Krysta Rodriguez Was a Child Star

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Krysta Rodriguez Was a Child Star"
So True with Caleb Hearon
Release Date: June 12, 2025

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Introduction and Reunion

In this episode of So True with Caleb Hearon, Caleb reconnects with Broadway star Krista Rodriguez. Their conversation delves into Krista’s journey from a child star to a Broadway legend, her experiences in the entertainment industry, and her personal life navigating friendships and living arrangements in New York City.

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Krista Rodriguez’s Broadway Journey

Early Broadway Experiences

Krista discusses her initial foray into Broadway at the young age of 19, highlighting her debut in the musical Good Vibrations. While the production was notable for its high turnover and lackluster reviews, Krista found her first taste of Broadway both challenging and formative.

Krista Rodriguez [10:26]: "I was like, this is a high school, but with more money. But, like, no one really knows what they're doing more than they did before."

Breakthrough with Spring Awakening

Two years after Good Vibrations, Krista landed a role in Spring Awakening, which marked a significant turning point in her career. This production allowed her to connect deeply with the Broadway community and solidify her position in the industry.

Krista Rodriguez [12:42]: "It changed everything. That's how I know our dear friend Gallagher and John Gallagher."

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Personal Friendship and Professional Dynamics

Caleb and Krista reminisce about their early days meeting through an unsuccessful pilot in Portland, sharing laughs over the unpredictability of show business.

Krista Rodriguez [06:10]: "We should have just held us all and written a new pilot for the next year. Like, they had a murderer's row of comedians on that."

Their friendship extends beyond professional realms, with Caleb expressing admiration for Krista's dedication and Krista acknowledging Caleb's supportive nature.

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Living in New York City

Roommates and Social Circles

Krista shares her unique living situation of residing with three gay men, a dynamic she finds both comforting and aligned with her social preferences. This arrangement provides her with a supportive and vibrant community in the bustling environment of New York.

Krista Rodriguez [22:55]: "I live with three gay men, which is so me. There is some weird, like, cosmic mathematics where I am always the fourth and a female in a three gay situation."

Caleb relates by discussing his own considerations of getting a roommate to balance his frequent travels, emphasizing the importance of mutual understanding and shared responsibilities.

Caleb [25:39]: "I don't want to be the only one thinking about toilet paper. I don't want to be the only one who's capable of showing up and making a meal for the house."

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Reflections on the Broadway Community and Process

Ephemeral Nature of Broadway

Krista offers a nuanced perspective on Broadway, emphasizing its transient and service-oriented aspects. She advocates for embracing the ephemerality of performances, understanding that closures and short runs are integral to the platform’s dynamic nature.

Krista Rodriguez [53:31]: "Broadway is a service industry with a high turnover rate, and that is something that we have to get used to."

Importance of Process Over Outcome

Both hosts express admiration for theater professionals' dedication to the craft, valuing the creative process over mere end results. Caleb highlights how theater people prioritize doing things "the right way" amidst the rise of AI-generated content.

Caleb [19:08]: "theaters people have always been in my life, the people that I'm like, oh, they're obsessed with actually doing this the right way because they care about doing it."

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Aging and Personal Growth in the Industry

Navigating Aging in Entertainment

A significant portion of the conversation focuses on aging within the entertainment sector. Krista laments the societal decline in valuing older women, contrasting it with older men who often seek relationships with younger women. She expresses frustration over the superficial reasons behind such preferences, advocating for the recognition of older women’s strength and experience.

Krista Rodriguez [62:49]: "As you get older, I'm, like, more powerful than ever, and people couldn't care less."

Caleb shares his personal acceptance and even excitement about aging, reflecting on how his self-worth remains tied to his personality and intellect rather than physical appearance.

Caleb [61:34]: "I feel so excited about aging and so unconcerned about my appearance because it's never been in mass. Something that anyone was interested in."

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Career Challenges and Triumphs

Facing Flops and Embracing Failures

Both Caleb and Krista discuss the inevitability of experiencing professional setbacks. Krista recounts her initial disappointment with Good Vibrations but finds solace and growth in subsequent successes like Spring Awakening. They emphasize the importance of collective responsibility in creative environments and maintaining respect for colleagues despite project outcomes.

Krista Rodriguez [50:33]: "This is the process."

Caleb adds his insights from his first writer's job, highlighting the collaborative nature of the industry and the learning curve involved in adapting to a writers' room.

Caleb [49:09]: "There were so many talented, like, accomplished TV writers in that room who just know what they're doing."

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Future Projects and Aspirations

Krista's Upcoming Musical

Krista promotes her new musical adaptation of the TV series Smash, positioning it as a comedic and farcical take on the beloved show. She invites listeners to attend performances, signaling her continued passion and commitment to her craft.

Krista Rodriguez [70:05]: "Come see Smash, the musical for if you were a fan of smash, the TV series. It's a very different version of the show."

Potential Collaborations and New Ventures

The hosts discuss the possibility of future collaborations, including Krista and her partner Andy starting their own podcast focused on aging in the entertainment industry. This venture aims to explore the challenges and transformations artists undergo as they mature professionally and personally.

Krista Rodriguez [58:49]: "We wanted to start a podcast about aging in the industry."

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Conclusion and Closing Thoughts

Caleb and Krista wrap up the episode by reinforcing the values of community, resilience, and continuous growth. They encourage listeners to embrace change, support each other, and remain passionate about their endeavors despite the inevitable challenges.

Caleb [56:57]: "You gotta just keep it moving."

Krista Rodriguez [57:01]: "It's so true."

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Krista Rodriguez [03:03]: "You literally moved to New York and I thought, here we go."
• Krista Rodriguez [10:26]: "I was like, this is a high school, but with more money."
• Krista Rodriguez [22:55]: "I live with three gay men, which is so me."
• Krista Rodriguez [53:31]: "Broadway is a service industry with a high turnover rate."
• Caleb [19:08]: "Theater people have always been... obsessed with actually doing this the right way."
• Krista Rodriguez [62:49]: "As you get older... more powerful than ever."
• Krista Rodriguez [70:05]: "Come see Smash, the musical..."
• Caleb [56:57]: "You gotta just keep it moving."
• Krista Rodriguez [57:01]: "It's so true."

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Key Takeaways

• Resilience in the Arts: Both hosts emphasize the importance of resilience and adaptability in the volatile world of Broadway and entertainment.

• Community and Support: Living arrangements and friendships play a crucial role in sustaining personal and professional well-being.

• Embracing Change and Aging: Accepting the natural progression of life and career helps in maintaining mental health and personal fulfillment.

• Creative Processes Over Outcomes: Valuing the creative journey over the final product fosters a healthier and more collaborative working environment.

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This episode offers an intimate look into Krista Rodriguez’s transition from a child star to a celebrated Broadway figure, intertwined with personal anecdotes and thoughtful reflections on the broader dynamics of the entertainment industry.

Transcript

[Caleb]

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[Krista Rodriguez]

It's a great musical that, actually, I think you would like.

[Caleb]

I would do one.

[Krista Rodriguez]

You would be great.

[Caleb]

If anyone put me in one, I would do it.

[Krista Rodriguez]

You would love Broadway.

[Caleb]

I want to do a musical just so I can do that thing where the actors are like, Krista.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Hi.

[Caleb]

Hi.

[Krista Rodriguez]

I can't believe I'm here.

[Caleb]

I love you so much. I'm so glad you're here. What the heck is going on? You've been avoiding me.

[Krista Rodriguez]

That's crazy. I don't know why you keep saying that.

[Caleb]

This is my new thing. I'm always gone. And so when I see someone I haven't seen in a while, I say, you've been avoiding me. Like, the plan.

[Krista Rodriguez]

You literally moved to New York and I thought, here we go. And then you're like, and I'm leaving for six months tomorrow.

[Caleb]

Yeah.

[Krista Rodriguez]

And then you're like, back for a day. And then I never see you.

[Caleb]

And you probably. I've got a couple friends in New York, but I would say you're probably the one who was most like, let's go big time. When I said I was moving to New York, you were like, it's on.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Balls out. I was so excited.

[Caleb]

But mind you, you're off doing tours in Malaysia or whatever.

[Krista Rodriguez]

That's true.

[Caleb]

You piece the hell out.

[Krista Rodriguez]

I did piece the hell out for a while. But that's the joy of New York, you know? It's like you come back together and you pick up your friends. Like, I feel like la. That's harder to do.

[Caleb]

Yeah.

[Krista Rodriguez]

You can't. Like, they're. They're. They're. They're gathered everywhere else. Like, I feel like here, it's so small, and you can just, like, pick your friends back up.

[Caleb]

Well, I'm. It's. I feel like I'm in this. I've been calling it my apology tour.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Caleb]

Because I've been.

[Krista Rodriguez]

And you're doing that by going, where the fuck have you been?

[Caleb]

Where have you been? Where have you been? This.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Apologies suck.

[Caleb]

That's my. Yeah, that's my way of apologizing. And. Why have you been avoiding me? Fully out of town.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Fully out of town.

[Caleb]

You. When you're on tour, you. I don't know if you feel this way, but I just feel like Persona non grata. Like, I'm. Like, I don't exist. I'm not a part of anyone's life. I'm. I'm. I'm bad at phone.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Caleb]

And the few people I'm good at phone with, it's only painful because I'm like, oh, yeah, cool that you're doing all that stuff tonight. I mean, Tulsa, you know. But, yeah, I'm back. I'm coming back. And I'm trying to text everybody. I literally. I was just in Kansas City for a week.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Caleb]

And I made a list of who I thought I could see while I was there. And the people watching this that love me. Some of you got left off. And it's because I. Fudgeing. Couldn't do it all.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Caleb]

But I was like. I was like, okay, here's the people I haven't seen in the longest, I think. And then I was, like, running through it. Like, it's like, items.

[Krista Rodriguez]

But this is, like, this is who you are. Like, you're actually a very good friend. And, like. And because I know. Sorry, this is that gotcha moment we were waiting for. Like, Caleb's a really good friend, and you want to be, like, a good friend to so many people, but that the dividends are paying out. Like, you've already laid the groundwork. No one feels. I'm speaking for every one of your friends who I've met none of. But, like, no one feels abandoned by you. Like, they know you're coming back because you're a good friend.

[Caleb]

You have. So you also have a lot of, like, you have a lot of people in your life to try and keep up with.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Caleb]

And you're gone a lot, and you work a lot. I mean, you're in fucking Smash on Broadway right now. You're doing eight shows a week.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Caleb]

How do you manage all of it?

[Krista Rodriguez]

Well, that's actually, like, part of the draw of doing Smash is that I got to stay put for a little while because I can't go anywhere else, you know, because we're doing eight shows a week and because the show might run for a while. And so it's like, I was kind of looking forward to not having to get on a plane every five seconds and just seeing what happens to my life when I'm settled a little bit. And what more I can kind of invest in and get deeper in and stuff, because you don't get that opportunity. Like, steady jobs are so rare. So I'm. I'm enjoying it and taking it.

[Caleb]

It's funny. We get a lot of comments on this show that are like, how does Caleb keep up with all that? And I'm like, I don't I don't, I don't. I don't. I don't. I try, but it's. It's. You just meet so many people. You and I met doing a freaking pilot.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Caleb]

For a show that didn't go.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Didn't go.

[Caleb]

We were in Portland.

[Krista Rodriguez]

It's like, I. I thought about this the other day, too, because I was like, they should have just, like, held us all and written a new pilot for the next year. Like, they had, like, a murderer's row of comedians on that. And they had, like, Jake Lacey. We had Rachel Peagram, we had Ali Maki. It was like. It was like, bam, bam, bam. They should have just been like, okay, we're writing something else.

[Caleb]

Yeah.

[Krista Rodriguez]

And keeping these kids on.

[Caleb]

And you know what?

[Krista Rodriguez]

But they didn't.

[Caleb]

It didn't happen.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Caleb]

And I thought I. I really. I did the classic thing you shouldn't do, and of course, I don't do it anymore. But I was so new. I remember, like, most of our first conversations were me being like, I'm new to all this.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yes.

[Caleb]

And I. I started spending money for that I didn't have in my head.

[Krista Rodriguez]

You know, Baby, I know.

[Caleb]

Thankfully, I didn't actually spend it, but you look at that, you go, oh, if this goes to series is how much I'm making per episode. My number was not high, but I was, you know, it was more money than I've ever made.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yes.

[Caleb]

And I was like, oh, baby, we're. I'm looking at. I'm. I'm every night on Google being like, maybe I do care about luxury vehicles.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Caleb]

I never have before, but maybe I do.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Maybe, like, I do like buying tigers.

[Caleb]

Like, I want a tiger sanctuary at the house. Yeah, exactly.

[Krista Rodriguez]

No, I know. I'm like, I've gone through so many of those failed pilots or shows that I've never had a TV series that's gone past one season. Like, and so I'm like, on the third season, I'll start spending money. Like, this is all gathering for the. You know, for the feasts and the famine.

[Caleb]

This is the coffers. I'm building the coffers.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Exactly.

[Caleb]

Well, people might not know about you. You're a big time Broadway legend now. Sorry. Don't care if you don't like it. You're a Broadway legend in my eyes.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Great. Someone who's never seen me on Broadway.

[Caleb]

Doesn't matter. You're a Broadway legend in my eyes.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Chance of seeing me on Broadway.

[Caleb]

Chance of seeing you on Broadway. But you. But I haven't Been invited. You don't want me to come out, you tell me to come around.

[Krista Rodriguez]

The way he's winking for those millennials who still listen to podcasts. Caleb just winked at me.

[Caleb]

Guess what? It's a long way from Colby's clubhouse.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Oh, my God. Okay. Truly so much of like, me coming here today is like, what's Caleb to dig up on me?

[Caleb]

Tell me about Kobe's clubhouse, 1995 to 2000.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Oh, that's. I think that's a little too long.

[Caleb]

You went on it the whole time.

[Krista Rodriguez]

That might be incorrect. I think it's like 95 to 97.

[Caleb]

For you or the show ran that long.

[Krista Rodriguez]

I think the show ran. I was young.

[Caleb]

You were young.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah. Listen, who doesn't love Jesus?

[Caleb]

First of all.

[Krista Rodriguez]

First.

[Caleb]

First of all, let's say that. You're always saying that.

[Krista Rodriguez]

I am always saying that.

[Caleb]

Every time I see you, you're like, who doesn't love Jesus?

[Krista Rodriguez]

Who doesn't love Jesus? And you know, they wanted. It was a children's television show, like a Barney esque thing with a singing computer.

[Caleb]

Yeah. Which back then, they were like the size of a room.

[Krista Rodriguez]

The size of a room. It was a human sized computer. And I was like, there was a person in it.

[Caleb]

Yeah.

[Krista Rodriguez]

And we sang songs and taught kids about the good word for Christ. For Christ.

[Caleb]

Singing songs for Christ. And you're still doing that in some ways?

[Krista Rodriguez]

Absolutely. I'm spreading the good word.

[Caleb]

That's gonna be the name of your biopic. Chris Rodriguez, Singing Songs for Christ. Oh, my God.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Oh, my God.

[Caleb]

Put him on screen. Colby.

[Krista Rodriguez]

That's me.

[Caleb]

Where is Krista? You're in there somewhere.

[Krista Rodriguez]

I've got very long hair and thick, thick bangs.

[Caleb]

Are you in the pink down there?

[Krista Rodriguez]

That's me up there in the top right. No, the other. No, I'll keep going. Right. That one with the bow in the corner. Oh, my God. Top right.

[Caleb]

I love her. We'll put that on the screen for the. For the viewers.

[Krista Rodriguez]

I really. It really was a platform for me to shine as a performer.

[Caleb]

Yeah.

[Krista Rodriguez]

I was really there, you know, for the work.

[Caleb]

How did you prepare?

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah, lots. I dropped in. You know, this is actors on actors. Yeah. No, really, I was. The world was my stage at that point. Wherever the. Wherever the work was, I was gonna give it my hundo p. You were living in the.

[Caleb]

Was it the O.C. where were you?

[Krista Rodriguez]

Orange County.

[Caleb]

The Orange County.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Caleb]

And where you grew up.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yep.

[Caleb]

And then you started Broadway. Young, right?

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah. I was 19 when I got my first Broadway job.

[Caleb]

And Chance played a loud piece of music for me for no reason. 1919. And was that Addams Family or.

[Krista Rodriguez]

No, no, no. God, I was.

[Caleb]

Sorry.

[Krista Rodriguez]

I was an old maid by Addams Family. No, it was a Beach Boys musical called Good Vibrations, which was a huge flop, like, a notorious flop. And I was a swing, so I wasn't even on stage the whole time. And except for. There was one day we take photos. Like, they had this photo call, and one of the girls happened to be out on the day they were taking photos, so I was on. So I'm in every photo with the bad reviews on top of it. And, like, in. I think it's like. I don't know which mag is, like, the Daily News or something. It's me, like, on a surfboard, like. Yeah. And it says, here comes Bummer on time. Yeah. So that. That was my Broadway deb. And I was like, here comes Bummer. Here comes Bummer.

[Caleb]

It's you. Fucking cowabunga. You're like, hang loose.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Totally. And I'm just, like, giving it because I'm like, this is my. My chance, you know? And, yeah, it was no good. That was my debut. I went on, like, with a half an hour's notice for a role I'd never rehearsed because a girl was, like, puking, and they were peeling the costume off of her and putting it on me and, like, shoved me on stage. And, like, no one was there to see it. Like, it was such a strange experience. And I was like, I really had literally come from, like, Colby's Clubhouse, Children's theater, Broadway. Like, I didn't do anything else. So I was like, oh, this is high school, but with more money. But, like, no one really knows what they're doing more than they did before. Like, the quality doesn't necessarily meet the level of, like, where you're at, where you think Broadway is going to be. So I really, like. You know, Titus Burgess made his Broadway debut in that musical as well, in the Good Vibrations.

[Caleb]

I didn't know that.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Caleb]

Shout out, Titus.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Shout out, Titus. So, like, Amanda Kloots, who's now a big star, too, she made her debut in that. So I kind of was like, this is kind of for the birds, and I wasn't going to do it anymore. And then I got Spring Awakening, and that was, like, the. That change. It was in the same theater. It was like, two years later, and it changed everything. That's how I know our dear friend Gallagher and John Gallagher. And, yeah, just sort of decided, okay, no, this is this is now it. That changed my life now.

[Caleb]

Spring Awakening. That's, of course a musical.

[Krista Rodriguez]

It is a musical.

[Caleb]

And you, of course, in. It played well. You were spring.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah, I was.

[Caleb]

You were spring.

[Krista Rodriguez]

So you know what's cool? I was at. So I was a swing again. Because they needed, like, covers. Cause the show was already happening, but they let us be on stage, so we were part of the show. And because we didn't have character names, they used our real names. So in the script and in the score, it's Christa. So people play Christa now for, like, decades.

[Caleb]

Oh, my God.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Caleb]

That's so cool.

[Krista Rodriguez]

I played Krista in Spring Awakening and then. Yeah, it's a great musical that actually, I think you would like. Sorry. I know I have a parasocial relationship with Caleb because I listen to the.

[Caleb]

Podcast and so you know that musicals are not. Top of my list.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Top of your list of things.

[Caleb]

I have a lot of respect for it. I would do one.

[Krista Rodriguez]

You would be great.

[Caleb]

If anyone put me in one, I would do it.

[Krista Rodriguez]

You would do. You would love Broadway.

[Caleb]

I would. I want to do a musical just so I can do that thing where it's like. Where it's like. Where it's where. Where the. Where the actors are like. You know what I'm talking about?

[Krista Rodriguez]

I want a baby donut over there.

[Caleb]

So, you know, something like that. Maybe.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah, you could do that.

[Caleb]

I think I'd be good at that, honey. About breathing like that.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah, you have to. You gotta work from the diaphragm.

[Caleb]

But, yeah, musicals, I just never got into them when everyone else was getting into them. And then I feel like I met all these cool theater people and now I have no frame of reference.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Caleb]

When theater people talk to me, it. Sometimes in this. Sometimes you. When you guys talk to me, you say things. That sounds like another language.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Of course.

[Caleb]

You're like, oh, Uncle David's wonderful coat. You've seen it. And I'm like, what?

[Krista Rodriguez]

Of course, Uncle David.

[Caleb]

Yeah.

[Krista Rodriguez]

I mean, yeah.

[Caleb]

I don't know what's going on half the time.

[Krista Rodriguez]

It's okay. I know. I had. My. My dear ex was a Muggle, as we. As we call them. And there was like, one time. I'm like. With all my friends and like musical theater kids, we get really loud and we're just, you know, we're kind of annoying. And we were talking about Patti LuPone. And. And he was like, hey, why do I care about Patti LuPone? And I was like, that's crazy. I was like, shit. You Know what? You don't care about.

[Caleb]

You know what? Forget it. And you don't have to forget it.

[Krista Rodriguez]

It's fine.

[Caleb]

This is a gay guy.

[Krista Rodriguez]

No, my ex.

[Caleb]

Oh, your ex.

[Krista Rodriguez]

So, yeah.

[Caleb]

Hey, hey, we never know.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Hey, we. Hey, we've grew out. We've grown out of that, okay? Musical theater girl. There's just no way. There's no getting around it. You're going to date some gay men.

[Caleb]

I think you were with me the night. Well, yeah, I think you were with me the night that I almost got jumped in that gay bar because I didn't know. Who was it?

[Krista Rodriguez]

Oh, God.

[Caleb]

Judy Garland. Yeah, I didn't know that. It was a picture of Judy Garland on the wall. I go, I go. I go, I go, I go. Look at that beautiful woman. These guys go, you mean Judy Garland?

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah, you were Julius. Honey, don't come into Julius without knowing who Judy Garland is.

[Caleb]

I didn't know. I mean, I know who you say Judy Garland. I know who Judy Garland is. But you put an old picture of her on the wall. I don't know what she looks like.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Old picture, hun.

[Caleb]

That is back in the day.

[Krista Rodriguez]

The day is her. Hey, heyday. She didn't live that long. She was young.

[Caleb]

What's the. What's. You know what I know about Patty LuPone.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Caleb]

What's the one where she's like that one where she sings really crazy.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Just say that again.

[Caleb]

Anything. Anything go.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah, that's the name. Yes, that's the title.

[Caleb]

What's the line she sings?

[Krista Rodriguez]

Show where she says anything go.

[Caleb]

What's the line right before that where she sings it so loud?

[Krista Rodriguez]

Oh, God knows. God knows.

[Caleb]

Yeah, maybe. God, she can sing.

[Krista Rodriguez]

She can sing.

[Caleb]

That lady can sing.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. She's got the. She's got it resonating right up here.

[Caleb]

She's still good here. Is that what it's supposed to.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah, you want it? Well, if you want to sing like Patty.

[Caleb]

Yeah.

[Krista Rodriguez]

It's in the mask. They call it. This is your mask. Oh, and you hit. You hit the resonance. Oh, baby. You want.

[Caleb]

If you want to SING Like Patti LuPone, you have to feel it in.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Here in your mask. Yeah, right.

[Caleb]

Okay. What if you want to sing like Cynthia Erivo.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Oh, my God.

[Caleb]

Face still.

[Krista Rodriguez]

No, that's. You're going down.

[Caleb]

Down here.

[Krista Rodriguez]

You're like, honey that can sing from. Yeah, from the depths.

[Caleb]

Who were your, like. Who were your, like, Broadway people that you're like, damn. Like, who were your Broadway heroes?

[Krista Rodriguez]

God. Well, Sutton Foster was like, everybody's Broadway Hero. Do you know anything about Sutton?

[Caleb]

Of course, yeah, yeah, Sutton Foster.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Oh, yeah, yeah, big time. Yeah, yeah.

[Caleb]

Was the lion and Lion King and all that kind of stuff. Played Taxi Driver and Taxi Driver.

[Krista Rodriguez]

That's exactly right. Yeah. Lots of title roles. Lions in Lion King, Taxi Drivers and Taxi Driver. Let's see. Yeah, she was, she was Millie and Thoroughly Modern Millie. That was her big breakout thing. But I also came to New York when I was 13 and I saw eight shows in eight days. And so, like everybody, I have pictures of me, like, sweaty at the stage door, just like red faced and thrilled with people that I ended up working with, you know, and are my friends now. And like, I went back through the photos, I was like, oh, my God, that's. That's Terrence Mann who played my father in law in a musical, you know, like, so everyone was sort of my idol. And I remember what I loved about theater. Like, when I saw that first show, I got tickets to this show called the Scarlet Pimpernel, which is not a popular musical, but like, changed my life. And that's where I feel like, even if I'm in a show that's not like, you know, the hot show of the season, like, it's someone's first Broadway show. It's somebody's like, entrance into feeling sort of accepted and known somewhere. So I try to think about that all the time. I've been in shows that have been called flops and people go, oh my God, that was my favorite show. It was my first show. But anyway, Scarlet Pimp. And I was kind of like that. And there was this woman, Christine Andreas, who was playing the lead. And she came out, she was signing autographs and I was like, so enamored by her. And then she put like this. It was the 90s, a velvet, like, cap on, like a, like a, you know, slouchy hat. And she went out into Times Square and she disappeared. And I was like, that's what I want. I never wanted to be like, famous. I wanted to be really important to people for two hours and then no one cares after that. Like, and that like, the culture of Broadway was really why I wanted to be involved in it. The, like, the work of it sounded really fun and interesting.

[Caleb]

It to me is objectively way cooler.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah, it's cool.

[Caleb]

It's the coolest in as far as the entertainment industry goes, Broadway is the coolest thing.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah. Of the least cool people. I mean, we're the, we're the outcast. We're like the most outcasts. Like In a fun way. Like, we found each other. And that's cool.

[Caleb]

Yeah. Yeah, I think it's so. And I love theater people, I think, because theater people do care about process and. Yeah, I think it's especially, like, right now when things like AI I know are putting out. You know, they can. They can technically make something that has an outcome that maybe feels similar to good work. You know, the song or the script or whatever it put out might feel similar to something that someone actually worked on. But theater people have always been in my life, the people that I'm like, oh, they're obsessed with actually doing this the right way because they care about doing it.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Right.

[Caleb]

Like, not just how it turns out, not just how the review is, not the way it looks at the end.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Right.

[Caleb]

Like, the whole actual process of doing it. And I've always thought that was very cool.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Well, you have to do it every day, and every day it's a new thing. So it's like you're not just filming it and then someone's creating a performance afterwards and edit like you're doing it, and every night it's going to be different. And the, like, you kind of, like, make an agreement with the audience. Like, this is only happening today for this one time, and it will never happen again. And that's really, I think, cool.

[Caleb]

Yeah. You were in high school, directed. You were in a show that was directed by Francis Ford Coppola.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yes.

[Caleb]

What was that? Why? How? What occurred? What happened?

[Krista Rodriguez]

I'm not really sure. Your confusion. It's pretty straightforward.

[Caleb]

Yeah, it's exactly that. Next question.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah, it kind of. So Francis Ford Coppola had, like, made all these incredibly deep and dark movies. He'd had, like, a very famous mental breakdown and wanted to, like, just sort of create stuff that he loved for his family. And Gia Coppola, his granddaughter, loved Gidget, the movie. And so he decided to write a musical of Gidget, which is about this girl surfer in the 60s. And in order to kind of keep it, like, you know, family forward and out of kind of the scrutiny of the public eye, he came to my high school, which was an arts high school in Orange county, to audition actual young people to workshop this musical. So I auditioned and I got the lead role of Gidget. And so I was like, the star of this show. And Dermot Mulroney came and did. He played the big kahuna. So he and I were together, co stars. And. Yeah, like, so he was around, and he was best friends with Jen Aniston and Brad Pitt at The time. And he was at their wedding that summer, and we were just like, like, blowing our minds. Like, we all thought it was so cool that Francisco Coppola was there, but, like, we hadn't seen Apocalypse now when we were 14, you know what I mean? So. But he was so fun and he. We didn't know him as anything other than, like, Uncle Francis. And he would, like. He rode a scooter around campus. He took us to the beach. We, like, hung out. He threw us parties, like, you know, in, like, a cast party way. Not, like, he wasn't, like, partying with the kids.

[Caleb]

He was like, drink up, kids.

[Krista Rodriguez]

He, like, hosted lovely, like, events for us. And Sofia Coppola was there, like, helping direct, and it was just like this family affair. Dermot and Catherine Keener were married at the time. She was there around. It was like this weird, liminal space of the world where we all, like, did a musical together. And that was. It was so insane.

[Caleb]

California's nuts.

[Krista Rodriguez]

California's so nuts.

[Caleb]

That's some California shit.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Well, it was there and, like, everyone in LA was like, what's happening in Orange County? Because we were all. And so, like, I was on the COVID of the LA Times. Like, it was a very crazy. Like, everyone was trying to figure out what was going on with Francis Ford Coppola down there. And it just sort of. It, you know, never went anywhere, but it was really fun.

[Caleb]

Yeah. You live with a couple gay guys. I do, which is so you.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah, I live with three gay guys, which is so me. There is some weird, like, cosmic mathematics where I am always the fourth and a female in a three gay situation. And I don't know why. Not? Not. Not intimately, no. Just pals. Like, the other night, I, like, looked around and I was like, three gay men. I am always surrounded by three gay men. And they're not the same three gay men.

[Caleb]

No.

[Krista Rodriguez]

And I don't know what that is.

[Caleb]

It's you and anything.

[Krista Rodriguez]

First of all, I'm in a room with three men right now. Like, it's like, it's.

[Caleb]

You're gonna be with three men regardless.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Gay men. Yeah, they're just. Three men are around me. I'm flanked.

[Caleb]

You're. You're always flanked with people who might be men.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Caleb]

So you never really know if they're gay or what their situation is. Might be a they in there. Who knows? But there's gonna be some people around like that.

[Krista Rodriguez]

There's gonna be some people around like that.

[Caleb]

Yeah.

[Krista Rodriguez]

And. Yeah, I live with three gay men who I Love, dearly. It was sort of like a situation where, again, I spoke with my ex. I ended a relationship during the pandemic, and I was living by myself, sort of very far away from my, like, my support system. And one day, like, an apartment came up and Michael sent me a text that was like, we should go look at this apartment. Lol. Like, ah, should we move in together? Lol. It was a lot of like, there's no way this is ever gonna happen. And then we got the apartment and we were like, oh, fuck, are we gonna move together? And so we were. We. It was still Covid. You know, we were Zoom. We had Zoom meetings to be like, what are our. What are our non negotiables? What are our like. And it was such a time of, like, had to be, like, radical, like, honesty and openness with each other. And, you know, we started the Zoom being like, hey, endgame is us for the rest of our lives. So, like, if this doesn't work out, we spend any amount of money to get out of it. We, like, we just, you know. I had not lived with roommates since I was in college. Like, but it's very different. It's. It's very. First of all, they have another house, so it's kind of like. It's their kind of city house. It's my primary residence. But we're not all there at the same time. Like tonight, I think we're all going to be there together at the same time. And it's so exciting. So it's not like, you know, we're not quabbling over who's buying toilet paper. Like, we're adults who live in this house. But it's been so fun. It's just really changed my life.

[Caleb]

Also, roommates with, like, that's a little bit different where I'm living alone for the first time.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Caleb]

Ever. Right now. And I'm, like, really considering getting a roommate again in the fall. Just for, like, there's like, two friends I would consider doing it with.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Caleb]

Who are travel as much as I do. I think that's a huge part of it. You need to be gone as much as I'm gone. You cannot be there all the time if I'm only there sometimes and vice versa. And who are kind of doing the same stuff where it's like, yeah, I want to be in a space where, like, I don't want to be the only one thinking about toilet paper. I don't want to be the only one who's capable of showing up and making A meal for the house.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Caleb]

I don't want to be the only one traveling in and out. Like, as long as we're on the same page, I think it could be cool.

[Krista Rodriguez]

We're supposed to live in community.

[Caleb]

Yeah.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Like, you know, we're meant to. And, like, I. I need help sometimes. And, like, to have my friends there is really helpful. And, like, to come home and. And he's got a martini ready and the dog is there and the records on the record player. It's like. It's the best relationship I've ever had, you know?

[Caleb]

Yeah. What is it with you and gay guys?

[Krista Rodriguez]

I don't know.

[Caleb]

Why is this. What is. What has happened?

[Krista Rodriguez]

I think.

[Caleb]

Were you bit by a radioactive or something? You've got.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Thank you for saying that.

[Caleb]

Yeah. You're welcome.

[Krista Rodriguez]

No, I think I identify as a gay man. Like, I think if I was ever, like, really, like, my pronouns are he, him in that way.

[Caleb]

Yeah.

[Krista Rodriguez]

But like. Like, I don't know what it is. I. Well, I think what I've learned is, like, I didn't get married and have kids. And, like, who else? You're. You're. As a woman, like, your female friendships become rarer as your friends get married and have kids. And especially when you live in New York and nobody can afford to live there. And so everyone's moving. They're going near their parents in Florida, in Jersey and Tennessee, and then you're, you know, you're like, who can I go on vacation with who has disposable income, like, excellent taste, and, like, can meet me on the level where my life is? And it's unfortunately gay men.

[Caleb]

Yeah. Unfortunately. You're stuck with us.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Caleb]

You're trapped with us.

[Krista Rodriguez]

I'll take it. I'm thrilled.

[Caleb]

You know, it's just. Yeah. I've never been around. I myself am a gay guy.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yes.

[Caleb]

And I've never been around as many gay guys as. Any time I meet up with you, it's like you've got, like, a harem.

[Krista Rodriguez]

We have. We went to. For my 40th, we went to Mexico City, and I did invite women. Like, I did. And I invited straight men.

[Caleb]

Yeah.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Who shows up for me? The gay men. And it was me and five gay men. We added two on my usual group, and we were, like, hitting up Mexico City, and we went to the taco truck in the morning, and then we went to the Michelin restaurant at night for my actual birthday, like, in the bathroom. And this woman, she's like, I think I saw you this morning at the taco truck. And I was like, oh yeah. Do we have the same itinerary? She's like, well, you guys are kind of hard to miss.

[Caleb]

And I was like, cut to you guys in feather boas. Yeah.

[Krista Rodriguez]

And I go, oh yeah, we're kind of a crazy group. And she goes, you and all those men.

[Caleb]

No.

[Krista Rodriguez]

And I said, oh, they're gay. They're all gay. She goes, all of them. I'm like, yeah. I think like, people think I'm getting by like, like the hottest men you've ever seen.

[Caleb]

And I'm like, actionable thin men.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah, like, just like every one of them is just like. And like, you know, meanwhile they're at the taco truck.

[Caleb]

Like, let's take Krista home.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah, exactly. And I just think everyone thinks like, you're so intimidating. You're always surrounded by men. I'm like, if you can't tell that these men want to get me laid as much as they do, like, that is so funny.

[Caleb]

We're all looking at. We're going after the same guys actually.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Exactly. I was sitting with my gay friend on the train the other day and we were both checking out this guy and we were like, okay, Dodgers hat. Like, maybe that's for me, you know. He's like, yeah, but really, white shoes. Maybe that's for me, you know, like, we're just sort of, you know.

[Caleb]

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[Krista Rodriguez]

In New York, babe.

[Caleb]

All these guys are acting gay even when they're not.

[Krista Rodriguez]

But also, all these gay men are having sex with women now.

[Caleb]

Don't I know it. Honey, the whole world's gotten in a big damn hurry.

[Krista Rodriguez]

What's going on?

[Caleb]

Everything's upside down. Left is right, right is left.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Agreed.

[Caleb]

My gig. Every time I get coffee with a gay guy, guy now, especially in New York, they're going, well, you know I am. Yes, I slept with a woman. I'm like, what is going on? I know fascism is winning.

[Krista Rodriguez]

I know.

[Caleb]

Hey, guys, stay gay.

[Krista Rodriguez]

I support it.

[Caleb]

I know you do.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Everybody. I just. I'm just everybody do what they need to do at this point.

[Caleb]

I feel that way until it specifically comes to get gay men. And I'm not talking about bisexual men. Let's get out there right now.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Bisexual men, you know, card carrying, platinum hom. I'm talking all being like, what's in there? I want to see.

[Caleb]

They're. Yeah, they're for the first time ever, going after vagina. And I'm going, what's happening? You know, my friend Issa Medina has a podcast and she texts me yesterday and goes, when are you back In New York. Do you want to come back on my podcast and debate with me about. She does like a debate topic.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Caleb]

She said, do you want to debate with me about the validity of bisexuals? I said, she's bi. I said, get. Leave me out of this. I've had it. I've clarified my stance.

[Krista Rodriguez]

I know. Well, you've already made quite a ruckus in the, in the lesbian community.

[Caleb]

I've made waves in the lesbian and bi community too many times. I'm looking for peace.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Caleb]

But, yeah, gay guys, straight guys are acting gay. Gay guys are acting straight. What the hell happened?

[Krista Rodriguez]

Listen, and I'm, you know, well, Andy and I talk about this. Andy's my best friend who I live with. And when we, like, we'll walk the dog and we have what called straight privilege is like the doors are flinging open for us. All of a sudden I'm like, you're no longer a gay man. I'm no longer an unmarried 40 year old woman. Like, we are now the future of America. You know, like, people are.

[Caleb]

We are the ideal.

[Krista Rodriguez]

They're just like, oh, my God, thank hetero people with dogs live in New York City. And we're like, baby, you have no idea what's going on here. Yeah, but yeah, it happened with my other gay friend the other day when they walk around with us. We were in Brooklyn furniture shopping. We had like coffees. We bought like, we bought a bunch of chairs. And everyone was like, where are these going? Do you have a dining table?

[Caleb]

Will your kids sit at this, please? Your kids?

[Krista Rodriguez]

I was like, I'm literally making a fuck hut for my gay friend. Like, you know, that's where these chairs are going, you know?

[Caleb]

Dude. Yeah, it's. I don't know what's happened. Everyone's gay. Everyone. Have you seen the. Speaking of New York, have you seen this? I woke up yesterday to find on my Instagram feed the West Village thing.

[Krista Rodriguez]

The West Village thing. Yes.

[Caleb]

What is this? Okay, they're going, oh, the girls of the West Village, Listen, they wear jeans.

[Krista Rodriguez]

And two years ago there was like, oh, straight women are doing poppers now. And I'm like, guys, these are not hot takes. Like, they're trying to make something out of something.

[Caleb]

I was just. I'm like, white women have lived in the West Village. No. Is that. That's a new thing. Hello.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Hello. No, this is like, you know, all of your friends complaining about how head gum is not easy to get to. It took me nine minutes to get here today. Yeah. Because I'm A millennial babe. And we go where it's comfortable, you know? And like. No, I'm just kidding. That was a. That's. What's her. Fuck. Parker Posey.

[Caleb]

Parker Posey.

[Krista Rodriguez]

She's too old to be uncomfortable. No. You know, it's funny because, like, when I moved to New York, I had. My first Dorm was at NYU, was in the West Village.

[Caleb]

Yeah.

[Krista Rodriguez]

And I was 17, 18 years old, like, running around in the streets of the West Village. And it's taken me, you know, 24 years to be able to move back with three other people is how I'm, like, affording to live there. And I look around and I'm like, who are all these children? How are you affording to live there? And I go, oh, yeah. I mean, that's. It's always been young. And. Yeah. I feel like they're trying to make a moment out of it. I don't care for that, but I'm not interested. I think, like, what I. What I don't love as being a woman of age is, like, when people decide they invented something. Like, it's driving me crazy.

[Caleb]

This is happening a lot.

[Krista Rodriguez]

They didn't. They didn't invent the West Village, nor did I. Yeah, gay men invented the West Village, frankly. And they, you know, everything we're enjoying is because of pioneers. And, like, I don't know, I don't like to. And that's why I get, like, all bent out of shape about the, like, skinny jeans and side part. I'm like, girls, you know, you're gonna get to a point where you're just gonna wear whatever the fuck is comfortable.

[Caleb]

That was such a loaded sort of ancestral. Girls.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yes.

[Caleb]

You know.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Caleb]

You just. You had. There was an energy of a million aunties in that.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yes, yes.

[Caleb]

Girls, girls, you know, you know, just like you're about to.

[Krista Rodriguez]

You're just. You think it's not coming for you and it's coming for you. Yeah, you're gonna get old. And it's okay.

[Caleb]

It's aging is coming for many of you. Not me, but God willing, of you, or.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah, best case scenarios.

[Caleb]

It actually is. I really do. I was just thinking. I was talking to. I was talking to somebody, a kind of newer person in my name, Name, name. But we were talking about getting older. And I, you know, he was like, what were you like, at 22 or something?

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Caleb]

And I was like, just insecure, uptight, like intense. Like, worried. I was worried, yes. And I'm. I don't relate to any of those things now. And I'm like, how cool is it to get older?

[Krista Rodriguez]

I was talking to my friend. I have, like, a dear friend who's 25. And she was like. And then. And X, Y, and Z, they're getting married. And so. And so I said, and they're getting a divorce, honey. Like, I was like, you guys are 26. Like, I was. Like. I said. And I really, like, with kind of some fury, like, had gunpowder behind it was like, nothing about my life is the same as it was when I was 26. I don't have the same friends. I didn't even know Andy at 26. I met him at that point. Nothing. I don't. My beliefs are not the same. Where I live is not the same. How I look is not the same. My body parts aren't the same. Like, there are so many things about me that are not the same. Like, I. There's no. A single recognizable quality. So, like, just live. Live and enjoy. It's like, don't hold on to any of this. It's gone. It's already gone. Sorry.

[Caleb]

Well, you're talking about body parts being different, and it reminded me. I was talking to my mom the other day. I was in Kansas City, and we were out to lunch, and she was like, you know, all my girlfriends are getting these, like, suppositories. They put a little. She has, like, hot flashes.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Estrogen.

[Caleb]

Yeah. But they get. Specifically, they cut a little slice in your butt cheek and put a suppository in there, and then, like, stitch it up and that's.

[Krista Rodriguez]

You do it.

[Caleb]

You do it every four months to menopause.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Caleb]

And she was like, you know, everyone's. My friends are swearing by it, so I have an appointment to go and get it. And she was like, it's not paid for by insurance. And my mom's very progressive, so she doesn't need these lessons.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Caleb]

But I was like. I was like, you know, that's. That's. That's gender care. Like, that's hormones.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Gender affirming care.

[Caleb]

Gender. Gender affirming care.

[Krista Rodriguez]

I talk about this all the time because, you know, I. I had breast cancer.

[Caleb]

Yeah.

[Krista Rodriguez]

And I had.

[Caleb]

Thank you, by the way.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah. Yes. You're welcome. I did it for you. So you didn't have to. No, I just. I'm like, are we going into breast cancer on the pod? I guess we are, but I. You know, my surgeries were covered to have my. My reconstruction for gender affirming care like that, and nobody batted an eye. In fact, they're like, please have Breasts.

[Caleb]

Yeah. God, please put them back.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Please put them on. Put them on. Yeah, yeah. We can't look at you like that.

[Caleb]

She was. Well, I told. I said that. And she was like. She was like. She was like, I know. I'm gonna. I'm gonna say that to my friends.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Caleb]

You know, And I was like. I was like, it is. It's like all that stuff. Like, my mom doesn't. My mom loves trans people. Doesn't need to hear any of that. But it's like. But yeah, it's like, all that stuff, like, it should be paid for. Number one number. It's because it's. You need it for health. If you're having hot flashes, those are unbearable. You need help.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Oh, God, the menopause conversation, honey, it's. It's crazy. It's crazy.

[Caleb]

And then no one cares.

[Krista Rodriguez]

No one cares.

[Caleb]

And, you know, but these guys will. Viagra is gender affirming care. Hair plugs are gender affirming care. Yeah, I'm like, All this stuff that these, like, middle aged, you know, sometimes, like, Midwestern and Southern people do. Yeah, that. But then they'll at the same time be like, well, I don't want trans people in the bathroom. I'm like, the people. You're all. We're all doing the same, you weirdo.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah, relax.

[Caleb]

Everybody's doing the same stuff.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Everyone needs to relax.

[Caleb]

Everyone needs to relax. We all wake up and hope that we're making a living and we're gonna have a nice day.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yes.

[Caleb]

We want to have fun. We want to hang out with our friends and family.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Agreed.

[Caleb]

This is what everyone wants. Everyone can. I just want to start a political party that's like. Everyone, shut the up.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yes.

[Caleb]

Shut the up.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Agreed.

[Caleb]

Relax.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Relax.

[Caleb]

We're gonna. We need to figure some actual embarrassing.

[Krista Rodriguez]

It's embarrassing to have a take.

[Caleb]

It's humiliating.

[Krista Rodriguez]

It's like, don't. Don't be worrying about anybody else. Also, do your shit.

[Caleb]

The, like, immigration, deportation thing. There's a million reasons that it's evil and crazy, but particularly I'm like, do you not feel like a loser being like, where are your papers?

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Caleb]

Why do you care about someone's driver's license, you fucking freak?

[Krista Rodriguez]

I know.

[Caleb]

It's freakazoid behavior.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Completely.

[Caleb]

I don't care about someone's papers.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Caleb]

What are we talking about?

[Krista Rodriguez]

What are we talking about?

[Caleb]

What am I, the fucking Gestapo?

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yes.

[Caleb]

I don't care. I don't work for these fucking people. I don't.

[Krista Rodriguez]

We were in Atlantic City a few years ago.

[Caleb]

Thank You.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah. And so that you don't have to. And they had this, like, T shirt store. And it was all these, like, Raging Trump T shirts that were like, pro Trump. Like, get that woman out of office, you know, kind of shit. And we were like, should we buy some of these and just keep them in our closet in case we need to prove, like, when it's all going down and we're like, T shirts. Show us your T shirts.

[Caleb]

Well, there's this one.

[Krista Rodriguez]

I have an eagle, you know, ripping up the trans flag.

[Caleb]

Doing a closet tour for the Gestapo. Unboxing for the Gustavo. My trip to Atlantic City, where I bought Pro Trump.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Pro Trump paraphernalia. We're just like, can. We should keep them in a box in the back in case it all goes to hell.

[Caleb]

Yeah.

[Krista Rodriguez]

When it all goes to hell.

[Caleb]

Yeah. You know, that's. Lisa Traeger and I were chatting recently, and I had gotten a. I got a dumb phone. Don't worry.

[Krista Rodriguez]

It's not working out.

[Caleb]

It's not working out. No, don't worry. Don't worry. You can make fun all you want. Everyone is disrespected. I'll never be appeased. I'll never be a piece. Everyone disrespected it. I already changed the number back. Everyone just forget it. Everyone just forget.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Did you have a dumb phone and not give me the phone number?

[Caleb]

Well, you have the number because it was my old number, but I. Okay, you always have my number, but I got a dumb phone. Don't worry. It was a total failure.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Why was it. I'm actually curious. Because I. I'm not.

[Caleb]

Everyone disrespected me. Everyone disrespected me. People refused. People were so stupid. People are texting me. I'm getting 12 Instagram DMS a day from friends saying, hey, I texted you, but it's green, so I think your number got shut off. No, it's just not an iPhone. So then I'm getting DMs. It made my life infinitely worse. I was. I'm not allowed to. I'll just be on. I'll just die on the phone. I'll die on the phone.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Caleb]

I'll be addicted to technology like everybody else. I'll keep my eyes glued to the algorithm so Mark Zuckerberg can go on Theo Von's podcast and talk about colonizing Mars or whatever the they're doing now.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yep.

[Caleb]

I'll just be a sheep like everyone else. I'll be in the system. Fine. I'll watch Tick Tocks until I drool myself to death. Yeah, fine. No dumb phone for Caleb.

[Krista Rodriguez]

No.

[Caleb]

But anyway, I was talking to Lisa.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Caleb]

And she goes, she goes, you know, maybe I should get a dumb phone. I'm about to travel internationally. And I go, what's the correlation? She goes, well, they're stopping people at the border now and checking their phone and I've said some really bad stuff on there. And I was like, really? Yeah, I guess so there. I can go through your text messages and see if you've been anti Trump, which is good. Yeah, I think that's a positive sign of a democracy.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Caleb]

When the. Yeah. When the president's allowed to check your text for hateful comments.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Totally.

[Caleb]

Can come in and out of the country.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Caleb]

Probably pray for the best.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Wants to keep us here for some reason.

[Caleb]

Yeah.

[Krista Rodriguez]

I don't know.

[Caleb]

What's that about.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Caleb]

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[Krista Rodriguez]

I really had such high hopes for like my sanity this time around because I knew it was coming.

[Caleb]

Yeah. You know, of course.

[Krista Rodriguez]

And I was like, I'm just gonna be chill. I'm just gonna be fine.

[Caleb]

Yeah.

[Krista Rodriguez]

And like, like six days. I was like, like, it cannot be chill.

[Caleb]

Yeah.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Sucks.

[Caleb]

I. It really sucks. I have some election. I have some disinformation I'd love to share on my platform. I think he stole the election.

[Krista Rodriguez]

No.

[Caleb]

Yeah, I think he stole it. I do. He won by a margin in every swing state. That is unbelievable. And I don't believe it's never happened before. I think he stole the election. I think that Elon did something to the computers. I'd love to spread that around. You guys clip this up? Yeah, I think that they stole it. I think they stole it. Yeah. I think.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Wouldn't that be great?

[Caleb]

I think Kamala actually won. Yeah.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Caleb]

She's actually the president.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah. Oh, she's my president.

[Caleb]

She's my president. She's in office. You know what? My. Do you know what? I love that you did.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Oh, God.

[Caleb]

When you played Liza Minnelli.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah. Okay.

[Caleb]

I loved that performance.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Well, thanks, hon.

[Caleb]

I just thought you were brilliant in it.

[Krista Rodriguez]

That's really nice.

[Caleb]

Did you. Did you. Was that like a dream? How was that?

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah, totally a dream. Like I. I like very rarely am happy when I get a part. Yeah.

[Caleb]

I'M like, happy to have the money and then happy to do the job. Yeah.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yes. But it's also, like. It usually means, like, canceling a vacation or some other job that you can't do or something, you know, And I've always had, like, anxiety around actually working. And for this one, like, I wanted it so bad, and I got it. Like, that's so rare.

[Caleb]

Yeah.

[Krista Rodriguez]

And for, like, a day and a half, it was, like, utter bliss. And then it was abject terror for the entire time I was doing it. It was so scary.

[Caleb]

It's pressure.

[Krista Rodriguez]

It was so much pressure. I mean, listen, gay men, like my bread and butter. This is your community. I can't disappoint.

[Caleb]

Yeah.

[Krista Rodriguez]

And also, like, you know, the. The Broadway community and the people who, like, you know, I'm gonna have to face a lot of people who have a lot of opinions about her. And I was so nervous. I was so scared. And we also shot. We shot one episode of it, and then the pandemic happened. And so I had been training. I was, like, in all kinds of. I was in dance class, voice and speech class, acting. I was. Had an acting coach. I was doing dialect coaching. I had, like, you know, getting fitted for color contacts. Like, it was like I was fully immersed. And then they were like, it's not happening. And I felt like, you go to the grocery store with no cart, and you're like, I can hold all these things. You know? And then it was like, I just dropped them. I'm like, I don't know what else to do. And then it came back in September of that year, and I think that, like, time was actually so good to marinate on the things, and I honestly think the show was better. I think, like, Ewan and I's relationship was better. Like, and this is kind of like, you know, gets into the nerdiness of it, but for the first episode, we're sort of like the beta versions of ourselves. Like, I'm Liza before I meet Halston. He's Halston before he meets Liza. And when we came back for the second episode, it's when we have all kind of come into our heyday, and it felt that way. It felt like I remember seeing him and him seeing me on that first day of shooting when we came back, and being like, we're here. We've arrived. You're Halston, I'm Liza, and we're gonna, like, like, do this. And we just kind of settled into it, but it was really scary, and I'm really grateful that people have Been nice about it.

[Caleb]

Yeah, it was so good.

[Krista Rodriguez]

No, thanks.

[Caleb]

That's so cool. I. Yeah, I. I adored it.

[Krista Rodriguez]

I, like, wanted to do something really hard at that time. Now I don't really want to work that hard anymore. But, like, at that time, I was, like, bargaining. I was like, if I get this, I will do only this. Like, I just wanted it so badly. And I, you know, I did the. I did. I dedicated myself to it in a way that, you know, I wanted to do at that time.

[Caleb]

That feels really good. Yeah, I. Yeah, I feel. I feel similar. I'm working really hard on something right now that should come out this year, and I'm. It's like, I'm. I'm excited about how horrifying it is.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Caleb]

I'm, like, excited about how difficult it is.

[Krista Rodriguez]

I'm like.

[Caleb]

I'm, like, scared of it, and I'm like, it's fine.

[Krista Rodriguez]

It's nice also to be. There are times when I'm, like, thrilled to be something that might fail. Like, be a part of something that might fail. Like, I'd rather strap myself to the front of this and go down than kind of sneak around in the back and not be responsible for its success or failure. You know, sometimes you want to just kind of be the reason something is.

[Caleb]

I feel that I learned. This is a lesson that I learned in the Human resources. The Big Mouse spinoff. My first writer's job is. I was so. It was my first writing room. Writers room. And I was so. I guess I was. I was nervous about certain things, but I was like, is. As long as everyone understands that I'm here to write jokes, I'm fine.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Caleb]

I can write jokes all day long.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Caleb]

And anything else, like, structure, format, story, huge, like, large theme things, understanding how a room works, politics. That's all stuff that I feel pretty equipped to pick up.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Caleb]

But I was like, I am a little more nervous about that.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Caleb]

And I am, of course, also nervous that if I don't do it the way they like it, that I'll never get a job again. You know, that's part of it, of course. But the. The big thing I took away from it was, like, I think one of the. There were so many talented, like, accomplished TV writers in that room who just know what the. They're doing, who have written a million episodes of tv. And I really respected respect to them presently. But I was like, one of their scripts was. I don't remember whose it was. Maybe. Maybe Victor King Ash or somebody like that, but they. One of Their scripts was up first, and we, as a room, just, like, ripped through it. You know, we just, like, redlined this and changed that joke. And this didn't work at the table. And that didn't work at the table. And there's a feeling of, like, number one, that's all of our responsibility and work. We all worked on it, so it's all of our collective work that we're editing. And number two, it doesn't make the person who technically authored it any less of a writer. This is the process.

[Krista Rodriguez]

This is the process.

[Caleb]

And it's a similar thing as, like, you're talking about, like, being in a project that flops and, like, strapping yourself to the front of it.

[Krista Rodriguez]

It's like, yeah.

[Caleb]

I've seen plenty of actors, directors, producers, etc, that I deeply respect who have been involved in a project that wasn't for me or wasn't even objectively very good.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Caleb]

And I've never walked away from it being like, oh, that person's a flop. Actually.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yes.

[Caleb]

I'm like, oh, that thing wasn't great. But, like, they're still great.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah. You have to always be, like, applying that to yourself. You're just assuming everyone's going like, oh, my God, how embarrassing for her. You know, and maybe they are. But also, like, most people are going like, yeah, that's. Everyone has had a clunker. Everyone. And also, like, yeah, I had that experience. Like, I was doing a sitcom, you know, and they were, like, throwing new jokes at me, and I'm like, no, no, I can make this one work. And then I was like, why would I want to make a joke work if it's not working? Like, why would. Give me a better joke. Let's do it. Let's have fun. So it's like, I try to keep that idea in the same way of just like, why would. Why wouldn't we want to rip apart the script and try to, like, make it better?

[Caleb]

Why not?

[Krista Rodriguez]

Why would you hold it so tight?

[Caleb]

Yeah, why?

[Krista Rodriguez]

I'm a real tight holder. Listen, this is all bullshit.

[Caleb]

You have trouble loosening the grip.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Oh, baby, I'm learning. But, yeah, vice grip.

[Caleb]

Yeah.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Oh, yeah.

[Caleb]

Do you think? So, what are your biggest flaws?

[Krista Rodriguez]

Oh, my God. I mean, definitely that. A big need for control.

[Caleb]

Yeah.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Caleb]

Makes sense. Where. Why do you. Where do you think that comes from? What's that about? Is there a really scary, sad answer that we shouldn't actually get into?

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah, there's probably a scary, sad answer. Yeah, cool.

[Caleb]

Well, then we just won't do that.

[Krista Rodriguez]

I Don't really care. But you're right, you know, I have.

[Caleb]

A better question for you than that. What's so true to you?

[Krista Rodriguez]

Oh, God. What's so true? You know.

[Caleb]

You know, you watch the show.

[Krista Rodriguez]

You knew it was coming. I do, actually. I listen. I don't watch.

[Caleb]

You don't watch?

[Krista Rodriguez]

No, I'm a listener.

[Caleb]

Okay, that's good. That's still good.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah. Yeah, I know.

[Caleb]

You can do both.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Is that okay?

[Caleb]

If you. What I would love.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Am I supporting you? Okay if I do that?

[Caleb]

Yeah. Just the audio comes out out at, like, midnight.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Okay.

[Caleb]

On Thursdays.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yes.

[Caleb]

If you could listen to the audio and then just put the YouTube on in the back and let the ads run.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Got it.

[Caleb]

Some other time, like when that comes out later and do that a couple times a week for all the episodes.

[Krista Rodriguez]

I see.

[Caleb]

That'd be the best way to support.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Okay, gotcha.

[Caleb]

We make good money off the YouTube.

[Krista Rodriguez]

I know, I know.

[Caleb]

So if you could just run it for you, and if you're ever in, like, a doctor's office or anything like that, and you see that there's a YouTube option.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Caleb]

Just put on my show on repeat. Anything like that's helpful.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Okay. Okay. All right. Well, I got into podcasts because I wanted to be able to listen and keep walking. I didn't want to have to watch it.

[Caleb]

We love listeners, so I'm a listener. Listeners are good.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Well, now I've wasted all my so trues on our conversation.

[Caleb]

What?

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Caleb]

Like, you didn't save one.

[Krista Rodriguez]

I guess I didn't. Well, we were talking about it like a. Like a hot take is embarrassing. Let's see. What is so true to me.

[Caleb]

You know what? We don't have to do this. I could cut this.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Okay.

[Caleb]

But let me give you this. Since you gave. Since you gave away. You gave away a lot of your general so trues. What is your Broadway so true. What is your so true about Broadway? Broadway shows, Broadway performing, Broadway culture.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Okay, I have a good take on this. That's kind of maybe uncouth, but just like I. What I. Broadway is a service industry with a high turnover rate, and that is something that we have to get used to.

[Caleb]

What do you mean by that?

[Krista Rodriguez]

Shows are gonna close. Shows are gonna run shorter than they're supposed to. That is the beauty of it. Like, the ephemera of Broadway is why we're all there. It's why you pay a premium. To be there is because you can't watch it over and over again. It's gonna happen once. So Live capture, things like, stuff like that. I'm actually happy they're doing it now. It's better than these sort of like shitty versions they were making and sending out. Because, like, like people are making opinions on shows based on like a video of a show. It's not. That's not the show. You're never going to be able to do that. You know, it's as if you were watched, like when you're on set watching someone film a movie, if you were like, that's the movie, that's not the movie, you know, So I, I just love, I, like, I'm a big advocate for the ephemera of it and that like, there's a lot. Every year in January, a ton of shows close and everyone bemoans the state of Broadway and arts and new work. And I am like, Cats was a new musical at one point. Like, you know, the Music man was a new musical at one point. Like, just because they become these, you know, huge juggernaut successes doesn't necessarily mean that we are not supporting new musicals. Like, we need room for everybody. And like, if you think about what your first Broadway show was, it was probably not Death of a Salesman. You know, it was probably the Lion King. It might have been the Addams Family, which I was in. You know, it might have been these shows that are sort of like what you might consider like low hanging fruit. But there's room for everybody. And like, shows will come and go. And that doesn't mean we're a bunch of like, plebes that don't understand the art form. It means, like, we're generating content in a service industry and we are trying to figure out the most amount of joy to the most amount of people. And I just think we need to like, relax a little bit about that. Yeah, but none of that makes any sense to you because it made total sense to you.

[Caleb]

You don't know anything about it. I got it. I. Everything about Broadway now. I feel like I got a crash course from a true pro.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Just the business of it. I think we're in. When we're artists, we don't think about the business of it. And I think, like, just lean into the business of it a little bit and be okay with that. The business is the art.

[Caleb]

Yeah.

[Krista Rodriguez]

If we're not running like a beautiful new show would never exist if another show didn't close. So, like, you have to make room for.

[Caleb]

There's only so many theaters.

[Krista Rodriguez]

There's only so many theaters.

[Caleb]

Yeah.

[Krista Rodriguez]

And, and, and enjoy that. And I'll be sad when my show closes, as it will one day. And, you know, we. We move on. Something new might come in and be beautiful.

[Caleb]

Yeah. Yeah, I would. Yeah, I. That's. That. That reminds me of, like, just the life in general. Like, life in general is like. Things will end.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Caleb]

Life itself, of course, will also end. Well, things in. Things come and things go. New things. New things can sometimes only begin because old things have ended.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Caleb]

Everything's not meant to stay the same. It's like what you were saying about, you know, talking to your 25, 26 year old.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Caleb]

Or whatever. It's like, yeah, this is not. You will only make yourself sad, hoping that good things last forever.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Totally.

[Caleb]

Good things do not last forever. You will find a new good thing and you'll be like, oh, man, it would be cool if this one lasted forever. And it also won't.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Caleb]

It's like the new good thing is around the corner. The old good thing is behind you.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Caleb]

You gotta. You gotta just keep it moving.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah. Yeah. It's so true.

[Caleb]

You know, there is a joy. Someday. We should make a compilation of the number of times most people don't recognize when they do it. Yeah, but the number of times that people organically say the name of the show.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Well, you picked a good title, babe.

[Caleb]

We did. We did pick a good title. But I love when it happens.

[Krista Rodriguez]

I know.

[Caleb]

I love when it happens.

[Krista Rodriguez]

It's so great.

[Caleb]

It'll happen to me. Sometimes when people are talking to me.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Caleb]

And I'm like, oh, yeah, that's fun. And they don't notice. They're just talking, but I'm like, do.

[Krista Rodriguez]

You say it all the time? Are you embarrassed if you say it.

[Caleb]

Because you're humiliated when I say it.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Caleb]

Yeah. I'll be talking to someone, I'll be like, oh, my God, that's so true. And then I'll be like, it feels hack.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Caleb]

When I accidentally do it.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah, but you created it.

[Caleb]

It's the name of the show. Because I talk like this.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Exactly.

[Caleb]

Yeah. There were a lot of. There were a lot of all the names, ideas for the show when we were.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah, give me some of the.

[Caleb]

They were like just a bunch of gay little. It was like, no, totally. It was like. It was like. It was like completely like just playing the show. Completely. It was. There was a bunch of them.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Caleb]

But they were all just gay little phrases that mean nothing outside of the context.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Listen.

[Caleb]

And that's how it should be.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah, that's gay out of context.

[Caleb]

Gay out of context. Another good one.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah, exactly.

[Caleb]

What if you had a podcast? What would you name it? What do you think?

[Krista Rodriguez]

Well, Andy and I wanted to start a podcast, and I think we should now because really, like, people are. Are wanting to do podcasts more than they want to be on TV shows anymore. Like, it's such a different, you know, it's more stable. Yes. Crazy enough, we wanted to start a podcast about aging in the industry. And, like, because we both started our. The business is, like, sexy kids. Like, you know, and then, like, what happens when you kind of grow into, like, an adult and what you do and, like, kind of the craziest things we've done to our face to, like, try to be young or kind of like, you know, the. The supplements we've taken or whatever, and. And wanted to interview, like, girls that had played Annie who are now, like, 28, you know, like, what's that like, you know, growing in the business. And the title was My Lines.

[Caleb]

My Lines. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I love that.

[Krista Rodriguez]

You know, like, your lines, your reading lines, but also your lines.

[Caleb]

Yeah.

[Krista Rodriguez]

And we recorded, like, two episodes, and we never did anything with it, so.

[Caleb]

Please bring it back.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Caleb]

Please make it happen.

[Krista Rodriguez]

We just do it at our house before we live together.

[Caleb]

I have an opposite thing where I'm actually. I feel deeply that my acting career is fine.

[Krista Rodriguez]

I get.

[Caleb]

I get stuff here and there, and I like the things I've been able to be a part of.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Caleb]

But I deeply feel that my. My 40s are probably where it's at for me.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Caleb]

And I feel that I'm. I'm. I'm like. I'm kind of like, every time I see a sign of myself getting older, I go, thank God.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Caleb]

For work wise. And I know that most people feel the opposite, but I'm like, I have never, like, traditional ideals of beauty have never been attached to my body by virtue of being fat. And so I'm like, bring it on.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Caleb]

I think I'm gonna eat down in my 40s.

[Krista Rodriguez]

I feel like that, like, as a, Like a woman, that experience is so insane because, like, and people will tell you this, but you don't really know it until you're in it. It's like, as you get older, I'm, like, more powerful than ever, and people couldn't care less. Like, it's like, I. I have. I get less interest the older I get, and I'm like, y' all don't even know. Like, I'm. I could run this joint. Like, I have so much more experience, knowledge, Confidence, like, you know, fire. Like, I just totally understand things in a way that I didn't before. And people are like, cool. Yeah, you're. You're gonna. You know, you're not useful to society anymore. Thank you. And, like, I'm hoping that changes, but I feel like there is this. This dead zone of, like, the Alice and Janneys who are going to, like, be great in their 30s, disappear in their 40s, and then, like, show back up in their 50s being, like, nailing it. You know, there's. There is this dip here in this age where you either kind of amass all of your power and then come back stronger than ever, or you just kind of go, yeah, that's. That wasn't for me.

[Caleb]

Yeah.

[Krista Rodriguez]

So we'll see what happens.

[Caleb]

I've talked about this a little bit, but there's something interesting that my friends who. My friends or acquaintances who, when we were, you know, in our teens or early 20s, that had social capital based on their appearance.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Caleb]

That. That now as we get a little bit older, because some of them were maybe a little bit older than me, and so they're a little bit older than me now that that capital is disappearing.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Caleb]

And it's a really hard thing for them to manage. And I feel this opposite thing where I'm like. I'm getting. My thing is, like, accruing. I'm getting. I'm getting better and better because my thing has always been based on. On my personality and my mind and my. Whatever.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Caleb]

And so it's this funny thing where I'm like, I feel so excited about aging and so unconcerned about my appearance because it's never been in mass. Something that anyone was interested in. I think I'm high. I was gonna say, baby, I'm not down on my. I think.

[Krista Rodriguez]

I'm sorry.

[Caleb]

Plenty of people, you know, my. That's all fine.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Caleb]

But I'm just saying, in mass, traditional standards, wise people do not like fat people. Our society does not like fat people. We have very specific ideas about what fat people are. I posted a picture of myself on a bike ride with my friend yesterday or the other day. And. Or I'll talk sometimes. I've talked on this podcast before about liking going on long walks.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Caleb]

And people will comment or DM me the craziest being like, you know damn well you don't go on walks. And I'm like, what is your opinion of. You think fat people don't walk? I know, honey. Look at my legs. They're chiseled. Of Stone Mountain. Like, of course I'm walking. Are you insane?

[Krista Rodriguez]

Also, you're a New Yorker, honey.

[Caleb]

I'm like, it just doesn't. Yeah. They think the, the conceptions that societally we have about fat bodies are, they don't bother me anymore. Yeah, but they are, it is objectively a percentage wise more in the camp of negative. And I, I just think when you. And it doesn't have to be fatness, but when you don't have access to like I've been desired, but I have not been desirable. Capital D. Desirability, as it's prescribed to us as we all like suffer under the boot of this like, ideal, of like, like the ideal body and the ideal beauty that strangles all of us. It strangles women. It strangles, it strangles men as well. Although a lot of us don't take time to think about that.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Right, right, right.

[Caleb]

It's just patriarchy repackaged. But like the way that, that suffocates all of us, if you're used to suffocating under it more visibly and more like constantly, as age adds onto the pile and as ability goes away as you get older or whatever changes, you just don't have as hard of a time dealing with it as people who had fewer of those obstacles.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Sure.

[Caleb]

Do you know what I mean?

[Krista Rodriguez]

Sure. I do know.

[Caleb]

If you're conventionally beautiful when you're 20.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Caleb]

It's like twink death. It's like if you're conventionally hot and everybody wants to you when you're 20.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Caleb]

All of a sudden you're 32 and the club fits. Aren't, aren't hanging the same on the frame.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Totally.

[Caleb]

Now all of a sudden you're kind of staring down mortality and going, what am I?

[Krista Rodriguez]

You know? Totally. It totally is. Yeah. And I, I, I had this observation the other day because I'm like single and I was like, I don't know a lot of women in their 40s who are just like falling in love. Like, because we're just a little too smart now. But like men in their 40s are falling in love. I have so many of my friends in their 40s who are finding like great loves. And I'm like, oh yeah, because they're all dating 26 year olds. Like, like no one's even looking over here because they're just like, yeah, you, you, you got our number. Like, like you don't want, like, you know, they don't want to be seen or perceived, I guess.

[Caleb]

Well, part of its Malleability. You. The. I think part of the reason that older men are so attracted to younger women other than. Is. Sorry. A lot of the older men who are attracted to younger women, they want them to be as close to looking like children as they can. And that is reality. We have a. We have a problem. But there's this other component of it that isn't always that. That's like, you've built a life that you like. You're successful in your job.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Caleb]

You have. You oftentimes own a home that you live in alone. You have a dog that you love, and an older woman is gonna come in and call you on your. And hold you to account.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Right.

[Caleb]

And be a adult partner to you. It's nice to have. I understand the psychology of being like, oh, how about this malleable young person who doesn't have ideas and is just charmed by my house and my wonderful wife?

[Krista Rodriguez]

Well, they can be the big. Yeah.

[Caleb]

They can be the big guy. Yeah. And it's like, it's obviously humiliating in a different way for them, but. Yeah. You get it.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Caleb]

An older woman who has her shit together is intimidating.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Well, exactly. Intimidating is the. That's what. You know what's so true to me.

[Caleb]

Yeah. Come on.

[Krista Rodriguez]

I hate the word intimidating.

[Caleb]

I know you do. I know you do.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Someone was like, well, you're intimidated. Well, I'm only getting more intimidating, so get on now or you're way out in the dust. Like. And also just like, I have heard it so many times, and I always get it. It offered to me like a dog giving me a dead bird, as if it's like, the gift that I want, you know?

[Caleb]

Well, congratulations.

[Krista Rodriguez]

They're intimidated by you. You're so intimidating. So you'll never know love, you know? And I'm like, fuck you for weaponizing my. Who I am inherently against me as a reason that I cannot be loved by somebody because I own a home. Like, what the fuck?

[Caleb]

I would love to use this opportunity to put out an all call, but the reality is who you're looking for is not listening to this show. I'm just thinking, like, single straight guys that are in their 40s are probably. This isn't the. The forum for you to listen.

[Krista Rodriguez]

My loves don't have to be in my 40s. They just need to be chill with me being.

[Caleb]

Yeah.

[Krista Rodriguez]

You know, in charge.

[Caleb]

So maybe there's a straight guy out there who. Who's interested. Guys, hit Krista up.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Caleb]

Or hit me up and I'll source.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Caleb]

Please don't go straight to Krista. She's busy. Come to me and I'll. I'll decide who's worthy. I start sitting here.

[Krista Rodriguez]

I love that.

[Caleb]

I send you, like, three resumes a week.

[Krista Rodriguez]

I want to do, like, zero work.

[Caleb]

On this, like, 32 insurance broker stable. Seems like he has. Yeah, he's got a Roth ira.

[Krista Rodriguez]

You think guys with Roth ira? Listen to your podcast. I would take that.

[Caleb]

There's probably a couple.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Caleb]

You know, I do have a weird. I've mentioned this before, but you. Most of my fans are who you would expect.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Caleb]

Like, most of my fans are lesbians, non binary people, gay men. You know what I mean? It's like, that's the crew.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Caleb]

But then every once in a while, I will get approached on the street by a backwards hat, baseball jersey wearing just like, dude, I love your shit. And I'm like, ah. You know, I'm like, thank you. Thank you.

[Krista Rodriguez]

But did y' all see Cole Scola doing the straight person impression on Colbert?

[Caleb]

No, but I want to call her so much.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Funny. They. They seemed insecure about the. About the thing, but it was so good. And they're like, you just have to, like, you just like, don't move your mouth. Like, you just like, don't enunciate. It was really funny. You gotta watch it.

[Caleb]

Yeah, it's really great. It reminds me of a joke that Mateo. I saw Matteo Lane do once back when I was living and we were not friends yet. I went to Mateo Lane show as a fan when I had moved to Brooklyn for, like, a summer internship. And I saw Mateo at this bar in Brooklyn and he did this joke where he was like. He was like, yeah, I had to get a voice coach because I'm auditioning for this role. He's a high school football player, and, like, if I play him with my current voice, he's gonna have a secret. And I just. I thought that. So fucking funny. I love Cola Scola.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Oh, the best. Have you seen Omari?

[Caleb]

Of course I've seen.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Okay. All right, good. I also saw a Betty Gilpin do it.

[Caleb]

Really?

[Krista Rodriguez]

I saw oh, Betty. And I gotta go see Titus do it as well.

[Caleb]

Oh, Betty. And Otitis, you need to get the triple crown.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Oh, babies. It's so great.

[Caleb]

I just think I have long thought that Cole is one of the defining comedic voices of our generation. And oh, Mary, for me was like this. I mean, I literally could cry. I'm so proud.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Caleb]

I'm just so proud. I think Cole is a genius. And I'm so Proud. It's in an industry that is, like, often so brutal and annoying. And, like, I just find so many things happen, this industry. I just go, why the. Am I a part of this?

[Krista Rodriguez]

Right?

[Caleb]

And then someone as brilliant as Cole makes a work as brilliant as they're capable of.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yes.

[Caleb]

And it gets the support that it deserves, and they get the love that they have earned.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Totally. And then you go sometimes.

[Caleb]

At least that.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Caleb]

That's awesome.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Well, it was so thrilling when seeing it the first time, because I saw it off Broadway seeing, like, oh, somebody doing what. What they are perfectly capable of, do, like, the thing they wrote that only they can do. It's like, it's just such an exciting moment to watch that kind of coalesce. But I have a little fun fact about Cole. On the television series Smash, which I was a part of, there is a number that I do, like, one of the big numbers where I'm, like, hanging from acrobatic silks from the ceiling. And there's a little cutaway where a scene happens where Jeremy Jordan goes into a coat check to, like, steal someone's coat. And Cole is the coat check person.

[Caleb]

No, Cole.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yes. And it was like, I think their TV debut or something like that. Our showrunner Josh, like, knew of them from other, you know, avenues. But anytime people watch Smash, every time they, like, watch that number, they're like, cole's Cola. Wait, hold on, Cole. It's like, no lines. I don't think they have a single line. They just shake their head.

[Caleb]

Don't need it.

[Krista Rodriguez]

It's, like, so funny.

[Caleb]

Some don't need it.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Some don't need it.

[Caleb]

It. Oh, yeah. I love oh, Mary. I. I saw it at Lucille Hotels. Yeah.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Caleb]

What was it?

[Krista Rodriguez]

It's the lo. I can't. I'm Lucille Lortel Theater. Yes.

[Caleb]

I saw it there. Yeah. And I need to go. I want to go back and see it. That. That was maybe the other one that was on my list.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Well, I'm gonna take you to maybe happy ending. So when you decide to go, we'll go together.

[Caleb]

Let's go.

[Krista Rodriguez]

And then, because I like taking friends to it.

[Caleb]

Let's go. Yeah, it's on my. It's on my list of. Of shows I need to see right now.

[Krista Rodriguez]

When Paul comes back or when Titus comes back. I mean, we'll go see O Mary again.

[Caleb]

Yeah.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Together. We should go see Broadway together.

[Caleb]

I would love that. Is there anything you want to plug. Tell the people about?

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah, I mean, definitely. Come see Smash, the musical for if you were A fan of smash, the TV series. It's a very different version of the show. It's a comedy. It's like an all out farce. It's really silly and fun and we got some great dancing. All the songs you loved from the show are in it. I am sort of representing the Debra Messing role from the television series. I wear a lot of scarves. If you were a fan, you'll. You'll recognize those. And you know, Kayla, about the scarves, you know.

[Caleb]

Yeah.

[Krista Rodriguez]

You go to bed thinking about them.

[Caleb]

Well, that's just. Yeah, that's when I think about smash, I'm like, well, it's a scarf show.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Totally. Honestly, if people ever ask you about smash and you say that, people will think you know about smash. That if you were like, well, the scarves, they'd be like, yes, yes, yes, scarves.

[Caleb]

And guess what, Krista, I. You're not getting out of here without doing this.

[Krista Rodriguez]

I'm so nervous.

[Caleb]

You thought.

[Krista Rodriguez]

No, I was excited. I want 50 US dollars.

[Caleb]

Krista, Krista, you know what's gonna happen. I'm gonna read you 15 statements. You're gonna tell me as quickly as you can if you think they're true or false. If you get 10 or more correct, we're gonna give you 50 US dollars.

[Krista Rodriguez]

I'm gonna go as fast as possible. I'm gonna try because it drives me crazy when people take their time and show their work.

[Caleb]

That's a real listener.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yes, that's a real listener. He says as quickly as possible. See, I told you I'm ungrip. Yeah.

[Caleb]

Are you ready? LeBron James is 7 foot tall.

[Krista Rodriguez]

True.

[Caleb]

False. 6. 9. Kraft Mac and Cheese came out in 1937.

[Krista Rodriguez]

True.

[Caleb]

True. The longest hiccup attack ever recorded lasted 68 years.

[Krista Rodriguez]

True.

[Caleb]

True. Little shop of horrors never won a Tony.

[Krista Rodriguez]

True.

[Caleb]

True. Earth's rotation is speeding up.

[Krista Rodriguez]

False.

[Caleb]

False. It's slowing down. A shrimp's heart is in its head.

[Krista Rodriguez]

True.

[Caleb]

True.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Cool.

[Caleb]

They never made a sequel to independence day.

[Krista Rodriguez]

False.

[Caleb]

False. They made one in 2016. Pepto Bismol was originally blue.

[Krista Rodriguez]

False.

[Caleb]

False. It's always been pink. Jeremy Jordan's full name is Jeremy Michael Jordan Garden.

[Krista Rodriguez]

True.

[Caleb]

True. Ancient Romans used to drop a piece of toast in their wine for good health.

[Krista Rodriguez]

True.

[Caleb]

True. The sixth largest mall in the u. S. Is Burlington, Vermont.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Six largest what?

[Caleb]

Sixth largest mall in the u. S. Is in Burlington, Vermont.

[Krista Rodriguez]

False.

[Caleb]

False. It's in Costa Mesa, California. Lord is from England.

[Krista Rodriguez]

True. False. I mean, false.

[Caleb]

She's from New Zealand. They. These days we'll have to check in, the Drowsy Chaperone opened in May of 2009 on Broadway.

[Krista Rodriguez]

2009. False.

[Caleb]

False. May of 2006. NYU's mascot is a Bobcat.

[Krista Rodriguez]

That false?

[Caleb]

It's true.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Well, I'll fight you on that, but good.

[Caleb]

Sutton Foster was a state champion tennis player in high school.

[Krista Rodriguez]

False.

[Caleb]

False. How'd she do?

[Krista Rodriguez]

13.

[Caleb]

And you're thinking 14 maybe. What was the NYU Bobcat?

[Krista Rodriguez]

We're really the Violets. There is no. Like, we don't have sports teams, so we're not really Bobcats. Look at. Look into it.

[Caleb]

Well, he wrote them, so he's in big trouble here. Well, it's the.

[Krista Rodriguez]

So it's.

[Caleb]

The mascot is a person. I've got it right here for you all to see. The mascot is an individual. If this will load.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Hey, was that pretty good?

[Caleb]

That was unreal.

[Krista Rodriguez]

I don't know that that's common.

[Caleb]

It's not only uncommon. That was unreal. Yeah. That was crazy. That was crazy. I'm giving you 14. I'm counting.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Okay, Because I weigh in, NYU kids, because I remember the Bobcat kind of being like a joke because we didn't have a mascot. It was like, we're the Bobcat, but where. Like the violets.

[Caleb]

See?

[Krista Rodriguez]

NYU Violets up at the top there.

[Caleb]

Yeah. I want NYU kids. This is the first and last time I'll ever say this, but NYU kids, I want to hear from you.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Caleb]

Hey, there's a first and last time for everything. NYU kids. I want to hear your opinion.

[Krista Rodriguez]

I would have said true, but I thought, oh, this is one of the trick ones. But what was the. I got a trick one wrong. What was it?

[Caleb]

Oh, what did you miss?

[Krista Rodriguez]

Oh, six, nine, seven.

[Caleb]

Oh, you missed LeBron James. Come on. That's not even fair.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Like, I. If I know Sutton Foster facts. You think I know how tall LeBron James is? Those two don't intersect.

[Caleb]

It's not fair. Krista, we love you.

[Krista Rodriguez]

I love you. This is so fun.

[Caleb]

Thanks for doing it.

[Krista Rodriguez]

I never thought I'd see the day.

[Caleb]

An Alzheimer.

[Krista Rodriguez]

I love it.

[Caleb]

An All Timer with Krista Rogers.

[Krista Rodriguez]

I want that 50 bucks.

[Caleb]

You're gonna get it. You're gonna get it. You and Trixie Mattel will get your cash. I love you.

[Krista Rodriguez]

Love you.

[Caleb]

Thanks for doing it. That was a Headgum Podcast. Hey, I'm Jake Johnson and I host the Headgum Podcast. We're here to help with my partner, Gareth Reynolds builds. We're here to help as a call and advice show. Think Car talk from back in the day we're determined to help fix life's dumbest problems. We also have guest helpers join us, from the entire cast of New Girl to Michael Cera, Andy Samberg, Jimmy Kimmel, just to name a few. So do me a favor and come check out an episode and then bounce around our catalog. We're over 150 episodes so far, so there's plenty of stories for you to discover. Subscribe to we're here to help on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Pocket Cast, or wherever you get your podcast. New episodes drop every Monday and bonus episodes drop on Wednesdays. Hey Gorg, it's me, Gottmik and me Violet Chachki, and we want you to listen to our podcast no Gorg now on Headgum. Each episode we will be bringing you vlogs, answering burning questions, discussing what's going on right now, and diving into all things fashion, hookups, gossip, and more with past guests such as Heidi Klum and Dita Von Teese. No Gorge always keeps things hot. Listen to no Gorge on your favorite podcast app or watch full video episodes on YouTube. New episodes every Thursday. Bye, gorgeous.