TRANSCRIPT
Office Ladies | Episode 259 - An Interview with Wendi McLendon-Covey
Jenna [00:00:04] I'm Jenna Fischer,
Angela [00:00:04] and I'm Angela Kinsey.
Jenna [00:00:06] We were on The Office together
Angela [00:00:07] and we're best friends.
Jenna [00:00:09] And now we're doing the ultimate Office lover's podcast, just for you.
Angela [00:00:14] Each week, we will dive deeper into the world of The Office with exclusive interviews, behind the scenes details, and lots of BFF stories.
Jenna [00:00:21] We're The Office Lady 6.0.
audio cue [00:00:22] musical sting
Jenna [00:00:25] Hello everyone.
Angela [00:00:27] Hi there.
Jenna [00:00:28] Today on Office Lady 6.0, Michael Scott's favorite concierge joins us.
Angela [00:00:32] That's right, it's Wendi McLenden-Covey and she's in the studio with us.
Jenna [00:00:38] I loved this interview.
Angela [00:00:40] Wendi is so hilarious.
Jenna [00:00:42] Well, back when we were breaking down "Business Trip" in Season 5, Wendi sent us some audio clips about her time on the show as Concierge Marie. They were just fantastic. But today, we got to have her in studio with us and she is exactly as fun and funny as you imagine.
Angela [00:01:00] Our breakdown of "Business Trip" is such a fun episode. So if you haven't heard it, it's on our website, OfficeLadies.com. Hot tip (at any point): if you ever wanna go back and listen to an episode, they're all on our website.
Jenna [00:01:12] And Wendi is just fantastic in Business Trip, but she's just crazy talented in every regard. You might recognize her from her role as Beverly over 10 seasons on "The Goldbergs." She was nominated for two Critics' Choice Awards, or maybe you know her as Deputy Clementine Johnson from "Reno 911," the animated show "Big City Greens," and she worked with our fellow office alums; Paul Feig and Ellie Kemper on "Bridesmaids."
Angela [00:01:41] That's right, she was cousin Rita. So funny.
Jenna [00:01:44] And now you can catch her on another hit television show with another member of our Office family, writer-producer Justin Spitzer. She plays hospital administrator Joyce in "St. Dennis Medical" on NBC. And it's so good, you guys.
Angela [00:01:58] It's so Good. The cast is phenomenal. The writing is hilarious. We're watching it and loving it.
Jenna [00:02:04] Yes, I love Allison Tolman. She plays the head nurse. It's a beautiful show. It really is. It is so funny, but then it also really packs a punch. If you're not watching it, I highly, highly recommend.
Angela [00:02:17] You know, I met Allison one time, and she's so nice. We're such fans of hers. Lady, I hope we get a chance to talk to her someday.
Jenna [00:02:24] I am angling to be on St. Dennis Medical.
Angela [00:02:27] Same. In fact, you guys, Jen and I are both pitching ourselves for different roles. Before we go to break, I thought we should have a little refresher about Concierge Marie's scenes. So you guys remember, Michael is really down because Holly was transferred. So David Wallace sends him, Oscar, and Andy to Winnipeg to close a sale. And clearly, this is Michael's first time ever meeting a concierge. He is, in his own words, "blown away." Let's hear it.
audio clip - Andy [00:02:59] Where's the concierge?
audio clip - Michael [00:03:00] Yes, Wallace said there would be one of those.
audio clip - Oscar [00:03:03] Mm, bingo.
audio clip - Andy [00:03:05] Follow moi, bros, here. What about a nice sushi place? Maybe a place with a view?
audio clip - Marie [00:03:13] Matsuki, that's a good one. You may walk there if you wish, or you may take the number 17 bus until nine o'clock. Other than that, you can take the taxi and the number is right there.
audio clip - Michael [00:03:28] I'm blown away by this. This is great, thank you.
audio clip - Andy [00:03:35] One final question. Where might you find yourself on a Winnipeg night like tonight?
audio clip - Marie [00:03:41] The Huntsman is good.
audio clip - Andy [00:03:43] The Huntsman.
audio clip - Marie [00:03:44] Down here, the financial district.
Jenna [00:03:49] Michael is so easily impressed, it's so cute.
Angela [00:03:53] I know, he's enamored by all of it: the travel, the hotel, the concierge.
Jenna [00:03:59] And the way Wendi is playing the concierge, it's just, so rote. Like, how many times has she recommended these restaurants?
Angela [00:04:08] And got out the map and drawn the arrow,
Jenna [00:04:12] And talked about the bus.
Angela [00:04:12] Yes, well as the night goes on they have drinks and Michael continues to be very impressed.
audio clip - Michael [00:04:19] How about this one? It's Christmas Eve.
audio clip - Marie [00:04:21] Mhm.
audio clip - Michael [00:04:22] And everything is closed, and you need to get some dry cleaning done. 12 o'clock, midnight. Where do you go? What do you do? What do ya do? Come on.
audio clip - Marie [00:04:31] Astro Cleaners on St. James Place is the only place that is open on that day.
audio clip - Michael [00:04:37] Unbelievable. Unbelievable!
Jenna [00:04:40] Michael is, he is so turned on by her knowledge.
Angela [00:04:43] Unbelievable! She knows where the dry cleaners are. At any point of any day, she knows where you can go.
Jenna [00:04:51] I love this episode, I love the storylines so much, and I loved our conversation with Wendi. She's a really special person and she shared a lot. I can't wait for everyone to hear it.
Angela [00:05:03] Same lady. Well, let's take a break and when we come back, Wendi is in the studio.
audio cue [00:05:07] musical sting
Angela [00:05:18] Woohoo!
Jenna [00:05:19] Wendiiiii
Wendi [00:05:20] You guys!
Angela [00:05:21] What's upppp?
Wendi [00:05:22] Oh, my head's gonna explode with happiness.
Angela [00:05:25] Just pure joy.
Wendi [00:05:27] Just pure joy, yeah.
Jenna [00:05:27] I've been so looking forward to this.
Wendi [00:05:29] I have been looking forward to it as well and now it's happening and I can't believe I'm looking at you! Lady.
Angela [00:05:35] Lady, so much emotion.
Jenna [00:05:38] When you got here, we were reflecting on the last time we saw one another in person, because you were on The Office, but we were not in your scenes.
Wendi [00:05:46] Right.
Jenna [00:05:46] And so you remembered the last time we each other, will you share?
Wendi [00:05:51] It was called the Fur Ball.
Jenna [00:05:53] Mm-hmm.
Wendi [00:05:53] And it was a kitty rescue fundraiser, and you were one of the hosts, I believe.
Jenna [00:06:00] Yes, yes, I've worked with kitten rescue (who puts on that fundraiser) for years.
Wendi [00:06:08] That's one of the many reasons why I love you guys, is because you care about the little creatures.
Jenna [00:06:12] We do.
Angela [00:06:12] Yes, and so do you, because if you follow you on Instagram, Wendi, you know your love of critters.
Wendi [00:06:18] I'm always feeding something.
Jenna [00:06:20] And that giant hawk, what was that thing?
Wendi [00:06:23] They are all around our neighborhood, and the carnage that happens in our flower beds is not pretty.
Jenna [00:06:32] We were doing an edit session recently, and out my window (remember, Cassi, Angela, we were on Zoom?) and all of a sudden, a bird exploded in front of my window. I think it's because a big hawk came down.
Angela [00:06:48] Dive-bombed it. That's happened in my backyard. Just a confetti of feathers.
Wendi [00:06:53] Oh, god.
Jenna [00:06:54] It was very startling.
Wendi [00:06:55] And there's nothing you can do.
Angela & Jenna, in unison [00:06:56] Nothing.
Angela [00:06:56] That is just mother nature sorting some stuff out. But it's a little brutal to watch.
Wendi [00:07:02] Yeah.
Angela [00:07:03] I didn't know we were going to start this way.
Wendi [00:07:05] Hi, everybody.
Angela [00:07:07] I was about to tell a story about when I watched a squirrel eat a hummingbird, and that I didn't realize squirrels eat hummingbirds. Then, I decided not to tell it. Now I'm saying it out loud. Sorry about that.
Wendi [00:07:20] Listen, nature is disgusting and I prefer it when nature stays outside.
Angela [00:07:25] Keep it outside. Do your thing outside.
Jenna [00:07:27] Keep it out side, nature.
Angela [00:07:29] But Fur Ball is a great, great event, and we were all there.
Wendi [00:07:34] Yes, it was really fun.
Angela [00:07:34] I still have a teapot I bid on at that auction.
Wendi [00:07:37] Really?
Angela [00:07:37] And it's a cat, and the head comes off, and then you put it on, and the water comes out its mouth. So he's like, "Mew."
Wendi [00:07:44] Oh my goodness.
Jenna [00:07:46] So funny.
Angela [00:07:47] It's so adorable.
Wendi [00:07:48] I hope you use it all the time.
Angela [00:07:50] Only for my friends when they come over. So Wendi, when you come over, get ready.
Wendi [00:07:56] [sing-song] I'll remember that you said that.
Angela [00:07:57] Okay, okay. Wendi, we know that you sent in some audio clips when we broke down your episode, "Business Trip," but we're just so excited to have you in studio. Will you tell us again, the story of how you got your job on The Office?
Wendi [00:08:14] Yes, it was kind of crazy. I had just been fired off a movie that I had auditioned for, I had done all these things. They flew me out to Michigan. I was there one night, got in the passenger van to go to set and the money guy decided I was not pretty enough to do the role. So I was put on a plane, crying, to go right back to LA.
Angela [00:08:41] Wait. You are in the van, you get to set, and they say, "I'm sorry. That's it?"
Wendi [00:08:47] "Don't go to your dressing room."
Angela [00:08:49] Holy crap.
Jenna [00:08:51] That is so brutal.
Wendi [00:08:52] It was pretty brutal, and yet a blessing, because that movie went nowhere.
Jenna [00:08:57] Okay.
Wendi [00:08:58] And I would have had to be in Michigan for seven weeks, waiting to film for only five days.
Angela [00:09:04] Oh...
Wendi [00:09:05] Five intermittent days. Yeah.
Angela [00:09:08] Oh no, come on.
Wendi [00:09:09] So that's fine. That's how the universe works. You know, sometimes you're in the wrong place and something horrible has to happen to get you in the right place. So when I land in L.A., look at my phone and my phone's blowing up because I had gotten an offer to do The Office, the next day. So thank God I got fired, right? Because nobody saw that movie, but everybody saw this.
Jenna [00:09:33] That's right.
Angela [00:09:33] Can you say the movie?
Jenna [00:09:34] You don't have to. You know what? We're gonna do a special podcast called "Office Ladies: burn it to the ground" when we're in our late 60's, and you can come back
Wendi [00:09:42] And then I'll name all the names. Definitely.
Angela [00:09:45] Because we have some stories to tell, but we're putting them in our pocket for a few years.
Wendi [00:09:49] That's smart. That's very smart.
Angela [00:09:51] When we're really old and give zero F's, we're going to burn it down.
Wendi [00:09:55] I like that. I'll bring the tequila for that episode. So anyway, my whole thing was with Steve Carell, and we were in Winnipeg. So I didn't get to meet you guys.
Jenna [00:10:08] Yeah.
Angela [00:10:08] [sadly] I know.
Wendi [00:10:09] Which was stinky. So we're filming at a hotel somewhere in LA. Yeah, in downtown LA, Kate Flannery drove by and said hello. So that's so nice. So it was on a Friday, the weekend goes on. Monday I come back and during lunch, I'm in my trailer eating, I get a call that I'm not going to be on Reno anymore.
Jenna [00:10:35] Wait, what?!
Wendi [00:10:36] So I am sobbing in my trailer.
Jenna [00:10:43] That's when you found out?
Wendi [00:10:43] So I was like, "Well, now I'm going to get fired from this job because I can't collect myself." It was terrible. But the experience was so fun, and Steve Carell is a doll. I love the way the episode turned out. I'm in my full uniform, but no shoes on, kicking him out. What did we do in there?
Jenna [00:11:09] Cause you've dressed already.
Wendi [00:11:10] I got dressed in a hurry to throw his shoes out the door. Was I just on a break and had to go back down to my desk? I don't know.
Jenna [00:11:17] We want to know how where that hotel room came from. I guess you set that up. Concierge Marie would have access. You didn't go to his room.
Wendi [00:11:26] No, it was my little lair or something. Yeah.
Angela [00:11:30] Yeah, you know how at hotels they have that room; where if you have a layover and you're like, "Hey Can I just go shower somewhere?" And then there's that room?
Jenna [00:11:38] There is?
Angela [00:11:39] Yes!
Wendi [00:11:40] Yeah.
Jenna [00:11:39] I don't know about the layover room. I've never heard this.
Angela [00:11:43] I did this, once. I had a layover and I got a room, just for a few hours, so I could shower. Yes, you can do this.
Jenna [00:11:50] What hotel chain was it?
Angela [00:11:52] Well, it was right off the airport
Jenna [00:11:53] Oh sure, sure, yeah, okay.
Wendi [00:11:55] But I used to work at a hotel as well, and everybody knows, like, "Okay, let me look it up. Oh, there's a room on the corner that nobody's in. If you wanna go have a hookup." And the employees would do this. Disgusting, but yes, they would do that, so.
Angela [00:12:12] That's some good hospitality gossip.
Wendi [00:12:13] Yeah. Ugh. Very unsavory.
Jenna [00:12:17] What did you do in the hotel business?
Wendi [00:12:19] I was a secretary, back when they called them secretaries. Then I became a sales person for corporate sales. I tried to get people to come and stay in our shitty little hotel. I'm sorry, can I swear?
Jenna [00:12:34] You can.
Angela [00:12:35] Yes.
Wendi [00:12:35] Okay, I worked at a place near Disneyland. It was the third worst Ramada in Anaheim. It was just far enough- It was literally across train tracks from the rest of...
Angela [00:12:49] Where everyone goes to stay.
Wendi [00:12:51] Yeah, where tourist Anaheim turns into industrial Anaheim. So this was basically a trucker hotel, but we were trying to make it into a destination property. It was terrible.
Jenna [00:13:02] This sounds like another series you could star in.
Angela [00:13:06] How do you put a bow on that? That's a tough sell.
Wendi [00:13:10] We put a waterfall in the front.
Angela [00:13:12] Hey.
Jenna [00:13:12] How'd that go?
Wendi [00:13:13] To really offset the fact that we didn't have hallways, it was just outside corridors. Next to the rock-breaking factory, or like, the gravel factory. It was horrible, but boy did we try.
Angela [00:13:28] I read, though, that when you were doing that, you would then drive 35 miles to LA to take classes at the Groundlings.
Wendi [00:13:40] Yup. And I'm still too stubborn to leave that area. So I'm down in Long Beach. I've never left.
Angela [00:13:45] Oh my gosh.
Jenna [00:13:47] Oh my goodness.
Angela [00:13:47] You drove all the way here from Long Beach?
Wendi [00:13:50] That's because I'm too stubborn to leave. My parents are nearby, my mother-in-law is nearby, everybody's nearby, I'm not leaving.
Angela [00:13:57] Yeah.
Wendi [00:13:57] But yes, could I make it more difficult? I guess I could if I moved to San Diego, but yeah, it's a haul.
Angela [00:14:05] Listen, if my family lived somewhere here, I'd be where they are. They're just all the way in Texas, and so I can't. But I get that. Well, thank you so much for driving so far to be with us today.
Wendi [00:14:18] Of course!
Angela [00:14:18] I had no idea.
Wendi [00:14:19] No, I'm honored. Are you kidding?
Angela [00:14:21] But wow. So you were doing that drive to go take classes at the Groundlings?
Wendi [00:14:25] And sometimes we would get so nervous that we would just drive right past and go home.
Angela [00:14:29] Stop it. You'd make it all the way to Melrose and just...
Wendi [00:14:33] I'd be like, "I can't! I can't right now! Turn it around!" Yeah, I was too nervous.
Angela [00:14:38] I took classes there. What year were you there, Wendi?
Wendi [00:14:40] I started in '97, and you know how long it used to take. It would take like two years because the waiting list was so long.
Angela [00:14:50] I think we bounced around, around the same time.
Jenna [00:14:53] What is your actor-y backstory? Wendi, where are you from and how did you get here? Are you from Long Beach originally?
Wendi [00:15:00] Yeah, that's the only place I've ever lived. I never went away to school. I'm very boring.
Angela [00:15:06] You're born and raised Long Beach, Long Beach!
Wendi [00:15:09] Long Beach, yeah.
Jenna [00:15:10] When did you get the acting bug or the comedy bug?
Wendi [00:15:14] Very early in life, but I didn't start really pursuing it in earnest until I got married at 26. Cause my husband was like, 'Yeah, do it, do, I believe you can do this." No one else in my life thought I could. So he was working a couple of jobs while I was taking classes at the Groundlings and he would sit there and let me cut wigs on him and run lines with me and all this stuff. So I did the groundlings a lot. I took classes at South Coast Rep, but I didn't go through the whole rep program. And then I just figured, "Well, I'll stay in this Groundlings until they vote me out" because that's how it works there.
Angela [00:15:55] I didn't make it that far.
Wendi [00:15:57] How far did you go?
Angela [00:15:58] Lab, is before you go to the next thing and then I got put on a list of repeat lab, and I just never went back. I went to Improv Olympic. I started doing long-form improv, the Herald at Improv Olympic, while I was on the wait list, thinking I would always go back. Like, "Oh, I'll do this while I wait," and then I just met my people, and I loved it. Then, I just stayed there and rode that out, and I was still doing shows there, even when The Office started. That's where I met Kate Flannery, because we were in a show together called "Bitch Planet."
Wendi [00:16:31] Oh, whattttt? Oh my god, I bet that was edgy.
Angela [00:16:36] Sunday's at 10 PM. No parking.
Wendi [00:16:41] Don't you miss those days though? Like, it was so fun.
Angela [00:16:44] It was so fun.
Wendi [00:16:45] Doing these silly little shows and begging people to come and getting so many parking tickets. But yeah, so I...
Angela [00:16:54] So you were gonna just stay there and ride it out?
[00:16:56] Yeah, and when my time's up, my time is up. But then I got in the company, which was nice. But then, I started working and I couldn't do as many shows as I wanted to. But that's how that happened. Then I was very frustrated because I thought, "Well, maybe I started this too late. I'm not really getting anywhere. I don't have an agent." Everybody would be in the dressing room talking about all the auditions they were going on. And I was like, "I didn't even get a phone call because I don't have anyone repping me."
Angela [00:17:26] Yeah.
Wendi [00:17:27] Anyway, so I subbed for someone in a show and that's how I got discovered to go audition for Reno, and that worked out.
Angela [00:17:39] How old were you when you got Reno?
Wendi [00:17:41] I was probably 32.
Jenna [00:17:44] Does that feel kind of like a big milestone break? Like, things really changed after that.
Wendi [00:17:51] Yeah. That was a big deal
Jenna [00:17:51] It's so funny, Wendi, I'm such a fan.
Wendi [00:17:55] Thank you. But it was basic cable. No one thought... I mean, it was like just going and doing arts and crafts with your friends, you know?
Angela [00:18:06] But I feel like people keep finding it, don't you?
Wendi [00:18:10] It's never been off the air, yeah. Like your show will never be off the air.
Jenna [00:18:14] Yeah.
Wendi [00:18:14] So people keep coming to it in waves and it's always a new discovery. Is it coming back? Is The Office coming back?
Jenna [00:18:25] In a new form, yeah. The documentary film crew has found a new subject and it's a small newspaper company
Angela [00:18:34] That's kind of dying, this newspaper and the industry.
Wendi [00:18:39] Yeah.
Jenna [00:18:39] So the idea is that it's the same people who made the documentary of Dunder Mifflin are making this documentary of the small paper company, and following the employees the way they did before. But it's not our characters. Pam Beasley doesn't show up or anything.
Wendi [00:18:57] Oh, gotcha. OK.
Angela [00:18:57] Yeah, so the through line is the documentary crew, not the people from Dunder Mifflin.
Jenna [00:19:02] Yeah.
Wendi [00:19:02] Oh, that's interesting.
Jenna [00:19:04] I feel like Reno 911 also has the benefit of being very like... You can make really fun clips out of it. It pops up on my Instagram all the time. I mean, how many times have I seen your bit where you're doing the- You know what I'm gonna say probably,
Angela [00:19:20] The dancing DUI pullover.
Wendi [00:19:23] The DUI thing, yeah. That was one of the first things I ever did for that show.
Jenna [00:19:28] Really?
Wendi [00:19:29] Which is crazy.
Angela [00:19:31] Oh, that lives everywhere.
Wendi [00:19:33] That lives everywhere. You guys remember when Quibi came out, right?
Jenna [00:19:38] Oh sure.
Wendi [00:19:40] So we got resurrect it a little bit and because of that, we did a bunch of other episodes. That folded while we were on set. But the checks were clearing.
Angela [00:19:53] Quibi went out of business?
Wendi [00:19:54] It went out of business whilst we were filming, but we just kept going, because we figured, "Well, someone's gonna pick it up." So then we knocked out a bunch of episodes and two more movies. So it's the gift that keeps giving. I mean, I'm thrilled that I get to hang out and play with my friends, but it's just weird how things are cyclical like that. I don't know, it's very fun.
Angela [00:20:21] Well, I have a question for you. It comes from Christine M. in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She says, "For this episode, did you have to handle a lot of Steve Carell's ad-libbing? And if so, do you recall which was the scene that was the hardest for you to get through? Did you guys break?"
Wendi [00:20:41] I don't remember breaking. I do remember him ad-libbing a little bit while while he was just asking questions because he was so thrilled to be with a concierge.
Angela [00:20:53] And her vast knowledge of where you can get your dry cleaning done.
Wendi [00:20:57] Of Winnipegian hotspots. After I visited Winnipeg, that whole thing became so much more funny to me because there's just nothing there. But I remember thinking, "Don't break, because you are lucky to be here. So do not break."
Angela [00:21:19] And Steve never breaks.
Wendi [00:21:21] He never breaks!
Angela [00:21:22] He never breaks, and Oscar never breaks, and you had to be in scenes with both of them. Ed Helms will break.
Jenna [00:21:28] Ed does.
Angela [00:21:29] Yeah, but those two are like statues.
Wendi [00:21:32] And Oscar is a machine.
Angela [00:21:34] Yeah.
Wendi [00:21:34] Because he had a recurring thing on Reno, and he would say these things and I would be having a nosebleed trying not to laugh. I'm going to have an aneurysm if I can't let this out. When someone raises the bar like that, you just can't. And I'm a giggler. But damn it, I'm not going to do it. I'm no going to ruin a take.
Angela [00:21:57] Well, we've shared that we had to stop making eye contact with Steve. So I don't know if you can really track where our eyes were, but I would look at his neck. Because if I looked in his eyes, I was a goner.
Wendi [00:22:10] That surprises me, because you two were so in the moment. I don't know. I'm very surprised to hear that you guys are breakers.
Jenna [00:22:17] There's a lot of footage that they have for the blooper reel, with me and Angela, because we would crack up a lot.
Angela [00:22:28] Well, we couldn't be next to each other. It was that sort of cumulative thing. Because if I even felt her shoulder, I'd be like, "[big, goofy laughing sounds]."
Jenna [00:22:37] [laughing]
Angela [00:22:38] So then they just started putting us apart.
Jenna [00:22:41] I feel like Concierge Marie and Pam have a similar thing, which is that we had to play it totally straight against Steve's zaniness. We had to just, like, stare at him. You stare at him so well. But why do you think she hooked up with him? We actually got a question about it. Here, somebody said-
Angela [00:23:06] Oh yeah, a few people wrote in.
Jenna [00:23:07] Tara F. From Tustin, California said, "I need to understand more about Concierge Marie. Why was she in the bar alone? Why is she attracted to Michael? Was she having a bad day at the concierge desk and Michael made her feel seen?"
Angela [00:23:22] Well, there is this moment...
Wendi [00:23:24] Yes, to all of that. You nailed it!
Angela [00:23:27] There is a moment when you go back and rewatch it when he says, after meeting Concierge Marie, that if you ever get to meet a concierge, it is intoxicating. The camera rack focus and pushes in on you and you look bored out of your fucking mind. You were just like, "Ugggggh."
Jenna [00:23:45] It's so great. It's perfect.
Wendi [00:23:48] I think the listener who asked that question really nailed it. Again, in hotels, I used to see employees just drinking alone. You know, when you don't have anything to do and you can't make the drive home before you get a drink. You gotta get a drink at 5:01, you know what I mean?
Jenna [00:24:11] I mean, and the bar is right there.
Wendi [00:24:14] It's right there and you get a discount and something might happen, you know? I think it was boredom. I think, it was like, "Well, there are worse things I could be doing." But then listen, she threw his shoes out into the hall.
Angela [00:24:30] I think it didn't go well, once they got behind that door.
Wendi [00:24:33] Empty calories, you know?
Jenna [00:24:37] Um, did you do a little bit of a Canadian accent for Concierge Marie? We got mail and I think I heard it.
Wendi [00:24:43] Well, I was trying to do how I hear it. That French Canadian accent is a little nasal. Like, it's clipped in a weird way. Now, maybe I just sounded like someone with a speech impediment, but that's how I hear that accent. So, I don't know. I'm not saying it was good, I'm saying that I did that, yeah.
Angela [00:25:10] No, I liked it. I one time did a press junket in Montreal, and the gal that showed us around had sort of a similar sound. It was kind of a way she went up on the end of her words. Yeah. I thought it was great.
Wendi [00:25:29] Thank you. I'll put that on my special skills section.
Angela [00:25:32] Put it right next to roller skating and...
Jenna [00:25:37] Did you have special skills? Like, back in the day when you had that resume, what were your special skills?
Wendi [00:25:43] I am a pretty good roller skater. That's not a joke.
Angela [00:25:47] I am too!
Wendi [00:25:47] I love roller skating.
Angela [00:25:49] I love roller skating!
Wendi [00:25:51] What kind of skates do you have?
Angela [00:25:53] Girl, I got my roller skates, holy crap, in the 90's in Huntington Beach at a roller skating shop that I'm sure doesn't even exist anymore. They're the old brown suede.
Wendi [00:26:06] [reverently] Stop.
Angela [00:26:07] I'm on my, I don't know, third set of wheels and they're the wide ones because I like to be outside on my skates. Indoor skates are more slick, and that's fine. I'll go to a roller rink, that's fine, but I like the wheels that are made for outside. Then I have the big front stopper on the front.
Wendi [00:26:31] Oh, that's smart.
Angela [00:26:31] And then I have a little one on the back. I don't use it as much.
Wendi [00:26:34] You have one on back?
[00:26:35] Yeah, that you can drag if you're going...
Wendi [00:26:39] Oh wow.
Angela [00:26:39] I know.
Wendi [00:26:40] That's hardcore.
Angela [00:26:41] But I don't use it very often.
Wendi [00:26:44] I have some pink suede Moxi's.
Angela [00:26:47] Oh Moxi's, those are nice. I mean I have a few other pairs too. I have some sparkly ones that Jessica Simpson sent me. Did you know she made roller skates?
Jenna [00:26:56] I did not.
Wendi [00:26:57] My mind is blown.
Jenna [00:27:00] Ladies, can I say something right now? Is there like a movie that is part improv where you play sisters who roller skate? Is this meant to be?
Wendi [00:27:13] Oh my gosh. Jenna, you are on to something.
Jenna [00:27:16] Right, I'm seeing it. I'm having a vision.
Angela [00:27:19] I don't know. I mean, I will come skate through the halls of St. Dennis Medical with you.
Wendi [00:27:24] And we want this.
Angela [00:27:26] You do.
Wendi [00:27:27] Look at you.
Angela [00:27:28] Look at us. We should be skating together.
Wendi [00:27:30] We should be.
Angela [00:27:31] Okay, sorry. I got very excited. I got excited about roller skating.
audio cue [00:27:35] musical sting
Jenna [00:27:45] You know, speaking of St. Dennis Medical, we got a lot of letters from people who are fans of the show, and of you specifically. We have started watching it. We love it.
Angela [00:27:55] So good.
Wendi [00:27:56] Thank you.
Jenna [00:27:57] Like, love.
Angela [00:27:57] What a phenomenal cast.
Wendi [00:27:58] Thank you, yes.
Jenna [00:28:00] You just got picked up for season two. Congratulations.
Wendi [00:28:03] Thank you, thank you.
Jenna [00:28:04] What can you tell us about working on it?
Wendi [00:28:07] You guys know Justin Spitzer, and he is the loveliest man.
Jenna [00:28:14] So wonderful.
Angela [00:28:15] Such a nice person.
Wendi [00:28:16] Such a sweetheart. For your listeners that have watched St. Dennis, Justin was in our episode where we had a performer come and do something for our pediatrics ward, and he's the one that did a somersault and juggled and then walked off stage. That was our Justin.
Jenna [00:28:35] Um, I need to ask you about, in the very first episode, where you do a cartwheel.
Angela [00:28:43] And everyone makes an audible gasp.
Wendi [00:28:45] Yes.
Jenna [00:28:46] Was that scripted?
Wendi [00:28:47] No.
Jenna [00:28:48] You just can do cartwheels? I'm so impressed. I can't do a cartwheel, at my age.
Wendi [00:28:53] You can!
Jenna [00:28:54] Can I?
Wendi [00:28:55] If you just decide to do it, then you do it. Because what had been told to me, by our showrunner Eric, he came in and whispered in my ear, "Just be a real cheerleader about it." So I said, "OK, I used to be a cheerleader, so that's what I'll do." So that's how I interpreted it. He said later, "Well, that's not what I meant, but that was funny."
Jenna [00:29:22] I mean, you really went for it.
Wendi [00:29:23] Yeah, I went for it.
Angela [00:29:24] But you do sell it.
Wendi [00:29:26] Well, listen, when you are trying to motivate a staff because you did something really dumb, like buy a mammogram machine that you can't afford. A: we can't afford it and B: oh yeah, I have to plug it in and I don't know if we can handle all this stuff. You're gonna do anything to divert away from your stupidity, right? So she's being a cheerleader. She's trying to get everybody out there. "Come on, let's be happy. Let's put on our game faces and heal some people."
Jenna [00:29:58] It's so great but it also breaks your heart sometimes, it gets really real (in a way that is something that I always loved about The Office, too). There was that undercurrent of real.
Angela [00:30:12] Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
Wendi [00:30:13] Oh yeah, I've cried so many tears watching The Office, because there's always something at the end that's like... It's just a look, or a turn of phrase where you're like, "Oh that got me, these are real people. This is a real situation." Work families are important. You spend more time with your work family than you do with your real family, unfortunately.
Angela [00:30:38] Even in the pilot, Allison Tolman's character- I met Allison one time, we both went to the same university, not at the same time. I know, I'm a dinosaur.
Wendi [00:30:48] Stop it. Stop it, you're very young.
Angela [00:30:50] But she is so talented and she's struggling throughout her day to try to make it to her daughter's play, right? And boy, did I feel that. I felt that so hard.
Jenna [00:31:04] I felt it viscerally; the stakes, and I think that's what I like about the show is that there are real stakes. But then it's so incredibly funny. I mean, what a gift.
Wendi [00:31:18] It was pretty delicious when I read that pilot script. It was like, "Yeah, I think I gotta do this. This is funny."
Angela [00:31:27] So funny. And I have to ask you about working with Steve Little because I worked with him as well, on "Haters Back Off." I told Jenna this when I was doing that show at the time, maybe of all the other times I've laughed so hard (which would have been in a conference room in The Office when Steve Carell was doing his thing and we could all barely keep it together), the second hardest I've ever laughed on a set was with Steve Little. When him and I had this weird romance and we had a date in a bathtub but there was no water in a bath tub. Anyway, it was ridiculous. But he is so funny. He's so amazing.
Wendi [00:32:06] He is so funny and he was my good luck charm at The Groundlings. He really was, in The Sunday Company. If I was struggling, I knew if I write something with Steve it will get on stage and it will be a hit. I knew this and I just love that guy. I try to bring him wherever I am. Wherever I can shove him in, I try to do that. We did a dramatic film and played husband and It's called "Blush." It was a little festival film, but he's such a gift. You know how sometimes you recommend people and you think, "Oh God, maybe I shouldn't have done that. Maybe, I hope they don't embarrass me or anything." Every time I recommend him, I get thank you calls from people like, "Oh, he just elevated everything we did." He is so great. I love that you love him. He's a good guy.
Angela [00:33:02] Wendi, I can't believe we haven't discussed your kissing scene with Steve Carell, where Michael and Concierge Marie are just making out in an alley at night. What is going on?
Wendi [00:33:15] Which was delightful. I highly recommend it. He is a good kisser. For the audience at home, one thing that you don't want to be doing (and I'm sure you guys have experienced this when you've had to make out with people on different sets) is like, sometimes, how do I want to say this? There's an unspoken thing of, like, don't shove your tongue in somebody's mouth. Just make it look like you're chomping.
Jenna [00:33:43] Stage kissing.
Wendi [00:33:44] Stage kissing, some people don't know how to do that. You leave going, "Oh gross, what am I gonna, oh God. I gotta go to the doctor right away."
Angela [00:33:58] "Where's the mouthwash?"
Wendi [00:34:00] "Where's the pine-sol?" I don't now. But yeah, he was delightful and it was quick and dirty, and it wasn't uncomfortable at all. You always feel weird when you're married and someone else is married. It's a character thing, but still you don't want to.
Jenna [00:34:16] And you've never met before. So you're just like, "Hi, nice to meet you."
Wendi [00:34:21] "Nice to make out with you." Yeah.
Jenna [00:34:23] I did a kissing scene with a very famous, and handsome, actor once. I went to do the scene, and the way they kissed me was really odd.
Angela [00:34:40] [laughing] Oh, no!
Jenna [00:34:44] It was like- I'm gonna do it for you guys, but nobody can see it. [demonstrating with her face]
Wendi [00:34:49] Oh, like he was eating a steak.
Jenna [00:34:51] A little bit, like a person really pursing the lips out.
Angela [00:34:56] This is like a horse going for a carrot, that's what I'm seeing.
Jenna [00:35:00] Yes, thank you, yes.
Angela [00:35:01] A horse when it nibbles at something.
Jenna [00:35:02] And I was like, "That is so weird. I have seen this person kiss in other things, and it always looks real smoldering." So I went home, and I told Lee about it and he said to me, "You know what? I bet this looks killer on camera." Because of course, he's seeing it as a director, right? And I said, "Do you think so?" So we got out a phone, and we kissed (me and my husband) the way we would normally kiss. The one that gives us all the feels. Then we filmed ourselves doing the weird kiss.
Wendi [00:35:40] Right.
Jenna [00:35:41] And we watched it back and my husband was right.
Wendi [00:35:45] [gasping] Really?
Jenna [00:35:45] The weird lip kiss thing looked so sensual and amazing, but to do it was not at all fun, or would never lead me to want to in real life...
Wendi [00:35:59] It would lead you to leaving.
Jenna [00:36:02] Correct. We were stunned and then when I saw it on screen, I was like, "Oh."
Wendi [00:36:07] Really?
Angela [00:36:09] I have two thoughts, as this story is washing over me. One is, wouldn't you maybe just give someone a heads up, like, "Hey, I'm going to kiss you. It's kind of an over-pronounced kiss. Just get ready for it. I promise it looks good on camera." So then you're prepared. Because otherwise, what's it like on the receiving end of the horse bite?
Jenna [00:36:32] Listen, it was one of those things where, like in Wendi's situation, it was a one-day job. I had to show up, I had kiss somebody, I had get out of here.
Wendi [00:36:41] But that's very interesting, the weird chomping carrot eating street corn eating thing that looks good on screen.
Jenna [00:36:51] Looks super hot.
Wendi [00:36:53] You tested this in your own laboratory, which I appreciate.
Angela [00:36:57] It is test proven.
Wendi [00:36:58] That's amazing.
Jenna [00:37:00] Go home and try it, everybody.
Wendi [00:37:01] I'm gonna.
Angela [00:37:04] Wendi, I want you to know, this morning with my cup of tea and my robe, under my blanket with all my weird rescue animals, I watched this YouTube clip called "Best of Rita from Bridesmaids."
Wendi [00:37:19] Ohhhh, yeah.
Angela [00:37:20] I was laughing so hard. My husband's an early riser. I'm not. He's already been to the gym and the grocery store, and he's coming in, all gym sweaty. And I'm sitting on the couch in my robe with a cup of tea surrounded by animals, laughing my ass off and it's early. He's like, "What are you doing?" And I was like, "I'm just watching Wendi. Like, the outtakes." You say this line, which is what made me think of this. You say to Ellie's character, you're talking about being married and having sex and stuff. She says, "So you guys don't really have sex anymore?" And you were like. "Oh no. We have sex all the time. He hasn't kissed me in five years," and it just cracked me up. But yeah, those are so delicious, those outtakes from Bridesmaids.
Wendi [00:38:13] Thank you.
Angela [00:38:13] That looked like so much fun.
Wendi [00:38:16] I forgot about that. That was very fun. You guys got to work with the glorious Ellie. Who I have not seen in 12 years. But she seems to be doing well.
Angela [00:38:30] She's doing great. She's the sweetest. But it looked like they just set the camera up and let it roll on the two of you. How many times you guys riff different things. It's just brilliant. It's brilliant comedy.
Jenna [00:38:43] And Paul Feig was such a big part of The Office, as well.
Wendi [00:38:47] And Paul dresses so well that you feel like, "Well, I have to listen to you."
Angela [00:38:51] I know.
Wendi [00:38:51] "You're the best dressed person here."
Angela [00:38:53] He is the best dressed person I know in my life, consistently best dressed.
Wendi [00:38:58] I wish I had that kind of confidence in myself, or I don't know how to even say it. I wish that I cared that much, to get up and put on an outfit.
Angela [00:39:06] Yeah, just the willpower to make it happen every day is kind of amazing.
Wendi [00:39:12] Amazing.
Jenna [00:39:14] Well, as we are getting ready to wrap up here, we're gonna ask you our call sheet questions. But you've been in so many things, Wendi. Is there anything that stands out to you, a favorite memory or project or person you've worked with? I mean, there's so many.
Wendi [00:39:34] Listen, I'm so lucky that I got to have George Segal as my dad.
Angela [00:39:39] Mmm.
Wendi [00:39:42] For eight seasons on The Goldbergs. I was so lucky that I got to do that job at all. I don't have kids. I got to have kids and get that out of my system. I got to live through the 80's again, and I got to work with probably 200 of the most amazing people that I will ever meet in my life. That was such a blessing but having George Segal, the legend, be my dad. I got to stare into those big blue eyes on camera. I will be eternally grateful that I got to do that. That was really fun for me.
Angela [00:40:29] And that show was 10 seasons?
Wendi [00:40:31] Yeah.
Angela [00:40:32] I mean, I feel like we talk about this because a lot of life happens in that amount of time. You really do become a family, the cast and crew.
Wendi [00:40:44] You guys know, so many marriages, divorces, people getting sober, people having kids, losing family members, losing pets. You're in it for everybody. It's so special that you crave those people when you're on hiatus.
Angela & Jenna, in unison [00:41:01] Yeah, yes.
Wendi [00:41:02] You're like, "I can't wait to go back and tell so-and-so from Transpo that I watched this game on TV." They're your buds. They're your buddies. So that's what I wish for every actor out there, is to be able to have an amazing work situation like that: a long running thing where you really get to bond with people because it's very, very special.
Angela [00:41:28] It is. And then you wrap, and you miss each other and any time you get to see each other, it's just unbelievable. Then, you text your best friend, and you're back and forth. "When can we work together again?"
Wendi [00:41:43] And then there's the reality of "God, you really wanna see everybody all the time and you really mean to get in touch," and then five years go by.
Angela [00:41:51] Well, yeah. But you pick up right where you left off. That's the beauty of it.
Jenna [00:41:55] Yeah.
Angela [00:41:56] All right. Well, here are our call sheet questions. Let's start with number one. What was your first entertainment job?
Wendi [00:42:04] My first entertainment job, I believe was in a music video.
Angela [00:42:13] What music video?
Wendi [00:42:14] Um, this is so dumb. I was an extra in a Carmen Electra video.
Angela [00:42:21] Oh my god that's amazing!
Jenna [00:42:25] What did you have to do? Did you have to dance?
Wendi [00:42:28] Yeah, and we had to audition. There were auditions and callbacks just to be extras, to club dance in the background. It was so silly, I believe I was paid $100 in cash.
Angela [00:42:43] Hey!
Wendi [00:42:44] And that's not nothing.
Jenna [00:42:46] Were you a clubber? Did you have that in your life, or were you, full on faking it?
Wendi [00:42:53] Not really. I was faking it.
Angela [00:42:54] You weren't hitting the Long Beach club scene?
Wendi [00:42:56] Not really and there were a lot of clubs, but I just never had any money.
Angela [00:43:01] Oh, yeah, it's expensive.
Wendi [00:43:02] It's expensive to go out and drink.
Jenna [00:43:06] Clubbing is expensive.
Angela [00:43:06] And pay for the high-priced cocktails? Forget it.
Jenna [00:43:10] All right, number two, do you speak any other languages?
Wendi [00:43:15] I have taken German and French and I can read it pretty well. I can't understand it if someone's speaking it, unfortunately.
Angela [00:43:24] But you can read it?
Wendi [00:43:25] I can read it.
Jenna [00:43:25] Has that come in handy ever?
Wendi [00:43:28] I did get to go to the Olympics this past summer. So yeah, it came in a little bit handy, but I was also too nervous to trust my instincts. Luckily, we had guides and everything.
Angela [00:43:42] Okay, number three, what's a place you've been to that you absolutely loved?
Wendi [00:43:48] I love New Orleans so much that I talked my husband into buying a condo there.
Angela [00:43:54] Oh, wow!
Wendi [00:43:55] So we have the tiniest little condo in the French Quarter. I love it. It's like living in the middle of Disneyland. It's so fun.
Angela [00:44:04] That town just has a whole energy to it. It's just so cool.
Wendi [00:44:09] Yeah, I love it and we go as often as we can and I love that you walk out in the morning and there's music playing and people dancing.
Angela [00:44:17] And then people just might start dancing down the street. I was fortunate enough, I did two movies there, but I have family from Louisiana. I just loved on the days that I had off, I would just go walk.
Wendi [00:44:29] Mm-hmm.
Angela [00:44:30] You always saw something, but it's kind of like when you tell me stories, Jenna, about Manhattan, you always see something.
Jenna [00:44:36] Yeah. Do you have a favorite food from there? Are you into the cuisine as well? When I visited, I got into the cuisine a little.
Wendi [00:44:45] I'm not into the cuisine, as much. I don't eat shellfish or fish of any kind, so that takes a lot of it off the table. But listen, just give me some red beans and rice and I am happy.
Jenna [00:44:54] [laughing] Okay.
Wendi [00:44:54] I do like really hot food.
Angela [00:44:56] There's really good chicken gumbo, because you don't always have to have the gumbo with everything in it. There's a great gumbo at Herbsaints. It's my favorite restaurant in New Orleans. Steve Zahn turned me on to it, because he did "Treme" there for five seasons. I tell every single person that I know going to New Orleans to go to Herbsaint's.
Wendi [00:45:16] Ooh, okay, we're gonna go next time.
Jenna [00:45:19] Would that be your dream job? Like, where you live there?
Wendi [00:45:24] That would be so fun but I don't think I could live there for a long time.
Jenna [00:45:24] How did you discover it?
Wendi [00:45:26] My sister and I went, we just needed to have a sister's weekend and she had been there. She said, "Oh, you're gonna love it." I went there with my sister, had the most amazing time, but also felt like, "Did I live here in a past life or something?" Something about it felt very familiar to me. I like walking down the street and you kind of feel like you know everybody.
Angela [00:45:50] Yeah. There's a familiarity there.
Wendi [00:45:50] I can't explain it, but there's... There was just so many freaks there. I love people who are super friendly, and I don't know, I'll take it from there. I won't take it from everywhere. But every time you walk down the street, to your point, there's something weird going on. You're gonna see something that you weren't expecting.
Angela [00:46:08] Always.
Wendi [00:46:09] And is it haunted? Yes, but we won't get into that now.
Angela [00:46:13] That's a different podcast. A friend of mine has this theory, he's a comedy writer, and the first time he went to London, he was like, "I can't explain it exactly, but I felt it in my bones. I think my people were here at some time." He said, "I just felt so grounded in this place that I've never lived in," and I don't know.
Jenna [00:46:37] That's how I feel about New York City.
Wendi [00:46:39] Really?
Jenna [00:46:39] I don't know what it is. I didn't go there till I was 26 years old. I didn't fall in love with it till my 30's. But there's a piece of me that makes sense there and it's never made sense anywhere else in the world. I don't know why.
Wendi [00:46:53] Have you lived there ever, or did you?
Jenna [00:46:55] I have a little bit. But short periods of time. But I hope to retire there. It's my happy place.
Wendi [00:47:02] It's a magical place, too. And it's the center of the universe. I mean, let's be honest, New York City, everything you need is there.
Angela [00:47:11] It's true. It's such an amazing town.
Wendi [00:47:13] It really is.
Jenna [00:47:15] Alright, question number four. What do you like to do on the weekends?
Wendi [00:47:19] I love to putter around at home. I'm not that exciting. I love my animals, I've got seven rescue cats.
Angela [00:47:27] [incredulously] Seven?
Wendi [00:47:28] Yeah.
Jenna [00:47:28] What are their names?
Wendi [00:47:30] Butters is the most dominant. He has to be kept away from the other six.
Angela [00:47:34] He's very, very featured on your Instagram.
Wendi [00:47:36] And he demands it. He is the host.
Jenna [00:47:39] What color is he?
Wendi [00:47:40] He is buttery colored.
Jenna [00:47:42] Okay.
Wendi [00:47:43] When when you come over for skating, he will command your attention and you will need to compliment him because he expects it. I got three Siamese: a mom and two of her babies, so that's Mocha, Cotton and Gerber.
Jenna [00:48:00] Are they talkative?
Wendi [00:48:01] Not really.
Jenna [00:48:03] Oh! I've always shied away from Siamese because I thought they were very vocal.
Wendi [00:48:07] They are, mine are not. I don't know what that's about, or maybe they only talk when I'm not there.
Angela [00:48:14] My aunt had a really chatty Siamese that she named "Nuisance," and she'd be like, "Nuisance, stop it."
Wendi [00:48:28] That's the greatest name for a kitty.
Angela [00:48:30] I know.
Wendi [00:48:31] Oh, man. Nuisance. We have a tripod named Wobby Sobby. We have fat, fat ginger named Obi-Wan. He was found strolling the streets of Hollywood as a kitten. Someone gave it to me. And Little Jax. We have little tiger boy, who was the runt of the litter.
Jenna [00:48:54] Aww.
Wendi [00:48:55] I think that's all of them. Yeah. So yeah, I love just puttering. I like sewing. I'm really getting into sewing more.
Angela [00:49:03] What do you sew?
Wendi [00:49:05] Clothes.
Angela [00:49:06] You make clothes?
Wendi [00:49:07] My dream is to sew something that I wear on the red carpet.
Jenna [00:49:11] I want this dream to come true.
Wendi [00:49:13] I want to make a show about it.
Jenna [00:49:16] I hope that you will.
Wendi [00:49:17] I want there to be a Rachel Ray-
Jenna [00:49:18] and then they say, "Who are you wearing?" And you say, "Me! Me. I'm wearing me."
Wendi [00:49:23] Okay, you're gonna be on the show.
Jenna [00:49:26] I'm on it! Bring me on.
Wendi [00:49:28] I think getting dressed for special events is a big pain in the ass. So why shouldn't we know how to sew our own stuff? I'm sorry. My mom used to sew all my formal gowns, and I always had the best gowns.
Angela [00:49:41] My mom would sew all of our Easter outfits and she sewed for so long. She still makes stuff all the time. I'm constantly bringing pot holders and things over to Jenna's that my mom was like, "I had extra fabric, here's a pot holder." You know?
Wendi [00:49:58] That's so sweet. That's such a mom thing to do.
Angela [00:50:00] It really is. I always feel bad, though. My sisters and I don't sew. We're like, "One of us needs to carry on this tradition. One of us need to learn how to do it."
Wendi [00:50:10] It's so meditative. I love cutting patterns. I've learned how to drape on a mannequin and stuff.
Jenna [00:50:16] That's huge.
Wendi [00:50:18] But I do things in fits and starts. So I need to really devote some time to it. I watch a lot of TikTok. So I think, "Oh, now I'm a do-it-yourselfer." So I make a lot of messes, or I start a lot of projects that never get finished.
Angela [00:50:35] That's the show I wanna watch, is the DIY people that start like, "I have an Ikea hack, I'm gonna make a library in my foyer and I have all this crown molding." And then they're just like, "fuck it," and they bail halfway through. That would be me.
Wendi [00:50:50] That is absolutely me.
Angela [00:50:51] You'd be in a half built library as you walk in with all our clutter and shit stuffed in it.
Jenna [00:51:00] St. Dennis Medical, season two, up fronts. Can your outfit be ready?
Wendi [00:51:08] Hmmm. Challenge accepted. Let me see what I can do.
Jenna [00:51:11] Maybe TCAs. That's later in the year, so you have a little more time.
Wendi [00:51:17] I'll do it!
Jenna [00:51:19] Yes!
Wendi [00:51:19] I'm gonna do it.
Jenna [00:51:20] Okay!
Wendi [00:51:21] I'm so gonna do it.
Angela [00:51:24] Jenna is a motivator. I will tell you that. She'll give you a date and you're like, "Alright TCA's!" Oh, that's exciting.
Wendi [00:51:31] Alright, I'm doing it.
Jenna [00:51:32] We're gonna feature this outfit on Office Ladies.
Angela [00:51:34] I'm sure we will. All right.
Wendi [00:51:35] Sure, it'll be taped together.
Angela [00:51:37] No one's going to see that tape.
Wendi [00:51:38] No, they're not.
Angela [00:51:39] Put it in the back. All right, number five.
Jenna [00:51:42] This is the final question. Final question. Do you have a favorite midnight snack?
Wendi [00:51:47] No, because I don't eat after seven.
Angela [00:51:51] That's very good for your body, I have read.
Wendi [00:51:55] I do have a midnight drink, which is very silly. I'm not a good sleeper. I'm a terrible insomniac. So my sleep, I have to really be regimented about it. But there's this magnesium drink, this berry-flavored magnesium drink that is delicious. It makes you feel like hot butter melting in a pan. You just like drift off. And it's called "TRU," T-R-U.
Jenna [00:52:23] I've heard of this.
Angela [00:52:24] You should write this down, lady.
Jenna [00:52:25] I also struggle with sleep, and there's always the debate: magnesium or what's the other thing?
Wendi [00:52:32] Pot? Gummies? A gummy?
Jenna [00:52:38] Melatonin.
Wendi [00:52:39] Melatonin.
Jenna [00:52:40] Yes.
Wendi [00:52:41] Melatonin takes too long. It's going to build up in your system.
Jenna [00:52:45] Okay, but this magnesium drink...
Wendi [00:52:48] It's game changing. It really is. You gotta take it an hour before you're ready to go to bed.
Angela [00:52:55] Lady, I wrote it down for you.
Jenna [00:52:56] Thank you.
Angela [00:52:57] There you have it.
Wendi [00:52:59] You're welcome.
Angela [00:53:00] We're ladies of a certain season. We need our sleep.
Wendi [00:53:03] Yeah, otherwise what are you gonna do? Stay up at night worrying? Thinking about all the things you shouldn't have said during the day? That's what I do.
Angela [00:53:13] This is you, Jenna.
Wendi [00:53:16] I know we're the same, you got to just melt into the sheets.
Jenna [00:53:21] Now will this keep you asleep all night, as well? One of my problems is like, "Oh sure I'll fall asleep," but in three hours I'm up again. I'm gonna wake up from a hot flash.
Wendi [00:53:40] Ohhhhhhhhh.
Jenna [00:53:40] Then we start the whole game again.
Wendi [00:53:46] Yeah, I would guarantee you're gonna get at least four good hours. Hot flashes are it's own devil. Do you turn the air on?
Jenna [00:53:58] So I sleep with a fan, blowing on my side of the bed. It's this big stand-up fan. We need to put a piece of glow tape on it, because I need it positioned really right in front of the bad, but it's also right in the walkway to the bathroom.
Wendi [00:54:20] Oh, so you run into it all the time.
Jenna [00:54:21] Well, I don't, but if my husband has to go to the bathroom, he runs into it. If the kids come in in the middle of the night, they run into it.
Wendi [00:54:32] And that's going to wake you up too. Isn't it?
Jenna [00:54:34] It really is. So we just we need to, I don't know, and at night I'll say, "Hey, everybody, don't run into the fan. If you have to come in, remember, don't run into mom's fan."
Angela [00:54:45] And then you just hear crashing and banging.
Wendi [00:54:45] Oh, no.
Angela [00:54:53] That's hilarious. Wendi, thank you so much for being on our podcast.
Wendi [00:54:59] I hope I didn't bloviate for too long.
Angela [00:55:02] You did not bloviate at all. You're just a bad ass. You are so funny and so smart and we are just thrilled to have had this time with you.
Wendi [00:55:13] You are talking about yourself. You are talkin' about yourself!
Angela [00:55:17] [laughing] You stop it!
Wendi [00:55:21] You are the bad asses.
Jenna [00:55:22] I really appreciate how vulnerable you were in talking about, like, how you've been fired. I've shared on the podcast before how I've been fired. Cause I think people look at you and we see all the successes. We see 10 seasons of The Goldbergs and Reno 911, and you don't see all the lows. I think it's really helpful for aspiring artists to know there are ups and downs, and you just keep going and you never know. New wonderful things will find you. Now here, St. Dennis Medical.
Wendi [00:56:00] There's an actor's checklist: you're gonna get fired. You're just gonna get fired. Check it off the list. Someone's gonna tell you you're ugly, check it off the list.
Jenna [00:56:07] Yep. Got that one.
Wendi [00:56:08] None of this stuff is true unless you think it's true, right? It's probably not true, just just get used to it make friends with it. If you're not supposed to be somewhere, sometimes it takes something terrible to move you away from it. That's just how it goes. Then it makes you question: Do I really want to keep doing this? And if the answer is yes, buck up and just keep going. A lot of times, your biggest breakthrough won't happen until something catastrophic happens. That's a hallmark of good things to come. So all you guys out there that are feeling like you wanna do this, it's not easy, but it is very fun. The good times are really, really good.
Angela [00:56:50] And you appreciate them because of the journey. It's a journey. Yeah.
Jenna [00:56:55] Thank you so much.
Wendi [00:56:56] Thank you for having me.
Jenna [00:57:02] Well, everyone, that was our chat with Wendi McLendon Covey, and I loved it.
Angela [00:57:10] She's just so funny, just in person. Just, how she talks and her stories and anyway, wow. What a treat.
Jenna [00:57:17] And of course Angela is going to share all the links to all the things that we talked about and you have to check out St. Dennis Medical.
Angela [00:57:26] It is a phenomenal cast, a great show, and we are so excited for season two.
Jenna [00:57:32] Alright everyone, thank you for writing in your questions and we will see you next week.
Angela [00:57:37] See you then.
Jenna [00:57:46] Thank you for listening to Office Ladies.
Angela [00:57:48] Office Ladies is a presentation of Audacy and is produced by Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey.
Jenna [00:57:53] Our executive producer is Cassi Jerkins, our audio engineer is Sam Kieffer, and our associate producer is Aynsley Bubbico.
Angela [00:58:01] Audacy's executive producers is Leah Reis-Dennis.
Jenna [00:58:06] Office Ladies is mixed and mastered by Bill Schultz.
Angela [00:58:08] Our theme song is "Rubber Tree" by Creed Bratton.