Rosslyn Luke | Stories from "Paper Tiger" | Engineering the Moment

[00:00:00] Rosslyn Luke: I can't watch a lot of comedy. It's bad, 'cause my fiance is a comedy writer. It's not that I don't enjoy it, it's just not what I... I want, I wanna watch something, like, dark that takes me away.

[00:00:13] Announcer: Welcome to Story and Craft. Now, here's your host, Marc Preston.

[00:00:17] Marc Preston: Okay, here we go. Back again, another episode of Story and Craft.

[00:00:21] Marc Preston: Welcome back. Glad to have you. If this is your first episode, welcome. Thank you so much for checking out the show. Today, we are sitting down with the talented actor Roslyn Luke. She's got a new film coming out in November called Paper Tiger. It's with, uh, Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson, Miles Teller. Uh, hearing great vibes about the film.

[00:00:42] Marc Preston: In fact, it got a 10-minute standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival back in May. So I'm looking forward to it. Uh, hey, do me a favor if you would. Make sure to follow and like Story and Craft on your podcast app of choice. You get a notification every time a new episode comes out, plus it helps [00:01:00] people to find Story and Craft, and I appreciate that greatly.

[00:01:04] Marc Preston: And of course, don't forget everything about the show you could possibly wanna know, it is at storyandcraftpod.com. Past guests, past episodes, it's all right there. So, uh, tell you what, let's get after it because today is Roslyn Luke Day right here on Story and Craft. So, uh, where are you joining me from today?

[00:01:26] Marc Preston: Where, where you at?

[00:01:27] Rosslyn Luke: Uh, I'm in Los Angeles. Los Feliz, specifically.

[00:01:30] Marc Preston: I'm- Los- Oh, okay. So you're- Where are you? I am, uh, on a small island on the South Texas coast called South Padre. Just hanging out here and, uh, g- staying inside where the air-conditioning is right now, 'cause it's mighty warm outside.

[00:01:41] Rosslyn Luke: Yeah, it's hot out there.

[00:01:42] Marc Preston: But I see you're originally, uh, uh, you're, you're a Washington kid, right?

[00:01:46] Rosslyn Luke: Yeah, I grew up in Eastern Washington, um, in the Tri-Cities specifically. Like, a couple hours south of Spokane, Washington, which is most of people's landmarks on that side of the state. And then I moved to Seattle for school. I went to University of Washington.

[00:01:58] Marc Preston: Oh, okay. Okay. So [00:02:00] th- when you went there, probably it was post-grunge scene. When I was in high school and college, that was like- Yeah ... you know, uh, all the grunge scene was happening. Fl- lot of flannel going on. Was it still like that when you went there?

[00:02:10] Rosslyn Luke: You know, it was. Seattle, I think that's still the heart of, of who Seattle is and wants to remain.

[00:02:17] Rosslyn Luke: Like, when I was still- When I was there, I was there almost 10 years, so I got to see a lot of evolution from, um, the start. You know, there was ar- like the industrial areas were still pretty grungy when I got there in the late 2000s. And, um- But definitely tech has, like, taken over a lot- Oh, yeah. Yeah ... and, you know, re- rehabbed, especially, like, the South Lake Union area.

[00:02:37] Rosslyn Luke: It used to be, like, a lot of music and a lot of grungy vibes down there, and now it's become the hub of Google and Facebook. You

[00:02:46] Marc Preston: know, I was watching, uh, Anthony Bour- I, I, anybody listening to this program knows I bring him up somewhat regularly, but I was a big fan of Anthony Bourdain. Big fan. And he d- I remember he did an episode there, and there was this whole tech bro [00:03:00] thing that- Yeah

[00:03:00] Marc Preston: that was going on there. And a lot of folks were- Culturally, it's sort of a, a, a, uh, I wouldn't call it a gentrification necessarily, but kind of a- Yeah ... overtaking of the existing vibe by the new techy vibe. Would that be an accurate assessment?

[00:03:13] Rosslyn Luke: Yeah. Completely. And I think, uh, Seattleites are pissed.

[00:03:16] Marc Preston: Mm-hmm.

[00:03:17] Rosslyn Luke: Like, people who are originally from Seattle just don't identify with- With that techy culture so much. And it's been such an influx that it's really taken over in massive, like, unbelievable-

[00:03:28] Marc Preston: Is it driving up rent and stuff like that for, it's making it unaffordable and-

[00:03:32] Rosslyn Luke: Yeah. Yeah. I mean, it obviously is good for the economy and it's, and it's great for people who need work in the area, but it is, yeah,

[00:03:39] Marc Preston: Well, what did your folks do?

[00:03:40] Marc Preston: Were they, uh, you said you grew up more closer to Spokane, right? Were they, like, Washingtonites? Is that the phrase? Or are they Wash-

[00:03:46] Rosslyn Luke: Yeah ...

[00:03:47] Marc Preston: Washington?

[00:03:47] Rosslyn Luke: Yes.

[00:03:48] Marc Preston: What would that be? Washingtonians? Washingtonians.

[00:03:50] Rosslyn Luke: Washingtonians? Washingtonians.

[00:03:51] Marc Preston: Okay.

[00:03:51] Rosslyn Luke: Yeah. Yeah, they are. My mom's from, uh, the western side, so the tree side.

[00:03:57] Rosslyn Luke: And my dad's from the eastern side, where I grew up. [00:04:00] Um, so truly tried and true longtime Washingtonians. Um, yeah, my mom is an attorney. She got her law degree when I was six, she went to law school. Um, and, um, yeah.

[00:04:13] Marc Preston: Wait, so she was going to law school when you were a little kid? That's, okay, six and under- Yeah

[00:04:17] Marc Preston: that's a lot of, uh, hands-on work with, uh, raising kids, and she's going to law school at the same time. Totally. Wow.

[00:04:23] Rosslyn Luke: Yeah. Impressive, for sure. It was definitely, like, challenging on the family. My parents had me, and then my brother's 10 years older than me almost. Okay. So we were pretty spread out. And yes, we were both on purpose.

[00:04:35] Rosslyn Luke: Um, everyone likes to ask. Uh, but yeah, we were pretty spread out, so it wasn't like that she could wait until I got out of high school to then go to law school. It was like That wasn't really the way that she thought of things. And my parents were together, but they ended up splitting time. My mom went to law school in Idaho, and they would, you know, the first year my mom went alone, and then the [00:05:00] second and third year I mo- I went up there with her and she did, like, solo momming on the weekdays.

[00:05:06] Marc Preston: Oh, okay. So- I

[00:05:06] Rosslyn Luke: definitely-

[00:05:07] Marc Preston: Like, so what, what was your dad doing? What was his vocation?

[00:05:10] Rosslyn Luke: Oh, he's done a lot along the way. Um, but he retired almost three years ago, uh, from working as a nuclear chemist.

[00:05:18] Marc Preston: Oh, okay.

[00:05:19] Rosslyn Luke: Uh, he worked on... I don't know if you're familiar, there's a Hanford Nuclear Site that's out there in Eastern Washington.

[00:05:26] Rosslyn Luke: Um, so he worked on that site doing nuclear cleanup work. Um- Okay ... but he started out in log scaling. He did welding. He kind of just, like, climbed his way through all these different careers to the point of, like, having accrued enough life education to, to do this job. And

[00:05:44] Marc Preston: that's highly underrated, life education.

[00:05:46] Marc Preston: I think it, they- I think they should award degrees based on what you've done in life, you know? So either that or become an actor- Yeah ... 'cause you use all that good stuff depending on, you know, what you're doing. But w- I was curious, what kind of- Yeah ... law did your mother practice, or does she practice?

[00:05:59] Rosslyn Luke: [00:06:00] Employment.

[00:06:00] Marc Preston: Employment, okay.

[00:06:01] Rosslyn Luke: Yeah, employment. She, she works part-time now. She retired and then went back, like, a year and a half after retiring 'cause a workaholic.

[00:06:06] Marc Preston: Yeah, I know a lot of attorneys are sort of like Michael Corleone. They keep pulling you back in, you know? They're, they're, they can never fully leave, you know, a law 'cause it's, uh- Yeah

[00:06:15] Marc Preston: there's always something to do and, and, uh, you know, it's kind of Michael Corleone. But another, uh, God, what was it? The, the movie The Devil's Advocate with, uh, Pacino, he said, uh, "Law is the ultimate backstage pass." Every business uses law.

[00:06:27] Rosslyn Luke: Truly. Yeah, my mom has gotten to know really interesting people in every city that she's lived in.

[00:06:31] Rosslyn Luke: And, and now she's working at, like, her dream law firm in Seattle. Basically, um, she moved there shortly after I moved to Seattle. She started living there part-time and go- working and working her way up into partner at this, you know, a high-powered firm. That was, I think, her dream since she was young.

[00:06:50] Marc Preston: So your folks have got kind of the, uh, a desk job.

[00:06:53] Marc Preston: That's not a way to put it. They're, they've got the more-

[00:06:55] Rosslyn Luke: Normie job?

[00:06:56] Marc Preston: N- you said normie job? N- Normie ...

[00:06:58] Rosslyn Luke: Normie.

[00:06:59] Marc Preston: Yeah. I guess you could [00:07:00] say normie. A little, you know, definitely professional, but, uh, was your trajectory heading that direction when you were young, or did you, uh... Were you always, like, theatrically minded?

[00:07:09] Rosslyn Luke: I think I had, like, a duality about me that I wanted to perform, but I was a, I was a real quiet kid and I was shy and, and I don't think that I ever would've admitted to my family, like, "Oh, I think this is what I wanna do with my life." Um, and I didn't tell them that until I was one year into my college education studying the arts, and I told them at the end of that year and, and they had a strong opinion about it.

[00:07:35] Rosslyn Luke: And, uh, I ended up, I ended up getting a practical degree instead, and they have been extraordinarily, like, supportive ever since And always have been. But I ended up getting a civil and environmental engineering degree, actually. Okay. And practiced that for a few years out of college.

[00:07:52] Marc Preston: Environmental engineering.

[00:07:54] Marc Preston: Yeah, okay, so what... You have to elaborate. I mean- What is environmental? I mean, I could guess, but what, what is environmental [00:08:00] engineering?

[00:08:00] Rosslyn Luke: Well, civil and environmental is basically everything that happens within the city. So it's like buildings, bridges, roads, and then specifically on the environmental side, you're gonna do a lot more of like the chemical related and storm water management, which is a lot of what I did.

[00:08:18] Rosslyn Luke: Um, what I ended up actually doing once I graduated college was what we call urban infill. Um, so basically in Seattle, I was part of that, uh, gentrification- ... that you were talking about. Um, basically every time like an older building downtown or in an urban area gets taken away, they take it down, you have to put in a new one, and I like to say we're just like plugging it into the infrastructure.

[00:08:43] Rosslyn Luke: So I would do everything that helped plug it into the infrastructure. So I would do coordination with the city, I would do coordination with all the other engineering disciplines, stormwater management.

[00:08:55] Marc Preston: It was- Oh, very cool. Yeah, I, I lived g- Yeah ... one of my first places I lived, my next door neighbor, his [00:09:00] thing was whenever they'd take a gas station and close it down, they have to- Hmm

[00:09:03] Rosslyn Luke: they have a, like

[00:09:03] Marc Preston: 10,000 gallon tank or whatever in there. They gotta remediate it or do whatever they do and then-

[00:09:08] Rosslyn Luke: Mm-hmm ...

[00:09:09] Marc Preston: yeah. So yeah, that's... Well, that's it. So it's sort of like you gotta make sure the footprint is nice and clean, I guess so.

[00:09:14] Rosslyn Luke: Yeah, the... Yeah, that's the... That would be more on the environmental side, for sure.

[00:09:17] Rosslyn Luke: Making sure that you clear out all the soil that's been contaminated.

[00:09:21] Marc Preston: It's pretty wild how we humans have a way of doing stuff, you know? We, we make our presence known. Contaminating

[00:09:27] Rosslyn Luke: things?

[00:09:27] Marc Preston: Basically, yeah.

[00:09:28] Rosslyn Luke: Yeah.

[00:09:28] Marc Preston: So- 100%. So the acting thing for you, w- was that as a... You know, when you started, I wanna say, taking it more seriously, but when you started applying- Yeah

[00:09:36] Marc Preston: yourself more to it, when did that start happening for you?

[00:09:39] Rosslyn Luke: Yeah. So basically I got, quote unquote, "the bug" when I was in like fourth grade. I did a, a musical, and I got-- my teacher gave me a little solo, and it just- It kind of ignited something in that, like, shy person. I think I finally felt like, oh, I can take up a little space [00:10:00] and be seen and it's okay.

[00:10:02] Rosslyn Luke: Um, so I did that.

[00:10:04] Marc Preston: But isn't it kind of funny- And then went on and did- ... like shy kids? I mean, I think a big part of the acting tribe were shy kids, you know, in the, back in the day. Yes. I mean, a lot of the people I've spoken with over the years have... You know, I, I even think of myself back in school. I, I would've been mortified to get on stage, but I didn't realize I was one of the theater kids without knowing it, you know?

[00:10:23] Rosslyn Luke: Yeah.

[00:10:23] Marc Preston: I just never really had that inroad of like, ooh, this is kind of my tribe, you know? So not until later and then people couldn't get, couldn't get me to shut up, you know? So. So.

[00:10:32] Rosslyn Luke: Yeah. I think I identify with that. I don't, I, I did a lot of different activities when I was in middle school and high school, one of which was theater, and I absolutely loved it, but I think I never, I didn't, like, fully apply myself because I was also doing sports and, uh, I was doing, like, long-term problem solving and, like, all sorts of other weird activities.

[00:10:54] Rosslyn Luke: And I ended up, when I went to Seattle, I knew in my mind that I wanted to [00:11:00] pursue acting while I was pursuing my degree.

[00:11:03] Marc Preston: Mm-hmm.

[00:11:03] Rosslyn Luke: I thought I was going to get an acting degree, but I obviously didn't go that route. But I-

[00:11:08] Marc Preston: Well, what kind of sport? You gotta tell me what kind of sport thing you were up to.

[00:11:10] Rosslyn Luke: Uh, I grew up doing soccer.

[00:11:11] Marc Preston: Mm-hmm.

[00:11:11] Rosslyn Luke: And then in, uh, my freshman year of high school I tried out, because one of my best friends was doing it, I tried out for the cheer team and it just so happened that my high school cheer team was competitive. Uh, like- Competed nationally along with cheering for, like, football, basketball, volleyball, all that.

[00:11:30] Rosslyn Luke: Okay. So I got a great education in competitive cheerleading. I think that, I mean, that definitely taught me a lot of discipline, and I did, I loved it. I loved the sport of it a lot. Um- You know,

[00:11:42] Marc Preston: I actually love watching. I mean, some of those videos will pop up. I love watching the cheerleading things 'cause it is so...

[00:11:48] Marc Preston: I grew up in Dallas. They have a big NCA, I think- Yeah ... thing there. And but you look at how many, you have to layer all these skills to be able to accomplish what seems exceedingly dangerous, you know? [00:12:00] It's how do you- Yeah ... build up to that? Yeah. And you see these kids doing it, and, like, just the flipping and the stuff and the balance and the, and, and it makes you wonder, it's like is it better to start when you're really young and just have that be part of your DNA, you know?

[00:12:11] Rosslyn Luke: I, I mean, I definitely wish I had started gymnastics when I was young, because that's the hardest thing to learn when you're older. Flipping backwards onto your head is just so unnatural- ... as an a- adult who knows that pain is real and injuries are real. I didn't, I didn't, I didn't start doing gymnastics until I was a freshman in high school, and that was really hard.

[00:12:34] Rosslyn Luke: Um, but there's, it's a catch-22, right? It's a dangerous sport, and I wouldn't honestly put my kid in it now- Yeah ... that I've gone through it and I'm living with the consequences.

[00:12:46] Marc Preston: Well, no, it is wild- But, um- ... it's funny you mention gymnastics, because when I was in high school- Yeah ... I got hurt playing football, and I know that my- Okay

[00:12:53] Marc Preston: I went to my orthopedic surgeon and, like, he's like, "Oh, yeah, no, y- you..." I was B team, okay? I'm not, I'm not, it was not, I was not [00:13:00] what you would call good. Um, and so the doctor- ... said, "Listen, you have a, you know, it's called lateral release," or something unique. I'm, I said, "If I, do I have to get the surgery?" And he said, "No.

[00:13:09] Marc Preston: If you wanna play football, yeah, I highly recommend you do it." But I was like, "What if I don't play football?" Mm-hmm. He says, "Don't worry about it." I'm like, "Okay. Well, I guess that ends things." And our, my high school I went to had a athletic training program which was really advanced. Everybody who went through there was kind of wanting to go into medicine.

[00:13:24] Marc Preston: And for a brief moment- Mm-hmm ... I thought about that. And then, you know, it's Texas, so everybody's assigned to football, and it was a real big high school. And it, one of the things I worked with gymnastics or gymnasts. Mm-hmm. And one of the things is they don't get hurt often, but when they do, it is big. You know, that was, that- Yeah

[00:13:39] Marc Preston: is the kind of injuries the gymnasts... Just the, the, the, the toll on your body, just the calluses they have to build up on their hands, and it just, all the stuff gymnasts go through. I'm like, "Why are you doing this?" You know? Yeah. Um, so but yeah. I can't imagine- It is ... there are too many gymnasts that they don't have a residual effect at some level in some joint.

[00:13:57] Rosslyn Luke: Yeah, I mean, uh, like you were saying, they, when they, we get [00:14:00] injured, it's usually big because we know how to fall. It's almost like stunts, where, like, you're trained to know how to hit the ground and, and how to do things wrong safely, but then if you miss that, then you're in trouble.

[00:14:20] Marc Preston: You did gravitate into the stunt scene, didn't ya? I did,

[00:14:23] Rosslyn Luke: yeah. Uh,

[00:14:24] Marc Preston: okay. So was that- Yeah, I ended doing that ... was that a natural progression for you? Or you were just like, or did somebody, or, or stunts something where s- you get scouted at some level? Like, are like stunt people rolling into different gymnastics situations going, "That person can do this job," you know?

[00:14:38] Marc Preston: How does- Oh ... how do stunts enter your life?

[00:14:41] Rosslyn Luke: God, I feel like scouting is just such a fantasy. I don't think that I was ever actually in a world where, uh, being scouted for anything was a possibility Especially not in Richland, Washington. Um, no, I, I was acting at the time, and obviously had this physical background from cheerleading.

[00:14:58] Rosslyn Luke: And I [00:15:00] did an episode of this zombie TV show up in Washington. It was shooting in the Spokane area. And it was Syfy Channel. It was a little bit great budget for that, for that channel, but they didn't have a budget for me to have a double. So I got to do a little bit of my own stunts, which in this case was, like, running with a gun, a big, like, shotgun, on the back of a semi-truck that was actually moving.

[00:15:29] Marc Preston: Really?

[00:15:29] Rosslyn Luke: Okay. Um, like on the flat, a flatbed.

[00:15:31] Marc Preston: Was it going- It

[00:15:31] Rosslyn Luke: was really cool. I

[00:15:32] Marc Preston: was- ... was it going fast, or was it just moving?

[00:15:35] Rosslyn Luke: It was moving.

[00:15:35] Marc Preston: Okay. I didn't know if you were, like, on the highway and you're going, like, 55, and like-

[00:15:39] Rosslyn Luke: No, God no. No, we were on a back- Okay ... like on a back road.

[00:15:41] Marc Preston: Okay.

[00:15:42] Rosslyn Luke: It was very, uh, yeah, Furiosa.

[00:15:45] Rosslyn Luke: Um, but doing that I got, obviously got to know the coordinator because he was, you know, uh, tying me in every day, and it was just so much fun. So after that I, I chatted [00:16:00] with that coordinator, and he recommended some training programs that were happening in Washington, so I could kind of get to know the field.

[00:16:07] Rosslyn Luke: And I ended up doing that, trained a bit, and just kind of fell in love with adding that as a part of my, like, my body of, of work, I guess, my abilities and my capabilities. There's so many amazingly talented young women out there that look similar to me, so I gotta make myself stand out in some way.

[00:16:28] Marc Preston: Right.

[00:16:28] Marc Preston: Well, was

[00:16:30] Rosslyn Luke: the cheerleading- And my body was already physically- ... and

[00:16:30] Marc Preston: gymnastics thing, was it a natural transference of, of skill set, or was it kind of a whole new thing for you?

[00:16:36] Rosslyn Luke: Definitely the body awareness was there. My ability at, like, choreography, knowing, like, knowing how to time things out, understanding where my limbs are going to be at any certain time when I'm doing a thing.

[00:16:49] Rosslyn Luke: Mm-hmm. Um, knowing where I am in the air if I'm falling. I've done some, like, higher falls along the way. Um, all that kind of stuff definitely- [00:17:00] Definitely helps. And yeah

[00:17:03] Marc Preston: Were you doing gymnast- I'm sorry, not gymnast. Were you doing the stunt thing, rather? Uh, were you doing that- Uh ... regularly? Was that your gig for a while or was that just sort of something that you could step into occasionally as an actor and say, "Hey, I can do this"?

[00:17:15] Rosslyn Luke: It's always been more supplemental. Um, when I first moved to LA I did a couple of doubling jobs as a stunt person 'cause I had a, a few contacts down here that I had made and, um, some of the folks that were working up in Washington and who had trained me up in Washington were down here in LA by then. So I did a couple of doubling jobs, but it was never what I wanted to be doing.

[00:17:38] Rosslyn Luke: My, my whole goal was to be, like, an action actor, an actor who could do some of their own action and just help benefit a project in that way. Like, uh, I did a commercial where they got to do... where I got to do a high fall and some action work and that, like, getting to be the face of the project and doing the action, you know, [00:18:00] obviously is mutually beneficial.

[00:18:02] Marc Preston: You were kind of Tom Cruising it, I guess, a little bit, you know, 'cause

[00:18:06] Rosslyn Luke: That would be the dream. W-

[00:18:07] Marc Preston: when you see what he does- That would be the dream ... it's like, dude, you don't have to do that. But it's like, you know, you hear about ev- every one of the movies he's done, there's some stunt that he, you know...

[00:18:15] Marc Preston: And I, the amount- Yeah ... of preparation that takes, I'm like, you know what? That guy's, that guy's a machine. Was there a template, though? As a lady doing stunts- There- ... was there a template where you can go, hey, they're, they're out there doing this thing. It's kind of like your Mount Rushmore for people who have found their way into stunt performance and, you know, was there somebody out there that you could latch onto?

[00:18:34] Rosslyn Luke: No, not really. I would say, like, more in my mind would be an actor who just happens to do their own stunts periodically, like a Charlize Theron or someone in that world who has You know, a beautifully gift, like a gift of acting, and then just happens to be really, like, tough and, and capable. And, um, I would

[00:18:59] Marc Preston: definitely want to- Well, I didn't [00:19:00] know this. So

[00:19:00] Rosslyn Luke: she does, uh, some of her own stunts? I mean, I think a lot of actors train really hard- Right ... and then they have doubles that, that step in and... But to make the project better, the, the better that you are at the action work, the less they have to replace you.

[00:19:12] Rosslyn Luke: You know, it's, I, I think, personally, it's better.

[00:19:16] Marc Preston: Yeah, it's funny. Whenever I hear of somebody who's gotten hurt on a set and it's somewhat notable, a lot of times it's not even necessarily- Mm-hmm ... a stunt. Seems like stunts are very- ... orchestrated and ch- choreographed, and I don't really hear too many stories about people really getting- God, I hope so

[00:19:29] Marc Preston: really hurt, you know. So as you're doing this, uh, was there an aspiration- Mm ... for any type of work? Like, you're like, "I really wanna do, like, a, a TV series or a certain kind of genre movie," or was there any- Oh,

[00:19:40] Rosslyn Luke: God ...

[00:19:40] Marc Preston: target for you?

[00:19:41] Rosslyn Luke: Yeah, I used to, I used to say Homeland a lot. Uh-

[00:19:44] Marc Preston: Oh, I just finished that. I- I just started watching that a couple months ago, and I plowed through the entire- Yeah

[00:19:49] Marc Preston: series in, like, at almost an unhealthy pace, you know? It's one of those shows I never got around to watching when it came out. Addicting. Love that show. Yeah, it is kind of- Yeah ... was kind of addicting. Very. And Claire Danes just is like s- Yeah ... [00:20:00] so, and Mandy Patinkin- God ... you know, the two of them, just rock star.

[00:20:03] Rosslyn Luke: Genius acting, in my opinion, and great action work as far as just, like, I always imagined that I would play characters that just had a physicality to them, were doing jobs that required them to be physically capable. Not necessarily that, like, that's their identity. It's just part of the package.

[00:20:22] Marc Preston: When you were a kid, w- what were you watching?

[00:20:24] Marc Preston: What was, I don't wanna say inspiring you- Oh, boy ... but what shows were... Were you a comedy person, action person?

[00:20:30] Rosslyn Luke: No, I was always into dramas. I remember in middle school watching the entire box set of ER.

[00:20:36] Marc Preston: Really?

[00:20:37] Rosslyn Luke: I yeah. I think I, yeah, I fell in love with George Clooney, for sure.

[00:20:42] Marc Preston: I will agree on the George Clooney thing.

[00:20:44] Marc Preston: Yeah, he's, uh... How can you not like that guy? As you're coming up, are you the only one in your ecosystem that was into this, or you knew other kids, or was your brother maybe into this, or was this kind of your solo, like, it's just- Acting? Yeah, yeah, acting, and just this being [00:21:00] theatrical.

[00:21:00] Rosslyn Luke: Yeah. I, I grew up, I grew up more hanging out more with, like, a little bit more sporty crew, and then my brother was, like, my brother was, like, in band and played sports and stuff.

[00:21:10] Rosslyn Luke: And, and we My family wasn't particularly... My dad plays the, the guitar.

[00:21:16] Announcer: Mm-hmm.

[00:21:16] Rosslyn Luke: But my mom isn't really, like, a artistic person generally. She knits and stuff like that. Mm. But she wouldn't, she wouldn't call herself artistic. My dad probably in another life would've been a musician. Yeah, he, he writes songs and whatnot.

[00:21:31] Rosslyn Luke: But, uh, I definitely felt like an outlier in that way. I felt like it was gonna be... That's not, like, a thing that we, we do in our family really, um, which is why I got the engineering degree. Most people, I think, from my hometown, a lot, a l- we have a lot of engineers- Really? Really? ... in the Twin Cities.

[00:21:47] Marc Preston: What exactly in your hometown is...

[00:21:50] Marc Preston: What's in the water that makes people wanna do so much engineering? Is it just an industry around- Uh,

[00:21:54] Rosslyn Luke: nuclear waste.

[00:21:55] Marc Preston: Oh, nuclear waste.

[00:21:58] Rosslyn Luke: Yeah. Yeah, we like to [00:22:00] say we glow in the dark. Um, no, but truly it's the... At one point we had the highest number of PhDs per capita. Um, it's just a lot of people oriented towards nuclear cleanup and a lot of, um, a lot of research that's happening.

[00:22:16] Rosslyn Luke: There's a PNNL lab there, out there as well.

[00:22:18] Marc Preston: Do they dispose of the nuclear waste there? I thought they did that, like, in the desert and stuff, or do they put it in mountains? Or, I mean, h- or is it just that the nuclear plants are there?

[00:22:27] Rosslyn Luke: We have, we have tanks, n- tanks of waste- Mm-hmm ... out, out there that are old, um, that part of what my dad used to do was sampling and, and then they glassify the waste, and then they transport it safely once it's glassified, um, out to places that are less inhabited.

[00:22:49] Rosslyn Luke: And, and deep in the ground.

[00:22:52] Marc Preston: Yeah. We, w- again, we- That's my understanding ... humans, we, we leave our footprint, don't we? So-

[00:22:56] Rosslyn Luke: Yeah. That's why we have to g- uh, go out to the moon and [00:23:00] other planets, you know? We gotta get out to space- Oh,

[00:23:02] Marc Preston: yeah ... 'cause we ruined this. Just six, five or six miles south of me is where SpaceX launches their, uh, uh, s- starship, and that's where the, uh- Wow.

[00:23:10] Rosslyn Luke: Yeah ...

[00:23:10] Marc Preston: that's ... So I'm sort of a space nerd, I will say. A little bit, you know. Really? I've had Neil deGrasse Tyson on. But yeah, it's, it is cool when that thing takes off and we... I just, I don't go down, I just walk out to the b- I'm right across the street from the beach, and I just s- go out there- Mm-hmm ... and you can feel the vibration in your chest.

[00:23:26] Marc Preston: It is the, it is, it is pretty impressive- Oh, wow ... when you, when you watch one of those go up. But yeah, I'm, I'm a little bit of a nerd when it comes to that. But, uh-

[00:23:33] Rosslyn Luke: Yeah, how could you not be a, a space nerd when you get to watch rockets- Yes ... launch so close- Abso- ... from the beach. That's a real flex. That's a real flex.

[00:23:42] Rosslyn Luke: Just walking out to the beach, watching rockets, naked.

[00:23:46] Marc Preston: Next time I'll, I'll have a margarita in my hand and I'll, I'll just, you know, it'll just amplify the flex a little bit.

[00:23:52] Rosslyn Luke: I'm, I'm gonna need you to post that.

[00:23:54] Marc Preston: I, I, I, that's actually one of the ... I gotta get better on posting, I know. But, uh, I'm not, I'm not necessarily a big socials [00:24:00] person, but I gotta do more of that, so thank you for that idea.

[00:24:02] Marc Preston: Um, maybe I'll get a ca- At your service ... I'll capture a little bit of the ice in the glass, and right behind it the, uh, the, uh, vapor trail of, or whatever, of the rocket going up.

[00:24:10] Rosslyn Luke: Oh.

[00:24:11] Marc Preston: But, uh-

[00:24:11] Rosslyn Luke: I can already imagine it.

[00:24:13] Marc Preston: But, so when you're moving along you got the stunt thing happening. You've got the, uh-

[00:24:17] Rosslyn Luke: Yes ...

[00:24:17] Marc Preston: uh, have you, did you find that you're starting to gravitate in a direction, like, starting to feel pulled into doing something specific, uh, as you, as you've gotten your, you know, legs under you?

[00:24:29] Marc Preston: What, what is that thing for you?

[00:24:31] Rosslyn Luke: I mean, I, I orient more towards dramatic, um, work. I think maybe 'cause that's what I watched growing up and that's what caught my attention. I also- I don't watch a lot of comedy.

[00:24:45] Marc Preston: Mm-hmm.

[00:24:45] Rosslyn Luke: I'm bad 'cause my, my fiance is a comedy writer. I'm like- Really?

[00:24:49] Marc Preston: Okay ...

[00:24:50] Rosslyn Luke: I should enjoy this more.

[00:24:52] Rosslyn Luke: Um, it's not that I don't enjoy it, it's just not what I... I want, I wanna watch something, like, dark that takes me away.

[00:24:59] Marc Preston: Like, what's a good [00:25:00] example- And unfortunately comedy doesn't- ... of something in the last couple years that you're like, "Oh, this is my jam." What would that be?

[00:25:05] Rosslyn Luke: There's so many. Um, I mean, like, let's go with, like, an Ozark.

[00:25:09] Marc Preston: Okay.

[00:25:09] Rosslyn Luke: You know, it's dramatic. It's dark. It's gonna pull you away. Like, yeah. You

[00:25:15] Marc Preston: kind

[00:25:15] Rosslyn Luke: of like that escapism sort of thing.

[00:25:17] Marc Preston: I'm gonna, yeah. Yeah.

[00:25:18] Rosslyn Luke: It's true. Yeah. It is. But I also, I like to watch the actors work in, in that kind of, that arena. I think that that's maybe just what my, what I am most, most interested in.

[00:25:37] Marc Preston: You have an inherently funny fiancée? Are they, are, are they just really good at writing- I do ... or are they just always cracking, you know, jokes and whatnot?

[00:25:44] Rosslyn Luke: She's funny. She's really funny. Yeah.

[00:25:47] Marc Preston: Well, how cool would

[00:25:48] Rosslyn Luke: that

[00:25:49] Marc Preston: be? It's great. I love it. You know, the, I think that's- Yeah ... somebody can always keep you laughing, find the levity in a moment, you know.

[00:25:53] Marc Preston: Would, would she do like, uh, like TV, film? Is it a specific genre

[00:25:58] Rosslyn Luke: that she does? Yeah. Yeah. She's, [00:26:00] she's got pilots and features. Sh- her, like, solo work is more, um, is more grounded, heartfelt comedy. Um, and then her... Like, she has a partner that she writes with as well, and they do more broad, big comedy stuff.

[00:26:18] Rosslyn Luke: It's a lot of fun. Um-

[00:26:19] Marc Preston: We need, we need more comedies. Yeah. I t- I, I've said it many times. We do. Just pr- I'm a big Judd Apatow fan. I like the goofy... Kinda like you like the dramas. You know, you kinda disappear in a drama. Mm-hmm. I think a good, goofy, ridiculous just, you know... Uh, like I was talking to, uh, Rob Corddry not too long ago and I'm like-

[00:26:35] Rosslyn Luke: Uh-huh

[00:26:36] Marc Preston: all the stuff he's been in that's... Yeah, he does, he actually does some good dramatic stuff. But I mean, the f- things that he's done that are just, I don't know, Hot Tub Time Machine. It's like you can kinda like, "Okay, I expect nothing out of this except to laugh and to kinda like forget about whatever's going on in my day."

[00:26:49] Marc Preston: Yeah. I think in this day and age we're living in, I think comedy writers or, or com- anybody in the comedy ecosystem, they're doing a public service, I think, right now.

[00:26:58] Rosslyn Luke: They're doing God's work.

[00:26:59] Marc Preston: Absolutely.

[00:26:59] Rosslyn Luke: I might [00:27:00] not like it, but I, I do appreciate the work that they've done for people.

[00:27:05] Marc Preston: Now, now have you ever written?

[00:27:06] Marc Preston: Is writing kind of a thing for you, or are you more on, you know, the other side of the camera?

[00:27:10] Rosslyn Luke: Writing is definitely, it's part of my acting process for sure. But as far as writing, I've written a short and I write poetry and, you know, little things for myself more than anything. But yeah, I wanna... I'm, I'm working on something with my partner right now that I'm, hopefully eventually will produce.

[00:27:30] Marc Preston: Like with, with this Project Paper Tiger, was that something, uh-

[00:27:33] Rosslyn Luke: Yeah.

[00:27:33] Marc Preston: How did, how did that, how did that come into your world? Was that just, uh, an audition or was it

[00:27:38] Rosslyn Luke: some- Just an audition. Yeah. It was just an audition that came across my door and I Uh, you know, you're an actor as well, right? So you've, you've read a lot of...

[00:27:49] Rosslyn Luke: You get, you get the notification that you have an, an audition and, and I, I read it and I read the little doodad and I don't see anyone who's involved in the project yet. Doodad.

[00:27:58] Marc Preston: Some people call it a breakdown. Yeah. I'm [00:28:00] gonna call it a d- uh, I'm calling it a doodad from now on. I think that is much- We're gonna call it a

[00:28:03] Rosslyn Luke: doodad.

[00:28:04] Rosslyn Luke: You know? It's

[00:28:04] Marc Preston: a doodad.

[00:28:05] Rosslyn Luke: Let's keep it

[00:28:05] Marc Preston: caszh. The-

[00:28:06] Rosslyn Luke: If I, if I start calling it a breakdown, Marc, I'm gonna get, I'm gonna get nervous. An-

[00:28:09] Marc Preston: so

[00:28:09] Rosslyn Luke: yeah. So I would like to-

[00:28:11] Marc Preston: You're gonna, you're gonna

[00:28:11] Rosslyn Luke: scope the doodad ... give

[00:28:12] Marc Preston: it a doodad word. And then, yeah.

[00:28:13] Rosslyn Luke: Yeah. Review the doodad, and then I try to downplay projects in my mind, so I don't, like, let myself overthink it s- from the get-go.

[00:28:23] Rosslyn Luke: But after I did the audition, after I submitted it, I went and did more research, and then I saw it in the trades- Oh ... and I was like, "Oh wow, this is so cool. Would be amazing." I- but

[00:28:35] Marc Preston: isn't it better when you don't... I don't care what anybody says, I don't like to be overly prepared because if it start- the gravity of it starts resonating- Yeah

[00:28:42] Marc Preston: then I'm like, "I really want this." You know, that kind of thing. Or, you know, I kind of like- Yeah ... when you just get... I don't think many people realize this, you don't get the whole script. You just get maybe a couple pages maybe. Yeah. Unless you have some long dialogue, but, you know. Uh, so you didn't get- I

[00:28:56] Rosslyn Luke: don't wanna, I don't wanna put this on blast, but I didn't get the full script until the day before [00:29:00] shooting.

[00:29:00] Marc Preston: Well, that, that's... It was funny, I saw something on one of the socials- Yeah ... and somebody posted, it's like they were a little frustrated, you can tell like a younger actor, and they're like, "Does anybody ever get the whole script? I wanna see the whole script." I'm like, you know-

[00:29:11] Rosslyn Luke: Yeah ...

[00:29:12] Marc Preston: you know, context is a luxury.

[00:29:13] Marc Preston: Just go use your imagination, you know? It is.

[00:29:17] Rosslyn Luke: Yeah. It does help though when you're doing a period piece and you're trying to figure some things out, but

[00:29:22] Marc Preston: yeah. Well, did, did you know who was cast in this, uh-

[00:29:24] Rosslyn Luke: I didn't, no. When I, when I in- initially auditioned, I didn't know who was cast in it. I, I looked up Obviously I knew the casting director and whatnot, but I didn't, I didn't know the, who the rest of the team was from the start.

[00:29:36] Rosslyn Luke: So that was helpful in the, like, not overthinking it world. But it was obviously a huge, a huge step in my career to get to work in rooms with those, with those folks.

[00:29:47] Marc Preston: Well, well you have a s- you have a scientific mind, so do, do, is your propensity- Yeah ... to overthink and analyze and break down-

[00:29:54] Rosslyn Luke: 100%.

[00:29:55] Marc Preston: Okay.

[00:29:56] Rosslyn Luke: Yeah, definitely d- I'm definitely...

[00:29:58] Rosslyn Luke: I can easily get away [00:30:00] from the physical and in, like all the way up here, and then, and then my body... Sorry, I'm using my hands and this is a podcast. Yeah. I get away from my physical body and up into my brain, and I'm not, not able to react physically in the way that humans react. We react, in my opinion, we react with our bodies before we even think about anything.

[00:30:21] Rosslyn Luke: Exactly. So

[00:30:22] Marc Preston: if you can't- Well, that's why they say acting is reacting.

[00:30:24] Rosslyn Luke: Yeah.

[00:30:24] Marc Preston: You know?

[00:30:25] Rosslyn Luke: Yeah, yeah.

[00:30:26] Marc Preston: You, you take this at home, I guess, like, you know, you know, kind of the way we all do it now. Yeah,

[00:30:30] Rosslyn Luke: yeah. '

[00:30:30] Marc Preston: Cause y- living in LA, you know, that's gotta be kind of nice because it used to be, uh, God, what's that guide everybody used to have?

[00:30:36] Marc Preston: Before the era of GPS, everybody had this, in Dallas, they called it a Mapsco. And so everybody used to run around. You have to budget a whole, like, day to get to an audition. Now you can crank out auditions. Yeah. But I was, I've been talking to folks and they're like, "I kind of miss going into auditions, actually being in the room," as they say.

[00:30:52] Rosslyn Luke: I miss it so much. I miss the interactions in the waiting room, even though they were uncomfortable sometimes- ... and challenging. I, I, [00:31:00] I still commercially audition in person from time to time. There's, that's still happening. That still requires me to drive all the way to Santa Monica every once in a while.

[00:31:09] Rosslyn Luke: But yeah, the in-person theatric, at least for first round, it's just not-

[00:31:13] Marc Preston: When you, when you're sitting in the- Yeah ... in the, in the room, especially if the walls are thin and you hear the performance they're doing and you start second guessing. I remember it was, uh, the movie Now You See Me. I was at, I was on a callback for that.

[00:31:23] Marc Preston: Mm-hmm. And I was in the, and I was like- Wow ... whatever choices I was making- Mm-hmm ... the person in there, I hear them saying the same lines I was about to, but they were yelling and freaking out, and I'm going, "Do I need to be yelling and freaking out in this scene?" 'Cause I didn't see it that way.

[00:31:37] Rosslyn Luke: Yeah.

[00:31:37] Marc Preston: So I'm like, "Well, that- Yeah

[00:31:38] Marc Preston: that was a choice." You know? And so, but you hear what other people are doing, so it's, it... I think naturally as actors we're sort of, not, I wouldn't say insecure all the time, but you second guess your decisions and, you know, early on, so, um-

[00:31:52] Rosslyn Luke: Yeah ...

[00:31:52] Marc Preston: so you get, you get- So

[00:31:53] Rosslyn Luke: you're not getting a ton of feedback along the way.

[00:31:55] Rosslyn Luke: Oh,

[00:31:55] Marc Preston: yeah. So- Yeah, so- ...

[00:31:56] Rosslyn Luke: very easy to get, to second guess yourself.

[00:31:58] Marc Preston: Where did y'all shoot the film, [00:32:00] uh, Paper Tiger?

[00:32:01] Rosslyn Luke: New Jersey. We shot in New Jersey.

[00:32:03] Marc Preston: What's the general gist of Paper Ti- what, what's it kind of... I don't wanna say what's it about, but you know, what's the general premise o- of, of the film?

[00:32:10] Rosslyn Luke: Set in the '80s, it's about a couple of brothers who get mixed up with, um- The mob, essentially.

[00:32:18] Rosslyn Luke: Uh, Adam Driver is the older charismatic brother. Miles Teller is the younger, probably identifies a little bit as a mess-up. Um, but he's the one who's married with, with a couple of boys and in, in all, for all intents and purposes, he's, you know, succeeding in life. But, um, his brother comes in with a proposition and on it goes.

[00:32:41] Marc Preston: Well, you see-

[00:32:41] Rosslyn Luke: I play Adam Driver's girlfriend.

[00:32:44] Marc Preston: This is the '80s this is taking place in? Okay, I gotta say- Mm ... as a kid of the '80s, a little older, but-

[00:32:48] Rosslyn Luke: Mm-hmm ...

[00:32:49] Marc Preston: did, were you able to kind of... I mean, I'm thinking New Jersey. They weren't subtle in the, in the wardrobe back in the day. W- did you, were you- Mm-hmm ... able to kind of dive into the whole '80s thing?

[00:32:58] Marc Preston: Did you have the big hair? Did, were, did [00:33:00] they have you go for it, or what?

[00:33:01] Rosslyn Luke: Oh, yeah. I naturally have very curly hair, so I think that, I'm sure that that played into casting because I definitely teased her up real high in my, in my auditions. Um-

[00:33:12] But

[00:33:12] Marc Preston: did you crimp any of your hair, though? It's

[00:33:14] Rosslyn Luke: not required when you have such curly hair.

[00:33:16] Marc Preston: Oh, that's, that is true. You know? That is true. Yeah. Well, my daughters, it's so funny. I think... What... I, I've s- spoke with somebody the other day who has, uh, naturally curly hair, and I was like, "You know what?" My daughters have pretty wavy hair, but they straighten it. Mm-hmm. And all the l- young ladies I know that went to school with straight hair, they like to do something with it.

[00:33:31] Marc Preston: I'm like, "The grass is always greener- Mm-hmm ... if you're a young lady when it comes to hair, I think."

[00:33:36] Rosslyn Luke: Yeah. I grew up, my mom had straight hair, and I got curly hair in my teens. It kind of became curly. And I had no idea what to do with it. So I definitely straightened it every day for so long. I'm, I'm just fortunate to have hair at this point.

[00:33:51] Marc Preston: I, I could always smell when the hair straightener was going. Mm-hmm. Well, w- with my- Yeah ... my daugh- my kids gr- I'm from Dallas, but we lived 20 years in New Orleans. Yeah. And anybody who's been to New [00:34:00] Orleans- Mm ... and ever tried to have straight hair that doesn't naturally have it, it's- Oh,

[00:34:03] Rosslyn Luke: the humidity ...

[00:34:03] Marc Preston: oh, yeah.

[00:34:04] Marc Preston: Good luck with that. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:34:05] Rosslyn Luke: Yeah. Yeah.

[00:34:06] Marc Preston: Without giving anything away, uh, desc- how does Scarlett Johansson factor into the ecosystem there?

[00:34:11] Rosslyn Luke: Uh, she's Miles' wife-

[00:34:13] Marc Preston: Okay ...

[00:34:13] Rosslyn Luke: and the mother of his children. Um, yeah, so my, my big scenes are a big family scene, uh, towards the beginning where everyone's sitting around a, a table in a Chinese restaurant.

[00:34:25] Rosslyn Luke: Um, and so yeah, so I got to spend an entire day working with the three of them. It was really, really ins- like, inspiring, and one of those moments where as, as a young actor, I never would've imagined

[00:34:39] Marc Preston: getting

[00:34:39] Rosslyn Luke: to be- It seems like they'd be

[00:34:40] Marc Preston: wonderful to

[00:34:40] Rosslyn Luke: watch ... in a room, let alone acting opposite them. Yeah.

[00:34:43] Marc Preston: That's the great thing about being on sets with, with people, is being able to watch them do their thing, go, "Okay, this is the special sauce," you know? You know, Adam Driver, he, he's, he's a tall, tall dude, right? He's... How tall- I'm

[00:34:55] Rosslyn Luke: a tall gal.

[00:34:56] Marc Preston: Okay. I was about to say. So- Okay, so I was about to say- Yeah ... he also probably, you know.

[00:34:59] Rosslyn Luke: [00:35:00] He did seem significantly taller than, than me, and, but not ridiculous.

[00:35:05] Marc Preston: Yeah. He's so, he's another example of someone who handles drama but also comedy really well, you know? He's, he-

[00:35:11] Rosslyn Luke: Yeah.

[00:35:12] Marc Preston: Um-

[00:35:12] Rosslyn Luke: Yeah ...

[00:35:13] Marc Preston: but Scarlett Johansson, I have to say, I've had a crush on her ever since, uh... Well not, more of a creative crush, really.

[00:35:18] Marc Preston: Uh, back when she did- Mm-hmm ... one of my favorite, I could watch the movie over and over any time, is Lost in Translation. That was just-

[00:35:24] Rosslyn Luke: Oh, it's one of my favorites as well ...

[00:35:26] Marc Preston: that, that was just, like, kind of the perfect movie. And I've said it before, I still wanna know what Bill Murray said to her at the end of that film, you know?

[00:35:32] Marc Preston: Do you remember he whispered to her, you know? Still wanna know. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Um, the-

[00:35:36] Rosslyn Luke: I'm sure it was something different every time.

[00:35:38] Marc Preston: Yeah. So when you were doing this, was it a You know, it, it was the, it was the '80s, you know. Like, was it, um-

[00:35:45] Rosslyn Luke: Mm-hmm.

[00:35:46] Marc Preston: Was there any, you know, and it's in New Jersey. Did you have to pick up any dialect, any accent?

[00:35:51] Marc Preston: You know, you're East Coast. Did, was that any part of it?

[00:35:53] Rosslyn Luke: No, J- uh, James Gray and I chatted about it, and we decided that, uh, we wouldn't [00:36:00] worry about me going fully, like, New Jersey. Uh, we played with backstory and, and he was happy to have my backstory be started in the, on the West Coast. I mean, I think that the, the thing that I learned a lot on that set, James Gray is very big on improv.

[00:36:18] Rosslyn Luke: Mm-hmm. Which I absolutely adore. Oh, really? Cool. And it was, it was so, so fun to be on set with that level of actor, just improvising so much and getting to work, play off of them. But boy, do you have to know the lingo of the era really well. So my first day, I was, like, definitely, like, a little bit, I was, I was quite reserved and nervous about it because I was like, "Oh, wow, I didn't anticipate a writer, writer-director to have such freedom in h- in the language."

[00:36:51] Rosslyn Luke: I was anticipating, you know, being very tied to the written word.

[00:36:55] Marc Preston: What was some of the vernacular that you had to dial into from the '80s? Like, some of the [00:37:00] phrases that were common back then. Gosh, wow.

[00:37:02] Rosslyn Luke: It feels like forever ago now. I, I

[00:37:04] Marc Preston: did hear- 'Cause that's kind of cur- 'cause having grown up in the '80s, I, I remember there were a lot of-

[00:37:07] Rosslyn Luke: Yeah

[00:37:08] Marc Preston: there's a lot of the vernacular y- that's very not PC now, but it was just in, you know, uh, you'd-

[00:37:13] Rosslyn Luke: I think it's more just not using catchphrases from today.

[00:37:17] Marc Preston: Yeah.

[00:37:17] Rosslyn Luke: Just not, not, not sliding into the slang that I'm used to and I use at ease, you know? It's, it's maintaining a more timeless, uh, language. I also just, I listened to a ton of music from '87 and on.

[00:37:32] Rosslyn Luke: Mm-hmm. '87 and before, to make sure that I was, like, understanding, like, the words that were being used.

[00:37:45] Marc Preston: One of the things I do, uh, kind of on the back end when I have a chat with someone is I call my seven questions. Uh, this is a little quick- Oh,

[00:37:51] Rosslyn Luke: okay ...

[00:37:51] Marc Preston: a little, a little quick fun that, uh, and I always talk food. I haven't talked food yet, and since you're Seattle, I was gonna ask you some questions there. Mm.

[00:37:59] Marc Preston: But the first [00:38:00] question I ask is, uh, what is y- your favorite comfort food? Having a great day, it's perfect, it amplifies it. Crummy day, it kind of makes you feel better. What would that be?

[00:38:10] Rosslyn Luke: Something that my family calls SOS, which is S-O-S, AKA shit on a shingle, which is a, um, a, uh, Navy food. Right, right.

[00:38:20] Marc Preston: But it's

[00:38:20] Rosslyn Luke: basically, basically biscuits and gravy, but we do it on a piece of toast.

[00:38:25] Marc Preston: If I remember right, it's also kind of like don't they usually shred up some kind of meat into the gravy or something, or...?

[00:38:30] Rosslyn Luke: Yeah, it's a, it's a sausage gravy. It's like a white, white gravy with sausage. I was vegetarian for, like, 13 years, so my dad always did it with a imitation meat for me, which was really nice.

[00:38:40] Marc Preston: Right. That's actually, I'm trying to drift in that direction or at least get pescatarian. I love animals too much. I get excited when I have something that's vegetable-based that I'm like, "This is amazing." Mm-hmm. Like, if I'd lived in India, I'd be an, I'd be a vegetarian immediately. It'd be so easy because they- Yeah

[00:38:53] Marc Preston: cracked the code over there, you know? Yeah. But now the next question, if you're gonna sit down and you're gonna talk story, hours, uh, just having coffee [00:39:00] with three people, living or not, who would those three people be you would love to have at the table with you having conversation for an afternoon?

[00:39:08] Rosslyn Luke: Um, uh, I would first pick, um, I have a partner who passed away five years ago.

[00:39:15] Rosslyn Luke: Um, so she would be there in a heartbeat. Um, it would be just nice to check in. Um, then I would have to do someone... Let's go with Whitney.

[00:39:29] Marc Preston: Whitney Houston?

[00:39:30] Rosslyn Luke: Yeah.

[00:39:30] Marc Preston: Oh, yeah, she was... You cannot overstate how big she was in, in, in the '80s. I mean- Yeah ... you know, unless you were living in that area, you didn't really realize, like, how big these voices, literally and figuratively, how big they were, you know?

[00:39:42] Marc Preston: Uh, so- Yeah ... you'd have Whitney there, and who, who would be the third person that would join you at the, uh, table? And I gotta know what you're drinking also. I, I don't really ask that question, but I gotta... Would it be coffee? Would it be tea?

[00:39:52] Rosslyn Luke: It would be, it would be dirty martinis. Dirty martini. Oh,

[00:39:56] Marc Preston: you're, you're making it an after- day drink and afternoon, okay.

[00:39:59] Rosslyn Luke: Yeah.

[00:39:59] Marc Preston: [00:40:00] So who, who-

[00:40:00] Rosslyn Luke: Yeah, we're having a nice time, you know? We're, we're getting to know each other. If I could talk some sense into someone, I would pick our president.

[00:40:08] Marc Preston: Oh, there you go. That's, that's good. I like that s- Okay. Uh, you're taking a swing at the impossible. At bonding,

[00:40:14] Rosslyn Luke: you know? It-

[00:40:14] Marc Preston: It's like, can you-

[00:40:15] Rosslyn Luke: At the impossible

[00:40:16] Marc Preston: do, like, do you have that, that feeling, do I have the special sauce that can crack the code, that can unwind the mess we're... Yeah. You know, it's worth a

[00:40:24] Rosslyn Luke: shot. Yeah, why not? Why not try? It's worth a shot. You say three people. I go- I went with my heart for two. The third one, we're gonna, we're gonna try. We're gonna try to save the world.

[00:40:34] Marc Preston: I, I like that. That's an intriguing and, uh, table, and, you know- It does ... worst case scenario, you got, you got, you got some martinis in you, so life's good. Um-

[00:40:43] Rosslyn Luke: Exactly ...

[00:40:44] Marc Preston: now-

[00:40:44] Rosslyn Luke: We're gonna party ...

[00:40:45] Marc Preston: now the next question, who was your cel- first celebrity crush when you were a kid?

[00:40:50] Rosslyn Luke: I mean, it was probably George Clooney.

[00:40:51] Rosslyn Luke: I think I already answered that, yeah. Either that or Hugh Grant. I was- Yeah ... a really, really- Loved Notting Hill, [00:41:00] I think

[00:41:00] Marc Preston: Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[00:41:01] Rosslyn Luke: I may be equally crushed on, on Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts. It's hard to say.

[00:41:06] Marc Preston: Yeah.

[00:41:07] Rosslyn Luke: But yeah.

[00:41:07] Marc Preston: I will say George Clooney is, uh, he just gets to be a better-looking guy every year, and I don't know how he pulls that off necessarily, and- Right

[00:41:15] Marc Preston: I remember hearing something once that he really didn't use any kind of makeup. Like, I, he, I don't know if it was an urban legend or whatever, but in his early acting career he wouldn't do that. But now you see him, it's like, okay, this guy, even when he's playing a schlub or, or dishe- like, you know, The Descendants, he wasn't playing Mr.

[00:41:30] Marc Preston: Cool. He's still- Mm-hmm ... he's gotta work to kinda get rid of the Danny Ocean vibe, you know?

[00:41:36] Rosslyn Luke: Definitely. Definitely.

[00:41:37] Marc Preston: Now, the next question, God, if, i- if you were to spend... You're gonna be on an island for a year. Uh, somewhere you wanna be. It's nice. It's, it's, it's comfy, exotic, you know. Great accommodations- Mm-hmm

[00:41:47] Marc Preston: but no streaming. That means you're gonna... If you wanna listen to music, you're only allowed to bring one CD or a box set, and a movie, you're allowed to bring one DVD. Or it could be a movie box set. What would the music and what would the movie be for you? [00:42:00]

[00:42:00] Rosslyn Luke: Should've done my research so that I was ready for these questions.

[00:42:03] Rosslyn Luke: Let's see. I would, for music, I would go with probably an album that I haven't gotten tired of yet. Something... It's gotta have grit and it's gotta have feelings. Maybe something rock and roll. Mm-hmm. Maybe, um- I don't, I don't know

[00:42:23] Marc Preston: Are you going maybe more for the nostalgic thing, or are you doing, are you trying to maintain a certain vibe?

[00:42:27] Rosslyn Luke: I think musically I think I would, I would... Yeah, maybe like more of like a... No, something more modern. Or like something like a K. Flay or like a, like I like a female rock. I mean, obviously-

[00:42:40] Marc Preston: Mm-hmm ...

[00:42:40] Rosslyn Luke: a little country as well, um, in the, in the music world. But, um- Well,

[00:42:46] Marc Preston: you, you're

[00:42:46] Rosslyn Luke: a- Yeah, I think I would go with- You're a country, uh, you're a country fan?

[00:42:49] Rosslyn Luke: No. No. I was, I was referring more about the storytelling of country music that I enjoy. Yeah, I think I, I would go with someone rock and, with a bit of a rock and roll vibe. Or [00:43:00] would I go with some, like, EDM to keep me going? You know, maybe I would, I would need to do a mix tape. Can I make a personalized mix tape is what I would need.

[00:43:07] Rosslyn Luke: I'm, I will allow

[00:43:07] Marc Preston: that.

[00:43:08] Rosslyn Luke: You said one, one film or one box set?

[00:43:11] Marc Preston: Uh, yeah. You know, a movie you can watch over and over again. Yeah.

[00:43:15] Rosslyn Luke: A movie I've watched a lot of times that I really enjoy is Arrival, Amy Adams. Something about that- Yeah ... that film that really touches me.

[00:43:22] Marc Preston: That's the one where they have the alien they're learning, the, whether, the ship they're trying to communicate with or something?

[00:43:27] Marc Preston: Yeah. Okay. I gotcha. I gotcha. Mm-hmm. Now, the next question, got, if you were to say from time you get up to time you go to bed- Yeah ... stem to stern, what are the ingredients for you f- of a perfect day? If you said, "This, this, and this happened, this, this was a perfect day for me," what would that be?

[00:43:42] Rosslyn Luke: Um, a great cup of coffee, some time with my journal, um, being outside in the sun, hands down a requirement.

[00:43:53] Marc Preston: Mm-hmm.

[00:43:54] Rosslyn Luke: A nice meal with a glass of wine with my partner, and some form of creative [00:44:00] act during the day. Oh. Hopefully it would be getting to act or an acting class or... But it, it could be really anything or something that feels like I'm expressing myself. Something.

[00:44:10] Marc Preston: You had me at coffee. That's all I gotta say.

[00:44:12] Marc Preston: You know, I'm a- And, there, I was, I was talking, I remember talking to Billy Magnussen a, a long time ago, and it was, uh... He said the ritual of making coffee in the morning, and that really resonated with me. Like, yeah, it's not just having a coffee, but you grind the beans, you get the thing, you got it in there, and then what are you putting in the coffee?

[00:44:28] Marc Preston: And like making sure- Yeah ... the water is filtered. You know, there's a ritual to it, and I think there's... It's self-care in my book. Yeah. You know?

[00:44:35] Rosslyn Luke: But- It is. And it's like you can be, you can be traveling and having the most amazing coffee, but coming home and making your own coffee, ugh, it's just, it's so good.

[00:44:46] Marc Preston: Yeah. It, it- It's

[00:44:46] Rosslyn Luke: mine ...

[00:44:47] Marc Preston: I dare say it's even better.

[00:44:48] Rosslyn Luke: You know? Exactly the way I want it.

[00:44:49] Marc Preston: The last couple questions I got for you real quick. Uh, if you weren't doing this- Mm-hmm ... if somebody said, "You know, Rosalyn, acting is not available to you anymore for whatever reason. You know, you gotta choose- Mm-hmm

[00:44:58] Marc Preston: career or vacation [00:45:00] number two," what would that, what would that alternate option be for you?

[00:45:03] Rosslyn Luke: Um, I mean, it would be producing definitely. That's what I do outside of acting right now. I produce, like, short-form content, commercials, short films.

[00:45:13] Announcer: Mm-hmm.

[00:45:15] Rosslyn Luke: I would be on that side of the camera helping other people, you know, tell stories, whatever, um, and helping make, make things happen.

[00:45:23] Rosslyn Luke: Especially it feels so good to be able to hire people and employ people doing what they love, getting to give them the opportunity to tell their stories and get their voices heard. So I'd definitely be doing that.

[00:45:36] Marc Preston: The last question I got is if you had that DeLorean you can get into and you can travel back when you're 16 years old, you got a few minutes with yourself and you got a piece of advice, uh- Hmm

[00:45:45] Marc Preston: to make that part of your life somehow a little bit better or get yourself on a different trajectory, a different path. Just piece of advice you'd offer yourself before you jump back in the DeLorean and come back to today, what would that be?

[00:45:56] Rosslyn Luke: I would say, I would, I would tell myself [00:46:00] to, like, speak my truth a bit more.

[00:46:03] Rosslyn Luke: Be a little bit more, um, unafraid of my own voice and pursue what I wanted to pursue. I spent 10 years in Seattle being an engineer and studying engineering and what not, and while I was, I was acting throughout that and I did build a foundation there. You know, there's so many things that I, I don't regret it, but I, I do wish I had had more bravery when I was younger to pursue wholeheartedly from the beginning.

[00:46:30] Marc Preston: That's true. That's something

[00:46:31] Rosslyn Luke: I-

[00:46:31] Marc Preston: Yeah, I think I've heard versions of that regularly, is just like, "Do it and do it now. If you want to do it, go for it," you know. And that's, and it's- Yeah ... and so many people have said that. If I, you know... In my next life, hopefully I'll remember that, just you know, do it. Just, you know- Yeah

[00:46:46] Marc Preston: whatever happens to be. And that, that's the reason why, you know, it underscores like, you know, carpe diem. Just do your thing. Well, Raza, thank you so much. Uh, looking forward to seeing Paper Tiger.

[00:46:55] Rosslyn Luke: It was nice chatting with you. Thanks. Thank you so much. Go, uh, enjoy. You have a dog, right?

[00:46:59] Marc Preston: Uh, [00:47:00] I, I do have a dog.

[00:47:01] Marc Preston: I have, actually I have a daughter who just texted me, who bartends at one of the beach bars on the island. She just texted me to pick her up now. So that's what I'm off to now. Oh. I'm off to be Uber right now. That's a good dad. So I'm gonna go Uber my daughter, but, uh,

[00:47:11] Rosslyn Luke: I- Uber dad. Always a good idea.

[00:47:16] Marc Preston: Okay, there you go.

[00:47:16] Marc Preston: Rosalind Luke. Enjoyed that chat. Uh, very cool. Going from cheerleading to engineering to stunts to, to acting, and she's got a cool film coming out. Again, Paper Tiger. Some of my favorite actors out there right now, Adam Driver, uh, Miles Teller, Scarlett Johansson. It is coming out, as they say, in select theaters November 13th, but, uh, nationwide on November 20th.

[00:47:41] Marc Preston: So as you're making notes on which Thanksgiving films you're going to check out, make sure that, uh, Paper Tiger and Rosalind Luke are on the list, okay? So do me a favor if you would. Head on over and follow and like Story and Craft on your podcast app of choice. You get a notification every time a new episode comes out, plus it helps [00:48:00] people to find the show.

[00:48:01] Marc Preston: Uh, also storyandcraftpod.com. Everything you wanna know about the show, it's right there. Once again, storyandcraftpod.com. Okay, so I'm gonna head on out. It is the start of a holiday weekend here in the US. It is Labor Day weekend. Uh, if you're in the US, enjoy the, uh, extra day off. Uh, hopefully you get one.

[00:48:22] Marc Preston: And if you're not in the US, just make it a holiday for you as well this weekend. You have my approval to do so. Just have your boss call me. We'll, we'll straighten it out. Okay, I'm gonna head on out. You have a great weekend, and as always, thank you for making what I got going on here part of whatever you've got going on.

[00:48:37] Marc Preston: It does mean a lot to me. And, uh, I'll see you in a few days right here on Story and Craft.

[00:48:43] Announcer: That's it for this episode of Story and Craft. Join Marc next week for more conversation right here on Story and Craft. Story and Craft is a presentation of Marc Preston Productions, LLC. Executive producer is Marc Preston.

[00:48:58] Announcer: Associate producer is [00:49:00] Zachary Holden. Please rate and review Story and Craft on Apple Podcasts. Don't forget to subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app. You can subscribe to show updates and stay in the know. Just head to storyandcraftpod.com and sign up for the newsletter.

[00:49:08] Announcer: I'm Emma Dylan. See you next time, and

[00:49:21] Announcer: remember, keep telling your story.