Malachi Barton of Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires

On this episode of “Tommy Talk,” Tommy discusses something many of us have experienced or may be currently experiencing: should you tell a close friend their partner sucks? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Tommy is joined by actor Malachi Barton who is currently starring in Zombie 4: Dawn of the Vampires. The Zombies franchise is beloved for not only its infectious music and great dance numbers, but for using supernatural metaphors to tackle so many issues that resonate with viewers. Today, Malachi opens up about what its been like growing up in the public eye, why your self-worth should never be related to your work, joining the beloved Zombies franchise and working with the OGs Milo and Meg, what Milo Manheim has taught him over the years, an alternate ending he liked that got cut from the film, if he was ever supposed to play Red’s brother in the fourth Descendants movie, which Outer Banks star he’s been crushing on lately, future types of projects he would like to be a part of, how he’s worked through some difficult time, something he has never said before, and so much more. Subscribe, rate, and review this episode if you enjoyed this conversation!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Tommy is joined by David Iacono, who is currently starring in “Jurassic World Rebirth.” The film has become one of the biggest movie releases of the year. When he’s not dodging terrifying dinosaurs, you may have seen David in "Dead Boy Detectives," "Fear Street: Prom Queen" and the fan-favorite series, “The Summer I Turned Pretty.” Today, David opens up about never-before-told stories from his time filming the latest installment of the Jurassic Park franchise (like that random FaceTime from Steven Spielberg while on set in Thailand), having to drown in one of his most heart-racing scenes, and what filming with dinosaurs - what he calls “tennis balls on sticks” - is really like. We also celebrate his character Cam on “The Summer I Turned Pretty” and find out if he is Team Conrad or Team Jeremiah, what he has learned about himself through playing Cam, and that epic cast group chat. And David shares so much more that you won’t hear anywhere else, including something powerful that he has never said before.Subscribe, rate, and review this episode if you enjoyed this conversation!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Tommy is joined by actress Lauren Cohan who you know and love from starring in one of the most watched drama series in the history of television, THE WALKING DEAD. Lauren now stars in the spin-off series, THE WALKING DEAD: DEAD CITY. Season 2 is out now and Lauren continues to light up the screen playing the strong, resilient, and very layered character, Maggie Greene. Today, Lauren opens up about why she has wanted to continue playing Maggie for over a decade, how the darkness of THE WALKING DEAD can sometimes affect her, what it was like losing her on-screen partner in that traumatic scene, how her own spin-off came to be, the most surprising thing about working with co-star Jeffrey Dean Morgan, what exploring that relationship has been like, making her directorial debut this season, if she ever thought about leaving the franchise, what she thinks of the future of THE WALKING DEAD franchise, if she thinks her character will ever die, how much of the season’s plot she knows before production begins, if there was ever a storyline for Maggie she did not agree with, how she navigates imposter syndrome, why she is trying to slow down when she can, the journey of learning how to be kind to herself, why sharing life with the people who matter to you is so important, and so much more.  Subscribe, rate, and review this episode if you enjoyed this conversation!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Tommy is joined by actress Melissa O’Neil who plays Sergeant Lucy Chen in ABC’s THE ROOKIE. Melissa has been a fan-favorite character over the course of seven seasons of this smash hit series, and she will be returning for a highly anticipated eighth season. You may also know and love Melissa from playing the lead role in the Syfy Channel series, DARK MATTER. At 16, Melissa was the youngest and first female winner of Canadian Idol and went on to become a platinum selling recording artist. She also has performed on Broadway in both Les Miserables and Jesus Christ Superstar. Today, Melissa opens up about that cliffhanger in the season seven finale, what she thinks might happen for Lucy and Tim next season, what it’s been like creating a beloved on-screen relationship with co-star Eric Winter, what she has most learned about herself since starting on THE ROOKIE, if there was ever a time in her career when she was uncomfortable with a scene, how she learned to communicate her concerns, the parts of playing Lucy that are both easy and harder for her, some of her favorite moments for Lucy, her reaction to Lucy being promoted to Sergeant, if she ever tries to give the writers ideas about her character, what she would want Lucy’s endgame to be, if she has the itch to do Broadway again, some of her dream roles, what her perfect day off is, how she maintains a positive outlook, something powerful she has never said before, and so much more.  Subscribe, rate, and review this episode if you enjoyed this conversation!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Tommy is joined by actress Shanola Hampton who became a household name playing Veronia Fisher, a.k.a. V, in the smash-hit series SHAMELESS. She played V for 11 seasons, often praised as one of the most beloved characters in the show. Right now, she can be seen in Season 2 of the NBC series FOUND playing Gabi, a public relations specialist who shines a light on missing persons cases. Today, Shanola opens up about what she did with her fellow cast members of SHAMELESS the first time they met, what their relationships are like today, if a reunion with the cast might be in the cards, what part of V’s personality rubbed off on her, what a potential spin-off with Steve Howey might look like, that (very) sexy scene she filmed the first time she met Steve, their conversation about manscaping, what has fulfilled her doing FOUND vs. other shows,  why its been thrilling playing a flawed character, what being #1 on the call sheet has been like for the first time in her career, how rejections and sometimes painful hardships over the course of her career never stopped her, important advice for anyone who has a dream, the role she auditioned for that she really wanted, how things are put in your path (or not) for a reason, why she will never allow hate in her life, and so much more. Subscribe, rate, and review this episode if you enjoyed this conversation!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Tommy is joined by Academy Award-winning actress Da’Vine Joy Randolph, who captured audiences with her breakout role opposite Eddie Murphy in DOLEMITE IS MY NAME. Randolph also starred in the acclaimed film THE HOLDOVERS earning numerous prestigious accolades including that Academy Award, a Golden Globe, and so many more. You also may know and love Da’Vine from her fan-favorite role in ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING. Now she’s kicking some butt in the action thriller SHADOW FORCE (also starring Kerry Washington and Omar Sy) in theaters May 9th. Today, Da'Vine opens up about how winning her Academy Award has become a way for her to pay it forward, the pressure that comes after winning an Oscar, how she learned to find inspiration and motivation from within, why she believes that anxiety can sometimes be a gift if you listen to it, what made her want to join her first action movie, the one thing she believes is crucial to making an action movie believable, her #1 tip to kicking some butt, why Bradley Cooper is still at the top of her list to work with, the movie she wants to remake with him, how Hollywood constantly challenges her worth, what keeps her focused and able to persevere, filming the new season of ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING, if she finally has more scenes with Meryl Streep, if her and Selena Gomez bust out a tune on set, why empathy allows us to feel more connected to one another, and so much more.  Subscribe, rate, and review this episode if you enjoyed this conversation!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Tommy is joined by one of the biggest romance writers in the world. Ana Huang is a #1 New York Times, Sunday Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today and #1 Amazon bestselling author who has sold well over 5 million copies of her books. She is best known for her break-out “Twisted” series that is currently being adapted into a series on Netflix. That series alone has over one billion views on TikTok and is considered one of the bestselling romance books of all time. Ana’s fifth book in the “King of Sin” series, “King of Envy,” is out now, and it is taking the book community by storm. Today, Ana opens up about whether she's finally allowed her parents to read her steamy books, how she went from working a 9-to-5 to becoming one of the biggest authors in the world, the powerful moment when she realized she could turn writing into a career, why she thinks the Twisted series resonates with so many people, if she feels pressure over the casting of the TV series, if she has some people in mind for the cast, how social media has been such an important piece of her career, why she likes her fictional men slightly unhinged, what the most challenging part of writing "King of Envy" was, one of her favorite scenes in the book, if she cries when writing emotional scenes, her process for putting out two books a year, the same things she does every time she writes, how she protects herself from criticism and negativity, if there will ever be another "Twisted” book, which of her female main characters would be her best friends, if there is a character she would use in a spinoff, advice for aspiring authors, something very personal she has never said before, and so much more.   Subscribe, rate, and review this episode if you enjoyed this conversation!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Tommy is joined by actor Michele Morrone who is currently starring in the long awaited movie ANOTHER SIMPLE FAVOR, with Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick. Michele’s breakthrough performance in the hit 365 DAYS franchise on Netflix catapulted him into international fame. Now some of the biggest directors and actors are lining up to work with this rising star in Hollywood. Today, Michele opens up about the impact that 365 DAYS had on his life, if he would have signed on to do those very steamy movies now, how he had to get used to losing his privacy, playing a goofy mafia boss in ANOTHER SIMPLE FAVOR, becoming best friends with Blake Lively, the prank he played on her when they began working together, a piece of advice that Blake gave to him that changed his outlook, how he’s the only Italian in the world that can burn pasta when boiling water, what we can expect with his other upcoming movie THE HOUSEMAID, why he loves playing characters that are so completely different from who he is, how he gets into some pretty dark mindsets for his roles, the new music that he’s been working on, why being “drunk on life” is the only way for him to live, the importance of giving yourself the opportunity to do the things in life that truly fulfill you, something that happened on set that he wants to apologize for, and so much more.  Subscribe, rate, and review this episode if you enjoyed this conversation!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Tommy is joined by actress Madeline Brewer who is currently starring in the Netflix series YOU, opposite Penn Badgley. YOU is back for its fifth and final season and Madeline’s character finds herself as the new object of Joe’s affection. You also know and love Madeline from her Emmy-nominated portrayal of Janine in Hulu’s THE HANDMAID’S TALE, which is also out right now in its sixth and final season. It’s safe to say she is delivering some of the most powerful performances this spring in all of television. Today, Madeline opens up about the intensity of working on two hit shows that involve traumatic storylines, if she’s ever spoken to a therapist about her characters, being a super-fan of YOU before joining the final season, why she loves playing characters with some loose screws, what working on those intimate scenes with Penn was like, three ways anyone can outsmart Joe Goldberg, how she learned to feel comfortable enough to use her voice after feeling like she couldn’t earlier in her career, what it’s like being on a show that is analyzed and talked about across social media non-stop, why she wants Penn to win an Emmy for his portrayal of Joe, the actress she once fan-girled over at an audition, the truth about that fire red hairstyle in YOU, that iconic surprising moment for her character during this final season, the very real and important message behind the show, a dream project she would want to do next (hint: Christmas), that one celebrity that was on her birthday cake when she was 15, how she ended up in the Jersey Shore house at 2am, why the final episode of THE HANDMAID’S TALE is the most extraordinary episode of the entire series, and so much more.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.