One thing I told myself the last few months was to keep posting more on Tumblr because I love all my fancy diamonds on here (you). So here goes with some behind the scenes/Between The Sheets stuff. First up, hereās more photos by our wonderful Chris Lockey from the filming of Liamās episode.
Liam went to all the places with me, and he didnāt have to.
Iāve told everyone the same thing before we film each episode: Weāre gonna talk about a lot of stuff, if you donāt want to talk about something, tell me, if we talk about something and you realize after the fact youād rather not share thatā¦tell me. Itās part of why we donāt do these live. Live streams add a lot of anxiety and impatience and expectations and logistics. Weāve gone to some deeper places on Talks before, but the live element and time restraints prevent us from going to the places we are going to with this show.
I wanted everyone to be as comfortable as possible. So we pre-tape them and I can edit stuff out if needed. It should be noted that we havenāt cut out anything shared from any episodes so far. We edit the transitions and we also have to occasionally pause for a helicopter or dump truck outside. I will also take pauses before or after a heavier subject to give my guest some time to breathe and process, and to check in with them, then we get back to it when theyāre ready.
We film one episode per week (on Thursday afternoons. Yes, right before Critical Role). I spend the rest of the week and weekend working with our editor on all the other episodes weāve filmed already. So while Liamās episode was set to air Monday, I was in my hotel at 4am in New York this weekend making notes and changes on Liamās, Samās, and Marishaās episodes. We usually have 3 episodes being worked on at a time, and itās a massive effort by our whole team.
Once a day of filming arrives, we hang out and talk for a while before. We eat lunch and our wonderful Diana does our hair and makeup, and sheās always playing good music like Nick Cave in the makeup room, which gets me in a great place. When we get to the set, Marisha and Max are there to guide the production process smoothly and also make everyone feel at home, and they do a killer job.
Once itās time to go, we have our drinks and we turn all the lights off so itās just us. You forget about the camera person, sound, Max, Marisha, everything after a few minutes, and itās just two people having a drink at a bar and talking at that point.
You see what happens next.
After we wrap, thereās a lot of hugging, some tears, tons of laughter, and a sense of hope. Itās strange, spilling your inner thoughts and feelings on a variety of experiencesāknowing it will live on the internet forever. Itās this uncanny dump and recharge of emotionsā¦then they sit at the table and do CR for 4 hours after. Iāve paid attention to every episode of CR and to the corresponding cast member who filmed their BTS episode that day, and I can see the joy and the light and the passion and love in them sometimes an hour after talking about and reminiscing over what this game has meant to them. If this silly little show could give anything back to this cast, I hope itās that gentle reminder of how this came to be, the lives it touches, the impact itās had, the inside jokes and the community it has spawned. I hope it has reminded them of why they do what they do.
To be honest, I am overjoyed at the response to this show. For this season, I told Marisha āI need everyone to see a side of each of you they may not have seen before, the side we all knowā. Iāve tried my best to structure the interviews not based on a career trajectory, but on what was happening with them as real people while this career stuff was going on. Folks out there are not going to relate to the IMDB pages of the cast of Critical Role. But the human and everyday life experiences theyāve gone through while also happening to be these amazing talented and successful people are in some way relatable to us all. Weāve lost a parent, weāve lost a job, weāve experienced tragedy, triumph, praise and criticism. Weāve been the victims and the perpetrators of tragedy, all while moving through the human experience and hitting milestones in our lives like a promotion or starting a family.
Itās easy these days, with the fabled concept of ācelebrityā, to disconnect a person you watch for entertainment from the struggle and the hustle and the heartache of life. Iām hoping this show grounds these people for you and connects the tissue from them to you as fellow travelers on the journey. Because my beloved, thatās all we are, fellow travelers.
This little window into our people and our world is already having such a profound response, I canāt help but feel gratitude.
A friend of mine used to say āAsking questions is a great way to find the part of life youāre missingā, and this show has shown me that tenfold already.
Thank you for your love and support. You are and always will be the wind in our sails.
