#198 The Many Faces of Rose Abdoo: A Career in Comedy and Acting

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Jeff Dwoskin 0:30

All right, Salma, thank you so much for that amazing introduction. You get the show going each and every week, and this week was no exception. Welcome, everybody to Episode 198 of classic conversations. As always, I am your host, Jeff Dwoskin. Great to have you back for another classic conversation. My guest today originally hailing from the great state of Michigan arose app do you love rose and hacks Gilmore Girls. That's So Raven reboot. Rose is amazing. She's hilarious. And that conversation is coming up in just a few seconds. And in these few seconds, I want to direct everyone's attention to last week's interview with the amazing Adrienne Barbeau we dove deep into her career, amazing conversation. If you haven't caught that one yet, definitely check it out. But now without further ado, my conversation with the amazingly hilarious rose Abduh enjoy. All right, I'm excited to introduce my next guest, actress, sculptor. Improv Ninja is okay. I called you at ninja. Sure loved her and the hacks reboot Gilmore Girls, parenthood and a million other things. I'd love to last but I want to get to the interview. If you have eyes. You've seen my next guest. Rose. I do. Hello.

Rose Abdoo 1:58

Hello. Very nice to be here with you.

Jeff Dwoskin 2:00

Oh, so great to have you on the show. I'm a big fan. And I'm excited. I'll go green go white, Michigan was out. We're both from Michigan. And so that's exciting. I love talking to people from Michigan. There's so many there's so many. There's so many people from

Rose Abdoo 2:16

new and it's fun. Because reboot actually has three of us that I know about Keegan Michael Key is Detroit her and Judy Greer and myself. Yeah, so we've got the Michigan connection with the show too.

Jeff Dwoskin 2:28

That's super fun. So you went to Sal? I went to North Farmington I went to South Hill High. Oh yeah. The Southfield high. Okay, so you went to South High I went to North Farmington I loved growing up in this area. It's such a nice the Midwest is so nice.

Rose Abdoo 2:42

Yes, it's beautiful. When friends post things on Facebook this time of year especially with we went to the cider mill or the fall colors I get so jealous. I really miss it. I want to be there

Jeff Dwoskin 2:53

it is. It's so fun. It's like the Franklin cider mill and I know there's a million different cider Mills but

Rose Abdoo 2:58

that's the one that is the that's the gold standard as far as I was concerned. Cinnamon doughnuts are

Jeff Dwoskin 3:05

so good. They don't have their parking lot right though they don't know the end and out it's

Rose Abdoo 3:09

a lot of good places have crappy parking lots you notice that? They just it's part of it. You gotta fight for your your donuts and cider. How

Jeff Dwoskin 3:16

bad you really want to be here? Yeah. So your roots MSU. It all kind of started at Michigan State. My daughter My oldest daughter went to MSU. I got a split family one. You have one. Ms. You look so young to have a college age daughter. It's college age and a graduate. Wow. But thank you. Thankfully, we both look very young. So that's we got back on ourselves. So how did you get into your love of theater that led to Second City? Can you talk me through a little bit about the origin story of Rose, I had a

Rose Abdoo 3:50

wonderful teacher at Southfield high named Virginia boards. And she was really encouraging to me and I did you know, all the high school plays it was just fun. And I thought if I got to college and could find a way to keep doing it. I wanted to do that. But it wasn't like I went to Michigan State thinking I'm going to be a theater major. I really thought you know, I had an interest in I worked at the radio station at Scottsdale, high WSH. Jay, I wanted to be a newscaster. And then when I realized how many telecommunications classes I needed, and how for some reason you needed a lot of math to get a telecom degree. I was like wait economics, I have to take econ classes and math. And then I've told this story. But I didn't want to wait back in the day at Michigan State we had to register for classes in the racquetball court and we really there were huge long lines would take like three hours you'd get up to the you know, person with the little wooden box with the hanging chad cards, you know, the punch cards, and they would say sorry, it's closed. And so it just kept happening that I it's almost like the universe forced me into I look over the theater table. Nobody in line, they had plenty of classes. So it just kept taking more and more by that time. I mean, I got a communications degree, but I had so many theater classes. It seemed like this is what I'm doing. Then I met a guy I actually knew him since I was like five years old. He was friends with my, his sister was friends with my sister, Bill Ellison. And he's a Michigan guy who said, you know, you gotta go to Second City. Not a lot of women doing it right now. And at the time, you know, there's 350 People auditioning for the troupe, and maybe they were picking two women. So I started taking classes. I moved to Chicago from Michigan, and I started taking classes at Second City. And I remember when I auditioned for Second City and the touring company, they were looking for a company of six people, and they saw 350 people, and they chose two women, Amy Sedaris, and myself. So it was like, I was happy that I was so naive to not think, Oh, the odds are stacked against me. I didn't even realize what I was going into. I just knew that I liked doing characters and I did it. And I started working at Second City. So it was really like, I didn't get a theater degree. I didn't think you know, I want to pursue, you know, stage and do regional theater. I didn't even think about that. I just I kind of hated waiting in line. So it just kind of happened. And then I just kept getting a second city. I really enjoyed the work there. And I met some unbelievably talented people I was there during the Mike Myers, Chris Farley, Stephen Colbert, Steven Carell, they were all in the companies at the same time that I was and and we learned a lot from each other. It was incredible experience.

Jeff Dwoskin 6:12

Would you happen to have a memory of a Chris Farley skits that was performed at Second City called whale boy?

Rose Abdoo 6:18

Yes, of course. Yes. I remember very well and he he would do that character to make us laugh like all the time in you know, in the bar across the street and he started doing wheeled way then unfortunately, he suffered an injury he had a he broke his ankle I think just you know, energetically as well boy jumping around. And my friend, Ian Gomez had to go in for him. But yeah, we have I have actually artwork of the original Well boy from his friend who was a cartoonist

Jeff Dwoskin 6:41

when I was in college. One of my best friends was from Chicago. So for our like fraternity things, we'd always go to Second City to Chicago and to Second City, and I always what am I always things I always talk about is I saw Chris Farley and I was Tim Meadows there also. Yes. And that was at some company and Tim Meadows the year before they went to Saturday Night Live, right. And for years, we talked about that whale boy skit, because it was probably the funniest thing. Oh, funny. We just remembered laughing He

Rose Abdoo 7:10

just he would commit to everything. So like 120% and I toured with him. We toured for about six months, because he got plucked out to go to mainstage. So early, but being on stage with him. He had the audience in the palm of his hand. And he wouldn't really like spend a lot of time rehearsing. I mean, a lot of it's improv, but he would just he just had the ability, like you would think, Oh my god, does he even know his lines, what's going to happen and the lights would go up. And he he was so fascinating to be on stage with because it was like it was magic. It was just watching magic. And you didn't feel like he ever wasn't in control and the audience just adored no matter what he was doing, I got a chance to understudy a mainstage show and work with him. And we were two kids that wanted to learn how to drive. We were both learning how to drive and the scene was about that. And I just remember every night he had to give me a box of cookies on stage. She's like they're rookies, but they're freaking cute. It was so hard to concentrate and not laugh because he was just he really was a genius. I can't say enough about working with him. I just loved him so much. And it's really it's tragic that we didn't get to see what he could do as you know, an older person

Jeff Dwoskin 8:13

so tragic. Yeah, I'm glad you were able to share those memories with me because it was like it's it's funny how certain things stick in your head.

Rose Abdoo 8:19

Oh, yeah. And so really, hugely talented person and his brothers are very talented as well. I know Johnny and Kevin Farley and their their whole family is just so funny. He would tell stories about his father in the van and we would just die laughing like he's just really he was a very magical person. I loved him.

Jeff Dwoskin 8:35

I mean, the talent that you were with at Second City at that point, or that are known such known talents. Now, it's an insane like, co bear. You mentioned Amy Sedaris. Kovarian. Corral, I watched a clip of you at the 50th anniversary with all of them. It was so funny. Yeah, bull bear goes back to his hometown, and everyone sees him as a 50 year old black woman,

Rose Abdoo 8:57

as a woman. Yeah, it's a really innovative seeing and davers AUSkey isn't that I'm still in touch with some of those guys. And they're just it was just so cool to like, be with people that had similar interests and improvising with them was really a great learning experience. And I think that people, young people that asked me, you know, what should I do? What classes should I take? I always I always recommend improvisation classes, because I think that helps in every area of performance. You have to think on your feet.

Jeff Dwoskin 9:24

I agree. I did set I do stand up. I haven't for 18 years. So I developed a little bit. I don't consider myself an improv but like where I got comfortable on stage, but I always wish when we had Second City, I chickened out and Detroit and like, I regret it to this

Rose Abdoo 9:40

day. Like there's some of there's some great people that came out of that second city

Jeff Dwoskin 9:43

too. I know that's why I just would have been like they're like, yeah, just you know, even if I just saw

Rose Abdoo 9:52

their opening one in New York, I just read that. Oh, really? Oh, yeah. Never.

Jeff Dwoskin 9:56

I never had the magic of Chicago. But

Rose Abdoo 9:58

Chicago is incredible. And that's it. I love the Midwest in general. I love Michigan, but I miss Michigan and I miss Chicago and I like LA but if the business wasn't here, this isn't a place I would ever choose to live.

Jeff Dwoskin 10:09

What do you miss most from Michigan? Did you? Were you like a colony person? Yeah, I

Rose Abdoo 10:13

was just telling my friend. She wanted a Michigan picture to put in her house. And I said, You got to get the one words Lafayette and American Coney Island right next to each other. So she bought that photograph to frame. My friend Rachel Cameron and I met her when I was 12 years old, in literally junior high. But yeah, we talked about Michigan things in Michigan food. I just love I love the people. I like Midwestern people. I love the weather. I love the seasons. I love sweaters. I just love everything about it. It was such a beautiful place to grow

Jeff Dwoskin 10:39

up it is it is nice having seasons I can't imagine not having all of them

Rose Abdoo 10:46

I have all these coats. I'm like when's it gonna get cold enough to wear a coat? Well, it's like in the 60s here we get we whip out the coats the Mr. Midwest girl.

Jeff Dwoskin 10:53

I mean, it is funny how different areas I remember going to Miami once and I think it was 70 and they're all wearing light sweaters and they're apologizing to me from Michigan for the weather like like it's seven days is nothing

Rose Abdoo 11:07

Yeah.

Jeff Dwoskin 11:10

Yeah, that's so funny. Okay, so from second city this is this is what you you got discovered you ended up in Robert Zemeckis show.

Rose Abdoo 11:17

Yeah, I was at Second City and an agent came to see my show for Reese Davidson and she there was an audition for this CBS show they looked all over California I guess for someone to play an ex mafia wife turned parole officer and I just made a tape. I was doing a play. I had left Second City and I was doing a Neil Simon play. That was a huge hit. We were selling out every night and they asked me to make this VCR tape of me doing Beverly Florio for X mafia wife turn parole officer. And I knew that Zemeckis was part of it. And I just did it because I thought, well, I'm doing a play now. But I didn't want to say no to the audition. And the next thing I knew, they called and said, you got this role. It's a lead in the CBS series and you have to help you know how to drive because Robert Zemeckis just directed used cars, and he's sick of these New York actors that say they know how to drive and they don't know. Of course, they know how to drive did not know how to drive from Detroit. And I never I didn't learn to drive taking it in high school. And I got I was frightened because they took us on the highway, like our fifth day in the car, and I moved to Chicago, I didn't have a car. I didn't have a current Michigan State. I didn't have a car in Chicago. So I had to take driving lessons in three hour increments to learn how to drive to play this mafia wife and the first day on set, I had to get behind in Arizona patrol car and drive this car and hit a mark. I mean, it was like it was crazy, but I did it. I'm glad I did. And I'm glad that that's my story of learning to drive with having to drive on camera, and I did eight episodes of the TV series, but it was really baptism by fire.

Jeff Dwoskin 12:38

That's awesome. I found a 1993 January 1990 93 Lansing State Journal article, most of the article was touting you and your big move, but it's a she's a wonderful actress, but she also has this sense of what's funny. Robert Zemeckis.

Rose Abdoo 12:54

Wow, I didn't even know that. That's really nice to hear.

Jeff Dwoskin 12:57

I can send you a PDF of the article. Yeah, please do. Yes. And then she's shown a lot of charisma and a lot of humor and Mark Harris of Entertainment Weekly.

Rose Abdoo 13:06

I've always liked him. He's always nice to me. I like that guy.

Jeff Dwoskin 13:11

Yeah, this is all in his article. So that's pretty cool. It's always fun to find like old articles. Yeah, there's always there's always gems sitting Thank you. Yeah, well, yeah, no, well good is the internet if it's not fine.

Rose Abdoo 13:23

Remember back in the day, you'd have to go Mike I remember just remember the word micro fish you have to go and like scroll in the in the library and like scroll through the like a filmstrip of articles.

Jeff Dwoskin 13:33

Oh, I know exactly what you're talking about. But I'm gonna have to put links in the shownotes to microfiche, VC R.

Rose Abdoo 13:41

O G is I'll say

Jeff Dwoskin 13:43

I got all this too and that's exactly how I would your college experience same thing yes ago and get a card and if there's

Rose Abdoo 13:52

some other antiquated things by this time Yeah, the punchcards people can't even imagine registering like that read there was little you know, those little index cards with the holes in them so crazy.

Jeff Dwoskin 14:01

And it's it's so so crazy. Sorry to interrupt, have to take a quick break. I want to thank everyone for their support of their sponsors. When you support the sponsors you're supporting us here are classic conversations. And that's how we keep the lights on and now we're back with the spectacular rose mtwo are about to dive deeper into her career and we're back there's a lot of amazing shows you've been in you're so last you must feel so blessed to have worked in so many but one of the shows that I was digging into your IMDB that I was reminded that you're in which I think is one of the funniest shows ever that got cancelled after one season. The grinder Oh, I

Rose Abdoo 14:40

love that show. I get to be the judge on the grinder. I thought that show was a great show.

Jeff Dwoskin 14:44

You were in the pilot. You were in two episodes. We were in the pilot and so I started to rewatch the pilot and oh my god, it was just as funny as I remember. It's kind of hilariously funny, like reboots hilariously funny where it's like really serious like hit you right in the gut. You can't believe If the writing is so funny, I agree.

Rose Abdoo 15:01

And I think at the time, some of the criticism of the grinder was it was so inside show business, but those reboot, like reboot to me, you get it on a whole different level. If you actually work in the business, there are so many jokes that people I think, I don't know, I just think it's so much funnier if you actually work in the business. The grinder was that a show within a show. And Rob Lowe was great, Fred Savage. I've actually been directed by Fred Savage three, four times, he directed the Gilmore Girls, and he directed a couple other things that I did that. So Raven, he's a great guy. I mean, we really I like working with those guys a lot. And I was supposed to recur more as the judge. So I was sad that it didn't go further. But it was really fine.

Jeff Dwoskin 15:38

It was just hilarious. It was just like, there's so much subtle things like when the grinder is coming, and then suddenly you're wearing makeup. Right? And then like, he touches you, and the other person goes, you can't touch the judge. And you're like, I'll allow it.

Rose Abdoo 15:52

That was funny. I said to my friend, I love playing a judge, I get to be a judge on V. Also, there's something fun about first of all, you sit higher up than everybody else, you get to wear a robe, so comfortable. There's pockets for your candy, you get to sit at this big desk all day. You know, a lot of times working in television, there's so many takes I don't think people have any idea how many times we do scenes over and over. And I did a show I think called major crimes. I had to walk down a hallway and open the elevator door 17 times like it's exhausting. By the I mean, you know, it's still super, super fun. Don't get me wrong, and I'm still very grateful I get to do it. But getting to be a judge where you just sit there all day. It's the pets. It's

Jeff Dwoskin 16:27

so much fun. Well, hey, I was gonna say you've done it. I did notice as I started going, like, oh, there's there's a lot of judges here. There's a lot of young I find, do you find that sometimes people just pick you for certain types of roles. Maybe

Rose Abdoo 16:39

I feel like the people that because I still have to audition and that I work with young people on reboot now and they're like, you have to audition. And I think I say to them, you know, don't don't ever think that it ends because I still audition for like I just did both. I had to I was in Michigan at my sister's house and I everything becomes a taping room. You take the pictures off the wall and get a blank wall. You know, my brother in law found an antique tripod and we rigged my camera, my phone to the top of it and I send the audition in and that's how I got the roll and nothing's handed to me. Beep actually, the casting director knew me because I had auditioned to play a senator on Veep. And I didn't get it and she gave me the role of the judge. And that was a direct offer. And I do think it's because somebody saw the grinder and went get her she'll be a judge. Yeah, sometimes they happen.

Jeff Dwoskin 17:20

She wears a robe so the pocket amaze looks amazing. And robes, the Alba congratulations on ghosts. That's like that just broke that news.

Rose Abdoo 17:31

Yes, that was weird because they took all the pictures off my own Instagram. I was just mad because you know, you're not supposed to tell anything about the plot or who I play. But I did say that I was enjoying time in Montreal with Rose McIver, who's just fantastic. And we realized that we took the same Zumba class and we lived in the same neighborhood. And we were all the way in Montreal discovering that we only lived a few blocks from each other and La next thing I knew TV Line did a story. And they had taken all the pictures of my own Instagram and said we happen to know like it was like a old fashioned, you know, gossip item or something. It was so funny. That show is really super popular. And I really that cast is so fun. I can't wait. I think my episode is going to be out in November.

Jeff Dwoskin 18:06

That's exciting. That's super fun. That is super fun. Why are you playing a judge? No. No, not. If you were, you'd be the best. Yeah. Anyway, I did want to just say I was upset about the grinder because it was clear that you'd would have been like, they always

Rose Abdoo 18:21

had to go to the courtroom. So I was really looking forward to it. One time they used another judge because I was working on another show at the same time. I can't remember which but they tried to get me and they had to use somebody else.

Jeff Dwoskin 18:30

That is unfortunate. How fun was it to be on Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Rose Abdoo 18:35

I still think that of all the things I've done that was one of my favorite ways to work because it was the closest I could get to second city improvisation is just so much fun. I mean, I love taking the words of writers like the writers on reboot are amazing. And I do love you know, using their lines having to make the mail but there was something so exhilarating about Jeff Garlin said, Don't let Larry see me talking to you before we start this. So Larry said to me, all you need to know is you have Diane Keaton's phone number. I want Diane Keaton's phone number. Go. That's it. That's all they told me beforehand. And we made up everything else. So it was super fun for me because I made him laugh a couple of times they had, because he was really laughing, breaking character laughing. I just saw him at the Emmy party. And he remembered every single and that was many seasons ago. I mean, Kurt has been on forever. And it was the first season I think the fifth episode named the interior decorator and I was the interior decorator. And he really we laughed about doing the scene because Andy Ackerman was one of the directors and he used to direct Seinfeld, and he just whispered to me before the take he goes this time try and make out with Larry, but he didn't tell Larry that I was going to do that. So what you see in the final show is me surprising Larry with trying to trying to kiss them. And it was just so funny. And I was thinking nowadays, they probably wouldn't even do that because it would be considered like you'd need an intimacy coordinator or something. But it was just He's so funny. We really had a ball I loved I loved that job. I thought it was really It turned out great. You know a lot of times you do stuff and they cut a lot of stuff. They put almost everything we did in so it made me happy.

Jeff Dwoskin 20:04

It was really funny. Just it was like that typical curb thing that happens where she gives the phone number, but it cuts out.

Rose Abdoo 20:12

Right, right. And then I'm like, I can't I can't do that I can't. So that's to me. And that's a Spanish character that I meet imitating my own mother is from Dominican Republic. And I imitated my mother a version of my mother and that's a raven, and in Kerb, and now in hacks. They're all sort of related with the accent.

Jeff Dwoskin 20:29

I enjoy that you enjoy paying homage to your mom. And yes, she's very

Rose Abdoo 20:33

funny person. And she's really she said, when I auditioned for my best friend's wedding, the director was like your character, it seems so real. I said, Well, it's actually based on my mother because I played the seamstress in my best friend's wedding, another role that there were no lines, and I made up lines based on my mother used to make people wedding. So I said to the director, my mother actually does this. She fits people in dresses, and she makes wedding gowns for people. And he said, would your mother like to audition for me? I said, No, no, I'm not going to compete against my own mother. So I told my mother, she said, you know, honey, you are really stopping me from having another career. I could be on camera. If if she was totally kidding, she would not want to do that. But it was really funny that she goes, you know, imitating mama has given you a lot of a lot of your career. You're very lucky to have mama to imitate. I was like, Yes,

Jeff Dwoskin 21:17

I know. Did mama realize you were imitating mama before you let her know, while

Rose Abdoo 21:23

I did a one person show and I would imitate her. And then she said to the people that afterwards it came up to her. Oh, when Chuck flick you it's funny. And she goes, you know something? I don't realize I have an accent until I hear her talk like me. And then I say, Oh, I have an accent.

Jeff Dwoskin 21:37

I haven't met your mom. But now I feel like I know or so.

Rose Abdoo 21:40

Yeah, there you go. Oh, hello, Jeff. It's nice to meet you. Nice to meet you. She would say Oh, I love Farmington. They have such a good TJ Maxx. There. They do. She loves shopping. She 95 Oh, really? Oh, wow. So really funny.

Jeff Dwoskin 21:55

Did you get your humor from your

Rose Abdoo 21:57

mom, my mom and my dad. My dad was like really quiet. George Burns style funny, like very dry. And very, he would say such funny things really quietly? Yeah, they were both funny. They were laughing all the time. My parents, my mother said the key to a good successful relationship is you have to make honey, you have to laugh at the same thing. Maybe other people don't understand the thing you're laughing at. But the two of you understand and that's the key. So I always thought about that. And I actually have a very funny husband. He makes me laugh all the time.

Jeff Dwoskin 22:23

That's important. I listened to I listened to your stronger word speech.

Rose Abdoo 22:26

Oh, you did? Oh my gosh, you know more about me than a lot of people.

Jeff Dwoskin 22:30

I found it. It was beautiful. And it was just how you just talked about your parents and how they define love and then how you parallel that to the love you have with your husband and meeting him. And actually there was a one line about the dog and there they got me. Oh, you they love you forever, but only break your heart once

Rose Abdoo 22:48

Yes, my husband just said that we actually a very dear friends that just lost their dog and I and he said one day, you know, they bring you joy a million times and they only break your heart once. That's so true for anyone who's lost a pet and I hadn't ever had a pet until I met him. My mother was like she let us have goldfish but like there was never a dog. You know, we had that kind of house that was almost looked like a museum. It was so like organized. And I said there should have been little velvet ropes across the doors and little brass plaques. And we got this beautiful dog and then he passed away of hemolytic anemia and it broke my heart. I thought I could never do this again. I could never sign up for this type of heartbreak again. But my husband kept saying but remember all the joy that you've got you don't get this. You don't get that without this part of it. So now we have another dog Henry and I named him Henry. I know you were saying you have a little dog. I have a little he's having these terrier. They said he's so quiet. So I love this scene in Goodfellas where Martin Scorsese's mother looks at Rayleigh on his character. She goes Henry, what's the matter? You're so quiet. You don't talk much. You don't eat much. And that was the dog we first got to so I called him Henry because he reminds me of Henry Hill. So quiet. That's so funny. And the day after we got him Ray Liotta

Jeff Dwoskin 23:53

died. How bizarre It is bizarre, isn't it? I'm gonna have to internalize that one for a minute. Yeah, my dog's name is Lola.

Rose Abdoo 23:59

Ah, yeah, I love that name. Lola. I like having a dog. It's really different for me, because I didn't grow up with a pet and they just stare at you. I just want him to talk so bad. But it's really it really is a fun thing to do to have one because you you talk to people that you would never have anything in common with. But they love their dog and you love your dog. So then you have something to

Jeff Dwoskin 24:16

talk about. Exactly. And exactly. And the heartache that you talk about. It's like it's nothing that people don't tell you that when you get a dog right with a dog the majority of the time it's a choice when you're not and at the end, and it's the hardest thing it's just the hardest thing

Rose Abdoo 24:32

just a heartbreaker, but then you just have to keep saying but look at all this joy this this being brought my

Jeff Dwoskin 24:37

life and that speed. You talk about your husband open for Patti LaBelle?

Rose Abdoo 24:41

Yes. He never tells me that he'll like I'll know him for years and then all of a sudden he'll go Yeah, I did a show with her and then she met my dad. She was really nice to my dad. I said Patti LaBelle like and then one day we were just having brunch and he goes well when Prince used to call up the show he used to write for Steve Harvey my husband and he wrote for Martin Short he's well Prince used to call Gotta wait Prince, Prince Prince like Prince, the artist, formerly known as Prince plus prince, and he said, Yeah, I used to talk to him on the phone. So he had all these like he had lived a whole life before. We met at 39. We were 38 and 39. He's he's met and worked with a lot of people, but he's really funny. And he actually is an animator and he draws on he dresses on napkins, but he also does other things like his site. I love for people to know this because it's mad on napkins.com and he does a lot of really cool drawings and makes me laugh everyday. So people should know about him, too.

Jeff Dwoskin 25:29

All right, I'll put a link in the in the show notes. I started to go down that that rabbit hole I found it because when I first read it, I thought it was Matt and then the A went to the last name. And I'm like, What are the odds that rose when I clicked it, and it's mad, so Well, speaking of, well, he knows about and brands, but you know, George Clooney? That's right. So there you go. Yeah.

Rose Abdoo 25:50

That was really fun. That's another one that I auditioned for. And I thought, Oh, I have a day on a George Clooney movie. Then I go to the wardrobe fitting and she had, like 15 outfits as how many days am I working on this? And she goes, Oh, a month. So I didn't realize how big the part was because the audition was so small. I think I just had to say two lines in the audition. And he picked me off a videotape also. So I'm very lucky that I didn't meet him at the audition in person. He just knew from the videotape, he just said I just knew you'd be the perfect person to play this film editor. And they actually introduced me to the real lady Millie learner who I played. She used to edit the footage for the show. It was incredible playing a person who still was living in could tell me about the McCarthy era. David Strathairn. I thought did an incredible job playing Edward R. Murrow. It was a very cool project I met and one of my favorite movie experiences for sure. That was good night and good night and good luck. Yeah.

Jeff Dwoskin 26:44

Was that the first movie he wrote and directed? George Clooney? I think it is. Yeah, that's cool. He's really

Rose Abdoo 26:49

fun to be around to he's just aghast. He was friends with Richard Kind from Second City. So he used to visit, I would see him around Second City, but I didn't really know him. But I remember he was there. He would come. You know, when he was in town. I think he was still friends with some of the guys that work there. So it was really like we had a very good shortcut of language. He's incredibly funny that people know that. But he's, he's a person that I would definitely want to work with. Yeah, I mean, who wouldn't start? Yeah,

Jeff Dwoskin 27:13

I have yet to have the opportunity. So I'm just vicariously living through you. But thanks for thank you for sharing

Rose Abdoo 27:18

us and for anyone listening. He's everything you want him to be? And more. Really,

Jeff Dwoskin 27:22

is it when you said you're glad he picked you off the tape? It would have been nervous to audition in front of George Clooney.

Rose Abdoo 27:28

No, I think it would have been funny because I know, a friend of his we have a friend in common. And that would have been funny to talk about with him. I missed the days, you know, I was just telling someone the other day, I missed the days of meeting casting people and producers in person. Because now since the pandemic, all the tapes are made in this room that I'm in right now. And I have to send the tape in so you just like make it on your phone and send it the agent send it to the proper channels. But I've gotten I've booked work that way. So I know it works. But I miss the in person meeting the people and getting feedback from them and taking notes and stuff like that I really missed that part of it live perform.

Jeff Dwoskin 28:01

There's an energy in the room. Right? Exactly. Because you're a theater person right at heart, right. So it's, it's your chance to do

Rose Abdoo 28:07

a little play that day for the people you know, and that now I'm just doing it in my own little room. In a way I enjoy this too. Because I get to do it my way no one gives me any notes. I just choose the way I want to do it and send it out there. But But I do like the live performance part of it

Jeff Dwoskin 28:21

when I would do stand up comedy. And then I would try out for you know, a festival or something in like an audition process where you're in a room talking to a mic that doesn't project and there's just three people there staring at you hard. It's like this isn't

Rose Abdoo 28:37

very hard to do.

Jeff Dwoskin 28:38

I can imagine just filming yourself, you have to really kind of you have to put yourself into it right? And really kind of just you get to do it like multiple ways. Like would you do it? I'm going to do it this way. And then I'm gonna do it this way. Or if you pick them along, well, when you're shooting it. Yeah. And just in directing it when you send in a tape I'm saying do you get Yeah,

Rose Abdoo 28:55

like I'll do a take and then think oh, that was too broad out. Let me do it again, more subtle. Then I send the two takes to my manager and he picks the one I like you pick that one. I say you pick the other one. So it's like you just have to just do it and hope for the best. But I'm really excited because I'm going to be working on a new show called Young rock for NBC. That is Dwayne The Rock Johnson is involved in it. And I just found out that I'm going to I'm going to get to film an episode of it. And that was from a tape I just made right here in this little room.

Jeff Dwoskin 29:21

I hear he's the nicest guy in the world to

Rose Abdoo 29:24

I can't wait. I hope I get to meet him. I don't know if he's gonna be there. But I know that he's he's one of the producers on the

Jeff Dwoskin 29:28

show. That's pretty cool. Well, congratulations, all this breaking news.

Rose Abdoo 29:32

This is breaking news. I know I thought I didn't sign anything that said Don't say anything. So I'm not telling you who I play or what the plot is. So I think it's okay,

Jeff Dwoskin 29:39

that's okay. As we continue the competition between you and your husband and who you've met Barbra Streisand is on your list. That's right. Barbra Streisand ABS so you got bad. That's

Rose Abdoo 29:51

a movie I actually was very, very ill for that audition, and I was so surprised that I got it and I had just I actually, this is terrible, but I'm laughing about it now. But it wasn't funny at the time, I had appendix cancer and I had to do chemotherapy. I had a session, a first infusion of chemotherapy. The very next day was the audition. My manager was like, you can't go I go, I'm going. I mean, it was so good to have something to do. But I had a lot of after effects of being that sick. And I did it. I was shocked. And then I they called me again, a month later, I had auditioned a second time, and I got the part of one of her friends in the movie, that guilt trip at the time, it was called my mother's purse, the movie, and we were to play Barbra Streisand's friends sitting around a table. So shooting that scene, if you see that movie, it took seven and a half hours to shoot that dinner table scene, we had to eat the roast chicken, I've never eaten chicken again since then. Because when you eat roast chicken for seven and a half hours, you never want to look at it again. She was very kind. And she knew I was just trying not to throw. The whole time. I was so sick and just thinking like just don't barf on the table. And I'm eating chicken and pasta. And we kept having to do it over and over and over again. So that was really a learning experience that you have to keep it fresh. You know, you have to make the audience think this is the first time that anything's ever happened. And it's really like long to shoot.

Jeff Dwoskin 31:05

But you must be good at that too. Right? Because even in improv when you would redo like scenes, right? And you would do like have to make

Rose Abdoo 31:11

it seem like this is the first time you're ever thinking this. Yeah, that's a that's a skill in and of itself. I tell young people that do it. You have to make the audience believe you're just coming up with this. In the moment when it's a considered we created the scenes improvisationally. So they end up in the show, but they were created improvisational. It can't seem like oh, we're saying the same lines again every night. No, it has to come up. Like we're just thinking this up right now.

Jeff Dwoskin 31:33

When I started doing stand up comedy, I was working with this headliner, Jr. remmick may rest in peace. I'm watching him and he's holding a big beer. And he takes a sit there with a straw of the beer, and then kind of just makes a joke about what did I just do? Like, I'm like how ridiculous wants to drink beer. And like they laughed. It was like hilarious. It was like whatever he said was hilarious. When I was like, I can't believe I witnessed this moment second show. A sip of beer through the straw. Same thing. I'm like, Oh my god. So that's how that's how I learned, like kind of just witnessing and watching it. And I was like, oh, and so that I always am impressed when you can see somebody do something multiple multiple times. Yeah. Sorry to interrupt. But we have to take a quick break. And now back to my conversation with Rose Abdu. So it's been 10 years. How are you? It's been 10 years since the guilt trip roughly.

Rose Abdoo 32:24

Right. I'm good. I had negative thank goodness, negative scans. And I'm doing really well. And I it's not lost on me that you know, the year that I went through that challenge. I was telling someone that waiting rooms, Doctor waiting rooms and casting waiting rooms are the same. There's like a row of chairs. There's a bunch of nervous people, it's really odd how similar the feeling the vibe in the room is. So that year when I was sick, I think I ended up booking a lot of work because the door would open and they go rose up, do your next you know the way they do when you're at the doctor, they call your name and you walk up, I was so happy I was going through to not do bloodwork or get anything painful happening. I was like, wait, I'm just here to act. This is the greatest. So I feel like there was a freedom in that taught me to just be in the moment. And just it's not lost. And I'm very grateful for everything that's happened since then, because I know how differently this all could have turned out. Well, I'm

Jeff Dwoskin 33:11

happy it turned out that you're a survivor and thank you, but that part of this journey, you also ended up on parenthood, right? And yes, and kind of parallel a little bit.

Rose Abdoo 33:20

That's right. And that audition was August 1. And I had finished chemo August 1 The previous year. So I did go into that casting director. That's one of the advantages of getting to audition in person and I said I did the monologue and she was very complimentary. And I said, you know, I have to tell you this. I know exactly how who this woman is. And I know how to play this because the monologue was so well written. I said I went through this year ago to the day and I got that and I was supposed to do an episode or two. And Monica Potter was such a generous, lovely actress in that show. People are fans of parenthood. She said, I want you to do this with me. I want you to be my chemo buddy. If my character is going through this, I want her to be with Gwen chambers. So they ended up writing I think I ended up doing five of them. And that was a really wonderful experience too. And they let us improvise quite a bit on that set. That was fun.

Jeff Dwoskin 34:06

That's awesome. That was an interesting show because it was based on the Steve Martin Ron Howard movie, but it was such a different interpret.

Rose Abdoo 34:14

Different Yeah, just a big family and really, I really loved all those people. It was a great experience.

Jeff Dwoskin 34:19

And then Grace and Frankie got to work with Lily Tomlin and while and Jane

Rose Abdoo 34:24

I really depth the disappointment in that was I love love love Sam Waterston. I think he's an incredible actor, but my scene on Grace and Frankie was just with him and the little dog so I I wish I could meet I keep just missing her. It didn't get to see her that day. She wasn't there the day I was shooting my scene. And then I just did a fashion show for Ellie Willis foundation and Ellie Willis, the famous Detroiter who that wrote you know, all those incredible songs for Earth Wind and Fire and I got to I was an honored honored to wear one of her outfits and just being a fashion show on the 21st night of September, which was the perfect day to have the show and Lily was there hosting it but I was in the fashion show part and she was in And I just missed her again. So my goal really one of them is to finally meet and talk to Lily Tomlin who I've loved since I'm seven years old fellow Detroit, her

Jeff Dwoskin 35:08

well not to rub it in your face. I met Lily Tomlin once briefly for half a second. I love it. I think she was she was doing Search for Intelligent Life in the Universe in Detroit. And it was some events where you bought a ticket and she was kind of meandering around. And I think I got the nerve to say hi.

Rose Abdoo 35:29

I love it. She just seems so cool. I just love her.

Jeff Dwoskin 35:33

Yeah, she's a classic. So reboot. Let's talk reboot for a second. I love this show. I discovered it because friends of mine on Facebook were like, This is the funniest show ever. This is a funny story. I was home and I started watching it. And I think I was three episodes behind at the time. And maybe it was the three that they had released originally. And I just didn't stop I just whatever I was doing. I just I ran it right through. Oh, good. You managed it. And I'm all caught up. I'm all caught up to but like you're that show is I love this show. So funny. It's like one of those just so smart. You got up there's certain shows we have to really watch it like and this you really have to watch

Rose Abdoo 36:11

it, you have to pay attention. I think that people will watch the episodes more than once you get something different out of it when you watch it the second time because there's so much packed into it. There's so many subtle inside showbusiness jokes in that show. I just love it. I love that character. And that's another one I did just from this little taping room. I created that character. I love that her name was Selma because when I did left on the 23rd floor after second city, I did a show in Chicago called left on the 23rd floor and another Neil Simon play, and my character was an amalgamation of Lucille Callen and some a diamond who both wrote for your Show of Shows and I knew what that felt like to be one of the only women it's a consider it was like there'd be two women and four guys in every review. So you're always in a room full of guys trying to get your ideas across. So I knew what what it was like to be like a female comedy writer in a room and here I was playing it in the 50s. So my character and laughter on the 23rd floor said you'll never believe what happened on Edward R. Murrow tonight. That's my first line, then I got to do good night and good luck also of that period. Now here it is, all these years later, and I got to audition for reboot. A character named Selma, who's an old comedy writer from back in the day so it's all kind of come together for me

Jeff Dwoskin 37:17

right you Fred Melamed and George Weiner with Paul riser kind of leading but like You're like the old school the old guard right? Guard so Are you Jewish on this show?

Rose Abdoo 37:27

I kind of gotta show I believe some as Jewish I gotta I love playing the character because she to me she has to say something funny whether the room it was the room is full of people or she was by herself. She's still going to she still has to crack wise like she she needs to say those lines whether anybody's listening or not.

Jeff Dwoskin 37:43

And it's so funny. The last episode we were talking about Tony Danza.

Rose Abdoo 37:48

I wonder if he seen it? Like if anyone hasn't seen it yet? I say something about Tony Danza. Has he has he watched it? And in the earlier episode when they talk about Trump, I don't want to give anything away. Chuck Lorre has Chuck Lorre seen it. Like are they? I want to know. Steve Levitan is the nicest guy. He's a Midwest guy. I found out he's from Illinois. He's from the Chicago area, too. Is he friends with him? Like I need to ask him next time I see him. Hopefully I see him again. Is it an inside joke where he's friends with them? Or are they arch enemies. Like, it's so funny to me, the kinds of people that they're picking up. Even the game capital in reference just made me laugh so hard. The writers on that show are incredible. And when he said the line that I say to polariser, about the 83 Sixers, the writer just threw that line out verbally. And I just said it that that is they've been very nice about complementing what it's like to have improvisationally trained actors on set, because I don't need the line written down where I have to look at it a bunch of times before I say they throw it out. And then you just repeat we do different takes of the lines and they're all so for those writers are incredible. I just love them.

Jeff Dwoskin 38:49

It's so funny, just with the newer woke up, see,

Rose Abdoo 38:54

to be around them. And they teach me as people as young people, they've they've taught us a lot about what's politically correct nowadays and what isn't. So it's like a show within a show for us to because we're learning from them as people as well as their characters,

Jeff Dwoskin 39:06

right? And it is, it's so funny, but the layers of the show like I rewatched the first show because I was like after I binged it, usually we have shows my wife and I we watch together. And then there's individual ones we do. And I didn't mean to what I was like, once I realized, I'm like, Oh, this is a show. I should be watching with my wife. This is right.

Rose Abdoo 39:23

Did you watch it again? When

Jeff Dwoskin 39:24

I sat down, I said, I'm gonna watch the pilot with you. And then if you like it, you keep going and catch up and then we'll continue together, which is what happened. But in rewatching, the pilot I realized that the reveal the end of the pilot, if you're watching, if you rewatch there's a lot of clues that you would never you would never catch. You would just never right. That's right. You have to see the other ones. Yeah, but in going back, it was there and I'm like, That's really clever. That's really

Rose Abdoo 39:49

good. I like what you're saying. Because hopefully, if someone's listening that hasn't watched it yet, it's gonna make them curious enough to tune in. I was so happy that Hulu you know, it's not easy to watch TV nowadays. I want it I love getting on a network. show where I can tell, you know, my mother's friends that age of people like what is this? What is it streaming on what I mean, if I didn't have John to fix like, he got me the Roku and taught me how to set up the Hulu. And that is there's just so many shows, there's so many different channels, and I'm still old school where I'm like, There's supposed to be channel two for. Right, right. So I just I love that people are finding it because it's on Hulu.

Jeff Dwoskin 40:20

I think it's one of those things that people are really kind of talking about. And they're sharing that they're watching it right. The downside of all those things, it's hard to find things and probably the upside is you don't need as many people to watch to get multiple seasons.

Rose Abdoo 40:33

It's true. And hopefully I really really hope we get to Season Two because I would love to see where they take all the characters. Yeah, cuz we only did eight of them. Alright, so

Jeff Dwoskin 40:40

they're pending they got to do a season so everyone seems to be talking about this show me he's

Rose Abdoo 40:44

such a I would think they want to be in business with them. I just Well, I thought matter family was a great show, too.

Jeff Dwoskin 40:49

I mean, every character I gotta I'll tell you one thing about reboot is and I want to just talk about tax for a second to which is amazing is I'm watching it and I'm like I google reboot. And I'm like, because I go this guy looks like Johnny Knoxville, but he's, but he's too good. Now, this is just i This actor is just too good of an actor a money because he does finally get

Rose Abdoo 41:12

a chance to do some real like, he's the nicest guy. He came up to me at the party because we didn't you know, our characters don't interact. And he said, Well, we got to do season two so we can do something together. He's just been so nice to me. And he actually I said to my husband, we just celebrated our 30th anniversary and I put it on Instagram first person to wish us happy anniversary was Johnny Knoxville. I said, Did you ever that's what's so interesting about this business like did you ever think we would like know Johnny Knoxville, he's so funny. And my husband that's another movie that he said you have to watch this. I said I'm not gonna I know my tastes. I'm not gonna like it. And I could not stop laughing He just always make me laugh.

Jeff Dwoskin 41:44

Yeah, jackass stuff is hilarious, but I just didn't. Funny. I just didn't expect him to be such a good. He's really good. And even Lawrence Lawrence, Pressman is great to like for help. He's

Rose Abdoo 41:54

fantastic. He's so funny. He's good. And everything he's done. You're also in

Jeff Dwoskin 41:58

hack. So you're like in two shows that I love at the same exact time. Basically,

Rose Abdoo 42:04

there are two shows that I said to my husband, I would watch both of them if I was in them or not like they're in my tastes. That's the two shows that I would want to be in. And I am in. So that's really

Jeff Dwoskin 42:13

cool. Hack. Season two is better than season one. And I say that is the when season two can be better than season one. Yeah,

Rose Abdoo 42:20

it's yes. Very special. Because you know, we love the shows, they always call it the sophomore slump. It did not suffer from that. I think Season Two surpassed season one. And the writing is super sharp. They're a great group of people to work with too. And I was happy to be in as many as I was because they go on the road. And I knew that my character, you know, is back at the house. But then I was so delighted that the Deborah Vance has an LA house that has a fina could show up. But now I will be very curious to see where they take it in season three. And what's going to happen? I know nothing. I know that they have asked me to do a few more of them. But I don't know what my character is going to be doing. Got

Jeff Dwoskin 42:52

it. So for sure. Season three and then yes, yes, they must have had a plan. I find like if they have a plan, then your season two can be better. And that's knocking season one's one of the best Yeah, Premiere seasons of I think they

Rose Abdoo 43:04

have a big overall plan. And they were saving a lot of the things for season two that they thought back in when they first conceptualized the show there. So that's another group of people that are just so talented. I mean, they're really light. And they're very, they're very good about asking for suggestions. I don't think they end up using some of my improv but the freedom to work like that is it loosens up the scene and they it really does when you get to do a couple of takes where you know, well what would the character say and you get to do it. It really makes it fun.

Jeff Dwoskin 43:34

I didn't really know Hannah on binder prior but her her and Jean smart,

Rose Abdoo 43:39

incredible chemistry amazing. Yeah. And they just met I met you know, it's not like they knew each other for years. And you You know, I guess it was perfect that they met because Deborah and Ava don't know each other either. But they are so good at playing off of each other. You just want to see what's going to happen with them next, I'm dying to know what what's going to happen. I mean, Hannah, they you know, I don't want to tell people what happened if they haven't been season two. But HBO Max did say that they find that the audiences wait for there to be two seasons of a show before they'll get into it. So we had a lot more views of season one after Season Two came out because people want to make sure they want to binge something that there's more than eight of them or 10 of them.

Jeff Dwoskin 44:15

Well also, because they might have missed it. Right. I mean, like hacks I was I was in on hacks early. So I like sometimes like there's so much new stuff, right? If I discovered hacks and found out they'd gotten canceled, they didn't but I mean like before the season two I may have not invested in season one. Right right. Right, right. But when you when I you know there's another season coming especially now with ray coming like oh, okay, there's gonna be payoff and you can kind of right right. You can get into it. Pax is just another one though, that this storytelling and it just it's an incredible show and journey. I

Rose Abdoo 44:47

agree. And I love to be in something that's really the two women are the focus of it a female centric thing and I really like that story of the two generations. That's what I think the to show have in common is the younger generation of comedians teaching the older generation and vice versa?

Jeff Dwoskin 45:05

Yes. Now, what do you most recognize from

Rose Abdoo 45:09

probably that's a raven, that Disney Channel show, I mean, especially if I have makeup on, maybe less so now that I let my hair go silver, but kids everywhere like the kids that were watching that show are now the age where they are the salespeople in stores and handle counters at restaurants and stuff. And sometimes they'll even say to me, you know, you were my teacher, and I'll go think about what you're saying. I was in Michigan, to different places this happened, where to go, Hey, you were my Spanish teacher. I go in real life. Think about what you're really saying. And then they'll go, oh, wait a minute. I remember you from TV. So a lot of most of the time it's it's a raven, a lot of times also, it's gypsy from the Gilmore Girls, because I did so many of them. And the Gilmore fans are fantastic. And they talk about fans that know the show. They know that show backwards and forwards they've been they finished the six seasons, true fans only like six seasons, even though there was a seven and then they start right back at the beginning. I know people that have watched that whole series so many times.

Jeff Dwoskin 46:01

That's awesome. You have been a part of so many cool shows. So it's awesome. I appreciate you hanging out with me and sharing all these stories. It's

Rose Abdoo 46:09

super fun. Thanks for having me. It's always nice to talk to a fellow comedian person as well as a Michigan person.

Jeff Dwoskin 46:17

Yeah. Why am I Detroit for you? I feel at home.

Rose Abdoo 46:20

I love it. And I work while leopard print. I should have worn tiger print. I love Tiger. I love the Tigers. They were my favorite.

Jeff Dwoskin 46:26

I love going and watching it. I'm not a huge sports guy I enjoy sometimes. And maybe that's one of the things my wife loves most about me.

Rose Abdoo 46:35

Yeah, I have to say that's like John. It's like you just in it just enough. Your whole life doesn't revolve around it. But you still are a fan. I love it.

Jeff Dwoskin 46:42

Where do you hang out online? Where can people find you online?

Rose Abdoo 46:44

So my Instagram is Rose Abdu at Rose Abdul just my name RLS EAB Dlo. And that's a please come follow me. That'd be great.

Jeff Dwoskin 46:53

Awesome. I'll put links in the show notes. Thank you so much.

Rose Abdoo 46:56

Thank you very much. It was very nice to meet you.

Jeff Dwoskin 46:58

Nice to meet you. Take care. That was the amazing rose Abdou if you guys don't watch hacks and reboot. Those are her most recent shows that she's on series. Rather. Those are both incredible series X is on Amazon Prime and reboot is on Hulu. Both amazing, amazing shows. It was so great reminiscing about Michigan with Rose they'll Franklin cider mill shout out there. I have to call them and let them know. And on a personal note reminiscing about that whale boy skit. Man that's that's a skit that's lived on in infamy with me and my friends ever since we saw Chris Farley perform that live at Second City in Chicago. All right. Well, thank you guys for joining me once again. I can't believe the interviews over that means the episode is over episode 198 has come to a close. I want to thank again my amazing guests rose Abduh. And of course, I want to thank all of you for coming back week after week. It means the world to me, and I'll see you next time.

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