Mary Mouser of Cobra Kai

This week, Tommy is joined by actress Bethany Joy Lenz who became a household name by playing the beloved role of Haley James Scott in One Tree Hill. Joy and her co-star James Lafferty became cemented in pop culture as one of the most popular television couples ever. Her new memoir, “Dinner for Vampires,” is out now and chronicles her spending a decade in a cult, and her quest to break free. Publicly, she was the “it” girl that people adored from One Tree Hill, rising to the height of international fame. But privately, she felt like she was falling deeper and deeper into a cult that she couldn’t break free from…until one day she had enough. Today, Joy opens up about how she went from going to a weekly bible study to being fully immersed in a cult, the red flags about this group that she now realizes she ignored, the first moment she really began feeling being isolated from her friend and family, joining Once Tree Hill and juggling her work life with the cult, what makes her smile when she thinks back on her fan-favorite role on the series, that iconic kissing in the rain scene, why she wishes she could go back in time and give co-star Sophia Bush a really big hug, the latest on a potential reboot, why thinking about the kindness from her cast after going through a difficult time makes her emotional, the moment she realized the cult took over $2 million from her, how she was able to most past feeling self-loathing to start forgiving herself, what she wants to say to her parents for the first time and so much more. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Tommy is joined Alice Oseman and Patrick Walters, the creative forces behind the smash-hit Netflix series, Heartstopper. Alice is an award-winning author, illustrator and screenwriter who created the LGBTQ+ romance webcomic, Heartstopper, which is also published as a graphic novel and has been adapted into the television series by the same name. Patrick joins Alice as an Executive Producer on Heartstopper (starring Kit Connor and Joe Locke) and works at See-Saw Films which is an Academy Award, Emmy and BAFTA winning television and film production house. Today, Alice and Patrick open up about what keeps them wanting to continue telling this fan-favorite story, how they were both surprised with how mainstream the series became, if Alice always hoped her webcomic would turn into a television series, why Kit and Joe were the only choices to play the roles of Nick and Charlie, the powerful moment from filming season one that made them realize they made the right decision in their casting, something that may surprise you about Kit and Joe, the scene from the comics that was adapted into the series that they are the most proud of, welcoming Jonathan Bailey to Season 3, if a potential Season 4 may be the last, how they protect their mental health in such a fast-paced job, an emotional response to what they've never said before, and so much more.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Tommy is joined by actor Justin Hartley who currently stars in Tracker, the #1 show on television for the 2023-2024 season. The series has reached over 81 million viewers since its February debut, and for good reason. Hartley plays Colter Shaw, a lone-wolf survivalist who travels the country as a reward seeker, using his expert tracking skills to help law enforcement and private citizens find friends, family, and loved ones. Season 2 is out now and we celebrate Hartley’s journey on the series, reflect on some past fan-favorite work like This Is Us, gain insight into his work ethic, discuss how he takes care of his mental health while shooting such an intense role and so much more. This is a special edition episode of my podcast because this interview is from an event I moderated, presented by the prestigious 92nd Street Y New York. The 92nd Street Y New York is a world class center for arts and innovation. They offer extensive in-person and online classes and events, including live talks, concerts, and dance performances. I hope you enjoy this conversation where we really get to see a different side to the artist behind some of your most favorite roles. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Tommy is joined by actor Thomas Doherty who is currently shaking things up in Season 2 of the intoxicating drama, Tell Me Lies. You know and love Thomas from so many fan-favorite projects like the Descendants franchise, the Gossip Girl reboot, Dandelion, The Invitation and so many more. But now he plays Leo, the charming newcomer who finds himself in the middle of Lucy (Grace Van Patten) and Stephen’s (Jackson White) toxic past. Tell Me Lies has been crowned as one of today’s most bingeworthy shows, and audiences can’t get enough of the intense drama that unfolds week after week. Today, Thomas opens up about how starring in the Descendants films changed his life, what those years meant to him, transitioning from a more family-friendly network to the next chapter of his career, the one role he would love to reprise from his past, what it was like acting in some of those wild and racy scenes in Gossip Girl, the conversation he had with Ed Westwick about playing a role loosely inspired by his original Chuck Bass, the intensity of working on a show like Tell Me Lies, forming his chemistry with co-star Grace Van Patten, the finale that the audience isn’t going to be ready for, why he isn’t big on setting goals and rather live in the present, and much more. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Tommy is joined by actor Gavin Leatherwood, who became a household name by playing the beloved role as a warlock named Nicholas in the hit Netflix drama series, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. Just in time for spooky season, his latest film, It’s What’s Inside, drops October 4th on Netflix. It was the largest acquisition out of Sundance in 2024, and Netflix paid a record breaking $17 million for this psychological thriller. Today, Gavin opens up about if he often thinks about his time on Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, his thoughts on revisiting the series if a reboot or spin-off came around, what he really thought about how the series ended, the spontaneous adventure he went on right after the series wrapped, why playing a character so opposite of him in It’s What’s Inside was so fulfilling, who he would choose to swap bodies with if given the chance, why he always wants to continue pushing himself out of his comfort zone, his complicated relationship with social media, how he protects his mental health, why the company he keeps is so important to him, how he actively tries to eliminate the phrase “I hate” from his vocabulary, and so much more. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Tommy is joined by Emmy nominated actors Matt Bomer and Jonathan Bailey. You know Matt from his incredible performances in White Collar, The Boys in the Band, Maestro, The Normal Heart and more. Jonathan exploded into worldwide superstardom after his break-out role in Bridgerton, and he will be in the upcoming highly anticipated Wicked and Jurassic World films. But today the conversation is all about their incredibly powerful series, Fellow Travelers, which centers on the decades-long romance between two men who first meet during the height of McCarthyism in the 1950s. This is a special edition episode of my podcast because this interview is from an event I moderated, presented by the prestigious 92nd Street Y New York. The 92nd Street Y New York is a world class center for arts and innovation. They offer extensive in-person and online classes and events, including live talks, concerts, and dance performances. I hope you enjoy this powerful and moving conversation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Tommy is joined by actress Lindsey Morgan who shot into international superstardom by playing the beloved role of Raven Reyes in the post-apocalyptic smash-hit television series, The 100, which ran for an incredible 7 seasons. The internet crowns The 100 as one of “the greatest TV shows of all time,” and for good reason. While she has played many impressive roles in films and television, another fan-favorite role you may recognize Lindsey from is the CW hit series, Walker, which she starred in opposite Jared Padalecki. Today, Lindsey opens up about what it was like jumping from one of the most successful soap operas to a primetime television series, navigating through the exploding world of social media when The 100 started airing, if she thinks about her time playing Raven often, what she loved about her time on the show, if she would reprise her character again in a reboot or spin-off, how you can’t go through life always seeking the approval of others, the importance of putting your mental health first even if it means making an incredibly difficult decision, how she got to a point in her life where she really wanted to be seen, and reveals for the very first time why she left her starring role in Walker after the second season. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Tommy is joined by actor Lucas Bravo who is currently melting hearts once again in Part 1 of Season 4 of the smash Netflix series, Emily in Paris. Lucas plays Gabriel, a dreamy chef turned restaurateur who has a complicated on-again off-again romance with his downstairs American transplant neighbor, Emily Cooper (Lily Collins). The show consistently sits at #1 on the Netflix charts and for good reason. Today, Lucas opens up about what makes Season 4 the most special to him, why he’s never felt closer to Lily Collins after filming this season, why he will forever be grateful to her, how the chemistry has grown from season one to now, if he thinks Emily and Gabriel are meant to be endgame, why he has always rooted for their relationship to thrive, learning to become comfortable with the sudden visibility the show’s success brought him, how his passion for acting also became his therapy, managing the imposter syndrome that still creeps in from time to time, and the one thing that always helps him refuel his soul. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Tommy is joined by actor David Castañeda who is currently starring in the fourth and final season of the Netflix smash-hit, The Umbrella Academy. The series is based on a collection of comics and graphic novels, and follows a group of estranged siblings with extraordinary powers who uncover family secrets while battling looming threats to humanity. David quickly became a fan-favorite of the show as the sweet, impulsive and sometimes overly confident Diego Hargreeves, a police academy dropout turned vigilante who desperately wants to prove himself. Today, David opens up about it finally hitting him that he won’t be returning to a series that has been such a big part of his life, how he almost snuck off set after his last day of shooting wrapped because it was too hard to say goodbye, his deep love and admiration for the rest of his cast, what he will forever cherish about playing Diego, if he was happy with how the entire series ended, if the fan reaction has surprised him, the scenes of Diego that will stay with him forever, how he has handled the pressure that comes from being part of such a fan-favorite genre, if he would be down to do a spin-off, what that spin-off could look like, what he has learned the most about himself through this entire experience, his relationship with success, and his struggle over the years with feeling like he fits in.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Tommy is joined by Academy Award nominated actor Colman Domingo. You know Colman from his powerful and memorable roles in Rustin, The Color Purple, The Butler, Selma, the fan-favorite series Euphoria, and so much more. But today the conversation is all about his film Sing Sing which is already getting Oscars buzz. In Sing Sing, Colman plays Divine G who is imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit. He finds purpose by acting in a theater group alongside other incarcerated men. This is a special edition episode of my podcast because this interview is from an event I moderated, presented by the prestigious 92nd Street Y New York. The 92nd Street Y New York is a world class center for arts and innovation. They offer extensive in-person and online classes and events, including live talks, concerts, and dance performances. I hope you enjoy this powerful and moving conversation. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.