN (32:59)
You know, so I kind of look at it as a multipurpose. Yes, I’m doing an audition, but I’m here with a professional who’s also going to teach me something. So I’m learning at the same time because I don’t have as much time for class. I definitely living in Long Beach, I don’t have time with my daughter and pickups and drop offs. I don’t have time to drive up to LA for a physical class. If I take a class, it has to be online. And even that is hard being a parent.
So my auditions are class. So I love that. But on the flip side, I also am deeply insecure and need the validation of a coach saying, I did it right. And I know that’s like, it’s very. It is what it is. It is.
I am who I am. I wish I were like, that was perfect. Print send.
But I’m not. I’m like, oh, was it right? And then she’ll be like, that was great. And I’ll be like, I thought so too. And it’s like learning to listen to myself and trust myself is hard.
MIKE ELDER (34:00)
Yeah, yeah, I totally agree. And it’s one of those things you mentioned in flippant passing before we started. But you were like, I sent that audition off and who knows if they’re gonna watch it. And it’s like, yeah, we don’t get feedback. And one of my love languages is words of affirmation. I need that sort of attention and like love and support. And so I. That’s really.
That’s an interesting sort of hack. Almost like you’re getting that sort of positive affirmation that you did good. Then you’re not spiraling on this thing.
Did I fuck it up? Did I?
MEGAN HEYN (34:29)
Yeah, I let it go much, much easier. I mean, that’s such a journey for the actor too, is just like send it and let it go. You know, that’s so hard to do. But I feel like I’m there now. But it’s hard and it is easier for me if I Have an experience with someone. I feel like I’ve acted, and that gives me a lot of energy. And then you send it off, and it’s just not about you anymore.
MIKE ELDER (34:59)
Yeah.
MEGAN HEYN (35:00)
Yeah.
MIKE ELDER (35:00)
Which is so frustrating.
MEGAN HEYN (35:02)
I know. But it also just. It just makes. You have to almost like. Like the fact that it makes no sense because it’s not about you. It’s just not. It’s not. You know?
MIKE ELDER (35:13)
Why do I have to like it, though, that it’s not about me?
MEGAN HEYN (35:18)
Because then, you know, there’s nothing wrong with you.
MIKE ELDER (35:22)
Oh, yeah, I see.
MEGAN HEYN (35:24)
Like, you can have peace with that. You can have peace of, like, oh, it’s not my talent. It’s not my, you know, my look. Whatever. It. It wasn’t. It couldn’t be. But it’s.
But it’s not, because I was so. I was watching now this to say I still have my deep moments of huge frustration. Actor tantrums. I had one last week.
MIKE ELDER (35:45)
Oh.
MEGAN HEYN (35:46)
Someone recommended to me a very popular HBO show. I won’t say it because then people will know exactly who the actor I’m talking to. Of course. I’ll tell you once were off the mic.
MIKE ELDER (35:55)
This is the clip of the podcast.
MEGAN HEYN (35:57)
I know.
MIKE ELDER (35:59)
You shit talk to someone more successful.
MEGAN HEYN (36:00)
This would go viral. But I’m watching this, you know, very popular show.
MIKE ELDER (36:06)
Probably Euphoria.
MEGAN HEYN (36:08)
The first episode. It’s not. Trust me.
MIKE ELDER (36:10)
It’s White Lotus.
MEGAN HEYN (36:11)
Oh, it’s definitely not White Lotus.
MIKE ELDER (36:13)
I’m just gonna keep guessing. Severance. Sopranos. All right, I’ll stop.
MEGAN HEYN (36:18)
It’s okay. I get to a scene, and I’m like, it’s an actress I’ve never seen before.
And I was like, huh? This person doesn’t know what they’re doing. It was, like, very apparent to me. Like, they weren’t connected to the material. They didn’t. This was a. Not an experienced actor, and they were amongst extremely experienced actors who had almost, like, stuck out more.
So I was like, how did this person get this job? Naturally, they are a child of a very famous person. So I had to scream for a half hour into a pillow. I got so angry. I feel much better about it now.
MIKE ELDER (37:04)
That’s really funny and honest. Did you audition for this or this was just. Wow.
MEGAN HEYN (37:10)
No, but it was just so, like. It just made me so angry, and I really dug deep. I’m like, what does make me so angry about this? And it was that she was able to be seen without trying. And. And I feel like all I do is, like, try to be seen, work on my talent, work on the craft. Like, see me see me.
Someone see me, and it’s, like, impossible.
MIKE ELDER (37:37)
Yeah.
MEGAN HEYN (37:37)
And then someone who maybe has it or maybe has worked as hard and maybe just isn’t as naturally talented is just like, books a huge job and is seen effortlessly. I think that’s what it really is. Well, yeah.
MIKE ELDER (37:55)
That’s all we want from Nepo babies, if I’m being honest, is their acknowledgement that they had an in through the door easier than the rest of us?
MEGAN HEYN (38:06)
Yes.
MIKE ELDER (38:07)
And that’s if they acknowledge that I’m totally cool with it. But it seems like it’s really hard to get that acknowledgement from them.
MEGAN HEYN (38:12)
I guess it depends.
MIKE ELDER (38:13)
I worked really hard, and. Of course you worked really hard. We all work really hard. But there’s something about not worrying about falling flat on your face when you have a safety net behind you and opening the door is the hardest fucking part.
MEGAN HEYN (38:30)
Opening the door. It is. It’s really, really hard.
MIKE ELDER (38:32)
And to just have that door already opened is just such a leg up.
MEGAN HEYN (38:35)
Yeah. And I definitely don’t want to say one person deserves something more than another. We all have parts of our lives that are easy, and we all have parts of our lives that are hard. Getting, like, a real foot in the door has been hard for me in this industry, but what’s been really easy for me is having a family. Like, there are people who will never have a great family or never have a great partner or. Or they don’t talk to their mom. I don’t know.
Oh, you know, like, I have a lot of easy parts of my life, but when I’m faced with, like, this one, I have to scream for a half hour sometimes. I’m not. I’m not bigger than that.
MIKE ELDER (39:16)
I like the idea of actor tantrums. It’s really funny. I’m trying to think, if I’ve had one, I’ll continue to think on it. But now I want to ask, because you said you love coaching on auditions.
MEGAN HEYN (39:25)
I do.
MIKE ELDER (39:26)
But then when you make Actors Anonymous and you’re the writer director of every episode.
MEGAN HEYN (39:30)
Yeah.
MIKE ELDER (39:31)
How did. How. How does.
What do you. Do you struggle with that or.
MEGAN HEYN (39:32)
Yes. Yeah.
MIKE ELDER (39:33)
Like, I’ve always thought. I was gonna say, I always think it’s funny when, like, a big A-lister, like, writes, directs something. I’m like, why would you make it that hard on yourself?
MEGAN HEYN (39:44)
It’s so true. And it’s definitely something I love, learned, and I’m interested in directing more, but I don’t know that I want to do it alongside acting and writing at the same time. Unless I’m like, a small part, but that was so hard because I would, like, do a take, and in my head, I’d be like, well, that was pretty good. I’m really happy with that. But there was no one to tell me that because that was my job. So I would be like, oh, good job, Megan. And then I’d look around me like, what’s the. You know.
Which was really hard, but I do. What I loved about that part, excluding me, was being able to tell that to the other actors.
MIKE ELDER (40:30)
Yeah.
MEGAN HEYN (40:31)
Because being an actor, you know how much you need, and it’s a lot.
MIKE ELDER (40:37)
Yeah.
MEGAN HEYN (40:38)
It’s not just, hey, good job. Bye. An actor wants someone to be like. Look them in the eye and be like, good job. You’re amazing. They want to be seen. They want.
They want it to be understood and seen. And when that happens, it’s like, I don’t know. I guess I’m just exposing all of my therapy topics here.
MIKE ELDER (40:57)
That’s what this couch has become.
MEGAN HEYN (40:59)
Yeah.
MIKE ELDER (40:59)
Truthfully.
MEGAN HEYN (41:00)
Yeah. And I am working on this in therapy.
MIKE ELDER (41:04)
Well, I do. I. I wrote and directed a short film.
MEGAN HEYN (41:06)
Good for you.
MIKE ELDER (41:07)
The reason I. Thank you. I’m just a normal person, but thank you. That’s part of my deal with myself. If I quit my job, I had to do the short film I had sitting on, and it was one episode equivalent of your web series, so I can’t even imagine. And it felt like way more work. I wrote and directed it.
I had friends that were helpful, but it was very small and bootstrappy. But, like, it was still a lot of work. And, like, I imagine eight episodes is eight times as much work.
MEGAN HEYN (41:33)
Yeah, it was a lot of work.
MIKE ELDER (41:35)
What did you learn that you didn’t know? Because you’ve been making more and more stuff of your own lately. I know you shot a short recently and wrote short and did a bunch of stuff. So what did you learn from doing eight that you might not have learned in doing just one off?
MEGAN HEYN (41:48)
Well, the positive thing that I learned was I’m really good at creating an environment where people can have fun, feel good about themselves, and create art, collaborate and be energized, like, every day. At the end, everyone wanted to come back. Everyone wanted to be there. We started the day happy. We ended the day happier and being like, you know, the leader figure on the set. Like, I set the tone for that. I’m like, oh, wow.
I’m really good at facilitating an amazing experience for people. What I learned kind of on the other side was mainly about how to shoot and how not to Shoot, which came up in the edit, I’d be like, why did I do it that way? That didn’t work at all. These things that you can only learn by shooting and making mistakes.
MIKE ELDER (42:46)
Yeah.
MEGAN HEYN (42:47)
So I learned that. Okay. Directing. I already knew it was super hard, but confirmed it is really hard. And just learning how to shoot something in a way that is going to make a joke land, is going to make something make sense, is complicated. And that I need a lot more practice. And that.
Yeah, just that it’s hard.
MIKE ELDER (43:20)
Yeah. 1000%. It’s funny. I just interviewed Jessica Burnetto, who started as an editor and now directs. And she was like.
MEGAN HEYN (43:25)
Oh, that’s probably so helpful.
MIKE ELDER (43:27)
Editing was my backdoor into directing. I realized that I was good at writing, but I realized when I was editing that, like, you just learned so much about shot placement and all this stuff. Like. And it just. She was like, I just learned so much about directing via editing. And now she’s directing. She directed, like, an episode of Hacks and stuff.
And it’s like, it’s such a smart way. And it’s funny because I wanted to talk to her because my short film I’m editing. But now, just yesterday, I made a decision. I’m like, I gotta hire somebody. I got a rough cut.
MEGAN HEYN (43:51)
I did the same thing.
MIKE ELDER (43:55)
Okay. I got a rough cut that’s like nine minutes. And I’m like, I don’t know if I have the skill set. And I recognize my shortcomings. I don’t have the skill set to make this what it needs to be. And I’m like, I honestly spent like, a thousand bucks on this.
MEGAN HEYN (44:09)
Yeah, good for you.
MIKE ELDER (44:11)
Like, I didn’t do any. Most of it was, like, food for my people.
MEGAN HEYN (44:15)
I know. That’s always. Yeah.
MIKE ELDER (44:15)
But I’m like, I will pay an editor 500. I just need to get this done. And I don’t have the skill set to do it or the patience. I’ve been sitting on this rough cut for, like, three weeks. I’m like, scared. So you. When you are seeing this editing and you’re learning your mistakes there, you try to do yourself and then hired somebody and then did you shadow them or did you just let them take a run at it?
MEGAN HEYN (44:35)
I. I edit as a side gig, so I do edit, but I mainly edit, like, corporate stuff.
MIKE ELDER (44:43)
Okay. Very different.
MEGAN HEYN (44:44)
So much different and in some ways harder. Like, at least this is, like, clear. Like, oh, I like this emotion best. I pick this shot or whatever. Where corporate is, that’s not that at all. But so I have, like, the skills to do it. But then.
So I did Rough cuts of all eight episodes, which took me four or five months, I think four. Four full months to finish. And then I was, like, gonna go into round two of my cuts, and I was like, I can’t. Yeah, I cannot do this.
And I handed it off. Best thing I ever did. I will give you the name of my editor if you want to check out their stuff. They’re amazing and all the stuff. But, yeah, it was just like, I. I couldn’t. I will never do it again. I. I wasted time because it took me way longer to do it because I was editing my own performance and my own project, and.
And I didn’t have perspective.
MIKE ELDER (45:48)
And you already. And you already directed yourself, too, so you already. You are already.
I wish I was better at speaking.
MEGAN HEYN (45:58)
Says the podcast host.
MIKE ELDER (46:00)
I know I’m not great. I don’t know why people let me do this. No, you were already.
What’s the word? You’re, like, biased with your performance, and then you’re going to be double biased. So, like, that’s doubly hard is what I’m trying to say.
MEGAN HEYN (46:14)
Yes. Yeah. So, yeah, that was another thing I learned. Don’t edit my own project. And maybe unless I’m not in it. But even still, I’m like, it’s not my zone of genius, really. My zone of genius is writing and acting.
Maybe someday it’ll be directing. I don’t know. But one of the reason I. Reasons I chose mockumentary, like, The Office style was because I knew I’d be able to cover my directing mistakes because it’s supposed to look like a homemade documentary. So I was like, if I do it in that style when the directing’s a mess, could be like. But it’s just like, a document. Like, what’s it supposed to look like?
MIKE ELDER (46:54)
You know, that’s smart, though, honestly, like, it’s a good way to. To lean into it and learn. But, like, you had a big team on this, right? So, like. And you funded this all yourself.
MEGAN HEYN (47:07)
I did, because in my last short, I did the crowdfunding, and it took my soul. It was so hard to ask friends and family for money that I was like, I can’t do that again. I’m just gonna pay for it myself. And, yeah, and it. It’s. It’s hard, but now that I’ve done it and I knew. I knew going into it, I’m like, I’m not gonna make any of this money back. Like, how.
How would I make that back? There’s not, like, a complete world where. There’s, like, a world where, oh, maybe someone is like, oh, I’ll hire you for this other project. Or like, there’s a world where I could get some of it back.
But I’m not going into it like that. I’m going into it knowing, like, I won’t make this money back, and that’s okay.
And so our. I did everything as small as possible. Our crew was small. We had, like DPs, two camera operators, a sound, our producer, Lindsey Lefler, and then another person, Peyton, who did, like, everything else that could be done. So we had like a five person crew.
MIKE ELDER (48:18)
Yeah.
MEGAN HEYN (48:19)
And then. But then our cast was like five main people. But then we hired like, 10, like, extras a day, which was also the best thing I did. I was trying to get friends to be extras and some. I got a couple here and there. But hiring actual extras was.
They were amazing. They wanted to be there. They made the show. That was also, like, a huge blessing.
MIKE ELDER (48:42)
Well, my question was going to be like, do you. Did you struggle with, like, cutting corners on money but also wanting to pay your friends what they’re worth?
MEGAN HEYN (48:47)
Yes.
MIKE ELDER (48:48)
Cause I struggled with that too. I didn’t pay anybody. I mean, and now I’m gonna pay this editor. And it’s like.
MEGAN HEYN (48:54)
I know, I know, I know, I know. I. I did the same thing. Like. Like, I had to pay the extras because they were.
They were strangers. Yeah, yeah. But I didn’t pay them much. But I also found that when you pay people, they just show up better, you know, for you. Unless they’re a really good friend, you know who, like, I had a couple friends who were like, of course I’ll come. Don’t pay me anything. Of course.
And they were driving to Long Beach because Lindsey and I were trying to find a location in LA because we thought it’d be easier for everyone to commute. And the one, like, place we found that was really good wouldn’t accept our script because it was a church. And they said, no, we won’t do your script. But then I remembered on my street in Long Beach, I live by the pastor of a church that’s right around the corner from my house.
MIKE ELDER (49:47)
Oh, that’s cool.
MEGAN HEYN (49:48)
So I reached out to him and I said, hey, I’m your neighbor, you know? He was like, oh, come on by. They had the exact same look location of the place we wanted.
MIKE ELDER (49:59)
Oh, great.
MEGAN HEYN (49:59)
But it was around my corner. They let us rent it for nothing. So I think that was the other thing I learned too, was just like, lean on your community. Lean around who’s around you, who just wants to There’s a lot of people who want to help.
MIKE ELDER (50:14)
Yeah.
MEGAN HEYN (50:15)
You know, and just look for them. You’ll find them.
MIKE ELDER (50:17)
Well, it’s. The thing I struggled was. Was trusting my collaborators, but at the same time, it’s like, that’s what makes this thing work.
MEGAN HEYN (50:26)
What did you have hard, like, in it? Like, who and in what way?
MIKE ELDER (50:29)
Well, I just come from a world where, look, I’m fucking editing this, I’m producing this, I’m emailing, scheduling, doing everything, and so just handing things off. I worry, will this be done as well as I can? That’s just naturally who I am, unfortunately. So that’s more what it was. It was more me wrestling my demons. But, like, to your point, everyone wants to help. I think that’s true.
And to a degree, you got to realize you do have gaps. Like, I didn’t. I have a gap in editing.
MEGAN HEYN (50:55)
I have a gap in editing too. So.
MIKE ELDER (51:00)
Yeah, so it. I think. And it can only help if you lean on people.
MEGAN HEYN (51:03)
Oh, yeah. If they’re good at what they do, they’re just gonna make you better. So that. That’s a good lesson as well.
MIKE ELDER (51:11)
Yeah.
MEGAN HEYN (51:11)
Yeah.
MIKE ELDER (51:12)
So what do you want actors to take away from this series?
MEGAN HEYN (51:15)
Yes, I want them to take away.
MIKE ELDER (51:15)
Perfect. Good answer.
MEGAN HEYN (51:16)
Yes, Yes, I want them to take away.
MIKE ELDER (51:22)
What should I take away from it?
MEGAN HEYN (51:24)
I want them. Okay. Really, what I want them to take away is that, similar to what we’ve been talking about, acting will never be able to fully validate your existence, ever. Learn how to want yourself and be proud of who you are. And if you learn how to do that and you still want to be here and act, just try to find the joy in it and laugh at how much it sucks and. Because despite how shitty it can be, there’s so many cool things LA provides that you would get nowhere else in the world. So lean into that.
Love who you are and want that. Know that that is valuable and lead with that and laugh. Yeah.
MIKE ELDER (52:22)
It was very beautiful. I’m wrestling with making a joke.
MEGAN HEYN (52:27)
Don’t you dare. Sip your coffee.
MIKE ELDER (52:29)
I won’t. That’s very beautiful. Yeah. My joke was gonna be like, if I. If I. But if I just get this one thing.
MEGAN HEYN (52:39)
Right, I know I will be enough when. Blank person gives me compliment.
MIKE ELDER (52:46)
Yeah. This will open. Exactly.
MEGAN HEYN (52:51)
But that’s. I mean, that’s one of the things we do on our Instagram page is I. I’ve had some people just, like, give me a story that could only happen in LA, and people just have the craziest stories, you know, like, oh, Jamie Lee Curtis sent me a wind chime. Yeah. This isn’t my story. This is, you know, but like. Or, you know, or Mindy Kaling said she was a friend of mine, a fan of mine, when I was serving her at a restaurant.
You know, like, it’s just like, these things that happen, they can only happen here because it is such a weird town. You will meet famous people. You will have experiences. You will dress in strange costumes and do weird things your family won’t understand. You know, but it’s like. It’s just. You can’t make it up.
MIKE ELDER (53:41)
Yeah. You know, Jack Black lives around here, and every time I see him, I just give him knuckles.
I don’t say anything. I just give him knuckles.
MEGAN HEYN (53:48)
I mean, this is, like, one of the coolest things I’ve ever heard. Right.
MIKE ELDER (53:53)
I’m hoping someday he’s like, who’s this knuckle guy? But it’s only happened twice so far.
MEGAN HEYN (53:57)
Just keep it up. And one day he’ll be like, who’s this knuckle guy? Like, oh, I’m this podcast host actor. And he’ll be like, I’ll come to your pod, and he’ll say, for shizzlemanizzle. Squiggle, squizzle. That’s what he thought. His language.
MIKE ELDER (54:10)
You sound like Snoop Dogg.
MEGAN HEYN (54:11)
Did you hear him? He was just on Amy Poehler’s Good Hang.
MIKE ELDER (54:16)
No, I didn’t.
MEGAN HEYN (54:16)
Oh, well, he. He’s always. The way he makes words into new words is so cute.
I don’t know.
MIKE ELDER (54:24)
Yeah, very cute. Wait, so have you been. And we’re almost done here, but have you. Have you been living off of acting, or have you been working side hustles?
MEGAN HEYN (54:34)
I do side hustles. Yeah, I. I think. I mean, still get residuals from jobs I did 15 years ago.
MIKE ELDER (54:42)
Are they juicy?
MEGAN HEYN (54:44)
Some of them are the network ones, like CBS shows, like a Big Bang Theory or, like, stuff like that. Those keep on paying, but it’s. No, it’s been super hard to get work, especially since Covid so I do. I edit mainly for side gigs.
MIKE ELDER (55:02)
Wait, can you. Can you. What was your last Big Bang check?
MEGAN HEYN (55:06)
I don’t remember.
MIKE ELDER (55:07)
Are we talking, like, 500 or are we talking, like.
MEGAN HEYN (55:10)
No, more. Yeah, like, I probably make at least 1500 off Big Bang a year.
MIKE ELDER (55:17)
Oh, okay. Got it.
MEGAN HEYN (55:17)
You know, that’s great. Yeah. And sometimes it’ll come, like, in a few different installments or. It depends. It depends. But, like, that one’s. That always gonna be somewhere.
It’s always gonna be playing. It’s always. Yeah.
MIKE ELDER (55:29)
Chuck Lorre universe. I emailed him recently to do the podcast.
MEGAN HEYN (55:34)
Why not?
MIKE ELDER (55:35)
He read the email and then they forwarded to. He forwarded his like Warner Brothers contact and he’s like, Chuck’s not available right now, but we’ll be in touch.
MEGAN HEYN (55:43)
They got back to you. I think that’s amazing.
MIKE ELDER (55:45)
I know, it’s wild. But wait, your side hustles are what, what are you working?
MEGAN HEYN (55:47)
Editing, mainly. Editing.
MIKE ELDER (55:49)
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh, I got a short that you could edit.
MEGAN HEYN (55:52)
You don’t want me. You want my editor I’m working with right now.
MIKE ELDER (55:56)
You didn’t sell yourself great at all.
MEGAN HEYN (55:57)
No, I didn’t. No, it’s. But it’s like one of the. It’s one of those things where it’s like, I can do it. It’s not the best thing I do. Yeah, I can do it good enough to make some money, but yeah, it’s. But it is also better than waiting tables.
So I’ll edit all day if I don’t have to go into a restaurant. Yeah.
MIKE ELDER (56:20)
Yeah. So do you. What do you see?
I just want to ask. I want to follow up on the quitting.
MEGAN HEYN (56:27)
Follow up.
MIKE ELDER (56:27)
Are you ever going to quit?
MEGAN HEYN (56:30)
This is what I know now. I can’t.
MIKE ELDER (56:32)
Never.
MEGAN HEYN (56:34)
Well, I mean, I guess, you know, I never say never.
MIKE ELDER (56:36)
Never say never.
MEGAN HEYN (56:37)
I’m way too superstitious to say never.
MIKE ELDER (56:40)
I agree. I have always had this dream that I’m gonna do it till I’m 70 and I’m the only one. I’m one of four 70 year old white guys that are still doing it and I am on every sitcom on TV.
MEGAN HEYN (56:51)
I mean, I think that that’s actually a really good strategy.
MIKE ELDER (56:54)
You know what I mean? Because it does. Like there’s 20 year old white male, there’s probably 10,000. 30s, 8,000. 40s. It’s just like, smaller and smaller.
MEGAN HEYN (56:58)
It’s just like slowly. Yeah.
MIKE ELDER (56:58)
So if I’m the one white guy in my 70s and that’s finally when I get on TV.
MEGAN HEYN (57:08)
That’s when you hit. That’s when you hit, baby. Yeah. I mean, I think, yes. What I have learned about myself and what I’ve accepted about myself and what I really like, dug to the bottom of everything. Yes. There are those things of like, I want to act to be validated. That’s there.
But it’s not the only reason I do it. The huge chunk of why I do it is because I effing love it. Like it just lights me up and nothing else does the way that, that what it does for me.
MIKE ELDER (57:37)
Yeah.
MEGAN HEYN (57:38)
Are there unhealthy emotional needs tied to it? Yes. Do I work on those in therapy weekly? Yes. Have I conquered them? No. Maybe I will someday, and then maybe I’ll quit.
I don’t know.
MIKE ELDER (57:51)
I love that. To me, honestly, what you just said resonated because it’s like, yeah, I love making people laugh, but there’s no other way I can do it on a big scale.
Like, we can. One on one.
You just made me laugh. Like, you probably got something out of that. Like, I can make my friends laugh. I get something out of that. But, like, there’s something about a bigger scale getting.
MEGAN HEYN (58:08)
Yeah. And that’s okay. I’ve really had to come to grips with that, too. Like, it’s okay to want to be seen. It’s okay to want a big audience. Like, there’s a place for everyone. And some people are like, oh, I’m.
I love acting, and I’m satisfied with just doing community theater on the weekend. That’s enough for them. And some people are like, oh, I love comedy and acting, and I want to be the next, you know, Dave Chappelle. And that’s okay, too, you know, like, whatever. Whatever you want is right. You know, it’s okay. And I feel like I’ve had a lot of guilt, too, of being like, well, why do I deserve to be seen?
Why do I deserve this job? Why do I?
And it’s just because. Because you’re human. You don’t have to do anything.
MIKE ELDER (58:56)
Yeah. You know, you also got to remember, too, most people don’t want that. Like, we’re surrounded by people that want that. But a lot of people want to sit in a dark room and edit. You know what I mean? A lot of people want to be an accountant or like.
MEGAN HEYN (59:07)
Yeah, a lot of people.
MIKE ELDER (59:08)
Not everybody wants to be seen. We’re surrounded by them.
MEGAN HEYN (59:10)
I think you’re right. Most. I think if we’re doing, like, a world population,
MIKE ELDER (59:13)
We’re a small subset.
MEGAN HEYN (59:15)
We’re very small. I want to be seen. Most people are like, please don’t look at me. We’re like, please look at me.
MIKE ELDER (59:25)
So if you did quit, what would you do?
MEGAN HEYN (59:27)
That’s such a good question. I mean, I would just.
Still, I would write. I know that’s, like, not.
MIKE ELDER (59:46)
That’s not quitting. Get out of here.
MEGAN HEYN (59:52)
I’m doing that. I know, I know. But those are, like, the two things that I love. Or I would, to me, help other actors. I’m so. I can’t. I can’t.
MIKE ELDER (59:46)
Geez, you can’t quit. To me, it’s. It’s moved to, like, an island, like, a secluded island and be a bartender where there’s tourists coming. Because I.
MEGAN HEYN (59:52)
You’d make a good bartender.
MIKE ELDER (59:54)
Thank you. That’s very sweet.
MEGAN HEYN (59:54)
Yeah.
MIKE ELDER (59:55)
I don’t know if I would, but I would be a good talker. I wouldn’t get a lot of drinks made but.
MEGAN HEYN (59:58)
Sure I don’t know if you’re a mixologist. I don’t know.
MIKE ELDER (1:00:02)
I can do draft beer. Yeah, but, like, just talking to new people every week and meeting new people.
MEGAN HEYN (1:00:08)
That’s like. Yeah. This is your strong suit.
MIKE ELDER (1:00:09)
I think that would be really fun. Should I move to Mykonos or something?
MEGAN HEYN (1:00:15)
I think about moving all the time.
MIKE ELDER (1:00:17)
I know. That’s.
MEGAN HEYN (1:00:17)
Especially now that we don’t. Well, I mean, you audition for commercials. I don’t audition for commercials. I. I have.
MIKE ELDER (1:00:23)
Which is wild to me.
MEGAN HEYN (1:00:24)
I’ve never booked.
MIKE ELDER (1:00:25)
I feel like we talked about that.
MEGAN HEYN (1:00:26)
I. I just can’t. They don’t. I don’t book them, and I get so frustrated.
MIKE ELDER (1:00:29)
That’s wild to me, like you should be selling Tide pods.
MEGAN HEYN (1:00:30)
I could be in Tide pods, couldn’t I?
MIKE ELDER (1:00:31)
In Tide pods? That was a weird phrasing.
MEGAN HEYN (1:00:32)
I could be inside one. They. They could.
They could sell. Yeah. Slap my little face right in there.
MIKE ELDER (1:00:41)
But you’re a soccer mom in a van driving your kids to soccer, and then they get their jerseys dirty, and then you have to throw those in the washer. Yeah, exactly.
MEGAN HEYN (1:00:51)
Yeah. I don’t know. I just don’t ever book those, so it’s fine. I don’t. I don’t care.
MIKE ELDER (1:00:56)
I don’t book them either. You realize you’re talking.
MEGAN HEYN (1:00:59)
You get callbacks.
MIKE ELDER (1:01:00)
I like to say I’m. I’m not an actor. I’m an auditioner. Like, I don’t book. You know what I mean?
MEGAN HEYN (1:01:05)
Honestly, though, I don’t think anybody books. I don’t.
MIKE ELDER (1:01:08)
Well, when you do the math, it true. You do the math and you’re like, Although I had a callback the other day that it was.
I just spit. There’s three people at the callback for my role. I didn’t get it.
MEGAN HEYN (1:01:19)
Three people. Was this a commercial callback?
MIKE ELDER (1:01:22)
Yeah, it was like. It was like a lot of vignettes. So they had a lot groups and only three white males ended up in the callback, and I didn’t get it. But when you think about it, 100 people audition, so 99 people aren’t going to get it. 1. A thousand submitted or what? Anyways.
MEGAN HEYN (1:01:34)
I know. No. Yes.
MIKE ELDER (1:01:36)
More people get it. Don’t get it than do.
MEGAN HEYN (1:01:38)
Yeah, but I think. I mean, I have friends who are, you know, considered like, what you might say, a working actor. Like, just happens to book a lot and Even they don’t book that much. You know, I have. I have a friend who is very successful in books once every couple years. It might be like a bigger scale job, but it’s not like constant flow. I’ve actually only known one, one actor in all my years out here who really books all the time.
MIKE ELDER (1:02:12)
Who’s that?
MEGAN HEYN (1:02:15)
Her name’s Sumalee Montano.
MIKE ELDER (1:02:17)
Okay.
MEGAN HEYN (1:02:18)
She’s a voiceover actor and a regular actor, and she’s a fabulous, fabulous. And that girl, it’s just like, boom, boom, boom.
It’s the only. The only person I’ve ever seen. Seen do it like that.
MIKE ELDER (1:02:30)
That’s great.
MEGAN HEYN (1:02:31)
So even huge actors, they have their, you know. Yeah.
MIKE ELDER (1:02:37)
For sure. The last question I like to ask now is, who took a chance on you? Oh, let’s modulate a little bit modulation.
MEGAN HEYN (1:02:47)
Okay. You know, I’ve had a couple good lucks, but I’m gonna say. I’m gonna say Matt Besser.
MIKE ELDER (1:02:56)
Yeah.
MEGAN HEYN (1:02:57)
Yeah. Because it was like, super lucky how I got in to perform at UCB, you know, in a, like, kind of like a way that shouldn’t have happened.
And it did happen. And he saw me. It’s like the thing about. I said about when people. You just want someone to see you.
MIKE ELDER (1:03:15)
You never know who’s watching too.
MEGAN HEYN (1:03:16)
Yeah. And he saw me, like, I remember, like, that audition, like, after I was leaving, and he was like, you know, wait. And he was looking at my resume and he was like, who are you? Like, he saw me. He could see my value. And just not everyone does for anybody. I remember this one.
I don’t remember if it was an Oscar acceptance speech, but some acceptance speech. And it was a writer, and he was like, thank you to my agents who believed in me once everybody else started, too. And I think that that’s so true out here. Like, people don’t really want to get on board until you’re vetted.
MIKE ELDER (1:03:53)
Yeah.
MEGAN HEYN (1:03:54)
And when you find someone, and they’re rare, who sees you without having been vetted, it’s like, oh, thank you. Thank you for seeing me. Because you know, what you offer, but not everybody’s going to see it right away or get it, and it’s a big deal when that happens.
MIKE ELDER (1:04:11)
So with Besser, remind me, did he. He saw you first for a UCB audition and then put you in Freak Dance. Okay.
MEGAN HEYN (1:04:17)
No, it was a Freak Dance audition.
MIKE ELDER (1:04:19)
Oh, it was a Freak Dance audition.
MEGAN HEYN (1:04:20)
Yeah. Because Lindsey Lefler, also the producer of Actors Anonymous, we did improv in college together, so.
MIKE ELDER (1:04:25)
She worked at UCB.
MEGAN HEYN (1:04:25)
She worked at UCB. She Was gonna be directing the show for Besser.
MIKE ELDER (1:04:32)
Got it.
MEGAN HEYN (1:04:33)
So.
MIKE ELDER (1:04:34)
Oh, yeah. It was a show at UCB before it was a movie. Okay I’m caught up.
MEGAN HEYN (1:04:37)
It was a show. Yeah. It was. They kind of like. I don’t know if his intention was always to make it into a movie, but it started as a play. And actually Casey Wilson had my role and got cast in SNL, so they had to replace her.
So Lindsey thought of me.
MIKE ELDER (1:04:50)
Got it.
MEGAN HEYN (1:04:50)
And to go in and audition.
MIKE ELDER (1:04:52)
Do you still talk to Besser?
MEGAN HEYN (1:04:54)
No, I haven’t talked to him in a long time, but he’s kind of elusive.
MIKE ELDER (1:04:58)
He’s very elusive.
MEGAN HEYN (1:04:59)
Yeah.
MIKE ELDER (1:04:59)
He did the podcast a long time ago, and I emailed him to come back after he sold UCB, and I wanted to.
MEGAN HEYN (1:05:05)
Oh, you should get into that.
MIKE ELDER (1:05:05)
I want to talk to one of them. But he didn’t reply.
MEGAN HEYN (1:05:08)
Email him again.
MIKE ELDER (1:05:09)
Isn’t it funny how, like, people have such an impact on our lives and then we don’t talk to them after a while?
MEGAN HEYN (1:05:14)
It is very weird, and it’s very common in this industry, you know? Because you’ll have.
MIKE ELDER (1:05:19)
Well, also life.
MEGAN HEYN (1:05:19)
You think?
MIKE ELDER (1:05:20)
Well, I mean, I was just. I just. I pay for, like, a cloud photos, and I had all these things on my hard drive, and I’m like, fuck it, I should upload them and upload them. And I recently saw a bunch of them. I was like, I had a girlfriend in college for years, and I haven’t thought about her forever.
MEGAN HEYN (1:05:37)
It’s weird.
MIKE ELDER (1:05:37)
It is weird, like a lifetime ago that you were very close to this person, and then you’re not close to them.
MEGAN HEYN (1:05:42)
And then you’re just not. Yeah, that is weird. I think it’s weird from the acting perspective, when you do a job, any kind of job, whether it’s at play, commercial, whatever, no matter how many days you work, you develop these tight bonds so quickly. And then all of a sudden, the job is over and you don’t know. You might never talk to that person again. And you were, like, telling them your deepest, darkest. You know Yeah.
MIKE ELDER (1:06:08)
Yes, that’s very true. I just had Adam Shapiro on, and he did a movie with Kate Winslet, and they were besties on set, and he thought they were going to be besties in life, and then they never talked again.
MEGAN HEYN (1:06:17)
Yeah isn’t that weird. What a missed opportunity.
MIKE ELDER (1:06:20)
I feel that way about this podcast, though. I haven’t talked to you nine years, and you know what I mean? Like.
MEGAN HEYN (1:06:21)
I know. Look at our rapport.
MIKE ELDER (1:06:21)
I hit it off with 90% of our people, and it’s like, I never talk to them after, which is sad.
MEGAN HEYN (1:06:31)
Yeah, that is sad. I think it’s gonna be on you. I think you have to reach out more.
MIKE ELDER (1:06:37)
Well, yeah, but that’s interesting, but what am I gonna say? Like, let’s get a beer.
MEGAN HEYN (1:06:42)
Yeah, why not? Networking.
MIKE ELDER (1:06:46)
You hear that, people? Come have a beer with me.
MEGAN HEYN (1:06:48)
Networking.
MIKE ELDER (1:06:49)
I feel like most people in LA are flaky, though. They don’t really want to leave their little space.
MEGAN HEYN (1:06:53)
Yeah, I think that that can be true. I think. I think it depends on. On the people, but, yeah, I think that can be true.
MIKE ELDER (1:07:02)
Well, how do you feel? Do you feel satisfied?
MEGAN HEYN (1:07:04)
Yeah. This is super fun.
MIKE ELDER (1:07:07)
Always. Yeah, it’s always a blast to see. I’ll see you in nine years.
MEGAN HEYN (1:07:10)
Yes.
MIKE ELDER (1:07:12)
When we’re both in different categories and we’re still in the same spot.
MEGAN HEYN (1:07:15)
I know. We’ll see where we are in nine years.
MIKE ELDER (1:07:18)
I’ll suddenly have more hair. Somehow.
MEGAN HEYN (1:07:21)
I know. That’s how we know you’re making the real money. You get that transplant money.
MIKE ELDER (1:07:24)
Oh, no. Okay. Megan, you got a tail slate. This was a pleasure. Thank you for doing it.
MEGAN HEYN (1:07:31)
Hello, I’m Megan Heyn. Is that a good tail slate?
MIKE ELDER (1:07:35)
You don’t flex. Oh, it’s like a smart. I got it.
MEGAN HEYN (1:07:37)
I should have flexed.
🎵 ROCKFORD (1:07:37) 🎵
MTV and the channel E!. A thing for a celebrity.
