00:00We have to talk about The Pit. Yes. It's one of the most popular shows on streaming.
00:04How did you feel when your role was expanded in season two? I have a stomach ache. Did you see
00:10the residential care nurse? She was out for the fourth, but I talked to her on the phone.
00:13She told me to come here and Jerry brought me. Thank you. No problem. Oh my gosh, I was so
00:18excited.
00:19I know it sounds weird to hope that your character ends up in like a terrible accident,
00:23but if you, if that's what it takes to get into the pit, so yeah, so I was so, so
00:31happy that Becca had that stomach ache.
00:33The relationship between Becca and Mel feels really real and relatable.
00:38What's it like working with Taylor Dearden and building that on-stream chemistry?
00:42Oh my gosh, so Taylor has that natural, helpful sister energy.
00:47Working with her feels very easy because she's very serious about her work,
00:52and she takes Becca into a lot of consideration while developing Mel.
00:58I think that's a lot of what you feel between Mel and Becca when watching us on screen,
01:03even if you add another character into the mix.
01:08And speaking of other characters, it's really fun to see Becca interact with Robbie and Langdon.
01:17Mel says lots of nice things about you.
01:23What was it like for you to finally get in the hospital set?
01:27Oh my goodness. When I first walked into that hospital set, I like fangirled so hard.
01:34You know, the, the set is crazy authentic,
01:37and it was exciting to do scenes with Noah, Catherine, and Patrick this season.
01:42And I was so happy that Becca had an emergency and got to go into the pit,
01:47but that juicy storyline was just a big bonus.
01:52Well, a big part of her story this season is the reveal that she has a boyfriend and a healthy
01:57sex life.
01:57I'm having sex.
02:01With who?
02:02My boyfriend.
02:04You have a boyfriend?
02:05Yes.
02:06His name is Adam, and we're having sex.
02:10How important was it for you to depict on screen as an advocate for better autistic representation?
02:17Um, it's important because if we're going to tell these authentic stories about real challenges
02:24that people battle every day, then it's going to make a difference.
02:28When you're exposed to stories like that on screen, it just gives you a chance to learn and to understand.
02:36And it's interesting that Becca has been keeping Adam a secret from Mel.
02:41Why do you think she was reluctant to share that part of herself with her sister?
02:45Um, I think it's because Becca didn't want Mel to feel sad because Mel didn't have the time, um,
02:51to find a boyfriend, um, you know, find a boyfriend herself.
02:55Um, but I think Becca wanted to keep it for herself, honestly.
03:00Um, you know, I mean, Becca has very limited resources and has little control over what her life looks like,
03:07so I think she was trying to protect her independence by keeping that a secret.
03:12The internet loves Becca and Mel.
03:15Yes.
03:16What's it been like to watch that fan reaction to your character?
03:19Oh my god, the Pitt fans are so amazing.
03:21Um, I, I personally am part of a lot of fandoms myself.
03:25Um, but the amount of detail, um, the Pitt fans have just deserves an award.
03:31And I also love how the internet wants to bubble wrap, um, Mel and Becca
03:35to try to protect them from bad things from happening to them.
03:39And one of fans' favorite running jokes is that Becca loves Elf.
03:44What is your version of Elf, the movie you can watch over and over again?
03:47The films I watch are more broader than, than, um, than Becca, you know, and I watch a lot
03:54of films, but if I had to choose one single movie I would watch over and over again, it
03:59would be the original Nightmare on Elm Street.
04:02The, you know, I'm a huge, huge horror fan, especially the slasher genre.
04:07So, yeah.
04:08Oh, I, I did not take you for a Freddy Krueger girl.
04:10Yeah, I, I love, I love Freddy Krueger.
04:14This April, uh, release date of O-Tal, Not Like That, coincides with National Autism Acceptance
04:22Month.
04:22What makes your book the perfect addition to any reading list?
04:26Yes, um, well, it's available now.
04:28And, um, it's a picture book for children that has a non-speaking character.
04:34Um, the book encourages kids to express themselves and to think differently.
04:38O-Tal, Not Like That is the second book in your O-Tal series.
04:41What made you want to write another story?
04:43Well, um, the, the O-Tal series was always supposed to be three books, so, um, we chose
04:50school as the setting for the second book because it's the place where the illustrator, Michael
04:56Ritchie White, and I both remember getting the most pressure to be more like everyone else.
05:02Um, we tried to fit in, um, Winnie the Cat into the story, though, because kids really
05:08loved her, um, in the first book.
05:10Yeah.
05:11And Michael Ritchie White brilliantly brings Tal and Winnie's adventures to life through
05:16his illustrations.
05:17Yes.
05:17Do you get to see the pictures in advance, and what's the process like?
05:21So, um, yes, we do talk about the illustrations.
05:24Like, when we first started, um, we were creating the character, and he sent me a bunch of different
05:29versions of Tal, and, you know, um, the character was always meant to be, like, the combination
05:35of the both of us, so we had our favorite, you know, favorite character design, and it
05:42turns out we had the same one.
05:45Um, yeah, we're all on the same page, um, about the story and the art, and, you know,
05:52Michael is a very professional artist, and, you know, so the books, the books really do come
05:57together very easily.
05:58You're also a filmmaker working on various projects.
06:02Uh-huh.
06:02What inspires you as a film editor?
06:05Yeah, so I've been a storyteller my whole life, um, and I realized in film school that
06:10editing is a way that you can easily influence how the story is told.
06:15Um, so, like, for example, I just recently edited, like, 54 videos for the Smithsonian for
06:22an exhibit called, um, Japanese War Brides Across the Wide Divide, which was a very interesting
06:29project, and, um, and as, uh, a producer and a writer, I have, like, a lot of projects in
06:35the works, but we're still pitching them, and I can't tell you anything about them just yet.
06:41That's okay.
06:42We'll keep watching your socials for news.
06:44We'll keep watching.
06:44We'll keep watching.
06:45Why?
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