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Nina West and The Scripted Muppet Caper · Muppet Fan Podcasts with ToughPigs.com

0:05
Hello and welcome to another special podcast interview
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presented by toughpix.com. On February 8th, 2025, a group
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of celebrities, musicians, and comedians banded together for a
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live script reading of The Muppet Movie, raising funds to
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support those affected by the California wildfires.
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On May 5th, they'll be doing it again, this time reenacting the
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Great Muppet Caper. We've got 2 special guests
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joining us for chat about the event, The Muppets, and so much
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more. First, he is the producer of the
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script Greetings. And an old friend of Tough Pigs,
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it's Matt Wilkie. Hey, Matt.
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Hey, Joe, how's it going, everybody?
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So glad to have you here, but I hate to tell you that you are so
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not important to this conversation.
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I'm I'm on the bottom of the list today.
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The cast list is our guest and then space bar, space bar, space
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bar me. Yeah, pretty much.
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I'm glad that you understand how the the standings go because our
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2nd guest is a real celebrity. Look at this.
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She was Miss Congeniality on Season 11 of RuPaul's Drag Race
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and a contestant on Season 9 of Drag Race All Stars.
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She's an actor, an activist, a singer-songwriter, but most
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importantly, she is performing as Miss Piggy in the Muppet
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script readings. It's Nina W Hello, Nina.
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I'm number one, you're #2 Xbox, Xbox, Xbox.
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You. Hello everybody, I'm so excited
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to be here. I'm so glad that you're here.
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This is such a a trip for me. I'm such a huge fan of Drag Race
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and such a huge fan of yours specifically.
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It's been a joy to watch you on my television and to see you
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interacting with The Muppets. So we got to get into all this
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stuff. But first and foremost, I have a
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theory that I'd love for you to, to prove or disprove anyone
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who's like in the entertainment world.
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And I think specifically this, this drag culture that you're
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such a big part of, I think there's so much of it is
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influenced by our love of The Muppets in especially from our
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childhood. So do you see that with a, with
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yourself and with a lot of the other drag Queens in your in
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your community? I, you know, it is interesting
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to me because I do think it's, I think The Muppets are a
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touchstone for people of a certain age.
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You know, in a certain, there's a, definitely a certain, certain
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generational, I think commonality, right?
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You know, people who are maybe, you know, my age.
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I'm very young, by the way. I'm not or, or, you know, 20. 9
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and No 29, right? Yes, 29 + 50 plus, but 29.
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But I do, you know, I do think The Muppets, especially for
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people like me who are in this space, I, I think we're really
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at first introduction to being the concept of being yourself,
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this idea that you could really do anything or be anything and
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be yourself. Gonzo is a perfect example of
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that, right? Because, you know, we don't
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really ever get to know what Gonzo is, but it doesn't really
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matter to this group of friends and it doesn't ever really, you
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know, it's and it's Gonzo exists.
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Gonzo exists in his truth and everyone around him loves him
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and accepts him and lifts him up for that, you know, and so that
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I think for me, that was a big part of my own, my own love for
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The Muppets and, and that, you know, I, I was attracted to them
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since I was small. So that was, I mean, my parents
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had it on in the house when I was a kid and it was like I had
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every record, every like a story time, a little like 7 inch.
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I mean, like it was, it was a thing in my household and it
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still is. And it's, and I think like queer
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people are, are definitely drawn to the world that Jim Henson
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created. For a reason.
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Yeah. I think that's, I think that's
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pretty apartment. And and you know, I'm curious
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about Miss Piggy specifically because obviously you are
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playing Miss Piggy. You've played Miss Piggy in the
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The Muppet Movie script. Reading you're gonna be doing.
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It again, we often talk about Miss Piggy as being like the
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original drag queen. Yeah.
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Is that something that? That you think about too,
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especially with your performance of of her.
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Well, I mean, it's interesting because I mean, I think of Miss
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Piggy as, you know, being the most fabulous pig to ever exist.
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She's a, she's a high fashion model.
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She is a businesswoman, She's an entrepreneur.
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I mean, like she does it all. She's she is like, you know,
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she's like Barbie but better. You know, I thought I, I never
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really thought of her as a drag queen per SE.
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I think that she was the like she was the, the, the, the
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blueprint for so many of us, right?
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And being both and like larger than life and also demanding of
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what she thought she was, you know, deserving of and what she
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what she was owed. I think that's powerful, right?
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And she, you know, I don't know. And Miss Piggy is such an icon
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for those for so many reasons. Amy Poehler just did an
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interview with Las Culturistas where she talked about her
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favorite person is Miss Piggy. Like, you know, like her, who
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her who her idol is, is Miss Piggy.
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And for so many reasons like that.
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I just stated like it's just miss Piggy.
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There is there is tongue firmly implanted in cheat when we when
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you know she is presented. And I think that gives every the
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viewer a lot of permission and a lot of wiggle room to gravitate
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towards some to this character who is so strong and so silly
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and seemingly fully aware and completely unaware of their own
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ridiculousness. You know, like that's that's her
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power. And I yeah, I love her.
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I mean, I love her. Are you kidding?
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And the fact that Matt asked me when Matt, I got an e-mail and
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Matt's like, do you want to do this thing?
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We're going to do this thing and it's going, you know, wish you
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would be Miss Piggy. I'm like what?
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It's like, yeah, yes, I do, because it's, it's like my whole
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like childhood. I mean, everything, every moment
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of it all has been, you know, so in wrapped in this world and how
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much I love it. You know, when I went to Drag
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Race, I was really intentional because you know, they ask you
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all these questions when you're getting ready to do press week
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and you, you do all these outlets And, and you, you know,
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in 2019, it was a little bit of a different world in, in terms
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of like kind of the media's landscape of how Queens were
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working within this, in the industry.
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And like the only person who was a known drag queen to have
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worked professionally in a public setting with The Muppets
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or with Disney. And like that regard, I think it
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was RuPaul. And, and I was just like, you
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know, that if that can happen for Rue, maybe it can happen for
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me. And I was just remember being
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very intentional about speaking to the universe, the things that
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I really wanted to accomplish and that my big dreams, you
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know, like, what do you, what do you want to do after drag Race
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was, is always the big question, What's next?
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What do you what do you hope happens?
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What do you have in the works? And I just kept putting out
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there because, you know, my drag is so inspired by Miss Piggy,
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Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, that, you know, this kind of Muppet Show
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clan, you know, of, of, of, of friends, chosen family, that it
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was like, I, you know, one day I really hope that I can, you
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know, do something with Henson or with The Muppets or, you
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know, Disney will see me in the old, you know, they'll, they'll,
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they'll understand my aesthetic and my dragon.
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And like, well, I think I'm worthy of worthy of the
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opportunity. And, you know, I, I just kind
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of, it just kind of kept putting it out there and putting it out
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there. And, you know, stuff like this
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has happened and it's pretty fantastic and magical and, you
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know, it's all means a lot to me.
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Yeah. I mean, you're kind of burying
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the lead here because like, yes, it's very exciting that you got
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to do this script thing with Matt, but you've worked with The
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Muppets. Like you actually you manifested
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that. Yeah, I did.
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Very. I'm sorry.
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OK, so in 2021 you appeared in a Disney Plus Pride event called
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This Is Me and you got to sing Rainbow Connection with Kermit
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the Frog, which must have been such a thrill for you.
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Yeah, you know, the Disney had tapped me to host the event.
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It was 2021 and it was early like late spring, early summer
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is when we were filming. So this is also at the the,
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during the pandemic, you know, we, we were just starting to
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travel out to, to do filming. And I've traveled to Los Angeles
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and, you know, everything was masked on set.
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Like it was just very, it was a very tense kind of new world,
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brave new world we were all trying to navigate.
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And, and Disney wanted to create this pride special for a YouTube
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channel for their YouTube channel for the Disney Plus
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YouTube. And they, when they brought me
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on, they're like, what? OK, like, give us some of your
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ideas, like talk about some of the songs that you think really
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have like a queer connotation or, you know, could be, you
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know, seen from a pride perspective.
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And I started to, you know, like go the distance.
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And I, I mean, really everything kind of that Disney Canon is,
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does feel like like a really pride and empowering, you know,
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kind of like anthem. So I just naming all these
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things and I, and I remember getting an e-mail like, well,
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what would you want to do? And I was like, OK, here's my
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opportunity. So I just this might be a little
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crazy, but I know that The Muppets are are under
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imagineering now. And I just off the top of my
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head, it'd be really great if we sang rainbow connection with
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cover the frog. And I was expecting like, oh,
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that's just not going to be possible.
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They came back like, Oh my God, what a what a great idea.
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Let's see if we can make this happen.
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And sure enough, we were. We did Rainbow Connection
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together and sang that song, and then that led to me working with
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The Muppets again in 2023-2024. Was it last year, 2023?
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You did it. Twice you did, one in 2022 and
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one in 24. Look at you, Look at you I.
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Did my research. That's good.
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Yeah, I, I, it was 2022, I think, when we did the, the
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celebration of A Muppet Christmas Carol at D23.
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And I hosted that panel with Brian Henson and with just
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incredible. It's like I'm turning red
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because like, I can't believe it's my reality.
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But I got to perform with The Muppets.
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And you know, we, we had this whole opening scene with Gonzo
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and Miss Piggy and Kermit and Robin.
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And then I LED into the panel conversation.
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And then it went into a, a kind of a medley of songs from the
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film with the Penguins and the vegetables and Kermit and Fozzie
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and Ralph and Miss Piggy. And I just like little Andrew
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myself. My little version of myself was
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just saying, I mean, there's a picture of me where I am.
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I am like wide eyed tears are in my eyes.
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I don't know if I've ever been happier, like just kind of
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thinking this magic unfold in front of me And it's, you know,
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Ralph was, I mean, I should say also before the interview goes
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any further, Ralph was my very favorite when I was a kid.
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I always loved, I loved them so, so much.
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And it was, and I was hoping I would one day get a dog that
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talked and play piano, but it never happened.
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Yet it hasn't happened. Yet.
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But yeah, I mean, so like there's been a really wonderful
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relationship that I have built with with both Henson and with
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Imagineering and Muppet Studios. And I'm really grateful for
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that. And that's a lot of like, and
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like that's a lot of trust there, you know, like, you know,
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I think people who are these are really important, you know, kind
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of, you know, entities and, and pop culture pieces and, and, you
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know, a part of our our own pop cultural history.
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And I appreciate, I know that and I appreciate it with such
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and approach it with such care and with such, I think
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tenderness. And I think I, I think they see
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that, you know, like I really love it and I really want to
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respect it and, you know, and, and celebrate it and uplift it
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and also like have the opportunity to say thank you.
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And how can we carry that on And how can we and how can we
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continue to, you know, do wonderful things together and.
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Yeah, sorry, I'm so excited. No, please don't, don't
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apologize. But but that's it's it's I like
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that you said it, you know, like it's, it's a way of kind of
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giving back because I feel like that's a big philosophy for us
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as well. And tough pigs is, you know, we
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like this is something that really shaped our entire lives.
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We love it so much that we're doing this, you know, with this
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whole website and all these podcasts, etcetera, etcetera.
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And so the very least that we could do is just kind of, you
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know, share it together and and, you know, help other people kind
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of find this, this great stuff. But Matt, you're, you're I.
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Was going to jump in there just just yeah, I'm, I'm also here.
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Hi. Hi, no, but but but what you
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guys are both saying is, is wonderful and it's absolutely
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the approach that I started the Muppet script with when, when,
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when the fires were happening. It's and I talked a little bit
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this in the podcast before, so sorry if I repeat myself.
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But when when we did that for it was very much of A time and of a
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moment where not only Los Angeles was going through so
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much with our with the wildfires, but I mean the
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country itself and was going through this, this re election.
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Then we don't need to talk about right now.
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But is a terrible, you know, there's there's a lot of
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terrible things right now going on in our country and in this
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world. And The Muppets kind of
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represent an optimism that is ridiculous and is powerful in
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its own way, where no matter what is going on around them, no
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matter what kind of chaos there is, they want to put on a good
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show filled with love and with unity and with community.
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And so doing, doing the live readings was kind of my idea to
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to bring that to people, to also honor the work that went into
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that script as well. I mean, when you look at get
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Jerry Jewell and the the Khadrov writers that they've had for
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these movies, they're amazing and they're hilarious and it's
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getting to I I was trying to explain the show a little bit to
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someone where they look like, well, is this just like, is it
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like a fan film? Like am I watching a fan film?
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And and it's it's so different than that.
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It's it's an homage to the craft of writing.
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It's an homage to their humor and it's AI really do see it as
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a community event as well. When we're when you're watching
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the live stream and you're commenting with other people.
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I, I went back and watched it myself with the live stream
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comments on after we filmed it because I was like, I want to
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see how people are like responding to this and the
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community that formed in that group chat itself was like
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amazing. By the end of it, people were
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like, give me your e-mail. I want to stay in touch because
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I had so much fun watching this with you.
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When when we do it live and we're in the room and everyone
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is singing along and the lights are just dimmed.
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But like you can still see your neighbors and you can still see
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like from this stage, we can still see the audience, everyone
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singing along. And it's just a wonderful
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community experience. And that's what The Muppets is
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all about. And I'd love that we can
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recreate that in a small way. Absolutely.
15:53
And I like what you said about community too, because that's
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really, I always compare us to like, you know, if you look like
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the Star Wars community, there's so many of them and they're so
16:02
loud. And like the Muppet fan
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community is not that we're, we're a tight knit community.
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We, you know, if you want to join the community, we all know
16:09
each other and we could support each other in that way.
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And I feel like that's so in the spirit of The Muppets to the
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point where like, you know, I guess I'll talk about myself for
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this, but like a lot of my own personal philosophy comes
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directly from what I've learned from Jim Henson and the things
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that he created. And I like to think that we're
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kind of passing that along as well, you know, through the work
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that we're all doing, you know, our website and, and your script
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readings and, you know, the, you know, and I think actually
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reflecting that onto drag culture, especially nowadays,
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it's you all are, you know, really kind of banding together
16:45
to like support drag and to tell people like, like, you know,
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that this is not something that should be outlawed or, you know,
16:53
it should be supported and celebrated.
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And we all learn so much from it.
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It's it's that sense of of joyful community through the
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arts. Yeah, I think that the I think
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that, you know, was like what what Matt was saying is like,
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it's such a true, I think hard and fast rule for Henson,
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especially in this Muppet, the Muppet Show kind of world in
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these Muppet films, especially the first 3 is that what can't
17:18
we do? Like what we can do alone?
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We can do so much Better Together, right.
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That kind of I like that idea that, you know, we've got to
17:25
save our theater. I can't do it alone.
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No, we've got to do it together. I've got to put on a Broadway
17:30
show, do it alone. Actually.
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I need more frogs and bears and chickens and things, right?
17:34
You know, it's that it's that reminder that your own you're
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really we're so much Better Together.
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And I think that is that truth is so always that truth always
17:45
wins out in this world. And it and it does also like in
17:48
a Star Wars universe. But we'd like, you know, like
17:50
we're always Better Together. It's just because it's a hard
17:53
and fast truth about life. We're just so much Better
17:56
Together. And so like, I think and that's
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why it is so pervasive in the world of drag, why it's so
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pervasive and, you know, like, you know, in community, you
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know, and when we find community deeply within, within our
18:09
greater communities, it's because we're so much stronger
18:12
together. And I think, you know,
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especially not to make it about what's happening in the world
18:16
today, but what is like, you know, I believe what it is, the
18:20
distraction is that people are really trying to isolate
18:22
everybody and make them feel alone and like they don't have a
18:24
community. And it's like, it's Muppet rule
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101, which is you're, I hope people hear this on this
18:30
podcast. You're, you're so much stronger
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when we're together and, you know, and with our differences,
18:36
how we celebrate our differences and how we do that together and
18:39
how we all come together to, to save the theatre, to put on the
18:43
show, to make a movie, right? Like whatever that is.
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That's I think the big theme here that really wins out for
18:49
me. And Speaking of putting on a
18:52
show, Segway back to talking about the the script reading.
18:59
So Matt, what you had a lot of options in front of you to cast
19:04
Miss Piggy. So how did you land on Nina?
19:09
This'll be good. Yeah, I.
19:11
Put you on the spot. Here you're.
19:16
Correct, I had many options in front of me.
19:19
However, I truly mean this when I say it.
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Nina was the very first person I thought of when I thought of
19:25
this idea. I think Nina is a powerhouse.
19:29
I think she can do anything. I think she is bubbly and tough
19:35
and smart and is hilarious. And then the way that she
19:41
approaches comedy is beautiful. And so when I thought of this
19:46
role and I thought of this idea, literally the first person I
19:50
thought of. And I've told this story to you,
19:52
John, in our last interview, but I'm going to tell it again
19:54
because I want me to hear it. The best part of that experience
19:58
with Nina was I didn't know her at all.
20:01
I sent out a blind e-mail to her reps I wanted to see if she'd be
20:05
interested, if this is her kind of thing.
20:07
And the same day, before I got a chance to read the e-mail from
20:11
her reps, I'm on my couch with my wife and I'm scrolling on
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Instagram and I just see Nina W like your photo.
20:17
Nina W like your photo Nina W started following you.
20:20
Nina W sent you Adm and I freaked out.
20:24
I was freaking out of my couch next to Grace.
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I was like this. It's happening.
20:29
It's like red alert. Nina is writing me right now and
20:33
she wants in. This is going to be the best
20:35
performance ever and I it was proven time and time again.
20:40
Planning everything into this was a dream come true.
20:43
To work with Nina and then getting to do it all over again
20:46
has just been phenomenal. I love it.
20:50
Thank you. I mean, you know, I just, I want
20:54
to like it was like there were so many things happening and you
20:57
can't, you really did sum it up with, you know, like what a fun
21:00
way for us to come together. What a what a powerful way for
21:04
us to raise money and to like and also raise the issue about,
21:08
you know, these wildfires. And and also like, what a great
21:12
way for me to like that off a bucket list of like, being able
21:15
to like, have my crack at Miss Piggy, you know?
21:18
And it was, I mean, I was, I couldn't.
21:21
Yeah. Yeah.
21:22
Thank you for saying that. What a dream.
21:25
All true. All true, Yes.
21:28
Thank you. Nina, is there anything, now
21:30
that you're doing this for a second time, is there anything
21:32
new that you're bringing to the table with Miss Piggy?
21:35
New outfits. New outfits.
21:36
Honey new outfits, Mama. Miss Piggy's dad.
21:39
She's got an evolution here and caper she has.
21:41
She wants to be a high fashion model, Honey, so I'm bringing
21:46
some new wardrobe. No, I think that, you know, I
21:51
mean, you look back at that first experience of the of the
21:54
reading we did earlier this year and it was like, I mean, like
21:56
that cast, which everyone is, almost everyone is back.
22:00
It's like they're all so good and they're so and everyone,
22:05
it's just like a dream experience.
22:07
You're in the room with people who are really funny, are really
22:12
smart, are really compassionate, you know, are like, are like at
22:16
the top of their game. You know, these are all
22:18
comedians and actors who are just, they're just at, they're
22:21
just at like they're everyone's firing on all cylinders and
22:24
you're just and like to be in that room.
22:26
It's just, it's a dream to just be like to play with people and
22:29
to then I've seen them up a movie where this last
22:32
experience, I've seen that movie.
22:33
I can't even tell you how many times.
22:35
And I I knew it. I knew all the beats and the
22:37
breaths and I knew everything. And it was wonderful to sit back
22:42
and watch people breathe new life into something I loved so
22:47
much and loved even more by watching people do what they did
22:51
with it and honor it and respect it and subvert it and make it
22:56
more like, make it even more ridiculous and more fun.
22:59
So when I went back and watched it again, it was like, whoa, I
23:01
didn't even like that. The rhythm of that joke is so
23:03
brilliantly written and like, you know, like, and it is
23:06
honoring the script and the writers and the the Muppet
23:09
performers and these characters that we love.
23:12
But it's also saying, look, I mean, it is really well written.
23:16
It is that movie is so well written and so well done.
23:19
Nothing every period, every punctuation, every like every
23:23
moment, every song, everything is so deliciously decided.
23:28
And it is not. It's all very intentional.
23:30
And when you do it in this setting, you're like, whoa, it
23:33
is so intentional. Like it's because you know, when
23:36
you're watching it as a kid and you're like, this seems ever
23:38
less whatever. And then you grow up and you
23:40
become a writer or you become an actor or you, you know, and
23:42
you're like, this is really hard.
23:44
How complicated? How do I do this?
23:47
And you and you take a piece that was written so how many
23:52
like 40 some years ago and you're like, God, this is so
23:57
good. It's and then they make it look
23:59
effortless. And so to watch people also do
24:02
that with it, live in the room and be like, oh, you people are
24:05
brilliant. And the fact that I get to be
24:06
part of it is like, it's really cool.
24:09
And so like I'm just trying to bring that energy back to this,
24:11
not trying to replicate what we did a few months ago, just
24:14
trying to have fun, like be in the room, have fun, fire on all
24:17
cylinders, yes, and with everyone and also honor, you
24:21
know, this is my favorite of this of the original 3.
24:24
So, like, I'm really just, you know, honour this one the way
24:27
that I love the lunch. Yeah, it's it's.
24:29
It's mine too. And I'll say that a lot of
24:31
people in the cast and especially Scott Passarella, who
24:34
is our musical director, this is his favorite too.
24:38
And I think that that's really going to reflect in our
24:41
performance because like, we're elevating the music a little
24:44
bit. We're bringing in some new
24:45
instrumentation. So that way it's it's a lot more
24:47
elegant. And when you get to like like
24:50
the Dubonet club scene, it's going to be very fun.
24:52
The Duboni. Club.
24:55
But it'll also just still be fun and we're going to, we have a
24:58
band practice later today and I'm really excited to just play
25:01
around with the instrumentation, see what new things we can bring
25:04
to it, see where we can. Like there's some jokes that,
25:09
you know, when I do these, I go back to the very original script
25:12
because for most of them, you can find them online.
25:15
And for the first, the three Henson ones, they're they're
25:18
there and they're great. So I can, I can get like the
25:20
jokes that fell off. So there's jokes in here that
25:23
you're going to hear probably for the first time, which is
25:26
amazing to think like, oh, Jerry Jewell wrote this and we've
25:30
never heard it said before. But now we're going to have a so
25:33
that elevation of everything. It's going to be like, you know,
25:37
we want to make it feel a little classier and a little, a little,
25:41
you know, almost like a night at the opera, but also a night at
25:44
the opera by the Marx Brothers. So it'll be a little combination
25:47
of those both things. And it's it's so fun to see it.
25:52
Casting for these has been my favorite thing in the world.
25:55
Like it's just getting to look at people.
25:59
Some of them I know some of them I've never met before, but I've
26:02
I've seen on on things like drop out or Smosh and thrilling
26:06
adventure Hour, Saturday Night Live.
26:08
It's just all these great people who we've seen before.
26:11
But when you give them these roles, so many of them already
26:15
know the roles and they're like perfect.
26:17
I know exactly what I'm going to do.
26:18
I'm going to the voice. And then so many of them are
26:19
like, who's Luz Zealand? That's who I'm playing.
26:22
How do I do this? And then they watch it once and
26:25
they're like, OK, I've got my angle.
26:26
And Ruha Taslini comes out and she's throwing fish at the
26:30
audience. And you're just like, this is
26:31
beautiful. What a great thing.
26:34
And I was I. Was saying with the last
26:35
reading, I was so moved. I think if this is a common
26:39
thread, I think for the three of us and I, I think for the
26:41
listener, you know, like I was really moved by David
26:44
Dasmalstein's performance specifically because I could see
26:47
he was every one of us in that moment.
26:51
Every time he was out there giving Gonzo and like you could,
26:56
I could feel it in a way that was just a profound experience
27:00
to watch someone who loves this so much, loves this world so
27:04
much. His kids were there.
27:06
He could share it with us. You could see he was in the kind
27:08
of he was looking at them and he was.
27:12
You know, kind I. Think imparting this beautiful
27:14
world to them and sharing it with them in a way that was so
27:17
vulnerable and so beautiful. And you could see that this
27:21
means a lot to him in a way that you might not have otherwise,
27:27
you know, been able to witness had not not asked David to be
27:30
part of this. And David, who is a friend of
27:32
mine, who is just the sweetest, kindest, most beautiful man, to
27:37
see him in that regard was moving for me.
27:40
And like, I've seen David, you know, he's just the sweetest
27:43
man. And just to see him in that
27:45
moment was just beautiful. And I think that's kind of
27:47
another, another beautiful outcome of I think the the
27:51
wonderful world of The Muppets and Henson that he created it
27:57
just, I think it's, it speaks volumes.
28:00
And I, I just wanted to call that out because it was a really
28:02
magical part of that. And I'm excited for what Caper
28:05
will bring. And you know.
28:07
It's as exciting as it as it is, you know, to have folks like
28:10
David and and Mark, Evan Jackson and Paul Tompkins and Bobby
28:13
Moynihan. Like what?
28:14
What a cast, by the way. Wow.
28:17
I have to wonder. Like the cast of of Drag Race
28:24
over the years, they're so weird and diverse.
28:29
And I'm going to put this out to the two of you.
28:32
Yeah. Like what if you were going to
28:34
cast a Muppet movie script reading with with the the Queens
28:40
of Drag Race? Well OK, so Animal would be Miss
28:44
Vanji for sure. Oh my God.
28:47
Nailed it. Animal.
28:51
Animal. Animal.
28:54
Animal. Juan Hondo.
28:59
Miss Vanji Kermit. Yeah, Kermit's the hardest.
29:04
One, because like Kermit is he's like centered.
29:08
And the drag Queens, yeah, the the Drag Race contestants are
29:12
just so like, over the top. I did come up.
29:15
With a few ideas, like for backups if you're if you're like
29:17
drawing a plane. Well, I have an idea, but I
29:20
want. To hear your idea for Kermit,
29:21
well, Kermit I, I was thinking Ben Dellacrete because she's
29:25
also a producer in, you know, IRL.
29:29
I love that I was. Thinking, I was thinking Dayla
29:31
and I was also thinking a Little Miss Cracker.
29:34
Like I was kind of thinking like, they're very they're they
29:37
have a lot of similarities, right?
29:39
They're both comedians. They're both writers.
29:41
They're both. Yeah, that's OK.
29:43
But I love the Dayla suggestion. OK, who's the next character?
29:46
Matt. Matt, do you have somebody?
29:47
I've got somebody. I don't know if it would be
29:49
Statler or Waldorf, but definitely Raja and.
29:55
Whoever it is. Raja is going to be the old one
29:57
with the old person jokes so it should be by her owner.
30:02
She will be making the jokes herself.
30:03
I know that's fair. Although I whatever whoever you
30:06
were going to say, Style or Waldorf, I was going to say that
30:08
you're wrong because it's just two Michelle visages.
30:14
Oh, are you serious? I think Michelle Visage is
30:16
totally like, Oh my, she's what is what in No, I guess it yeah,
30:27
that'd be good. That would be good.
30:30
That would be good. That would be good.
30:31
I think Raja would be a really good Janice because she's a big
30:35
pothead. Oh yes, I think that.
30:40
But Statler and Waldorf would be a Raja Raven combo, you know,
30:44
with it could be fabulous. Oh God, give me another
30:50
character. So I have a.
30:52
Good pick for Gonzo. Like like a spot on.
30:55
I brought I brought this up to my I put this up to my wife and
30:57
she and I both came up with the same person, which means it's
31:00
got to be spot on. Do you do you want to do you
31:04
want to think about it for a second?
31:05
Let me just say it out loud. I have mine.
31:08
I think hit me with it, Jinx. Oh well.
31:12
So here's the thing. About Jinx, I wanted to find a
31:14
good place for Jinx Monsoon because she can just do
31:18
anything. I think she is just all The
31:19
Muppets put together. She is, she's like I, I would
31:23
say like I would. I think that's why I have such
31:25
an affinity for her and why I love her so much.
31:27
What are? You going to say though?
31:31
I was thinking Evie oddly. Oh, Evie.
31:35
Yeah, so weird. Everything.
31:37
Is so weird and yet like not so weird that you're like, I don't
31:41
know what you're doing this. It's just like, it's beautifully
31:43
bizarre, not like. Zoot.
31:46
I mean, I think she'd be kind of a great zoot.
31:49
Yeah, Dude, I don't know. I mean, OK, who's Fozzie?
31:56
Who's OK? I do.
31:57
I also. Have a pick for Fozzie.
31:58
It was it was the the drag queen that from the first season that
32:02
I watched that. So it was one of the first
32:04
people who I I really fell in love with, which is Ginger
32:07
Minge. I just think.
32:10
Oh, that's. Cute, that's.
32:12
Cute, Yeah. Oh I love.
32:14
That I actually really, really love that, yeah.
32:19
Can we make this happen? Matt, can we, can you do this
32:21
for the next, next Manhattan? Let me let me some calls.
32:24
Hold on. Ginger love that.
32:31
The the problem. With casting these though is
32:33
like I was looking at a list of of a lot of the different Queens
32:36
just trying to get some inspiration and I'm just
32:38
realizing they're all Miss Piggy.
32:41
Like you can't. Have like, what am I going to
32:43
do? They are, Yeah.
32:50
I mean, yeah. I mean, like I'm going to find a
32:52
place for like Latrice or Bob. That's kind of thinking Bob the
32:55
drag queen is kind of like a like a really dry Fozzie Bear,
32:59
which can be really interesting. That's true.
33:01
But the we also have The Muppets who could, like, double, you
33:06
know, are double whammy there for, you know, whoever Miss
33:10
Poogie is. Yeah.
33:12
Yeah, if, if we. Did it?
33:16
If we did it the other way, Nina, if we got like your
33:19
version of Miss Poogie and it's like a straight actor, who would
33:24
that be for, Miss? Poogie Yeah.
33:27
Like I was like, what's the straight?
33:29
Version of Nina West. Probably like I'm trying to, I'm
33:34
like literally trying to physical.
33:35
You can't see me. I'm trying to physicalize.
33:37
I'm trying to think like you're like pushing the idea out of
33:41
your brain right now. Trying to like I'm really.
33:44
Trying to embody it. So I could be like who would be
33:46
a good like probably like Channing Tatum, like somebody's
33:53
just like really heterosexual. Like it's just kind of like and
33:57
they just they're like I'm in like I'm in like just like drag
34:00
of it all. Maybe would be really thing.
34:03
So like a Channing Tatum could be interesting.
34:04
Not to say that that is the antithesis of me.
34:06
God, how I cannot think of myself like that.
34:08
I'm actually dead. Here's like miss.
34:10
Pooby is not the antithesis of Miss Piggy.
34:12
Like they, they, there's so much overlap.
34:14
It's just that little bit of like God versus.
34:16
Evil. You know.
34:19
Yeah, yeah, Like that, like. Channing Tatum.
34:21
Yeah, just like just, you know, I can see him in the WAG and
34:24
like the weird like she's on. She is my miss Pookie is my my
34:28
screensaver on my phone. It's like, hi everybody.
34:36
What a beautiful. I love her.
34:39
I love her so much. I love her so much.
34:42
That's the best. All right, so, so now that you
34:46
have been working on this, this Miss Piggy impression for for
34:49
these script readings, do you think that you're ready to bring
34:52
her up in the Snatch Game? You know.
35:03
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I don't know why it's so like
35:07
caught out. I don't know why I'm so, so
35:09
like, giddy with that idea. Yeah, Hell yeah.
35:12
I mean, but I think the miss, I think she would.
35:15
I think I would slay the Snatch Game with her for sure.
35:19
You would, you would I want. To see that.
35:22
I know they've. Done, Madam, on the Snatch Game.
35:24
But have they done Miss Piggy? No one's done that yet, no.
35:27
Because, you know, here's what drag race you're like.
35:30
We're told we're not allowed to do fictional characters.
35:33
At least that's what like the thought was for a couple.
35:36
Like the two times that I went, you were had to do.
35:39
So like when I did, I really was doing and the term blood, but I
35:43
because I wasn't allowed to do Edna because she was a
35:45
copyrighted character. I did Harvey Fierstein for first
35:48
season and then so that pushed me to really be like, OK, who
35:53
can I do? That's kind of, I mean kind of
35:56
in the Canon of really what Rue likes, which is basically kind
36:00
of like a 60s laughing inappropriate.
36:04
Like how can I make a character appropriate?
36:06
And I had like kind of come up with a variety of characters.
36:10
I was like Ethel Merman. These were for for All Stars.
36:12
I was going to either do Ethel Merman or I was going to do Eve,
36:16
the first woman, which was done on the runway in the previous
36:19
All Star season by Jimbo. But I wanted to take her to the
36:22
Snatch Game. And like, how would Eve reply to
36:24
the IT be in this world? Then it was Liberace.
36:27
And I was like, oh, Liberace is totally my pick because you can
36:29
make all these completely like, gay innuendo, like content and
36:35
just can't. And I was like, that's what Roo
36:37
really loves. She likes it dirty and she likes
36:40
it like really like off the wall.
36:43
And so trying to do a Miss Pig would be really challenging
36:47
because you'd have to get clearance.
36:48
And I think so you'd have to do Frank Oz probably, or Eric
36:51
Jacobson, which then they'd be people would be like, wait,
36:54
what? And then you'd have to, you know
36:56
what I mean? You'd have to like explain it
36:59
unless the character is public main right?
37:01
I think. How great would that?
37:03
Be to go on the show and tell rue so I'm gonna do Frank Oz and
37:08
then just see it's. Just like so you're gonna do
37:11
Yoda. Okay, okay.
37:21
That's good to know. I I did wonder about the
37:22
fictional character thing because I know like I remember
37:24
when I think it hit me when Gotmick did pal the dog instead
37:28
of Lassie, correct. And.
37:30
Correct. Instead of Lassie.
37:32
Yeah. Because you have to wonder
37:33
what's the story here? Why is it pal?
37:37
And so on. But because how was the actor
37:40
who did Lassie right? Yeah.
37:42
All right, so Miss Piggy's probably not on the table, but
37:45
well. And so Speaking of that, so Miss
37:46
Piggy was on Drag Race once. It was not one of your seasons.
37:50
She made a little video appearance.
37:51
Were you? Were you disappointed that you
37:53
weren't there for that one? No, because she's my friend.
37:57
She called me for pointers and I was like, listen, Piggy, you
37:59
can't mess this up. You cannot mess this up.
38:01
I, you know, we talked it through.
38:02
It's like, girl, you've got this.
38:04
Those things have nothing on you.
38:05
Amazing. Yeah.
38:08
No, that's it. You're right.
38:10
That's. Yeah, yeah.
38:11
I couldn't be my. Season because I'd be like
38:12
nepotism girl no way that couldn't work, although I don't
38:16
know why she. Wasn't a judge.
38:17
That's that's something I still want to see.
38:19
I was here behind that table and and reading all.
38:22
Wouldn't that be epic? That would be so good.
38:24
It would be so good and I want her to.
38:27
Walk the runway, but that's going to That would be a little
38:29
trickier, I think. I mean.
38:33
There's like a human being underneath her.
38:36
You just don't show the. You don't.
38:37
I mean, there's no human being. It's Miss P What are you talking
38:39
about? Oh, sorry.
38:39
Yeah, so right of. Course, there's no reason she
38:41
can't. She has.
38:41
She has a whole body and legs and everything.
38:43
Of course, yes. I don't know why.
38:45
You she's riding a bike in a park before.
38:47
She's been in a she's been in a boat, yeah.
38:51
That's true. Woman can walk a.
38:52
Runway she's been. Underwater and and Speaking of
38:55
that, like, do you have any plans for how you're going to do
38:58
your underwater scene for Great Muppet Caper?
39:01
Well, it's we're really, we're really excited because we're
39:03
working with the LAYMCA to film. No, I'm just.
39:08
Kidding, $80,000 for them to empty it for a night and it's
39:11
going to be epic. Yeah, it's really.
39:13
Exciting. It's yeah.
39:15
The Burbank public pools, they're like letting us have
39:18
free reign. So we're raining free, Yeah.
39:24
Do you actually have plans for this or for the bicycle scene?
39:26
Like are you, are you bringing out anything like kind of out of
39:29
the ordinary for for some of these visual scenes for the
39:33
caper? You know you're just going to
39:36
have to buy a ticket and see what.
39:39
I. Do or do not do.
39:44
So we've. Got I mean there's some great
39:47
live stream seats still available.
39:48
I think we're almost sold out in person, which we.
39:51
Actually, this morning it's found out we are officially sold
39:53
out in person. See.
39:55
So you gotta get live stream tickets now, man, I've always
39:57
said. You sleep on it.
40:04
This is all very exciting. I'm really excited about this
40:07
script reading the first one was so good and.
40:10
Anyone who who missed it, people can still go go watch it, right?
40:13
Like you could, yeah. Yeah.
40:15
So, so if you go to dynasty.tv, that's the Dynasty typewriters
40:20
website for their previous productions.
40:23
It's a great setup and you can you can still watch the Muppet
40:25
script through that. And I do want to make mention
40:31
just so I don't forget it and it's important is that I do want
40:34
to mention the organization that we're supporting for this round.
40:38
So we are my goal is every time we do a script reading is to
40:44
look out into our community and find an organization that needs
40:48
help at that time. So for the first one, it was
40:52
forgive directly, which which helped a lot of people during
40:56
the the fires that we had here in Los Angeles.
41:00
And for this one we are sponsoring or excuse me, we're
41:02
not, let me say that. And for this one, we are going
41:06
to be fundraising for the Trans Latina Coalition.
41:10
It's a great organization here in Los Angeles.
41:12
They started as a grassroots movement to help out
41:17
transgender, gender expansive intersex immigrant women,
41:21
specifically in Los Angeles. There was an urgent need for
41:25
that. And unfortunately, we're still
41:27
in a time where there is an urgent need for for trans people
41:30
and for immigrants. And so it's this unfortunate
41:36
cross section of a community that can really use some help
41:39
right now. There is a, a great team behind
41:43
it. These are activists who have
41:44
been working for the trans community for decades and are
41:49
really, really wonderful people. I just had lunch with Bambi
41:52
Salcedo, who's the head of the organization.
41:56
And it's, it's coming at a time where this is really going to
42:00
help them a lot. And so I'm, I'm really excited
42:03
that we have to do this for now. That's sounds like a.
42:06
Great cause and another reason why y'all should go to the
42:10
Dynasty typewriter website right now and and reserve your live
42:13
stream ticket. Is that the right place to go?
42:16
Dynasty, Dynasty Typewriter website?
42:18
Did I get that right? Yeah, yeah.
42:19
Perfect. Yeah, so, so from there you can,
42:21
but you can buy your tickets for the live stream.
42:23
I also, I want to put this out there because I didn't say it
42:26
last time, but what I would love is if anybody that's listening
42:30
is by any chance do like a group watch party or something like
42:34
that with the live stream, Tweet it or no, don't tweet, tag tough
42:39
pigs or tag myself on Instagram. Let us know about these these if
42:44
there are. I don't know if these exist, but
42:47
if they do, I want to know that they exist.
42:49
So if they're out there and people are like, yeah, I just
42:51
had my whole family over and we all watched the script and
42:54
Muppet Caper. I would love to see photos of
42:55
that. Oh great.
42:56
I have. A question for you, Matt.
42:58
Yeah. Are you going to take this to
43:00
New York City? I think we should.
43:03
I think we absolutely should. Muppet Sake Manhattan script
43:07
reading in Manhattan. You know.
43:10
It's not a bad idea at all. And I think with, I think I have
43:16
enough connections on the East Coast that I think that that
43:18
could work. I mean.
43:19
I think, yeah, I think we know some people, Matt.
43:21
I think we do. I think you know.
43:23
Me, I, I don't know any celebrities, but I could show
43:27
up. No, that would be a blast
43:31
because I, I mean, I will say selfishly, I, I'm so
43:35
disappointed that I cannot be there for these script readings
43:38
in person. LA is just a little bit too far
43:40
away from me because it looks like you guys are having such a
43:43
good time and like, I just love any sort of celebration of The
43:46
Muppets and I, I get the FOMO real hard.
43:50
So yeah, so bring, bring it to my, my backyard, please.
43:53
OK, but. You have you have to bring a
43:55
cake for everybody. If we do it there cake, I will.
43:57
I I'll tell you what, if you, if you do this in New York City, I
44:00
will bring cake. I'll make that deal.
44:02
I will. I.
44:03
Will go to Costco. Let me upgrade.
44:05
Let me upgrade that. Actually, just a little too late
44:07
we're. Signing it right now.
44:08
No levain, let me cook. Out Levain's.
44:10
Cookies. I will go to Costco.
44:13
I will buy sheet cake. They have the best sheet cake of
44:16
anyone's sheet cake. And I will I will provide cake
44:19
for anyone who wants at the live show.
44:21
I will. I will make that promise.
44:23
So another reason. So OK, so again, Dynasty
44:27
typewriter website, that's where you get your tickets.
44:29
Nina, is there any place that you would like people to find
44:33
you on the Internet or anything else that you want to promote?
44:35
Oh my. Gosh, well, you can find me at
44:38
ninawest.com. I've got a calendar full of
44:40
dates there where I'm, you know, where you can catch me live.
44:44
And as we're going into a really busy summer and Pride, it's
44:48
really right around the corner. You're just really encouraging
44:51
everyone who's listening to make sure you celebrate those
44:55
beautiful LGBTQI plus people in your life.
44:57
And there's a variety of ways to do that.
44:58
So, but make sure we're just really hopefully just spreading
45:02
love and and you know, coming together during a really
45:07
difficult time. So I just really appreciate you
45:09
having me today. Oh my God, of course.
45:10
And, and we appreciate you spreading love here on this
45:12
podcast with us and celebrating this Piggy and The Muppets.
45:16
I can't think of anyone better to do it than you, so thank you.