Did My Audition Question Piss Off an Acting Legend? | Ep 39

MAX: 00:12
Welcome back to two unemployed actors. I'm Max. I'm Sam. And we have a great show for you today. I've got a QA from a an Aussie Theatre legend, a man who started not one, but two theatre companies, which just is amazing just to do one, let alone two, and they're still going. They're still going. Also, uh, another Netflix show that I'm watching and um raving about. Plus, I'm back into my play. We've got news on COVID Australia.

SAM: 00:38
Yeah. Yeah.

MAX: 00:39
So lots more. So make sure you like and subscribe on your favourite favourite podcast platform. It's gonna be a long one if I can't talk properly. Yeah. Somewhere on social media, Facebook, Instagram, the Twitters. We put the tweets up. Everything. Everything. Because we work so hard for this show. So listen up. Um, first of all, right, had this opportunity to, thanks to the hub studio here in Sydney, to uh tune in with uh 50 other up-and-coming actors and listen to the wonderful John Bell, who is a master of the art of theatre. All up, according to him, he has a total of 12 minutes.

SAM: 01:17
As in like Bell Shakespeare.

MAX: 01:18
Yes, as in the Bell. The Bell or the Bell that put the Bell in Bell Shakespeare. An amazing classic actor. And I think, as he said, uh, very much for the theatre, because it a total of 12 minutes is his career for television and film.

SAM: 01:32
Amazing, amazing.

MAX: 01:33
Not happy with everyone doing less is more, less is more to the point where they're just sort of kind of mumbling and you can barely see the lips move, is uh his summary. But uh hey, um, I've seen him on stage. I think last time I saw him was Diplomacy, which is a great play. Look, the the the man is the artist when it comes to Shakespeare, hence the last um theatre company he set up was Belle Shakespeare, which is which is here in Sydney. And they have lots of programmes. So I didn't realise they even do programs for kids, and it's all about bringing Shakespeare to children. So the first thing you do insults. Oh my god there's so many insults in Shakespeare.

SAM: 02:06
Well, like bite your thumb.

MAX: 02:08
Yeah, yeah. So they teach teach the kids about the insults, and they all throw insults around, and they're more already engaged, okay, uh, in a fun way, and then they sort of add layers to that. So I didn't realise they do anyway, do a lot, and they've got um they've got a great, great theatre company. Uh, I went to see the last thing I saw was Hamlet, actually, which which I was absolutely. Yeah, you told me you read that. Yeah, Open Unite was amazing, and then who'd have known, who'd have known, who'd have thought it. Two weeks later, boom, everything is closed. He mentioned that uh there's a theatre in Germany said it was like one-third full and moving forward with performances. The economics, obviously, of a half-empty theatre is going to be something we need to come to terms with. I mean, it's hard enough as it is for indie theatre to make a buck at the end of the day. Yeah, with COVID on top. Yeah, I don't know how it works in the states or other countries, but we do have in independent theatre a large amount that do this um profit share situation. So sign up, put the work in for the months of prep, rehearsals, and then you know, you're on for however many weeks, yeah, and maybe you'll get a buck after costs split between everyone. And that kind of get look, it gets everyone up and treading the boards, but you know, you wouldn't you wouldn't uh plan your your your your bank account around it.

SAM: 03:19
No, like I was meant yeah, you know, I was meant to get a bit of three weeks in spring profit.

MAX: 03:25
Uh if there was a profit and there wasn't profit. You know, it's very expensive to rent out the state theatre. Yes. That was a big brave call.

SAM: 03:32
Yeah, yeah, yeah. It was the only theatre that said yes, apparently.

MAX: 03:35
Really?

SAM: 03:36
Apparently.

MAX: 03:37
Really interesting about the economics, uh particularly because a large proportion of the audience are towards the elderly, you know, when it comes to the Shakespeare, just the way it is at the moment in Sydney.

SAM: 03:47
Well, they were there.

MAX: 03:48
And they're gonna not want to be going out for a while and sitting in large groups together for a long time.

SAM: 03:55
Here's what I think, right? Because I see a lot of old people still out. I feel like old people are like, nah, I'll be fine. And they like go out, or they if they had the choice, they'd go out, but they're like, you know, I've been told not to. They don't really like I feel like old people are like, I won't get it. I'm fine.

MAX: 04:10
I know there's a bit of that, and I think I think it's supported by the fact that where we have successfully flattened the curve, and I think that gives them more power to say, oh well, we're less likely, and we're also loosening restrictions state by state here in Australia.

SAM: 04:23
So shut today, did you hear?

MAX: 04:25
Well no, what happened today?

SAM: 04:26
Waverly College and Mariah College both shut down today because a student within 72 hours of reopening, or what I think was something about 72 hours, they they once students went back. Like today, there was a case at Waverley, one case which tested positive, one student, and within a couple hours shut the whole school down. Shut the whole school down, but m then a Mariah student got one. Right.

MAX: 04:48
Well, the way the way they're handling it now, they're sort of relaxing restrictions across the board. Uh like across the state, like the federal government are relaxing some restrictions. The states are applying those relaxed rules, you know, at their discretion, but then they're fighting it sort of locally. So if something happens, then they'll do lots of testing in a particular area and shut school down and do all that sort of stuff. Uh it's it's the community-to-community transmissions that have been reduced, which is great. I'm not going to turn this into a podcast about the pandemic, but but what I'm my point is it's a pandemic segment. But we're obviously it's flatter, it's better, and we're happier in Australia, that's for sure. And oh boy, I'm lucky I'm here and not in some other countries. Uh, but basically what that means is pubs and clubs are starting to open, restaurants, cafes. It's it feels like normal, like when you're walking around outside. Having said that, when it comes to being able to put on the theatre production, that's gonna be a while.

SAM: 05:45
That's gonna be this industry's gonna still take a while, yeah.

MAX: 05:48
Yeah, I think end of the year at least when it comes to theatre. But you know, we're all guessing. We're all just guessing that that's if we think it nothing else is gonna happen, no second wave, etc.

SAM: 05:57
Speaking of theatre, um, I'm in Spring Awakening, which is a musical, um, and I have been rehearsing through Zoom, but by next week they're thinking we should be back in rehearsal um rooms together. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And rehearsing. So that's pretty good. That's good news. Um it's weird over Zoom because you get those laggy delayed lines when it's meant to be an intense scene.

MAX: 06:16
I think Skype is better for sound apparently than Zoom.

SAM: 06:19
See, the funny thing is, like, everyone's like, oh, Zoom, go to Zoom. It's like Zoom's now boosted. Yes. But it's been around for ages.

MAX: 06:26
I've been seeing some ads for Microsoft Teams. People say that's better too.

SAM: 06:30
Bit late, but yeah, they started to advertise now at the end of the there was I watched a Facebook video of a comedian telling her past self about the pandemic. And it's funny, so it's a weird thing. And she was like, You want to you'll want to, you know, bring out all your investments, just bring it, bring it all out, and all invest in Zoom. And she's like, The the the meeting web webcam chat things, yeah. Invest it all in Zoom, put it in Zoom. It's very funny. Um, and it was it's weird trying to describe it because it was it was quite sudden. Like it was obviously progressive since like what December in the world.

MAX: 07:03
I think we heard about it in this town we've never heard of in China in December. This town we never heard of. And we're like, oh, that's that's bad for them. Yeah, for sorry. And then all of a sudden, it was very clear. Every day in like in there was a moment in January, I think, to back half, where every day something massive was happening. We're turning the news going, what can't we do today? We thought the bushfires were gonna be the defining moment. And it was defining enough.

SAM: 07:23
But uh but now everyone's like bushfire- what bushfires are bushfires, yes. Well, it was mass bushfires were awful, but now COVID's on top of that. Trumped it all over.

MAX: 07:34
And and and like I said, it sort of feels almost normalish now that we're starting to relax and I can sit down at a cafe the other day, went out for dinner. You know, it starts to feel a bit normal. I sort of forget that there is this global pandemic in full flight.

SAM: 07:44
I feel so fortunate at the moment because I haven't got COVID. We live in a great area. Yep, but I feel so sorry for people who have actually firsthand been through the bushfires and also been affected by COVID.

MAX: 07:58
It's crazy because the lot of the area of New South Wales that was affected is tourism area. And even people within New South Wales can't travel within New South Wales until June the 1st.

SAM: 08:07
The year 2020 is gonna be erased from all the history books. All that students, you know, young young students, you know, 10 years old, they're gonna be looking at history books in 2031, they'll be like, ah, 2018, 2019, 2021.

MAX: 08:18
It's not too depressing, just skip it. I know there's a few productions in Australia that are going, and a few planning to come back shortly.

SAM: 08:33
Everyone wants to get back into it, and everything on Star Now is like we don't know what dates because of COVID, but once it's done, we're heading back into it.

MAX: 08:40
And well, I've got I've got two short film projects and the play. Um greenlit, I'm in, ready to go, whenever the new normal happens. So I have a feeling the play will be the last thing to go. Amazing. I've sort of I've sort of started revisiting the script again because I put it down because let's face it, I'm I'm I'm it's it's farce and it's very physical. Yeah. So it's bigger than theatre normally is, and a lot of it is a doing. Yeah. Yeah. So, you know, I wanted to keep this the the the lines somewhat fresh, but not be off book for rehearsal so that I could really work around what feels good and what should what feels funnier. Cool. But then I don't want to, with all the extra time I've been gifted, uh, I don't want to end up off book. And then I'm revising it again, but trying to keep it fresh, not too much. Yeah, yeah, fair enough. I tell you what, it'll be the most it'll be the play I've spent the most time rehearsing for in that I don't want to be too polished for the in-room rehearsals.

SAM: 09:37
Yeah. Does that make sense? No, it makes sense because like like as as we always talk about with Grant as well, like how rehearsals are really important. Like you can do as much as you can at home, but as an actor, you need direction and you and that's the rehearsal process is where you figure stuff out. So something that I have to kind of get over and been working on is that I get frustrated when I don't when someone says something and it's a great idea and I didn't think of it for my character, which is not the right way to do it because rehearsal is a process, it's a team effort that you needed. That's the director's job. You know your character, let the director direct you.

MAX: 10:09
There's no I in team.

SAM: 10:10
There is no I in team.

MAX: 10:12
There is no Sam in team either. Just saying.

SAM: 10:13
No, but there's an M. There's an M. Like Sam. Oh. Oh, sorry. Edit a bit out. For two unemployed hours. So dumb. Um two unemployed random. But yeah, no, honestly. So so yeah, 100% rehearsal. You'll you'll yeah, you work on it in rehearsal, and if you don't have your lines down, it's fine.

MAX: 10:33
I mean, and everyone's got their own approach. I know some people love to turn up and be off book. That helps though, because then you're you're on. But others um wanna want to be familiar with it so they're comfortable with it, but not off book, but because they want to they they're gonna be holding the script because they like to write down the blocking, get familiar with all the blocking stuff.

SAM: 10:50
Well, that's early.

MAX: 10:51
And in a fast, you've got I'm coming in from one door, going into another, saying one line, going into another door, coming back. So there's it's almost like lots of little skits and that helps when you're still together. Because the issue is I'm going through a door for the 30th time. Was this the time when I go to door three, or was it the time? You know what I mean? So there's so much in the physicality. I want to keep it somewhat fresh so that I can it can all sort of gel together.

SAM: 11:15
Well, that's yeah, that's a similar idea that I had for like the last five years because there's only two of us on stage, so you come through everywhere all the time, and you're like, which time is this and that? And and it helps when you get on set and the space and all that stuff.

MAX: 11:27
But I think But we don't have I'm not I know Indie Theatre, I'm not gonna have that luxury until like the paint will be drying the night of the performance, first performance.

SAM: 11:33
But to be fair, I don't touch the door. You'll grab it and you're off.

MAX: 11:37
Um it happened once when I was doing The Odd Couple, and I've gone through the door and I've just about to push it with my shoulder, realising the paint's still wet, I'll use the door handle. Uh which to be fair, the character probably would. And uh and then as I was going through one of the Felix's monologues, whatever, the painting fell off the wall behind me. So I just I just yelled at uh Oscar for being too useful. Nice improv. Um but um worth mentioning.

SAM: 12:00
I personally yeah, I personally love um being off book as soon as I can because once I know all my lines, like muscle memory, then in rehearsal I can experiment character-wise and even like line-wise, like change a few and or like the tone or the inflections. If I'm on book, I feel like I'm not fully dependent. Yeah, yeah. But of course, like early in the process, you can't really help it, can you?

MAX: 12:26
Yeah, no, but uh so I'm looking look, I'm just what's bloody happened now. I'm so excited about this. Because anyway, that being said, there were there was more for John Bell. We we talked for an hour and a half, we being 50 of us and uh 50 up and coming actors and John. Um look, there was some interesting things about how he learnt, you know, alongside uh learnt, I mean, was was part of the Royal Shakespeare company in America in America, in London, with the likes of Helen Mirror and and all that back in the day. Back in the day, he learned a lot trading the boards rather than in a school in the school environment, studying acting. The combination of discipline and technique with the emotional response and truthfulness, so you're not over the top.

SAM: 13:08
Okay.

MAX: 13:08
That and coming up and understanding the text very well, like each word, particularly in Shakespeare. That was really interesting because for those of us who haven't spent a lot of time uh studying, you know, a thousand different ways to act, um to to to be able to get some insight from someone who's quite successfully with with uh you know their life experience uh been able to to perform to acclaim you know some of the most difficult plays. Um Shakespeare.

SAM: 13:35
Very cool.

MAX: 13:36
And and be and being able to learn from amazing people. I think that was I think that was really interesting. I look I had the opportunity to ask a question and I think I kind of accidentally maybe pissed him off a bit.

SAM: 13:47
Oh no, go on. Of course. My question You wouldn't expect anything less from Max.

MAX: 13:52
And it was the first because they sort of said, Oh, open to questions, just pop it in the chat if you want to quit. I'd like I've got a question. Why are you so old? Just parking, just parking my question there. Okay, open for questions. Look, the the way the scene feels at the moment to up-and-coming actors is that there's a large gap between uh independent theatre and the large companies like City Theatre Company and Bell Shakespeare, for example. I don't want to make sure I'm not picking on Bell Shakespeare. Uh for example to John Bell. For example. Uh, and it can seem like it's almost an insurmountable gap to most up-and-coming actors. Is that your perception from your experience and your perspective uh that that gap exists? And if so, what advice would you give up and coming actors to help bridge that gap?

SAM: 14:35
That's a fair enough question. If he got pissed off, he's probably just Is there a gap?

MAX: 14:39
You do you think there's a gap? But the guy like, oh yeah, uh well, I mean, you know, from both sides. Can he hear you? He can hear you. Yeah, oh asked, yeah, what's up, talking to him? And see me. Uh and he's and I said, well, uh, you know, from uh from both sides, like like even from the other side, where you know, do we take a risk on someone who's done short run indie to this demanding role that's eight shows a week, blah, blah, blah. Like it's a quite a it seems like a big leap. And he kind of went, Well, you know, I don't think there's that gap, at least there shouldn't be that gap. He hasn't look, he hasn't been involved in Bell Shakespeare for the last couple of years. Um, and let's be real, when he was up and coming, it was just after they were doing uh radio plays, and he started theatre in that in that era, and and quite a long time ago. Look, at the end of the day, he's right, there shouldn't be a gap, and it should be this egalitarian world, everything's all the same, everyone's got the same opportunity, so talent just rises to the surface. He said that um, you know, they have, they should have, at least when he was with Bell Shakespeare a couple of years ago, uh a general casting a year where you can throw your hat in the ring and maybe get in the room and maybe make an impression and maybe get cast that way. Yeah, a lot of maybes. The usual amount of maybes as actors get, and uh or and and the directors of these plays should be like talent scouts out looking at indie theatre and spotting uh up-and-coming talent.

SAM: 15:57
Yeah, right.

MAX: 15:58
So I think it's the right question because there is a gap. And reinforced by the person who asked the next question, you know, to build on Max's point, blah, blah, blah. And I've asked a couple of people from different sides of the industry, whether it's the people who grant funding, the people who run theatre companies, and yes, there is this gap. And I think I go back to what Mark Morrissey said in a Q ⁇ A a little while ago, that work can be more work. Like if you have in your showreel, for example, lots of scenes from films, whether they be short films, student films, whatever, lots of scenes of you working on set successfully nailing a character in this moment. Great, you're more you're more bankable, you're more reliable. It's easier to see you slide into that film set versus someone who's got uh only monologues, so they're only acting with the camera.

SAM: 16:52
Yeah, okay, so you want variety.

MAX: 16:54
So you've got to have that well, variety, absolutely, but certainly the more that can relate to you working. Um and when it comes to theatre, well, I guess you know, you've got to build up those credits. You've got to you've got to go out there and a yes, invite um casting directors, casting agents, and the like, and industry types that can help you get ahead to your performances and and absolutely be on point and nail your performances and then get another performance after that and keep committing yourself to the theatre if that's your goal to get there. Because if you turn up and say it's an audition for Belle Shakespeare, and you've had two Shakespeare productions uh and you've got two other productions, and well, okay, if you can nail this part and they can see you uh on stage with them, you've probably got more of a leg up than someone who has done a lot of TV Cs, for example. You know what I mean?

SAM: 17:46
Yeah, no hundred percent.

MAX: 17:47
So I think that's kind of where it's netting out for me as to how to bridge that gap.

SAM: 17:53
Okay.

MAX: 17:54
But it's just interesting, you know, the guy is just amazing in his experiences and what he's achieved over the decades, the decades. I mean, to last five minutes in this world, but decades, I think, you know, it's been a long time since he was up and coming. And yeah, we ideally we want everything to be a level playing field, but as we know, whether it's musicals, television auditions, or you know, TV say it's not.

SAM: 18:22
How did you go with your uh casting networks library self-tape thingamajig? Yeah, self-tape library is probably a better way of good question.

MAX: 18:32
Well, I mean, it's because that's what it's called. Uh I I remember because we we we sort of it came out almost the day we were doing the podcast two weeks ago. No, no, it didn't. And and and we were kind of almost all over it, but not really. Like we knew enough to go, we've got to do it, but I um I look I looked into it, and sure enough, you know, I thought, oh, you know, I'm pressed for time, maybe I can pluck something and submit that. But no, I um You didn't do it. I I I did it, I did it. But what I did was I I picked something that was familiar to me that wouldn't require as much commitment because I've been doing lots of voiceovers and stuff. Like but I know enough to know I really want this to sit on a database of the casting guild of Australia where all the casting directors are a member of to be decent, and I can't miss that chance. It's like I've got all these paid stuff for voiceovers, but I want to invest my time and block my time to invest in future opportunities. At least that's what I was telling myself. Nonetheless, I picked a monologue, a favourite of mine, it got me the Party Lipstick uh from The Odd Couple because I'd lived with that script for so long and I love the script. Oh my god. Did you see that? Yeah, I've got light box for those of you listening to the podcast. The light box just got moved to the floor thanks to Frederick's ass. He is a sausage dog, so he doesn't know where it is. To be fair, it's yeah, he doesn't know where his ass is. It's just so far behind. Yeah, but um anyway, well cat well well caught Max. Oh my god, I can't talk today. What's going on? That's not great for a podcast. No, it's not really. Um, so so yeah, so I picked a scene that I was rather familiar with, and I had I had a lot of like I had half a day and I was just going for it in different really going far out in different directions. And then I sort of brought it back a bit and then did one that I thought was okay, I thought was great. And then I went a bit more. What monologue? From lipstick, you think? From from uh no, from lipstick, yeah. I did that in the audition for the for lipstick and it got me the part, so I'm happy with that. So yeah, so and it's relieved to me and I really loved that character and love the script so it made it easier coming back to something that was familiar. And I thought I'd nailed it, and then I thought, oh, what I'll do one more, I'll just push a bit more. And I thought I was going from you know, conservative business person to used car salesman, such a leap. Yeah, and totally fine bottom over the top. But it was it looked it was good, so I kept it. That was the one I submitted. Oh, very cool. So I was really happy with that. I and I did do all their yours was last there, right?

SAM: 20:52
In the age group.

MAX: 20:53
No, there's an older age group than me, thank you very much. The 50 to 59 group.

SAM: 20:58
I apologise.

MAX: 20:59
Which I think they can still submit this week, but uh mine was last week and it was submitted, the 40 to 49 age group, which is fine, it's fine. And uh I'm okay with that. Yeah, okay. So um, yeah, look, I was really happy with with what I did. I didn't have to edit too much. Like I So I'm still getting over how old you're you've got to you've got to hold up the piece of paper with the details, age, agent and casting guild, Australia project for self-tape, blah blah blah. Yeah. And then I went straight into it. No worries. Except when I put it on the edit, I was you know, it's back the front, so I had to flip and then I put aside my intro and then just dropped in my favourite take and edit it nice and tall. Lovely. Yeah, no. Within three minutes and within a hundred meg. Yeah. I think I made mine from a hundred and eighty down to forty seven meg. So that's like completely.

SAM: 21:48
Well J Jess and I Jess and I did a scene. So we did a scene together and we both gave in second same tape. Okay.

MAX: 21:54
Um but it was good. So we did Does one have the camera more on you or something? And one have the camera more on her.

SAM: 21:58
No, it's the exact same take and and

MAX: 22:00
I could just picture like a three camera setup for this.

SAM: 22:03
Yeah. No, we did it with we did it with Grant and it was more of a comedy scene and a couple scene. So it worked really well.

MAX: 22:09
Um and it and it's yeah, hopefully that's good because you're both a couple and you both have a sense of humour, so come on, like it's great. Yeah, yeah. So it's basically like you two just having a coffee.

SAM: 22:18
It was a very cute one. It's about it's kind of about uh what was it about? It was about uh how so we're having a kid and I'm a nervous dad, she's a confident mum in a very basic sense, and I'm worrying about singing the song Ring Around Rosie to our.

MAX: 22:36
We both can't talk today.

SAM: 22:37
Ring around Rosie, something like that. Is that it? Anyway, we were talking I'm worried about what that song means and why we sing it to our child. So I'm like, what it all means. Oh, that's cool. Oh right, okay. Which cult and they all fall down dead. Uh dead. You know, all that stuff. So it's quite good. And Grant suggested to do something like that because a lot of them will be very dramatic, kind of serious. Yeah, that's why I went to comedy.

MAX: 23:01
I think he's right.

SAM: 23:01
Yeah. Um, so that's good, and I hope we get some shizznit out of that.

MAX: 23:06
Yes, whatever happens, some views or some castings are just going, aren't they amazing?

SAM: 23:10
And just and I also went for another for a commercial with McGregor casting. Oh, good. Um, they wanted real couples and real families and real whatever. Right. So nothing.

MAX: 23:17
Oh, too can be within that 1.5 meter. Yeah, yeah. Exactly. Fred and I don't count as a No, no, no.

SAM: 23:23
Of course not.

MAX: 23:24
That'd be weird.

SAM: 23:26
In some countries, don't you? You both sit and watch and drink wine together and two bachelors. Yeah, yeah, yeah. He tries to drink my wine. Anyway, give him his own glass. Back to you. Um, and it's McGregor casting, so they may recognise us from the actor. Oh, yeah, Tom Hitch. Because Kirsty because Kirsty was the one of the judges. So that could be cool. Um, so that's interesting. And yeah, we've just been, I guess there's been heavy sort of something came up today, like an untitled Stan TV series on backstage. Yep. So I applied for that, supporting all because a lot of the lead males are Latino or or Asian or whatever. And I don't fit any of those. Not really. But I'm an actor, you know, I can do whatever you want. Not even in the background with makeup, I still wouldn't know. Um that authenticity, man. But yeah, yeah. So so there's been a couple of auditions here and there, and that's good. It's good to see, it's positive, isn't it?

MAX: 24:17
I've seen that too. I've seen a bit more sort of start to pick up. Exactly. And there's that always that caveat of we're not sure when to film, but we will be filming once we cast at some stage.

SAM: 24:25
And I've started my own design page on Instagram called Folden underscore design. It's called Folden Design. Folder with Folden.

unknown: 24:31
Yeah.

MAX: 24:31
I don't know why I started designed to design it. That's pretty good actually to change it to that.

SAM: 24:34
But I started this Folden Design, so I I've been doing these designs and I want to sell, so I'm selling them as well, so I'll print them and post them. So that's a good way to earn some extra money if you've got to be able to do it.

MAX: 24:43
Yeah, you've got to make your survival job and it's still creative.

SAM: 24:46
It's still creative. Well done. It's not really a survival job because I won't be earning that much, but it'll be yeah, passion job, 100% passion job. Um passion job. You know the movie Snowpiercer? Yes. The series that's coming. The series, but you know the have you seen the film?

MAX: 25:05
I I I tried. I made it to the end, but I think I fast-forwarded a bit.

SAM: 25:09
It's a bit slow and it's a bit odd. Um, it is by um Bung Jun Ho, who did Parasite. Um how did you know? I didn't like Snow Piercer.

MAX: 25:19
I'm just putting it out there right now. It was a bit weird and a bit slow.

SAM: 25:22
Um I think it's a it's a yeah, needle niche taste.

MAX: 25:25
Like I get I get there's different classes, and you put them all together and and this huge, yeah dramatic, you know, under pressure and see how normal people act extraordinarily, etc. But the whole premise of the train just going around and I actually I thought it was quite interesting in the sense that.

SAM: 25:42
What if the who reasons the tracks? Well, yeah. What if a deer fell on the track? That's a fantasy. Okay. Alright. But struggle with fantasy. I like the idea that that it's you can't have a plane because it would freeze because the world is frozen, blah blah blah. Train continually moves, hence it won't freeze to the tracks or whatever. Uh so that's pretty cool. The eternal engine, don't get that.

MAX: 26:02
Eternal engine, but what about the what about the bearings and the wheels that are eternally But the series came out yesterday.

SAM: 26:09
There's a new there's a series about and I do want to start that, see if it's good, see if it's I know that uh it's a similar idea. I think by watching the trailer, it's set ten years before the film is. Okay. So Chris Evans hasn't been born yet. Okay. Um there's a ten-year-old Chris Evans on the book. Yeah. No, um, he's telling a bit. No, yeah, that doesn't actually make any sense. Oh, that's further back. Maybe it's a prequel of a big one. No, because it's seven so what so the TV shows say it's seven years, seven years after the world froze, and the film says 17 years after the f uh the world froze. And they talk about a past rebellion that had happened. So I'm assuming the TV series is about the first rebellion.

MAX: 26:51
So I probably I probably believe a lot believe uh it is fantasy. I probably like the more about how society breaks down rather than this the the the one look at society on the train. Yeah. Or different societies, different levels of society. I don't know. I mean, I kind of got what it was, but I just didn't it's weird.

SAM: 27:08
I mean it's a niche niche, yeah.

MAX: 27:09
It's only for the for the intellectual, but oh my poor brain cells just bounce around going, where's the explosions? No, no, no, that's not it at all. I I look it's just yeah, it was a bit long. I don't know if I can go but please to all of us have a look at the series and let me know what you think. Because it might just get me to watch the series.

SAM: 27:29
One thing that you should a hundred percent watch Defending Jacob. I've spoken about it on the show. Defending Jacob, it's a mini-series on Apple TV Plus. I don't know Apple TV Plus. Yeah, I don't know. Or minus Apple TV. It's a mini-series, only has eight episodes. We've got one more to watch. It comes out this week.

MAX: 27:43
Okay.

SAM: 27:44
It's Jess and I were talking about it.

MAX: 27:46
Check, I've got so many bloody stamps, you know, for viewing things. Exactly. I'll I'll have a look and see if it's a good thing.

SAM: 27:51
Jess and I were talking about it. It is one of, if not the best, TV show we've ever seen. Wow. You are on the edge of your seat.

MAX: 27:57
But then again, you did recommend Hollywood. And I didn't say it was the best thing I've ever seen. I couldn't, I I got through one and a half episodes. I did not say it was the best thing I ever seen. Samaro Eving's in that as well. For the intellectual.

SAM: 28:10
No, but um I did not say it was the best, but Defending Jacob is is you're on the edge of your seat. It's that sort of style, and you kind of like I don't know, do you like Prime kind of boring? That's that sort of stuff. Um it's very good.

MAX: 28:22
Okay. Very good. I will I will see if that's on Stan, Netflix, Amazon Prime. If you hate it, then we obviously just don't. I'll check all of my apps. Check all of them. One thing I was watching on Netflix that dropped recently. Yes. Inhuman resources. Haven't heard of it. It's it's a French television series. I've got a couple episodes to go, but effect essentially, in a nutshell, uh, a guy's been unemployed. He's been, you know, a career um well. Well, he he was in um he was an HR director and 40 years, committed to work life, all that, and then finds himself unemployed for a period of six years. Each year, more and more pressure. The wife's got a job, he's got menial sort of couple of night jobs, but he tells her he's out playing cards with the guys. Like he's he's really proud um and wants desperately to get back, but finds that that ageism thing happening of well, you're too old I want young people to come in. Oh no, yeah. So there's whole all of that going on, that judgment of society. But um, six years looking for a job, an opening comes and he starts to get more and more committed to making it work, doing all these interesting things to find out about people he's competing with, and is that legit or not, or is it justified because of his situation or not? Like it's all it's all this interesting, um interesting premise for him to suddenly do something completely extraordinary all of a sudden that captures everyone's attention and instantly loses him any opportunity to get the job, but that's only like episode three. Oh it is worth a look. Absolutely is it dub interesting. Well, I mean it's not Netflix, you can watch. I mean, I prefer the subtitles because you get so much from the actors. Yeah, the dubs. No. But uh, but look, Inhuman Resources, it dropped just recently on Netflix. I really like it. That's my that's my choice. And I'll look for Defending Jacob. It's my commitment to you.

SAM: 30:14
Have a look. Thank you.

MAX: 30:15
You've been listening to Two Unemployed Actors. I'm Max. I'm Sam. And we will be back next week with another exciting episode. Don't forget to like and subscribe. See ya.

SAM: 30:24
Bye.