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One on One: Biff Yeager · I Am All In with Scott Patterson

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: I Am all In Less, I Am all in with
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: Scott Pattison and I Heart Radio podcast. Hey Everybody, We're
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: gonna sit down and talk with Biff Yeager. He played
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: character of Tom and Stars Hollows contractor, frequently featured when
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: there is construction or renovation around town. He first appears
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: as a head contractor on the Habitat for Humanity Project
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: Rory assists for extra curricular application points. Biff Yeager portrays
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  Speaker 1: Tom the contractor in Gilmore Girls for thirteen episode first appearance,
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  Speaker 1: season two, episode two, Hammerson Vale's last appearance season six,
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  Speaker 1: episode three, The Ungraduate. Let me tell you a little
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  Speaker 1: bit about Biff. Yeager's appeared in such TV shows as
• 0:58
  Speaker 1: Star Trek, Next Generation, The Wonder Years, Scrubs. He played
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: Lieutenant Commander Argyle in Star Trek The Next Generation, That
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: Jim Teacher in Seinfeld, maintenance worker George and Parks and Recreations,
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  Speaker 1: Bob and Bunheads and Tom local contractor Gilmore Girls. Here's
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  Speaker 1: his film credits Ready Batman Returns, Black Samurai, Ripo Man,
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  Speaker 1: Prime Risk Girls, Just Want to Have Fun, Savage Dawn,
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  Speaker 1: Sid and Nancy Straight to Hell Walker Bonzai Runner Edward Scissorhand.
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  Speaker 1: Have you heard that movie Edward Scissor Hands? Another you
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  Speaker 1: headless body on the top of spar best men, Paris
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  Speaker 1: White Oleander. Let's bring him in, my friend, if Yeagerif,
• 1:39
  Speaker 1: how are you? How you been? What have you been
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  Speaker 1: up to? My friend? Not a whole bunch? How about you?
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  Speaker 1: Oh man? A whole bunch enough for both of us?
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  Speaker 1: I guess I don't know. I'm so we know he
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  Speaker 1: has Tom the contractor. You just appeared in this week's
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  Speaker 1: episode working at the Dragonfly in tell us how you
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: got cast in the park? Well, originally I I read
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  Speaker 1: for Taylor's role. That was the first year and uh,
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  Speaker 1: I didn't work out. I didn't get it, which I'm
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  Speaker 1: very happy with because I don't think anyone could have
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  Speaker 1: done it better than Taylor. And then the following year
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  Speaker 1: they called me back for Tom for that. The one
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  Speaker 1: little thing with I guess when when Rory was building
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  Speaker 1: a house, building a house for habitat Um and from
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  Speaker 1: that they called me back. Something about about that episode
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  Speaker 1: was though they wouldn't let me use the power saw
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  Speaker 1: at that new and even when I did use it
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  Speaker 1: for Taylor's thing, I screwed it up and jammed the wood.
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  Speaker 1: So that was smart. That was smart. So you came
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  Speaker 1: in season two? Were you aware of the show before
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: you came in? Had you seen the show? Yeah? I
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  Speaker 1: saw a few episodes. My daughter started watching it a lot.
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  Speaker 1: Um and what is the What do you think of
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  Speaker 1: the show? And that was cute? I think it was
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  Speaker 1: a great Uh. I mean, I've waked all the episodes now,
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  Speaker 1: all seven years, and I think it's just a fun
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  Speaker 1: show for family, for mother and daughter especially. So so
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  Speaker 1: tell what were your in initial impressions of your first
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  Speaker 1: day on set? What what do you still remember about it?
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  Speaker 1: What can you tell us? Well? I said that the
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  Speaker 1: incident with the saw as a matter of fact, when
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  Speaker 1: I was using the hands so many So you're surrounded
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  Speaker 1: by all of these electric fighting personalities, people filled with
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  Speaker 1: charismon talent, and you remember the saw. Is that what
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  Speaker 1: you're telling us? Okay? That was so awkward because further
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  Speaker 1: on the hands, they wouldn't let Laurie Rory stand near me.
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  Speaker 1: While I was probably a good idea. That was so well,
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  Speaker 1: that's good. So listen. Uh so many Gilmore fans of
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  Speaker 1: all ages, Hum, do they all remember you as Biff?
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  Speaker 1: When did they stop you wherever you are in the
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  Speaker 1: street and say not too many. Um. As a matter
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  Speaker 1: of fact, some people when when they follow me on Twitter,
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: some people just follow me for whatever reason. And I
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  Speaker 1: asked me with the fans of the show and to say, yeah,
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  Speaker 1: who did you play? After reminding them, and then they said, oh, yes, yes, yes,
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  Speaker 1: yes I remember. I loved your character. I would have
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  Speaker 1: I would have thought they would remember your your voice.
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  Speaker 1: If they didn't recognize you, they'd remember your people do.
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  Speaker 1: But some of them don't, you know. Some of them
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  Speaker 1: just I don't know. They just there's so many shows
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  Speaker 1: on the air and they watched this one and they
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  Speaker 1: watch other ones and confused characters. Uh. Some people remember
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  Speaker 1: me from Star Treks, some from Gilmore Girls. You know,
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  Speaker 1: it's from all of it. I had one. I walked
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  Speaker 1: into a comedy review one time with a friend of
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  Speaker 1: mine and as I was signing in, the woman behind
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  Speaker 1: the desk said, I remember you. You were in the U. C.
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  Speaker 1: L A film years ago of a film that of
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  Speaker 1: little note. I would imagine, Well, yeah, except that I
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  Speaker 1: met my wife in the film. That's there you go.
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  Speaker 1: So that's that's a that's a big note. H Good
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  Speaker 1: for you, Um, so, where do you think Tom would
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  Speaker 1: be today? Today? He'd probably be on a deserted island
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  Speaker 1: building a little tiki shack. Sounds good, Tom. So. He
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  Speaker 1: was on for thirteen episodes throughout the series, and it
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  Speaker 1: was a part of a day in the life during
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  Speaker 1: the summer episode or a year in the life. Um,
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  Speaker 1: how is it going back to stars Hollow after nine years?
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  Speaker 1: I really enjoyed it. I don't know if you if
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  Speaker 1: you know, but I did bun Heads a couple episodes
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  Speaker 1: of that in between. So I saw a lot of
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  Speaker 1: the same people and um, and I met Uh. Now
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  Speaker 1: I'm going to embarrass myself. I can't remember her name.
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  Speaker 1: That the woman that started Bunnetts. What was her name?
• 6:15
  Speaker 1: Do you remember her name? Sutton Foster? Yes? Right? And
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  Speaker 1: and her and uh and uh Lauren was standing together. Wow,
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  Speaker 1: my memory is really compet It's a good thing. I
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  Speaker 1: don't have to memorize too many lines. But anyhow, her
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  Speaker 1: and Lauren were standing together and I went up and
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  Speaker 1: I hugged them both. I said, my two famous uh
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  Speaker 1: leading ladies, and they looked at me as if who
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  Speaker 1: are you? Oh man? Um? But it was fun. I
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  Speaker 1: enjoyed coming back on a year in the life. That
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  Speaker 1: was really fun. I did enjoy that. Right. Have you
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  Speaker 1: seen the show lately? How long has it been since
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  Speaker 1: you've actually seen I think a year or two ago.
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  Speaker 1: I went through all seven years watching them all. Hum. So,
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  Speaker 1: do you recall a scene or a contracting job that
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  Speaker 1: Tom did that was your particular favorite. I think one
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  Speaker 1: of them was. I have a couple, I guess, but
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  Speaker 1: the one of the main ones was when we were
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  Speaker 1: Lauren and I were talking side by side about renovating
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  Speaker 1: the stable for the end to the horses or something
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  Speaker 1: like that, and we had a long time between tastes,
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  Speaker 1: of course, staying together, and I looked at it and
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  Speaker 1: it just struck me at that time. And I knew
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  Speaker 1: her eyes were very blue, but I struck me. I said, God,
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  Speaker 1: You've got the most beautiful blue eyes. And I don't
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  Speaker 1: know if it embarrassed or what, but that that that
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  Speaker 1: moment really struck me. That be very distracting, very distract
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  Speaker 1: I used to look off to the side so I
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  Speaker 1: could remember my lines, you know, otherwise, you know, my
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  Speaker 1: brain would turn into top yoka um. And I wasn't
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  Speaker 1: that far off, you know, to begin with um. So
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  Speaker 1: You've worked on some really really iconic TV series and films.
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  Speaker 1: Do you have a favorite role that you've played. Gee,
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  Speaker 1: I don't think so. I mean I always enjoy something new,
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  Speaker 1: you know. Um, thinking back, I'm trying to think. I
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  Speaker 1: know Gum Girls was well. Yeah, Unfortunately your credits are
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  Speaker 1: pretty sparse. Let me just read off a few of them. Um, Batman, Returns,
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  Speaker 1: Black Samurai, Ripo Man, Prime Risk Girls, Just want to
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  Speaker 1: have fun, Savaged on side, Nancy Straight to Hell, Walker,
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  Speaker 1: Bonsai Runner Edwards, Scissor Hands, who's heard of that? Another
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  Speaker 1: You Headless body in a topless bar, best Man, Paris
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  Speaker 1: and White, Oleander, um Any Plus Star Trek, the Next Generation, Seinfeld,
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  Speaker 1: Parks and Recreation bunn Heads as you've mentioned, and obviously
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  Speaker 1: Gilmore Girls. So you're really haven't done that much, Tom,
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  Speaker 1: I really have poor guy More going. Yeah. Yeah, you
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  Speaker 1: really got to get it together? Man? So what did
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  Speaker 1: do you have a favorite memory from any of those? Actually,
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  Speaker 1: my favorites are are some of the directors I worked with.
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  Speaker 1: Uh again, the memory goes to hell that Tapioca is
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  Speaker 1: working there. Burton, I really enjoyed working with him. I
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  Speaker 1: did I think three shows with him, and and um
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  Speaker 1: repot Man who who directed report? I don't know. I
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  Speaker 1: know Burton did Scissor Hands in Batman returns right. Yeah,
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  Speaker 1: it'll come to me after a while. I'll blurt it
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  Speaker 1: out as we talk. How is he How is he
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  Speaker 1: different from other directors? Very laid back. Um, I didn't
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  Speaker 1: really push too much on on demanding and things. You
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  Speaker 1: kind of let the actors do what they wanted, h
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  Speaker 1: which is fun. I mean, he didn't if if it
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  Speaker 1: was going off, he'd certainly try to straighten them out,
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  Speaker 1: but he let them give them their head to do
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  Speaker 1: what they what they felt the character needed, you know,
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  Speaker 1: which I enjoy I like doing that. And let me
• 10:14
  Speaker 1: ask you, what is your favorite memory of Gilmore Girl,
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  Speaker 1: the one that really really sticks with you being on
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  Speaker 1: that show, That the one experience. Well, I don't know
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  Speaker 1: if it's a favorite or not, but during the opening
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  Speaker 1: of the in I do remember this one was a
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  Speaker 1: little embarrassing to me. But I was supposed to be
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  Speaker 1: a little tipsy, a little drunk, and we did that
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  Speaker 1: take about fifteen or twenty times, and I just didn't
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  Speaker 1: get what amy Amy isn't it okay? Really? There? I
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  Speaker 1: don't think she was too happy with with what we
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  Speaker 1: finally had, and I was I was really kind of
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  Speaker 1: uh felt Disaplin pointed in myself and not fulfilling that
• 11:02
  Speaker 1: one thing that you wanted. You had to play a
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  Speaker 1: drunk scene as Tim. Yeah, yeah, I was at the
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  Speaker 1: first time. I was in a suit in the opening
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  Speaker 1: of the inn. Oh right, they throw a party, So
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  Speaker 1: that really stuck out in my mind because I was
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  Speaker 1: disappointed in myself. Um, as actors tend to do when
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  Speaker 1: they don't just don't get that little thing that the
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  Speaker 1: directors right, right, right, when in all probable ability, you
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  Speaker 1: probably got it four takes before, right, and they're just
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  Speaker 1: I don't know, we we at least we put it
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  Speaker 1: in the can. One way, you get it in the can.
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  Speaker 1: And yeah, you know you're try not to think about
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  Speaker 1: it afterwards. Just let it go. Yeah, all right, we
• 11:50
  Speaker 1: are going to play Tom I'm sorry. I see you're
• 11:55
  Speaker 1: so good. I called you by your character name. Uh,
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  Speaker 1: We're gonna play a little little game called rapid Fire.
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  Speaker 1: Oh okay, you ready stop thinking of her blue eyes?
• 12:08
  Speaker 1: Stop it? Do you not think of Lauren Graham's blue
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  Speaker 1: eyes staring back at you? Don't do it. It's gonna
• 12:15
  Speaker 1: be a big distraction. Okay, all right? How many cups
• 12:19
  Speaker 1: of coffee do you have per day? Four or five?
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  Speaker 1: How many blue eyes does Lauren Graham have? Three? Are
• 12:29
  Speaker 1: your team Logan, Team Jasser, team Dean? What color are
• 12:36
  Speaker 1: Lauren Graham's eyes? Purple blue? Of course beautifully blue? What
• 12:44
  Speaker 1: would you order it? Luke's Diner coffee? Coffee and decided?
• 12:55
  Speaker 1: Blue eyes? Uh? Would you rather go on a road
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  Speaker 1: trip with Taylor or machine l the show? Finish the
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  Speaker 1: lyric and where you lead? I will follow dot dot
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  Speaker 1: dot for a beer anywhere, No, anywhere that there's blue
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  Speaker 1: eyes waiting to stare back at me. Jackson's Vegetables or
• 13:14
  Speaker 1: Suki's Baked Goods, Baked Goods. There you go. Would you
• 13:19
  Speaker 1: rather listen to Drella's harp or the Troubadours cover songs?
• 13:24
  Speaker 1: M hmm? What vocabulary words did Liza Wheel teach you
• 13:28
  Speaker 1: on set? Hell? I don't Silton prep or stars hollow? Hi? Uhh?
• 13:42
  Speaker 1: There you go, Tom, It's been a blast, my friend.
• 14:17
  Speaker 1: Hey everybody, and don't forget Follow us on Instagram at
• 14:21
  Speaker 1: I Am all In podcast and email us at Gilmore
• 14:25
  Speaker 1: at I heart radio dot com. Oh you Gilmore fans,
• 14:29
  Speaker 1: If you're looking for the best cup of coffee in
• 14:30
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• 14:34
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• 14:36
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