Big Weird Swings with Skyler Gisondo & Austin Abrams

The A24 Podcast

Actors Skyler Gisondo and Austin Abrams reunite to discuss their shared history as childhood audition rivals. They reflect on the transition

Key takeaways

• Skyler Gisondo recalls the cutthroat nature of early childhood auditions, specifically for a Pizza Hut commercial.
• Austin Abrams describes his experience working with Ryan Gosling on Gangster Squad, noting his welcoming demeanor.

Main topics

• Childhood acting rivalry
• Working with legendary actors

Notable quotes

I was beaming like a maniac watching you.

Conclusion

A heartwarming look at the bond formed through shared industry struggl

Transcript preview

Speaker 1 (0:00) So it's like, I'm Austin, I'm Skyler. You want to do it at the same time? And then together, this is the... Okay, no, let's Speaker 2 (0:05) try it. Yeah. Okay. I'm Skyler. Fuck. You're going to... So you're going to go first. No, it's just I thought we had just spoken about that. Speaker 1 (0:12) No, you got to pick Speaker 2 (0:12) your seat and everything. No, no, no. No, it's fine. No, no, you go. No, it's... You go. Speaker 1 (0:18) You go. Speaker 2 (0:20) I'm Skylar Gisondo. Austin Abrams. And this is the A24 podcast. I figure, I mean, should we, should we, should we take, take the Speaker 1 (0:31) reins, take the reins, please, Speaker 2 (0:32) dude, Speaker 1 (0:32) please. Speaker 2 (0:35) Well, like, should we talk about how we first kind of, well, met-ish each other? Yeah. Because of the, you know, the kind of, well, the rivalry that I personally had. You're my arch nemesis, dude. For Speaker 1 (0:52) a while. Yeah, yeah. Speaker 2 (0:53) Yeah, because I remember because I would go into an audition and then I would just see you walk in and I'd be like, God damn it. Speaker 1 (1:02) God damn it. I'm not getting Speaker 2 (1:03) this one. Speaker 1 (1:05) Dude, to know that that was your experience because I somehow we never, I think like, I also like as a kid, I was much more competitive in some ways. So like you were this mythological figure to me, right? Speaker 2 (1:17) No, no, no, no. You were Speaker 1 (1:18) mythological. No, dude, I'd get the appointment on a Monday. It'd be big audition on Friday. I'd be like, wow, like this is, this could change everything. And I would just all week doing my lines. I'm locking in and I'd walk in and I'd see Austin Abrams. Speaker 2 (1:31) Thank God. Fucking damn it, Speaker 1 (1:32) dude. This dude. I knew, dude. I just knew. And my heart would sink. I was like that. And I don't like I don't know how we never because we became like we were competitors. Speaker 2 (1:45) You can't you can't finagle. It was like, Speaker 1 (1:48) yeah, it really was like I don't think I could have come face to face. I wouldn't have known what to do. Like there were you were this. I cannot believe that you were on the other side. It truly felt like you got. You just got everything. No, Speaker 2 (2:01) that's not true. That's not how I felt at all. Speaker 1 (2:04) How old were you? When did you start auditioning? I don't know. I Speaker 2 (2:08) mean, teenager. I think like early teens. What was it for you? You were pretty young. You were six? Yeah, dude. Speaker 1 (2:14) Whoa. Speaker 2 (2:15) Yeah. Doing like stuff? Yeah, it started Speaker 1 (2:18) with a lot of commercials. And like my first audition was this Pizza Hut commercial. And dude, it was cutthroat. in those days. Like they had to find the kid that day. So you'd go in, like you'd do your lines and they'd be like, okay, that was great. Go tell your mommy. Don't go home yet. Wait, you guys are going to wait for a little bit. So you'd have like half the kids coming out with their heads held high and half the Speaker 2 (2:38) kids just like Speaker 1 (2:39) dejected. Yeah. And then they would. just kind of like there'd be a hundred kids and they would just kind of keep kind until it was like you and one other Speaker 2 (2:45) kid Speaker 1 (2:45) yeah and then they would like tell you in the room that day they'd be like you got it yeah oh my god and um it was this very like gradual thing it was a lot of like commercial small part small parts on tv shows and um Speaker 2 (2:59) Yeah, there Speaker 1 (3:00) was no like what why do you start? Dude, I I uh nat like starting so young people always like naturally they ask like did your folks like want you to get into it and and truthfully they they didn't we didn't have like any kind of connective tissue to the Film industry my parents were both oceanic engineers. So like I was just this little maniac I wish I could like remember better what was going on in my mind, but like I was just obsessed with this. Like we would be in Santa Monica and I'd like put a hat down on the promenade and start like. You put a hat down? I would start busking, dude. I'd start breaking it down. Yeah. At how, at like six? Six, seven. Yeah. Whoa. Looking back, I can't imagine that the dancing was good. No, I'm sure it was great. I was free. You can move. Thanks, dude. You've seen me. I've seen you move. You can move. I appreciate you saying that on the podcast. Speaker 2 (3:46) Yeah, yeah. Speaker 1 (3:47) But that was it, dude. And then it was just this thing. And I, you know, I always wanted to just. In this abstract way, I was like, this is what I'm going to do. This is what I want to be. But I also like wanted to be a hockey player, a basketball player. It's crazy to me looking back now that like it just kind of feel, you know, so lucky that it just kind of kept working out. And like next thing you know, it's like, oh, I'm an adult and I'm still doing this thing. And I never really could have imagined doing anything else. Speaker 2 (4:13) What Speaker 1 (4:13) was your deal? How did you start cooking? Speaker 2 (4:16) Kind of just started doing it for fun. I mean, it wasn't busking. Yeah. You know, I wasn't putting the hat down. No, I could put that down. It sounds kind of fun. Yeah. And during this next strike or Speaker 1 (4:27) slow down or. Speaker 2 (4:31) But I just started I just started doing it for fun. And then it just kind of kept kept going. A lot of theater and then into movies and TV and stuff like that. Were you like doing theater in school and you realize like I really like this or. Speaker 1 (4:45) Yeah, Speaker 2 (4:45) basically. And, you know, camps and stuff like that. Speaker 2 (4:49) I think like that like expression, you Speaker 1 (4:53) know, Speaker 2 (4:53) that's really needed that I Speaker 1 (4:55) feel like at the time. Speaker 2 (4:58) And yeah, I don't know. So that's kind of how I, yeah. Speaker 1 (5:03) Did you ever have to do like the homeschooling thing or like were you old enough that like did you finish? No, Speaker 2 (5:08) I was somehow able to not do the homeschool. Did you do the homeschool? Yeah. Speaker 1 (5:12) Yeah. I pre the fact that the whole Speaker 2 (5:14) time you did the homeschool. Speaker 1 (5:16) Yeah. Yeah. I did the, the, for the beginning. Then in high school, I was like, okay, I really want to go. Cause I want to like have my sisters had been homeschooled cause they were like competitive figure skaters. And so they were older and wiser and they were like, trust me, you're going to regret, you know, try to make it work. Like go have this experience. And yeah, I think I was also feeling like at that age, I was like 14, 15. Like, uh, I, I, I wanted like to have this. desperately wanted to have this like quintessential, you know, high school experience. And also I was like auditioning for all these like high school roles and stuff. And I realized like, I didn't know what was going on. Like these scenes, the things that high schoolers were doing. I was like, this is not at all what my life looks like. Like just being homeschooled, it's a very different Speaker 2 (5:55) structure. So I think it would be like. It was hard for you to understand. Kind of Speaker 1 (5:59) dude. I was like, you know, like you're playing like you're like drunk or hungover or something. I don't know. You're like, I've never, I don't know what's going on, dude. And so I started going. high school and missed a bunch of time but they like worked with me and i'm happy i went and uh went to college for like a year but then dropped out for a job um did you go to did you go to college no Speaker 2 (6:22) Thanks, man. Speaker 1 (6:23) Were your folks like, so do you, were they worried? Did you like put a satchel over your back? Did you just, did you move from Florida, LA at 18 and you're like, I'm just going to go for it? I mean, yeah, kind of. Yeah. Yeah. Speaker 2 (6:34) Around Speaker 1 (6:34) like 17 or so. Without, you weren't like on a show or so, like you were just sort of like, whoa. I Speaker 2 (6:40) mean, I'd done, I'd done some work and I was, I had auditions. Someone else got most of those, those auditions though. Speaker 2 (6:52) But someone else got those shows. But you were on a show, right? You did a show. Yeah, Speaker 1 (6:56) yeah. Dude, Speaker 2 (6:57) I Speaker 1 (6:57) don't know how you feel that way. Because I knew, man. I knew. I just like, yeah, it was your name. There was like a cup. Do you remember any other like. Just tell Speaker 2 (7:05) me like how, what was the Santa Clarita diet? Speaker 2 (7:10) Dude, it was great. It was great. I actually can't Speaker 1 (7:12) imagine not having been on it. I did Speaker 2 (7:15) some visualizations about it and it seemed like it was Speaker 1 (7:17) really great. Did you have other nemesises, other nemesis, like kids who you would see at auditions as a teenager and be like this fucking. I feel like Ty was for a little bit. Sheridan? Yeah, yeah. Totally, dude. Yeah, he was like the nicest guy in the world to be your nemesis. Just the nicest dude. You're like, I hate this fucking guy. Yeah, he totally. yeah yeah he really crushed a lot of dreams he was Speaker 2 (7:39) killing yeah kill him there Speaker 1 (7:40) was a dude who this is when i was like maybe 13 14 he would show up to an audition take off his shoes and he'd go in barefoot yeah Speaker 2 (7:48) and Speaker 1 (7:48) it was like his thing and it was to the point that the casting directors knew it and they loved him so he'd show up and like i'd be waiting and they'd be like kick off those shoes buddy get in here it's like time to crush put on your shoes man have some respect I hated him, dude. I really admire like, dude, people like you, because I starting as a kid, like you're six or seven years old. You don't have any sense of self-awareness of how humiliating the thing is, like the audition process, how vulnerable you're just like, you're just like having the best time bopping from room. And so by the time I was a teenager and like. had developed, you know, a sense of like awareness enough to be self-conscious in some way. I had this kind of like resume. So I had like this confidence of like, oh, I do this. I identify as like a working actor. The idea like stories like yours where you're like, I wanted it. I liked it. So I just moved out to LA and I just like, that is so, I have so much admiration for that. Speaker 2 (8:42) Well, I mean, I, you know, I've been working a little bit, but I didn't like come here and was like, I have a. a job already that I'm coming here for. Speaker 1 (8:50) Right. You Speaker 2 (8:51) know, but I did have like, you Speaker 1 (8:52) were cooking. Speaker 2 (8:53) Yeah. There was like some work going on. So it wasn't like fully, you know, the unknown of it. But did you have like Speaker 1 (8:59) odd, like, were you working enough that you were like providing for, did you have like odd jobs or anything? Yeah. I Speaker 2 (9:03) was able to make enough money where I was able to like sustain on my own. Nice. Yeah. Did Speaker 1 (9:08) you Speaker 2 (9:08) have influences growing up for you? Speaker 1 (9:10) Like, like no, we've ever talked about that influences. It's Speaker 2 (9:13) a Speaker 1 (9:13) good question. I, I, I don't know. I like, I loved, there were certain movies I would watch over and over. Um, I loved like as a kid for West side story. Yeah. And for some happy Gilmore, like there were certain movies I was just, I would fixate on, but, but influences, um, Speaker 1 (9:31) I don't know, man. I loved the machinery of set. Like I love being around like, you know, because as a kid on set, you work and then when you're not working, you go, you have to do school. So you have like a studio teacher. So there was like this mystical quality to a set of I was like, I wonder what happens in between takes when I have to go away. Like, oh, what are they talking about? What are they doing? Like they're setting up the next show. I just loved like all the pieces moving around. And I was so, I guess like. and around to answer your question. I don't know, I was so influenced by just like pretty much every adult I worked with. Like I was like, I wanted to be in adult world so bad. I wanted them, I wanted to know what they were thinking about. And it was funny to go back and forth between kid world and adult world. Cause like the social currency didn't transfer. Speaker 2 (10:15) You know, Speaker 1 (10:16) like if you're 10 and adults like, wow, you're so, you're precocious. Or like you read at like a ninth grade level, you're in seventh grade. That doesn't make you cool. You know, with another kid, that doesn't really do much Speaker 2 (10:25) for you. Speaker 1 (10:26) But influences. i don't know did you did were there big like early uh i Speaker 2 (10:32) mean there's something like heath ledger or something you know kind Speaker 1 (10:34) of Speaker 2 (10:34) like the work he was doing was that was you know pretty wild because i remember like because we were kind of at that age where like when we saw the dark knight it was like what you know wild to me just like like watching this guy be like oh Speaker 1 (10:48) my god that's him i can't believe that's him you Speaker 2 (10:50) know Speaker 1 (10:51) yeah Speaker 2 (10:52) that just like really blew me away you know no it's like blew a lot of fucking kids away that movie but yeah no totally totally yeah just like him and that was just so so wild and then seeing um like daniel day lewis and there will be blood and being like oh my Speaker 1 (11:08) god i know you could do that either that's crazy sure dude yeah Speaker 2 (11:11) it's Speaker 1 (11:12) funny i want to perform i always was more like influenced by more like i guess every man like more like because you're talking about actors who are like Of which I think you are one. It's interesting to hear you say those two because, and I'm not the first person to say this, but I think most actors, like, more or less we play different versions of ourselves. Like, you know, roll to roll. And, like, the costume helps and the hair and the makeup. But then there's very few who, like, legitimately, like, shapeshift. Speaker 2 (11:37) And Speaker 1 (11:37) I think you are that kind of, like, when I watch you, like, you really disappear to me. And so it makes sense to hear that you were, like. inspired by performances like that from actors who who do that um because i would watch those kinds of performances and like i wouldn't even like they could it was just so beyond me i was like oh i'm not that kind of like uh Speaker 2 (11:57) -huh it Speaker 1 (11:57) was it was it was like you know i was awestruck but i wasn't like yeah that's what because i i was like i have no interest i don't even understand what they're doing like i don't know how that works how do you like who would even think of um But so I was like, I, you know, I, I, I think I liked, I responded more to more like grounded sort of down the middle stuff. Yeah. That makes sense. Well, Speaker 2 (12:21) how was, how was your work with, with Pattinson in primetime? Cause he's like, you know, Rob is Speaker 1 (12:28) like the old, I did. He's, you know, that, that was like, he is someone to me who is unrecognizable, you know, role to role and like down to like every. Every mannerism is invented. Like everything is like, I remember the first scene that we did. Speaker 2 (12:43) You Speaker 1 (12:43) know, when you like read a scene and in your head, you kind of like, there's only so many ways it can go. Speaker 2 (12:48) And Speaker 1 (12:48) you're like, I think I have a sense of like what this is and how he's going to do his part and I'll Speaker 2 (12:53) do Speaker 1 (12:53) my part. And like, I was sure like the first day, like 6 a.m. or whatever. And I was so nervous. You know, Rob and I hadn't like spoken