Zach Gilford Meets World

Summary

Pod Meets World: Zach Gilford Meets World

Podcast: Pod Meets World
Host(s): Danielle Fishel, Rider Strong, Will Friedle
Guest: Zach Gilford
Date: October 6, 2025

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Episode Overview

In this lively and heartfelt episode, Danielle, Rider, and Will welcome Zach Gilford—best known as Matt Saracen from Friday Night Lights—to discuss the unique legacy of cult classic television shows, compare their experiences on Boy Meets World and Friday Night Lights, and share personal stories from on and off screen. The conversation weaves through Zach’s career journey, the evolution of his cult hit series, improvisation on set, fan interactions, directing, and adventures in the great outdoors. The tone is candid, friendly, and laced with humor.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Cult TV Legacies & Typecasting

[16:34]–[19:10]

• Danielle highlights the power and endurance of “cult classics,” referencing both Boy Meets World and Friday Night Lights.
• Zach acknowledges that, like the Pod Meets World hosts with their iconic roles, he’s forever tied to Matt Saracen, though fans sometimes misremember the name.
  • Quote:
    “It'll probably say like Sorensen or something. ... They're like ‘Matt Scarrison.’ And I'm like, close enough.” – Zach ([19:10])

2. Getting the Role of Matt Saracen: Serendipity and Auditions

[20:46]–[26:46]

• Zach shares that his passion for acting sparked after seeing Bruce Willis in Die Hard 2.
• He describes a chaotic, luck-tinged audition process: originally reading for another role, being the backup option, and ultimately getting cast because the first-choice actor was unavailable.
  • Quote:
    “I was the person who had tested against him, and just by default ... last man standing and got the job and just did my best.” – Zach ([22:29])

3. The “Murder” Storyline & Adapting to Network Choices

[28:41]–[30:55]

• The infamous season two murder subplot is dissected. The group laughs about the show’s abrupt plot shifts and how TV writers can conveniently ignore past storylines.
  • Quote:
    “One of the beauties of TV is you can just pretend things didn’t happen.” – Zach ([30:22])
  • Cast often riffed on this in later episodes, joking in-character about the murder as if it was nothing.

4. Understated Acting & Improv on Set

[31:27]–[34:50]

• Zach credits the subtle nature of his acting (and the show’s tone) to a reticence to overact, learning from co-stars, and directors who encouraged minimalism.
• He shares that many scenes were cut down from verbose monologues to simple, authentic exchanges, sometimes proactively telling writers, “I don't need to be in this scene.”
  • Quote:
    "So far you've said there's too many lines. I don't need to be in this scene. ... No actor's bingo card ever." – Rider ([34:42])

5. Improv Across Different Sets

[35:55]–[38:40]

• Friday Night Lights was a haven for improvisation; Zach acknowledges not all TV sets are open to this.
• He tells stories of working with Aaron Sorkin and others who value script-perfect delivery.

6. Perpetual “On-the-Bubble” Cancellation Anxiety

[38:59]–[40:53]

• Both Boy Meets World and Friday Night Lights cast lived in constant fear of cancellation, fueling camaraderie.
• Zach details how the show was literally canceled twice and saved by creative fan campaigns.

7. Fandom and Fan Conventions

[40:53]–[41:24]

• Zach has mostly met fans serendipitously but shares stories about conventions, his first one forthcoming, and playfully calling himself “Football Boy.”

8. Chemistry with Jesse Plemons and Other Castmates

[41:34]–[44:42]

• Zach discusses his enduring friendship with co-star Jesse Plemons, their improvisational rapport, and working with other cast members, like Kyle Chandler and Scott Porter.
  • Quote:
    “We were just like super close, super fast friends. ... He could just say the randomest things, but they were so within character.” – Zach ([43:04])

9. Mike Flanagan Projects and Directing

[51:51]–[55:08]

• Zach shares insights into working with director Mike Flanagan, emphasizing trust, preparation, and collaboration on horror projects like Midnight Mass and The Fall of the House of Usher.
  • He recounts learning to respect the expertise of everyone on set, especially camera operators:
    Quote:
    “...the cameramen are just like the unsung hero set ... you're doing this dance with them and figuring out...how to go at a pace where like they can keep up with you.” – Zach ([56:23])

10. Directing on Criminal Minds: Collaborating & Leadership

[59:01]–[60:55]

• Zach discusses his first professional directing experience and fostering a collaborative environment.
• He enjoys giving other creatives room to lead and values consensus.
  • Quote:
    “My favorite part of directing is when someone comes up to you, like, ‘okay, do you want the blue or the purple napkin?’ I really don’t give a—what do you like?” – Zach ([60:33])

11. Playing a Serial Killer: Enjoying the Switch

[61:06]–[63:20]

• The hosts ask about the transition to playing a villain on Criminal Minds. Zach relishes the chance to play “the bad guy,” appreciating the tension of viewers knowing the truth about his character when others don’t.

12. Raising Kids, Acting, and Outdoor Adventures

[63:20]–[76:50]

• Lighthearted discussion of parenting challenges, including fears of kids becoming actors.
• Zach and Rider bond over outdoorsmanship, camping, and wild jobs as camp counselors—with tales about helicopter rescues, bear encounters, and helping through awkward teenage moments (e.g., explaining tampon use to campers).
  • Memorable Story:
    Zach's wildest camp counseling day involving a bear encounter, helicopter rescue, and makeshift crisis response. ([72:11]–[74:57])

13. The “Strainus” Saga & Sign-Off

[76:50]–[81:54]

• Hilarious banter about strange outdoor ailments (“stranus”), which becomes a running joke to end the show on a playful, irreverent note.

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Notable Quotes & Moments (selected; with timestamps)

• On forever being Saracen:
  “Have you accepted that the first line of your obituary will probably say Saracen?” – Danielle ([19:04])
• On TV plot holes:
  “One of the beauties of TV is you can just pretend things didn’t happen.” – Zach ([30:22])
• On underacting:
  “I think I'm very scared to do anything over the top ever.” – Zach ([31:27])
• On ensemble trust:
  “That deck was so respected and given agency to do their job and not be micromanaged… everyone's thumbprint is on it.” – Zach ([58:27])
• On parenting and acting:
  “I hope not. ... I mean, you guys, how old were y’all when you did the show? ... You’ve all turned out like normal humans.” – Zach ([63:31])
• On outdoors mishaps:
  “[Bear encounter story:] I had to just stand there with these kids with pocket knives out, as if those were going to do anything. ... I could feel its breath on me.” – Zach ([74:04])

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Important Timestamps

| Segment | Timestamp | |-----------------------------------------------------|----------------| | Introductions, transition to main interview | [16:34] | | Zach’s casting story and early career | [20:46] | | The “Football Boy” auditions story | [24:11]–[26:39]| | Handling odd TV storylines; FNL’s murder subplot | [28:41]–[30:55]| | Subtle acting & approach to dialogue | [31:27]–[34:50]| | Improv vs. strict scripts on various sets | [35:55]–[38:40]| | Cancellation anxiety, fan campaigns | [38:59]–[40:53]| | Onscreen chemistry with Jesse Plemons | [41:48]–[44:42]| | Mike Flanagan projects, one-shot sequences | [51:51]–[55:47]| | Directing and collaborative leadership | [59:01]–[60:55]| | Transition to villain roles | [61:06]–[63:20]| | Parenting, acting legacies, and outdoors tales | [63:20]–[76:50]| | Closing jokes, “stranus,” and goodbyes | [76:50]–[81:54]|

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Episode Highlights & Takeaways

• Mutual Respect: The camaraderie among all involved is palpable; both Boy Meets World and Friday Night Lights benefited from ensemble spirit, mutual respect, and creative collaboration.
• Luck, Preparation, and Persistence: Zach’s acting journey is a testament to serendipity meeting readiness, as well as embracing opportunities, even when you’re not the first pick.
• Improvisation and Realism: Both as actors and directors, trusting the authenticity of moments—parsimony in dialogue, improvisation, and background details—can lead to lasting impact and realism.
• Navigating TV Uncertainties: The shared experience of being in shows that survived despite network instability or lack of instant mainstream success offers hope to creators and fans of underdog series.
• Human Side of Hollywood: Zach’s stories, whether about infamous on-screen moments or wrangling teenagers in the wilderness, always come back to humor, humility, and the unpredictability of both showbiz and life.

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Final Thought:
This episode is a warm, funny, and insightful conversation about the magic of cult TV, the realities and absurdities of Hollywood, and the power of friendship and authenticity—both on set and in the woods.
“You live life. You have experiences.” – Zach Gilford ([75:51])

Transcript

[Danielle Fishel]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Ryan Seacrest]

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[Danielle Fishel]

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[Ryder Strong]

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[Gilead HIV Prep Announcer]

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[Zach Gilford]

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[Ryder Strong]

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[Zach Gilford]

Fascinating.

[Ryder Strong]

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[Zach Gilford]

Cut the camera. They see us.

[Ryder Strong]

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[Danielle Fishel]

My. One of my children bit another kid at school.

[Ryder Strong]

Are you serious? So as, as somebody who loves your kids, what did the other kid do to deserve it? Is my question.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh my gosh. I'm telling you, I. So about a year ago we went to this little play place in the mall and Adler and Keaton were running around. One of the reasons we love this play place is that the, it's perfectly enclosed, the kids are totally safe in there and everything's padded and it's like you can really like take off their leash, run them, let them run in there. You don't even have to put a helmet on them, they're fine. And then on the outside are all these tables and you can just sit there and work or drink your coffee or eat your lunch or whatever you want. And so we had let the kids go and run around and then all of a sudden Adler comes flying around the corner with another kid chasing after him. And Adler's like screaming bloody murder. And it's a different kind of scream, you know, playing screaming, which is still annoying but like, okay, I can tell you're playing. Adler was like scared and there was a three year old running after him. And as Adler came flying around the corner, he like tripped and fell and the kid jumped on top of him and picked up Adler's arm and bit it like a piece of corn on the cob.

[Zach Gilford]

Oh my God.

[Ryder Strong]

So first he pounced and then he bit.

[Danielle Fishel]

And I don't, I don't see the bite because it's on the floor. But I had seen the coming around the corner and the, the like hysterics. So I had already jumped up and was walking over there and when I arrived there was another mom who's not the mom of the biter, a different, a different parent who says he bit him. And as she's saying this, Adler's holding up his arm and I see teeth marks in his arm and no broken skin. No broken skin, just. But definite teeth marks in the arm. And I look down and I go, I look at the kid who bit and I go, oh my God. Just a total like, just an. I did not even have time to think of it. Just natural reaction. The mom, who's not the mom of the biter goes, okay, no need to shame the child. Oh God. And first of all, I'm a little, like, maybe there is a little bit.

[Zach Gilford]

Of a reason, but.

[Danielle Fishel]

Okay, I, I, I understand that kids don't fully. They're not well developed. So this kid, this is how he's gonna learn not to bite. I shouldn't shame. But also, like, just me saying, oh, my God. Didn't really feel super shaming, but sure, whatever. Anyway, I'm like, okay, well, can you just give me a second to process what just happened? My kid just got bit. So I'm like, of course I pick up Adler. I'm like, are you okay? And he's like, he bit me. This is all this hysterics. The family ends up coming over and saying, you know, we're really sorry. This is. He's in a new school we're visiting. He's from the East Coast. The summit at school is a biter. And he's learning it from Blame it.

[Ryder Strong]

On the People from East coast because, like, we didn't connect, probably. Yikes. He's from the East Coast. Sorry we had to wait for a horse and buggy to get here. Yeah, what a weird excuse.

[Danielle Fishel]

I think they were just letting us know he doesn't live here. Like, we're not from here. And so.

[Ryder Strong]

And please don't sue us, Topanga.

[Zach Gilford]

Yes.

[Ryder Strong]

Don't sue us.

[Danielle Fishel]

Long story short, they just leave with the kid, which was the right thing to do. Get your kid out of here.

[Ryder Strong]

Take Bitey McGee away.

[Danielle Fishel]

Just you go handle him. Don't leave me to shame him. So they leave it now. It was so traumatizing for Adler. There were a few, like, a few weeks after that where sometimes as he was falling asleep, he'd be like, do you remember that time that that kid bit me? That was really scary. I didn't like that. And I was like, I know. So we made a big deal. It was a big deal. Like, oh, yeah, you. We just know, no matter what, you do not bite. So yesterday.

[Ryder Strong]

Oh, God.

[Danielle Fishel]

Jensen gets a phone call from Keaton's school. Keaton bit a friend. It was a nameless friend at the time. And broke skin.

[Ryder Strong]

Oh, geez. He went all in.

[Danielle Fishel]

We were like, what happened? Apparently they were pretending. And Keaton was a spider. And he in the pretend play, he was in character.

[Ryder Strong]

He was committed. He was method.

[Zach Gilford]

Yeah, exactly.

[Danielle Fishel]

His friend. So hard, he broke skin. Apparently there was no anger. There was no malice. It was, it was pretend play. The friend, although hurt immediately after, was okay. And they were friends. Come to find out then, because they don't tell you who Who? Whenever. Some. Whenever your kid gets hurt or your kid hurts another person. Hipaa. I'm gonna call it HIPAA rules. They don't tell you another friend. Exactly. One friend with a friend. These friends are still friends, but. So this morning I have to talk to Keaton about it. And I say, so who. You know, who did you bite? And he goes, I don't want to tell you. And I was like, who is it? Turns out it's his best friend, our very good friends, Michelle and Poria's son, who you guys know because they came with us to Vegas and so we made Keanu Card. I had to have a very long conversation with Keaton about how absolutely, incredibly serious biting is.

[Zach Gilford]

Yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

That even if it's make believe, there's no reason to bite. It's very, very. And I reminded him, I was like, don't you remember when that kid tackled your brother in that play place and bit him on the arm? It was like traumatizing. And Keaton had this whole thing. But I was a spider. But I had to. It was like, no, never, ever. Okay. Pinky promised me you'll never bite anyone again. So anyway, I'm. I just dealing with that. In one year, I went from shaming a child for biting to being the mother of a biter.

[Zach Gilford]

Okay.

[Ryder Strong]

I have a serious question though.

[Danielle Fishel]

Okay.

[Ryder Strong]

Are either Adler or Keaton. Do they have a sudden aversion to sunlight or garlic? At this point, I'm just some basic questions.

[Danielle Fishel]

Right. You know what? You're not wrong to ask.

[Ryder Strong]

Especially walking around with popped collars. Yeah, exactly.

[Danielle Fishel]

Sleeping all the time.

[Ryder Strong]

They want to move to Seattle.

[Danielle Fishel]

They're so pale. They're glittery.

[Ryder Strong]

Exactly. Also, you mentioned something that was a little triggering for me.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, no.

[Ryder Strong]

I'm going to be totally honest with you.

[Danielle Fishel]

Okay.

[Ryder Strong]

I don't know if I've ever told either you or Ryder this, because it is something from my past that I try to keep to myself.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, my gosh.

[Ryder Strong]

But I was a leash child. Wait, wait, wait a minute. Your parents put a leash on you?

[Zach Gilford]

I was leash.

[Ryder Strong]

Was it a body harness or was it actually around your neck? No, exactly. It was the body harness 70s leash thing. I didn't even know those were around in the 70s. I don't remember that started in the 70s. I don'T think they're either. Are they even allowed anymore?

[Zach Gilford]

Can you leash?

[Ryder Strong]

It was like in the 90s at Disneyland.

[Danielle Fishel]

I was gonna say they're all over Disneyland.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah, Yeah, I will. Friedle was a leash child.

[Danielle Fishel]

Wow. So were you because you were a sprinter, you were a darter.

[Zach Gilford]

I don't know.

[Ryder Strong]

I don't know what it was. I think it was just by the third kid, just easier to leash the kid up, tie me to a tree so I could hand me a pack of smokes and call it a day. Oh, fuck. So you know I was a leash kid.

[Zach Gilford]

Yeah. That's amazing.

[Ryder Strong]

So when you said the leash, like take off the leash, put on the helmet, that was. I didn't have a helmet, but. Cause no one wore helmets in the the 70s for anybody.

[Danielle Fishel]

Of course not.

[Ryder Strong]

You know, it's like, hey, throw the kid in the back of a motorcycle, we're fine. But no, I was a leash child.

[Zach Gilford]

Yeah. Wow.

[Ryder Strong]

Indy had a friend who would just run. Like, just didn't have, like, a dog, did not have that, like, radar to stay near his parents. Like, he would just disappear. So they. They had to start writing their phone number on his arm, you know, just in case he, like, went across.

[Danielle Fishel]

What about a dog tag? What about a dog tag necklace?

[Ryder Strong]

Who sponsors us? Don't we have an air tag sponsor, somebody like that?

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah, yeah, we sure do.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Yeah. If your.

[Ryder Strong]

If your child runs away on Pod Meets World.

[Danielle Fishel]

Wow, that's so funny. Welcome to Pod Meets World. I'm Danielle Fishel.

[Ryder Strong]

I'm Ryder Strong. And I'm Will Friedle. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. October 10th is World Mental Health Day. And this year we're doing something a little different. Shining the spotlight on therapists. The people who sit with us, listen and help us figure things out. Cause sometimes we bring them a lot. Yes. Thank you, therapists. I will never forget when a therapist helped me realize I didn't have to handle everything alone. Therapy was crucial in my journey to controlling anxiety. Just having that space, to be honest, really changed my perspective. Even if you haven't tried therapy, talking to someone can make a huge difference when something's weighing on you. And BetterHelp has been connecting people with quality therapists for over a decade. They've got more than 30,000 licensed professionals, and they take the guesswork out of finding the right one for you. After a quick questionnaire, they match you with someone who fits your needs. And if it's not the right fit, you can easily switch this World Mental Health Day. Let's celebrate the therapists who've helped millions. If you're ready to find the right therapist for you, BetterHelp can help you start that journey. Our listeners get 10% off their first month at betterhelp.com meets world that's better. H-E-L-P.com meets world.

[Danielle Fishel]

Anyone else ever get that nagging feeling your dog is bored? Like, my brunchie just stares at me sometimes with that really again look, and I instantly feel guilty.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah, same here. Sammy has mastered the art of the disappointed sigh. Like she has bills. So mealtime needs to be more than just a pit stop. It needs to be an event.

[Danielle Fishel]

That's why we're obsessed with Nom Nom. They make gently cooked recipes that actually engage your pup's senses. We're talking tantalizing smells, textures, and vibrant ingredients.

[Ryder Strong]

And Nom Nom offers six delicious and unique recipes. Pork Potluck, Chicken Cuisine, Turkey Fare, Beef Mash, Lamb Pilaf, and Turkey and Chicken Cookout.

[Danielle Fishel]

These recipes are crafted by vet nutritionists with premium proteins and vibrant veggies cooked in small batches to lock in nutrients. Meat looks like meat. Veggies look like veggies. So I feel good knowing it's designed with my dog's health and happiness in mind.

[Ryder Strong]

You can serve Nom Nom as your dog's complete meal or as a topper to spice up their current diet. Because, honestly, would you want to eat the same thing every single day?

[Danielle Fishel]

No, thanks. And look, our dog is our little prince, which is why I'm committed to giving him the best. I serve Nom Nom, and you should, too.

[Ryder Strong]

Keep mealtime exciting with Nom Nom. Available at your local Pet Smart store or at Chewy.

[Danielle Fishel]

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[Ryan Seacrest]

Hey, it's Ryan Seacrest for Albertsons and Safeway. Spooky season is quickly approaching, so time to stock up on all your favorite treats now through October 7th. You can get early savings on your Halloween candy favorites when you shop in store and online. Save on items like Hershey's, Reese's Pumpkins, Snickers Miniatures, Tootsie Rolls, Raw sugar, Milk Chocolate, Caramel, Jack O Lanterns, Brock's Candy Corn Charms, Mini Pops and more. Offer ends October 7th. Restrictions apply. Offers may vary. Visit albertsons or safeway.com for more details.

[Gilead HIV Prep Announcer]

Honestly, Honestly, honestly, no one wants to think about hiv, but there are things that everyone can do to help prevent it. Things like prep. PREP stands for Pre Exposure Prophylaxis, and it means routinely taking prescription medicine before you're exposed to HIV to help reduce your chances of getting it. Prep can be about 99% effective when taken as prescribed. It doesn't protect against other STIs, though, so be sure to use condoms and other healthy sex practices. Ask a healthcare provider about all your prevention Options and visit findoutaboutprep.com to learn more. Sponsored by Gilead.

[Danielle Fishel]

Over the years, there's been a certain type of television show that emerges from the depths of low Nielsen ratings. This isn't the Friends or Cheers or Seinfelds of its day. It's the cult classic, the one that may not have received the kudos and awards during its initial run, but over time, decades later, it somehow survived and outlasted its peers. Shows like Freaks and Geeks Get a Life, the Dana Carvey show, Boy Meets World, and the show we will be talking about today. Because our guest is none other than the beloved QB2 from a little show called Friday Night Lights. Much like Topanga, Sean or Eric, he'll always be known as Matt Saracen, the scrawny kid who was thrust into the Texas football spotlight when the star player went down with a career ending injury during the season opener. And somehow that was his first real job in Hollywood. He has since gone on to appear in dozens of TV shows, including Good Girls and his current run as a serial killer on Criminal Minds. And he's part of the Mike Flanagan Netflix Cinematic Universe, starring in the Great Midnight Mass and appearing in the Fall of the House of Usher and the Midnight Club. But he's here with us today to talk about what it's like to be part of a show that will just never go away. Despite the fact that it was always on the bubble of cancellation, we have a similar best case scenario in our lives. And we wanted to see what he thought. Now approaching Friday Night Lights 20th anniversary. So welcome to Pod Meets World. Ready to throw a perfect spiral to our hearts. It's Zach Guilford. Zach.

[Zach Gilford]

You guys are. You guys are so professional with your setups. I got this stupid death going.

[Danielle Fishel]

Is that a bunch of booze in the top left?

[Zach Gilford]

Don't worry about what's in the top left.

[Danielle Fishel]

Come on, it's 9:20.

[Ryder Strong]

It's, you know, time for some breakfast gin.

[Zach Gilford]

I'm not using it. It's just there for.

[Danielle Fishel]

Zach. Thank you so much for hanging out with us. We have been trying to get you on the podcast for a while because we often talk about modern day equivalents to Boy Meets World and the best example we can come up with is Friday Night Lights.

[Zach Gilford]

I. Well, that's way too kind. Cause I mean, y' all show is like iconic to me and people don't even know my character name, so.

[Danielle Fishel]

No, that's not true, actually. Have you accepted that the first line of your obituary will probably say Saracen?

[Zach Gilford]

It'll probably say like Sorensen or something. No, it's like you always put. They're like Matt Scarrison. And I'm like, close enough.

[Ryder Strong]

No, we still get like Boys Meets Boys Meet World and they can't get the title right. And we're like, it's fine, it's close. That's like. Yeah, I was on the Topanga show.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, well, next year is going to mark the 20th anniversary since the premiere. Fifteen years since it went off the air. How often does Friday Night Lights still come up for you?

[Zach Gilford]

I mean, all the time. Sorry, I have like Fidget toys. I can't sit still.

[Danielle Fishel]

That's okay.

[Zach Gilford]

It comes up a lot. I mean, it's great. It's. I mean, as you guys know, it's so cool to be associated with something that holds such a special part and yeah, people's lives. And I think as actors, you're lucky to have one project that really kind of strikes with people. And I think for me, I always feel kind of like, because I play make believe for a living, to have people validate that for me, something good. It's really nice because I love your make believe. You're so good at Making believe. I'm like, don't talk to my kids about it. They're like, pretend you're a tiger. And you said, oh, my God, you're so cute. I'm like, oh, my God, you're so cute.

[Ryder Strong]

Let's try that again. Let's try that again.

[Zach Gilford]

I don't know. Commitment.

[Danielle Fishel]

I know that you grew up near Chicago. You're not a Hollywood kid at all. So how did you get into acting?

[Zach Gilford]

I mean, I got into it. I mean, my stuff, my story.

[Danielle Fishel]

Your origin. Tell me your origin story.

[Zach Gilford]

I remember I saw Die Hard 2 and Bruce Willis was hanging off the wing of a plane. And I just thought, that looks so cool. I want to do that. And I realized the only way I'll ever do that is if I'm an actor and I make believe to hang off the wing of a plane, then I just. I want to be an actor. And my parents were very supportive, and they were like, well, if you want to be an actor, you got to go to Northwestern. I grew up around Chicago.

[Danielle Fishel]

Sure.

[Ryder Strong]

Bill and Bonnie, I think, went to Northwestern.

[Zach Gilford]

Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

Bill Daniels and Bonnie, I think, went to Northwestern.

[Zach Gilford]

Oh, okay. There you go. Yeah. Pretty sure that's where they met. They brainwashed people into thinking it's one of the top acting schools. So I was brainwashed early that I had to go there. And everyone was surprised. I got in. Me more than anyone. And I went there and, you know, just took classes, did a bunch of plays. And then I just got very, very, very lucky early in my career. And not just lucky, like preparation meets opportunity, but, like, they didn't even want me for the show. They wanted someone else, and they couldn't work out the dates with him. This kid was, like, already pre booked on a Disney TV movie that was shooting in New Zealand. And I guess his manager had, you know, just kept telling NBC, we can work out the dates. We can work out the dates. And they kept trying, and they finally were like, we shoot this show in, like, four days. And they didn't have time to cast anyone else. And I was the person who had tested against him, and just by default, because Peteberg wanted this kid. And Linda Lowey, the casting director, was like, well, you need to have someone else there. He's like, I don't need anyone else there. That's who I want. And they're like, well, just bring someone else in. He's like, why? And Linda was like, well, what about Zach? He was good. He was like, I don't care. Bring it. Sorry. He was like, I Don't care. Bring whoever you want. And then I was last man standing and got the job and just did my best.

[Danielle Fishel]

Wow.

[Ryder Strong]

I'm sorry, I have. Why, why did you start with Die Hard 2?

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah. Not even one, just two.

[Zach Gilford]

I didn't want to walk across broken glass.

[Ryder Strong]

Okay, fair enough.

[Zach Gilford]

You know, gotcha. On the wing plane. I don't know, I just remember that being the moment when I was like, that seems fun. Yeah, I want to do that. And I guess this is the only way it's going to happen.

[Danielle Fishel]

So you did that one test where you tested opposite the guy they really wanted die to know who it is. The first choice.

[Zach Gilford]

Yeah. No, I actually. I had auditioned originally for Taylor Kitchen's role for Riggins while I was in New York, and it was like a month later because that was before the holidays. Then it was January and I was in LA for my first pilot season and my manager was like, they want to see you again for Friday Lights. I said, oh, great. When he said, this afternoon, I was like, I literally just drove into la. I'm not even into the place I'm staying at. So I went, I printed. I was like, I think I have the sides in my email somewhere. And I went to Starbucks and like hand wrote the sides out. Remember these? And I go in, I talk to Linda Loewy and she's like, okay, great, you ready to read? I said, yeah, let's go. And she said, you're reading for Matt, right? I was like, what? I thought I was reading for Tim. She's like, oh, no, I wanted to see you for Matt. And I said, oh, well, can I just look at it real quick? Like five minutes, you can see someone else. And then she said, don't, don't worry about it. And I said, no, no, I'm very worried. I would love to do this. Look, I'll do cold read. Just give it to me. Like, I'll go. And she was like, no, no, I'm sure you'll be fine. I'll bring you in for Producers next week. And I was like, okay. So there was like many roles, roles, rounds of, you know, going in my first time when I was supposed to go in for Producers, Pete Berg came store like, I was like, next. I was in the on deck chair, sitting by the door to go in. And he like stormed out on the phone and got in the elevator and the casting director came out and said, sorry, he just need to take a phone call, he'll be back in a minute. I was like, okay. I mean, I Got nowhere to be. And so then he came back in and there's this kid who I'm convinced, just for the lore of the story, was the kid that he wanted. And it was this. I call him Football Boy because he was literally holding a football for the audition, bro. Like, what a nerd.

[Ryder Strong]

Trying too hard.

[Zach Gilford]

Trying hard.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah, yeah.

[Zach Gilford]

And of course, Pete Burgos. Who are you? He's like, I'm. I don't even remember his name.

[Ryder Strong]

Football Guy.

[Zach Gilford]

Yeah. He's like, I'm Football Boy. And he's like, I want to see Football Boy. And the casting director is like, well, it's Zach's up. We can see Football Boy next. He's like, no, I want to see Football Boy. They're like, okay, Zach, do you mind? I'm like, I don't mind. Sure, go ahead. Have fun. Right. So Football Boy goes in.

[Ryder Strong]

Go for it, Brad.

[Zach Gilford]

Yeah, Football Boy comes out and then Pete Bird comes out again and gets the elevator and leaves again.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, my gosh.

[Zach Gilford]

It comes out again and says, I'm so sorry Pete had to leave reading the other producers. And of course you're like, no, I don't mind reading for the producer. So I go in, I read, and then, like, we're going to bring you back for Pete. And then, oh, gosh, I came back for Pete. And then I tested for the studio and got to go to the network. And the super fun thing about Pete Berg and the way we did that show is he likes to improv a lot. So I go in for my network task, which is at that point in time, it was the version where you go into a room and there's all these execs sitting on, like, window sills and, like, desks and, like, in one office. And he's like, all right, I'm going to read with you. Like, okay. And he gives me the first line of the scene, which is with my grandma, and I give him the second, and then he just starts making up.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, my gosh.

[Zach Gilford]

I was just like, in my head, I was like, I guess I'll just go with it. And he did that to everyone. I think part of it was that's the way he likes to work on set. So he wanted to see, yeah, sure could do it. So, you know, eventually, blah, blah, blah, Football Boy couldn't do it. And so there it was.

[Danielle Fishel]

Unbelievable.

[Ryder Strong]

You were great, but you weren't holding the football. Next.

[Zach Gilford]

I know. And I brought a prop.

[Danielle Fishel]

I have no imagination.

[Zach Gilford]

I brought a prop to every audition. Sin. Am I a chef? Here's my knife. Here's my knife.

[Danielle Fishel]

Now, had you read the book or seen the documentary before you read the pilot?

[Zach Gilford]

Both. Yeah, I'd seen the movie and I loved it. And I actually had read the book because I loved the movie so much and I'm a pretty avid reader. And Pete said, which is really cool, that when he was making the movie, he realized it needed to be a TV show because he said, you know, I have 90 minutes to tell one story. It's the story of the season of this team, and the movie was based on a true story, so you have to tell that. But he was like, I want to know the story about this car salesman. Or, you know, Connie Britton's. She was the coach's wife in the movie and they wanted her to do the show. And she said no several times because she just said, pete, I wasn't in the movie. Like, my role was on the cutting room floor. And he just had to convince her and say, no, no, no, the show is gonna be. It's not about football. Which became kind of like the big thing with the show.

[Danielle Fishel]

Right.

[Zach Gilford]

And, you know, obviously she went on to be nominated for Emmys and all this sort of stuff. It was an amazing role. But it is. It's not about football. It's about this town and this culture and these people and how it affects them. And, you know, I last, a couple years ago, for the first time ever, went back and watched some of the show and I was really not surprised, but excited how well it held up. But it really made me realize, man, like, some of the actors on that show, like Adrienne Palicki is just like the unsung hero of that show. I feel like what she brought to this character that's supposed to just be like, you know, the kind of like, not slutty, but like promiscuous, tall, blonde who's not a cheerleader. And how they fleshed out that character. And she just brought so much to it. And then, you know, we had the infamous season two storyline of the murder with Jesse.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, I wanted to get into the murder.

[Zach Gilford]

Oh, yeah. And like, only a future Oscar nominated actor and Adrian could pull off this plot line. Because the whole time I'm watching, I'm like, this storyline is so bad, but they're so good at acting it.

[CauliPower Advertiser]

Yeah.

[Zach Gilford]

Right.

[Danielle Fishel]

So I want to talk to you about the murder. Because they decided it was season two, right. That they decide to bring in the storyline of a murder.

[Zach Gilford]

Well, no, actually it was season one in the finale, they have no. So they do the whole murder.

[Danielle Fishel]

Okay.

[Zach Gilford]

And I remember reading it and talking to Sarah Aubrey, one of our producers, and I wasn't involved in it. I was like, this seems like a bit of a stretch, I know, but we just think. And we just. We really wanted a world where we really linked Tyra and Landry together because we just love those two characters together. And we thought we'd give it a try. And she told me before it premiered, she was like, you're gonna be really happy. We had to cut the murder storyline. Like, it just didn't really fit in the finale. I was like, oh, thank goodness. And then we go back for season two. They're like, but we loved it so much.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, my gosh.

[Zach Gilford]

So this poor guy that they murdered in the finale of season one, not poor guy, he got paid again, but, like, he had to come in and get murdered again.

[Danielle Fishel]

Okay. It was a pretty flawless show up until the point of that storyline. And then it was pretty universally agreed this was not good. And so how did they just move on from that? Like, let's pretend that didn't happen and not mention it again because Fonzie lands.

[Ryder Strong]

The motorcycle after he jumps the shark. That's how you keep going.

[Zach Gilford]

I think it's. It's one of the beauties of TV is you can just pretend things didn't happen.

[Danielle Fishel]

Right, Right.

[Zach Gilford]

And, you know, we. We would always mess around. Like I said, we got to improv a lot. And so often in scenes for the duration of the show, we'd be, you know, shooting some scene in the locker room or something and just out of nowhere be like, oh, hey, hey. Remember when you murdered that guy? That was. That was crazy. I'm glad you got away with it. Who are we playing this week? That's amazing.

[Danielle Fishel]

I want to talk to you about. I want to flatter you a bit because it is true. You play Saracen with such a subtle under. Just a really subtle performance. And you have a lot of layers. When I have worked with young actors who aren't super experienced, the usual go to is they turn it up to 11 and we're always trying to bring people back. How did you just kind of instinctually or how did you know to play so many soft layers and emotions?

[Zach Gilford]

Ah, man, I don't know. I think. I think again, I think I got lucky. I think I'm very scared to do anything over the top ever.

[Danielle Fishel]

Okay, me too.

[Ryder Strong]

Not true, not true.

[Zach Gilford]

So I just try to underplay everything. And you know, after a while, as you guys know so well on tv you know, your character so well. And on the pilot even we got rewrites. You know, at that point they were slid under our hotel room door and it was blue pages, yellow pages, whatever. And I remember going up to Pete Berg and saying, hey, I think can we talk about these rewrites? And he was like, huh? And I was like, I just feel like you gave me too many lines. Like this kid doesn't talk a lot. And like now he's like. And he was like, what are you talking about? It's like the rewrites we got, he goes, don't read those. We're not going to shoot those. Those are just for the studio because they don't understand what's going on. So we have to spell it out. We so often. And I think a lot of this trickled down, obviously from Pete. And then Jeffrey Reiner, who was our producing director, took over and I think really took the baton from Pete really well. But Kyle was great about it. Where you would get these long, page long TV monologues that just really laid pipe and explained everything just to make sure the audience really understood what was going on inside of a character. And KYLO would be like, I'm just gonna say this one sentence. That's it. And they'd be like, you're right. That is all we need. I had this one, I think it was season two. My dad comes back from, you know, Iraq or something. And I just remember being in the. He's like working as a used car salesman. I got on the job and I go up and there's been all this friction and they gave me this whole long thing. And part of one line was like, dad, look at me, I'm a man now. And I was just like, oh, God.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh God, I'm not gonna say that.

[Zach Gilford]

And like, what it boiled down to was, on set, I was just a dad. I got this. And they're like, yeah, that's all we need. That's great. That explains it. So I think we locked down on that. But really, I think a lot of us learned from Kyle just how to like, you know, explain. Not explain, but show what's going on with a character. Not by explaining it right, which, I don't know, it was the tone of the show. I learned so much from it. I think one of my strengths now when I'm working is being able to boil things down, kind of like cut some fat. And I've been really lucky to work with a lot of creators, a lot of writers who are very open to it and Very much know, like, this thing has gone through so many drafts, and you know the character so well, and now we're collaborating with you. So it's. It's always fun for me to see, like, how. How. How few lines can I say to get across? But I have one. One director I worked with several times, and I love him. And he was like, I also do this thing where a lot of times I'll be like, I don't think I need to be in this scene.

[Ryder Strong]

Crafty.

[Zach Gilford]

You don't need. I mean, you know, you're going to have to shoot so many angles. I don't think I'm important. You could get out of here in two hours instead of four. And he was like, zach is the only actor I've ever met who doesn't want to act.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah, right. So far you've said there's too many lines. I don't need to be in this scene. These are things on no actor's bingo card ever.

[Zach Gilford]

I think I also just did so much because that was a football shuttle. So there's so many scenes where you're in them but not in them. It's like. It's a locker room. You're.

[Danielle Fishel]

You gotta be there.

[Zach Gilford]

You gotta be there. So, I mean, if you. I don't know how much you'll actually see, but there's so many scenes where you'll probably see me in the background just tying my shoe. Yeah. And then walking out. I'm like. I mean, I don't know what I'm doing.

[Danielle Fishel]

I come in, I grab an apple, and I leave.

[Zach Gilford]

Yeah, exactly. I put on my shoulder pads and I'm out. And so I did. I recently was directing an episode of something that I was working at, Criminal Minds. And I told our idea. I was like, I want, in the background, one of these FBI agents to stop and tie their shoe.

[Danielle Fishel]

That's what happens in real life. We have untied shoes.

[Zach Gilford]

I was like, I don't want you to tell me who it is. I just want it to happen. It's going to be like a game of Where's Waldo for me. And it was just like this game that we played. And it so is. Like, in the background, I could see it. I'm so mad because in the cut, I see the guy walk in and start to bend down. And just at the angle, you can't see it happen. But it was a really fun game we played.

[Ryder Strong]

So you guys improv through all five seasons? You were always allowed to sort of. Yeah, I mean, that. That sets you up. I mean, I think that's amazing, but there are a lot of sets where they don't want that.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

So have you run into the problem of, like, trying to do it on another set and, like, they'll be like, say what's written.

[Zach Gilford]

Yeah. And a little bit, I will say most. Most sets. I have not been on Gilmore Girls.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah.

[Zach Gilford]

Oddly enough, I did. I auditioned for Aaron Sorkin once, and his feedback was like, good job. You knew all the lines.

[Ryder Strong]

Well, that's what it takes to be on an Aaron Sorkin show.

[Zach Gilford]

Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

Can you walk and say all the lines at the same time? Great. You're an actor.

[Zach Gilford]

Yeah, that's it. But most people love to collaborate, and they really respect what actors bring to it. And I think I'm very fortunate to be at a point in my career where people know, like, they know who I am and they think I know what they're getting. And I always try to now as opposed to just messing around. Like, there's certain things on set where, like, I just. It's in the moment. I'm like, oh, this is what needs to happen. It's ever like, I'm just going to change the scene.

[Danielle Fishel]

Right.

[Zach Gilford]

What's happening right now? The real thing to happen would be this. But I try to, like, go through it and do my homework before and go to the. Give them the respect of, like, hey, I want to change this to this. I kind of want to do that. I'm feeling here. Well, I'm going to have this kind of impulse. And they're usually like, all right, great. Let's see what happens. I do remember, like, I. I didn't know this, but I. So I just finished my run on Criminal Minds, and it was such an amazing set, and they were very open to my way of working, which was great for me. And apparently they call it rehearsal, Zach, Because I don't rehearse. I'm like. I'm like, like, what is the point? I'm not going to do this until the cameras are running. They're like. And I'm just like. I make fun of the lines the whole time if we're rehearsing, which is kind of just like a jerk move on my part. But so apparently during. We had had. We were on set, and there was one line, and they came up to Erica, our showrunner. I was like, hey, Erica. Hey. This line, she's like, you're not gonna say it? I was like, yeah, just. She's like, I could tell in the table read you were never gonna Say it. She said, I literally, during the table, because it was on zoom. She said, I turned to the director. I was like, he's never gonna say this line. And then the funny thing is I didn't make the connection, but I was. So A.J. cook, who's one of my co stars, was joking about rehearsal Zach, and this was during the finale. And I was like, yeah. And I said, the story about the table read, she goes, was it the line? Something about. And I was like, yes. She's like, that was my episode. I remember in the table read, Erica turning to me and be like, he's never gonna say it. Don't even bother.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, my gosh, that's so funny. Another similarity between Friday Night Lights and Boy Meets World is that we were both told that we were always on the bubble. It must have been you guys. I mean, we've heard since then that we weren't as much on the bubble as we were told.

[Ryder Strong]

We didn't know that.

[Danielle Fishel]

We did not know that. And literally, at the end of every season, it was a big. Who knows? Fingers crossed, maybe we'll get to do another season. Were. Did you have that same feeling? Were you always nervous at the end of a season?

[Zach Gilford]

Oh, yeah. I mean, I think we got canceled twice. And then I think it was. And then a bunch of people sent light bulbs to NBC because they were owned by GE at the time. I don't know if they still. And there was this groundswell which helped. And then seasons four and five, DirecTV swooped in, and they basically took over half the cost of production, and they got to air it first on DirecTV in the fall, and then it aired on NBC in the spring. So the last two seasons, we knew we had two more seasons, and that was the end. But, yeah, it always was like, man, I hope. As much as I wanted to do the show, I also was like, I just need to plan my rent and my.

[Danielle Fishel]

Got bills.

[Zach Gilford]

Yeah. And it was such a.

[Ryder Strong]

Meanwhile, you were always critically doing incredibly well. Right.

[Zach Gilford]

I know. It was really annoying, but it was like the show. I feel like more people watch it now than did then. And, you know, there are all these sour grapes about, like, I think our first season, we premiered on Tuesdays, and everyone's like, how could you put Friday Lights on Tuesdays? That's confusing. And I'm like, is it really just.

[Danielle Fishel]

Put it in your calendar?

[Zach Gilford]

Yeah, just. But who knows?

[Ryder Strong]

Another similarity that our shows have is the fandom, because Friday Night Lights has a rabid fandom. So have you had an opportunity I mean, we've been really lucky in doing some conventions and things like that where we can really get in there and interact and see how much the show has impacted people. Have you had that opportunity to kind of be with some of your fans and realize how important Friday Night Lights was to them?

[Zach Gilford]

I mean, just in, like, passing people coming up to me and stuff. I haven't done any cons or anything yet.

[Danielle Fishel]

I have tried to get Zach a con agent.

[Zach Gilford]

I'm gonna do my first one. I'm very excited. Okay, good. In Detroit next month. But I've gone. I have a friend who does them a lot, and I've gone and visited her just to, like, break, break it up for her. And it is funny. Like, people, they get so confused. Do you have a booth? I'm like, no photos are free with me.

[Danielle Fishel]

I'm just here for the fun of it.

[Zach Gilford]

I'm just here. I'm here to see the con. I'm a big fan, too. Holding the football. Yeah, exactly.

[Danielle Fishel]

I'm a football boy.

[Zach Gilford]

Football boy.

[Danielle Fishel]

You shared so much of your storyline with Landry, who was played by a young, very green actor named Jesse Plemons. Your chemistry was so real, so believable. What do you think made that such a good partnership between you two?

[Zach Gilford]

Him. Duh. I mean, I always say. And I don't mean this jokingly, like, I lucked out on that show so much because most of my stuff was with Jesse or Kyle or my grandmother.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah. Kyle Chandler, who played the coach.

[Zach Gilford]

Yeah. And Luann Stevens, who's like, I love to this day. And just, like, we had this. I was, like, protective over her, and she would bring me newspaper clippings from Dallas, where she lived, if I was in the newspaper, and she was just phenomenal. But Jesse and I, I don't know, we just hit it off. And I remember during the pilot, I told. Because he's from Texas, he's from Waco. And I was like, hey, man, if my accent sounds stupid or fake or whatever, like, please tell me. He's like, okay. He never did, thankfully. But we just hit it off, and we're still, like, super close friends to this day. And I remember when we were shooting the pilot, in the first week, during, like, prep, he had an episode of Grey's Anatomy that was gonna air where he was, like. Had some thing that made his face look like a lion. I don't know. Oh, Grey's Anatomy. So I was like, oh, I should watch this episode. I remember watching it be like, oh, my God, this kid is so good, right?

[Danielle Fishel]

Even with the lion face?

[Zach Gilford]

Yeah, even with the lion face. I could see past him. I could see the boy beneath the lion. And, yeah, he just was so good. And we just hit it off and we. He's such an old soul. I mean, this makes me sound like a loser, but, you know, I think he was 17 or 18 when we shot it, and I was, like, 22 or 23. But, yeah, we were just, like, super close, super fast friends. And he's so funny, man. Again, I feel like I'm edited out of those scenes so often because I couldn't keep a straight face. And due to the improv and it lends itself so well to his character. He could just say the randomest things, but they were so within character that you're just like, what are you talking about? And I just have to be here and, like, go with it. And the one thing I couldn't. I couldn't realize, watching it back a couple of years ago, some of the things that we got to say, I'm embarrassed and offended by, like, we had to drop the R word. Not got to, but we would, like, drop the R word. Like, you say something stupid, I'm like, you're right.

[Danielle Fishel]

Right.

[Zach Gilford]

And I was just like. This was on NBC.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, man.

[Zach Gilford]

Oh, my God. So, yeah, I don't know. We just had, like, an instant chemistry. He's such a good guy. He's just the most amazing person to be in a scene with. And I remember I've seen probably all of his work, but I remember watching Killer the Flower Moon and just being so proud of him. Not that I need to, but he's just in scenes with DE Niro and DiCaprio just, like, holding his own. Like, yeah, I should be here. You should be. Good for you.

[Danielle Fishel]

So great. Oh, I know. We saw Scott Porter at your daughter's birthday a few years ago. So are you guys still close, too?

[Zach Gilford]

Yeah, we're still good buddies. Him and I have always been, like, we. We lived together for part of the first season because I was off. I used to lead, like, backpacking trips for high school kids and that going into the first season, after the pilot, I worked in. I worked in New Zealand leading trips for kids, and I was there for months. And so I literally flew from New Zealand to Texas. You know, a day before we started shooting, I had, like, a duffel bag, and I hadn't gone down and figured out a place to live, so I slept on his couch for, like, a month. And we just got really tight. And then the Last season two and three or season two. I forget when he left. But we were roommates. Yeah, we're just like very brotherly. And we actually were at the final network test together, which was an odd one. I don't think they usually do it this way, but they were testing like six roles. And so we're in a conference room and it's me and football boy. And, you know, it was Minka and whoever else was testing for her part. Annie, whoever was testing for her part. Jesse was not there, Amy was there, Scott was there, and maybe Gaius and whoever else were testing for their roles. And you're kind of there. You're like getting to know people because you're sitting there for hours and you're being nice to the person you're testing against, but you don't really want to get to know them.

[Danielle Fishel]

Right.

[Zach Gilford]

And me and Scott hit it off and he, he had been flown in from New York and I was like, do you need a ride home? And I didn't know that wasn't something you really did in la.

[Danielle Fishel]

Right.

[Zach Gilford]

Because I didn't live here. And so I gave him a ride home. We're like, you know, I feel like it should be that person and that person. And we named everyone, including me, but we were wrong about me, but we got everyone else. But yeah, we've hit it off ever since, like the testing process.

[Danielle Fishel]

That's so funny. I can only imagine people kind of freak out when they see QB1 and QB2 out out together.

[Zach Gilford]

Yeah, well, yeah, we'll always give you too. Always.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Hey, it's Ryan Seacrest for Albertsons and Safeway Cough. And cold season is coming, so make sure you're prepared and stock up on your family's favorite personal wellness products. Now through October 7th. Shop in store and online for savings on products like Mucinex, Kickstart Combo, Zyrtec Allergy relief tablets, or liquid Gels, Halls Cough drops and Mucinex Fast day and night, so you and your family are armed and ready for the season ahead. Offerings, October 7th. Restrictions apply. Offers may vary. Visit albertsons or safeway.com for more details.

[Gilead HIV Prep Announcer]

Honestly, Honestly, Honestly. No one wants to think about hiv, but there are things that everyone can do to help prevent it. Things like Prep. Prep stands for pre exposure prophylaxis, and it means routinely taking prescription medicine before you're exposed to HIV to help reduce. Reduce your chances of getting it. Prep can be about 99% effective when taken as prescribed. It doesn't protect against other STIs, though, so be sure to use condoms and other healthy sex practices. Ask a healthcare provider about all your prevention Options and visit findoutaboutprep.com to learn more.

[Danielle Fishel]

Sponsored by Gilead, this message comes from Greenlight. Ready to start talking to your kids about financial literacy? Meet Greenlight, the debit card and money app that teaches kids and teens how to earn, save, spend wisely, and invest with your guardrails in place with Greenlight, you can send money to kids quickly, set up chores, automate allowance, and keep an eye on what your kids are spending with real time notifications. Join millions of parents and kids building healthy financial habits together on Greenlight. Get started risk [e-mail] iheart hi, I'm.

[Cindy Crawford]

Cindy Crawford and I'm the founder of Meaningful Beauty. Well, I don't know about you, but like, I never liked being told, oh wow, you look so good for your age. Like, why even bother saying that? Why don't you just say you look great at any age, Every age. That's what Meaningful Beauty is all about. We create products that make you feel confident in your skin at the age you are now. Meaningful Beauty, Beautiful skin at every age. Learn [e-mail].

[CauliPower Advertiser]

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[Danielle Fishel]

There have been whispers over the last year or so about a possible reboot. Would you be willing to come back and play a coach or what? Could you tell us about that?

[Zach Gilford]

I mean, I know nothing about it. All I know is it's Pete and it's Jason Kadums who was our head writer for the run of the show. So. And I know it's I know it's meant to be a complete reboot where it's just the same concept, but it's a different town. It's I Think there was, like, a hurricane that's ravaged. I don't know. I've just heard whispers. As far as I know, none of us are supposed to be involved because it's supposed to be all new, like.

[Danielle Fishel]

A whole new thing.

[Zach Gilford]

Yeah. If there was an authentic version where Matt Saracen showed up for some reason, I'd be like, okay, cool. But I think the beauty of that show was that it felt so real, like, so many of us left the show. And Pete had planned that at the beginning because he was like, this is about a high school football team and the community around it, and people graduate and they leave. Yeah, some don't, but a lot of you do. And so a lot of us left the show. And I think if we just found reasons to keep all of us around for five seasons or whatever, it would have taken away from it. And I think to just, like, have all of us cameo on the show might seem a little wonky and take away from it. The funny thing was, you know, the first season, we all assumed that Taylor was a senior, and, like, because he was best friends with Jason street, it was a senior, blah, blah, blah. And then, nothing against it. I love Taylor and his character's great. In season two, it's like, oh, he's on the football team again. I guess he was a junior last year. And then it was season three, and we're like, oh, you're still on football.

[Danielle Fishel]

Senior, freshman.

[Ryder Strong]

He keeps failing home.

[Zach Gilford]

I'm like, man, what a loser I was. Because I was treating this guy like he's two years older than me, but apparently we're peers.

[Danielle Fishel]

I also want to wanted to ask you about your numerous collaborations with Mike Flanagan and Netflix. You were also in a Purge movie. Did you like horror movies before all of this?

[Zach Gilford]

You know, I like good movies and horror. Such, like, I've come to learn such a huge umbrella. I think growing up, I just thought it was like slasher films, like Friday the 13th or Nightmare on Elm street. But, you know, it's just all sorts of films. And I do know, like, with Flanagan, I'd seen Haunting a Hill House and thought it was amazing. I remember binging it, like, the holiday weekend, the Halloween weekend. It came out. And so when I got that audition, it was super top secret. All I had was the sides. I had no idea anything about the show. And so I just had to memorize these two scenes, go in and do them, and hope for the best. Knowing absolutely nothing and working with him was so awesome. Like, he is again, he's someone who really Wants you to memorize his lines. He's very much an auteur and just figured them all out. And I knew that going in. So when I would do my homework, I would send him screenshots or photos of my notes and say, can I change this? Can I do that nine, 10 times out of 10, he'd be like, that's great. Go for it. All good. And he has everything shot listed. I know most directors do, but super shot listed, where he makes this huge poster board that's out for the whole crew to see so everyone knows exactly what's going to happen all day. But at the same time, if he had planned a scene where I'm standing in the corner and my dad comes in and we're talking, and then I was like, I feel like I'd be sitting on the bed, like, why am I standing in the corner? He'd be like, and it totally changes the cameras. He'd just. Right, yeah, you're right. Okay. And like, change it all up.

[Ryder Strong]

Figure it out.

[Zach Gilford]

My one favorite thing with him was when I did fall the House of Usher with him, there was these lines where my character's saying a poem in bed to his wife. And I guess I'm dumb because I thought it was just a poem that my character was making up. And I write, mike. And I was like, you know, I feel like it would flow better if it was this way. And I said that. And he's like, yeah, that's an actual Edward Allan Poe poem. We're gonna go ahead and leave it the way it is.

[Ryder Strong]

And I was like, edgar knew what he was doing. Edgar knew what he was doing.

[Zach Gilford]

But anyway, I was like, oh, I want to read the rest of this poem. And I googled it. And I was like, well, Mike, I'm sorry to tell you this, but you guys wrote the poem wrong. Really? I was like, I wasn't exactly right, but my version is closer to the real. He was like, fair enough, fair enough.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, that's so funny. I mean, these projects have like 25 minute one shots. What is it? What is it like working on something like that?

[Zach Gilford]

You know, I've always been really lucky. Memorizing lines is pretty easy for me. And that's kind of the first step for me is I know my stuff so that then I can just, like, do something else. Or if the lines work perfect, I can just do them and be interacting with people as opposed to, like. I mean, it drives me nuts when actors don't know their lines. Yeah, like, as an actor, as a Director. I'm like, oh, God, please, like, just know your lines.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yes. This is your one job.

[Zach Gilford]

The one thing, my biggest thing I learned in college, I had a professor, and he was like, know your lines, know you're blocking, and don't bump into the furniture. That's all you have to do. And it's, like, kind of true. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But, yeah, those oners, they're so. I mean, they're like a play. And you go through it a lot. We had this one where. I remember in Midnight Mass, our big oner was on a beach with all these dead seagulls, and it's going through all the people of the town. And, yeah, we rehearsed it, like, four times. We shot it. I think we got it in, like, five takes. Because once you get it, you're like, well, what are we gonna. We just did it.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah.

[Zach Gilford]

Not gonna cut anywhere. So, like, let's move on. And that scene actually was. It was the day my son was due to be born.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, my gosh.

[Zach Gilford]

And so they're like, we got you set up. Like, we've got Wi Fi over there, so if you need to FaceTime, you know, the birth of your child. And I was just like, oh. Because it was during the pandemic, and, like, we shot in Canada, all this stuff. And luckily, he took a while to come, so I didn't have to run away from set. But I also was like, what am I gonna just, like, in the middle of this one? Or be like, sorry, guys, can everyone just, like, chill?

[Danielle Fishel]

Give me two hours. I just had a baby.

[Zach Gilford]

Two hours. We can shoot this tomorrow, right? It all worked out. But really, so much of that is, like, on the Steadicam. Operator. Yeah. Sorry, I'm so bad with names. It was years ago, but I'm pretty sure his name was James. And this guy is just like. He does. He's done all of Mike's big oners. And he. It really makes you realize, if you haven't already, how much the cameramen are just like the unsung hero set. Obviously there, because you're doing this dance with them and figuring out where you need to be and where they need to be and how to, like, go at a pace where, like, they can keep up with you. Yeah, it keeps the frame, right? But then, even when I started directing, my kind of, like, mentor had told me he was like, jamie, on this set, he's like, your secret weapon. Because he. He's like, don't call cut when the scene's over. Like, he'll Find like a transition for you, or he'll just like make the shot go somewhere where you can use it in the edit. And. And it was such a great little tidbit of knowledge that they just find so much cool stuff. And then I love, like, my favorite thing, we do a lot of steady cam on carnival minds and like watching the Steadicam operator learn the scene. And so, you know, their first take, they're figuring out where everyone is and, like, where the lines are. And then by the second take and you know you're watching, you're like, oh, no, you need to go to. In your head. And then you're like. And he'll be like, can we just go again? You're like, yeah. And then he's already figured out a little faster. Like, you don't even need to tell them them.

[Danielle Fishel]

Exactly. I know. That's always my favorite part too, of. Even for multicam. It's just like, you know, watching. Watching the camera operators who've been doing this forever, it's like their first pass at it. They may have a question like, do you want this to be a. You know, do you want this as a single or do you want a two shot? But for the most part, you do it once and then they're like, you know what's better? I'm gonna do this. And it's just like, yeah, let. Let the experts do what they are good at doing.

[Zach Gilford]

Yeah, no, totally. And that's what I learned that on Friday Lights. So much. Because our kind of way of doing things was, you know what? Like, I hired you to do lights, I'm gonna let you do lights.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Zach Gilford]

I can tell you how to do lights. If I have an idea, I'll. Whatever. But everyone was everyone from the camera to the props.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Zach Gilford]

That deck was so respected and given agency to do their job and not be micromanaged. And, you know, I've been on sets where people are very much micromanaged and no one really likes it. Yes, the actors in charge and they have a vision, but there's also. It's a collaboration. And that's what I love about it is everyone's thumbprint is on it. And from that first draft, some writer came up with to. Once it goes through the edit and the editor does stuff and then the sound design, it's like, you gotta, like, give up some control and some trust and collaborate. Yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

What was the first project you directed?

[Zach Gilford]

I didn't get to direct until I was on Criminal Minds. And I lucked out there too, because I was Only supposed to be there for one season, but apparently they liked me. And they kept asking me back, and I was like, cool, but can I direct one? They're like, okay. And on a show like that, I was lucky to come in on the reboot, which was called Evolution, and, you know, had been on CBS for 15 years as kind of your freak of the week procedural. And when we went to Paramount, when I came on, they revamped it. It was only 10 episodes, and it was serialized. And so they very much were like, we don't want to do the same thing we've been doing for 15 years. And when I finally got to direct, Erica was like, just go make your episode. Like, you can't mess this up. Like, the show is the show, and we want to see, like, your ideas and what you have. And it was really fun. And she just always supported me. And I did a lot more. Kind of, like, not a lot, but I had a couple, like, needle drops in my episode, which were not really. I mean, it's not that they never have them, but it wasn't, like, the norm. And I had one in my. My. My teaser, and I got the cut of my teaser, and I was just like, yes, my editor gets it. Like, I'd give him notes. And then I brought it in and showed her, like, on my director's first pass or whatever, she watched my teaser, and she was just like, holy Zach. Like, that's a teaser. Like, I know, right? Like, it's so cool. It's so fun. But I remember watching. I literally, like, saw it. I saw the first cut. I gave him my notes. He took them perfectly. I watched it. I literally go, yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

Such a great feeling.

[Zach Gilford]

It's so fun. And, like, my favorite part of directing is when someone comes up to you, like, okay, do you want the. The blue or the purple napkin? I really don't give a. What do you, like? Whatever you want when it comes to the napkins. And people are like, well, I really like the purple because of whatever. I'm like, great. I think you're right.

[Ryder Strong]

Go with it. Love it.

[Danielle Fishel]

The purple is the way to go.

[Zach Gilford]

Purple. I never thought about how that represents royalty. And this is, you know, about a serial killer. But you're right. You're right.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah. You play a psychopath serial killer on Criminal Minds, which is obviously a total departure from your.

[Ryder Strong]

You're on a show. Thank God. I thought you were going somewhere totally different with that.

[Danielle Fishel]

No, just on the show. Were you excited to play a bad guy?

[Zach Gilford]

Yeah. I mean, it's Always fun to play the bad guy. The fun thing about that one is, which I think was so cool about the character and why I love playing him was the first season they were so smart because, you know, he's this prolific serial killer, but you never see him do it. You just see him as this family man with two kids and he's this great dad. And it just makes you creeped out because you're kind of like this guy. But then you know all this stuff he's done. And then I always said it makes you kind of realize, like, man, this person in the grocery store could be a serial killer. Yeah, like, it could be, it could be a drop off with my kids. And so then, you know, I got to kind of play that and you see kind of it come out. And then in season two, I'm in jail and I get to play this other side of me where I'm just kind of this guy who loves to push people's buttons. I'm smarter than everyone. I'm a bit of a smart. Which was like so fun because at that point of season two, I knew the cast and I could just mess with them. And like, this is when they let me, like just go loose. And you know, AJ Coco, I mentioned earlier, she was one of the first people I'd met when I got, when I worked on that show and we got along really well. And so I would just mess with her and like call her FBI Barbie or Blondie or whatever. Like, I would just come up with all these names and I could see when I'm messing with them, them all being like, Zach, God, I gotta keep it together. And then there's this one actor, RJ Hakanaka, who. He's so funny. Well, he is funny in real life, but his character is so like, I was ex military and I'm this and that. And there's this. I had this one scene with him where like him and I are trying to break something down. And it's something about like some number you call for like escorts or, I don't know, it's like a sex line or something. And I just would go on and on and say the randomness, like most off the wall, like inappropriate stuff. And he was just like, huh, oh, okay. So it's that. So it's like that. And I was like, I can't break you. None of this is ever gonna make it in the show. I'm just trying to get you to crack a smile. You're like a robot.

[Danielle Fishel]

Nope. Yeah. Zach, you have two beautiful Children. Do you think either one of them will ever wanna get into acting? And if so, how would you feel about that?

[Zach Gilford]

I hope not. Yeah, I think my daughter will. She's apparently in some school play right now, which I only say, apparently, I'm a very involved father.

[Danielle Fishel]

I was gonna say Zach.

[Zach Gilford]

I think she goes to school.

[Danielle Fishel]

Pretty sure she's in school.

[Zach Gilford]

She, like, came home and she's like, yeah, no, I'm in Lion King. I'm like, oh, cool. Like, wouldn't she, like, it's all kind of very cryptic. And I'm like, well, what part are you? She's like, I don't know. Today I hope I'm not scar. And I'm like, I don't understand what's going on at this school. But she. She's very. I mean, she loves roleplay and make believe and all this stuff, and she's very artistic. Like, I'm scared that she'll want to go into it just because, I mean, you guys, how old were y' all when you did the show?

[Danielle Fishel]

Well, I was 10 when I started acting. Ryder was even younger.

[Ryder Strong]

No, I was 10 when I started. We were. All three of us were 10 when we started.

[Zach Gilford]

Professional 10.

[Danielle Fishel]

10.

[Zach Gilford]

10, 10, 10. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, you guys have all turned out like normal humans.

[Ryder Strong]

Adjusted enough is a perfect way to put it.

[Zach Gilford]

Exactly. You have a whole podcast. Like, look at you. Oh, that's.

[Danielle Fishel]

Everyone knows that's the sign.

[Zach Gilford]

They turned out okay. They have a podcast. Their parents must be proud. Oh, my.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Hey, it's Ryan Seacrest for Albertsons and Safeway. Spooky season is quickly approaching, so time to stock up on all your favorite treats. Now through October 7th, you can get early savings on your Halloween candy favorites when you shop in store and online. Save on items like Hershey's, Reese's Pumpkins, Snickers Miniatures, Tootsie Rolls, raw sugar, milk chocolate, caramel, Jack O Lanterns, Brock's Candy Corn Charms, Mini Pops, and more. Offer ends October 7th. Restrictions apply. Offers may vary. Visit albertsons or safeway.com for more details.

[Gilead HIV Prep Announcer]

Honestly, Honestly, Honestly, no one wants to think about hiv, but there are things that everyone can do to help prevent it. Things like prep. PREP stands for pre exposure Prophylaxis, and it means routinely taking prescription medicine before you're exposed to HIV to help reduce your chances of getting it. Prep can be about 99% effective when taken as prescribed. It doesn't protect against other STIs, though, so be sure to use condoms and other healthy sex practices. Ask a healthcare provider about all your prevention Options and visit findoutaboutprep.com to learn more.

[Cindy Crawford]

Sponsored by Gilead hi, I'm Cindy Crawford, and I'm the founder of meaningful beauty. When Dr. Sabah and I decided to do a skincare line together, he said to me, we are going to give women meaningful beauty. And I said, that's exactly right. We want to give women meaningful beauty. Which means each and every product is meaningful. It has a reason to exist. It's efficacious. You're going to get results, and then you just go out and live your life. Meaningful beauty Confidence is beautiful. Learn [e-mail].

[CauliPower Advertiser]

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[Danielle Fishel]

A little known fact well, not. I mean not little to most people who know Zach, Zack and Ryder are the two people I would say are number one and number two, or maybe tied for number one of people who know how to be outdoorsy. And I've. I've said all along that I've been interested in. I want to camp, but I will only go if I can go with Ryder's family or Zach, because Jensen and I could not be trusted alone in the wilderness. Everyone will die. It will be bad news. But if I go with either of you, I think I'll have food to eat. I'll be able to set up shelter.

[Ryder Strong]

Where am I on that list? I'm just curious.

[Danielle Fishel]

Well, you're as outdoorsy as I am.

[Zach Gilford]

Okay.

[Ryder Strong]

I met Zach, like, 15 years ago. We've been friends for a long time.

[Zach Gilford]

I was just gonna tell this.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah. We sat next to each other at a movie theater and we were talking, and I go, I'm a big fan of Friday nights. He goes, thanks. And he literally was like, you know, I'm thinking about not acting anymore. I'm going to become a professional camp counselor. And my immediate reaction was, oh, we'll never be friends. This is humanly impossible.

[Danielle Fishel]

Too bad.

[Zach Gilford]

I dig you.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah, he beats Ryder, which is hard to do.

[Zach Gilford]

Wow.

[Ryder Strong]

I wanted to ask about New Zealand. When you sort of threw that. I was like, what?

[Zach Gilford]

Where'd you go?

[Ryder Strong]

What were you doing? That sounds so cool.

[Zach Gilford]

No, I camped all growing up and like, like, during my, like, 16, 17, 18 year old summers, me and my then girlfriend, we'd go for, like, months and go camping in the Rockies or Canada or something like that. And then when I turned 21, I started working for this company called Adventures Cross country, which is kind of like Knolls or Outward Bound. And, you know, I got to spend a summer working in Alaska, like, literally, where you're just backpacking with stuff on your back for three weeks at a time. We had, like, a seaplane come in to, like, restock us. But I did. There was a couple of hiatuses of Friday Night Lights where either I had a chunk of time or, like, something I was supposed to do fell through. And this company, they'd always. I'd be their first call if they had to fire someone or something. And so New Zealand literally was. They called and they were like, hey, we had to fire someone. Is there any way you go to Australia and New Zealand for, like, two months? And I was like, I sure can.

[Ryder Strong]

That's.

[Zach Gilford]

And I worked on other ones. Two of them, but the kids. There was one where it was like, after six weeks, one of the kids was like, are you on that football show. And I was like, oh, yeah, I am. And they're like, oh, yeah. You seem so familiar. I'm like, oh, yeah, that's me. And they're like, all right. Well, anyway, it's Zach. And then, like, another kid was like, what do you mean you're on the show? I'm like, I don't know. Like, I'm on it. He goes, so, like, you're on the team? And I'm like, yeah. He goes, so if I watch it, would I. I. What I see? And I was like, guess this is how television works. Yeah. In the background. Which just like, makes no sense because, like, kids that age are so in their own world. They're just. Yeah, well, whatever. Anyway, I have this person.

[Ryder Strong]

So wait, how old are the kids on. On something like that?

[Zach Gilford]

Anywhere from, like 14 to 17 or 18. That's so cool. Now, do you. Do you normally.

[Ryder Strong]

Do you return with the same number of kids that you leave with, or.

[Zach Gilford]

Are you expected to lose one or.

[Ryder Strong]

Two along the way?

[Zach Gilford]

You know, I had a pretty good track record.

[Ryder Strong]

Okay.

[Danielle Fishel]

Okay.

[Zach Gilford]

But I have had trips where I had to, like, evac kids. I had one where I was working in Yosemite, and this girl. This is literally. This is the craziest day of my life. And I'll try to streamline it for you. But we wake up, and all of our bear canisters, which are like mini kegs, which you keep your food in because bears can't get into them. A bear had taken them, and, like, they try to throw them against trees and stuff to open.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, my God. They're too smart. Sorry.

[Zach Gilford]

So we go and we open them, and a bunch of our food is, like, exploded, and it's ruined. So we need more food. And one of my co leaders, there were three of us. Her name was Liz. She was, like a marathon runner. Run, like, the Boston Marathon, blah, blah, blah. And she was. And we were supposed to summit Half Dome that day. And she was like, all right, I'll run down and get more food, but I really want to summit Half Dome first. And I was like, if you're gonna get us more food, you can do whatever you want. Yeah. Okay. So we go up Half Dome. We have this girl start having an asthma attack. We have her inhaler, and we knew she had bad asthma, so we also had, like, a nebulizer for her. So we start giving her a nebulizer. And I just said, look, if this doesn't work, we're screwed. She's. She's really screwed. But we're gonna be screwed. And so I was like, we have to call a helicopter. Like, we can't chance this. So she's sitting there, like, turning blue. Helicopter lands on top of Half Dome. Medics get out, strap her to a thing, oxygen, put her in the helicopter. My other co leader, Kim, gets in the helicopter, and it just flies away. And so then me and Liz look at each other like, okay, it's just the two of us now. And I'm like, and you need to go get us some more food.

[Danielle Fishel]

So it's just me.

[Zach Gilford]

And so then she, like, runs down, like, the mountains into Yosemite Village, which I think it's like a nine mile track. I take the kids back to our campsite. I start making dinner. I'm sitting there, I have like three or four kids on the other side of the stove. And I'm. I'm like, okay, blah, blah, quesadilla. This is how you make it. And then I look up, and behind a tree, like 30ft behind us, this bear comes out from behind a tree. And I'm just like. And the kids are like, what? I'm like, just get behind me now. They're like, what? I'm like, get behind me. So they all get behind me and we, like, make ourselves big. And you're like, hey, bear. Hey, bear. And you, because you want us to know you're there, but you don't want to startle it. And we're like, slowly backing away, and it just starts, like, kind of like pacing towards us.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, gosh, that quesadilla.

[Zach Gilford]

Yeah, they wanted the quesadilla. And they do bluff charges. So it charges us. But if you run, it instinctually thinks it needs to chase you. Yeah. So I had to just stand there with these kids with, like, pocket knives out, as if those were going to do anything. And it stopped right here. And I could, like, feel its breath on me.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, my gosh.

[Zach Gilford]

And just slowly, like, like, hey, bear. Hey, bear. And, like, back the kids away. And once we're far enough away, went and ate our quesadillas. And I got the kids, like, to our campsite, and I kind of waited for it to go away. And so then the kids are like, oh, my God, I'm pumped. I'm so jazzed. Yada, yada. Finally, Liz comes back with food. She's like, how'd it go? I'm like, you have no idea.

[Ryder Strong]

Oh, my God.

[Zach Gilford]

And luckily, and you know, we're far enough removed, I don't think either of us can get in trouble. But she was like, hey, I am. I put two beers in our bag. And I was like, thank God.

[Ryder Strong]

In my life.

[Zach Gilford]

But, yeah, that was like, one of the craziest days. So we had to evac that girl. We did. On another trip. I had to evac a couple kids because these. These poor girls, they had strainers, which is essentially the strep virus in your anus, and they were very itchy and uncomfortable. And so my co leader, there were only two of us on that one. She had to take them out to get them to. We didn't know what it was. We just knew they were very uncomfortable. And in that room, you're not like, tough it out for five more days, right? So they left. And then I have all the kids. And of course, this is a younger group. They were like 14. There was a girl who got her period for the first time, and none of the other girls had their period. So I had to, like, talk her through. I'd be like, okay, so you're gonna go over there and, like, explain how to put a tampon in.

[Danielle Fishel]

Tampon in. Oh, my gosh.

[Zach Gilford]

God.

[Ryder Strong]

See, this is what happens when you go outside.

[Zach Gilford]

You live life. You have experiences.

[Ryder Strong]

Oh, my go.

[Zach Gilford]

Oh, my God, this sounds awful.

[Danielle Fishel]

I am going to need to know more about strayness.

[Ryder Strong]

Strainus is my new favorite word, by the way. On questions, you still have to say.

[Zach Gilford]

I don't know how you handle the same guidelines we learned in Covid. Wash your hands.

[Ryder Strong]

How are you passing it to other people, is my question.

[Zach Gilford]

I think they didn't wash their hands well enough. And so the bacteria is just on your hands, and if you touch someone, it's on theirs, and they go to.

[Danielle Fishel]

Work and then they wipe. Oh, man. I don't know. Maybe they got it from dirty leaves. Being outdoorsy, you know?

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah, exactly.

[Zach Gilford]

No, I'm terrified of my son because he's five and he'll go to the bathroom and I'll be like, do you need a wipe? He's like, no, I can do it. I'm like, no, you can't, bro. Yeah, like, you just like, literally take a wad and like, wipe. Like, rub your hip. Like, I'll brush my kids teeth and wipe their butts until I'm fully confident that they are capable.

[Danielle Fishel]

Correct. I'm exactly the same way. I asked the dentist recently about adler because he's 6 and I still help brush his teeth. And I was like, am I supposed to just be letting him fully brush his own teeth now? She goes, absolutely not. Not if you don't want him to have cavities. And I was like, great, okay, then I'm, then I'm going to just keep helping. He does it. He does a teeth brushing. But then I also get to go in there for my little round. And then I'm like, okay, now at least I know you got one decent brushing in there. Well, anyway, Zach, thank you so much for being here with us. I always enjoy talking to you. I adore you. I adore your family. You and Ryder would absolutely be friends.

[Zach Gilford]

I'd be down anytime. I got. You know, I think I'm free tomorrow.

[Ryder Strong]

It's hard. You can't find backpacking sites. Like within like driving distance of la. It sucks. Like, I've always tried to do like weekend trips with my friends from up north and it's like, like, man, we always just have to drive like six to eight hours. You know, Mammoth is like the only. I mean, yeah, you can, there's.

[Zach Gilford]

If you look it up, you can do them in a day. There's like the so called six pack, which are. Right. And I had friends, we did it for a while, but you know, sometimes it was like we're in the car at 4am to drive like two and a half hours. So then hike. I mean, it's fun and it's worth it. But yeah, it's harder than you would think to really get out there.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah. When I've gone up to Bishop and done trips out of there, every time I get elevation sick. Because I only have three days and without fail, day two, I'm just on the trail throwing up. And it sucks. I'm like, I can't do this.

[Zach Gilford]

You're really selling this.

[Ryder Strong]

My Chipotle yesterday ran out of chicken. I had to wait 20 minutes while they made a new batch of chicken. And it was like, that was rough.

[Danielle Fishel]

That was a hard time, dude.

[Ryder Strong]

I just met an editor who actually got bit by a bear. He was sleeping in a hammock. Well, he had one of those hammock setups and he just, he heard the bear and was just like, oh, I'm just gonna ignore it. And then it just literally came over, started pushing against him. He's like, I'm just gonna play dead. Which is not the right thing to do. And it just, it took a bite out of his leg.

[Zach Gilford]

I know.

[Ryder Strong]

And then he's like. Then I made a noise.

[Zach Gilford]

I was like, yeah, dude.

[Ryder Strong]

If a bear is like sniffing around for food and you're in a cocoon, you're just like a meal. Like Just. And I think he actually did have something in his pocket. Like, you know, mosquito repellent or something. Cause, like, usually they wouldn't, you know, go near a person, but I think he had some. Yeah, I think it was just Keaton.

[Danielle Fishel]

It was just my son. It wasn't even a bear. It was just my son.

[Ryder Strong]

Call back.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, Zach, thank you so much for being here with us. Always a pleasure to see you.

[Zach Gilford]

Oh, my God. Thank you for having me. What an honor. No, I mean, I watched your all show growing up. It's iconic to me, so it's cool to be a part of it in any way.

[Danielle Fishel]

Thank you, Zach.

[Ryder Strong]

We always do a test run, and so the next time we have you on, we'll record it.

[Zach Gilford]

Okay, cool. Yeah, I love that. I'll work on my bear story.

[Ryder Strong]

Okay, cool. We got. We're gonna send over notes. I love notes.

[Zach Gilford]

I love notes.

[Danielle Fishel]

Let's see if you could do this podcast in only one sentence.

[Zach Gilford]

That's fine. I mean, like, do I really. Do I really need to be honest? I think you need to be in the scene.

[Ryder Strong]

I think we're good without you.

[Zach Gilford]

We'll talk about you.

[Ryder Strong]

Well, you're the best Matt Sporinson that's.

[Zach Gilford]

Ever played, so that's. That's a good. I'm gonna. I like that one.

[Danielle Fishel]

Thank you, Zach. I'll see you. Talk to you soon.

[Zach Gilford]

Y' all have a good night. Bye.

[Ryder Strong]

God, he's funny. He's the best, man. He is funny.

[Danielle Fishel]

He is amazing.

[Ryder Strong]

I have one quick change, which obvious. Which some people obviously caught and other people didn't. I said a while back that Fonzie landed the motorcycle after he jumped the shark. And what clearly I meant was he landed on his water skis when he jumped the shark, because he was not on the motorcycle. So I'd like to. He wasn't. No. He jumped a shark on water skis. That was jumping the shark. He jumped the shark on water skis.

[Zach Gilford]

So there you go.

[Ryder Strong]

I wanted to, you know.

[Danielle Fishel]

Okay. Just. Yeah. Make sure. Yeah. You've been holding on to that this whole time?

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah, I have. I literally wrote it down. Like, no joke wrote it down.

[Zach Gilford]

Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

Fonzie Water ski. So there you go.

[Danielle Fishel]

Thank you all for joining us for this episode of Pod Meets World. As always, you can follow us on Instagram. Pod Meets World show. You can send us your emails. Podmeatsworldshowmail. And we've got Merch.

[Ryder Strong]

Hey, Merch. Hey, Merch.

[Zach Gilford]

Hey, Merch.

[Ryder Strong]

Hey, Merch. Strain Us. Straightness is my new favorite word strain.

[Zach Gilford]

I love this.

[Danielle Fishel]

Actually.

[Ryder Strong]

It's just a combination. I did not ever get strainers. I did get strenus, which is something totally different, unfortunately.

[Danielle Fishel]

So is that strapping penis. Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

You ever not? You haven't gotten strenus straight.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yes.

[Ryder Strong]

You never got strock. That's the worst strock.

[Danielle Fishel]

Strock.

[Zach Gilford]

Oh my God. Pod meets worldshow.com.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh no.

[Zach Gilford]

Are we making?

[Ryder Strong]

Are we making str? We love you all. Pod dismissed. Pod Meets World is an iHeart podcast produced and hosted by Danielle Fischl, Wilfred L And Ryder Strong, executive producers Jensen Karp and Amy Sugarman, executive in charge of production Danielle Romo, producer and editor Tara Subaru Bosch, producer Matty Moore, engineer and Boy Meets World superban Easton Allen. Our theme song is by Kyle Morton of Typhoon. Follow us on Instagram odmeatsworld show or email us at podmeatsworldshowmail.com.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Hey, it's Ryan Seacrest for Albertsons and Safeway. Cough and cold season is coming, so make sure you're prepared and stock up on your family's favorite personal wellness products. Now through October 7th. Shop in store and online for savings on products like Mucinex Kickstart Combo, Zyrtec Allergy Relief Tablets or Liquid Gels Halls Cough Drops and Mucinex. Fast day and night so you and your family are armed and ready for the season ahead. Offerings October 7th. Restrictions apply. Offers may vary. Visit albertsons or safeway.com for more details.

[Zach Gilford]

The day begins at the Chase Sapphire Lounge by the club. At Boston Logan Airport, you get the clam chowder. In San Diego, it's Tostadas New York Espresso Martini. It's 10:00am why not? It's the quiet before your next flight. The shower that resets your day, the menu that lets you know where you are. This is access to over 1300 airport lounges and every Sapphire Lounge by the club. And one card that gets you in Chase Sapphire Reserve, the most rewarding card.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Learn [e-mail] Sapphire Reserve cards issued by.

[Ryder Strong]

JPMorgan Chase bank and a member FDIC subject to credit approval. Have you ever heard a story so unbelievable it just had to be true? Roofman is the jaw dropping new film about Jeffrey Manchin, played by Channing Tatum, a man who becomes infamous for breaking into over 40 McDonald's through the roof, then secretly living inside of Toys R Us for six months. With humor, suspense and heart, Roofman is a cat and mouse story that will keep you hooked until the very end. Don't miss Roofman. Only in theaters October 10th.

[Zach Gilford]

This is Boyang from Las Culturistas. And I'm Matt Rogers, also a host of Las Culturistas. Big news to share. Do you know what the perfect thing to bring to any party is? Bowen, we talked about this.

[Gilead HIV Prep Announcer]

I'm a person, not a thing.

[Zach Gilford]

Oh, I didn't mean Casamigos. Okay, chic.

[Ryder Strong]

And honestly, the only other correct answer.

[Zach Gilford]

A Casamigos margarita. That's a sleigh. Ah, Casamigos. Anything is a slave because anything goes with my casamigos. Anything goes with my Casamigos. Bo, you're a poet. Please drink responsibly. Imported by Casamigos Spirits Company, White Plains, New York. Casamingos Tequila. 40% alcohol by volume.

[Ryder Strong]

There's a million things to stress about when flying overweight luggage, TSA lines, delays, overpriced airport lunch. Your rental car shouldn't be one of them with Avis. First, your rental comes with a personal concierge who meets you at arrivals, hands you the keys to a premium car, and refills it for you at market price when you're done. You've rented before, but trust me when I say you've never rented quite like this. Welcome to Avis first. Visit Avis.com to learn more.

[Danielle Fishel]

This is an iHeart podcast.