Inside The Pitt: Nurse Ilona & Shabana Azeez Compare Notes

Summary

House of Maher – Episode Summary

Episode Title: Inside the Pitt: Nurse Ilona & Shabana Azeez Compare Notes
Air Date: June 16, 2026
Host: Wave (Ilona Maher, with sisters Olivia Maher & Adrianna Maher)
Guests: Shabana Azizi (star of “The Pit”)

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Overview

This episode brings together Olympic rugby player and registered nurse Ilona Maher with “The Pit” actress Shabana Azizi in a lively, funny, and candid conversation about life on and off screen, body image, perfectionism, the realities of women in media, and the interplay between sports and acting. The Maher sisters, plus guest Shabana, trade stories about rejection, ambition, building connections, the weirdness of fame, and, of course, spill a little tea.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Shabana Azizi: Journey to Acting & Relationship with Lying

[03:25–04:28]

• Shabana discusses her background: middle child, grew up in Australia with one sister and a younger brother.
• Openly owns up to lying about her age as a running bit, stating, “I convinced a man I was 45 and he was 43. … It was awesome.” [04:00]
• Sees lying “for fun” as part of her comedic persona, but is aware it might eventually get her in trouble.
• “Has it bitten you in the ass?” [Mar Mar, 04:25] “Nah. It’s only paid dividends in terms of bits and comedy.” [Shabana, 04:27]

On Being an Actor and Industry Realities

[05:05–05:39]

• “People think it’s glamorous… but you work 12-hour days, five days a week. We shoot eight months of the year. That’s a long time.” [Shabana, 05:30]
• Press, events, learning lines “on your own time”—it’s a grind, a far cry from the perceived glamour.
• “I don’t know that I could withstand it,” she admits, on LA competitiveness [09:41], contrasting her unorthodox route into acting.

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2. Rejection, Feedback, and Personal Growth

[06:41–08:10]

• Shabana on rejection: “I think there’s something really useful about rejection and failure—informative in a way that success is never.” [06:51]
• Shares how failing to get into drama school (“they were like, you do not have it”) forced a unique path.
• “So much of what makes it work is your mindset—if your mindset isn’t conducive to doing the work…it’s such a vulnerable job.” [07:00–07:10]

Navigating Notes & Direction (Parallels with Sports Coaching)

[09:57–11:33]

• Ilona relates coaching feedback to acting direction, seeing critique as a positive signal.
• “You’re getting energy, and you’re learning. Because you can’t watch yourself. You’ve got to surrender to your coach.” [Shabana, 10:47]
• Discuss the necessity to balance self-awareness and surrender in both rugby and acting.

Memorable Direction

• “Amanda [director on The Pit] came up to me and went, ‘We’re not making Scooby Doo.’” [12:56, Shabana]
• “I love honesty, and I love the point. … It was my favorite note I ever got.” [13:08, Shabana]

Valuable Advice

[14:09–14:50]

• “They didn’t hire you on your best day. …You can have good days and bad days. …You’re not letting them down by just being average. …Raise your floor.” [14:09, Shabana]
• The group discusses perfectionism versus “quality control” and the paralysis of perfectionism. [15:33–16:05]

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3. Fandom, Sports, and Identity

[16:07–19:58, 28:55–30:04]

• Ilona realized she didn’t need to be “captain” to lead—a lesson in letting go of unnecessary pressure.
• The Maher sisters talk about growing up in a “three-sport household” and how sports shaped their self-image and leadership styles.

Enhanced Games & Doping

• Conversation about the “Enhanced Games” in Las Vegas (where doped and clean athletes compete), reinforcing that you can’t just “dope and beat Olympians.” [27:12–28:19]
• Ilona, an Olympian: “So much more goes into being an athlete at that level than just taking drugs.”

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4. Body Image, Social Media, and Generation Z

[32:49–44:19]

• Shabana didn’t grow up playing sports; parents prioritized studies (“no extracurriculars, just read and be smart”) [29:06–29:45]
• “I got Twitter to heal myself from Instagram. Big mistake.” [43:29, Shabana]—discussing social media pressure, beauty standards, and validation.
• On social connection: “Knowing is very rarely connective. …If you both don’t know, or admit you don’t, that’s far more connective.” [17:08]
• Generation Z themes: Their apparent lack of sexual activity compared to previous generations despite the omnipresence of sexualized media. [38:47–39:19]
• “We’re talking about sex way more, but doing way less of it.” [38:58, Shabana]

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5. LA Life: Parties, Friendship, and Industry Networking

[44:19–49:49]

• Parties now are more about photos and social climbing than fun or connection. “We’re losing the art of partying…” [45:01, Alona]
• On breaking into LA: “I went to a lot of parties fully alone…now that the show’s out, people want to talk to me…I’m so weary now because I can’t tell if it’s genuine.” [47:20–48:25, Shabana]
• Building genuine friendships is hard: “If someone was kind to me, I could trust they were kind. Now I don’t know what’s real.” [48:25, Shabana]
• Grateful for the “cute” dynamic of the Maher sisters as a supportive unit.
• “We need to embarrass ourselves more. That’s what people are saying.” [49:27, Mar Mar]

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6. The Pit: Medical Accuracy and Character Research

[51:32–57:02]

• Ilona describes real nursing school rigor: “12-hour clinicals, three-hour lectures…bedside manner is very important.” [52:34, Alona]
• Shabana on medical acting: interested in “minutiae and invisible habits…like how to put on a gown after COVID.” [55:03]
• Discusses changes in young doctors post-pandemic: “They read a book like a motherfucker, but they just don’t have [the people skills].” [57:02, Alona]
• Research for authenticity: “As an actor…you want to know what’s regular, average, boring...” [54:39, Shabana]

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7. Pop Culture, Favorites, and Fun Rapid-Fire

[61:01–74:48]

• Shabana’s research for her "American teen" character included watching The OC, Gossip Girl, and even “Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” (which she thought was a documentary).
• “The smarter somebody is, the dumber their watching habits are.” [62:05, Shabana]
• Favorite books and media: recommends Ted Chiang (the story that inspired “Arrival”) [72:24, Shabana]; reading Amanda Montel and Bob Mortimer’s autobiography.
• Try Hard Game: Reveals favorite set snacks (“Hummus and veggie sticks…berries. Berries are expensive!” [63:10]), would “rob the British Museum and give all the stuff back” if allowed. [63:51]
• On homesickness and connections: keeps small, meaningful gifts from friends to feel less lonely in LA. [65:13]
• “Every friend that is in Australia is, like, having a performance. … Voice notes are like personalized podcasts.” [65:48, Shabana]
• Discussion of weird cartoon crushes—Nala from Lion King (“She’s always like, walking away and looking back…body tee, absolutely.” [67:26]), the dragon from Shrek, Milo from Atlantis, “the mom from The Incredibles.”
• Sub vs. Dub: Advocates for watching “Miraculous Ladybug” in French, not English. [69:49–70:43]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On rejection and growth:
  “There’s something really useful about rejection and failure—informative in a way that success is never… when something goes wrong, you can be like, that’s the pain point. It’s really informative and you can learn from it.” —Shabana Azizi [06:51]
• On perfectionism:
  “Perfectionism is paralysis. Most people have quality control; perfectionists, you don’t hear from because they haven’t made anything.” —Shabana Azizi [15:33]
• On director notes:
  “We’re not making Scooby Doo.” —Amanda Marsalis, quoted by Shabana Azizi [12:56]
• On sports and coaching:
  “When your coach is critiquing you more, it’s almost good in some ways. He’s noticing you; you’re the best player.” —Ilona Maher [10:47]
• On LA networking:
  “It’s very climby. People want something from you at LA parties.” —Shabana Azizi [47:43]
• On friendships & homesickness:
  “When I got here and I was alone… it’d be six months till I had a hug from someone I was already comfy with. … Every bit, people would give me advice, like little nuggets of wisdom, and I’d put them on my fridge.” —Shabana Azizi [65:13]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [03:25–04:28] — Shabana’s background, lying for laughs
• [05:05–05:39] — Acting realities and why LA isn’t always aspirational
• [06:41–08:10] — Value of rejection and mindset in acting
• [09:57–11:33] — Parallels between acting and sports feedback
• [12:56–14:50] — Favorite note from director, “average day” advice
• [27:12–28:19] — Discussion of Enhanced Games and what makes Olympians
• [29:06–30:04] — Sports vs. “just read” upbringing
• [32:49–44:19] — Social media, validation, Generation Z, being “super online”
• [47:20–48:25] — Breaking into LA, “climby” party culture
• [51:32–57:02] — Medical research for acting, portrayal accuracy
• [62:05] — “Smarter you are, dumber your watching habits”
• [69:49–70:43] — Sub vs. dub anime debate
• [73:43–74:48] — Group chats on set, character pairings, and fan ships

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Tone, Style & Final Thoughts

The Maher sisters and Shabana keep the conversation vibrant, irreverent, and self-deprecating, moving seamlessly from career talk into goofy hypotheticals and pop culture deep-dives. There’s consistent support for each other, honest admissions of self-doubt, and a shared delight in the strangest corners of modern celebrity life.

This episode is a must-listen for fans of The Pit, aspiring creatives, anyone navigating LA, or listeners seeking down-to-earth real talk about what it means to be ambitious, vulnerable, and unapologetically yourself.

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Follow the show (@houseofmaher) and guest Shabana Azizi on IG (@habanaazine_). Watch The Pit on HBO.

Transcript

[Kylie Kelce]

Hey guys, Kylie Kelce here. If you're a type C mom winging it, a huge sports fan, a nightly TikTok, Doom Scroller, or all three like me, I highly recommend my podcast.

[Shabana Azizi]

Not gonna lie.

[Kylie Kelce]

I've got you covered every Thursday with episodes featuring guests I have no business talking to. Seriously, who let me talk to Demi

[Shabana Azizi]

Lovato and Jennifer Garner.

[Kylie Kelce]

On this show, I get brutally honest about important topics like the rise of women's sports, the reality of raising four tiny humans, and my lifelong distinct pain for the Dallas Cowboys.

[Alona Tal]

Go Birds.

[Kylie Kelce]

Plus, once a month we get out of the studio and cover new ground, literally, from a curling sheet to a tiger habitat for my new series around and find out where I ask experts the questions on everybody's mind. Listen to NGL every Thursday wherever you get your podcasts and subscribe to my YouTube channel to watch NGL and FAFO. Not gonna lie is Wave original. And once again, go Birds.

[Mar Mar]

So good, so good, so good.

[Shabana Azizi]

New markdowns up to 70% off are at Nordstrom rack stores now. Stock up and save big on shoes, tops, dresses, accessories and more must haves for summer. Join the nordiclub to unlock exclusive discounts. Shop new arrivals first and more. Plus, buy online and pick up at your favorite rack store for free.

[Alona Tal]

Great brands, great prices.

[Shabana Azizi]

That's why you rack. This episode is brought to you by Prime. What if you had one more chance with the one that got away?

[Mar Mar]

Sam, you came home.

[Shabana Azizi]

Based on the best selling novel from Carly Fortune. Every year after follows childhood friends Sam and Percy as they reunite in the dreamy, nostalgic lakeside town of Barry's Bay. Love can be hard to find. So if you're lucky enough to find that person, never let go. A second chance at first love. Every year after. Now streaming only on Prime Wave.

[Mar Mar]

Why do you like to lie?

[Shabana Azizi]

Why do I like to lie?

[Mar Mar]

Yeah, about your age, specifically.

[Shabana Azizi]

Feel something? Oh my God. I can't believe I'm gonna out myself.

[Mar Mar]

Please. Horses scare me a little bit.

[Shabana Azizi]

I'm really afraid of them. But I'd like to learn how to ride them.

[Mar Mar]

Have you ever ridden one before?

[Shabana Azizi]

No dragon from Shrek has. Like, she's got a little thing going on. And I got Twitter to heal myself from Instagram. Big mistake.

[Alona Tal]

In terms of other sports news off

[Shabana Azizi]

campus, I watched an episode of it and I was like, tits and dicks.

[Alona Tal]

Welcome or welcome back to House of Mar. A Wave original presented by jbl made to be heard.

[Mar Mar]

Their noise canceling. JBL live headphones are the best way to listen to Olivia Rodrigo, hang up

[Alona Tal]

your stethoscope and help yourself to whatever's in the fridge. The WI fi password is Dr. Crash, all lowercase. You should know that we have a few house rules here.

[Mar Mar]

Girls are magic.

[Alona Tal]

Reading is hot and so are you. Make sure to like and subscribe on YouTube and watch us. Be in the room with us.

[Mar Mar]

Anyway, in this room.

[Alona Tal]

Our fourth March sister today is a star of the Pit. I love the Pit. I watch it because I feel like I can get back to my. We'll get back to that. I'm a big fan. She plays Victoria Giovanni, the resident Gen Z genius who loves Olivia Rodrigo and is passionate about social media's role in medicine. She's an award winning actress who got her start after her. Her boss basically insisted she audition. Very nice boss. She's hilarious, brilliant, and she's plotting to make the next great indie film production company. Ooh. Welcome to the family, Shabana Aziz.

[Shabana Azizi]

Thank you. I always wanted more sisters. I have one sister and she's the best person in the world, but I've only got one, so this is cute.

[Mar Mar]

Older, younger.

[Shabana Azizi]

She's older. And then I got a little brother.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

You got a good mix.

[Alona Tal]

You're the middle. I'm the middle too. And we're similar age, too. I'm turning 30 in August, so I'm your elder a little bit, but 30 in March.

[Mar Mar]

Yeah. There you go.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

Yeah.

[Shabana Azizi]

But I lie about my age a lot and I'm actually. I'm actually working on that. Yeah.

[Alona Tal]

What are you lying?

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

I'm lying more or less.

[Shabana Azizi]

I'm gonna lie more. Yeah, of course. Definitely. Yeah. Yeah. I convinced a man I was 45 and he was 43. I convinced him I was 45, and then he was like, should I get into skincare? Like, if I know how to makeup? It was awesome.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

Kind of God's word.

[Mar Mar]

Why do you like to lie?

[Shabana Azizi]

What? Do I like to lie?

[Mar Mar]

Yeah, about your age, specifically.

[Shabana Azizi]

Feel something.

[Mar Mar]

Feel something.

[Shabana Azizi]

Yeah. I don't know why it started. And also, I know this is gonna bite me in the ass when I get older. You know what I mean? Young people are like, fucking with me. I'm really trying to be like an ethical liar and, like, only lie for fun.

[Mar Mar]

Has it bit you in the ass ever? So far?

[Shabana Azizi]

Nah.

[Mar Mar]

Okay.

[Shabana Azizi]

It's only paid dividends in terms of, like, bits and comedy.

[Alona Tal]

You gotta lie more.

[Shabana Azizi]

You've got to lie and, like. But only fun lies.

[Mar Mar]

Yeah.

[Shabana Azizi]

Yeah. I'm trying to convince everybody that one of the guys I work with, Jalen, his favorite movie is Morbius. And it's going well.

[Mar Mar]

Yeah, it's a summer of lying.

[Alona Tal]

So I go to a gym here in LA and I swear everybody wants to be an actor in that gym. And it's constant, like self tape, self tape, self taped. How was it for you? Like do you before the show and I mean, I imagine you still do it now. Like, is it. Was it so many self tapes, so many auditions. And then what did it feel like to get the part of Giovanni?

[Mar Mar]

Because most of your work was in Australia beforehand.

[Shabana Azizi]

Like, this is your first American.

[Mar Mar]

Yeah. Okay.

[Shabana Azizi]

Yeah. I don't know. I don't know why everybody wants to be an actor too. I'm actually fascinated by this. It's like really hard. It's not like, I don't know, I think it seems glamorous if you get a role, but it's really, it's not aspirational.

[Mar Mar]

Why?

[Shabana Azizi]

Yeah, because it's like, it's like you work 12 hour days, five days a week. For us, we shoot eight months of the year. Right. That's like a long time.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

Yeah. Jesus.

[Shabana Azizi]

It's like you're tired. And then we do like press on weekends and all the Emmys and the parties and stuff that you have to go to or what, you know, like whatever or you can choose not to go to. But they do impact your career, right? They do. Like, you have to play ball to an extent. That's all weekends and nights. And then like you learn your lines in your own time. It's no scripts on set. It's like, that's the job. And I go, does everybody want to work that much?

[Alona Tal]

Yeah, well, I can see. I mean, I think that's like, people don't think about that. They think about the glamour that comes with it. But I think more what's the tough thing is getting to that point where you can even book that job. Like I saw so many friends who are their trainers, they're putting in, they have to do so many jobs and they are send self tape after self tape in and just hoping for it to land. But we're also even Covid in the error of self tapes where you can get, they can get 10,000 people sending in a 60 second clip. The odds of you being selected are so low, I mean less than 1%. So it's just very interesting to me what they go through in the constant nos, nos, nos.

[Shabana Azizi]

The rejection. You have to get so ready for rejection and you have to like, I mean, I think perversely like it like, I think there's something really useful about rejection and failure.

[Alona Tal]

Yeah.

[Shabana Azizi]

That is, like, informative in a way that success is like, never. Do you know what I mean? Like, when something works out, it's like, it works out because 17 things went right.

[Mar Mar]

Yeah.

[Shabana Azizi]

When something goes wrong, you can usually be like, that thing is the pain point. I need to work on that. Or like, that. You know what I mean? It's really informative and you can learn from it. And so I think of rejection as really informative and useful and great. And if I don't get a role, it's usually like, that's useful information for me. I can learn from it and I can become better. But if you get a gig, you're not going to become better by getting a gig. I mean, I guess you will when you put your reps in on set, but. Yeah, I don't know. I. I think it was. I had a very strange start to my career because I didn't go to drama school, because I didn't get into drama school. And I got cut, like, first round of auditions. They were like, you do not have it. And so I didn't act for, like, years and years. And then when I started, it was like, I don't know. I think it's so much of like, what makes it work is like, your mindset, you know, like, you can be good at acting or you can be bad at acting, but if your mindset isn't conducive to doing the work, it's such a. It's such a vulnerable job. You're, like, showing up as. You're, like. You're, like, excavating yourself and at the same time discarding parts of yourself and, like, what's useful, what's not. Like, you're. The level of self awareness that it requires and the level of full surrender and lack of self awareness that it requires all at the same time is like quite an emotional roller coaster.

[Mar Mar]

How do you deal with it? Like, do you have a comedown after, like, a day on set or, you know, you're eight months.

[Shabana Azizi]

I'm working on that.

[Mar Mar]

You're working on it?

[Shabana Azizi]

Yeah. Yeah. I think it's a really different experience to, like, being a guest actor. Like, I. I think because I didn't train, I never, like, I never got the experience of, like, working on one character for a long period of time. Right. You're a guest actor. You get like, invited in for the day or a couple of days or a week, and you're with the lead actor usually, and you're trying to give them what they need to be useful. You're trying to, like, be out of the way. And so that's where I come from. Like, I just want to be useful to people. The first time I was ever on set of, like, a real TV show, the director said to me he didn't talk to me all day. And it was my first time on set, so I didn't know that actors were supposed to talk to the directors. Nobody had told me that. And I probably should have known that, but didn't. He didn't talk to me all day. And then at the end of the day, he counted me and he was like, hey, kids, sorry I didn't talk to you all day. You just. You didn't suck, so I didn't have to. And I was like, okay, cool. Like, so I guess if the director talks to you, it's because you're fucking up and something needs to be fixed. And then when I worked with him as a series regular a few years later, he kept talking to me.

[Mar Mar]

You were like.

[Shabana Azizi]

I was having, like, a full mental breakdown. I was like, what is going so wrong? Like, oh, my God. Oh, my God. Like, this is the worst thing ever.

[Mar Mar]

Yeah.

[Shabana Azizi]

And then I've learned that, like, that's the difference between being a guest and being a series regular. Like, the story is like, you're the vessel for the story or whatever.

[Mar Mar]

So.

[Shabana Azizi]

So I definitely have, like, a very unorthodox upbringing.

[Mar Mar]

Right.

[Shabana Azizi]

In terms of it all. And I have a very different attitude, I think, because of my experiences than like, most LA actors who come here, like, do the pilgrimage to get here.

[Mar Mar]

Yeah.

[Shabana Azizi]

And then slog here where I was, like, avoiding coming here.

[Mar Mar]

Really.

[Shabana Azizi]

And. Yeah. Because it's such a big pool of people. It's so competitive and the culture is so fun. Focused on it in a way that's, I think, kind of. I don't know that I could withstand it.

[Alona Tal]

Soul crushing.

[Mar Mar]

You could say Hunger Games.

[Alona Tal]

I think I like that story about the director. And when you were like, no, it means you weren't doing anything wrong. I thought that was interesting. Cause. And then when you said, oh, when you gave me more is. Cause I was regular in sports, you almost. When your coach is like, I think critiquing you more, it's almost like, good in some ways. Like, hey, you need to be doing this. Hey. Because you. He's noticing you. You're like the best player. So I always. When I first got into rugby, my coach would like, critique me or my. When I first brought to the national team, he'd Critique me. And I'm like, man, he's really telling me a lot that I need to do. Like, what the hell? And then. Then I kind of came to the terms, oh, he's actually watching me. Whereas another player is not getting anything, and she's not getting any critiques, and she's getting silent. So, like, that's actually good to have of that consecrating. He's taking notice of you. So coaching, directing is the same.

[Mar Mar]

Yeah.

[Shabana Azizi]

And you're getting energy, and you're, like, learning 100% because you can't watch yourself. Like, you've got to surrender to your coach. Right. Like, what they're seeing.

[Alona Tal]

Yeah.

[Shabana Azizi]

Is what you're working on.

[Alona Tal]

It's a lot of, yes, fine, hurt, you know, Even though if you.

[Mar Mar]

Even if you.

[Alona Tal]

And I mean, probably even worse than, like, acting. Whereas I can be like, no, I'm gonna do this in this play. You have to be like, I will do what you say, probably in many ways.

[Shabana Azizi]

Do you. Yeah. Do you get good notes? We probably don't call them notes.

[Alona Tal]

This was when I had a he. Now I have a female coach, and she's great, and I'll be just like. She'll say something. I'm like, okay, I hear you on that. This is what I saw. But I'll do better. Because, like, you've been in rugby for so long, you know, we've played so many tournaments, and so everyone has a different way of seeing the game. Same as probably acting. You have a different way of seeing your character than probably they do. But they. If they want it this way for screen, you have to be like, okay, I'll try it.

[Shabana Azizi]

What is, like, the most, like, the biggest piece of feedback you ever got that, like, changed you?

[Alona Tal]

I don't think it's feedback, but I think it was, like, in terms of myself, of. I always thought being a captain was what you have to be and that's what you should go for. And it kind of was me realizing, oh, I just actually want to be a really great player, and I want to have fun, and I don't need a title to be a leader. And that, I think, really opened me up to just feel, like, not feel like I need that title of captain because it would be cool. But I think I only wanted it just to have a title. But the work that goes into it of meetings with the coaches constantly, people's feelings are on you. You need to get reviews. I was like, you know what? I just want to play rugby, and I don't need that. And I'll continue to lead whichever. Which was a change up from high school college of wanting to have that title.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

Can we flip that question back to you?

[Mar Mar]

Yeah.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

What's the best piece of advice you got or criticism?

[Shabana Azizi]

I've gotten so many. I've got, like, a. Like, a mean direction I got that I loved so bad. I loved it so much. It was Amanda Marsalis on the Pit, and there's a scene where I'm like, this woman comes in, and she's got Crohn's disease, but I'm like, it's not. I swear this isn't happening because of her Crohn's disease. And I find this. A spider bite at the bottom of her foot, and I go, oh, my God. That's what it is. It's a black widow bite. And I was, like, figuring it out. And we did a rehearsal, and then Amanda came up to me, and she went, we're not making Scooby Doo.

[Alona Tal]

Oh.

[Shabana Azizi]

And I walked away, and I was like, I know exactly what that means. Thank you. But everybody was like, ooh, really?

[Alona Tal]

Character is that.

[Mar Mar]

That's so needed.

[Shabana Azizi]

Amanda is our director.

[Alona Tal]

Oh, your director.

[Shabana Azizi]

Yeah. Yeah. But it was such a good note. Like, I. And I love honesty, and I love, like. I hate people, like, tiptoeing around me because I'm like. Then I got to figure out what you're trying to actually say. I love honesty. I love the point. Yeah. We're all being vulnerable when I'm making Scooby Doo. I love her. It was so. It was my favorite note I ever got. But I think in terms of advice, I got this great piece of advice. I was, like, crashing out a few months ago on this job I did after the pit because that was, like, 10 months straight of working, and I was, like, spent in a way that I did not know I could be spent. And I was like, I'm rocking up to work, and I'm not. Like, I'm just. It's not. It's not how I'd want to be more prepared. Like, I'm not. I'm struggling. And my coach was like. She was like, you know they hired you, right? Like, they hired you. And I was like, yeah, I know. And she's like, they didn't hire you on your best day. They hired you. Which means they hire you for your average day. And you're going to have good days and you're going to have bad days, but they hired. Or they hired you, and, like, you can rock up and have four bad days. And one good day and an average day, and that's who they hired. Like, you're not letting them down by just being average. Like, it's okay.

[Alona Tal]

Absolutely.

[Shabana Azizi]

And I was like, whoa, Nelly. Like, because you don't really think about that.

[Alona Tal]

Yeah.

[Shabana Azizi]

You go, like, I'm performing, so I want to perform at my best. Like, I want to always be, like, showing up at 110%, and I always want to be there. But you don't always have that, and they hired you as. And you're like, a full person.

[Mar Mar]

That's awesome.

[Shabana Azizi]

Which hadn't really occurred to me.

[Mar Mar]

I'm writing that down.

[Shabana Azizi]

Yeah. It was really good advice, and I think it really, like, shook me into, like, thinking of this way of, like. Like, the way you get better at stuff. There's, like, two ways you can do it. Right. You can, like, make your ceiling higher and. Or you can make your floor higher and, like, I want to be on my bad days giving myself enough grace that I can get myself out of that place and raise my floor. If I can't perform at 110% today, I can make sure that I'm not dog shit.

[Alona Tal]

Yeah.

[Shabana Azizi]

You know what I mean? Like, I can, like, do the work. It's like, two different types of work that hadn't quite occurred to me.

[Mar Mar]

That's amazing.

[Shabana Azizi]

Yeah. It was fun advice.

[Mar Mar]

I really like that.

[Shabana Azizi]

What's your. What's yours?

[Mar Mar]

Are we asking, like, what my moment was of.

[Alona Tal]

Yeah.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

Criticism or direction?

[Mar Mar]

I think I've just been too good at everything I do, guys. It's been really hard.

[Shabana Azizi]

You're being so brave.

[Mar Mar]

No, I don't. I'm trying to think. I think that that's really resonating with me because I've worked a lot. I was a showrunner's assistant in Hollywood. I was a writer's in Hollywood, and I always wanted to be perfect every single day because they were hiring me to be good at what I do. But, yeah, they are also hiring me for what I can do, which is many things in many different levels of goodness and averageness and whatever. So I'm really chewing on that one right now. I love that.

[Shabana Azizi]

Yeah. There is a strange thing when you're like, I'm not a. I don't like perfectionism. I think people overuse it.

[Mar Mar]

Absolutely.

[Shabana Azizi]

Like, I actually think most perfectionists, you don't hear from because they haven't made anything because they're perfectionists. What most people have is quality control.

[Mar Mar]

Right.

[Shabana Azizi]

Like, they want to be good at stuff, but perfectionism is paralysis.

[Mar Mar]

Yes.

[Shabana Azizi]

Period. It's just like, you're still. Because you can't achieve perfection. Because you can't achieve it. But I think there's something about, like, what I'm doing really well. Like, all this worked out. Like, this is all the circumstances. And when things go badly, I go because it's. Because I suck. It's like the most punitive, ridiculous way of thinking about the world.

[Alona Tal]

Absolutely.

[Shabana Azizi]

It's really silly.

[Mar Mar]

Same thing with being on a team. You're like, we did this. We won this together. But if something wrong, something goes bad. You're like, I did that. Like, no, it's a whole team behind it all.

[Shabana Azizi]

Yeah.

[Mar Mar]

Damn.

[Shabana Azizi]

What's yours?

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

It's a performance review, actually. When I was working at a nonprofit, and it was. It was the part where it's like, constructive feedback. And it was my boss, and she was saying that, um, I have a habit of I'm a know it all. But, like, I. She didn't say it like that. It was more so of like, you tend to. If I give you a direction, but you think you know better, sometimes you go your way instead of mine. When, in fact, I have 20 years more experience than you and I know better. And I think that was a good lesson of, like, I don't always know it all. And, like, I do need to not, like, listen to your elders, but, like, you know, trust. Trust in the experience of others. And I think it was a good moment of, like, kind of stepping down, not getting too, like, big and have a big head.

[Shabana Azizi]

Yeah. And I've been thinking a lot about, like, how knowing is very rarely connective. Like, when you know something and somebody else doesn't know something, that creates a hierarchy this way. But if you both don't know, or you admit that you don't know, or you admit that there's, like, some things you know and some things you don't. That's way more connective, generally in the world. And I feel like I'm. I really just want to connect with people. Like, that's like. That's what you want out of life, Right? It's like a robust group of friends and, like, a lot of connection. But it's really interesting that often not knowing causes shame, but actually it's what's, like, going to make you have the better life.

[Mar Mar]

Yeah.

[Shabana Azizi]

It's really weird growing.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

You have to have that vulnerable moment.

[Alona Tal]

Deep, deep, deep.

[Mar Mar]

Listen. We're always swapping recs for audiobooks to listen to. But truly, how you listen can make a huge difference. That's why We've been reaching for JBL Live headphones for our audiobooks lately. What are you listening to, my ladies?

[Alona Tal]

I recently listened to Chelsea Handler's I'll have what She's Having and it was so cool. Cause just to have her on the pod and then to get to listen to her through a book as well. She shares so much and she's such a. We realized this when she was on the pod. But she's such a girls girl.

[Mar Mar]

Yeah.

[Alona Tal]

And her stories and just the way she goes about life. I mean she's really just so cool.

[Mar Mar]

She is the coolest. Those are great ones to listen to.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

I just picked back up for like the 15th time babble, guys. I can't get through it.

[Mar Mar]

So you're listening now to make it faster?

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

No, I've been listening. Oh, and I just. I'll do a chapter here and there and so I just did two chapters and then in one month I'll do another two chapters.

[Mar Mar]

Perfect.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

It's just always there for me.

[Alona Tal]

If you love disappearing into a really good audiobook or podcast, the JBL Live headphones are such a good pick because they make everything sound way more immersive.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

And as someone who can vanish into a book for hours, trust me, that matters.

[Mar Mar]

The last one I vanished into was probably, I'm gonna say, a Colleen Hoover acts. Actually, I was listening to Colleen Hoover and it took me away. I just like was listening to the point where like all my chores were done. I just had to like sit down and listen to hear the story.

[Alona Tal]

JBL Live headphones really take it to the next level with their bold, unfiltered sound.

[Mar Mar]

When I'm catching flights, not feelings, the 80 hour battery life means I don't have to stop right when things are getting good.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

I also love them for commuting. The true Adaptive Noise Cancellation 2.0 makes real time adjustments so you can decide just how locked in you want to be.

[Mar Mar]

So if you're ready to tune out the chaos and hear every story the way it was meant to sound, throw on a pair of JBL Live headphones and lean into your own original sound

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

with a range of colors to match your vibe. Find your [e-mail] if your days look anything like ours.

[Alona Tal]

You're bouncing from rugby practice to events to galas to honestly, who even knows what's next? And you need protein that can keep up.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

Muscle Milk has a great tasting new formula with no artificial sweeteners, flavors or added colors.

[Mar Mar]

It has 26 to 42 grams of high quality protein from Real ultra filtered milk. So it's an easy way to get protein that helps support healthy muscles with fewer ingredients than the previous formula. After I've hit a run, I need a little protein afterwards. So I love hitting a little muscle

[Alona Tal]

milk, little chocolate right now.

[Mar Mar]

A little chocolate, little treat.

[Alona Tal]

I love it for the days when I'm doing the absolute most and I can just grab and go and you

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

can pick up your favorite. It comes in four flavors. Chocolate, vanilla, cream, cookies and cream and strawberries and cream.

[Mar Mar]

Muscle milk is one of the easiest ways to get some great tasting protein throughout the day.

[Alona Tal]

Try the new great tasting muscle milk today. Available in stores nationwide.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

Muscle milk protein for all.

[Mar Mar]

What can you tell us about season three without lying?

[Shabana Azizi]

Literally basically nothing. I've read nothing. I know nothing.

[Mar Mar]

Okay, yeah, that's that.

[Alona Tal]

There's going to be something big.

[Mar Mar]

The headline. She knows nothing.

[Shabana Azizi]

She knows nothing.

[Mar Mar]

Nothing.

[Shabana Azizi]

Yeah, yeah. I'm hoping they give us a script soon, right? Yeah, we start in two weeks.

[Alona Tal]

Oh, really?

[Shabana Azizi]

I'd love to know something.

[Alona Tal]

Can you give us a lie right now?

[Mar Mar]

Yes.

[Shabana Azizi]

Oh, of course. But shouldn't it be like. Shouldn't I work a lie in without you?

[Alona Tal]

Yeah, maybe. So I guess you're right.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

You can tell to the end.

[Alona Tal]

I don't know.

[Shabana Azizi]

Yeah. Actually this. I have a strange thing where I have like certain allergies to like certain types of socks.

[Mar Mar]

See, is that a lie?

[Alona Tal]

See, that was good.

[Mar Mar]

You could just make stuff up.

[Shabana Azizi]

You could just make stuff up.

[Mar Mar]

Yeah.

[Alona Tal]

So at one point is a boy who cried wolf and we'll just.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

You just.

[Alona Tal]

No one starts believing what you're saying.

[Shabana Azizi]

That that is like dangerous. I haven't gotten there yet, but that's so true.

[Mar Mar]

But also, don't bring any socks onto this set just to be safe, please.

[Shabana Azizi]

Obviously I'm not allergic to socks, but I'll think of a better light. I'll think of a better promise.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

You just need someone who's allergic to like wool fibers. And it's real.

[Mar Mar]

And it's real.

[Shabana Azizi]

I think I'm allergic. I'm allergic to cats for sure. And I think I'm allergic to dogs. Like I think because I've never had a pet in my life.

[Mar Mar]

Okay.

[Shabana Azizi]

So I've never like properly tested. But whenever I hang out with my friends who've got animals, I'm always like sneezing, something's happening.

[Mar Mar]

I'm allergic to dogs in places they shouldn't be, like restaurants and food, places that serve food.

[Shabana Azizi]

And like what are the symptoms of that?

[Mar Mar]

Being annoyed.

[Shabana Azizi]

Yeah.

[Alona Tal]

Resting Face resting.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

Face actually not even side eyes.

[Mar Mar]

Not even resting. It's just a face full. It's just out loud. Critiques, critiques. Why would that dog be here?

[Shabana Azizi]

That dog is jumping everywhere. I don't like to be licked without my consent 100%. And people's dogs just be going in your mouth with their tongues, and they're

[Mar Mar]

like, oh, he's so funny. Get your dog out of my mouth.

[Shabana Azizi]

I feel like I'm being really normal about this. And everybody's like, you're heartless. It's crazy.

[Alona Tal]

That's the thing.

[Mar Mar]

You have to pretend to like dogs. Otherwise, people think you're a garbage human.

[Shabana Azizi]

They don't. Like, I'm Ted Bundy. Do you know what I mean? Like, I just don't want to be licked in my mouth.

[Mar Mar]

Yeah. Literally. Sorry.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

They're jumping up all over you and they're like, isn't he so sweet?

[Shabana Azizi]

No, but I'll pretend fully. I'll pretend.

[Alona Tal]

Yeah, you can, because they will cancel you.

[Shabana Azizi]

But some dogs I love. I love dogs that are like horses. Like, I met a dog that was, like, this big the other day, and I was like, that's a horse. And then we walked the dog past actual horses, and I was like, oh, wow.

[Mar Mar]

Oh, wow.

[Shabana Azizi]

Horses are quite large.

[Mar Mar]

Such huge horses scare me a little bit.

[Shabana Azizi]

I'm really afraid of them. But I'd like to learn how to ride them.

[Mar Mar]

Have you ever ridden one before?

[Shabana Azizi]

No.

[Mar Mar]

Me.

[Shabana Azizi]

But I'll get there.

[Mar Mar]

You'll get there.

[Shabana Azizi]

I liked saddle club growing up, but, like, as a. And, like, you know, I'm not white. My people aren't riding horses. Do you know what I mean? But, like, I. I want to get there because I think it's, like, inspiring.

[Mar Mar]

Oh, right, right, right.

[Shabana Azizi]

I really want to get there. I think it's so slow to ride a horse.

[Alona Tal]

There's a, like, quote from the Sherlock Holmes movie where he, like, does not trust horses, and he says, like, they're dangerous on both ends and crafty in the middle. And usually him riding a pony.

[Mar Mar]

Robert Downey Jr. Sherlock Holmes.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

Yeah.

[Mar Mar]

Yeah.

[Shabana Azizi]

He says that I was a big Benedict Cumberbatch. Sherlock Holmes. Weren't we all mariachi?

[Mar Mar]

Like, who wasn't?

[Shabana Azizi]

He was like, yeah, I love that.

[Mar Mar]

That gif of him crouching through the window and kissing the girl was. Went triple platinum on my Tumblr pages.

[Shabana Azizi]

Triple platinum on your Tumblr pages. I haven't heard about Tumblr in a minute.

[Alona Tal]

But here's the thing.

[Mar Mar]

Are we going to leave here and there's going to be videos of you right. Riding horses. Because that was a lie.

[Shabana Azizi]

Oh, so true.

[Alona Tal]

It would have been equestrian.

[Mar Mar]

She's an award winning equestrian.

[Shabana Azizi]

I would be, I would be telling everybody that if that was the case.

[Alona Tal]

Right?

[Shabana Azizi]

No, right.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

I love walk into your room with that leading.

[Shabana Azizi]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Have you ever ridden horses?

[Alona Tal]

I don't think I have. I'm scared. Yeah, they are serious beasts. I, I am one of those who like animals. All my respect to them. I recently dove with sea lions. I didn't really want to do that. That's their area, that's their territory. I trust. I don't, you know, that's them. I don't want to get like sharks. That's their space. Is that ocean.

[Shabana Azizi]

I don't need to do swim in the ocean.

[Mar Mar]

That's their home.

[Alona Tal]

Not deep, like shallow, scary.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

We're lake people.

[Alona Tal]

I'm scared of lakes too.

[Shabana Azizi]

I'm scared of bodies of water.

[Mar Mar]

Yeah, yeah.

[Shabana Azizi]

Do you handle being able to see your. Like sometimes if I'm even in the bath, I'll be like, if I can't see my feet, I'm like, well, really, the bubble's got to go.

[Mar Mar]

Because the bubble's got to go.

[Shabana Azizi]

Because when I. No, because when I was a kid I've got this cousin Russell who's a little shit and he, he told if you kick off too hard off the edge of the pool, like, you know, when you're kicking, like if you kick off too hard, the dormant sharks laying in the side will come and get you. You'll wake them up.

[Alona Tal]

I believe that.

[Shabana Azizi]

And so I have like subconscious like their phobias. They're deeply unreasonable. But I'll be in a bath on like the fifth floor of a hotel

[Mar Mar]

and I'll be like, the sharks, the sharks are here. Yeah, don't kick off from the.

[Shabana Azizi]

But you don't have that in the lake.

[Mar Mar]

No, because it is dark and deep. They don't like that.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

I will say though, I watched Jaws when I was a kid and I, that was a tough summer to be

[Alona Tal]

in the lake and I was like,

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

well, what if someone put a shark in here and it's surviving for at least a little bit?

[Shabana Azizi]

Like the Loch Ness monster that's in a lake.

[Mar Mar]

We have our own. Like the cousin of the Loch Ness

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

monster called Champ lives in the lake

[Mar Mar]

by where we live. Yeah, he's there. He's real.

[Shabana Azizi]

Sorry.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

Back in my mind.

[Shabana Azizi]

Yeah, yeah.

[Mar Mar]

The Loch Ness monster has a cousin and he lives in the lake islands.

[Shabana Azizi]

His name's Champ.

[Mar Mar]

Yeah.

[Shabana Azizi]

That's the most American thing.

[Alona Tal]

Yeah.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

Lake Champlain City. Champ.

[Mar Mar]

So that's our claim to fame.

[Shabana Azizi]

I love that. I mean, did you, the three of you, make this guy up? Champ.

[Alona Tal]

No, he's real. That's a real guy.

[Mar Mar]

He's a real.

[Alona Tal]

He's real.

[Mar Mar]

We're not liars like you are. That's a real. I would never lie about our lady monster. Okay.

[Shabana Azizi]

Yeah, no, that's.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

A whole baseball team is named after him.

[Mar Mar]

In fact, they're called the Lake Monsters.

[Shabana Azizi]

You could prank me and I would believe you. I'm sorry.

[Mar Mar]

Episode with all lies Now.

[Alona Tal]

Nobody.

[Shabana Azizi]

Wait, wait. So Champ is a real thing in the, like, town you grew up in? City.

[Alona Tal]

Well, real.

[Mar Mar]

Burlington, Vermont. The lake there has the legend of lake. The Lake Monster.

[Shabana Azizi]

And everybody in Vermont knows about this?

[Mar Mar]

Yeah, like, we've seen it. He's for real. He's for real.

[Alona Tal]

Photos of him out there, of course, some blurry photos.

[Mar Mar]

This is our Lake Monster.

[Shabana Azizi]

That's definitely real.

[Mar Mar]

Yes, absolutely. Boy, that's our guy.

[Shabana Azizi]

Dinosaur. I love dinosaurs. Oh, that's a dinosaur.

[Alona Tal]

And then.

[Shabana Azizi]

Yeah, puppet of a dinosaur.

[Alona Tal]

So let's head into the group chat. Let's get into what's going on with us online and in the group chat. This week's group chat is sponsored by Muscle Milk. This is something I want to bring up. It's a protein drink.

[Shabana Azizi]

I'm trying to get into the gym for the first time about Muscle Milk.

[Alona Tal]

I eat a lot of protein. I also eat a lot of carbs as well. How's the diet been? Have we been eating well to fuel our muscles?

[Shabana Azizi]

That's, like, not really my business. Like, I eat for fun.

[Alona Tal]

Right.

[Shabana Azizi]

I am trying to eat more protein because I want to get gains, because I want to be jacked. But my body type's not super, like, conducive to that, so I don't have to eat a lot of protein.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

Yeah.

[Shabana Azizi]

But also, I'm lactose intolerant. So muscle.

[Alona Tal]

My producers looked it up. It says it's safe for most individuals with lactose intolerant. So all we do is win. Get on your protein game.

[Mar Mar]

All we do is win.

[Alona Tal]

Also, in terms of muscle building, have you heard of Enhanced Games?

[Shabana Azizi]

Enhanced Games?

[Mar Mar]

Yeah, the Enhanced Games.

[Alona Tal]

Did you hear about these?

[Shabana Azizi]

No.

[Alona Tal]

In Vegas, they did this thing, they set up, like, this mini Olympics where they allowed people to dope as much as possible to see if they could beat Olympians at things. So they had swimming events, they had running events, they had weightlifting events, all full of people just Absolutely. Doping, yeah.

[Shabana Azizi]

And was it normal people doping or was it athletes doping?

[Alona Tal]

They were athletes doping. Yeah. A lot of them were athletes. Even some who were Olympians were doping as well to see if they could break world records.

[Shabana Azizi]

And did they?

[Alona Tal]

Only one guy did in swimming.

[Mar Mar]

So that's what's been insane about this, is like, Alona, as an Olympic athlete, has been like, I mean, hell, yeah, get that up there and show that, like, Olympic athletes aren't just like an anomaly. Like, we are. Like, what were you even saying about it? You can't just dope and beat these amazing people.

[Alona Tal]

The thing was thinking, oh, if we just, you know, take these sorts of drugs, we can beat Olympians. But being Olympian, being an athlete at that level, so much more than just. Yeah, you know, doping and whatnot. So it was really cool to see, and I'm happy it happened, that they. It doesn't matter. They're not as good as us. And even the ones who did the running, I think the people who went ran, who won the running events weren't actually doping. They were just Olympians who entered.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

Yeah.

[Alona Tal]

And they still beat out all the dope.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

They were clean runners as well.

[Mar Mar]

Clean. And they beat the people that were doing runners.

[Shabana Azizi]

It's kind of. That's crazy.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

During the Olympics, people are like, you should always have a normal person next to them. You know, they kind of did that.

[Alona Tal]

I don't think it should be a normal person. I think it should be like a college, like somebody who used to be pretty good in the sport and how much a difference that is. Like, oh, I used to be a really good college athlete. Still put them against, you know, Katie Ledecky and see how.

[Mar Mar]

Put me in the pool. Like, let's see. Well, see how I do.

[Alona Tal]

You wouldn't.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

You.

[Alona Tal]

You'd be a real normal person.

[Mar Mar]

That's what I'm saying. Yeah. Yeah, that'd be fun.

[Alona Tal]

But I think that will show us how much of a. That's. That'll be this much. But if you put, like, somebody who's pretty good.

[Mar Mar]

Right. Then watch them. Yeah.

[Shabana Azizi]

Well, did you all grow up playing loads of sports?

[Alona Tal]

Yeah.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

Yeah, we had to. We were a three season household. So we always did, like, soccer, field hockey, and then basketball, softball.

[Mar Mar]

Our dad made us sport a season. Was your family like that?

[Shabana Azizi]

And there's three seasons just like.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

And then it's you.

[Mar Mar]

It's summer, like, in the school year, basically.

[Shabana Azizi]

Wow. I wasn't allowed to play any sports. My parents were like, no extracurriculars, no music, no arts no sports. You just read. Just and read and be smart. Be smart and read. And that's the energy, really. So I. I'm, like, working out for the first time. Like, I started last year for the first time in my life.

[Mar Mar]

Really? Wow. Yeah.

[Shabana Azizi]

And so I have no, like, body, mind connection. I'm, like, really learning it now and, like, being like, wow, this whole thing,

[Mar Mar]

what was that to prepare you for, like, what were they, like, hoping that you would do?

[Shabana Azizi]

They were just desperately hoping I didn't get distracted. And they were like, be a smart person with a real job. And then I became an actor.

[Mar Mar]

Yeah, I was like.

[Shabana Azizi]

And then you're like, all that for nothing.

[Kylie Kelce]

Watch.

[Alona Tal]

Son of a bitch.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

It almost leaves too much time to be distracted.

[Shabana Azizi]

Yeah, I got really good at being bored, which is actually the perfect breeding ground for an artist, because boredom breeds curiosity, breeds creativity. So they messed up.

[Alona Tal]

If you weren't a theater kid, when did you really want to get into acting?

[Shabana Azizi]

I started at 21. Really? Yeah, in my 20s. I kind of. Because I. I knew I wanted it because I love, like, the life of it. Like, you know how people have, like, a perception of what being an actor is, and it's, like, so inaccurate to, like, what it actually is, which I'm sure is the same thing for, like, an athlete, where it's like, people look at, like, the. The best day, like, the performance, and they go, oh, that's the life. When actually the life is like, I'm sure for you, like, working out, training, and for us it's like rehearsing and researching. I could do so much research, right? And I love, like, research, and I love flow state. And so I knew that was, like, the job for me. And I can't write emails. I just can't. And so I was like. I spent a few years being like, my parents don't want me to be an actor. They don't want me to do arts. Let me, like, try to have a real job. And eventually I was like, oh, my God, I'm building a life I don't want to live. I wake up every morning, like, I don't want to live this life, and I'm working my ass off to build it. Like, what am I doing? It's just not worth it. Like, I may as well disappoint them and be happy in myself. Like, wake up and do what I want to do, but. And it was the best decision ever. I'm so happy.

[Mar Mar]

How has it affected like this now? Connecting your mind and your body to acting?

[Shabana Azizi]

How is that like massively really. Because I act with my eyes. Like I'm fully a screen actor through and through. Like I've done. Done theater a lot but A lot. I've done theater but like I mostly get screen work because I. It's like fully. I'm not self conscious. Like that's, that's like the. I mean I am self conscious obviously, massively. But like in terms of the work I can like become. I'm not doing anything when if I've prepped right I can just fully go into flow state. I don't have to be like working and that's really great for screen. But I think I'm very like there's so much more to like explore in your instrument. Like there's so much physically that you can do and like your body affects your voice too and like singing and whatever else. Like it's really. It's like all related and so I'm like getting into it. It's. It's. I don't even know what it's going to give me. You know what I mean?

[Alona Tal]

Yeah.

[Mar Mar]

You're gonna be playing an athlete soon enough. I just know it. And you're after.

[Alona Tal]

Could you imagine you're gonna join a

[Mar Mar]

team somewhere for research. It's gonna be a who.

[Shabana Azizi]

That's my dream. My dream. I want to be Spider man. But like obviously I want to be Spiderman, but like I want to be able to be like a gymnast in that way.

[Alona Tal]

Yes.

[Shabana Azizi]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Mar Mar]

Let's make a new sticky movie.

[Shabana Azizi]

I want to play like Gollum. A stick it movie.

[Mar Mar]

Stick it movie with all of us and we're all the, the gymnasts. Let's do that.

[Shabana Azizi]

That would be so fun. Great.

[Alona Tal]

Real believable. Yeah.

[Mar Mar]

Or like a soccer movie.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

We'd fit right in.

[Mar Mar]

Yeah, that'd be great.

[Shabana Azizi]

Yeah. High schoolers.

[Mar Mar]

Do you watch sports or do. Is that all was also something that you were like? Nah.

[Shabana Azizi]

If I go to a game, I become like a rabid animal.

[Alona Tal]

Yeah.

[Shabana Azizi]

Like do you become like I'll start yelling at 7 year olds. I don't care. It's like I don't know what comes over me.

[Mar Mar]

Absolutely.

[Shabana Azizi]

Which is why I could never like I'm really like scared I'll join a cult or something because I'll be susceptible, you know, like when I go into this field, like into the arena and the energy like just it comes, it just. I don't know, it affects me and then I leave and I'm like, why did I.

[Mar Mar]

What that would just happen to me,

[Shabana Azizi]

you snap back in your body, come back to myself. Do you get like that or are you normal?

[Mar Mar]

She's very competitive.

[Alona Tal]

I'm competitive on my field. When I go to a game, I'm kind of, I hope both teams have fun. Even though I'm an athlete, I'm like, I hope everybody has fun. I feel so bad for the losers. Wow, they work so hard. Because I know how hard they worked and it's just sports.

[Mar Mar]

Yeah.

[Alona Tal]

The biggest tournament in soccer is here. I think you know what we're talking about. You better have heard about it. And you know we're locked in.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

To make sure you never miss a single moment of the action on the pitch, you need the Apple Sports app.

[Mar Mar]

It's a free app that fits perfectly into your everyday life, making it easy to follow your favorite teams and get all the information you need as matches unfold.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

Let's go, Netherlands.

[Alona Tal]

Let's go, Netherlands. Hey, our mama's dog.

[Mar Mar]

Netherlands.

[Alona Tal]

What team I'm rooting for? Croatia does pretty well.

[Mar Mar]

Yeah. What team's the hottest?

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

Olivia?

[Alona Tal]

I don't know, but I don't think, though, that's what we kind of root for. There's so many. There's probably art. Well, Argentina, they love soccer. Brazil. Brazil.

[Mar Mar]

Brazil.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

US Just naming countries.

[Alona Tal]

There's a main tournament tab that bundles everything together. Live scores, stats, points, and rankings all in one spot. You can even view starting lineups and team formations. Before games start, you can literally check the roster.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

Check the roster.

[Alona Tal]

You can have a roster on your phone.

[Mar Mar]

And if you're on the move, you can display scores right on your iPhone. Lock screen to keep up with your favorite teams in just a glance. Stay closer to the game.

[Alona Tal]

Download the Apple Sports app for free in the App Store.

[Mar Mar]

We were getting ready the other day and I realized we're both using the same few products over and over. And we looked at each other and said, merit.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

I absolutely love Merit Beauty. Their clean, thoughtfully curated essentials help you get a fresh, polished look in minutes.

[Mar Mar]

Merit proves that you don't have to sacrifice time and ease for high quality makeup and skincare. And their bestsellers are proof that less is more. The Flush Balm gives you that natural, healthy glow without overdoing it. Take a peek right here. Got it on. Got it on.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

And if you want to rock your skin as it is with no makeup, no problem. Merit's great skin serum is all you need. It instantly hydrates and plumps for a fresh, dewy look. I actually have it on under some

[Mar Mar]

makeup, but still don't Let complicated skincare and hard to use makeup ruin your daily routine. It's 2026.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

Thanks. We are so past that right now. Merit Beauty is offering our listeners their signature makeup bag with your first [e-mail]

[Mar Mar]

that's the first thing I got from them actually was the makeup bag. Yeah, that's meritbeauty.com to get your free signature makeup bag with your first order.

[Shabana Azizi]

Meritbeauty.com this episode is brought to you by Google Chrome. You think you know a browser, but Gemini and Chrome, that's new. It can help you with practically anything on the web like restoring a vintage motorcycle from a 50 page restoration blog. Or finally break down that long article you've had open for weeks. Gemini and Chrome is here for it, ready to make anything online make sense. There's no place like Chrome. Check responses set up required compatibility and availability various.

[Kylie Kelce]

18.

[Shabana Azizi]

Your call has been forwarded to voicemail. Hi, this is Zoe Deutch and Nick Robinson.

[Alona Tal]

Our brand new movie Voicemails for Isabel is all about those little moments that

[Mar Mar]

feel like the universe is looking out, feeling homesick. Then your sister calls, hearing that perfect

[Alona Tal]

song exactly when you need it.

[Shabana Azizi]

Please stay.

[Alona Tal]

Sometimes life rigs things in our favor, like learning about your new favorite rom com Voicemails for Isabel only on Netflix June 19th.

[Shabana Azizi]

Good Sleep is everything. That's why Ollie's science bag support is made with a blend of melatonin and L theanine for both kiddos and grown ups. So when your mind won't switch off, you've got something that can help your racing thoughts and restless nights won't stand a chance. Find Ollie Sleep solutions for the whole [e-mail] that's o l l y.com in

[Alona Tal]

terms of other sports news. Well, you love this series, but off

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

campus, your co star.

[Shabana Azizi]

I just watched the first episode.

[Alona Tal]

Did you?

[Shabana Azizi]

Yeah. Cause I was like, got to support Jaylin. But also that's the kind of thing I would watch before every season of of the Pit. Like I would like watch whatever the newest teen thing is and I watched an episode of it and I was like, tits and dicks. Like, I was like, whoa.

[Alona Tal]

Tits and dicks.

[Shabana Azizi]

Like just shots. I was like, this is like the Game of Thrones effect.

[Mar Mar]

Yeah.

[Shabana Azizi]

It's crazy. I was shot. I was shook.

[Mar Mar]

Yeah. And it's because it's a smutty, smutty book.

[Shabana Azizi]

I thought it was like ya.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

No, the covers will deceive you. The new, like cartoon ones.

[Mar Mar]

Yeah.

[Shabana Azizi]

Like there's pink and happy.

[Alona Tal]

Kind of like this yeah, it's kind of like that.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

Whereas the original ones are like photos.

[Mar Mar]

Photos of like bare chests and stuff like that.

[Shabana Azizi]

Yeah, yeah.

[Mar Mar]

Men's like traditional romance covers of 2010

[Alona Tal]

years ago she was watching episodes. So I watched the Pit and the Few. The. Because in season two, Jalen's not in

[Shabana Azizi]

as much because he's shooting hockey show.

[Alona Tal]

Oh, he becomes a nightmares. No one's gonna change over a night shift Frickin weirdo.

[Shabana Azizi]

He's very successful, but very.

[Alona Tal]

No, Jaylen, we love you.

[Mar Mar]

Love you.

[Alona Tal]

But Adrianna, immediately when he walks on set, she goes, that's that guy who's gonna be on off campus. He's gonna be. This is his season. He's playing this guy.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

And I was like, what on casting? Cause I read the series like five years ago or so and so when I heard that they're making a show, I was like, I'm gonna be there. Like I'm gonna be lined up and I can't watch the Pit. It makes me go a little crazy. All the medical stuff.

[Mar Mar]

Oh yeah.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

But I did sit down with her for a bit and I was like, oh my God, I know these people in this.

[Alona Tal]

She was very excited to see.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

Yeah, yeah. But it was a fun show.

[Shabana Azizi]

Will you keep watching the Pit?

[Mar Mar]

Oh no. Off campus. Off campus.

[Shabana Azizi]

But of course. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Kylie Kelce]

It's all out.

[Alona Tal]

Right. So you could finish it up, I guess. There's a lot of penises.

[Shabana Azizi]

I'm coming up.

[Mar Mar]

Yeah.

[Shabana Azizi]

Oh no. Are there?

[Alona Tal]

Yeah, I've heard.

[Mar Mar]

Right.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

Real game More.

[Shabana Azizi]

But it's like Euphoria. Would you remember when Euphoria. Didn't we Everybody was like, ah, yeah, hbo. Exactly.

[Mar Mar]

That they'd be doing that.

[Shabana Azizi]

Yeah. But this is Amazon.

[Mar Mar]

Yeah.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

Yes, But I think Amazon's been kind of creeping more into that. Especially after like the boys and such. Like they've been doing more graphic and vulgar stuff.

[Mar Mar]

Grabby, grabby stuff.

[Shabana Azizi]

I'm so fascinated by like how like the way we're talking about sex more in culture when actually like, like Gen Z is having the least sex of any generation for that age group. Like.

[Alona Tal]

Yes. Is that right?

[Shabana Azizi]

I've just been hearing about this loneliest generation. They're not having sex, they're not drinking that. I'm Gen Z anyway. But like, yeah, it's really fascinating that we're like, like talking about sex and like, you know, we're like destigmatizing so much stuff and like we're talking about it so much more, but we're doing a lot less of it.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

We're consuming so much but not doing it.

[Shabana Azizi]

Yeah, it's really interesting.

[Mar Mar]

And it's that like, people are. They aren't drinking as much anymore because we're all like trying to optimize ourselves as much as possible with all the metrics. Like I'm. I'm wearing of, you know, something that's clocking my metrics at all times and I run with a watch on and all that stuff. It's like we're trying to optimize ourselves too much that we're not living life anymore. And there's people online saying we need to drink more. Like you need to. Being stressed and lonely and isolating yourself for like the, the goodness of your own self care is actually not good. Like, you should go out and experience life and embarrass yourself and have a drink. Be social. That's so much better than being alone and stressed.

[Shabana Azizi]

What is. Do you all wear or like, do you all have metrics? Because I'm so scared of it. Because I'll be like, I don't want it. I feel like I'm learning connection with my body and I feel like if I think I had a good night's sleep and then my aura rings like, you slept like shit you eat. I'll be like, yeah, like, what has it been like for you?

[Mar Mar]

I'm new to it, but I kind of like it.

[Alona Tal]

She recently had a teller. She was. She was stressed. And I guess it could tell by your heart rate. She's like, oh my God, I guess I am stressed. She's like, El Ring was telling her and now she believes I'm a very stressed individual.

[Mar Mar]

But like, that's just how I go through life. And I think my level of stress that I operate at is just naturally higher than most people's. And so.

[Alona Tal]

Right.

[Mar Mar]

And so I'd had it on for enough time for it to get to know me. And it like one day was just kind of like, hey, girl, hey, stressed. Just so you know, you are psychologically stressed. We've clocked it just so you know. And it was kind of nice to be like, oh my gosh. To almost be told. That was a nice validation of like, oh, I guess I am. I should try to relax right now. I don't need to be operating at a level of stress right now. So I have liked it for that reason. I don't really pay attention to the sleep score because if I slept, I slept and I got to go about my day anyway.

[Shabana Azizi]

Yeah, you know, true. Do you all, like. Because I stress so much, and I'm trying to not stress so much. That's easier said than done.

[Mar Mar]

Oh, my gosh.

[Shabana Azizi]

And I don't want to have cold showers.

[Mar Mar]

Yeah. Are you an overthinker?

[Shabana Azizi]

Yeah, but I think people need to think more. Like, people aren't thinking enough. You know what I'm saying?

[Mar Mar]

Right, Right.

[Shabana Azizi]

I'm an overthinker for sure.

[Mar Mar]

Yeah.

[Shabana Azizi]

And I'm the problem. But I did. I did like ice baths.

[Mar Mar]

You do like.

[Shabana Azizi]

I did like, a breath work retreat, and we did ice bars, and I was like, this just hurts.

[Alona Tal]

Yeah. I don't do.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

I hate it.

[Mar Mar]

Apparently, it's not good for women.

[Shabana Azizi]

Eat it. Oh, really?

[Mar Mar]

Apparently. Right. Is that what we've been.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

I think people are. A lot of the studies have. Are always done on men, and so people don't know. That's how it's directly.

[Shabana Azizi]

Like airbags and cars, too.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

Yeah, exactly. Affects women. So I think there's a big question on that interest saying.

[Mar Mar]

I do like a cold plunge, though. I love a cold plunge.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

Wow.

[Shabana Azizi]

And so is that what you do to de stress?

[Mar Mar]

No, I don't own one. I just sort of.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

When she's around one, she'll go in it.

[Mar Mar]

Yeah, always. But what do I do? I hit a scroll. That's not. It's kind of. It kind of. It kind of de Stresses me. Relatable.

[Shabana Azizi]

Relatable.

[Mar Mar]

But yeah.

[Shabana Azizi]

Yeah. Right.

[Alona Tal]

We do scroll, but we. We are trying to be born more like you said. We even wrote that in our journals of being bored more because we're just on there. So we brick up our phones.

[Mar Mar]

You know what a brick is?

[Alona Tal]

Have you been getting rid of that?

[Shabana Azizi]

I love that you've chosen that way.

[Alona Tal]

I'm bricked right now. Hilarious.

[Mar Mar]

My phone is literally bricked up right now.

[Alona Tal]

I'm bricked.

[Mar Mar]

Tell you what.

[Alona Tal]

We brick, and then we do journal.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

I'm kind of crazy. I've got two. I've got an app that locks me out of stuff, and I have the brick.

[Shabana Azizi]

Wow.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

Because I just. It's such an addiction that I'm like,

[Mar Mar]

I need two things, and our lives are online. So it's kind of like, oh, it's research. Oh, it's work. I'm working right now. You're not.

[Shabana Azizi]

It's actually weirdly gotten me because I'm so online. Because my friends are on. Like, whenever I'm in Australia, half my friends are here. Whenever I'm here, half my friends are home. So I'm always on my phone to, like, talk to people.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

Yeah.

[Shabana Azizi]

I don't want to, like, lose touch for six months at a time. Like, that's not nice. But I'm trying to get less. Like, I don't want to. I don't want to. Sometimes I go on my Explore page and I see pictures of myself. Oh, and like, my friends, which is fun, but, like, you know what I mean? And you're like, oh, I don't want to see that. Like, nightmare. So it actually has gotten me off, like, being in the public eye. I've been like, I don't want to look at interesting. I don't want to be, like, jump scared with my own face.

[Mar Mar]

It's not alone, as she loves looking at herself. She's in there.

[Shabana Azizi]

Do you.

[Alona Tal]

I don't look myself up.

[Mar Mar]

No, I'm saying, like, oh, I look good there.

[Alona Tal]

Oh, I look at my own posts.

[Mar Mar]

Yeah.

[Alona Tal]

I look at my own posts all the time. It's quality stuff I'm putting out. Yeah. I really love it.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

Yeah.

[Alona Tal]

Do you post a lot?

[Shabana Azizi]

I'm on Instagram, and I got Twitter to heal myself from Instagram. Big mistake. Because Instagram is so visual, and I'm so concerned about, like, the moralizing of beauty and how focused our culture is on, like, beauty and how much we, like, care about being beautiful and how much we like celebrities for being beautiful or whatever it is. And I go, but, like, are they funny? Are they smart? Are they saying something worth saying? Like, you know, you've got, like, a message. It's like, you're somebody worth following. But so many people follow people because they like looking at them. And then I'm so scared about that. Like, what does it do to your brain?

[Alona Tal]

Right?

[Shabana Azizi]

You know? You know, like, it's concerning. And so I was like, Instagram was so visual. And I felt like people were commenting like, pretty girl on my thing so much. And I was like, but I'm funny. And so I got Twitter to be like, guys, I'm funny, and nobody knows what I look like right now while I'm tweeting this. And then. But then I was like, just another way to get validation, actually. And it was really dangerous. And I just. I deleted it.

[Alona Tal]

We were just at, like, parties this weekend, too, and parties, a lot of them nowadays, I think with the phones, it's not even a time to get to know people so much, to take pictures, to get this done. And then people don't know fully how to interact after that. It's like. And we're. We're. You know, we do as well, because we do these parties thing. And then afterwards, I'm like, what was the point of that? Like, why did. Why was that not like, fun? That's a party. Why aren't we able to have fun at parties anymore? We're just, like, unsure of what it's actually for of, like, meeting people and that awkwardness that comes from it that you're just gonna be. Sometimes you're gonna start a conversation with a person, it's gonna be, like, really weird.

[Kylie Kelce]

Yeah.

[Alona Tal]

And that might not be for you, but then you go meet another person. Turns out they're this. And they do all this cool stuff, but I think we're losing the art

[Mar Mar]

of partying and the human connection of it all.

[Shabana Azizi]

So interesting. Do you mean, like, industry parties?

[Alona Tal]

Industry parties. Close friends. Like, that's, you know, a different thing. But when it's those parties where, like, used to be the Chateau Marmont, and then there's parties all over. Used to just, like, hang, you know, cigarettes, vibes. Now it's just barely.

[Shabana Azizi]

Yeah.

[Alona Tal]

The conversation.

[Mar Mar]

There's a step and repeat. You got here and you took your picture.

[Shabana Azizi]

Oh, my God. I hate a step. And. And you do.

[Mar Mar]

You on red carpets, too? Like, for, like, premieres or just, like, why? Trauma.

[Alona Tal]

Can we pull up some embarrassing photos of Shabana?

[Shabana Azizi]

No, no, please don't. Please don't Google me.

[Mar Mar]

I'll cry.

[Shabana Azizi]

No, I've. I've got, like, step and repeat trauma, for sure. Why? I'm not from here, and I didn't know anybody from here, so I didn't know how they worked. Oh, my God, you're Google. Don't type in me. Don't type in. Oh, my God.

[Mar Mar]

Hey, looking good.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

Hey.

[Alona Tal]

You had room, too. We went there as well. We missed you.

[Mar Mar]

We were there.

[Shabana Azizi]

Look at the look on my face.

[Alona Tal]

I'm like, I have the same look on every picture.

[Mar Mar]

Don't worry.

[Alona Tal]

I need to find different face things.

[Mar Mar]

You're not from here, so you didn't know.

[Shabana Azizi]

So.

[Kylie Kelce]

What do you mean?

[Shabana Azizi]

I didn't know how they worked, and I didn't realize the value of. I didn't realize why publicists go on carpets with you. So the first carpet I went on, I didn't have a publicist. And so I just got there, and I didn't know how to approach anybody or be approached. And this guy looked at me like, one of the journalists looked me up and down and just, like, went on his phone. I was like. And so I'm very. I'm like, I. I love my publicist very much. And she, like, it's.

[Mar Mar]

She Handles that.

[Shabana Azizi]

Yeah. Because it's so vulnerable.

[Mar Mar]

Yeah, it is.

[Shabana Azizi]

To be like, hi, I've got Shabbana from the pit. Do you want to talk to her? And they go, no.

[Mar Mar]

Yeah.

[Shabana Azizi]

And then move on to the next person. Do it again. Like, it's so embarrassing.

[Alona Tal]

It's such a fame hungry place too. If like you're not somebody where they're like, is this gonna get me clicks or likes.

[Mar Mar]

Yeah, let's get me views.

[Alona Tal]

It's a really interesting, like all these parties we go to. Because I took, I took. I've been, you know, I took time off because I wanted to be able to do all these experiences. And as I've gone to these parties more, it's just like, oh, we just kind of talk to the same people where we go there with and then we like leave and a lot of people don't get drunk. We were at one Maybelline party and I was getting drunk and everybody was gone after, like the main person.

[Mar Mar]

We were having a time.

[Shabana Azizi]

I will say that it's cute you have each other.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

Yes.

[Mar Mar]

Which is very.

[Alona Tal]

Which is also. But also a crush, though. We having the same people. So then you just hang out with each other. Same as a phone. Which is better because you're a group.

[Shabana Azizi]

No, but you know what, though? I definitely, when I got here, I had zero friends. I didn't know a single person in la. And so I went to a lot of parties fully alone, not with pit people, just liked Australians and film, like Australia's Oz films type stuff. And the show wasn't out, so nobody wanted to talk to me. And so I'd meet like one person every party and that's like a genuine friend I have now, right?

[Kylie Kelce]

Yeah.

[Shabana Azizi]

Because we met and we were both like, I don't know what to do.

[Alona Tal]

I don't know anybody here.

[Shabana Azizi]

It's very climby. People want something from you at LA parties. And now that the show's out and people know about the show and I'm not like super famous, like, I'm just a normal person. But like in la, people know who you are now and people want to talk to me at parties now. And I'm like, I'm so weary now because I'm like, sure, I could make friends with you, but I can't tell if this is like genuine or if this is like climbing or you want something from me or whatever. Like, it's so hard because I got bullied growing up. I don't know what your lives were like. I was like, not a cool kid. Period. I was like, social outcast, loser. And so if somebody was kind to me, I could trust that they were like a kind person. And now I'm like, people are nice. And I'll be like, oh, that person was so n. And my friend who's like crew or like a PA or whatever will be like, they're nice to you.

[Mar Mar]

They're not nice to me.

[Shabana Azizi]

They're not.

[Mar Mar]

Actually.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

She's really good at seeing through people and I'm always like, oh, they're great.

[Shabana Azizi]

And she was like, yeah, but did you notice.

[Mar Mar]

But did you this? No.

[Shabana Azizi]

I love that you have each other. Then because I'm naive.

[Mar Mar]

We'll come with you. Don't worry. I'll stand behind you like this.

[Shabana Azizi]

So then this is a good dynamic that the three of you.

[Mar Mar]

It works.

[Shabana Azizi]

I bet you're good at parties then. If you meet a person that you like, you might. Must you probably trust that you like them actually?

[Mar Mar]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Shabana Azizi]

That's cute.

[Mar Mar]

But now that you have been in la, a bit like, have you built like a friend group? Like, what do your group chats look like?

[Shabana Azizi]

Oh, my God. Yeah. There's so many. The pit's good. Like, the people are good. Like, the youngins hang out.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

Yeah.

[Mar Mar]

Do you guys all have a group chat together?

[Shabana Azizi]

So many. Yeah. Yeah. And it's just like. It's like normal people who are like, going through the same crazy thing.

[Mar Mar]

Yeah.

[Shabana Azizi]

It's like really, like, you can bond over that and you can go to the parties together.

[Mar Mar]

Yeah.

[Shabana Azizi]

Which is so much easier than going alone.

[Mar Mar]

Like, it is so vulnerable to going alone.

[Alona Tal]

Absolutely.

[Shabana Azizi]

To a party. But you're right. And that we need to learn to be brave.

[Alona Tal]

We gotta party more, put ourselves out there.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

Like, get the phones down.

[Mar Mar]

You need to embarrass yourselves more. That's what people are saying.

[Shabana Azizi]

Yeah. Building that resilience.

[Mar Mar]

Yeah, absolutely. It's so. You gotta.

[Shabana Azizi]

But it's so hard.

[Mar Mar]

It's so hard. It's so freaking hard.

[Alona Tal]

Honestly, a good bra does a lot of heavy lifting when it comes to a summer wardrobe.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

When I'm packing for a trip, my thirdlove bras are absolutely coming with me. About four in my suitcase. You don't need too many. I'm a fan of the front close T shirt bra. Seamless.

[Mar Mar]

Personally, I've been a fan of the classic wireless bra. It's on my body right now. We all know, I've talked about it before. I love a bra without underwire. And this really. This has been doing the trick for me.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

ThirdLove bras are literally so comfortable, you forget you're wearing them.

[Mar Mar]

Starting my outfit with a bra that fits well and feels good kind of makes me feel unstoppable.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

I'm not spending my summer adjusting straps. No. Whether I'm catching a flight, getting brunch with friends, or just spending time outside, I want something light, comfy and easy.

[Alona Tal]

Every great summer outfit starts with a good foundation. And that means a bra that actually fits. Because if your bra is uncomfortable, it's not your body, It's a bra.

[Mar Mar]

ThirdLove makes that so much easier. With sizes from double A to H plus half cup sizes, you can find one that really works for you.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

If you're ready to find your new favorite bra, use code MAR15 for $15 off your first purchase. @thirdlove.com There's a moment every NFL fan lives for when the whole team is locked in. When the play unfolds exactly as it was. Dr. Drawn up.

[Alona Tal]

Every single person on that field showing up for each other at exactly the right time. You know that moment. Everything coming together all at once. And the best part? Nobody got there alone.

[Mar Mar]

That's the feeling. US Bank Smartly Checking and savings was built around because your financial life shouldn't be a juggling act. It should work like a team.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

You're checking and savings working in sync, tracking your spending, building your balance and unlocking more rewards the more you use them together.

[Alona Tal]

That's why US Bank Smartly Checking and savings are designed to do exactly that work together for you so we can reward you more. Because the best teams are built to win together. That's the power of us.

[Mar Mar]

Visit usbank.com today to learn more. Official Bank Sponsor of the NFL Member FDIC 2026 US Bank There is plenty of tea to spill today. Let's get into tea time. Tea time is brought to you by JBL this week. Alona is actually a registered nurse.

[Shabana Azizi]

That's crazy.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

So basically the equivalent of you basically

[Alona Tal]

have the same schooling, same you and

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

I, same day, same medical knowledge.

[Mar Mar]

So I want to almost like we never really talk about like what Alona ha has done, like when you were training to be a nurse versus, like what you were researching. Like how. How was your research for the show?

[Shabana Azizi]

I mean, it wasn't like training to be a nurse, but did you go

[Mar Mar]

into hospitals and stuff?

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

Yeah.

[Alona Tal]

Did you go into hospitals?

[Shabana Azizi]

I tour hospitals because I. Yeah, Yeah. I think it's important, like to see the world.

[Mar Mar]

Yeah.

[Shabana Azizi]

But. But for us, we've got like doctors on set all the time and We've got nurses on set all the time. So like any questions medically we can ask that. For me, research was more like, like the non medical stuff was more interesting to me because we all shared the same medical research. Like, I did my own stuff too, obviously. But like we would get like, we got reading lists and like watch lists from like the production and we got like boot camp training. But I was very like, let me figure out what an American teen girl is like, right? Because I'm 10 years too old from the wrong continent. Like, I was like, I got work to do. What was training to be a nurse?

[Alona Tal]

Well, I mean it was all time, 12 hour clinicals and whatnot in, you know, classrooms for three hour lectures. But it was mostly like going to be in the hospital. So I think what was interesting watching the pit is my mom watching with me. She's an ER and an L and D nurses. How much it was, it was like a hospital. We think our one critique was the nurses are involved a little bit more in some of the things in real hospitals. In real hospitals. Yeah, yeah. But like it's good, but it's a pit there about doctors. But I think in the second season they did a better job of showing nurses and whatnot and like that. Yeah, those characters are so cool characters. So cool. But I think what I did like was bedside manner to me is very important and there's certain. So people would always joke that Robbie would always go and Dr. Robbie would always get his. Do his hands, constantly wash his hands. But that's something like for us in nursing school, you put hand sanitize to walk into the room, you put hand sanitize to walk out. You always are putting gloves on constantly. So I thought there was little things that were so good in the show that were like, so what I'd learned from nursing school.

[Shabana Azizi]

Did you work as a nurse?

[Alona Tal]

I never got to. I, I would work in the terms of I'd have to do 12, two 12 hour shifts a week for nursing school to get your clinical hours. But I write immediately for my graduation. When I graduated, I went out to training and so I could pass my boards in September after I graduated. And then I haven't used it since. My boards are like, they're called the nclex. It's a national nursing exam to give you a registered nursing license. So you get your bsn. And then to become an rn, to actually work as a nurse, you need to pass your boards.

[Mar Mar]

And that's what you did.

[Alona Tal]

That's what I did.

[Mar Mar]

But you haven't nursed.

[Alona Tal]

It is a, like, written multiple choice exam. So it's like, can be up to 175 questions. And you sit in a room and you have to take the.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

This.

[Alona Tal]

I didn't really study for it, but I passed it.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

She passed.

[Mar Mar]

And I asked why. I think what I'm curious about, too, is, like, I hear from everyone that, like, the pit is so realistic. It's so realistic. So it's like, how. To me, I'm like, how do you. Can you watch it as somebody that's a medical professional and say, like, she's doing a good iv? Like, what? Like something medical. Like, were you studying videos? Were you watching them? Do it to make your mannerisms.

[Shabana Azizi]

Right, Yeah. I mean, all of that boring story. Actually, I was gonna tell a story, but it's boring.

[Mar Mar]

Tell me. Boring.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

No, tell it.

[Shabana Azizi]

It's really boring.

[Mar Mar]

Doesn't matter.

[Shabana Azizi]

It's just about actors research, which. Interesting. No, that is interesting because it's interesting because, like, I do a lot of interviews.

[Mar Mar]

Yeah.

[Shabana Azizi]

And before the pit, I would, like, interview people, and they'd be so vulnerable with me, and they'd give me so much. But it was hard to get interviews because nobody wanted to talk to you. But now people want to talk to me, but they want to tell me about their best day. Like, doctors. Like, doctors and nurses. And people want to be like, I did this cool procedure, and this would be cool for the writers. And it's like, I'm not a writer.

[Mar Mar]

Yeah, right.

[Alona Tal]

Yeah.

[Shabana Azizi]

And so I would, like, tour these hospitals, and I would, like, see stuff, and people would want to show me, like, the cool stuff, but I want to see, like, the minutiae of, like, the day to day. Like, the most regular thing that, like, I want to. As an actor, like, if you're, like, stepping into a world that you don't understand, and you want to understand it. You want to know what the most regular, average, boring things are to the people that work there? Things that are actually invisible to them. Like, because that's what builds culture. Right. Like, I'm sure, like, people talk to you about, like, warmup routines or, like, whatever.

[Mar Mar]

Oh, my God.

[Alona Tal]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Shabana Azizi]

But there are some things that all athletes have in common that would be invisible to all of you, but they're visible from the outside with somebody looking in. And I remember going to a hospital and. And there was a patient that needed to be moved from a gurney to a. Like, a. He needed to be wheeled away, but they needed more people to help. And so five people came Down. And, like, they were. And I noticed they all undid their gowns this exact same way. Like, they all. Instead of. Because on the show season one, we were just, like, putting our gowns on or whatever, but they all took the gown, turned it around, went opened it this way, and then went, 1, 2, right arm, left arm. And they would wait for somebody to tie them up. And I was like, they're all doing it the exact same way. What is that? And one of doctors was like, oh, yeah. It's like, post covert. Like, everybody. That's how you gan up. Like, everybody did training during COVID And I was like, why didn't I tell me that I want to know how to put my gown on? That's, like, so invisible.

[Mar Mar]

Absolutely.

[Shabana Azizi]

But I want to do it the right way. I want to do it how you would in a real house. You know what I mean? Like, so it's, like, boring. That's so boring.

[Mar Mar]

And of the time, it's post Covid. That's the way you do it post covert.

[Shabana Azizi]

Exactly. And, like, watching the med students and I'm sure not nurses to, like, how different. Because I was a standardized patient for med schools before I booked the pit because I needed money, and. And it was a really great job. I met, like, hundreds of med students.

[Mar Mar]

Wow.

[Shabana Azizi]

But the post covered years were really different to the pre covered years. Like, they were socialized differently. And, like, bedside man is so important, but, like, what happens to a bunch of kids who did med school on Zoom?

[Alona Tal]

So actually, my mom was saying, like, I was asking her, are med students like that now? Like, are they? Because I guess what I was in the pit.

[Shabana Azizi]

The you.

[Alona Tal]

The med students are so on it, and they know the answers immediately. And I was like, damn, do they know it? Mom said, yeah. These med students are almost, like, too well read. Like, they actually aren't as good with patient communication and interacting with people as much, but they can. They've read a book like a motherfucker, but they just don't have that because of COVID or whatever it is.

[Shabana Azizi]

Oh, interesting.

[Alona Tal]

Yeah.

[Shabana Azizi]

And I'm thinking about all the kids who were, like, social, like, who had Covid during, like, their middle school years, where I'm like. Like to go from, like, the playground to, like, shut down.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

Yeah.

[Shabana Azizi]

Must be, like, we're gonna see the impact of that in 10 years.

[Mar Mar]

Oh, my God.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

I try to think about, like.

[Alona Tal]

Like, what.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

What would have been the best age to, like, go through Covid with, you know, because that happened to me in college, and I was kind of like,

[Alona Tal]

yeah, it sucks, but I was glad

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

it happened my junior year, I guess. But I was like, or would I want to just skip middle school? Like, I love kind of going through that in my mind, but I'm like, what are you. What are these people gonna look like all in 10 years?

[Mar Mar]

You know, they lost massive amounts of social structuring and, like, understanding of the world.

[Alona Tal]

Parties are gonna be even worse.

[Mar Mar]

Oh, my God. I think parties are bad now.

[Shabana Azizi]

Like, what would you do if you were, like, gonna fix parties for America if you were like, leave them to potty?

[Alona Tal]

I mean, the phones, I think, are the real issue. Like, leave phones. I think the issue is people are so much about getting that picture taken. So is there a way? Like. Like, a picture taken, it's immediately, like, sent to you. So people are so, like, want to get their pictures. So, like, how is it that we just take phones out of it? Make, you know you're gonna get the pictures. It's gonna be a whole file sent easily that you don't have to pay for also. But back to the Pit, though. So in season two, if you haven't watched it, I'm gonna spoil it, but so the. Your med records are about to be attacked. And so funny is that that happened our mom as well. And so she actually was watching the episode. Episode. And before I didn't get to. She's like, I watched the episode, and I started crying because it brought back so many bad memories for me of this time when it was like, the. Everything was about to have a cyber attack on it. It was so terrible because she was in Paper days, so she knew how to do it, but she had all these people who just did not know how to work it. So she literally cried watching the episode because she was like, back in that ptsd. So it's very. All these are very realistic, though, that she created, and she'll even watch the show. And I think also what's happening, what I think is smart, is that when medical professionals watch these shows, they're like, that's not gonna happen. That won't happen. But I think the Pit.

[Mar Mar]

Medical shows, yeah, most.

[Alona Tal]

Well, that's man. But the Pit, I think, does a good job of my mom. There's some things where my mom was like, But a lot of it, she's like, oh, that was good. That was really good.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

She watches it when she comes back from a shift.

[Alona Tal]

Yeah.

[Mar Mar]

Is this, like, being in crazy the work room? I don't know.

[Shabana Azizi]

She's dedicated.

[Mar Mar]

How did you develop your character?

[Shabana Azizi]

Like, the Accent. I was like, gotta learn that now. And I built her off. Like, I modeled her off, like, like, boys. I thought that would be, like, interesting in terms of, like. Like, I modeled. I watched a lot of, like, teen American shows like the OC Or Gossip Girl aging myself and then tried to watch the newer ones. And I was like. But I've modeled myself on, like, the. I feel like Giovanni for season one particularly is like a Style Stilinski from Teen Wolf. Like, she's like the Adam Brody character. Like Seth Cohen. She's not like Summer, she's Seth. And like, Jalen plays Summer. Like, in my head I was like, that will work for me if I'm, like, super in Teen Girl Land. And I think research is, like. It's interesting when it's, like, disparate. And I'm sure it's, like, similar in other fields too, where it's like, the more random your work, I think the more you have a chance at originality or something. So I think it's like, I never want to research in an obvious way. I want to research in a way that's so random. And so the references are so disparate that when they come together, you're like, I've never quite seen this before. And so I did a lot of research on loneliness. And I read a lot of, like. Like Emily Henry books to get the romance of it all and like, the American teen stuff. And then I watched, like, American documentaries to be like, what is America like? And I found myself watching. I thought it was a documentary. Secret Lives of Mom and Wives. Have you seen this show? Yeah, I thought it was a documentary. It's not.

[Mar Mar]

That's real interesting.

[Shabana Azizi]

But I was like. I was so shocked by that show. Like, the first episode ends with her being arrested.

[Mar Mar]

Yeah.

[Shabana Azizi]

Oh, yeah, it was amazing. Cause I watched the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders documentary first, which is actually a documentary. Cause I didn't know what cheerleaders really were. Like, I didn't quite understand. You don't have those back home. And I did a lot of research on, like, gun violence, too. And like, school shootings. Cause we don't have those either. And then I was like, secret Lives of Mormon Wives will be like, a new type of. This will do it for you, America. And I was, like, propagagged.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

Wow, you did a real range.

[Mar Mar]

Yeah. That's awesome.

[Shabana Azizi]

Yeah. It's gotta be really random, right? I mean, how would you explain America? What would you. What's your watch list?

[Mar Mar]

I feel like you got it. You pretty much nailed it there.

[Alona Tal]

I Think you did really well with it. Yeah. I think that's all Giovanni would watch as well. She'd be up on the Mormon Wives for sure. Yeah.

[Shabana Azizi]

Because I've never. I don't watch reality TV generally.

[Alona Tal]

Well, you do now.

[Shabana Azizi]

I actually had to stop.

[Alona Tal]

I couldn't watch it either.

[Shabana Azizi]

I love them. They're delightful, so fun. But I just found myself being like, this is rotting my brain in a way that I'm not. I think the smarter somebody is, the dumber their watching habits are.

[Mar Mar]

Yes.

[Shabana Azizi]

Like every really smart person you know

[Kylie Kelce]

is watching habits are.

[Mar Mar]

I believe they are Real Housewives fiends.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

Yeah.

[Shabana Azizi]

And I need to watch documentaries. Like, that's what I need. Like, I'm not there. Like, I'm not at that level. I just need to be like, the

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

Bravo world is so just strange to me.

[Alona Tal]

And I'm.

[Shabana Azizi]

I do love the guy. Oh, his name is escaping me right now. You know the guy.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

Andy Cohen.

[Shabana Azizi]

I want to say Andy Serkis. Andy Cohen.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

Thank you. Andy Serkis.

[Shabana Azizi]

It's not Gollum. You know the guy. It's not the guy that plays Gollum.

[Mar Mar]

It's the guy.

[Shabana Azizi]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

Shall we do some Try Hard?

[Alona Tal]

Okay. Shabana. We're going to play a game called Try Hard where you have to try as hard as you can to answer these questions as fast as possible.

[Shabana Azizi]

Okay, great. Love that.

[Alona Tal]

You also can just say whatever you want. This is whatever. You know your show. In rugby, a try is a. You know, we. She doesn't know.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

But she's Australian.

[Shabana Azizi]

I know nothing.

[Alona Tal]

How we score points. It's called a try.

[Shabana Azizi]

Okay, why is it called a try?

[Alona Tal]

No reason. I actually don't know.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

It's actually a really good question. I've never heard of five points.

[Mar Mar]

And you think that that would. Would be three for some reason. Try sounds like three.

[Shabana Azizi]

Oh, is it T R I or T R Y?

[Mar Mar]

T R Y?

[Shabana Azizi]

Anyway, nothing makes sense.

[Mar Mar]

Okay, you're at the Pitts craft service table.

[Shabana Azizi]

Okay.

[Mar Mar]

What's the number one snack you're reaching for?

[Shabana Azizi]

Hummus and veggie sticks. And they do balls of berries. They do berries.

[Mar Mar]

Oh, love berries.

[Shabana Azizi]

And berries are expensive.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

People are thrown in melon Way too much.

[Mar Mar]

Yeah.

[Shabana Azizi]

To fruit things now it's like. Yeah, they want to. No, no, we do berries.

[Alona Tal]

That's.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

That's Lux.

[Shabana Azizi]

It's really fancy.

[Alona Tal]

We do berries on the pit. Okay.

[Mar Mar]

Yeah. Oh, they got a budget. They got money.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

All right, it's the purge. What's the one crime you're committing?

[Shabana Azizi]

This is going to sound crazy. What's the purge?

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

That's some American culture you need to look into.

[Shabana Azizi]

It's like zombie apocalypse.

[Mar Mar]

It's. It's a movie franchise where there's one day a year where crime is legal

[Alona Tal]

in the US Kill you.

[Shabana Azizi]

I've heard of this. Okay, great slate. What crime do I commit?

[Mar Mar]

Yeah.

[Shabana Azizi]

Ooh, I'd love to rob a bank.

[Mar Mar]

Okay.

[Alona Tal]

Right.

[Shabana Azizi]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I'd love to. I'd love to roll a bank. That would be just so fun. I would do it with my friends. We'd have snacks, and you guys would

[Alona Tal]

take pictures in the vault. And it's legal.

[Shabana Azizi]

No, no, no, no. Enough funds. Oh, you're so lona.

[Alona Tal]

She's gotta be prezza on her face.

[Mar Mar]

Are you the one cracking the safe? Are you listening?

[Shabana Azizi]

Oh, my God, I love that. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. It's like heist vibes. Oh, that's so fun. I'd love to. Oh, a museum.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

An art heist.

[Shabana Azizi]

I would rob the British Museum. I would rob the British Museum and I would give all the stuff back.

[Alona Tal]

Yeah, you're carrying those statues out.

[Shabana Azizi]

That's what I would do.

[Mar Mar]

That's perks.

[Shabana Azizi]

And I'll have worked out by then, so I'll be able to. She will have had the milk.

[Alona Tal]

Absolutely. Should be good.

[Shabana Azizi]

The whole thing.

[Alona Tal]

What is something in your house that's really special to you?

[Shabana Azizi]

When I moved here, I had a bunch of friends give me little gifts that I brought with me. And my friend crocheted me a stethoscope. And my other friend bought me an emotional support crochet pickle. And my other friend made me a little card that said Extraordinary alien because it's the name of my visa. There was little funny things that I've got on my fridge and stuff that I use to remember. My friends have a list of, like, when I got here and I was, like, alone for the first time in my life in this way of like, oh, nobody I know wakes up till 4pm that is, like, lonely to be. Like, I have nobody to call, period. I've got nobody to call in the whole world. Or like, I got here and I was like, oh, it'll be six months till I have a hug from somebody that I'm already comfy with.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

Oh, my God.

[Shabana Azizi]

It's like counting down to, like, physical comfort because I didn't experience, obviously. Like, that's just normal when you move across the world. And so. So every bit, people would give me advice, like, little things, like nuggets of wisdom. And I'D like, put them on my fridge. And then I've got, like, a list of quotes from my friends who were, like, caring about me in that, like, dark time in my life. And so, like, that's probably like, those.

[Mar Mar]

I don't know why, but this made me want to ask. Are you like a voice noter?

[Shabana Azizi]

Yeah.

[Mar Mar]

Personalized podcasts. That's what we call them.

[Shabana Azizi]

Do you do those? I'm obsessed.

[Mar Mar]

I do with my friends. Little personalized podcasts.

[Shabana Azizi]

Oh, my God. Every friend that is in Australia is, like, having a performance.

[Mar Mar]

That's what you guys are doing. Okay.

[Shabana Azizi]

Yeah. Because then you hear their voice and you can, like, go on little hot girl walks and you can, like. It's so cute.

[Mar Mar]

It is such a cute.

[Alona Tal]

Where are you from in Australia?

[Shabana Azizi]

Adelaide. It's like Ohio. It's like. It's like nowhere. It's like Ohio. I love Adelaide, but like, yeah, the Ohio of Australia. The city's a mile square in size.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

Whoa.

[Alona Tal]

On the water at all.

[Shabana Azizi]

Yeah.

[Kylie Kelce]

Beautiful.

[Shabana Azizi]

Yeah. Like west facing beaches, like the Nash. The natural, like, landscape of Adelaide is gorgeous. It's like west facing beaches and like the hills with all these farms and wineries.

[Alona Tal]

Is it on the west or east of Australia?

[Shabana Azizi]

It's in the south. In the middle there's the bite. You know, the great Australian bite.

[Mar Mar]

It's in there. Okay.

[Alona Tal]

Very nice.

[Shabana Azizi]

Yeah.

[Mar Mar]

Who is your. Hear me out. AKA weirdest crush. Have you heard of this on the Internet?

[Shabana Azizi]

I'm not talking. Oh, yes, you have to. This is dangerous. No, everybody go first. I'm not being vulnerable. I'm picking a crush. That's as weird as your crushes.

[Alona Tal]

A weird crush.

[Mar Mar]

I have right now a hiccup from

[Alona Tal]

how to train your dragon. Whoa, dog.

[Shabana Azizi]

Okay.

[Alona Tal]

Interesting, man.

[Shabana Azizi]

The live action.

[Mar Mar]

The cartoon. Of course.

[Alona Tal]

The cartoon, of course.

[Shabana Azizi]

Sorry.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

And if I say toothless.

[Shabana Azizi]

No, because the dragon from Shrek has, like. She's got a little thing going on. It's like, happening.

[Mar Mar]

She's fabulous. For real. Lana.

[Alona Tal]

I mean, that felt like that opened the door for.

[Mar Mar]

Yeah, that's. That's a wide open. We bust that door.

[Shabana Azizi]

For me, it was Nala from Lion King, which I don't think is weird because she's like. She's moving, like. Yeah. So slinky all the time.

[Mar Mar]

It's crazy.

[Shabana Azizi]

She's always, like, looking. She's always, like, walking away from him and then like, looking back.

[Mar Mar]

Body tea. Like, absolutely.

[Shabana Azizi]

The mom from the Incredibles.

[Mar Mar]

Yep. Yeah.

[Shabana Azizi]

She's elastic.

[Mar Mar]

She's literally elastic.

[Shabana Azizi]

Me, like I said, it's yeah. Those cartoons, they were not for kids.

[Mar Mar]

No, no, no.

[Alona Tal]

I don't even know. I. I always say the same. The bad line from the Lion King. But I've said that like five Lion King, two Kovu.

[Shabana Azizi]

Yeah, yeah. Heard, heard.

[Alona Tal]

Love that I always say that one. So I guess I have to start thinking of some other ones that are kind of crazy.

[Shabana Azizi]

A lot of us have said cartoons too.

[Mar Mar]

They're always cartoons. Yeah. Okay.

[Shabana Azizi]

Do you know who's really hot? Both of the people from Atlantis.

[Alona Tal]

Oh,

[Mar Mar]

my God. Who is that for? My thing is, if I see a guy in a bar that looks like Milo from Atlantis, like, I have like, my friends and I are like, Milo from Atlantis. I gotta talk to him.

[Shabana Azizi]

What is it about men that are blind?

[Alona Tal]

Yeah.

[Mar Mar]

I don't know.

[Alona Tal]

It's cute.

[Shabana Azizi]

It's like they're like.

[Mar Mar]

They like, need help.

[Alona Tal]

I like the chef from Atlantis. He's hot.

[Mar Mar]

Oh, yeah, there he is.

[Alona Tal]

Or is he the doctor? He's the doctor.

[Shabana Azizi]

Do you like the Rock? Cuz that guy almost like the Rock. Like Dwayne the Rock.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

Oh, yeah, of course.

[Alona Tal]

Yeah, I like the Rock.

[Shabana Azizi]

Yeah. Right, right, right.

[Mar Mar]

Another one of my hear me outs is Patty the badding Patty Pimblett or whatever. He's a. He's a British Irish, I think. No, he's from. He's Scouse. He's a Scouser. He's a MMA UFC fighter. And he's so good at what he does and he's funny as hell and he's got this confidence that's so cocky. That just makes him hot. Like, he's so cocky. I don't know.

[Shabana Azizi]

Right?

[Mar Mar]

I love that on a man.

[Alona Tal]

Right?

[Shabana Azizi]

Hood.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

Yeah.

[Mar Mar]

My man, my man, my man. He's also a girl dad. He's got like baby girl twins. What? Yeah.

[Alona Tal]

Yeah.

[Shabana Azizi]

God, learning so much about it.

[Mar Mar]

That's another one of my fear me outs.

[Shabana Azizi]

I'm stoked. All right.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

You had a viral video about loving subbed over dubbed. Mm.

[Shabana Azizi]

Oh, God.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

Can you give us your favorite foreign film or anime?

[Shabana Azizi]

Oh, we can't talk.

[Mar Mar]

Oh, yes, we can.

[Alona Tal]

Yes.

[Shabana Azizi]

Oh, no. Also, I don't want to. No. Hate to dubbing artists. They're incredible.

[Alona Tal]

I sub. There are peace.

[Shabana Azizi]

Dubs are incredible. Like, I wasn't trying to knock that.

[Alona Tal]

No, I'm knocking dubbing. Just read.

[Shabana Azizi]

It was like 40 degrees Celsius.

[Mar Mar]

Can't see.

[Alona Tal]

Then you can listen, then you can dub.

[Shabana Azizi]

Yes. And if you're like doing stuff while you're watching. But I just love to watch. I love to Watch. And I love to. Like, it's. It makes me be more present, you know? Like, it's. I love a subtitle. Oh, my God. I can't believe I'm gonna out myself.

[Mar Mar]

Please.

[Shabana Azizi]

There's this French, French, Japanese cartoon called Miraculous Ladybug. Have you heard of this?

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

That's not crazy.

[Shabana Azizi]

It's so good.

[Mar Mar]

Miraculous Ladybug.

[Shabana Azizi]

And you've watched it, but you can't watch it in English. You can't watch it in English because it's unwatchable in English, but you have to watch it in French.

[Alona Tal]

You've never seen these people? No.

[Shabana Azizi]

It's so good.

[Mar Mar]

Oh, I have seen this. Yeah. I haven't watched it, but I've seen this on the Internet.

[Shabana Azizi]

It starts off as a villain of the week format.

[Mar Mar]

Okay.

[Shabana Azizi]

But then you realize it was never a villain of the week format. There's, like, a bigger overarching villain, and they've fucked with the timeline completely. So the episodes aren't in any order.

[Mar Mar]

Oh, get out.

[Shabana Azizi]

You're seeing it wrong because there's, like, one of the people who plays with time. So you're, like, watching it in the right order. And it's crazy because it's, like, clearly for kids, but me. Me and my friends kind of. It's really. I'm obsessed.

[Mar Mar]

This is what I'm doing this weekend.

[Shabana Azizi]

But I can't watch it in English. I cannot watch it in English. You have to watch it in French and read the subtitles.

[Mar Mar]

Will do.

[Alona Tal]

Hey, I raised you a German movie. That's really good. You should watch Issyen Ossi. It's a boxing movie. It's really fun. Like, rom com. I.

[Kylie Kelce]

Check it out.

[Shabana Azizi]

A boxing rom com.

[Mar Mar]

Boxing rom com. It's Sherman.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

She's rich and from the right side of town, and he's a bad boy from the other side of town.

[Shabana Azizi]

Okay. Yeah, fine.

[Alona Tal]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, Great. Love it.

[Mar Mar]

What is one book you've read from the Pitt library?

[Shabana Azizi]

Okay. The Pitt library is like our wonderful background. It's their library. Oh. It's because they're there every day. All day, every day. And they will sit. They're always. They've got. You know, they'll be in the background reading. And so the library is like their creation. And it's beautiful. They, like, one of them makes bookmarks, like, laminates bookmarks. And, like, everybody's got bookmarks then. And they've got, like. Like somebody's gone and, like, made sections in the, like. It's beautiful. It's like they're. It's so cool.

[Mar Mar]

And they bring books and take books, right?

[Shabana Azizi]

They bring books. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. They're amazing. They donate books. It's like the cutest culture ever. I love our background so much. There's like.

[Mar Mar]

So it's. For them.

[Alona Tal]

It's not like.

[Mar Mar]

Does cast. Is it like, I.

[Shabana Azizi]

No, I wouldn't. I mean, I might, but I wouldn't want to take a book somebody else wanted to read, and I'd take so long to read it because I'm in the background. You know what I mean?

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

Right. I think you can allow yourself to read a book.

[Shabana Azizi]

Yeah, I'll read my own books. I'm reading Amanda Montel right now. I'm reading, like, four books right now, which is, like, always what I do.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

Yeah.

[Shabana Azizi]

I'm reading Bob Mortimer's autobiography.

[Mar Mar]

Okay. What is.

[Shabana Azizi]

It's really good. Bob Mortimer is a comedian from the UK who's just, like, a bit insane. He's on what? I lie to you all the time. And he'll tell stories like, I do my own dentistry with concrete mix that I find. And I just dilute it more than you would for concrete. And he's true. He does that. This guy. His autobiography is amazing.

[Mar Mar]

What a British thing to say about.

[Shabana Azizi]

Isn't that such a British thing?

[Mar Mar]

Is there one book that you would recommend all people read?

[Shabana Azizi]

Oh, I love Ted Shang. I don't know if you know Ted Shang. Do you know Arrival, the book that's based on one of his short stories? It's really good. That's my recommendation. It's a short story. It's really easy to read. It's gorgeous.

[Mar Mar]

I love that.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

Brilliant.

[Mar Mar]

Okay.

[Shabana Azizi]

Yeah. He's like a chemist or a pharmacist or something. And then he writes. Every few years, he'll release something, win all the awards, and then go back to his life. And it's like the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.

[Mar Mar]

I love it. I love little chore wheel.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

All right, now that you're part of the family, you've gotta help out with chores around the house. You'll be given a chore or. Yeah, you'll pick a chore and then be given a correspondent challenge.

[Shabana Azizi]

Okay, great.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

So there is laundry, dishes, vacuuming and sweeping.

[Shabana Azizi]

Does the vacuum cleaner. Is it a cordless vacuum cleaner? Yes, of course I'll do the cordless vacuum cleaner. Yes.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

Okay.

[Mar Mar]

It's a cordless vacuum cleaner.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

If Victoria hooked up with someone in the pit other than Mateo, who would it be?

[Alona Tal]

She's so young, though, too.

[Mar Mar]

She's the youngest person Wow.

[Alona Tal]

I thought the way she approached Mateo, I was like, that was bold.

[Shabana Azizi]

She's brave.

[Alona Tal]

I love. I was like, wow. You know, I gotta be more like her.

[Shabana Azizi]

This question is. This question is. I am aware of the Internet.

[Alona Tal]

Oh, who do they want her with?

[Shabana Azizi]

They want her with McKay.

[Alona Tal]

Do they? The mother.

[Mar Mar]

Right.

[Shabana Azizi]

Yeah.

[Mar Mar]

Right.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

What's this?

[Mar Mar]

Is she a.

[Alona Tal]

She's bangs. She got. She got some bangs in that first. In the first season.

[Mar Mar]

Bangs.

[Alona Tal]

Bangs they wanted with McKay. Interesting. They've been fan edits, I assume.

[Shabana Azizi]

Yeah. People send me things.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

I do watch the fan edits. I don't. I can't. The show makes me go crazy with. I'm like, I have that. But the fan go hard.

[Alona Tal]

There's some hottie ambulance EMTs that come in, though. I'll tell you what. Oh, yeah, you guys found some hot actors for that, too.

[Shabana Azizi]

That's costing. Shout out to Costa.

[Alona Tal]

Yeah. Help me with them.

[Shabana Azizi]

You know, I would say. I think. My answer is that I. I think Santa, I love. Like, they're so, like, you know, that. That being able to needle somebody, I feel like she's gonna get. Make. Like she's gonna get comfy with herself and bite back and that. You sort of see a bit of that in season two, and I'm excited to see that relationship unfold. And then if. And then it would be like. Like Santos, Whitaker and me hanging out in the same house. You know, that would be fun. Oh, my gosh. I'd want to hang out with Garen and Issa.

[Alona Tal]

I love that.

[Shabana Azizi]

It's my answer.

[Alona Tal]

Beautiful. Beautiful.

[Mar Mar]

All right, laundry, dishes, or sweeping?

[Shabana Azizi]

Laundry. I already vacuumed. I wouldn't sweep after I vacuumed.

[Mar Mar]

Yeah, smart. That.

[Shabana Azizi]

Wasted everybody's time.

[Mar Mar]

Tell us the last three things you Googled. Cameras. It's not on you.

[Shabana Azizi]

What are the last three things? Like, it's gonna be something horrific. Oh, I can't out. It's Garen's restaurant. It's Gerrin's restaurant of choice. Cause we met up there last night, so. I'm not saying that.

[Mar Mar]

Okay.

[Shabana Azizi]

I don't know why I've googled power ballad.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

Oh, you know.

[Mar Mar]

Okay.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

Real.

[Shabana Azizi]

I can't imagine why I've done that. And then. Oh, I'm not saying that. And then. Just a cute celebrity.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

Yeah.

[Shabana Azizi]

Okay. Keep your secret. Not secret.

[Mar Mar]

Queen.

[Shabana Azizi]

A mutual friend. Yeah.

[Mar Mar]

Well, that's good. All right, well, thank you for helping out around the house.

[Shabana Azizi]

Wait, what did you guys Google? I'm. That's crazy.

[Alona Tal]

No, no, this is you.

[Mar Mar]

This is you.

[Shabana Azizi]

You're in the hospital asking, what's the weirdest thing you've googled ever?

[Alona Tal]

I constantly am googling random things.

[Mar Mar]

I've always got things I always like.

[Alona Tal]

What does that mean?

[Mar Mar]

There's always something on the brain.

[Alona Tal]

Look that person up for me.

[Mar Mar]

I write something and then I'm like, that word doesn't look right. Does that actually mean what I think it means? I know. How do you and I Google the word?

[Shabana Azizi]

I'm like, yeah, duh, I knew what it meant.

[Mar Mar]

Yeah.

[Shabana Azizi]

Like, I don't know how to spell necessary and I'll never learn.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

Me with one collar, two sleeves.

[Shabana Azizi]

How many ahs?

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

Oh, don't. I. I can't help with that one. One collar, two sleeves, N, E, C,

[Shabana Azizi]

N, E, S. Yeah, that. No nec. And then there's a or E. Like, that's what gets me. It's all with letters.

[Alona Tal]

Right, right, right.

[Shabana Azizi]

I hate that word.

[Mar Mar]

I hate that word.

[Shabana Azizi]

Yeah. Anyway, I love it.

[Mar Mar]

Well, thank you so much for coming over.

[Shabana Azizi]

Thank you for having me. It was so nice to be your sister for a bit.

[Mar Mar]

Fourth of Our Sister. Watch the Pit on HBO and follow Shabana on IG Habanaazine. Aziza.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

Underscore, underscore.

[Alona Tal]

We put that underscore there.

[Shabana Azizi]

I did put that underscore there. Somebody's taken it already.

[Alona Tal]

There's another Shabana Aziz.

[Shabana Azizi]

There's another one. Isn't that cool?

[Mar Mar]

Who are you?

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

That's messed up.

[Alona Tal]

Aziz. Too official.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

Well, thanks so much for coming over to the House of Mar or Wave Original.

[Alona Tal]

Be sure to watch subscribe on YouTube and listen wherever you get your podcasts.

[Mar Mar]

Plus, follow the show on the social media at House of Mar for clips and behind the scenes content subs over dubs, people.

[Kylie Kelce]

Bye.

[Shabana Azizi]

Thank you, darling.