Myrna Velasco - Torra Doza form Star Wars Resistance!

Myrna Velasco Interivew Part 2

[00:00:00] Casey: And to, just to kind of go back on that My both of my kids love cosmic kids, yoga on YouTube.

Myrna Velasco: Yeah. Yeah. I love watching her videos too, because like, Yeah. Like sometimes you just need a different way to say that forward fold. And like, she’s like, all right, we’re in Harry Potter. And I’m like, yep.

Casey: Yeah. It’s, it’s, it’s great for little, for little people to kind of have that. And it’s not a competition.

Myrna Velasco: Yeah.

Casey: It’s just them and

Myrna Velasco: you know

Casey: yeah, exactly. Yeah. So it’s super fun. Yeah. Yeah. CA can we, can we talk a little bit about star Wars?

Myrna Velasco: Oh gosh, we got to talk about star Wars. I mean, we talked about star Wars. Yeah.

Casey: I guess some people like it. I don’t know. No, no, no. I’m totally being a jackass.

[00:01:00] Myrna Velasco: No. I have recently met, met a new friend from the South, but she’s from Georgia.

So maybe that’s what’s wrong with her.

Casey: Oh yeah. Any, anyone from Georgia suspect.

Myrna Velasco: Okay. I’m going to keep that in mind. She was like, I don’t like star Wars and I was like, We can’t be friends anymore. Okay.

Casey: Lesser Tyler Perry. Georgia is,

Myrna Velasco: yeah, we’ll see. Well, yeah, Georgia, Alabama. I’m watching the both of you.

Casey: So, so yeah. Tell me about being on star Wars resistance and just the impact that it’s brought to you. And being around the fans too. Tell me about first. Tell me about w. The audition process you got on? How was that?

Myrna Velasco: Yeah. First and foremost, I hope I haven’t peaked. Cause that’s, it’s a dream come true.

Yeah, I I’ve [00:02:00] I’ve said it before. Say it again. That me and my kid friends growing up, we loved choosing our favorite superheroes that we wanted to be. And our a favorite star Wars characters that we wanted to be. And yeah, there’s, there was only one layer. There was only one layer. And luckily by the time we were 12, we also got a Padma.

But at that point it’s like, you got to have kind of a sanctioned way to play pretend. So you got to go do the musical theater instead of just being like, Hey, do you wanna, do you wanna play star Wars with me? Like, I’ll use this Nerf gun as a blaster and you can use that. That a rolling pin as a lightsaber.

And it’ll be awesome. Like you can’t do that at 12 anymore, which I think is a shame and I think more kids should. But anyway, all that being said yeah. Yeah. I, I the audition process was crazy in that animation auditioning works a little bit slower and Animation just, yeah, by an inherent rule, it works a little [00:03:00] slower, but star Wars in and of itself works even hotter that like, you kind of feel like if you audition for one thing once ever, then you’re in this, like, Universe of like, Oh, maybe we’ll pull from this girl.

Maybe we’ll get that girl from over there. So the first thing I had ever auditioned for was a force awakens. And like, obviously it wasn’t going to get it because those girls were amazing. But all that I then like got on the radar of a radar of Lucas film and. I was asked to audition along with a couple of other high profile voice actors before I was famous.

I mean, I was just bumbling around and my agent was like, here, here’s some paper. We can’t tell you what it’s about or where it’s from. It’s called project. Zero. Ooh,

Casey: mysterious

Myrna Velasco: and go and be an actor in that booth. And I was like, all right. And I, I am a huge [00:04:00] scifi nerd. So whenever somebody says like, yeah, yeah.

And they’re like, we can’t tell you the premise, but read the lines and kind of figure out what the premise is for yourself, which is a lot of a lot of like, Just animation in and of itself where you’re like, I don’t know whether you you’re talking about, so I’m going to make it up. You said it’s a dog.

Why not? I’m a dog. So yeah, I read the script and I was like, ah, this is cool. And I was lucky that like I had read a star Wars script because they all are also very secretive with on-camera auditions, where they give you a a specific. Like, they give you the script. Only when you show up, you cannot ask for it beforehand and they give it to you on like a specific paper that you can’t take a picture of.

So you it’s like this red paper it’s like, you can’t touch it. So I kind of had like, felt from reading that previous star Wars audition, I was like, this feels like star Wars, but like, [00:05:00] I’m not going to say that cause that’s a weird, so. It’s Battlestar. It’s Battlestar Galactica. I’m going to play like a Starbuck character.

I’m just going to throw some words out. We’ll see what happens. I don’t know. So I did that and then never heard anything again for like three to six months. I was like, well, you know, that’s life. We go on to this other animation audition where you’re, I’m a dog now. Great. I’m a dog. And then like six months later, I get the request for my agent to.

Try it Myrna. Do you remember this, this super top secret thing you’re not supposed to, you can’t take the paper home with you. Can’t take a picture of it. I got to give it to you here. And we did a couple months ago. I don’t know. And I was like, Oh yeah, I remember the thing that I did like Battlestar Galactica.

Sure, sure, sure. What up? She was like, well, you gotta do it again. You gotta do it in a British accent. And I was like, Oh, okay. And in my mind, I was like, you know, they asked all of us, like, again, they were like, nah, you know what? Let’s same script, [00:06:00] new, new, new show kids. So I went in again to the booth and did it in a British accent.

And I was like, Oh, that was fun. Why not? And I was like, that’s so long see you all later and then never heard from anything again for like another three months. Then finally three months later, my agent goes, Myrna. Do you want to audition at a, at a sound studio at a professional audio studio?

And I was like, Oh, how much does it cost? And she was like, no, no, no, no, no. The, the production company that it’s too, that’s a super top secret. Why we talked about it when I might be different. They want to hear what kind of different Latin voices you can make. So can you, can you audition for them at that professional studio?

Because there. They might be there. They might be somewhere else. And I was like, Oh, okay. Never once thinking that, like they’re working remotely from San Francisco, which if I had put that together, then I would have known that it was absolutely star Wars, but I didn’t put it together because it was like, they just want to hear Latin sounds.

[00:07:00] which is like a Latin Mario. I dunno.

Casey. I, the later we go, the crazier I get, so

Casey: let’s do this. I’m all for it.

Myrna Velasco: Excellent. Excellent. Yeah. So yeah, this was like a year long process where I finally go into this professional sound studio and they have Christopher Sean, Scott Lawrence and Susie Mughrabi. And to me and we’re, we’re all going in together and I didn’t find out until that moment.

When the director, the session director and executive producer, Justin Rindge goes great. Aren’t you guys excited for your test?

Casey: So you didn’t know this was like the, this was this wasn’t just an audition. You were,

Myrna Velasco: this was, yeah, this was a chemistry test, which is like the final steps of the audition.

And they were bringing in other actors. So Christopher [00:08:00] Sean came in, but he left and he had to sit outside and watch like all of these other beautiful male, Asian actors come in. Asian-American actors come in and I was sweating it for him because I was like, man, like got to watch your competition.

Like, and we’re all like, Acting flirting and like giving our best acting to each other. Yeah. I had no idea that this was a test and so I was so nervous, but yeah, at that moment and that, of that in that time, like just kind of like being like, well, this is it, then I guess I’m going to ask as many questions as they’ll let me in between takes and I’m going to be really annoying about it because I didn’t know I was taking a test.

So, yeah, so what’s really great. What was really kind of wonderful about that moment and all of the story is just leading up to, we had these awesome auditions and we were so kind to each other simply because Christopher, Sean started it off with like, you’re doing [00:09:00] great. You’re so fricking awesome.

Like, Oh, the way you deliver that line. So good and feeling like Susie was in the room with me and pitch, she was, and she has that beautiful British accent. Like of course that’s the British accent they were looking for. Yeah. And, and just kind of like seeing them at their best and seeing them at them they’re most themselves kind of just made me like really gooey and excited.

And I gave him the, the Torah Doza that let’s do this. And then I got booked.

Casey: Do you think that just by virtue of you not really knowing the full extent to how in you were in, do you think that gave you the a little bit more leeway to kind of play and B just be a little bit more Have have a little bit more fun with it rather than this is, this is, you know, this is a [00:10:00] job I’m going to do this.

This is serious.

Myrna Velasco: Yeah, exactly. I mean, I was even so much as like in denial that I was getting this job Because every time like Christopher would walk out or Scott Lawrence would walk out to let another actor come in and portray that character, Susie. And I were like, Oh, we must definitely not have this job because they’re testing.

Those guys were just standing voices. Like they’re not switching us out. So we’re not really audition. And there was something in that denial. Definitely that, yeah, that made me kind of like. Just act and just have fun. But yeah, it wasn’t, it wasn’t until after I had walked out of that audition and Christopher went, you, you and Susie weren’t.

Were switched out at all. And we were, and I was like, yeah, no, I mean, maybe they’re doing the Torres tomorrow, who knows? And he just like, looks at me like I was an idiot and was like, [00:11:00] no, I’m pretty sure you got this role. I was like, don’t. Don’t say that, don’t say that to me ever. Like that’s weird. Yeah, and I, I guess they really just liked us already and we didn’t know it.

And we were just like, we better give it her all. Cause this is our last shot. They keep giving us last shots.

Casey: I love that that you know, that you. You were picked for the role and they found you, and I mean, it’s such an awesome role that you have.

 

And especially being part of. I mean, you’re, you’re already part of a big fandom already.

You’re part of several, which is crazy, but I mean, two of the biggest fandoms in the world, you have the DC fandom and then you have the the star Wars fandom. And so what I want to know which one is best? No, I’m joking. No, no, no, no. How [00:12:00] were, how was. Your introduction to the star Wars fandom. I know you, you said you were a little bit of a, of a geek earlier, but I’m sure it’s a lot different being a geek and actually being.

Someone that the geeks look at and go, Oh my goodness. Oh my gosh. It’s her.

Myrna Velasco: Oh my goodness. Yeah. I mean it it’s it’s, it’s kind of cool still in the space that I’m in because animation people don’t typically see my face. So it’s not something that I’m like bombarded with auth. Awesome. Often ever, ever the real word has ever, ever been bombarded on the streets of LA and someone be like, Oh my God, are you Tara?

Does that? No, one’s ever said that to me in LA, but so, so it’s really great to just kind of focus on the work and have this anonymity of like, I didn’t really even know what I was making and what we were making with resistance until. I went to celebration and, and because like, yes, I watch my cartoons.

I watch my cartoons [00:13:00] for continuity sake and I watch it as homework and I write things down and I watch the episodes that I remember that I don’t remember for the next script. Like, it’s, I’m very nerdy about the way I, yeah. And so it occurred to me that like, people are watching this because they like it.

So when I went to 2019 celebration in Chicago. I was blown away. Like every single night I would get back to the hotel and just like cry because everybody had something to say to me and I was able to talk with them and that they like wanted to talk with me was just, yeah, like as a fan girl and as a kid who, who kind of never really felt like.

I had the, as many real life friends, because I wasn’t into those normal things that. The, the high school leaders and the junior high [00:14:00] schoolers thought were cool, but that I was into star Wars and that I wasn’t a Batman. And you know, we, yeah. We rode the bus and talked about our own green lantern fan FIC.

Like it’s just, it’s really wonderful to hold that space with them and to like look at the fans and be like, Oh my gosh, You’re like me and yeah, like it, it wasn’t, it wasn’t until I got to celebration that I realized that it was so big of a fan. Oh

Casey: my God. I like it. It seems almost terrifying. Just the, the sheer amount of people that.

W we’ll be reviewing your work and watching what you do and just go nuts over the, over your show. So,

Myrna Velasco: yeah. Yeah. And then, yeah, and then they have such good reviews. I’m I’m so I’m over the moon to have been tracked down and [00:15:00] found by, by Justin Rindge. And it’s like, yeah, both of my, my big shows are Emmy nominated and Emmy award winning and.

Wow. Yeah.

Casey: I’m sure.

Myrna Velasco: Just twice over no big deal. Yeah. There’s a a larger almost Barbie type Jessica Cruz action figure. And there’s the Hasbro smaller Torra Doza. Action figure. It’s super cool. They’re super cool. They’re

Casey: it? Both of my girls have one, my youngest test, the bad girl, cause she has kind of reddish hair and my oldest has the The the super girl, cause she’s, she’s a Blondie and, it’s yeah.

They, they love it.

Myrna Velasco: Yeah. Hi. I love my Jessica Cruz. Like I’m not even ashamed to say it anymore. Like I got my Barbie now. Yeah. Oh

Casey: shit. I mean [00:16:00] like how cool is that? Like just. Icing on the cake. Cool. But, Oh my gosh, what’s the crap, this amazing

Myrna Velasco: extra frosting on top. So really bananas. And, and it’s funny because like especially with DC superhero girls grey Delisle and Tara strong, we would.

You know, get ready to use, to go to the sound studio together. We would sit down and wait to record together. And they would even say like, Oh my gosh, like, wait until you get your, your action figure. It was like, that’s not going to happen. That doesn’t happen? No. And even if it’s, even if they make one, it’s not like, it’s not like my action fairs.

It’s like the cartoon made into like a doll. So it’s not like a big deal, but the minute they gave me that Jessica Cruz, I was like,

yeah. So it’s [00:17:00] pretty wild. Yeah. It’s pretty wild to, to have a work that’s. Represented everywhere. And it’s so like, I wish everybody, and I feel like maybe teachers can get that as well. That like you see your work grow beyond you. That’s really, it’s really profound. It’s really bananas.

Casey: Yeah. And it can be transformative in, in some ways, just, just by virtue of.

It being out there in the world.

Myrna Velasco: Yeah. Yeah. It does make you think about like, what is it that I’m doing that because Jessica Cruz Cruz will catch me because he’s watching. So yeah. What am I doing there?

Casey: When, when you first started doing animation, was there any one who kind of took you under their wing and was like, Hey kid, you know, let me, let me help you out here.

Let me give you some tips. Maybe some pointers.

Myrna Velasco: Oh yeah, yeah. So. I always imagined that that person would be, you know, another voice actor. So it’s always kind of [00:18:00] interesting to like, look back at that and be like, Oh, that’s not how I expected it, but it’s way cooler. So Sam Riegel who is currently producing critical role, the critical role animated series.

Yeah. He is. He’s my coach. Like my God, he’s not necessarily like my acting coach, but he found me through the descendants, the descendants wicked world animation, which was my very first job. And He really liked what I had to offer. And he then brought me into Elena of Avalor because he was the producer and session director and casting director.

So he worked with me a ton in Elena of Avalor to just basically not be so scared of the voiceover process of like, I’m talking to this microphone, what does one say to a microphone? You know, and yeah, and he. At that point, he got booked on to session direct and [00:19:00] casting direct. That’s not the way you say that cast direct.

He was the head of casting. He went, got to cast us in DC superhero girls is what I’m trying to say. And

Casey: he’s the people Wrangler for the show.

Myrna Velasco: Exactly. Yeah. Over here. Yeah. He straight up. Called me one night and was like Myrna Sam. And I was like, okay. Yeah, you’re my boss. What did I do wrong? Are you firing me?

Casey: Like no,

Myrna Velasco: shut up. No, I, you, you sent in a really great audition for Jessica Cruz, green lantern. Do you remember it? And I was like, ah, I have it recorded somewhere. I don’t remember, but what do you want? And he was like, I want you to do it again. And I, I just wanted like a little bit of direction and you’re just, you’re you’re it.

Let’s do it. And just send it to me. And I’m gonna, I’m gonna fight for you that you get this role. And I was like, okay, I hint, I hear didn’t now coach. [00:20:00] And you had a champion

Casey: right away. That’s awesome.

Myrna Velasco: Yeah, exactly. Yeah. And, and to this day, like, you know, it was his birthday, reasonably happy birthday, Sam.

He, he’s just, he’s such the best boss. And he introduced me to his awesome friends and he introduced me to the world of voiceover and, and, you know, I, I, I, yeah, I, I also firmly believe that like, I wouldn’t, I wouldn’t have gotten any of these roles if it wasn’t for someone like Sam just championing for me.

So, yeah.

Casey: That’s great. I’m I’m, I’m so glad that you had somebody to kind of just usher you in.

Myrna Velasco: I would still be like trying to figure out how to serve tables through zoom right now.

Casey: So, do you have anything coming up that you, that you want to talk about?

Myrna Velasco: Oh, well, you know, KCM not allowed to attack anything that’s not out yet. I will say there are a couple of things that [00:21:00] came out on television that’s really worth watching. If you’ve got extra littles and buy extra littles, I mean, between the ages of like, I don’t know, 18 months and four years old, Madagascar, little wild just came out.

I am a Costa Rican slough. Yes. She’s so cute. She’s like a, the Phoebe of friends. Yeah. Yeah. So that just came out and it’s super duper cute. Elena of Avalor just ended. So if you haven’t caught up with that, One must because

Casey: we have a four-foot Elena doll that my my five-year-old knows that she’ll, she’ll put it out.

So that maybe it’s sitting in a chair and the lights are off. You, you just see shadow [00:22:00] the silhouette, if you will, of one sitting at the table and you’re like, fuck is in there.

Myrna Velasco: I can Annabel doll.

The fear there is that fear. Also, she,

Casey: she did that to my mother-in-law. Who was keeping them well, my wife and I were out one night all the lights were off. And she had it kind of poking out. She did it on purpose with us. Diabolical thing about it. Our five-year-old evil genius. Oh yeah. So she, she had it just.

Out enough so that it looked like his head was peeking around the corner

Myrna Velasco: in the living room.

Casey: So yeah, my mother had to take her to the hospital cause

Myrna Velasco: she, yeah.

Casey: So we’re familiar with those

Myrna Velasco: things. Excellent. Excellent. Well, you know, maybe don’t show them these episodes, if you want a peaceful mother-in-law visit. [00:23:00]

Another option is. To watch Sydney to the max I and in season two episode 17, rock the float. That was a really fun live action, live action slash on camera, whatever we call it, a TV show to play with. And the kids were awesome on that show. It’s a 12 year old girl Ruthie who No, her real name is Ruthie.

Her character’s name is Sydney. She lives with her dad max and they hi-jinks and Sue and their friends hang out with them. But if you want to also hear like more grownup stuff, I have a couple of episodes of American dad com that have just come out one fish, two fish, where I play a very suggestive character.

I’ll let you guys watch it to find out. And a a hundred years of. Solid fool. That episode actually came out earlier and I play a mother, which was awesome. Cause I never get to play older people. Cause I feel like a 12 year old. I’m like a 12 year old

[00:24:00] Casey: that that’s You have one of those voices that can go I’m sure you have an old lady voice somewhere stored back.

Myrna Velasco: Yeah, I do. And, and you’ll hear her on American dad.

Casey: You, you definitely have a voice that is versatile in age and range.

Myrna Velasco: Yeah. Thank you.

Casey: I wasn’t working with Seth

Myrna Velasco: working with Seth.

Casey: Fair lane.

Myrna Velasco: Sorry. Well, here’s the deal. I didn’t, because he’s like more important than let alone may he was not there, but the writers of the episodes were there and they were phenomenal.

I’m like blanking out on names. So we’re going to take that moment to, to think about it. Well, they

Casey: have so many Super talented writers like Soren Bowie Mike Barker.

Myrna Velasco: Yeah. Yes, yes. I remember it. Yes. Thank [00:25:00] you. I believe Mike wrote one fish, two fish, and I want to say it was Tim Ricardo or Matt Weitzman.

Who am I saying that right? Weitzman. I have no

Casey: idea. He cultivated a very solid core of writers for

his

Myrna Velasco: yeah. And they are fun. Like I would deeply love to do more adult animation because the amount of. Play that we get to do. And it is like we’re throwing F bombs at each other from like what are those called?

The the, the soundproof windows and stuff. And it’s like, it’s just so fun. They are like yelling at me, like, okay. And then I’m yelling back at them. And it’s just, it’s a really fun, they are, they are really fun. And the way that they let me like. Almost rewrite my little lines for them and to give different.

Yeah. I mean, it wasn’t always like [00:26:00] a word here, a word there, and then also none of them speak Spanish. So they were like that. Can you do it in Spanish? And I was like, well, yeah, but that’s all writer’s credit. But anyway,

Casey: No, no, no, you, yeah. You play that game. You get what you

Myrna Velasco: really, yeah. Yeah. It’s a weird industry guys.

But yeah. Yeah. Like they were, they were just so much fun to work with and yeah, it was, it was right down the street from where I lived at the time. So I would like skip over to their production studio and they’d say hi, and I knew the. Receptionist. And now I just roll out of bed five minutes before I need to turn on the computer.

Casey: One, one more quick question about just people that you may or may not have worked with. How was Phil? Phil Lamar?

Myrna Velasco: Oh my gosh. Phil is the best

Casey: because he has a billion voices. He has a super freaking talented.

Myrna Velasco: Yeah, [00:27:00] he’s so talented. He’s so kind. He’s just amazing. He’s amazing. And a total nerd. Everyone loves him though.

Yeah. Yeah. He’s the nerd that like, just, yeah, everybody loves, like, everybody’s a weirdo in this microcosm of voiceover, but you can tell that they’re like really cool people and you can tell that they’re like, people that’s like, don’t talk to that guy. And you’re like, Oh shoot, man. Really? Why? But Phil is loved by all.

Like it’s, it’s. Attributed to just the fact that he really sees you. Like we, we did work together. I forgetting which episode it was a green lantern episode, like full green lantern, DC superhero girls episode. And I got to, yeah, I got to act with Phil right next

Casey: to him.

Myrna Velasco: Yeah. Can I just take a second to like, I’m, I’m a little, I’m 32, so I’m not like young, but like I did also [00:28:00] stay up really late watching Phil Lamarr and Nicole Sullivan.

Yeah. And being like, if I could ever be a fraction of funny that they are, how cool would life be? And to then like flash forward to now in the last year in the room with them literally like. Working with them and watching them work. Like it’s cool to be Phil Lamarr, nerdy. Okay. Like, y’all want to really strive to be Phil Lamar and Nicole Solomon Sullivan nerds because they like, they know how to create a joke better than anything I’ve ever seen and the way their mind works and their brain ticks.

And it’s, it’s just, it was such an honor to. Be able to have that moment with them. And the learn from Phil Lamarr while he’s creating a voice on the spot. And, and then he said that my mom was beautiful.

Casey: Okay.

Myrna Velasco: Instagram [00:29:00] and like, That’s just like, you know, that’s the extra level. You don’t have to do that if you’re Phil Lamarr and he did

Casey: Marvin from pulp fiction, friend of you on Instagram, which is fantastic.

But when I say he’s a total nerd, I mean, like he I’ve heard stories of him. Talking about his, his comic roles

Myrna Velasco: and like

Casey: going like actually Hawk man would do this because blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And he’d go into the complicated backstory. The man knows his stuff, which is awesome. When, when people like you and him are doing roles like this, because you, you know what it means.

Myrna Velasco: Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I, again like Phil, Phil, and Sam but a lot of films, it was like, well, you should know. And I was like, I guess you’re right. I’m going to go buy some more Jessica Cruz comic books and figure it out. Oh, thank you, sir. Yeah, [00:30:00] he just, he’s such an inspiration in that, like yeah. We’re, we’re creating this world and we want to be true to everybody else that has experienced this world and has also created this world.

So. No, no, the history and loves the history that you’re creating, because it’s just another level. And yeah, if we want people to like us, we got to like what we’re down to. We got to know what we’re doing.

Casey: Is there anything right now, just as a way to wind down from a long day of shouting in a hot booth,

Myrna Velasco: is there anything

Casey: that you do that in the entertainment?

Was that just kinda. Kind of helps Mirena get, you know, get her mind off things,

Myrna Velasco: a lot of things. So I, I I am not, my brain moves at the speed of squirrel and I have to do a lot of different little things like. Two nights. Here’s what I’m going to do to chill. [00:31:00] I am going to dim all the lights because it’s really bright in here.

I’m tired of looking at my computer screen. So I’m going to dim all the lights and then I’m going to turn on the AC because it’s hot and I’m going to take a big drink of water. Because if my voice is tired and you want to keep it lubricated, you know, and then I’m actually going to cook. Yeah. Yeah. I’m going to put on a podcast and cook and right now I’m, I’m really into this podcast called short wave.

They’re these really short stories about like just normal things that we don’t normally think about. So I may do that one, however A couple of friends of mine have, have a recommended. I think it was like, I think it’s called the long stare or something like that. Have you heard of it?

Casey: There’s I know there’s a long, the long hallway.

Myrna Velasco: No, not the long hallway. Look it up. It’s a comedy podcast. [00:32:00] Yeah. Yeah. I may have to just text my friend right now because maybe that’s the one I’m going to do. Cause I can’t remember it. Yeah, so I love to just like kind of turn off my own stories, turn off my own brain, turn off my voice and just listen to stories, which, you know, animation makes sense, but I would do that and After that though, I made just like, I, I do love a good TV, but right now I’m like really neck deep in this.

Don’t make fun of me. Okay. Like promise. I’m going to tell you this and you can’t make fun of me. And you also have to tell me the name of the podcast. We’re both going to listen to you after this. I haven’t been here.

Casey: I’m coming up blank right now. I’m in, I’m in Apple podcast right now, looking for it.

Myrna Velasco: Yeah. We’ll fact check ourselves for this episode. But so this there’s this book series. It’s a. Romantic fantasy book series by Sarah J. Moss. The first book is called the court of thorn and [00:33:00] roses. It’s based off of fairytales. Oh, cool. So, yeah. Yeah. And it’s, it’s a little bit more grown up, so it’s pretty risque.

Like it’s a really fun read and my best friend got me into it. Cause we’re both kind of. Once it gets to Halloween season scifi kind of has to go out of the window. For me, it’s all about fantasy, like fantasy Halloween, which is spelled like evil vampire fairies. I need that on Halloween. So I’m digging deep on the fantasy right now

Casey: that that’s awesome.

We I read to my kids before bed every night, and I actually have a story. So the first book we tried to read before bed the, the Harrison Ford call of the wild movie had just come out. So they said, Oh, it would be however, I’m a complete dumb ass. And I [00:34:00] downloaded white Fang. Instead you then for red,

Myrna Velasco: white face, they’re different.

They are different.

Casey: It starts off. Gangsta is hell first chapter. Hey, two guys are sitting on top of a corpse, which is in a big crate, making it across the desolate Alaskan wilderness. You can, and they’re slow. They’re sled dogs are slowly getting picked off one by one.

Myrna Velasco: And your daughter, your five-year-old daughter’s like, daddy,

Casey: this is the thing I said, Oh my gosh, this is the wrong book.

And my 10 year old is like, nah, dude,

Myrna Velasco: I’m in it. I’m in it data. Like it

Casey: Holland my, my, my five-year-old was like sheep. She has an affectation. She sometimes does where she’s like, nah, bro, let’s do this.

She totally broke out with, and so I kept reading it and it [00:35:00] started getting really. Really dark. So do you want me to stop? It’s like, no, this is awesome. So finished. I finished it and they, they loved it, but we were on the the we’re on the Harry Potter now,

Myrna Velasco: which

Casey: they loved. There’s a lot of craziness right now with J K Rowling.

It’s unfortunate. However, They don’t know that. And the book is,

Myrna Velasco: yeah.

Casey: They don’t know, need to know about assholes. Right.

Myrna Velasco: So

Casey: use the examples from Harry Potter and big good. And so we’re reading that and they’ve enjoyed that and wanting to get them into RC. The, which is a VRC, which is Ursula, Kayla Gwyn.

Myrna Velasco: Are you recommending some fantasy?

Casey: Oh, M M I, yes. So yeah. Check [00:36:00] that out.

Myrna Velasco: Yeah.

Casey: Yes, totally good. Also, this is not fantasy. I mean, it kind of verges. Onto it. If you want to watch a good TV show, Lovecraft country right now has been, Oh,

Myrna Velasco: do not even, I am caught up with love craft dress,

Casey: like not this current episode, but like last week with DS storyline was so heartbreaking how no one believed her and it.

Really made me kind of reflect like, Oh, this is what kids go through. This is when they go, Oh, this is how people see us. Yeah, it is so messed up.

Myrna Velasco: Yeah, it is. It is. And it’s also really important to see you don’t know you’re inflicting pain until, you know, we, you know, actually psychologically and yeah.

Like, Oh yeah. That episode was [00:37:00] heartbreaking because it was such a beautiful metaphor, like a beautiful way for us to. Unfortunately, but in reality, entertainment is beautiful in that it gives you a separation and it gives you this other thing that we can then talk about what is, you know, systematic racism as those two little scary character girls that everyone was seeing her as you know, and, and no one in her family sphere could give her the answers that she needed at the moment.

So this is the world we’re building, and these are the kinds of people with the kinds of scars we’re giving them. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. And, and to be able to show that in such a, like, A different way. Just, just a universally. These are the monsters. You guys, these are the monsters. This is what happens to the person when the monsters get them.

And also we created the monster. Exactly. Yeah. Yeah.

Casey: Oh, I’m sorry. Go [00:38:00] ahead.

Myrna Velasco: No, no, I think we’re about to say the same thing. That show has to win so many awards.

Casey: I’m saying it needs to be taught. It is such a good edge. It could be such a good educational tool. There, there are a lot of things, like, obviously not in like high school or whatever, but for, for college,

Myrna Velasco: I mean

Casey: yeah.

Clean it up a little bit.

Myrna Velasco: Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Fair point fair point. Maybe we don’t want all of the boobies, but

Casey: like great. Examples of intersectional feminism. Great examples of colorism. Great examples of just misogyny. So yeah, it’s. And it’s done in such a way that it’s not didactic. Uh you’re you’re not being preached to as much as being shown

Myrna Velasco: and

Casey: letting you see the evil inherent within.

Myrna Velasco: Exactly. Yeah. That’s yeah. [00:39:00] That’s beautiful storytelling. That’s the kind of stuff that, yeah. Yeah, the TV was always on for me in my house growing up. So it’s like, when I see stuff like that. Yeah. It’s like, we, we are transcending what it is. We’re trying to say. And it’s important that everybody be able to see this because yeah, like these are the stories that are these, this is our American mythology, you know, we, we did this, we created a monster and now it’s our time to.

To see it for what it is and to fix it.

Casey: As an aside last night, you, you saw last night’s episode,

Myrna Velasco: right? Last night’s episode. Yes, I did. Yes. I love off country. I’m sorry. I was sick. I was like, what are we taking that again?

Casey: The bat, when he, he noticed like, Oh, I’m the light. The bed is meant for me. Did you yell at the TV? Cause I totally did. I was like, Oh shit.

Myrna Velasco: Yeah. I mean, I had to, I had to [00:40:00] diffuse energy. I was doing laundry and I was like, I can’t, I can also watch this and yeah, yeah, yeah. It’s such a good show.

Casey: I’m going to, I don’t want to take too much time up cause I know you have to cook.

Myrna Velasco: I’m sure I got to go.

Casey: Is there anything you want to give a, give a shout out to before we we head out.

Myrna Velasco: I don’t know. What are, do people usually give shout outs to like, well,

Casey: a lot of the time I like to ask if there’s a local book shop that that you particularly enjoy.

Myrna Velasco: Yes, yes. So I recently just moved which is, you know, another COVID disaster, but here we are. But the, I moved because I am a little bit closer to my local bookshop that I’ve been meaning to go to.

And between social distancing and. Between just being stuck here, screaming in my booth, haven’t been able to yet, but [00:41:00] the ILEAD in North Hollywood is so cool and it’s a used bookstore. So we’re lowering our carbon footprint a little Jessica. Cute. Ooh, might try that one again. It’s a used bookstore, so we’re lowering our carbon footprint for a little Jessica cruising right there for ya.

And Yeah. And the people that own the place are just super cool. I think they might’ve taken their cats out of the bookshops. That’s great. That means I

Casey: could go in there.

Myrna Velasco: Super cool. It’s like this homie. Well, I don’t know what it looks like now, but I loved this bookstore because it’s so homey and it had like, you know, just arm armchairs that you could sit in and grab a book and read and.

The local art on their walls as well. So yeah. Shout out to the ILEAD.

Casey: That’s awesome. Could you give us a bumper before we, we go and we’ll, we’ll tack that on both at the beginning of the episode.

Myrna Velasco: Sure. Remind me what, what you [00:42:00] need for your bumper.

Casey: Say, Hey, this is, this is Meredith Velazco and this is spoiler country, or, you know, get, get crazy with it.

Myrna Velasco: We’ll see what comes out. Right. Hey, this is mirin of Alaska from DC superhero girls and from star Wars resistance. This is spoiler country listening as we spoil some grownup stuff, as well as some nutso grownup stuff.

Casey: That’s perfect. Thank you so much. I enjoyed talking to you. It was a blast in anytime you want to come back on.

Myrna Velasco: Ah, thanks so much, Casey. I had such a blast as well. Thank you.

Casey: I hope your dinner is great. And I hope you’re able to unwind, maybe have some hot tea or something like that. Cause it’s hot tea season now. So I went out and bought some whiskey.

I bought some whiskey for some hot toddies the other day. It’s starting to get cooler.

Myrna Velasco: Nice, nice. [00:43:00] Yes. Yes. I may do the full LA and. Grab myself, a local cafe chat.

Casey: Thank you so much and have a good evening. Okay.

Myrna Velasco: Thank you. You too. Bye.