This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:00] Samantha Tuozzolo: Hello, everybody. Welcome to Survival Jobs, a podcast in collaboration with Broadway World and the Broadway Podcast Network. My name is Samantha Dawn Tetzelow, and this is my boy Jason A. Coombs. And guys, wow, the episode we have for you today is so chef's kiss, iconic. We were fangirls. Hey, Jason.

[0:25] Jason A. Coombs: Hey, Samantha Dawn Tetzelow. I am just like on a high because of this episode. But before we get into it, before we get into the Danny Strongness of this episode. Yeah. It's a holiday season. It's probably our last one before, you know, Christmas and Hanukkah and Kwanzaa. Yeah. So what are you doing? How are you celebrating?

[0:47] Samantha Tuozzolo: Probably we're wearing black and white, so we're not very festive. But yeah, I have green. I have green in my bag.

[0:52] Jason A. Coombs: Oh, you have green. I can't even see.

[0:56] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah. So I love Christmas. I celebrate Christmas. I love Christmas. And I celebrate Christmas with my family. But I really, you know, go in on my apartment. I have like my cute little tree. I have a candle that smells like a tree because my tree is fake. And I just love to watch Christmas movies, holiday movies. My favorite holiday movie ever is The Holiday. Do you know it with Kate Winslet?

[1:17] Jason A. Coombs: No. Oh, no.

[1:18] Samantha Tuozzolo: It's a black holiday. Sorry. Oh, I'm like, I don't know that one. This one is with Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jack Black, and Jude Law. Oh, my God. And Jude Law is like, so gorgeous in it. How many times am I kissing? I'm doing chef's kiss on this. No, but I love this movie. And I've seen it 1 million times. And I watched it yesterday and was sobbing. Sobbing like it's the first time I've ever seen it. It's just so, you know, it's just so, you know, it's your traditional, like, love story. And like, everything's predictable, but it's just so pure and nice and magical. And then I've been watching The Grinch. You know, I've been doing a lot of repeats. You know, we love holiday movies. I feel like we talked about this last year, but I have repeats of like, Single All The Way, which I know you love.

Shout out to our friend Michael Urie. And shout out to Danny Strong's director for Chess is Michael Mayer, who directed Single All The Way. It took me all my might not to like interrupt the conversation to share that.

[2:18] Jason A. Coombs: Oh, my God. That's amazing. Tie it right into the episode.

[2:22] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah. So what about you, Jason? What are you up to?

[2:26] Jason A. Coombs: Oh, I love Single All The Way. Like, that's like a holiday staple for me. It's like my favorite, like, modern Christmas movie. You know, and I love like The Preacher's Wife. I love Elf. I haven't really gotten to watch anything because I've been so busy. But like now, like this weekend, it's like, okay, I'm going to slow down. So I'm going to buckle in, get the hot chocolate, get the fucking holiday cookies. And we're going to watch the movies. And then Christina Aguilera has a holiday, a Christmas in Paris thing. Movie, that's going to be a movie theater. So I'm going to see that, of course, twice. It's just the most expensive time of the year. I'm going to get my Christmas sweater. I'm going to be just jolly and bright and try to push the seasonal depression away.

[3:11] Samantha Tuozzolo: For real. I do want to shout out one more holiday movie that I love. It's called Happiest Season. It's on Hulu and it's with Kristen Stewart and Mackenzie Davis, Aubrey Plaza. It's really, really good.

[3:22] Jason A. Coombs: Oh, Dan Levy. We love Dan Levy.

[3:26] Samantha Tuozzolo: Oh yeah. I love Dan Levy. Is it a lesbian one?

[3:30] Jason A. Coombs: Yes. A lesbian one. I love that one.

[3:33] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah. Yeah. That's a good one too. Oh my God.

[3:37] Jason A. Coombs: Oh, sorry. What?

[3:38] Samantha Tuozzolo: No, go ahead.

[3:39] Jason A. Coombs: No, go ahead. One more that I just watched that's brand new this year on Netflix. It's called My Secret Santa. And it is so cute. And it gives an ode. It's like giving odes to Mrs. Doubtfire.

[3:49] Samantha Tuozzolo: Oh, I love that. Hey, Lou. I don't want to give anything away because Jason, I do think you would like this one.

[3:53] Jason A. Coombs: What's it called again?

[3:56] Samantha Tuozzolo: My Secret Santa. I think it's like no more holiday movies right now or something on Netflix.

[3:59] Jason A. Coombs: On Netflix or Hulu?

[4:01] Samantha Tuozzolo: Netflix.

[4:03] Jason A. Coombs: Oh, wow. I love that. Okay. I'll check that one out. I'm such a sucker for the holidays. I didn't even do anything. You guys who are just listening, sometimes the screen will give confetti or balloons or something. I didn't even do anything and I just got balloons because I think it was just celebrating the holidays. But I am a sucker for the holidays and I'm happy that we're here.

[4:18] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah. I was just going to add that Burlesque is not a holiday movie, but I feel like I love to watch it this time of year because it is a feel-good movie. So it's like between Christmas and New Year's, I feel like it's when I watch it because I feel like it's just that perfect time of the year where you're just like beached out, chilling. You just want that joy still, right? It's just like a feel-good movie. And the last holiday with Queen Latifah, you got to watch that one. Shout out. I also, sorry. We could probably do this for an hour. The Queen. I also tend to watch Twilight at this time of year.

[4:53] Samantha Tuozzolo: Oh my God. I love the first Twilight so much. I love all of them and especially the last one's snowy and we're battling and it's winter. It's giving winter. Have you seen those? They've been showing clips of Twilight on social media.

[5:07] Jason A. Coombs: No.

[5:08] Samantha Tuozzolo: And I haven't watched them in a while. I just forget how of the time they were.

[5:15] Jason A. Coombs: Correct. Correct. Correct.

[5:18] Samantha Tuozzolo: How of the time they were.

[5:20] Jason A. Coombs: That's a really polite way. That's a really polite way to say a day.

[5:25] Samantha Tuozzolo: I should have watched that this week. Also, the bad guy in Twilight in the first one is played by Cam Gijigandit, who's also in Burlesque.

[5:35] Jason A. Coombs: Tying it back in.

[5:36] Samantha Tuozzolo: Tying it back in. We love the holidays. Let's talk about our guest today.

[5:40] Jason A. Coombs: Can I just ask you one more thing?

[5:41] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yes.

[5:41] Jason A. Coombs: Do you have a favorite Christmas cookie? Because I love Christmas cookies.

[5:46] Samantha Tuozzolo: That's a good question, Jason. I'm not a huge, huge sweets person.

[5:50] Jason A. Coombs: You don't like sweets, right?

[5:51] Samantha Tuozzolo: I don't not like sweets, but I'm not a huge sweets person. I love the Italian rainbow cookies. It's not necessarily a Christmas cookie, but I love the Italian rainbow cookies. And then the rugelach. You know the rugelach?

[6:06] Jason A. Coombs: Oh, yeah. Like a jelly.

[6:15] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah. Is it called a rugelach? What's it called?

[6:18] Jason A. Coombs: No, not a rugelach.

[6:20] Samantha Tuozzolo: Rugelach cookie.

[6:23] Jason A. Coombs: Oh, you're probably right. R-U-G. Yeah, here it is. R-U-G. It's a Jewish cookie.

[6:31] Samantha Tuozzolo: Oh, yes.

[6:32] Jason A. Coombs: Jewish pastry like cookies. R-U-G-E-L-A-H.

[6:36] Samantha Tuozzolo: It's funny because I get the rugelach from my Italian deli in Connecticut.

[6:41] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah. I mean, everybody's all cross mixing now. We love it. Yeah. So I love a rainbow cookie. I love a rugelach. What about you?

[6:47] Jason A. Coombs: You know, I'm basic as F. I love a little gingerbread. Give me a little gingerbread, man. Let me just break them up. Give me a little gingerbread. Truthfully, I'd rather just have like a cheese board than anything sweet. I'd rather have like a cheese board with jam and like a spreadable cheese and a hard cheese and a sharp cheese and a sweet cheese. Like that is more my jam than like a cookie. But, you know, I don't discriminate against the cookies.

[7:20] Samantha Tuozzolo: OK, let's talk about our guest. Yes, Danny Strong.

[7:25] Jason A. Coombs: I mean, we were so excited for this one, you guys.

[7:28] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah. He's just so iconic.

[7:31] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah. I mean, the amount of credits this guy has is absolutely crazy. He has 57 acting credits.

[7:38] Samantha Tuozzolo: Acting. And then on top of that, he's creating TV shows. He's writing for movies. He's now writing for Broadway. He wrote and reimagined the Broadway play Chess, which is amazing. He's just I mean, he's telling us amazing stories. Jason and I are big fangirls. I'm a huge Gilmore Girls fangirl, as you guys know, if you're a longtime listener. And Jason is a huge Buffy fangirl.

[8:04] Jason A. Coombs: Yes, I was I was going to wear my Sarah Michelle Gellar T-shirt, but it wasn't Sarah Michelle Gellar from Buffy. It was from I Know She Did It Last Summer. So I was like, it's not the same. It's not the same character. I don't want to be too fangirly. So I was like, no, I'll be profesh. I'll be profesh. I'll be profesh.

[8:20] Samantha Tuozzolo: But yeah, this interview is amazing. He gives us so many great stories and takes us through his process of creating. And it's really like Jason always says, you've got to get your notebooks out because it's really informative and inspiring. I had mine ready right here. When I listen to this back when I'm editing, I'm going to take these really good, give a really good writer's note for any writers out there.

[8:41] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah.

[8:42] Samantha Tuozzolo: But also like, I also just really loved how, because like, he talked about this, you know, Buffy when it first came out was just seen as like a like a teen show. Same thing with Gilmore Girls. It was like, oh, this is just like, on the on CWWB, like teen shows, whatever. But like these shows are so well written. And like, especially like for Buffy that because I know Buffy a lot more. It's just like, it was really perfectly written. They're parallels to like the whole horror world to like high school. It's like such a great parallel, like allegory, whatever. And I love that he validated that, that these are really quality works and how proud of them he is, which is like so cool. And I actually, I accidentally called him Jonathan. Jonathan was his character on Buffy. I was like, wait a minute, did that just come out of my mouth? I felt so embarrassed.

[9:25] Jason A. Coombs: Oh my God.

[9:27] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yes. He's so sweet. He's so kind. Yeah. I'm so happy we had to talk to him. I would love to have him on again, you know, in person because yeah, he's iconic. Like we said, so we could have chatted with him for like three hours, but he wanted to, I think he liked talking to us too. He seemed like he was really into it. So that's good. All right. You guys enjoy happy holidays.

[9:50] Jason A. Coombs: Like subscribe.

[9:52] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yes. Happy new year. Merry Christmas. Happy Hanukkah. Happy Kwanzaa. All the good things. If you do this, it'll celebrate. Happy life.

[10:01] Jason A. Coombs: Happy life.

[10:02] Samantha Tuozzolo: Happy life.

[10:06] Jason A. Coombs: Cool. Danny, welcome to Survival Jobs, a podcast. We are so, so excited to have you. When your name came through our email, I was gagged. I was like, Samantha, we have to, we have to try to get Danny Strong on this podcast because you're iconic. I'm not sure if you know how.

[10:20] Danny Strong: Oh my goodness. I didn't know. That's amazing. This is so exciting. Just you being excited, seeing my name. I'm like, really? Okay. Wow. That's awesome.

[10:29] Samantha Tuozzolo: No, come on. Like everything from, we talked about Buffy, to Gilmore Girls, to the writing you've done for like Empire, which was, oh my gosh, you don't even know. You don't even know. But Samantha.

[10:41] Jason A. Coombs: We're going to get into it.

[10:43] Samantha Tuozzolo: Right, right. Let's get into it.

[10:47] Danny Strong: I sign off on everything Jason says. I mean, personally, like, I am a Gilmore Girl. I don't know if you can tell.

[10:50] Samantha Tuozzolo: I can tell by looking at you. I'm like, whoa.

[10:52] Danny Strong: Thank you.

[10:52] Samantha Tuozzolo: This is a Gilmore Girl.

[10:54] Danny Strong: I was like, no, no, no, no. I'm not talking to the editor of the Yale Daily News. Are you kidding me?

[10:59] Samantha Tuozzolo: That was my job.

[11:00] Danny Strong: Sorry. IYKYK.

[11:02] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah, yeah. I knew a journalist and I would always say, well, you know, I was the editor of the Yale Daily News. She never appreciated it. I was super annoyed. She'd just get annoyed. I was a TV show. I'm like, look, it's a lot of people that believe I was the editor of the Yale Daily News.

[11:17] Danny Strong: We interviewed Emily Bergel once, too, and she made me a puff and only a few people understood it. I don't know if you do, because I think that was before your time on Gilmore Girls. Anyway.

[11:27] Danny Strong: But she's amazing.

[11:28] Samantha Tuozzolo: Amazing, yeah. We have so much to talk about with you. Obviously, we're both already yapping away. But before we jump into your amazing career, let's take it back to where it all started with a survival job. Can you share with us maybe a favorite or memorable survival job that you had along your journey before you were a full-time working artist?

[11:45] Danny Strong: Sure. When I graduated college, I had four at one time.

[11:57] Jason A. Coombs: Okay, hustler.

[11:58] Danny Strong: Yeah. Oh, my God. You have no idea. I'll just take you through all four that I was doing at one time. I delivered pizzas for a pizza place in L.A. that was super shady. There was this really, really shady pizza place. I'm not going to say its name because I don't want anyone to come after me, even though it was like 30 years later. But they kept the lights because they kept it. I don't know if it was Mob Run, and I don't even know if there is the mob in L.A., but they would keep the lights so dark because they would never pass a health inspection. But I guess they were paying off the health inspector to keep the lights on. It was just me and all these 60-year-old men were the drivers. I was 22, but I looked like I was 14 when I was 22, so it was quite a visual. Then, at the same time, I was delivering Mexican food for a total hole-in-the-wall Mexican food restaurant.

[13:05] Danny Strong: That was legit. That was legit. It's super flaky. It's just like this super plate that closed down while I was there. And then, but I get free lunches and I'd always get these beef quesadillas. It was like made as like fully make the day. So then, now here's where it gets really interesting. I was a part time assistant to Charlotte Ray. Remember Charlotte Ray from Backs to Life?

[13:32] Jason A. Coombs: Oh, right.

[13:34] Samantha Tuozzolo: I have no clue, but I'm here for it.

[13:36] Danny Strong: She's a youngin.

[13:38] Jason A. Coombs: Okay, so Charlotte Ray was the star of a sitcom called the Backs of Life in the 1980s.

[13:45] Danny Strong: With the girls, right?

[13:46] Jason A. Coombs: With the girls.

[13:47] Danny Strong: At the boarding house? Yeah.

[13:50] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, it was like an all girls school.

[13:52] Danny Strong: Yeah. And so she was the chaperone or the woman in charge. And she was much older than they were. But she also was a wonderful stage actress, and I believe had been on Broadway. But she was much older by the time I was her part time assistant, and I would help her memorize lines. So I would go in and I'd help her memorize lines. And then my last job of my survival job that I was doing all of these at the same time, was I was reading scripts for a company called Trimark, which was this film distribution production company. And they were they would make the worst fucking movies in the history of American cinema. I mean, the movies were so bad. And I was their script reader, but the movies were so bad that they would pay $25 a script.

And normally a script reader at the time was getting $50 a script. So they were paying half. So that's why I had to have so many jobs because that just being a script reader as a 22 year old is actually a pretty cool job and certainly helped in my future career as a writer. But it was so I'm reading scripts for Trimark, each one worse than the next. I'm helping Charlotte Ray memorize lines. And then I'm delivering Mexican food and delivering pizzas for the shady, maybe mob run. I don't know what kind of mob because it's Los Angeles. So I don't even know place. That was my serious survival job.

[15:20] Jason A. Coombs: I would just like to comment and say, just from hearing the little bit that I've heard, it's definitely mob that pizza.

[15:24] Danny Strong: Do you think so? The lights were so dark and the pizza was delicious. You know, it was this it was a really kind of popular place because the pizza was so good. I love that you had like survival jobs that were like typical, right? Like, you know, working in food, like delivering. We also have really cool, like, really, like, really jobs that are in the industry. They're like teaching you things like being helping her learn her line. That's like pretty incredible.

[15:53] Danny Strong: It was very cool. Mrs. Garrett, Charlotte Ray, Mrs. G, and a massive TV star of the 1980s. So sometimes I would run errands with her and people just would lose their minds seeing her. I mean, it was because there was only three channels during this period of time. So if you were a star of a show and that show ran, I think, seven or eight years and it was an incredibly famous show, it wasn't under the radar. So it was not a small deal taking Charlotte Ray on her running her errands for her. People just would lose their minds. She was very sweet to me. And she was very, you know, she just was a senior citizen. She was very kind of grandmotherly. You know, I'd be in another room and she'd be like, I'd start yelling, freaked out.

I was then I'd laugh or something. I don't know. I come back. I'm like, I'm still here. It's like, oh, OK. And then I saw her perform once, do a few numbers at a cabaret thing. It was a fun rate. It was something. And she was phenomenal. I mean, world class performer.

[17:01] Jason A. Coombs: All right. That's like that's like literally iconic.

[17:04] Danny Strong: Yeah. Yeah. I do not disagree. Wow. This this this episode is for Charlotte, right?

[17:11] Samantha Tuozzolo: This is for Charlotte, right? This is for Charlotte. If I had a cigarette lighter, I'd be lighting it right now, I guess. I want to talk to my folks. I want to say, yeah, I want to mess with the phone. So you have brought this up before we started recording. And this is going off topic. Sorry, Samantha. But I actually love Saved by the Bell.

[17:29] Jason A. Coombs: So did you? Yeah. When did you book that? Did you book? So you are in the new class with those on Saved by the Bell, the new class. Was it what they during the same time of you working these?

[17:37] Danny Strong: Yeah. No, it was actually before the survival jobs. I booked it while I was in college. So and I did I did. So I did two episodes as one of the Saved by the Bell, the new class nerds. So I don't know if you remember, but it was the worst version of a stereotype nerd. It would be they would be canceled. Cancel culture would have canceled Saved by the Bell for what for what they did with these characters. And they were under five lines. It was a very special contract. So you get paid a hundred dollars a day and you have under five lines. And it was like big glasses and ridiculous outfits. And you spoke in a very ridiculous way. And so then I did these two episodes and they thought I was really funny, which was very flattering.

By the way, first TV show I'd ever booked. It was my first booking. And Saved by the Bell was super famous during this time period. Right. Yeah. So I was actually very excited there to play this ridiculous, bad stereotype. And then they said, you know, we think you're really funny. And so we we want to create this new character for you. And it was it was the noogie, the school con man. So and I would sell like watches out of my jacket. Right. And I thought they were explaining this to me. I was so flattered and kind of blown away. My first TV job. And I thought, well, so what is it? Is this going to be next season? And they were like, no, next week, like they could have cared less that the same guy was playing a whole new character.

It was literally, literally the following week I came back as a new character. And then I and then I did another episode is noogie. And then and then about, I don't know, at the end of the season, they called me. They're like, hey, can you come back and be Stanley again? So then I came back and was was there again. So, yeah, that was my my run on Saved by the Bell, the new class. And I like to think of myself as the Peter Sellers of Dead by the Bell, the new class, because the versatility was was unbelievable.

[19:43] Jason A. Coombs: Booked and busy, Jonathan.

[19:48] Danny Strong: That's right. That's right. And then and then. But, you know, I was it was it wasn't like I didn't get to retire off my Saved by the Bell, the new class money. Right. So I was, you know, very much needed those four jobs by the time I had graduated college. And then so I'm going back to the interview. Sorry, Samantha. I had to take that little pivot because that was amazing. And I want to ask, well, let's just go with it. Let's go with it. Is it true you are you originally auditioned for the role of Xander in for Bucky?

[20:16] Danny Strong: Yeah. Yeah. So I auditioned for Xander. No, Xander was one of the main scoobies of the show.

[20:22] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah. Talk a little bit about that.

[20:28] Danny Strong: Well, I just I mean, it was I auditioned for it. I didn't get the part and it's not like I came close to it either. But the casting director really liked me from the audition. And so she auditioned me for a couple really small parts in the in the original pilot. Wow. So that it was a pilot presentation. And so it was three different parts and it was for Joss. He was there in the room and and he just, you know, gave me one of the parts. He was like, play that part. And and then and then we shot the pilot presentation. And Sarah really liked what I did and Joss liked what I did. And so they brought me back. Oh, and then that pilot didn't go to series. So they I think they reshot the pilot or they made some they cast a whole new willow.

So they they cast a whole new willow. And then they brought me into audition for a part in season one because my stuff had been cut for a while. And then in season two, they just offered me part of Jonathan. So that was kind of how how it came to be.

[21:35] Jason A. Coombs: Offer only.

[21:36] Danny Strong: Yeah, exactly. And it was very exciting getting the getting that. And then they really liked Jonathan and then they just kept me going on the show.

[21:46] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yes. And you eventually became part of the trio of big bads in season six.

[21:54] Danny Strong: A while. Season six. Yeah. Yes. I guess what you're working on almost 30 episodes influence you as a writer and a storyteller because you wear many, many hats. Not only writer director.

[22:03] Danny Strong: Yeah. Well, I didn't wear that many hats at the time. I was just acting, but it was you know, the show was it was I really liked the scripts. I thought it was really high quality show, even though it wasn't perceived that way at the time. It was sort of perceived as more of a teen show that I remember in L.A. people thought of writers in Hollywood thought Buffy was really cool. It was a sort of under the radar thing that people thought was cool at a time when it was a show that was on a network that didn't really get a lot of respect. Right. You know, they were kind of watching the network, too. So it was. But for me, I just remember thinking the scripts are really good. And I had just come out of a theater program at USC.

And, you know, all I was working on was all the greats. Right. Check off an incident in Sam Shepard, Shakespeare. And then I'm on Buffy the Vampire Slayer that is not necessarily getting a lot of respect right away. And I'm thinking, oh, these scripts are really good. And there's a whole metaphor. And I just remember thinking I thought it was so well done and so clever. And then eventually people caught up to that. It was finally very well received.

[23:17] Jason A. Coombs: Right. Yeah. I mean, I still think that show is still underrated because I did Sarah and I get an Emmy nomination little wins like the body is one of the episodes of TV ever in. She was incredible in the show.

[23:28] Danny Strong: Yeah, she was incredible. And I appreciate that. Thank you. And she but she she became very, very famous while on the show. So Sarah really blew up and was starring in movies and on the cover of magazines. And, you know, it wasn't like she was on, you know, disappeared and no one had heard of her. She was she was a huge, huge television star of that period and films. I mean, she was doing all these big movies. So and she was cool as shit. I just loved her. She was so cool to me and so sweet. And to this day, you know, she came out and saw chess and and did the most amazing post about chess because she's a huge chess fan. So and yeah, check it out on my Instagram or on hers. But she just had this whole ode to chess. And it was it was amazing.

[24:19] Samantha Tuozzolo: I love that.

[24:20] Danny Strong: Yeah. I was going to wear my SMG T-shirts today, but I didn't want to be that weird. You know, I want to be a little bit.

[24:27] Samantha Tuozzolo: She I she would have loved it.

[24:30] Danny Strong: Samantha, go ahead. I think I took it over this.

[24:33] Samantha Tuozzolo: No, I know. We're taking the first part of this interview being fan girls and boys. But we got to talk a little bit about Gilmore Girls and Doyle. Do you have a favorite memory from playing Doyle and maybe like a favorite episode? Because this guy is cuckoo, man. And he's like one of my favorite characters, I think, like in Gilmore Girls, of course, but like of like in all TV.

[24:57] Danny Strong: Is that true? Really? Oh, my God, I'm so flattered. Yeah, I tell you, like Gilmore Girls is my comfort show. And when I'm like in seasonal depression, which I am now, I rewatch it.

[25:05] Samantha Tuozzolo: Please, we got to get you out of it.

[25:08] Danny Strong: Get me out of it. I rewatch it. It gives me comfort. So right now, Doyle is like wearing Roy's jacket. And, you know, you know, talking about that episode and the kids.

[25:17] Danny Strong: Well, that was going to be the one I was going to name.

[25:20] Samantha Tuozzolo: Really? I loved doing that episode.

[25:23] Danny Strong: Yeah, yeah. And so did Alexis. I remember she turned to me when we shot when we were shooting that scene. And she was she said it's one of my favorite scenes I've ever done on the show. And I was so flattered because she was so great on the show. And sweet. I mean, there was still a lot of show left. So who knows if you still felt that way by the time they they had wrapped. But it was it was great working with her. And I love working with Liza Harris. She was just so cool.

[25:53] Danny Strong: Yeah, she's an icon and the opposite of her character. She's just, you know, because there's some wound up and so a type and right. And Liza is the opposite. So cool. Yeah. Just like great, great person to just chill with. And she just was lovely to meet the two.

[26:10] Danny Strong: Because most of my stuff was with the two of them. And they just were great. And it was, it was such a cool experience. I mean, that show lives on and on and just like keeps hitting new generations and new generations and new generations. Bigger and bigger. It's crazy. I mean, because it was, it basically, you know, went off the air. And people wouldn't really recognize me from it or talk to me, you know, it was still Buffy, it was all Buffy. And then it started airing on Netflix. And then they did, you know, the revival. But the show, as soon as it started on Netflix till this very day, it's, it's just, it's so huge. I mean, it's literally become iconic television and it feels, it feels like it's as big as Friends or some other shows.

And someone was telling me they said, Oh, it is. And I said, in Seinfeld, they said, Oh, it's bigger than Seinfeld because people in their teens don't like Seinfeld the way we all do. Right. So it's just, it's, it's just been, it's been really exciting to be a part of something that is so, so iconic and so beloved and means so much to people to this very day.

[27:22] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, I see that. So your Doyle storyline in the reboot, I felt was like an ode to sort of a little bit of your life. I don't know if that was intentional or not. I watched it.

[27:34] Danny Strong: I believe it was. When Amy Sherman Palladino was like, Oh, Danny, like was on the set of Gilmore Girls talking about writing this show and who it was fucking empire. Right. So like, I feel like, well, tell me this is just me, like being a Gilmore Girls stalker. Like while you're doing that show, you know, you were exploring your writing career. So cool. Like, let's talk about Doyle storyline in the reboot. And then can you talk about how your time on Gilmore Girls like influenced then your next chapter of being a writer?

[28:03] Danny Strong: Yeah, I mean, it was sort of the same as Buffy, right, where I was there. And I immediately thought, Oh, this writing is so good. And it's it's people really liked Gilmore Girls when it was airing, it instantly had respect. But it was still felt like a teen show or a young show at the time. But it had a cult following of people that if you knew, you knew, right, you knew how good the show was, then you kind of the same with Buffy, to be honest with both have this kind of vibe to them where, oh, you may think that they're teen shows, but if you know, you know, they're great. Right. And so with Gilmore Girls, I was writing on set because that's when I and I started writing while I was doing Buffy.

But I was really super committed to it at that point and was hoping my career would transition right while I was doing Gilmore Girls. And I remember I just very similar feeling about the scripts on that show as I did on Buffy, which was I think these scripts are terrific. I think these are so smart and so well done. And the stylization, which I was very used to having done so many plays because I was in about 50 plays and musicals by the age 14 to 24. I was never not in a play for about 10 years. Right. So the stylization, it just reminded me of doing, you know, a loss and heart like a 30 screwball comic, that type of tempo and pace to it. So I took to it immediately because I just felt like I'd worked on material like this in plays and stuff.

I mean, that multiple forces. I was constantly did a lot of comedy as an actor, not not actual comedy, but comedic plays like I don't know, like Simon shows and, you know, they go and just just, you know, and I was often cast as a comedic character, even in dramas. So I just took to it because it was clear that to me, that's what that's what it was. Right. Was was we were doing, you know, the sort of screwball comedy farce, keep the pace going, you know, talk fast. And so, yeah, so I just was just really impressed. And then Amy and Dan were so nice to me. They were so lovely. They'd see me writing on set and, you know, they'd sort of like, oh, are you writing? I'm like, yeah, yeah, I'm writing scripts and blah, blah, blah.

And, you know, they were just, you know, they were sweet about it. And then and then the first project I sold was was a movie called Recount, which is the story of the four recount. I sold it to HBO. It's kind of a miracle that I ever sold this project. Right. But I remember seeing Dan Palladino in Farmer's Market, which is this area in Hollywood, the Fairfax Fairfax District in Hollywood. Yeah. And he was hanging out drinking coffee, which he would do. I would see him there from time to time. And I said, I just sold a movie to HBO. And he said, what? And I said, yes, the story of the Florida recount. And he said, what? It like blew his mind. And he was so happy for me, which I didn't experience in necessarily everyone I told that I was writing a movie for HBO about the Puerto Rico.

And it was so loving and sweet how excited he was that this was all happening. And it made no sense to anyone, you know, because at the time, HBO had gotten really, really snobby. And they were only working with, you know, Tony Kushner, or maybe Tony Kushner, or we'll hire Tony because like like it was you had to be a super elite writer to even really get a meeting there, which was why it was such a miracle. They bought this for me, because not only was I not an elite writer, I was not in the WTA, I never sold anything. I didn't even have a drama sample. I'd only written comedies.

[32:03] Jason A. Coombs: Because you were on the blacklist. Is that how?

[32:06] Danny Strong: No, no, it was just it was, it got on the blacklist. Everyone thinks the blacklist launched that script, but it actually didn't. We had finished production when the blacklist had dropped. And recount was number one on the blacklist. But so yeah, it was it was just, I remember years later, I asked the executive, I said, I got that script. That pitch for me, it's I still don't get it to this day. Because it's the Christmas miracle of my career that HBO bought that project. And I'm Jewish. So that's really, that's really a Christmas miracle, right? Like, that's really, that's something. And she just said, she just said it was a really great pitch. And you weren't expensive. And so it was just a calculated gamble.

And it works. You know, she just said, I just kind of wait for it. I remember that when I got the call that they had bought the project. I wasn't excited. I was terrified. I was like, Oh my god, I get this is the biggest thing to ever happen. What if I blow this and I remember I couldn't speak for a few hours. I just scared. And then I got over it and I went to the script. But so anyways, that's the that's the story of Regan.

[33:16] Jason A. Coombs: I love that. Thank you for sharing that.

[33:19] Danny Strong: Sorry, I went jumped all around here because but it was in Paladino Gilmore Girls. Yeah.

[33:24] Jason A. Coombs: We love it. So Empire came years later. I actually wasn't I didn't come up with Empire while I was doing it. Well, we have to write to Amy because I know I heard her say that in an interview. So it's a story she tells which you know, and Amy, I become so close with them. They're like my adopted aunt and uncle. You know, they're so, so sweet to me. It's just, you know, they're like family.

[33:45] Danny Strong: I'm available for adoption as well. If you want to.

[33:47] Jason A. Coombs: All right, I'll let them know. I'll be like, we've got some adoption possibilities.

[33:53] Danny Strong: If you're going to be adopted by someone, Amy Sherman Paladino, Dan Paladino. Pretty good.

[33:58] Jason A. Coombs: The right people.

[33:58] Danny Strong: That's pretty good. Yeah, the right people.

[34:01] Jason A. Coombs: If you guys don't understand the reference of the Gilmore Girls reboot, go watch it because his character it's it's really beautiful how they like did an ode to like your writing but.

[34:09] Danny Strong: And they did that that was intentional. It wasn't a coincidence. They thought it was funny. And I thought it was really funny. And, you know, I think we have to talk about chess. I think we have to get into it, which is.

[34:25] Danny Strong: Let's talk about chess.

[34:26] Jason A. Coombs: Yes. So that is on it just opened November 16. On the Broadway. You're here in New York. Leah, Michelle, our boy, Christopher, former survivor jobs guests, we're trying to get them back. Amazing. Can you share with us? How did this project come to be? I know you've been working on it for a couple years. It's not recent.

[34:43] Danny Strong: Oh, more like 10. How about a decade? Yeah, that's where the D word out there. Decade. How'd it come to be? So I was listening to Spotify musical theater playlist. And whenever chess would come up, I'd get a little dopamine kick. Like chess, chess is so cool. You know, and, and then I started getting me thinking, what's the deal with chess? I know it's famously doesn't work. I know it's famously confusing. I don't know why I've never seen a production of chess. But I know the songs are amazing. So I thought so well, I know him so well, right. So I just thought, let me go. Let me just see if I could find a video chess online. And I'll just watch it because I'm sort of curious and why this show is never produced and why it's kind of famously doesn't work.

So I immediately googled chess and hit an instant goldmine, which was chess in concert. Sorry, Josh Groban and Adina Menzel. Royal Albert Hall 2008. I think it was 2008. And they filmed it. It was a whole filmed concert. And it was sort of staged. I think it was actually 10 years ago since I've seen it. So I don't totally remember. But I saw so I watched it. And as I was watching it, I my sort of rewrite brain started to kick in a little bit. Sometimes I rewrite projects, usually for cash, less so for the arts. But it's like a thing I do not not all the time, but it's like a small portion of my writing is rewrite jobs. And so my brain just started naturally being like, so what how would I rewrite?

What would I do? And then I started thinking, I don't know, maybe I could, maybe I could really kind of rewrite this and make this work. And I came up with a few ideas I thought were pretty cool. So then, a few weeks later, I've been drinking, which I'm not proud of. This is I want to make that very clear. I'm proud of this. But I was out drinking with a friend of mine. And she brought up chess. And then I started saying I can fix chess. And she said, Really? How? And I said, I don't know. I just know I can because I watched the video. And then I said, I said, text Michael Mayer right now. I knew she knew Michael. I said, text Michael Mayer right now. It's home. I'm going to rewrite chess. And she said, Are you serious?

And I said, Yes. So she did it. I went to bed, forgot all about this conversation because it wasn't like it dominated the home. And I woke up the next day with an email from Michael Mayer. And it just said, I'm in. And he said, and Tom said, I'm in. And then it said, and Tom Hulse is going to produce so you have a producer now too. Then you had to do it. Yeah, that was the beginning of the journey that would lead to me on a plane two months later to meet with Tim Rice. That his house pitching him how I would do it. But it was a very awkward pitch because it's sort of weird how you pitch this. Then you don't know how he feels about it. You know, does he think the show's perfect and I'm crazy and everyone's crazy, you know.

And then I ended up writing a treatment that I sent to him. And then that was sort of I and that's how I kind of ended the meeting with him. I said, let me just why don't I write a treatment and then you can read it, then we can talk about it. That would be. And that was the beginning of the process. So that's how it came to be. That's amazing. So what's been the most challenging part about the process and what's been the most rewarding part?

[38:29] Danny Strong: Most challenging part is the whole thing. This is so difficult. This is a craziest, most challenging thing I've ever written. I wrote a movie called The Butler, which is about a White House butler over 40 years. That was. They're tied for the most difficult things I've ever done. Right. To tell like a 40 year history of the civil rights movement through the eyes of a White House butler and the presidents that he serves and his relationship. That was very, very difficult. This was the same. Very ambitious. Right. This was it was this giant sort of jigsaw puzzle of how do you tell. You know, tell the story of these characters using the lyrics as your guide.

[39:16] Danny Strong: So you're not inventing a new story, right? You're doing chaps. You're doing the story of Florence and Freddie and Anatoly and the love triangle and the chess battles and you're doing that. But how do you turn it into sort of a storyline that you could follow more clearly, but still using these songs, but then also cutting songs and then maybe rearranging the order? And it was really, really difficult and sort of a wild challenge and undertaking. And then it got really ambitious of, okay, I don't want this just to make sense, or be able to follow or to not be confusing. But how can we turn this into a piece of theater that's as dynamic and as exciting as these songs? Because these songs are incredible.

So the goal was, let's swing for the fences. Let's create this really unique piece of theater. So it became much bigger than just, let's just make it sense so that people can hear the songs, as opposed to how chess has been done for the last 40 years, or post the Broadway production, so the last 35 years, as just mostly in concert, so that it takes all the pressure off of the story. And it's just, you're just going to hear the songs and they would do benefits because everyone loves the music so much. So that was the ambition of the piece. And my concept was, let's make it a Brechtian style Cold War history musical. So if it's Brechtian, highly theatrical, you never forget you're watching the show.

You're trying to emphasize the political themes. Okay, I'll have a narrator, the narrator solve story problems. Let's make the narrator funny. Maybe the narrator could be a little sardonic and cheeky about the show to take pressure off the fact that some of this story is kind of heightened. That may feel even if no matter how true it is, it may feel too broad, because to be honest with you, the true history of these Cold War chess battles were ridiculous. The real stories were ridiculous, right? And how broad they were, the fights and the screaming and the hypnotists. And just the, you know, Bobby Fischer himself really didn't believe they were trying to blow up his plane, that he was in the middle of, you know, a Cold War espionage.

And by the way, he was a little bit. So you know, what happens when you're paranoid, schizophrenic, and what you're paranoid about is actually happening. You know, so there was a lot of there's a lot of really dynamic elements to this. And so that was the, that was the undertaking. And I just went for it. And the goal was, let's just, let's just make this let's just swing for the fences. And I was so lucky to have Michael Mayer as my Sherpa, you know, the director and, you know, because it really was sort of a dual vision. You know, I wrote it, he directed it, we didn't do each other's jobs. But he was so crucial in my job of just as guiding me through the process. So, so it was this ended up, and the show is exactly what we intended.

Like that is per se, you know, every that every element of it is exactly and we were always, it was never about us. It was always about the songs and the music. And how can we set these songs up so that they're, that they're driven by story driven by character, that you're that it's an emotional experience, not just because the song is so good, but because you're also tied into the characters journey and what they're struggling with and what they're trying to achieve in that moment. So, so all of these ideas were always in service of how can the songs, the pieces of drama and pieces of theater as opposed to what it's really just been for the last three or four decades, great songs. And then, you know, often, you know, when I was watching the row of our hall production, you know, there were times I just didn't know what was going on.

So I'm not super emotionally connected. Then there's, you know, that Josh Groban kills anthem and you're like, wow, that was amazing. And at the end of itself kills nobody. That's amazing. I don't really know what's happening. But wow, you know, like the spectacle of it's Wow. And I just thought if we could take that Wow, and infuse it in story character, theme, and then also this old war history piece, I thought, Oh, this could be, this could be cool. And, and, you know, we're one of the highest grossing shows on Broadway. And I think we fucking pulled it off. You know, I mean, it's just the word of mouth is amazing. People love it so much. The feedback is just the feedback is unbelievable that we're getting.

And it's not just a we love the songs. It's just they love the show. You know, it's just they love the show there. So it's a deeply for some people and a lot because I read the shit online, you know, the social media word of mouth. It's just people are just having a really profound, terrific, wonderful or, you know, entertaining experience for the for the people that it's not life changing, but you know, we're I'm seeing favorite show of all time, right? Boom. Yeah. And it just makes you feel like, okay, maybe it's not, but that they love it. You know, that they had a really, really profound experience. And it really theater. Yeah, and it really all comes from Tim Rice's fantastic concept. And the incredible songs.

Yeah, it's Tim and Benny and Bjorn wrote, like, it all stems from that. And I feel like Michael and I just put in motion, sort of an outlet for for everything to be able to succeed in a way that that in a way that I think they intended originally, and they love it. They're so which is so rewarding to have Tim and Benny and Bjorn just so happy with the show. And it's changed the history of the show. You know, it's viewed as a sort of a failure of a show that doesn't work in a show that's never succeeded. And, and now, you know, it's been four weeks, but we're one of the highest grossing shows on Broadway sold out. It's just it's just killing. So it's like, okay, okay, motherfuckers, this ain't a failure anymore. This is a hit now. There's a new there's a new narrative with chess.

[46:08] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah, it's like, it's like, we're seeing this happen a lot now in the industry with merrily too, you know, merrily was the hottest ticket in town. And every single time before and same with this, and I think that's really beautiful. And congratulations to you.

[46:21] Danny Strong: And thank you. Great.

[46:26] Samantha Tuozzolo: Oh, well, thank you for saying that. So that's the most rewarding part. Well, you know, to be honest with you for three years, it was what's this ever gonna happen? Are we ever is this ever gonna go to Broadway? We ever, you know, but the the my payment because I paid zero for all those years, right? My payment was being in a room and getting to watch the best of Broadway sing some of my favorite songs. And yeah, musical theater songs. So, so that was in it in it. And I never failed to bring joy to be in that room. And it was always just with piano. And just hearing all these different people we've had over the years, play these parts, rush it. And everyone's been incredible. And I'm so grateful to all the people that have done it over the years in our workshops and our readings. And, and they've just been, it's just been the talent of Broadway. It's there's just nothing like it in the world. So in conclusion, everybody get your tickets and run chess immediately.

[47:19] Jason A. Coombs: Yes. I love that. Including us, right? We need to get over there.

[47:25] Danny Strong: That's a great conclusion. I was supposed to be at opening night. But then my friend who I was going with, um, we were in the ER because he got his appendix out.

[47:34] Samantha Tuozzolo: Oh my goodness. I'm not laughing. But like we were supposed to be.

[47:41] Danny Strong: Oh, yeah. The appendix are out. Good. They didn't. My friend just had his appendix taken out in the last two weeks. He was supposed to be in New York this week. And he's couldn't come. I'm like, Hey, are you in town? And he texted me said no, I had my appendix taken out. And he's 63, 64.

[47:59] Samantha Tuozzolo: Oh my God, what are you talking about? But he's doing totally fine.

[48:03] Danny Strong: If you're having symptoms, you might need your appendix out. So yeah, and you don't need them. So don't worry about it. Get them out.

[48:11] Jason A. Coombs: I want to say also, Samantha, because you're talking about merely, can we do this for movies that are like bad? Can we like rewrite bad instead of remaking like really good movies? Can we remake like movies that are bad and like make them better?

[48:24] Danny Strong: That is interesting, right? Well, especially when they remake a really good movie. Sometimes it's so weird, right? You're like, are you remaking this movie? I don't understand. Why don't you take a bad movie and just make it better?

[48:35] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, it's it is wild. And, you know, I don't like to rip movies or other people's work as an artist. So I can't name movies that have been remakes that have been bad. But, you know, just kind of surprised me. And then sometimes they're really cool. My buddy just redid The Running Man. And I thought it was awesome that they did a killer job.

[48:54] Danny Strong: Yeah. Edgar Wright and Michael Paul wrote it or directed it or they brought it together.

[48:59] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah. And it's very cool. But but yeah, it's it's it is I think that's a clever idea. The problem is, is that, well, you know, there are other examples besides chess and merely because those are sort of the two sort of broken, you know, broken kids, broken shows that in that merely production piece.

[49:20] Danny Strong: I know. And the film is incredible as well.

[49:27] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, I heard. Um, so, so, Danny, I won't call you Jonathan.

[49:31] Danny Strong: Oh, my God. It's all right. Don't worry about it. I can't really get yelled at on the street, Jonathan.

[49:35] Jason A. Coombs: No, it's so terrible. Oh, my God. Don't worry about it. All good.

[49:40] Danny Strong: So sorry.

[49:48] Jason A. Coombs: Okay, Danny, you won two Emmys and had 13 nominations for your work in TV and film as a professional.

[49:53] Danny Strong: I have. I didn't know. That's a lot. That's pretty good. All right.

[49:59] Jason A. Coombs: That's pretty good. And I am 13 nominations for all the projects or.

[50:03] Danny Strong: Because I've been nominated six times, I know, because I think of it in terms of I've lost four times, which is horrible, right? And I just think it's cool. I've won twice, but instead it's oh, wait, I've lost four. I'm two for six. That's pretty good.

[50:14] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, that's right. Like that's that's not bad.

[50:19] Danny Strong: Yeah.

[50:20] Jason A. Coombs: But I was going to ask because I'm a writer and I always get this question and I'm not an Emmy Award winner. Do you write every day? And any advice of us for those of us who who try to write and maybe get writer's block every now and then?

[50:23] Danny Strong: Right through writer's block, right? The writer's block just don't or to show up, even if you don't write, just show up and you'll get something done eventually.

[50:42] Danny Strong: Do you eventually? I mean, yeah, yeah, I write every day. Well, now I try to take Sundays off and then if I'm not actively on out to draft, I try to take Saturdays off, too, because I have a daughter so cute. And so I got to spend, you know, spend Saturday and Sunday with her all day at least. Look at my face. Oh, my goodness. So, you know, she's she's 14 months old. So so I went from just taking Sundays off to taking Saturday and Sundays off. But but so so during the week, I do write every day and it's basically ten to two.

[51:20] Jason A. Coombs: OK.

[51:27] Danny Strong: Right. And usually a half hour that's returning emails and then I'm done and then I'm done for the day.

[51:33] Jason A. Coombs: Right.

[51:33] Danny Strong: So it's a three, four hour session. It's very productive, but there's something about doing it every day or five days a week or six days a week where it has this really big cumulative effect because your brain is just constantly working on it when you're not writing and while you're sleeping. But if you don't write that day, your brain's not working on it subconsciously for the rest of the day. So you're not waking up with new ideas in the mornings. You can do it the day before. Right. So if you've got writer's block, which I feel like writer's block is really for novelists, you know, I'm I'm a screenwriter, you know, just just show up, just show up and write to sit down and write.

[52:15] Danny Strong: Yeah, just write. You know, I think it's also sometimes people get into the romanticism of the idea of writer's block. I'm a writer and I have writer's block. So.

[52:22] Danny Strong: Being a writer, you have to be tortured, right? But I do think that certainly days that I just don't feel like it. But I still just sit my ass down and just show up knowing that, okay, you know, like, doesn't matter, you're gonna show up. And eventually, eventually, you just get something done. And you don't, you know, not every day has to be Sylvester Stallone writing Rocky in three days, right? Even just small, say, if you only get 45 minutes in that 45 minutes is, you know, because you're sitting there and you just take you two and a half hours to get started because you're procrastinating, you know, going on Instagram, which is the death of writing. But you know, it's, even if you just get something done, it's, it's, it's, it builds to your brain working subconsciously throughout the day throughout the night. And then the next day, there's some new ideas. So I do think consistency is, is the key to being a professional writer.

[53:26] Jason A. Coombs: I love that. I do just want to clarify, because I knew there was a number 13 somewhere. It's 13 nominations, like across various awards.

[53:34] Danny Strong: Oh, I probably read the question wrong. Okay. Okay. That might have been a me.

[53:42] Jason A. Coombs: Hey, don't worry about it. I'm on your side.

[53:46] Danny Strong: Thank you. All right. Nobody's on nobody's side.

[53:52] Jason A. Coombs: Exactly. Except I'm on your side. So it's all good.

[53:56] Samantha Tuozzolo: Danny, this has been amazing. Thank you so much for joining us. You've just given us so much knowledge and so much backstory that this is like,

[54:01] Danny Strong: Oh, good. Well, this has been so fun for me. You two are great at this. So thanks for having me. It's been a blast.

[54:05] Samantha Tuozzolo: Absolutely. Next time you got to come back. Let's do it.

[54:11] Danny Strong: Let's do it. Yes. You'll have to come to the studio when we can, when we can coordinate it.

[54:18] Samantha Tuozzolo: So we are going to ask you one more question, then play a really quick, little fun game and then let you go on with your evening. So right. Let's do this. You've worked on so many amazing projects with so many different people. We already talked about a bunch of them. Did you get any specific advice from anybody you've worked with that you still implement with your career today?

[54:37] Danny Strong: I mean, so much. I wish there was one thing I could think of. No, nothing's I mean, I've worked with so many heroes of mine that are heroes that were actors or directors. And they're all I learned from all of them. You know, they all I try to get whatever I can from from them. There was a director. He's a writer director who's now become a very close friend of mine. Who he thinks Gary Ross, he wrote big Dave wrote and directed Seabiscuit wrote and directed the first Hunger Games movie. Ocean's 8, you know, huge, huge figure in the industry. And I was his third assistant. That was it. That was after those four jobs I had. Yeah, another job that that's that's the next one. So so coming back on the theme of survival right, full circle.

So I was so I, I didn't have to do four jobs anymore, because I just was his office work. Right. And my main job was getting him Diet Coke. And, and fry cleaning, picking up the fry. Those were my two biggest responsibility. Okay. Yeah, that was key. And I had a book on screenwriting. And he said, Oh, are you interested in writing? I said, Yeah, yeah, I want to write. And he said, Well, here's here's one of the biggest pieces by side is when you get into the third act of the story of your script. Make sure that it's about the character, and the character's journey, and not just resolving the plot. Oh, that the that the third act, you really want to resolve the character's arc, not just resolve the story.

And then hopefully that those two things are entered. So that the resolution of plot is also the fulfillment of the characters are pretty good. I'm taking that. That's pretty good advice. Ross legendary screenwriter, huge, huge director. Wow. Thank you. Thank you for sharing that.

[57:10] Samantha Tuozzolo: Sure. So one quick one. Okay, you don't want to take up too much more of your time. But we are big manifestos on this podcast, Samantha and I love putting out good, good you need in the universe. And hopefully, you know, we'll get what we want back. So yeah, you've written for the stage you've written for TV, film, you've been an actor or director. Is there a potential like project or collaborating when a manifesto with us as our last question?

[57:27] Danny Strong: Oh, yeah, but I don't want to say it.

[57:31] Samantha Tuozzolo: Oh, you want to jinx it?

[57:36] Danny Strong: Yeah. No, it's more of because I don't want competing projects that gear I'm doing it and then ramp up and try to it's a it's a tough town, man. I see Hollywood ain't that ain't it ain't child's play there. That is a tough, tough town. So if I were to say this, it could very well end up being being out there in some way what I'm trying to take a moment of silence for it and manifest it.

[58:05] Samantha Tuozzolo: Okay, can we do that?

[58:11] Danny Strong: Yeah, ready? Okay. Yeah, we did it. I think it's happening. It's amazing.

[58:16] Samantha Tuozzolo: Okay. So we really love to always end with something quick and fun just to keep it okay. Like we're fun people. So we put a little game together called this or that. And we're going to tell you two things and you have to you can't not pick one. Okay. That's the rule. Okay. Even if they're tied. Okay.

[58:27] Danny Strong: Yeah. Okay. This or that right for the stage or right for the screen?

[58:35] Danny Strong: I can't answer that.

[58:39] Samantha Tuozzolo: Well, since this is a Broadway world podcast, I'm going to say the stage.

[58:43] Danny Strong: Okay. I'm pandering. By the way, I'm pandering. So

[58:48] Samantha Tuozzolo: do you like early mornings or late night write sessions?

[58:58] Danny Strong: Oh, neither. Right. Can I say that?

[59:05] Samantha Tuozzolo: Okay. Late night.

[59:11] Danny Strong: Never. I mean, I forget it. I'm tired. I get tuckered. I get tuckered early. Especially now with the sun setting. I can't Yeah, well. Okay, what next?

[59:16] Danny Strong: Do you prefer creating in the writer's room or acting in a big scene on set?

[59:27] Danny Strong: Oh, right. Okay, which fans are more expressive and passionate Gilmore Girls fans or Buffy fans?

[59:33] Danny Strong: The hard one. So hard. You got one of one reason you can't and you can't say tie, right? No, you can't. You do. But it's changed because it used to be Buffy fans. And now it's Gilmore Girls.

[59:39] Samantha Tuozzolo: Okay, that's a fair answer. Yeah, that's fair. Yeah. What's the more fun all around event? I think you've been to both the Emmys or the Golden Globes.

[59:46] Danny Strong: The Golden Globes are more fun.

[59:52] Danny Strong: Yeah, because everyone like it's hammered, right? Yeah, because you're drinking. It's the mix of film and TV people on the same room. So I just fanboy out. And now they have best podcast. It will be nominated for next year.

[1:00:03] Samantha Tuozzolo: Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Correct. Did you you weren't nominated this year? You got robbed?

[1:00:08] Danny Strong: Yeah. I'm gonna boycott. I'm boycotting until you guys are not.

[1:00:16] Samantha Tuozzolo: Thank you. And I won the Golden Globe. Can I say that that obnoxious?

[1:00:21] Danny Strong: Yes. All right, keep going. One Golden Globe to me. There we go. For me. How many? No, four Emmy losses. Four Emmy losses, two Emmy wins, one Globe win.

[1:00:32] Danny Strong: One Globe with three Globe losses. Three Globe losses total. So one for four. Not a great, not great. Hey, a lot of people. All right. Okay. Hulu or Netflix?

[1:00:49] Danny Strong: Netflix.

[1:00:52] Danny Strong: Oh, painful to say.

[1:00:56] Samantha Tuozzolo: Um, billions or Mad Men?

[1:00:56] Danny Strong: Awesome. Today, today, you can play the fifth, I guess we can let you I can hear I'm gonna Mad Men is probably my favorite show of all time. But I love doing billion more than doing that.

[1:01:15] Samantha Tuozzolo: Okay. So that's cool, right? Yes, that works. Okay. Okay. Dope sick or Empire?

[1:01:22] Danny Strong: Dope sick.

[1:01:30] Samantha Tuozzolo: Oh, okay. Okay. When writing, are you a plotter or a fly by the seat of your pants type of person?

[1:01:30] Danny Strong: Plotter. Do you prefer New York or LA?

[1:01:37] Danny Strong: New York. No comparison.

[1:01:37] Samantha Tuozzolo: Okay. Okay. Two more. What do you prefer a shocking midseason twist or juicy cliffhanger finale?

[1:01:45] Danny Strong: I think it's shocking midseason twist. Because I'm not at the finale. I'm like, okay, you're doing finale. I might tie that shit up. Right? We're here. Don't don't make me wait. You know, like tie it up. I like tie it up and then another twist at the end to come back. But midseason turn is awesome.

[1:02:12] Samantha Tuozzolo: And we're ending on a wicked note to stay relevant with the times. Sure. Alphaba being played by Idina Menzel, or Cynthia Arrivo.

[1:02:20] Danny Strong: I mean, kind of impossible. But Cynthia Arrivo, I'm finding to be one of the most unbelievable talents of our time. You see it clips of hers Jesus and Jesus Christ Superstar at the Hollywood Bowl. Goodbye. Yeah, I mean, it's I can't it's just so it's just so unbelievable. And I met her and she was so cool. And, and I said, What are you doing next? And she said, wicked. And I said, and she said, Oh, not the stage show. And I said, Oh, you're not you're not the 17th Alphaba? I'm like, I'm like, I know that it's got to be the movie. But it was cool because she was, you know, and I was like, casual scoop that I now have.

[1:03:17] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah. Yeah. Danny, I love how how stressful that game was for you. You're like, Oh, my God, it was so stressful. And a few of those answers were potentially career ending. So I thank you for that. Danny, before we let you go, please tell our listeners where they can follow you where they can keep up with you on social media to keep up with your project that we just manifested that nobody.

[1:03:36] Danny Strong: Yes. Um, I guess the best way would just be Instagram at Danny strong, because I'm much less active on x formerly Twitter. I don't know why I used to be all over it. But for I'm less active on it now. So but on Instagram, formerly Twitter, so so Instagram, although I have to warn you, it is a lot chess propaganda on my I'm just posting about chess nonstop on Instagram. Because by the way, I love chess. I love the show. So like the cast is so amazing. They're incredible. And not just the three leads who are mind blowing insane, but everyone up and down the board. I mean, the ensemble is phenomenal. Bryce Pinkham is the arbiter in cruise, Bradley Dean, Sean Alan Krill. They're just everyone is just growing at 95 mile per hour fastballs. A lot of people the chatter I'm hearing about Hannah is, I mean, everybody, obviously, but yeah, rather very special, very special work. And just the coolest. Yeah, yeah, for real.

[1:04:51] Samantha Tuozzolo: And if you guys are tuning in, we're gonna drop our socials now in case you are just a Danny fan and you don't follow us yet. Follow us at survival jobs pod on Instagram and Tick Tock and shoot us an email at survival jobs pod at gmail.com. Let us know your thoughts. Everybody go see chess everybody. Like subscribe and follow. Happy holidays. So much fun. Happy Hanukkah. Yes.

[1:05:15] Danny Strong: Oh, there it is. Oh my goodness. Wait, it didn't do it for me. Typical.