#43 - Explaining Our Characters' Backstories

Summary

Podcast Summary: Smosh Mouth Episode #43 - "Explaining Our Characters' Backstories"

Release Date: April 22, 2024

In episode #43 of Smosh Mouth, hosts Shayne Topp (Shane) and Amanda Lehan-Canto (Amanda) delve deep into the origins and backstories of their myriad of characters. This episode offers fans an insightful look into the creative processes behind beloved Smosh personas, exploring inspirations, development challenges, and future aspirations for character-driven content.

---

1. Introduction to Character Discussions

Shane opens the conversation by highlighting the often-overlooked aspect of their work: character development. He emphasizes the frequency and spontaneity with which characters emerge in their content.

• Shane [00:48]: "We do a lot of them and they randomly pop up or we think about them for a long time and they're just in random spots all over Smosh."

Amanda concurs, noting that many characters are inspired by real-life acquaintances or spontaneous ideas.

• Amanda [01:22]: "Most of them are people that I know, but sometimes they're prompted."

---

2. Challenges in Timeliness and Relevance

The hosts discuss the logistical challenges of producing timely content, especially juggling podcast episodes alongside other Smosh projects. They express a desire to release episodes more promptly to maintain relevance with current online trends.

• Shane [02:20]: "We're trying really hard to have episodes come out, like, quicker. But it's hard because we're filming these episodes alongside all of our other content."

---

3. Exploring Specific Characters

a. The Bystander

Shane introduces "The Bystander," a character born spontaneously during a silent bit meant to be brief but evolving into a recurring persona due to positive reactions.

• Shane [09:58]: "He just continues to be a guy with a coffee cup just standing there."

Amanda highlights how fan interactions further enrich the character’s depth.

• Amanda [10:58]: "It's so fun, because I feel like those are characters created in TNTL."

b. Sarah Christ (Wet Cop)

Amanda discusses her favorite character, Sarah Christ, a female detective with a gritty backstory inspired by television portrayals of tough female leads. She elaborates on the character's habits and personal struggles, adding layers beyond mere appearances.

• Amanda [18:02]: "Sarah Christ is attached to my favorite thing in the world, which is female detectives on TV."

c. Aunt Carolyn

Shane delves into Aunt Carolyn, a character amalgamated from various family women, embodying traits like being blunt and unfiltered. He aims to make her endearing despite her abrasive demeanor.

• Shane [23:38]: "Aunt Carolyn is truly based on just almost every woman in my family combined."

d. Bryce Cryson

Shane reflects on Bryce Cryson, a "fuckboy" character he's struggled to portray without making him entirely unlikable. He aims to add depth and likability despite Bryce's flawed nature.

• Shane [32:39]: "He's just a stupid guy. He thinks he's really hot."

---

4. The Creative Process and Inspiration Sources

Both hosts share their creative methodologies, often drawing inspiration from real-life observations, fan interactions, and media consumption. Amanda mentions how watching shows like "Homicide New York" fuels her character ideas, while Shane discusses blending personal traits with exaggerated characteristics to craft memorable personas.

• Amanda [57:48]: "Sometimes they live and die in the place. And that's okay."

• Shane [61:15]: "I need to think of a new voice that I can do, because that is tough."

---

5. Incorporating Fan Feedback and Future Plans

Shane and Amanda express enthusiasm for involving fans in their character development process. They propose ideas like a "darts league" where characters compete, fostering ongoing engagement and continuous character evolution.

• Shane [47:53]: "We could just straight up do a Teletubbies reunion on this podcast, probably."

• Amanda [66:11]: "Tell us the type of vibe, type of POV. Yeah, then we'll try to do it."

---

6. Reflections on Original Characters in Modern Content

The hosts lament the decline in original character creation in contemporary media, contrasting it with past trends where unique characters were more celebrated and integral to content success. They advocate for the preservation and continued creation of original characters within Smosh to maintain their unique brand identity.

• Shane [64:55]: "I think Smosh is honestly this weird little place where it's happening online."

• Amanda [65:23]: "That's why we cannot let it die. We have to keep."

---

7. Conclusion and Audience Engagement

Wrapping up the episode, Shane and Amanda encourage listeners to suggest new character ideas, fostering a collaborative environment where fan input directly influences future Smosh content. They envision episodes entirely dedicated to character performances, further enriching the Smosh universe.

• Shane [65:49]: "Thank you guys for listening and watching. Comment down below. Yeah, what pairs you'd want to see on here and other characters you think we could do?"

• Amanda [66:27]: "We have to keep the fire burning."

---

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Shane [00:48]: "We do a lot of them and they randomly pop up or we think about them for a long time and they're just in random spots all over Smosh."

• Amanda [01:22]: "Most of them are people that I know, but sometimes they're prompted."

• Shane [09:58]: "He just continues to be a guy with a coffee cup just standing there."

• Amanda [18:02]: "Sarah Christ is attached to my favorite thing in the world, which is female detectives on TV."

• Shane [23:38]: "Aunt Carolyn is truly based on just almost every woman in my family combined."

• Shane [32:39]: "He's just a stupid guy. He thinks he's really hot."

• Shane [47:53]: "We could just straight up do a Teletubbies reunion on this podcast, probably."

• Amanda [66:11]: "Tell us the type of vibe, type of POV. Yeah, then we'll try to do it."

• Shane [64:55]: "I think Smosh is honestly this weird little place where it's happening online."

• Amanda [65:23]: "That's why we cannot let it die. We have to keep."

• Shane [65:49]: "Thank you guys for listening and watching. Comment down below. Yeah, what pairs you'd want to see on here and other characters you think we could do?"

• Amanda [66:27]: "We have to keep the fire burning."

---

Conclusion

Episode #43 of Smosh Mouth serves as a rich exploration of the characters that breathe life into Smosh's diverse content. Through candid discussions and personal anecdotes, Shane and Amanda offer listeners an intimate glimpse into their creative journeys, the challenges of character development, and their unwavering commitment to fostering a vibrant and original character lineup. This episode not only celebrates the characters themselves but also invites fans to partake in the ongoing evolution of the Smosh universe.

Transcript

[Ryan Seacrest]

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[Shane]

Void where prohibited by law 21 + terms and conditions apply. Welcome to Smoshmouth. I'm Shane.

[Amanda]

And I'm Amanda. And we don't have a guest.

[Shane]

We don't have a guest today. Today is just Amanda and I. And we're talking all about characters. Yep. People. People. I think they like our characters.

[Amanda]

Yeah.

[Shane]

And we do a lot of them.

[Amanda]

We do a lot of them and they randomly pop up or we think about them for a long time and they're just in random spots all over. Smosh. And we never talk about how they were created.

[Shane]

We don't really talk about. Yeah, we don't talk about our characters. We just do them a lot. So I figured it'd be nice to take a whole episode and talk about them.

[Amanda]

I love it.

[Shane]

Talk about maybe their origins or their backstories. Like, what inspires us, what inspired them from our lives. I realized I do a lot of characters, and then I realized, in hindsight, oh, that's where it came from.

[Amanda]

Yes. Yes. Me too. Most of them are people that I know, but sometimes they're prompted. I feel like a lot of characters are born in tntl.

[Shane]

Totally.

[Amanda]

But then. Which we don't really do anymore. A lot of them were born for funerals. Like, that was like the main one.

[Shane]

True. It's true. Yeah. A lot of them.

[Amanda]

Yeah.

[Shane]

Before we get into that, how have you been? What's going on?

[Amanda]

I've been good.

[Shane]

Yeah.

[Amanda]

Been good. I.

[Shane]

I've been good.

[Amanda]

I. No, I've been really good. 2024 has been rocking my world.

[Shane]

It's.

[Amanda]

Dude, what is going on?

[Shane]

It is a lot stuff has happened this year.

[Amanda]

Stuff has happened. Yeah.

[Shane]

Things have happened this year.

[Amanda]

Yeah, things have happened. When does this come out?

[Shane]

Losing track. I guess something I will say to our listeners is like, I'm. We're trying really hard to have episodes come out, like, quicker. Like, so that when we're talking about things, it's like. But it's hard because we're filming these episodes alongside all of Our other content. So a lot of times, like, we'll film an episode and it releases, like, a month later, and I'm like, damn.

[Amanda]

Like, we're actively trying to film these episodes closer and releasing them closer. So they do feel relevant. So it is in the moment, and we don't.

[Shane]

I feel like our conversations and what we talk about, it doesn't. It's. It's evergreen. Like, it doesn't matter. But I would like it to get closer so that we can talk more about, like, stuff we're seeing online. Cause, like, we did our TikTok, but, man, Costco guys. I wish I could have talked about that. Cause that was my TikTok feed for a while. Ah, we're Costco guys. Of course. We gotta try the new double chunk chocolate cookie. What is that? Double chunk chocolate cookie.

[Amanda]

That. See, those two are new characters.

[Shane]

Those are characters. No, I said. When I saw that, I was like, that's the most Arizona guy I've ever seen in my life. That is. That is Dudes in Arizona. Was that Costco guy, that poor kid.

[Amanda]

Like, the first shot when you showed me that video? His eyes. There's so much story in them. He's like, I don't want to be here. But also, I love my dad.

[Shane]

I think he loves being there.

[Amanda]

I don't know.

[Shane]

I think.

[Amanda]

I think he loves. Hmm. How do I put this? I think he loves his dad so much.

[Shane]

He loves. He loves, like, Oh, I love.

[Amanda]

He loves his dad, but he's like.

[Shane]

I. I. Yeah, I'll do whatever Talked about on TikTok. People were talking about how that kid, like, it's like, those eyes. Have you ever seen a kid who is more designed to rock a propeller hat and have a big popsicle and be like, golly gee, mister, a whole nickel? Like. Like.

[Amanda]

Like that thing. Yeah, that thing that you showed me that was like, those eyes should never see war.

[Shane]

They were not meant to see war. It's so good.

[Amanda]

It's so good.

[Shane]

TikTok. I want to talk about, like. And we missed the whole, like, pookie thing. We never talked about that here.

[Amanda]

Well, we did. We did a TikTok.

[Shane]

We did. We do a TikTok. I will always do a tik tok.

[Amanda]

It was. Yeah, Pookie, I want to talk about talking about it here.

[Shane]

We don't talk about it. Because I know when I'm watching a TikTok, and I'm like, oh, I want to talk about this on the podcast. But I'm like, tik tok memes Have a lifespan of like, five days now.

[Amanda]

Yeah.

[Shane]

Because I know by the time people are listening to this Costco, guys. Ancient history.

[Amanda]

History.

[Shane]

Nobody is already there of their. They're one of the, like, they're one of the bottom layers of the geologic timetable.

[Amanda]

Wait, did the Pookie.

[Shane]

Did we talk about Pookie? A little bit. But I feel like once we've talked. But, like, it's already, like, passed.

[Amanda]

Like, I can't even talk about Kate Middleton right now because I shouldn't because she has cancer. And that's.

[Shane]

And I. I remember. I remember we, like, whenever we bring up anything, like, I remember thinking about that. We never did talk about Kate Middleton much because I'm like, I'm worried about, as stories go, like, what's going to unfold, and I can't predict the future. It could have been something mundane, but it wasn't.

[Amanda]

Yeah.

[Shane]

It's like, damn. Like. And it's scary. It's scary.

[Amanda]

Yeah. I didn't really, like, it was always like, okay, where is she? But it was also like, clearly, this woman needs space and what we need to kind of back away. And I think a lot of people are feeling really shitty right now.

[Shane]

Oh, for sure, for sure.

[Amanda]

Especially the people that spent so much. Someone showed me this video of them breaking down her in the car. They were like, look, if you see 360 degrees, it turns around. She is paper. She's like a paper mannequin person. It wasn't her in the car. And it's like, what do you do for a job? What's your day like, that you're making this video?

[Shane]

And it's just. I think it goes to prove to, like a lot of times, like, once we get into this realm of being like, what's going on here? What's happening? It's like, it's probably not something that is gonna be fun to find out. Like, it's not gonna be some crazy thing. It's gonna be like, yeah, she's really sick and she doesn't hang out.

[Amanda]

Well, that's always the case. I mean, to bring it back to true crime, people have all these conspiracies, like, oh, my God. And then when they find out the truth, it's actually just really sad.

[Shane]

It's always, like, a real answer. The real answer's always, like, kind of devastating.

[Amanda]

I think that's why humans make up or really dive into conspiracy theories.

[Shane]

Yeah. Oh, it's. I, I for sure. And we're obviously getting heavy for a second here before we get light again with Our characters. But I do think, like, I. With a lot of conspiracy theory stuff, it's like, you want life to have some sort of. You want there to be some sort of big, grand thing that you're a part of. And it's like. I don't know, like, a lot of times, like, the answer is. The answer is boring. It can be really sad and devastating, but it's often, like, not as exciting as you want it to be. I agree.

[Amanda]

And I also say, like, I know that you said. But I want to say that, like, that's what you and I do. Like, we. We think about all this stuff, all this deep stuff. And I think that's because a character cannot just be a voice. Right. A character cannot just be an outfit. Like, it has to have layers. In order to have layers, it has to. You. Your brain has to go to a deep spot.

[Shane]

Yeah.

[Amanda]

Like, there has to be something.

[Shane]

Well, and we're creative thinkers, too, so when blank spaces. When blank space. We're so fucking genius.

[Amanda]

Just kidding.

[Shane]

No, but when blank spaces are left out in the world, we fill them with creativity, and we come up with all the things it could possibly be. And, yeah, we do that with our characters and how we cope.

[Amanda]

It's how we, like, go through the world.

[Shane]

Yeah. And I realize I'm someone, like, I. You know, I'm such a visual thinker. I'm often thinking in these hypotheticals. I love, like, playing things out in my head so, you know, characters come about naturally. And what's really funny, though, is so many of my characters, I think they develop over time. And a lot of times, my characters kind of develop in a way that almost comes from fan conspiracy, where I'll create a character, but I haven't thought a lot about who they are. And I will read what fans think and theorize about the character. And that also helps me build it out. So a lot of my characters are kind of like a group effort and like a back and forth. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Like. Well, recently, I'll talk first about my most recent character, which you've seen, which is the Bystander.

[Amanda]

Yeah, just.

[Shane]

Very stupid character, I guess we can call him, but.

[Amanda]

But relatable.

[Shane]

Truthfully, that was not a character I planned at all. I had written some notes the night before that. I was like, okay, I'm gonna do a bit where I'm gonna go and I'm gonna hand these notes to someone, and it's just gonna be a silent bit. And I was like, okay, I need to put on a costume. So I found. It's like, this blonde wig, some sunglasses. Cause sunglasses are always funny. They're different than the chosen, but they look kind of like it. And then just took a big, long trench coat and then a cup of coffee. And I do it to Angela or I do it to Daniel Thrasher, our guest. First, he laughs before I even hand him the note. And I was like, sweet, I'm off. I'm not gonna do this bit. And then I do it for Angela, and I make her laugh. But then I just. Like, she was so bothered by, like, the appearance of this guy that I was like, I'm just gonna stand around and just continue. Be there and just be a bystander.

[Amanda]

The bit's over.

[Shane]

The bit's never over. That's true.

[Amanda]

I'm giving you a compliment.

[Shane]

What's happening?

[Amanda]

Try not to laugh. A guy stands here.

[Shane]

And then, like, I got such a reaction from her that I just was like, this is the bit now. And so I just kept standing around the room, and it's just a guy with a coffee cup just standing there.

[Amanda]

Save me. I'm begging you. He won't leave me. I filed a shady order. You. He won't go. The cops.

[Shane]

That I can't do anything because he's not harming me. And it just. It just worked. The editing helped a lot. Like, the stings and everything. But it. Then in the comments, everyone's like, the bystander. Well, Angela says the bystander. And then fans really, like, she'll be.

[Amanda]

Getting a lot of money.

[Shane]

Yes. I have to pay her royalties.

[Amanda]

Yeah, I thought so.

[Shane]

But I'm like, I don't know anything about this guy. But we'll now build that out, which.

[Amanda]

Is so fun, because I feel like those are characters created in tntl.

[Shane]

Totally.

[Amanda]

Cause I watched that character, and I am like, oh, man. I'm just, like, imagining his backstory, imagining his life. It's funny because I don't really use the fans to color my characters, but I definitely play off of people. A lot of my characters will come from, you know, fucking around with people, doing bits with people or seeing someone or putting on an outfit. Like, I find myself at TNTL putting on the costume and then going, like, who is this person?

[Shane]

Yeah.

[Amanda]

And then having everyone backstage going like, oh, this is this person. Oh, this is this person. Oh, maybe this is this person.

[Shane]

You and Angela are the same, where you guys just make a costume without thinking about it.

[Amanda]

We do not.

[Shane]

And then you walk out and then let it go.

[Amanda]

We have an unspoken pact. We don't plan anything for tnt. Not saying anything against planning. We just find it more.

[Shane]

You love doing that.

[Amanda]

I love it. Planning gets me stuck. Because I think that we come from a world where we had to plan so much stuff in order to be on stage. And it's like, for me, it's so freeing. So one of mine that's. I guess it's not the same as Bystander, but it's the same kind of feeling is, we did it. And it's for prop tart, the most recent teen tail prop tart, which I don't think is out right now. It probably is, but it will be.

[Shane]

No, I don't think it is, but it will be.

[Amanda]

Okay. So the prop was those angel wings.

[Shane]

Yeah.

[Amanda]

And I was just backstage, and I was like, oh, oh, okay. What if it's, like, a dove or whatever and you guys are getting married? So I forced Angela and Tommy to go out there pretending they were getting married. And I grabbed the wings, and I was like, after they said, I do, I go, I will now release the dove. And I just threw it into the air. And I was wearing this big coat, this weird wig, and Angela was dying. She was just like, dude, a person who releases birds at celebrations, who announces himself, like, he doesn't have enough money to have a team announce him that he's, like a Hired, Like a clown that shows at a party, except he's the one who releases, like, doves.

[Shane]

Those are the best characters. Just, like. Just such a specific, specific thing.

[Amanda]

And usually I start with a backstory, but this one, I'm like, I'm working backwards. I'm like, okay, I gotta think of the backstory for this. He lives at home with his mom. He's working on creating his business. Yeah. I just love those characters because it's like, I don't know where they'll go, but they have life in some parts.

[Shane]

See, what I do. I think the reason I have so many characters from Try not to Laugh is because I'll do something like that. And then I'm like, I'm gonna bring this character back. Like, I bring it back. I think that's. Sometimes the thing is, like, people will do a great character, and then they're just like, that was awesome. And I'm like, no, bring it back.

[Amanda]

Bring it back. Let the story build.

[Shane]

Yeah, bring it back in some new context, whatever. And I. I love to do that. And I've talked about it before, but I do it partially out of laziness because I'm like, sweet. If I just bring that character back. I don't think of a whole new bit. I can just keep doing the same bit over and over again, different ways.

[Amanda]

And it's so fun to bring that character back the whole time while someone's on the stool, which is what you did. And I loved that.

[Shane]

Yeah.

[Amanda]

Because it's like the whole time when someone's on the stool, you get to just like add them back in.

[Shane]

Oh, yeah. And try not to laugh. Ideally, we shouldn't be like taking turns. It's the bit never stops. You're just always can be out there. I love my favorite part in Try not to Laugh is just whenever you're doing a bit or someone else is doing a bit and someone else hops in.

[Amanda]

It's my favorite.

[Shane]

It's the best part of every single one of them. The more you're doing that, the better. And I feel like we got out of that flow for a while and now we're back in it.

[Amanda]

We're back in it.

[Shane]

I feel like Try not to Laugh is really crushing it right now.

[Amanda]

So fun. It's therapy for me.

[Shane]

It's really. It is super fun, like.

[Amanda]

Cause it's just. You get 30 seconds and it's not really. To me, I don't. I mean, of course I care if I make the person laugh, but that's not the main goal.

[Shane]

It's really not the goal.

[Amanda]

I actually care if I make the crew laugh more than the person.

[Shane]

Oh, yeah, for sure. For sure.

[Amanda]

I'm like, that's who I want to make laugh. Because it's like. And it's always. For me, it's outfit, wig, first voice is like last movement.

[Shane]

Interesting.

[Amanda]

Isn't that weird?

[Shane]

Yeah.

[Amanda]

What's for you?

[Shane]

Well, I sort of plan, like. I pseudo plan a lot of stuff. Yeah. I don't plan everything, but I pseudo plan, like, for instance, that one, I had written out the notes and I was like, I'm gonna silently go up and hand it to them. So I knew of what I was. I knew the action of it. But then I just created the costume and everything. And that wasn't supposed to be a character with a lot of other ones in the past, I have really just like. It kind of comes to me. I'm trying to think like Dumpster wizard.

[Amanda]

I was there, man.

[Shane]

I was there, man. I definitely, like, really, like. I kinda know all of it.

[Amanda]

Pharaoh High. A whole series of. Okay.

[Shane]

Pharaoh High. Pharaoh High was exactly like you do. Where I. I had not really thought of that at all. I just kind of Threw it all on and then was like, it's. It's just a high school show called Pharaoh High on cw.

[Amanda]

So funny.

[Shane]

And so I just went out and did that. Now that's not really a character. That's just like kind of parodying the CW thing.

[Amanda]

It was a premise based character.

[Shane]

Have. Have you had try not to laugh jokes that. That were received far better than you expected?

[Amanda]

Because I've had 99% of them.

[Shane]

My most popular jokes are ones where I'm like, really? I was like, that's. That was not one of my good ones. Like, Feral High truly was like, this one sucks. And we just ended up doing so much around it. And I was like, really?

[Amanda]

Most of the thing I get quoted for are when I'm fucking up or when I'm like, Mexican salsa. Yes. Or when I'm being an idiot. Someone on the street was like, oh, my God, you're the Harambe girl. The Harambe girl. That's not the first time that's happened.

[Shane]

You've had Harambe girl multiple times now when you're walking around the street.

[Amanda]

Yes.

[Shane]

Holy shit, you're a meme.

[Amanda]

Someone was like, oh, my God, I recognize. Oh, you're the girl who didn't know who Harambe was.

[Shane]

That's so.

[Amanda]

That's my legacy.

[Shane]

Isn't it so insane that now you understand how big Harambe was that not knowing Harambe in 2024 made you a celebrity?

[Amanda]

Yeah, definitely. Some friends were like, what are you doing? How did you not know who Harambe was?

[Shane]

How did you not know about that dead gorilla?

[Amanda]

But yeah, my famous quotes are when I'm literally fucking up. So.

[Shane]

Yeah, but some of yours you put a lot of effort in. I mean, Sarah Christ is truly. And I feel like you knew that one like the back of your hand before you ever came out with it.

[Amanda]

Sarah Christ is attached to my favorite thing in the world, which is female detectives on tv. They all. To me, they all. It's like they could all hang out together because they all have very similar through lines. Right. They're all trying to quit smoking. They all just have sex with random people in the bar and then are just like, whatever, don't call me. And they're all like, kind of have a drinking problem, but don't. And they all have some weird, crazy backstory. They're not. They're not with a secure, grounded partner, but yet they get the job done. But they always lose their gun or badge over it. They're always about to get fired. And that's when they find the killer.

[Shane]

Did you fully improvise vodka coffee? Or did you kinda know that that's what she drank?

[Amanda]

Improvised.

[Shane]

That's insane.

[Amanda]

I don't remember when I first heard.

[Shane]

I don't remember when you first said it either, but I remember vodka coffee.

[Amanda]

I think it was for the live show. The thing is that me and Patrick McDonald. Cause Sarah Christ first happened when we started having those writing meetings with Smosh. And he. The moment I pitched that, he got it. He completely got it. And he was just like. We had this whole idea of, like, her hair being wet. And it's never described why her hair is soaking wet, but it's. It's the type of woman who hair is soaking wet and she puts him in a. In a ponytail. So he was on the same page with me. And it's like. It's either wet because she just. It's just. She just got a shower or she jumped in the lake. Cause she thought there was a body floating there. Like, that's where Wet Cop came in.

[Shane]

Fuck. Yeah. We called her Wet Cop for a long time.

[Amanda]

Wet Cop was forever. But, like, once I. The thing is, once I know the character so well, I can improvise for hours on it.

[Shane]

Oh, I get that.

[Amanda]

I know that sounds like a flex, but it's just. It's.

[Shane]

You're just in it.

[Amanda]

You're just so. Once you black out on a character, you're so. That's what I try to find all the time.

[Shane]

Yeah.

[Amanda]

And so vodka coffee. Lift my legs over my head. The improvised thing here.

[Shane]

Yeah.

[Amanda]

Cigarette out.

[Shane]

That was a trip.

[Amanda]

Scott. Scott on Sound was telling me that that was one of. His first. One of his first episodes doing sound on here. And he was like, yeah, I just thought that that's what you guys did for your podcast. Tell me that I'm like you. You.

[Shane]

That had to be so funny, not knowing these characters at all. Just being like, what the. Is this?

[Amanda]

Sarah Krysten chosen doing Smash Mouth every episode.

[Shane]

Pretty funny.

[Amanda]

Pretty insane, though. But, yeah, I loved Wet Cop because she felt the closest to me. Like.

[Shane]

Yeah.

[Amanda]

The closest to, like, what I.

[Shane]

You love playing tough characters, though.

[Amanda]

I do. I love playing.

[Shane]

You play belligerent characters really well.

[Amanda]

I love playing, like, they're belligerent.

[Shane]

I don't mean like belligerent like drunk, just belligerent like. Like bold. Like, they're. They're intense. They're not afraid. They're not zero filter. Because your Karen. I'd say your Karen and your. Your Sarah Christ are very similar in ways.

[Amanda]

Yeah.

[Shane]

Like, they're both, like, going to go in and demand what they need.

[Amanda]

They're extremely bothered by people.

[Shane]

Yeah, they.

[Amanda]

They are very direct and confrontational because they don't know any other way. Even if they're giving you a compliment, it sounds like they're yelling at you in a weird way.

[Shane]

Your Karen is unbelievable. Like, we've all on at Smosh, We've all played Karen's at this point, but yours really stands above the rest.

[Amanda]

Wow.

[Shane]

I feel like everyone would agree with that. Yours was. Yours was nuts.

[Amanda]

She was. And she's just. From those videos that I watched, I was just like, ugh. And she comes from a place of, like. It's not that. The thing is, I love my Karen. Like, I look at her and I'm like, love you, honey. But she's. She's out of her mind.

[Shane]

Oh, she's a full size girl.

[Amanda]

She's not crazy, but she's like. She's definitely. She's gone off the rails years ago.

[Shane]

Oh, yeah.

[Amanda]

Years ago.

[Shane]

Yeah.

[Amanda]

I think a lot of bad things have happened to her. See, I always try to find the humanity I try to find and the good. Like, if there's a character I don't like to don't. Like, like, if I saw Karen on the street. And, like, I have to find something about them that I really, really like in order to enjoy. Totally. And there's something that I love about this Karen, and I think it's just her. She literally thinks that she is owed. Owed everything. Yeah, you owe me this.

[Shane]

Right?

[Amanda]

Like, and that's kind of what I'm just like, damn right. But the rest of it, I'm like, oh, no.

[Shane]

Yeah.

[Amanda]

Same with your aunt.

[Shane]

Aunt Carolyn.

[Amanda]

Aunt Carolyn.

[Shane]

Yeah. I forget when I first did Aunt Carolyn. I think that was throughout the. I think that was throughout the pandemic and. Cause we had our. Where a lot of my characters actually came from was Smosh games. And I really want us to start bringing this back. But we would do Viva Smosh Vegas where we would play blackjack darts. And then we ended up, like, playing, like, Uno and just, like, random things. But it was just like kind of more card games and stuff. But I think I did it there. And Aunt Carolyn, the voice, that was one where I really did not know, like, the voice or mannerisms. I knew the POV of this person. The voice goes all over the place. It goes from John Mulaney to. It's so John Mulaney Lynn from Bob's Burgers. It's me just trying to like truly not just do like a woman voice.

[Amanda]

But she has such a strong POV that just.

[Shane]

Oh, it's. Well, the pov, Aunt Carolyn is truly based on just almost every woman in my, my family just combined like. Oh my God, like combined and also a mess. But I say things from her that are truly like kind of quotes from family members sometimes. Like, like, like just inspired by, I would say. And the drinking is not really something. The is just a fun added thing. Just the wine aspect is just a fun addition. But just that no filter. I think she truly, deep down means the best. And she truly loves everyone. She wants everything to work out, but she has no filter. She's super ignorant, just completely unaware.

[Amanda]

You know what?

[Shane]

But that's, that's, that's like unfortunately, like that's a lot of women that, that I know that, that they'll say just this. They'll say women in their 60s sometimes will just say things that. It's just like. You believe that 100%.

[Amanda]

You said that.

[Shane]

That's crazy. But it's the funniest thing. I just think it's such a funny. And I try to make her endearing. You know, I try to make her.

[Amanda]

I love her so much because she's just like, she's just a woman who's in charge and she's just like, I'm gonna say what I need to say. Cause the world needs to hear it.

[Shane]

Yes.

[Amanda]

And there's some. There's something that I love so much about that is like one of our characters. No, filter's the right word. But they're just so proud.

[Shane]

Yes. Oh, my characters. Every single one of my characters. I think, I think that's a very common thing for me is that my characters. Well, it's also hard not to play it this way, but my characters are extremely confident in their ways.

[Amanda]

Mine too.

[Shane]

But it's hard not to because you need a strong pov. I'm trying to think of character self deprecating. I'm trying to think of characters that are not like absolutely certain in what they're doing. Even if they're an insecure character. They're certain in their insecurity. Cause like Dumpster Wizard's whole thing is paranoia.

[Amanda]

But he's confident.

[Shane]

But he knows for 100% that things are gonna go wrong. But my characters are often uber confident in a lot of ways. I mean, Courtney freakin Miller, the Chosen and Aunt Carolyn are like, even I was there. You're not going to change. You're not going to change their Perspectives. Yeah, they are.

[Amanda]

And if you do, it's for like two seconds when they're vulnerable, like wet cop. She could possibly have a moment where she could like think about a farm life with a. With a good man. And it's probably like right after sex.

[Shane]

About to light like two seconds, about.

[Amanda]

To light up a cigarette and then she's like, get out.

[Shane]

Get out of that. Get out of my head.

[Amanda]

I would say I think I love self deprecating characters. I love like kind of scared characters, but I don't often play them.

[Shane]

Yeah, I haven't seen you play like.

[Amanda]

A character, but I was thinking one of them that I have played, but he's not soft spoken. But he is self deprecating. Is Damian's voiceover agent for Damian's funeral.

[Shane]

Dude, that character was unbelievable.

[Amanda]

That character was so fun to play. And what happened? I genuinely blacked out because I was working it out with Patrick and Jeremy and I don't think I pushed him to that place that I brought him there. But when he got up on the stand, he was so like bug eyed. He was lost.

[Shane]

You were destroyed.

[Amanda]

I was destroyed. And I think it was more that. I wouldn't say self deprecating, but he was destroyed. And I think that was just. It was nice not to play such a confident character, actually. I guess he was confident in his destruction.

[Shane]

Yeah.

[Amanda]

But also he was just so. I think he wasn't like, I know all. He was just destroyed. And it was really fun to get lost in that because I think when I play a confident character, the Amanda steps in sometimes and is like, I got this. Like we got this. Whereas like someone who's a mess.

[Shane]

Yeah.

[Amanda]

Amanda goes away and then I can black out into the character.

[Shane]

Yeah.

[Amanda]

Do you know what I mean?

[Shane]

Totally.

[Amanda]

Because I haven't seen. I haven't seen you play like a. Wait, you have for true. For Drew's funeral. You did play.

[Shane]

Well, that was kind of myself, but I played an unconfident guy.

[Amanda]

I didn't say it.

[Shane]

I can play it. I just don't have any characters that I've really leaned hard into this. It'd be fun. That's a good idea for the next one. Yeah. But yeah, there's confidence and then going back to Aunt Carolyn. Cause this is kind of the same for you with voiceover agent. I know you were at Groundlings making characters for so long and they have that rule where you can't play the opposite gender. They recently got rid of it, though.

[Amanda]

It's changed. Yeah.

[Shane]

Yeah. But I remember Hearing about that, where it's like, no, men can't play women. Women can't play men. And I'm like, unless you slay it.

[Amanda]

I remember that.

[Shane]

Oh, really?

[Amanda]

And Sunday Company, they're like, unless you can prove to me that you can kill it.

[Shane]

Interesting.

[Amanda]

But it was.

[Shane]

Yeah. I've always been nervous when. I mean, nobody's ever said anything, but I was always nervous throughout playing characters that were women. Cause I was like, I never want the joke to be that I'm a man playing a woman. I'm like, when I. When I'm playing a character, I'm like, this is the character. And the character is funny. Not because of anything appearance wise. They're funny because of their POV as an individual pov. So I think that's why with Aunt Carolyn, the voice kind of goes all over the place. Because I'm like, I'm really not trying to make that the joke of Aunt Carolyn.

[Amanda]

I think when men try to play women, what we don't enjoy is when they're like, hi, auntie.

[Shane]

Exactly.

[Amanda]

La la la. And it's like, I'm sure men don't enjoy when girls are like, ah, yeah, I wanna see my dick. Yeah, like we don't like.

[Shane]

Cause I'm trying to remember your. When you played Damian's voiceover agent. Cause that was a guy. I feel like I don't remember what the voice.

[Amanda]

He was. Yeah, he was up here and he kept. He kept pulling out his hair and he was. He was up here.

[Shane]

Yeah.

[Amanda]

And people kept saying that I looked like Amanda Bynes and she's the man.

[Shane]

And I was like, oh, yeah, I see it.

[Amanda]

Oh, God.

[Shane]

Yeah. I focus more on like, like unique inflection and more like the. The. I don't worry about where my. Because I'm like, my voice is gonna sound like my voice to a certain degree. I'm not gonna sound like that's how you should think.

[Amanda]

And honestly, I really think the POV can color your voice.

[Shane]

Oh, totally.

[Amanda]

You're a really stressed out person. It can be. And if you're really confident, well.

[Shane]

And after. After a couple seconds, you're not thinking about that anymore. Like you don't care. But with Aunt Carolyn, I definitely. Because that's the only character. Because Courtney freakin Miller I've established at this point is just doesn't even count as a human. Like, just. I think I've established that they are a supernova. That just this is their human form.

[Amanda]

Another planet.

[Shane]

They're not even real. And I just play that Like a frigging wrestler. Like, I just have such a. That's the character. I probably. Honestly, I would say the chosen. But that Courtney freakin Miller I really get lost in because I'm just like, whatever I'm doing has to be the most extreme version of it. But, yeah, no, I mean, so I'm trying to think.

[Amanda]

I know there's no timeline to us.

[Shane]

It's tough.

[Amanda]

Our characters. Yeah, there is no timeline because it's just like, when we're shooting all the time, they'll pop in or they'll be created years ago and they'll come back.

[Shane]

I know their order because Courtney freakin Miller was first. Did that forever ago. I've told that story about how that happened by chance that Courtney was sick and I hopped in and I was just like, courtney.

[Amanda]

Yeah, I love that story.

[Shane]

And it just kind of kept coming back. And that was my only character for years. And then I didn't have, like, an established character until 2019 was when I did Dumpster Wizard. And that was for. Try not to laugh. And that was just purely a bit of just like, he's. And we called him the Harbinger for a long time because that's what he was.

[Amanda]

Wow.

[Shane]

Where it's like the old man in a horror movie who's, like, looking to go down there. Like, don't do it. And it just kind of kept becoming something more. It was really just that bit. And I haven't really taken him out beyond it too much because, for one, it's hard to do. Like, it's a. That's really a lot. But that's just what I pictured in my head. But I'm like, okay. And I. Now that I know, like, he's a paranoid guy who's going to. Who is really nervous about people. Like, people need to know about a danger. I'm like, I wonder if there's ways to get him out of just the Try not to laugh space.

[Amanda]

Definitely.

[Shane]

But a character, a character that I actually had that I've struggled with the most is Bryce Cryson. And we did that canceled video, the board game where you were a Karen and I was Bryce Criston's the guy who's got the sword.

[Amanda]

Oh.

[Shane]

Oh, yeah. And he's like a fuckboy kind of guy. Yes. And I have a really hard time playing. Playing him because I don't do well playing characters that are, like, shitty because you don't like them by nature. Well, I don't like him, but I try to make him endearing because I want to have them have a good. And I ultimately. But I also wanted him to be like this fuckboy guy. But I'm like, I hate like anything regarding like sex or flirting or anything is so hard to do without the character just being like disgusting.

[Amanda]

It's so hard to do a character.

[Shane]

Or like not likable if you don't.

[Amanda]

Like the heart of it. I get it.

[Shane]

Yeah. And you know, there's a lot of reasons and a lot of them built over time. But one of the reasons why I made chosen like that he's sworn off of sex and everything was also just to make that character easier to play. That I'm like, we're not like, I just. That's not an aspect.

[Amanda]

That's what's cool to know about yourself. Because you have to do those characters to go, why don't I want to play that person? Why don't I want to get in that outfit?

[Shane]

Yeah.

[Amanda]

Oh, because I don't like the heart of it.

[Shane]

I like the heart of Bryce. Christ.

[Amanda]

You do?

[Shane]

I have. I. I made him into a good. He's just a. He's just a stupid guy.

[Amanda]

Okay.

[Shane]

He's really dumb. He thinks he's really hot. He thinks he's hot shit.

[Amanda]

There you go.

[Shane]

But it's hard to like. I just don't want him. I don't know. It's. I'm still figuring out how he interacts with other people because I remember in that video just being like, I don't know what to say to people or whatever. It's like, it's, it's. It's tough.

[Amanda]

There was a video that you did with him and it was one of my first like sketch videos. One of my first. I was playing an agent or something.

[Ryan Seacrest]

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[Shane]

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[Amanda]

And you were in that video. And I had just witnessed this character. This was years ago.

[Shane]

Yeah.

[Amanda]

And you had said something as that character. And I was like, oh, that's really funny. And I was like, oh, that's.

[Shane]

That was our house tour.

[Amanda]

Yeah. Remember that?

[Shane]

Yeah. Bryce Criston and Brianna Boho.

[Amanda]

Were you talking about, like, the eclipse or the moon?

[Shane]

Yeah, yeah, I remember that video. That was a video where I felt like I really kind of tapped into him a little bit more. And you know what? I think he works with Brianna Boho as, like, a stupid boyfriend.

[Amanda]

What was your, like, moon comment? Do you remember?

[Shane]

I forget something about the eclipse. I remember, like, looking at the eclipse. Oh, what is that? Oh, we got a meteor or something coming towards Earth, Babe.

[Amanda]

That's not.

[Shane]

That's. What is that big? What?

[Amanda]

And what's the moon?

[Shane]

What is the moon?

[Amanda]

It's like a big rock that lights.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Up at night here.

[Amanda]

What?

[Shane]

That's the moon.

[Amanda]

What is that?

[Shane]

Like a. That's the biggest NFT I've ever seen in my life.

[Amanda]

That moon makes my period happen.

[Shane]

Oh, like a werewolf, you said.

[Amanda]

And I thought it was so funny. Cause it's like, I love this stupid boy who, like, secretly kind of, like, loves, like, the moon in astrology, but has zero idea what he's talking about.

[Shane]

Yeah, I think that's his vibe. I think he's like, oh, he's definitely putting on a front. He's definitely trying to be. In so many ways, but I think he works in the context of Brianna Boho, but, like, actually trying to be, like, flirty or whatever, it just. It's just hard. It's hard as a character to do that.

[Amanda]

He just needs a direction. Like, either he's gonna cover up that he's, like, really sweet and kind, or he's just gonna be really sweet and kind, but in the body of a dumb boy.

[Shane]

Yeah. And he's based on so many. Like, he's based on, you know, hype beasts and fuck boys. So he's based on a lot of shitty people. Like, and all those unlikable people are.

[Amanda]

Like, mom, come pick me up.

[Shane]

But I wanted him to evolve into something more fun, but I just haven't played him that much.

[Amanda]

Like, that's the other thing.

[Shane]

Really haven't played him a lot because it's just kind of like, I don't know, like, how to play him. And I have all these other characters that just fit in so many more contexts.

[Amanda]

You're so much more of a weirdo. That's the other thing is, like, you, Shane, take this as a compliment. You're a weirdo in the best way ever. You're a little weirdo and a nerd in the best way. And that's why you can slip into characters and, like, I don't like playing, like, a hot chick or, like, a really, like. I don't know. It's just not. I don't find it that fun. It's like, I'd rather play this damaged detective.

[Shane]

It's just.

[Amanda]

Do you know what I'm saying? I'm not saying that the people who play hot people are dumb. I'm just saying that I don't find it as fun to play. And I know that you.

[Shane]

It's not a POV that you enjoy and find the depth in.

[Amanda]

Yeah.

[Shane]

And I get that because. Yeah. As soon as I started playing the Chosen, I was just like, this is so much fun. But it also comes from such a real place for me.

[Amanda]

Yeah.

[Shane]

Like, the Chosen, I have said before, the Chosen, I think, is in many ways my ego. Like, that's what my ego is like. It's like. And I think everyone plays the Chosen well to a degree. Cause I'm like, that is your ego.

[Amanda]

That is the ego being, like.

[Shane]

When you think about it. When you think about it, your ego is so silly that your ego's like, what if I'm the chosen one? It's like, no, you're absolutely not. It's so funny. Think about, like. Think about, like, how silly that sounds. And it's just so fun to play where I'm like, everything that I say has to be the most epic shit ever, But I have to reach for the knowledge that I have. And my knowledge is about, like, stupid things, but I have to throw it out as if it's, like, the key to understanding the universe.

[Amanda]

I think that's why this character. That's why you can literally improvise for hours in this character. And it has so many legs, because it is a real part of you that you are understanding, put into a character.

[Shane]

But my real crowning achievement of the Chosen is that when I. The first video I did, it was Blackjack, which we need to do again. We need to play blackjack again. Cause it's so funny to play as characters. I love it, but I'm playing it. And then halfway through, I realized I had not said my name. And someone. And I think Sarah Whittle goes like, what's your name, by the way? And I truly had not thought of it. And so I was just like, my name is Spencer Agnew. Spencer Acnew. And I just threw it out there. And it was just really stupid to say. And then I think the crowning achievement is that I think Spencer plays The Chosen the best out of anyone. Because I'm like, he is the Chosen. Like, I truly. I kind of nailed it. Like, I'm like, he. When we did our Trivial Pursuit, which has just kind of blown up on TikTok for months, and it's all just Spencer quotes. His quotes from it go viral all the time. And it's like, Spencer's playing the Chosen. But is he. I think Spencer's.

[Amanda]

I think Spencer is the.

[Shane]

I think Spencer's just Spencer in that video. And he was in.

[Amanda]

He was in Chosen outfit the other day and I was like, man, you do look really good with that shark tooth necklace.

[Shane]

It's just his vibe.

[Amanda]

I'm in the Chosen. I was like, oh, I thought those were your real close.

[Shane]

That's just your vibe, man. No, it really, truly is him. It's. It's so fun. And I love that the Chosen at this point is played by everyone. Like, the Chosen's become like this weird thing where everyone's the Chosen. We've established that every universe has its own version. I love that it's my favorite part about it at this point.

[Amanda]

I did want to say that when I was talking about playing sexy characters that it's hard. I think playing sexy women is very, like, not as fun for me.

[Shane]

Yeah.

[Amanda]

But playing fuckboys is very fun for me, as we all know.

[Shane]

Dude. Yeah, you. And then I would say it's fascinating. Courtney plays dudes, crushes it. It's so funny to see Courtney play Dominic and then also play Brianna Boho. And I'm like, that's crazy. Like, tapping into these two different spheres and playing them so well that you actually forget.

[Amanda]

Yep.

[Shane]

Like, it's crazy how well she gets into those characters. She. She really loses herself, like, to a crazy degree. And. And what people often don't see is, is she kind of doesn't get out of the characters sometimes.

[Amanda]

Yeah.

[Shane]

Like, when she's Brianna Boho, she's like kind of Brianna Boho. And when she's Dominic, she just is on and off camera and, like, it's. It's wild.

[Amanda]

Kind of have to stay in it for a little bit.

[Shane]

Yeah, well, some are just fun to stay in. Like the Chosen. I definitely. I find myself. I don't smile as much when I'm wearing the Chosen sunglasses. No, I just. Because it's just like. No, like, it doesn't. It doesn't feel right. Yeah, it's like. No, I gotta be serious right now. It's a blast. It's a total blast.

[Amanda]

I would say that the Most fun that I have, that I would never want to get out of and is very Fuckboy is Tinky Winky.

[Shane]

Yeah, dude. Dude, you love me.

[Amanda]

Tinky Winky is one of the hottest men to me.

[Shane]

I realized that was. Okay, that was a character where I. That was a character where I wasn't a confident character.

[Amanda]

Yeah, yeah, but you were a little shit. You were Lala.

[Shane]

I was La la. Oh, my God, you were so shitty. I was shitty. I was stirring the pot. I was stirring the pot. I was trying to hurt people. You were.

[Amanda]

Woe is me. You were. And that. That just put Tinky Winky spikes up. Because Tinky Winky's kind of like a very chill guy. Like, he's. Honestly, he's like Bill Nighy in love, actually. Like, he's like, christmas is all around you, mate.

[Shane]

Yeah.

[Amanda]

And then when fucking Lala's there, it's. It's the only time he raises his voice when Lala's there. Because Lala is. He can't stand Lala because Lala is Everything he hates is, like, someone who's just like, nah, I'm not getting enough. And Tikiweek's like, mate, you gotta make life for yourself.

[Shane]

Say the opposite for Lala. Cause it was just like, you're not taking anything seriously.

[Amanda]

Exactly.

[Shane]

Like, this is serious shit.

[Amanda]

Which is why those characters are so fun.

[Shane]

That video is fucking chaos.

[Amanda]

I. I've watched that video so many times. Because what people don't understand is that it's, like 80% improvised and the rolling was 100% improvised.

[Shane]

Oh, yeah. No, we did not. We knew the drama between the characters a little bit, but when we got in there, it just all let loose. And, I mean, I think when I.

[Amanda]

Put on the tiny little blonde mustache and, like, the 70s glasses I was in, I mean, it didn't matter. I was like, I'm a fuckboy.

[Shane]

Yeah.

[Amanda]

And I'm in a huge Teletubbies Tinky Winky outfit. And I could have stayed in him forever.

[Shane]

Yeah.

[Amanda]

And I could think of all these things, and I think it's. Cause I, like, tapped into this. Like, the Amanda tapped into the cool British guy who was like, yeah, mate. Yeah. We got this lovely villa up in Italy. You should come for dinner sometime. I'll pick you up on my boat. I. We all kind of know that guy. And I was like. Or we've seen them on tv. And the Amanda. Me in me in me is like, he's so cool.

[Shane]

Yeah.

[Amanda]

So being him.

[Shane]

But he's in this big so Stupid.

[Amanda]

We looked so dumb.

[Shane]

Yeah, that's. That video is a cult hit, man. Like, that was from. That was from a time when we weren't getting many views on the main channel. And like, that one. That one was. Was popular. People love that video.

[Amanda]

Yeah, people love that. And I also. I do miss Legacy when we got to play new characters. I mean, you played a lot of characters. Didn't you die a lot? You died the most.

[Shane]

So I had to keep playing characters. Honestly, dying was kind of great. Cause you're like, I'll play a new character.

[Amanda]

So with Legacy, if you haven't seen it on the games channel, so fun. It's a game that we played, but every year we played a version of someone in our family lineage, and every time you died, you had to play a new character. And we just. We came up with so many fun characters.

[Shane]

Yeah, you played a lot of guys in that.

[Amanda]

Yeah, I played a total fuckboy.

[Shane]

Yeah.

[Amanda]

That was, like, in love with Angela. Forget my name.

[Shane]

So many names.

[Amanda]

Something.

[Shane]

Something so frickin many in that.

[Amanda]

But that was an amazing place to create characters.

[Shane]

Yeah, no, it was really fun. I realized none have really come back. Like, we didn't spill over into other things, but, yeah, that was such a blast.

[Amanda]

And also, those are, like, structured games. But I feel like the biggest. One of my favorite characters that I played on Smosh, based off of a bit was Bernadette. Me and Tommy being a married couple, and Tommy is very clearly into men, and we play that because my first vidcon, we were just joking that we were a married couple. And I was like, he loves me. And he's like, well, it's very clear that he's with me because he cares about me, but we just. We don't. And that playing that character on couples therapy was so enjoyable because we really.

[Shane]

Had a lot of shows so fun that were like, character stuff, character heavy. It's hard sometimes to make characters nowadays when things don't fully gear towards it, but I'd love for us to try to make those avenues again.

[Amanda]

I know. I think with Smosh is like, there needs to be more structured ways to do it. Like us playing Werewolf the other day. We were able to create characters and that.

[Shane]

That was fun.

[Amanda]

But it's like more structure and. Yeah, just like more things to do and costumes and wigs.

[Shane]

Just asking for it. Yeah. I really want us to have a darts competition.

[Amanda]

You really want to do these darts and blackjacks.

[Shane]

You want to imagine in this room. Imagine in this room, we have a dart Board set up, like, right here.

[Amanda]

Yeah. And Selina's just throwing darts while we're doing the podcast.

[Shane]

And while we're doing the podcast. No, no. Imagine the Smoshmouth signs. Not right there. We have a dart board right there. Or, like, against one of these walls. And then, like, we. We all are characters in a darts competition, and we step up one at a time to do our turns. We did this. We did this forever ago. I was chosen versus Spencer played Bullseye from the Daredevil. Oh.

[Amanda]

I was like, the target dog.

[Shane]

No, no.

[Amanda]

What?

[Shane]

The target dog.

[Amanda]

Are you crazy?

[Shane]

Is his name Bullseye?

[Amanda]

You're insane.

[Shane]

What?

[Amanda]

You're crazy.

[Shane]

Yeah. Spencer played a dog.

[Amanda]

Don't worry about it.

[Shane]

But. But we did that. It was so much fun, and I want to bring it back, but I want. I want for us to all bring characters, and then whoever wins, that character comes back for the next episode. But then it's three completely new characters that face off.

[Amanda]

Wait, that's such a fun. Like Revolver.

[Shane]

It's just the darts. Darts league.

[Amanda]

And we're pitching it right now.

[Shane]

Yeah, we're pitching it right now. So we have to do darts league, because I pitched sniper chess here, and that was a hit.

[Amanda]

Yeah.

[Shane]

So.

[Amanda]

So. So make this Darth again.

[Shane]

I mean, this is already something we've done, but we should bring it back, and we should make it a whole league. I also want to play blackjack again.

[Amanda]

Yeah. You really want to play some blackjack?

[Shane]

Blackjack was so fun as chosen. It was so stupid. And I realized a bit that I did as chosen in blackjack that I've not brought back that much is every number that was said, I would be like. It would be like, it's an 8, and I go, 8. The age I became a man. Like, I just. Every number was the age I became a man.

[Amanda]

Oh, my God, I love that.

[Shane]

We need to bring it back.

[Amanda]

Did he become a man ever?

[Shane]

Well, I think he means, like, he faced his first challenge or something. No, chosen is never. I had to forsake all intimacy to study the Blade.

[Amanda]

No fap.

[Shane]

Exactly.

[Amanda]

Now I know what that means.

[Shane]

Yeah, you literally do. It's a real thing. There's real chosens out there.

[Amanda]

Yeah.

[Shane]

Trying to think if there's characters that I haven't mentioned, I definitely.

[Amanda]

I have another one for right now. Is Abigail Bunt the suffragette.

[Shane]

Is that a character you think you could improvise as?

[Amanda]

Yes.

[Shane]

You haven't brought that character back, have you?

[Amanda]

No, there hasn't been really a place for me to bring her back. Although I could bring her back for tntl, but I'd have to get her whole outfit.

[Shane]

That's a tough outfit.

[Amanda]

Because here's the thing. She lives in the suffragette world. She could be in the modern world, but we'd have to understand why she's there. Because she's just. She's. Women vote and, you know, it worked.

[Shane]

Really well for when you brought her up.

[Amanda]

It did.

[Shane]

That's another thing.

[Amanda]

Sometimes they live and die in the place.

[Shane]

That's okay.

[Amanda]

And that's okay. Like, I could bring her back, but she's very. To me, she's specific, but I can take pieces of her totally.

[Shane]

Like, we can rebuild her.

[Amanda]

We can rebuild her like a little robot.

[Shane]

Yeah. It's tough. Like, we have to kind of have characters be sort of simple so that you can kind of throw it on at any point. Right.

[Amanda]

Like, she's specific to an era. Right. Like, I guess she could go. She could go to, like, you know, a grocery store or, like.

[Shane]

Yeah. And be like, we'll send you to a.

[Amanda]

Have you voted? Cause you're a woman. But it's like, cut. But also, I could take her voice. You know what I mean?

[Shane]

Yeah. No. Such a good character.

[Amanda]

She was so fun to play. She's also confident.

[Shane]

Yeah.

[Amanda]

So I have to play less confident characters.

[Shane]

Yeah.

[Amanda]

I also don't love playing rich characters. Do you know what I mean? Like.

[Shane]

Huh. A lot of my characters aren't rich either. They're all broke.

[Amanda]

They're all broke. I haven't played a rich character in a. I don't remember the last. I mean, Tinky Winky's rich.

[Shane]

Oh, yeah. The Teletubbies are rich.

[Amanda]

What am I saying?

[Shane]

Yeah.

[Amanda]

Yeah. He's super rich.

[Shane]

Absolutely.

[Amanda]

Other than that, they're loaded. They're loaded.

[Shane]

I wonder how rich the Teletubbies actually are, like, in their little universe. You know what?

[Amanda]

I heard about the Teletubbies as the woman whose backyard they filmed the Teletubbies on.

[Shane]

I didn't realize it was a backyard.

[Amanda]

It was like, her land.

[Shane]

Oh, Jesus.

[Amanda]

It was her land, and she had to. There's like, a pond in the Telet. No, there's like a. There's like a little fake home in the Teletubbies. So many fans or people were coming to look at it that she was put a. Like, a pond there. She totally got rid of it.

[Shane]

That reminds me of the owners of the Breaking Bad House deal with so much bullshit.

[Amanda]

Really?

[Shane]

Because people know where the Breaking Bad house is, so they go There, and they're just pissed.

[Amanda]

How do they find out where the Breaking Bad House is?

[Shane]

I think it's public knowledge. I think it's sad. I just am like, that's someone's house. But like, maybe they bought it and didn't realize it was the Breaking Bad House and now they gotta deal with that. But it's like, okay, you go and you see a regular looking house and it's like, that's it.

[Amanda]

Well, we went to San Francisco with my UCB team and the full house. House is there. Oh, and we went there someone.

[Shane]

But someone lives there now.

[Amanda]

Yeah, it's in a. Yeah, yeah.

[Shane]

Someone's living in the full house.

[Amanda]

And my, you know, my friend on my team was like, oh, my God, I'm so excited about this. And we were all like, oh, my God, there it is. And the guy across the way was like, can you please keep it down? Like, he clearly. Fans clearly stop there all the time and go, wow. And the.

[Shane]

The neighbors are just, oh, I'd lose my shit.

[Amanda]

Yeah, the name.

[Shane]

If every couple minutes you hear, hey.

[Amanda]

It'S the Full House House.

[Shane]

Can you imagine? I would. I'd be so upset. Just on repeat all day, I would go. I'd have to.

[Amanda]

No, it's not.

[Shane]

It's not actually.

[Amanda]

It's not actually. That's so weird. You must have got the address wrong.

[Shane]

What's stupid is that they definitely. They only filmed the exteriors there. They just got a couple shots of the exteriors of that house.

[Amanda]

Did you film it inside?

[Shane]

I'm not gonna film inside.

[Amanda]

I'm just kidding. I'm a cool set person.

[Shane]

Dude, I changed the subject. Can I tell you how, like, blown away I was when I found out that Friends was shot in la?

[Amanda]

Oh, no. You thought it was in New York.

[Shane]

That's not stupid to think.

[Amanda]

No, I don't.

[Shane]

Seinfeld was shot in New York.

[Amanda]

So I thought, like, no, I don't think you're stupid. Hey, man.

[Shane]

But like, it was just something as a kid. I just. I knew it wasn't like a real apartment in New York. I just was like, oh, it's based in New York. They shot it in New York.

[Amanda]

I'm saying, oh, no, that's such a bummer to find that out. That's like finding out the Easter Bunny's not real.

[Shane]

I mean, not at all. I didn't give that much about Friends. I was just blown away. I wasn't sad. I was just blown away.

[Amanda]

So where was it filmed? In la in a set? Yeah, that's really sad. I'm just. It's just sad.

[Shane]

You know, it just has such a New York vibe, and I'm just like, oh, that's. But it makes perfect sense. It's a sitcom. There's no, like, Coffee Shop was a set, too. Nothing is. Nothing is. Like. There's no real. The windows. There's nothing outside there. Like, it. It's. It's easy to fake it. It's just. I don't know why I was like, wait, how did they shoot it in. In. In la. But as a kid, too, you're watching that stuff, and. And you do forget that it's a set. Like the. The. The diner on Seinfeld. I was like, oh, they shoot it at this diner. It's like, of course they fucking don't. It's. They build all this shit.

[Amanda]

I know, but that makes me sad. It's like, I wish that they did. It makes me sad.

[Shane]

It. Like, it would be a nightmare.

[Amanda]

I know, but it's like, you're not gonna know this movie whatsoever, and it's okay, but practical magic, okay?

[Shane]

Practical magic.

[Amanda]

All right, well, listen. So it was shot on Whidbey island in Seattle. I went there. It was so cool. I brought Garde there. I was like. And I was, like, looking for the house. I was like, where's the house that they shot this? It's a gorgeous house. And they're like, they built that for the movie and then tore it down immediately. And I was like, the house. It was heartbreaking.

[Shane]

It was fake.

[Amanda]

It was heartbreaking. The house is so cool, like, finding.

[Shane]

Out that Home Alone. They built that house in, like, a pool.

[Amanda]

What?

[Shane]

Yeah. At least some of the shots of that. They built, like, a lot of that house in the. In a pool.

[Amanda]

I don't know why?

[Shane]

Because, remember, they flood the house. The end of. It's. It's flooded. So they. It was in all of that.

[Amanda]

That's the neighbor's house.

[Shane]

That entire. Yes, the Home Alone House.

[Amanda]

You can. You can get on Airbnb.

[Shane]

Right? But that's the exterior of the Home Alone House. The interior of the Home Alone House, A lot of the set, I believe, was built at a school.

[Amanda]

This is so sad.

[Shane]

I.

[Amanda]

Wait a second.

[Shane]

This is from the movies that made us.

[Amanda]

I love that show.

[Shane]

They talk about Home Alone.

[Amanda]

So that house was built in a pool so they could flood it.

[Shane]

Yeah. At least the basement thing. I might be completely wrong or partially wrong, because I know that this was talked about in it.

[Amanda]

You know, when I was a kid, when I watched that Scene. All I could think about was, how are they gonna get all that water out of that person's house?

[Shane]

I know. That's what I think about the fucking Wet Bandits.

[Amanda]

The Wet Bandits.

[Shane]

Those fuckers.

[Amanda]

Oh, my God.

[Shane]

Yeah.

[Amanda]

Wow.

[Shane]

Yeah.

[Amanda]

Movies that made us is great. The Halloween house is still a thing, okay? It's in South Pasadena. And if you go there on Halloween, Mike Myers is out on the front porch waving.

[Shane]

Oh, he's gonna get you.

[Amanda]

And I went there last Halloween for two seconds, and it was hilarious. And it's very scary. Cause you can stand on the street and wave at him, and he's just standing there waving.

[Shane]

Is it. It's like a machine or something?

[Amanda]

No, it's a real man just standing.

[Shane]

There for hours waving.

[Amanda]

Yes. He probably gets subbed out by another actor.

[Shane]

Oh, God.

[Amanda]

It's the Halloween house.

[Shane]

Oh, Jesus.

[Amanda]

Yeah. Anyways.

[Shane]

Anyways. How often do you think. How often do you come up with new characters or think about.

[Amanda]

Depends if I'm shooting a lot here. I'm not normally out looking at people and then writing them down. But if I'm on a trip or on vacation or I'm chilling at my house, I have to be out in the world to really. Or watch something. I did watch a show, a documentary, and I did text Angela and I was like, can we please do these characters?

[Shane]

Yeah, TikTok. And TV shows can really be a good thing.

[Amanda]

TV shows. If I'm not going out in public that much, I will be like, oh, there's this new show that I'm obsessed with. And of course I texted. It just came out. I texted Angela. I was like, have you seen the show? She was like, honey. Because her and I watch pretty much the same thing. The show is really dark, okay? It's called Homicide New York.

[Shane]

You would watch a show called.

[Amanda]

So anyways, yeah, it's like the most fucked up stories in New York. Anyways, it's fine. It's not fine, but it's all okay. The two women who are interviewed are unbelievable. And also, I want to play them. They're very, very Brooklyn. And they very much talk like this. And they're very serious and they talk. They're very serious. And one of them is. She's a. She's a. Almost like she investigates the body. And this is how she talks. She goes, the guys come in there, the crime scene is theirs, the body is mine. And she goes. There were five shots. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. And it was crazy. New York was a crazy time. And then the other girl's like, yeah, I was, you know, I was a. You know, I was a beauty queen back in the day in New York is a crazy time. But I come in there and I've got a good personality, so blah, blah, blah. And I'm watching this, and I was like, angela, somehow we have to play these characters, these women who, like, die hard New Yorkers, die hard Manhattan. And so I watch that and then I get really, really inspired. And I think when I get inspired by a character and I write it down, it's like I've opened up the floodgates that I start being like, nice. Do you know what I mean?

[Shane]

Yeah, I get that.

[Amanda]

Yeah. But I probably can't play another detective.

[Shane]

Well, is she a detective? She's their detective.

[Amanda]

She investigates the body.

[Shane]

Ah, yeah.

[Amanda]

The other one's the detective.

[Shane]

Yeah. You could just play a whole gauntlet of every sort of criminal investigator.

[Amanda]

I could. I could. I mean, I do. I definitely, definitely get inspired by Instagram. My. One of my favorite characters I've ever played was over Covid. And it was. I was watching Instagram and casting directors were freaking out over Covid. They were, like, trying to keep the industry going. They were like, send me submissions. So me and my friend would film each other at each other's houses and send it in and play these casting directors. And my name was Irene. And she, you know, I can't even figure out her voice. She's like, it's me, Irene, and I want you to send me a cast, a video. And it's like, they're older, old Hollywood agents who want you to send submissions. And we just made Instagram videos, and people were, like, obsessed. And then we made an Instagram account for Irene. For Irene. And we just. Irene and Mary Boutique Agency. And we just. We would have our friends follow us. And then, like, random people started following us. And this was all during COVID fun. And it was so fun because we were just. Our first video was a literally a fuck around. We were just having fun. And then I think that that's like, the most fun that you can have is just like a fuck around video and get inspired by something that you watch. And of course, my agent, who I'm not with anymore, was like, is this me? Are you doing me? And I was like, were you? No, I was not doing her at all. I was doing a random woman.

[Shane]

Is the character at all like, your.

[Amanda]

Not at all. She was like, I knew. I knew it. I just. A friend asked me if it was me, and I just. And I was like, no, it's not you at all. But it was just like, those characters had that in them of, like, not good with technology. Posting these videos to actors. Like, actors attention.

[Shane]

Yeah.

[Amanda]

Probably know what I'm talking about.

[Shane]

Oh, absolutely.

[Amanda]

Still kind of going on.

[Shane]

Yeah.

[Amanda]

I still watch them where it's like, there's one video that I saw the other day that was like, actors are fucked, part one.

[Shane]

I mean, we are.

[Amanda]

Yeah, I know, but I don't want to see it on my Instagram.

[Shane]

Yeah, that's fair.

[Amanda]

Yeah.

[Shane]

It makes me think. Talking about those voices and stuff makes me think. Sometimes something I do is I'm. I. When I'm driving, or if I'm, like, just brushing my teeth or looking in the mirror or whatever, I'll be like, I need to think of a new voice that I can do, because that is tough. I do rely on the same voices a lot because voices are just never really at the forefront of a character or an impression. I like more the physical mannerisms a little bit more. But there are times, I hate to admit, where I'm just in the mirror and I'm just like. I'm like, what if I tuck like this?

[Amanda]

That's amazing.

[Shane]

What if I talk like that? Or what if I talk like this and I'm trying to figure out something new that I can do as a voice and then I can match that to a POV later.

[Amanda]

Wait, Shane, that's amazing. That's literally what we were taught at Groundlings, except it was walk. They would be called character walk and talks. So you walk around and they'd be like, put your chin to your. To your nose.

[Shane]

I remember doing that. I remember doing that.

[Amanda]

Right. And then you're creating a new voice or you're creating a new voice like this.

[Shane]

Yeah.

[Amanda]

So if you do it in the mirror, that's so amazing because then you could be like, what. Who connects to this voice?

[Shane]

Yeah, that's. Yeah. Look at you. I know. I'm basically a groundling.

[Amanda]

There she is. There's Aunt Carolyn.

[Shane]

There she is. Oh, dear. Oh, God.

[Amanda]

That does sound so much like John Mulaney.

[Shane]

It unfortunately becomes very much, which I can do an exact John Mulaney of. Just like. I'm just like. So I was in the bathroom the other day, and someone knocked on the door while I was in the bathroom. Like, it's. It's hard not to go in. And then I can turn. Do the Lynn from Bob's Burgers. I'm just like, oh, Bob. Oh, that's so great. And so it It's a tennis match going back and forth between those two voices.

[Amanda]

You know, I love that guy who does Lynn.

[Shane]

Yo.

[Amanda]

I followed him on YouTube on Mother's Day. My son, he moved to New York and now he's gay. He's gay. He moved to New York.

[Shane]

It's so good. I had never seen that. And I was like, you showed it to me, though. But I had never seen it until after I'd been doing Aunt Carolyn. I was just like, that's insane.

[Amanda]

He's brilliant. He did these videos where he would tape, Scotch tape up here. And he wore this pink jacket. And he'd be like, jackie, we need to talk. Jackie. He was like, in high school stuff is great.

[Shane]

I I good. I Wish it's on TikTok now, but I think it's on TikTok and I think people are doing a lot more like direct impression types of characters, but just like full on. Original characters, I think are not being rewarded as much as they used to be.

[Amanda]

Yeah.

[Shane]

I think Smosh is honestly this weird little place where it's happening online. There are other people who are doing characters and it's doing great. Don't get me wrong. I just mean, like, compared to 10 years ago, I feel like it's not, it's not as rewarded. And I think when it's not as rewarded, people don't go for it as much.

[Amanda]

But it's so amazing to watch. I mean, think of all these television shows. They're all based on original characters.

[Shane]

I know. And the best, like SNL characters are all like original characters.

[Amanda]

Original characters.

[Shane]

Just like it's iconic and it's, and it's honestly fun when an original character that's not like some sort of biting satire, someone. Yes. It's just a fun, original character that's well meaning. It's a nice person. It's just a funny POV or trait that is enjoyable.

[Amanda]

That's why we cannot let it die. We have to keep.

[Shane]

We have to keep the fire burning.

[Amanda]

We have to keep the fire burning.

[Shane]

It's up to us.

[Amanda]

It is up to us. We have the world on our shoulders.

[Shane]

Basically what we've decided is that it's up to us. And so we're gonna do it. Don't worry about it. Well, this has been fun. We'll talk more about characters.

[Amanda]

Yeah. Because hopefully maybe we'll have like six new more when we should do it.

[Shane]

I want to do another episode where we're characters for a whole episode.

[Amanda]

Ooh, I'm down. Should we ask Put in the comments. What characters?

[Shane]

Yeah, what characters would you want to see? A duo of.

[Amanda]

A duo of.

[Shane]

Yeah. On the show?

[Amanda]

Could be Tinky Winky and Lala.

[Shane]

Or Jesus. Or we could do it. We could just straight up do a Teletubbies reunion on this podcast, probably.

[Amanda]

Yeah. So the people just listening are just.

[Shane]

Like, okay, we just get all four of us and we just jam ourselves in here and then we talk. Could be fun.

[Amanda]

That could be really fun.

[Shane]

Thank you guys for listening and watching. Comment down below. Yeah, what pairs you'd want to see on here and other characters you think we could do? Yes, tell us the type of. Type of vibe, type of pov. Yeah, then we'll try to do it. All right.

[Amanda]

Okay.

[Shane]

See you later.

[Amanda]

Bye.

[Shane]

Bye.

[Amanda]

Smosh mouth. Smosh mosh. Mouth smashy mosh it is.

[Ryan Seacrest]

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[Shane]

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