Tommi Rose | From Nickelodeon to Prime Video's "The Devil's Mouth" | Daydreams & Dirt Pies

[00:00:00] Tommi Rose: This is ruining my favorite holiday and I need to slow down. Got to actually be like, "All right, everybody, I'm making one batch of cookies, so everybody appreciate them. I'm not gonna make five

[00:00:15] Announcer: batches this year." 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. Uh, thank you for stopping back by. Appreciate it greatly, and if this is your first episode, welcome. Glad to have you here. Today, sitting down with actor Tommi Rose.

[00:00:32] Marc Preston: You might know her from the Netflix show Sweet Magnolias or Outer Banks. Uh, she's been on Will Trent, uh, going all the way back to when she was a child actor on Nickelodeon. Uh, had a great conversation about her new project, which is called The Devil's Mouth. She stars in it along with Kathryn Newton, Lana Condor, Nico Hiraga, uh, Gavin Casalegno.

[00:00:53] Marc Preston: It's on Prime Video right now. I had a great conversation, enjoyed the sit-down with Tommi. She's very cool. She is [00:01:00] definitely a, uh, as they say, a star on the rise. Do me a favor if you would. Just make sure to follow Story and Craft. Uh, grab your podcast app or your phone or wherever you're at, make sure to follow, like the episode, leave, even leave a comment.

[00:01:13] Marc Preston: Uh, also, everything you could possibly wanna know about the show, it's all at storyandcraftpod.com. Past episodes, past guests, it's all right there. But hey, yeah, if you follow the show, uh, if you like it, you leave comments, it helps people to find Story and Craft, and doggone it, I appreciate it greatly. Okay, so let's get after it.

[00:01:32] Marc Preston: Today, it is Tommi Rose Day right now on Story and Craft. So where are you at today?

[00:01:41] Tommi Rose: Uh, right now I'm in, uh, Fort Lauderdale, Florida. I'm visiting my family for the week.

[00:01:44] Marc Preston: Oh, are you a Florida kid originally? Is that where you're from?

[00:01:47] Tommi Rose: I am. Yeah. I grew up there, um, or here. Uh, I love it. It's great. It's a nice place to go back and forth to.

[00:01:54] Tommi Rose: It's a bit of a plane ride, but it's nice. You know, I like to see my dogs and my dad. [00:02:00]

[00:02:00] Marc Preston: Uh, you know, I think my daughter flies out of there. She goes to school at, uh, uh, Lynn University down in Boca Raton, and sh- I think, I think she flies- Oh, no way ... out of Fort Lauderdale, I think, uh, whenever she comes

[00:02:10] Tommi Rose: back

[00:02:10] Marc Preston: and

[00:02:11] Tommi Rose: forth.

[00:02:11] Tommi Rose: Yeah. She might. I feel like I, I know a lot of people that when I say that I'm from Fort Lauderdale, they're always like, "Oh, I've been to that airport." Yeah. And I'm like, "Yeah,

[00:02:18] Announcer: that's our claim to fame, apparently."

[00:02:20] Marc Preston: Yeah. Being from Dallas, everybody's like, "Oh, I've been to DFW." You know, everybody's gotta cross through there.

[00:02:25] Marc Preston: Or Atlanta, you know. Uh, but I'm on the- Yeah, totally ... uh, I'm on the other side of the Gulf from you. I'm over in South Padre Island in Texas, so I'm kind of... We're kind of on the same water sort of. Well, see, wait- Ooh, yeah ... Fort Lauderdale, you're on the... I'm sorry, you're on the East Coast, uh, of, uh, Florida.

[00:02:38] Marc Preston: Yeah. Yeah, so.

[00:02:40] Tommi Rose: Yeah. Did you grow up there?

[00:02:41] Marc Preston: No, I grew up in Dallas. In Dallas? Uh, I'm a Dallas kid, uh, but I spent about 20 years in New Orleans and, uh, but my youngest graduated high school and I made my way here and trying to do that Jimmy Buffett lifestyle thing, you know, my tropical Mayberry. Nice. Love

[00:02:54] Tommi Rose: it.

[00:02:54] Tommi Rose: So. Love it.

[00:02:55] Marc Preston: So where do you live full-time? Are you, uh, are you usually in LA?

[00:02:58] Tommi Rose: Yeah, I'm [00:03:00] typically in LA. I love it out there.

[00:03:02] Marc Preston: Fort Lauderdale. Let's go back there. W- what do your folks do there? Uh, what, when you were growing up, are they still working down there or...?

[00:03:07] Tommi Rose: My, um, yeah, they're still working. My dad, my dad has...

[00:03:13] Tommi Rose: We always say he has a Chandler Bing job where I never know exactly what it is that he does. Um, but I, I'm pretty sure, uh, he's, it, it's in healthcare. He, he does, uh, sales in healthcare.

[00:03:23] Marc Preston: Oh, wait, you said Chan- Um- Wait, let's go back. Chandler Bing job. I don't have my Friends, uh, encyclopedia next to me, but did he just never have a job that anybody understood?

[00:03:31] Marc Preston: Is that the thing or...?

[00:03:32] Tommi Rose: Yeah, I, I think that they had a, like a joke, like an ongoing joke in the series that, like, everyone knew he worked, uh, like he did something, but no one really knew what it was. Like, he's just got- Oh, okay, okay ... a big boy job. Like, he, uh, like, it was just kind of like... And every time he would explain it to them, they would just be like, you could tell that it wasn't, like, registering.

[00:03:52] Tommi Rose: Um- Yeah,

[00:03:52] Marc Preston: it's kinda like my friends who work in finance. You know, it's like I'm deer caught in the headlights. I'm like, "I know it has something to do with money."

[00:03:57] Tommi Rose: Yes.

[00:03:58] Marc Preston: Is your mother a kinda [00:04:00] stay-at-home mom or is she out in the world doing, doing her thing?

[00:04:02] Tommi Rose: My mom is out in the world. Uh, she used to be a, um like a, a fitness trainer.

[00:04:09] Tommi Rose: Um, she used to be, she used to do that for a really long time and now she, uh, she manages young kids when they're like first getting into the industry and, um, and she's killing it at that.

[00:04:20] Marc Preston: Ah. Were you an only kid or did you have any siblings?

[00:04:22] Tommi Rose: No, I have a little brother. He's actually my roommate out in LA, um, and my best friend.

[00:04:28] Tommi Rose: I love him. Um, but he, yeah, he's a writer-director and he's killing it and his name is Maxim and, uh, he's I think three and a half years younger than I am.

[00:04:38] Marc Preston: Did you start when you were... Like how old were you when you started doing the, uh, on-camera thing?

[00:04:41] Tommi Rose: Oh my gosh. I was, on-camera was a little different 'cause I did, I grew up in, I was a theater kid.

[00:04:48] Tommi Rose: Okay. So I grew up in musical theater and, um, and I loved it. And, uh, I started that, I wanna say I started like acting classes when I was like Three. Like, I had so much [00:05:00] energy and my parents- ... put me in this thing called, like, the Jelly Bean Camp. And, uh- Wait,

[00:05:05] Marc Preston: wait. The Jelly, the Jelly Bean Camp. So it's a young, it's a- Oh,

[00:05:07] Tommi Rose: yeah

[00:05:08] Marc Preston: uh, it's a theater for little people, right?

[00:05:10] Tommi Rose: Yes. It was the Jelly Bean Camp. And then I, or Jelly Bean Class or something like that. And then I think I was in my first musical when I was, like, five. Um, but on screen, I think I did, like, commercials and stuff when I was younger, but I think my first real on-screen experience, I was freshman year high school, so 14, I wanna say.

[00:05:31] Marc Preston: So when did you make your way to LA from Fort Lauderdale?

[00:05:34] Tommi Rose: I believe I was 17. Okay. Uh, and I, yeah, it was right after I had filmed, uh, that Nickelodeon show that I was on, I Am Frankie. And, uh, right after that, I decided to go out to LA. And, um, but I was a little, I was very back and forth at that time. Uh, I was living with my godmother, and I, you know, wanted to spend half my time...

[00:05:54] Tommi Rose: 'Cause I graduated early- Uh-huh ... so I wanted to spend half my time with my parents in Florida, and then half my time out [00:06:00] there in LA. Um-

[00:06:00] Marc Preston: Well, I mean, being 17 years old, though, that's still- Yeah ... young to be-

[00:06:04] Tommi Rose: Totally ...

[00:06:04] Marc Preston: shooting around LA. Now, did you live in- Yeah ... uh, oh, g- I, I, I've discussed it a few times on this show, uh, that that apartment complex all young actors seem to come, kind of matriculate into whenever they get to LA, the, uh, oh,

[00:06:16] Tommi Rose: God.

[00:06:16] Tommi Rose: I think I know exactly which one you're talking about. It- The one near Universal?

[00:06:20] Marc Preston: Yeah, yeah. I think it's changed names. It's something else now. But it was, uh, oh, God. Um, anyway, I always thought that was cool, like the young actors get around, you're around other young actors. And I always thought that would be like- Mm-hmm

[00:06:31] Marc Preston: a magical vibe. But by the time you hit 17 years old, you're, you're not, like, young, young actor anymore. So you're kind of the master of your own destiny- Yeah ... you know.

[00:06:39] Tommi Rose: Yeah, totally.

[00:06:40] Marc Preston: So when you got to LA from, uh, Fort Lauderdale, were you ready to hit the ground running, or were you kind of, was there a lot of nerves?

[00:06:46] Marc Preston: 'Cause that's a g- that's, for me, I would've been intimidated at that age.

[00:06:49] Tommi Rose: I think that I, like, lack that chip that gets, that gets, uh, intimidated by things, 'cause I think that I was just so excited to be... Like, I, [00:07:00] I, I talk about this with my brother all the time, that, uh, like sometimes I just, I'll be like walking down, like, the street of LA, and I'll be, like, looking at the farmers market, and I'm like, uh, there was a point that, like, this was the dream.

[00:07:10] Tommi Rose: It was just to live in LA. Yeah. Like, I just, I wanted to live in LA so bad. I mean, like my, really as long as I can remember. And, uh, so I think that the excitement outweighed any kind of, like, scared feelings- Yeah ... or intimidation. Like, I was just so happy to be there. Um, and I had done little trips, like summer trips with friends, um- All throughout high school.

[00:07:34] Tommi Rose: So I, I kind of knew the areas that I liked, and I kinda had, like, some friends out there. So it wasn't like it was, like, a total, like, you know, out of nowhere moment. I, I was familiar enough with it that it wasn't, like, this big, scary thing to me.

[00:07:49] Marc Preston: Right. I mean, I kinda sa- I'm the same boat. I, I always thought m- LA was this magical place that, you know, all the movies were made.

[00:07:55] Marc Preston: And I remember watching, uh, Poltergeist. I know they shot that, like, I think in the Valley, and I [00:08:00] was like, everything about LA, even the Valley, seemed really intriguing to me, you know? Um-

[00:08:04] Tommi Rose: Yeah ...

[00:08:05] Marc Preston: but y- you know, when you're young, you don't know what you don't know. You don't... I, I think there is a zen to diving into something and not knowing how it can go south, you know?

[00:08:14] Marc Preston: That- Totally ... that's part of being young, you know. Well, you're still young.

[00:08:17] Tommi Rose: Yeah.

[00:08:17] Marc Preston: You know, but-

[00:08:18] Tommi Rose: Thank

[00:08:18] Marc Preston: you So is this show like a, like a Nickelodeon show or a, uh, like a Disney show, or...?

[00:08:23] Tommi Rose: Yeah, so I was on a Nickelodeon show when I was, when I was 17, and, uh, that actually, though, that filmed in Miami. But it, it was really my first, like, I think big thing, so it kind of opened a lotta doors for me.

[00:08:38] Tommi Rose: So before that it didn't make sense to be in LA, but all of a sudden it was like, you know, I had something on my resume that Felt good, and so I, I was, you know, kind of ready to go out there, and, like, I had something under my belt. Um, but yeah, when I was filming that, we were in Miami. We did the whole thing in, like...

[00:08:54] Tommi Rose: I think it was Viacom Studios. Um-

[00:08:56] Marc Preston: Oh, cool. So you weren't, you weren't that far from, uh, from home. [00:09:00] You're, like, a, what is it, 45-minute- Yeah ... hour drive at the most. Yeah.

[00:09:03] Tommi Rose: Yeah. It was, it was really, really great.

[00:09:05] Marc Preston: What were you watching that was giving you this kind of like, wow, this is, this is a... Like, what were the things- Ooh

[00:09:11] Marc Preston: you're watching going, "Okay, that's, that's the thing I wanna do"?

[00:09:14] Tommi Rose: Yeah. Wow, that's a good question. I feel like... Man, um, I think that at that time, like, I do think that I grew up, like, always wanting to be in, like, fantasy movies. Like, I think that that to me was, like, really, really cool. And even though it was just funny enough, like I, I don't think a l- a ton of fantasy was shot in LA.

[00:09:35] Tommi Rose: Yeah. But, you know, I knew that that's where you went to get to the set of the fantasy thing. But I think, like, a lot of the ti- like, I remember, like, The Chronicles of Narnia, like, watching that and being like, "That's what I wanna do," like... And then, like, Ella Enchanted. Like, I think all of the, like, princess movies and the, that kind of stuff was really, really cool too, 'cause that, I grew up reading that.

[00:09:56] Marc Preston: Were you kind of in your own head a lot? You know, were you kind of a daydreamer [00:10:00] kind of a- I

[00:10:00] Tommi Rose: was a... Yes. Oh gosh, yes, yeah. Like, to... I, I'm a double Pisces, so I Okay, at the

[00:10:06] Marc Preston: education ...

[00:10:06] Tommi Rose: it's, like, in my blood. Yeah, so Pisces are, like, they're known for, like, that is the daydreamer sign- Okay ... if there is one. And, um- Okay,

[00:10:15] Marc Preston: I'm an Aquarius.

[00:10:16] Marc Preston: I don't know what that implies, but I know a few of the traits, you know. Oh, you're

[00:10:19] Tommi Rose: right before me.

[00:10:19] Marc Preston: Okay, uh, 'cause it's a- Yeah, yeah ... it's a water thing, right?

[00:10:22] Tommi Rose: Yeah, yeah, I think so. And, um, and, like, very introspective, and, and, yeah. But I, I, uh, I mean, I feel like I remember, like, days going by that I would just, like, imagine things.

[00:10:34] Tommi Rose: Like, m- literally just, like, living in my imagination was, like, my favorite thing to do as a kid. Like, I would... We would go on, like, long plane rides and, like, long road trips as a family, and I, I remember, like, literally not doing anything the entire, like, dri- like, hours. Mm-hmm. Literally just imagining things happening outside the window.

[00:10:53] Tommi Rose: Like, I would just stare outside the window and, like, maybe play music if I felt like it, and just imagine, like, scenes [00:11:00] And like, I, I think that that, like, that's always been- Well, you,

[00:11:02] Marc Preston: you saw m- like, from the perspective of, like, if this was a movie, how would this... Uh, were you, like, looking at scenes of a movie, or just scenes in just your own-

[00:11:11] Tommi Rose: It was-

[00:11:12] Marc Preston: internal

[00:11:12] Tommi Rose: movie? It was always different. It was always different. Sometimes it was like I had read a book that day, and I would just play the same scene over and over in my head, and, like, how i- I thought it looked to me- Mm ... and, like, how I, I would, I guess, direct it. Um, and

[00:11:26] Marc Preston: then- Well, isn't that why people love reading so much?

[00:11:27] Marc Preston: 'Cause you kinda create all the settings- Totally ... the people, the wardrobe, everything. The, uh, uh, the aesthetic of it is all of your creation. Yeah. I think that's why people's, when they see a movie and they say, "Eh, the book was better," I mean, I think the book is... I mean, the, the movie was just fine, it just wasn't all the things you originally imagined, you know?

[00:11:45] Tommi Rose: Totally. Yeah. I think that reading sometimes is people's, like, excuse to, like, think of... 'Cause I think that we're often taught that our imaginations are, like, childlike, and that they're almost, like, [00:12:00] almost that they're, it, it, it's not productive in any way to sit around and daydream. And I think the opposite.

[00:12:05] Tommi Rose: I, I think especially when you're an artist, like, that's kind of like, what your job is, is to sit around and daydream- Yes, ab- ... and then to sit around and- I, I,

[00:12:10] Marc Preston: I, I think 100%. I, I think that George Carlin, the comedian, once said, he said that every school should have 30 minutes of mandatory daydream time, you know?

[00:12:20] Tommi Rose: I love that.

[00:12:20] Marc Preston: Because I think that's when you are not driven by a task. You're just, your mind's going wherever- Mm ... it goes. And I, I think the naturally creative kids... I mean, by the way- I- ... I'm, you're talking to somebody who thinks they should mandate advanced math in school, you know? 'Cause that's, that's the only thing that took my GPA down, you know.

[00:12:36] Marc Preston: Yeah. But I would've been down for the daydream thing. And I think when I was in school- Me too ... I was a theater kid that didn't know they were a theater kid. I thought theater kids, ah, they're kinda weirdos. Mm. I didn't realize I was one of those weirdos, too. I was more like I started- Yeah ... in radio when I was, like, 17, you know.

[00:12:48] Marc Preston: I was like- Mm-hmm ... I like theater of the mind. And maybe that was kind of like- Uh-huh. I wasn't a big reader, but I liked the listening, you know, the constructing, like- Yeah ... uh, the audio [00:13:00] plays and stuff like that. So-

[00:13:02] Tommi Rose: Yes ...

[00:13:02] Marc Preston: what were your parents thinking about this? 'Cause were they down with, uh, Tommi's daydreaming moments?

[00:13:07] Marc Preston: Were they, were they like, "Okay, this is-" ... uh, uh, the theatrical thing and the... You started when you were very young, going to your jelly bean camp. Were, were they, were they encouraging, uh, when it came to this?

[00:13:16] Tommi Rose: Yeah. So my parents were really, really cool in the way that, like, I don't know. Like, I just think a lot of kids say, you know, big dreams.

[00:13:27] Tommi Rose: Like, "I wanna be an actor." Like, "I wanna be a rock star." And I think it takes, like, a really cool parent to take a kid seriously when they say something like that, and to actually be like, "Okay," like, "let's try that out and, like, see, see how that goes. Let's, let's go down that road." And, and they took me seriously.

[00:13:46] Tommi Rose: And I, I think that, um- My parents have always just, like, they've always been really, really creative people, and they've always loved, like, the arts, and they've always loved thinking outside of the box. That was always big with my [00:14:00] parents is, like, thinking outside of the box and, like, staying playful. And I remember one time, uh, I went to this, uh, like, Montessori school, and I think that they, they had, like, this rule where they would never call anything that a kid did, like, bad.

[00:14:15] Tommi Rose: Like, they would never call anything bad. They'd be like, "What we, what we say is we say, 'Oh, that's silly.'"

[00:14:20] Marc Preston: Mm-hmm.

[00:14:20] Tommi Rose: And my, and I remember my parents going in and being like, "I'm gonna tell you right now, that's not gonna work with our kid because she thinks silly's a good thing." Yeah. "Because we have taught her from birth that being silly is a good thing."

[00:14:32] Tommi Rose: And so my parents have always kind of had that, like, they have a playful energy to them. And I, I think that that was- Well, you know, well, yeah, I

[00:14:38] Marc Preston: don't mean to cut you off, but when people say silly- No, go ahead ... they say it as a reductive thing, like it's a bad thing, and silly is-

[00:14:44] Tommi Rose: Yeah ...

[00:14:45] Marc Preston: I like silly. I think silly and being able to make- Yeah

[00:14:47] Marc Preston: being willing to make mistakes and things that don't work are, are essential for a creative. Yeah. Too many people in the creative, uh, that are on the periphery of the c- creative ecosystem, most people with business cards, they don't really- Mm-hmm ... [00:15:00] understand how the product, if you will, gets manufactured, and it, it's a byproduct of silly, I think, you know?

[00:15:07] Marc Preston: And daydreaming. Yeah, yeah. You know? Um-

[00:15:08] Tommi Rose: Yeah ...

[00:15:08] Marc Preston: so if the folks were supportive of you, a- and so what were you thinking at that time? You want to be in LA, but were you thinking, "I wanna be in movies. I wanna be in TV. I wanna write things. Maybe I wanna direct." I mean, was there, like, a little path you were creating for yourself in your daydreaming moments?

[00:15:24] Tommi Rose: I was a really, really ambitious kid. Um, I, I still am. I think I'm just a, I, I, I'm never, like, my brain is never satisfied. It's, it's always, I think, reaching for the next thing and interested by... Like, I'm interested by so many things, and I'm, and I think I've always just been very curious naturally and very Just, um, just interested in a lot of different things.

[00:15:47] Tommi Rose: And so I remember, like, being a kid, and I wanted to, like... There were so many jobs I wanted to do. Like, uh, they would be like, "What do you wanna be when you grow up?" And there was... I would list, like, 10 things. And I remember, like, so many adults being like, [00:16:00] "You can't do that." And my parents were like, "Yeah, you can.

[00:16:03] Tommi Rose: Like, you 100% can." A billion jobs. "You can, you can have as many jobs as you want when you grow up." So many of... They were like, "I don't know anybody that keeps one job their entire life." Like, everybody, you know, changes it up. So I, I think that the main thing that I always knew that I loved was I love to perform.

[00:16:20] Tommi Rose: I knew that whether it was singing, whether it was acting, whether it was on camera, whether it was on stage. But I love to perform. I love to put on plays. I love to make music videos with my friends. I love to sing songs for my parents. Like, I think that that was always... Like, storytelling in some form was always, like, so, um, so interesting to me, and so, like, all-encompassing of all the things that I loved about life.

[00:16:45] Tommi Rose: And I just, like, I loved the concept of storytelling really, whatever- Yeah ... medium that that came

[00:16:50] Marc Preston: in. Oh, no, I, I, I dig that, Mordy, you know. Being able to float and go where your joy takes you and your... You know. For you as a creative, uh, just as far as singing or [00:17:00] writing or what other things have you done or are you doing that would be considered creative, you know?

[00:17:07] Tommi Rose: Yeah. I, I do a lot. I, um, I s- so I write songs. Um, I write songs, like, an absurd amount. Like, it, it's really how I process life. Like, in, in any, any emotion that I feel is like it's turned into a song at some point. Um, but I love songwriting. I've always loved songwriting.

[00:17:26] Marc Preston: Um, I- Any specific genre that you... Or is it just the songwriting without a thought about what genre?

[00:17:31] Marc Preston: Like country or, you know

[00:17:32] Tommi Rose: Yeah. It, it really comes without a thought. There was one time that I specifically, or maybe once or twice, that I specifically wrote in a genre. Like, I was like, "Oh, I want this to sound like this." But it was really because... I mean, one of the times it was a country song because it was for a, like, a cowboy movie, you know?

[00:17:49] Tommi Rose: Like, it was something like that where it was like that was really the only reason that I made it specifically a genre. But I think that, like, songwriting is something that I've you know, [00:18:00] somewhat managed to keep, like, very personal. Like, it feels very much like I- It's

[00:18:05] Marc Preston: poetry, isn't it? Really, at its essence, it's poetry.

[00:18:06] Tommi Rose: Yeah, yeah, 100%. Like, I really just do it to process life, I think, more than... It's like a journal for me. Um, but I, yeah, I do all kinds of things. I, um, I have a few scripts that I've written. I've never done anything with them, but I've, I'm sure I will at some point. Um- Like screenplays

[00:18:22] Marc Preston: or stage stuff?

[00:18:23] Tommi Rose: Yeah.

[00:18:23] Marc Preston: Okay.

[00:18:24] Tommi Rose: Yeah, screenplays. Um, and then I've always wanted to write a book. Um, I, I also paint. I'm not great at painting. Again, like, I think that I, like, I just really love creating, whatever that may be. Um, and I think that I don't even have to be good at it. Like painting, for instance- Well, it's

[00:18:41] Marc Preston: all telling your

[00:18:42] Tommi Rose: story

[00:18:42] Tommi Rose: I don't think I'm that good.

[00:18:43] Marc Preston: And that, even if it's painting, it's still-

[00:18:44] Tommi Rose: Yeah, it

[00:18:44] Marc Preston: is. Some things you, I think you gotta do for yourself, you know? When you're, you know, in your 50s- Totally ... or 60s, you can look back on this thing you did now, and, and that's like your, a journal in a way. I think a painting can be like that, you know?

[00:18:56] Marc Preston: More of a-

[00:18:56] Tommi Rose: Totally.[00:19:00]

[00:19:04] Marc Preston: I don't do a whole lot of research, research. I just like to kind of generally kind of see where somebody's coming from. But I did see-

[00:19:10] Tommi Rose: Yeah ...

[00:19:11] Marc Preston: I, I don't know how it factors in, but Burt Reynolds' name popped up. How does that... I gotta know how that factored in.

[00:19:16] Tommi Rose: Oh, okay. I love, I love talking about him. Um, so actually the first real, like, one, one of the first, like, real, uh, on-camera things that I did that was more, like- Uh, like the film or, you know, film and TV world as opposed to, like, you know, musical theater- Mm-hmm

[00:19:37] Tommi Rose: was the project that I did with, uh, Burt. And I remem- like, I think I was 14, and I was the lead in this web series. Um, and, like, I remember everyone was so excited about him being on set. And, um, I had a few scenes. I think I had a few scenes with him. Um, [00:20:00] but he was- Now, what, which, which,

[00:20:00] Marc Preston: what show was this again?

[00:20:02] Tommi Rose: It was called Insanity Florida. I think it's... I wanna say it's on Amazon, but it was a web series. Um, and it was like, it was... They really, like, it was such a fun little thing. It was kinda like a Gilmore Girls kind of a thing. Oh, okay. And I got to sing in it, which was really fun. It was, like, this town where, like, singing was banned or music was banned.

[00:20:22] Tommi Rose: And, like, you know, her, of course, like, my character's dream was to be a singer and, like, it, it was really, it was really cute actually. And I, I, I was so lucky to get this as, like, my first kind of experience with, um, film and TV because it honestly was the experience that convinced me that I wanted to go that route, at least for now, um, over theater.

[00:20:45] Tommi Rose: Um, I just loved it. I just had such a great experience and felt so in my element and, um, and I felt like, I felt like I kind of... 'Cause it was one of the last projects that Burt did, so I kind of felt like I had, like... [00:21:00] And he was so kind to me and he was so sweet. And I remember so many people on set coming up to me and being like, "He loves you."

[00:21:06] Tommi Rose: And I was like, "Yay." You know, I don't know what I did, but, um,

[00:21:09] Marc Preston: but- Well, did you ever see any of the old Smokey and the Bandit movies by any chance, or...?

[00:21:14] Tommi Rose: Yeah. Well, you know what's funny is I, you know, I was s- I was so young, like, when we did it. And I, I do this thing too that, like, any time that I'm gonna be in a project with somebody and I know that they've done something that, like, people love, I, like, cannot watch it until after I work with them.

[00:21:31] Marc Preston: Oh, yeah, yeah.

[00:21:32] Tommi Rose: I can't or, like, I'll get, you know, I'll get all psyched out and I'll be like, "Oh, my God, they're so good, like..." It'll, like, totally trip me out. So I have to not... And then, like, once I know them and I'm comfortable with them and familiar with them, then I can watch their work. And then I can be like, "Oh, my gosh, it was so fantastic."

[00:21:46] Tommi Rose: So I think I actually ended up watching, uh, Smokey and the Bandit while we were filming. But I, I knew I had to meet him first so that I wasn't, like, totally... Like, I can go in and be a normal person. Like, I was, like, as close as I can be to a normal person, I'll be good. And so I [00:22:00] met him. We formed, you know, a relationship and, and, and he was so fantastic.

[00:22:05] Tommi Rose: And then I watched the movie, and then I remember talking to him about it. But, um, yeah, he's, he's so... He's just so cool. He's so cool.

[00:22:12] Marc Preston: Did he have any words, like, that you picked up on or ad- or advice, you know, that- Oof ... he gave you where you were like, "All right. This, this is some, this is some boiled-down wisdom I need to hold on to"?

[00:22:24] Tommi Rose: You know, I think I wanna say, like- Oh, what was-- Oh, oh, something that he was really, um, that he talked about a lot was, um... I won't say who he was using as an example, but he always talked about, um, like to not be a selfish actor and to let, um, let your scene partner influence your read or your, you know, your performance.

[00:22:54] Tommi Rose: To

[00:22:54] Marc Preston: listen, yeah.

[00:22:54] Tommi Rose: And I-- Yes, to listen, and he was really, really passionate about that, and I remember him talking [00:23:00] about that, um, and about how important that is, is to listen and to adapt to... You know, 'cause e- everything's different in, in, on the day, you know? Like, you're, you show up, and you're in different clothes and different hair and different makeup in a different place than you've been rehearsing, and you just kind of have to, like...

[00:23:18] Tommi Rose: You have to be in the room. You have to be present and, um, and to, you know, eh, the whole scene is not just your performance. The whole s- I mean, it's very rare that you're not with another person in a scene. Yeah.

[00:23:29] Marc Preston: Being able to have that, uh, I think when you're young, there is a great benefit to being around your contemporaries but also tapping into that gray hair thing, you know?

[00:23:37] Marc Preston: The people that have been around- Mm ... that have some stories to tell, you know? Um-

[00:23:41] Tommi Rose: Yeah ...

[00:23:42] Marc Preston: is there anybody else that's kind of floated into your ecosystem that you thought of as kind of a mentor or somebody that you kind of wanted to pattern part of your career after kind of their jam, what they did?

[00:23:54] Tommi Rose: Ooh.

[00:23:54] Tommi Rose: Um, the person who comes to mind is, um, [00:24:00] two, two come to mind actually. Um, Peter Coyote I worked with, uh, on The Girl Who Leashed the Miracles. The greatest-- He's the greatest narrator of

[00:24:08] Marc Preston: all time.

[00:24:09] Tommi Rose: He is s- a lovely man, lovely human being. Um, I adore him. Um He was just so fantastic to work with, and he was so, so, like, had so many cool stories.

[00:24:27] Tommi Rose: Um, and then another one that was great was, uh, I worked with Mena Suvari. She played my mom, um, in this film that we did, and, uh, she, like, also just had, like, so many incredible insights and, like, and she probably gave me more advice than, um... Like, she really sticks out when I think of, like, someone that actually, like, gave me, like, advice.

[00:24:53] Marc Preston: She was, I think, kind of in the same space you are. I was... You're making me feel old, going, "Mena Suvari played my mother," and I still [00:25:00] reference her as the young actor, you know? Uh,

[00:25:02] Tommi Rose: Oh, she is, she's so beautiful, and she's so, she's so intelligent. She's so... It w- it was really cool to work with her. Um, yeah, but both those two, like, if I had to, if I had to choose, I think that those two, like, probably gave me the most advice that I, like, still remember and still implement and, and, um...

[00:25:21] Tommi Rose: I mean, most of it, like, just to sum it up, is just, like, staying grounded and, like, knowing, um, having people in your life that really care about you and, like, that, that kind of stuff. But, like, really, really great, great minds, those two. I, I... They were fantastic people to work with.

[00:25:35] Marc Preston: Were your folks- Mm

[00:25:36] Marc Preston: offering up wisdom to you, or were they... You know, this is kind of new territory for them as well, you know?

[00:25:41] Tommi Rose: Mm.

[00:25:42] Marc Preston: Were they constantly calling you every day, checking in on you? Are they c- or are they kind of just letting you marinate in the LA vibe?

[00:25:47] Tommi Rose: I still, yeah, I still talk to my mom every day. I, um, I, my dad I talk to often as well, but, um, my mom, I [00:26:00] li- I mean, like, I ask my mom for advice on everything.

[00:26:03] Tommi Rose: I mean, like, how much seasoning to put in something. Like, it, it's, it's quite crazy. I'm very, very close with my family. Um, and I think it's part of what, uh, keeps me sane, um, because, uh, it's, they're just very important to me. Um, my brother, when I'm not with him, I'm normally with him 'cause he's my roommate, but, uh, I talk to him all the time.

[00:26:25] Tommi Rose: Um, I just think it's, I think it's really important because Hollywood is very, um... There's just a lot thrown at you all the time and, and especially, like, you know, my job is to become different people, uh, and, you know, really sink my teeth into that and, and, like, you're thrust into these, like, different worlds.

[00:26:44] Tommi Rose: And I think it's so important to have these constants in your life that know who you are and, you know, remind you who you are and, and, uh, yeah. So I mean, like... And also, like, my parents were They were, they were kind of in the industry [00:27:00] when they were younger. Like, they were models. They were, um- Oh, really?

[00:27:02] Tommi Rose: They did a lot of that. So like they, yeah, so they, they like traveled the world and, uh, did modeling and, and they did acting as well, I think. And, and, uh, you know, they, they did that for, you know, before they did what they do now.

[00:27:16] Marc Preston: To have parents who, who have been there at some level and they sort of get it.

[00:27:20] Marc Preston: I, I, you know, they may not necessarily- Yeah ... always be down with it, but they get it. And I think that's, that's gotta be a blessing. They totally

[00:27:25] Tommi Rose: understood.

[00:27:26] Marc Preston: But, you know, so- Mm-hmm ... I always talk food at least once on my show, just 'cause I'm that, you know, y-

[00:27:30] Tommi Rose: Oh,

[00:27:30] Marc Preston: I'm

[00:27:30] Tommi Rose: down to talk food. I love food.

[00:27:32] Marc Preston: Well, you mentioned seasoning.

[00:27:33] Marc Preston: You asked your mother about a seasoning. I gotta c- I, you know- Mm ... it makes me curious. Are, are you big into the cook- i- is cooking your jam? Is this something you enjoy?

[00:27:40] Tommi Rose: Oh, cooking is my jam. Well, actually, even more than cooking, baking. Really? Like, I, mm-hmm, I am a big baker. Like, I really, like it's, it, it's actually really funny because you could talk to any castmate I've ever had, like I always bring something to set e- especially if it's like a [00:28:00] long thing, you know?

[00:28:01] Tommi Rose: Um- I am always making something. I'm like, I, I hate to, I hate to brag. Like, this is maybe the only thing that- No,

[00:28:08] Marc Preston: when it comes to food, brag away. I'm very fascinated. Oh, like- Like, I gotta know what you, I gotta know what your jam is ... I

[00:28:13] Tommi Rose: can... Oh, oh, like I, it is, it is so bad. I have so many things that I'm, like, kind of known for.

[00:28:18] Tommi Rose: Like, I'm kind of a-

[00:28:19] Marc Preston: I'm kind of

[00:28:20] Tommi Rose: a big deal ... like, if you ask around, I'm kind of a big deal, like, in the baking world. Like, people know my name. But, um, yeah, no, uh, like, there's this thing I make called dirt pie that is quite famous. Um, there's another... I make, like, sorry, sorry, the world's best chocolate chip cookies.

[00:28:36] Tommi Rose: Like, they're really good.

[00:28:37] Marc Preston: Uh, you know what? The other day, my daughter, my daughter Emma, who's here, the one who goes to school in Florida, she, uh, we had... I'm l- I'm looking over here at, like, bananas that are about to turn that direction. I was like, "You know what? We're making banana bread." Never done it before.

[00:28:49] Marc Preston: Oh. I go, I go to allrecipes.com, which is kind of my base- Love it ... my base camp. I'm, I'm more of an improvisational cooker. I'm l- I'm more of- Ooh ... you know, you can't really bake and be [00:29:00] improvisational 'cause y- it's, there's science involved there. But give me a skillet- And- ... some olive oil, I'll make some things happen.

[00:29:06] Marc Preston: Um- Yeah,

[00:29:06] Tommi Rose: totally ...

[00:29:06] Marc Preston: but we did that. But we went and got, um... And then when we made some chocolate chip cookies, uh, and we did something else recently. I forgot what, but it's, we've never really done that. We never really baked anything, and I was like, one of the things I love about baking though- Yeah ... I like coming into a house where you know baking's been happening 'cause you can smell it, you know?

[00:29:24] Marc Preston: That-

[00:29:24] Tommi Rose: Mm ...

[00:29:24] Marc Preston: that's that kind of like- The

[00:29:25] Tommi Rose: vanilla.

[00:29:26] Marc Preston: Yeah. Doesn't it, doesn't it feel more like home when you've got-

[00:29:29] Tommi Rose: Totally ...

[00:29:30] Marc Preston: you know. D- you know, as far as, uh, cooking cooking, are you, are, are you, as far as the improvisational thing, do you do anything in that realm?

[00:29:37] Tommi Rose: Yeah. My brother and I are really simple, so I, I make, like, ground beef like so...

[00:29:44] Tommi Rose: Oh, my gosh, it's so bad. Like, we literally, we've gotten so boring with, like, what we eat, and I, I think that's 'cause I've been so busy lately is like, you know. I literally just make a big thing of ground beef, and that's what we eat through the week. Like that and like boiled eggs. Oh. [00:30:00]

[00:30:00] Marc Preston: But when it- Well, the beauty of doing that is you can use it as ingredients in any, a lot of other things.

[00:30:03] Marc Preston: You got

[00:30:03] Tommi Rose: it all- Yeah, yeah ... you, you're protein of the day. You can make tacos. You can make a salad. Yeah, exactly. So I like kind of, like, meal prepping I guess in that way, where I meal prep, like, ingredients kind of to things. But, um, but it's such an easy thing to, like, you know, whatever, just have some veggies and then have some ground beef, like, if you just sort of don't have a lot of time.

[00:30:19] Tommi Rose: But when I do have time, I have certain things that I'm really good at. But, but the trick is, is that, like, okay, like, for example, like, I make the world's best mac and cheese, but I refuse to make it unless it's Christmas. Like, I- I- ... only make it on... And I think it's because it's so good. It's so good that, like, if I made it anything more than, like, I just know I would have demands for it, like, constantly.

[00:30:40] Tommi Rose: So I have to set a time. But

[00:30:41] Marc Preston: still, doesn't it, but it sort of makes Christmastime special for you. See, I'm a Jewish kid, and, uh, my whole- 100% ... my whole thing is making matzo ball soup, and I'm, mine's pretty damn good. Mm. It's more like a stew, kind of. Like, big hunks of chicken. Ooh. It's, it's not like a little clear- Nice

[00:30:53] Marc Preston: broth, broth, you know. And, uh- Yeah,

[00:30:54] Tommi Rose: yeah ...

[00:30:55] Marc Preston: having it outside of that time of year feels awkward to me. But I'm like, [00:31:00] "What?" Like, same thing with baking a turkey. People think Thanksgiving. Well, there are other days of the year you can make it. But I understand when you- Mm-hmm ... wanna make something special for a certain time of year or when somebody's around or...

[00:31:10] Marc Preston: I think cooking is kind of self-care. I just, I was just thinking about this last night. Mm. For some people, it stresses them out. For me, cooking is kind of a decompression time. Is that kind of what it, like, when you're baking stuff?

[00:31:22] Tommi Rose: You know, I think it depends. I've realized that I do sometimes have a habit of, like...

[00:31:28] Tommi Rose: You know what it is? I've gotten a lot better at it. I, like, there was a point, maybe, like, I wanna say- Like two years ago that I realized that I was stress baking. Stress baking. Like, that I would, I

[00:31:39] Marc Preston: was- Yeah, I kind of, I kind of understand

[00:31:40] Tommi Rose: that,

[00:31:40] Marc Preston: yeah. Yeah. And,

[00:31:42] Tommi Rose: yeah, where it was, like, any time I was, like, anxious I'd be like, "All right, time to bake some- time to bake some..."

[00:31:47] Tommi Rose: A- and I think I would do it, like, around Christmas time, right? Where I would just, like, make so many, 'cause i- it's, like, kind of my job. Like, during Christmas time it is... And honestly, not to my family's fault. Like, I've deemed it my job because I'm so good at it, [00:32:00] I have to do it. But, like, I will make so many things.

[00:32:03] Tommi Rose: And then s- I think, like, two Christmases ago I realized, like, this is ruining my favorite holiday and I need to slow down. And I think, like, that realization really, like, brought back the love of it for me because I, I got to actually be like, "All right, everybody. I'm making one batch of cookies. So everybody appreciate them.

[00:32:23] Tommi Rose: I'm not gonna make five batches this year. I'm gonna make one batch of cookies and I'm gonna play some music."

[00:32:28] Marc Preston: You said batches, but batches of different kinds of cookies, right? It's not just five batches of the same flavor, right?

[00:32:33] Tommi Rose: No. Like, I, I would do five batches of the same flavor because everybody wanted a chocolate chip cookie.

[00:32:37] Tommi Rose: Oh. And I was like- Oh ... "Listen, guys. If you, you gotta space 'em out. We gotta go, we gotta chill on the chocolate chip cookies."

[00:32:44] Marc Preston: That brings up the question, though, uh, y- stress baking or, or taking care of your cast. Did the folks in Devil's Mouth, did they benefit from your cooking at all? Or... They

[00:32:55] Tommi Rose: did. They did.

[00:32:56] Tommi Rose: They did majorly, actually. Um, 'cause we were there for so long. [00:33:00] And, uh, like, I remember, like, there was this one day that I wasn't on set, and I was like, "I'm gonna go and buy a mini oven and I'm gonna make everybody cookies." And I did. I, like, I literally, like... I don't... You've never seen an oven this small. I don't, I don't know if it's a Thailand specific thing, but I think it was like 17 bucks, too.

[00:33:21] Tommi Rose: Wait, wait, wait, wait. And it worked. It was, like,

[00:33:22] Marc Preston: great. So, so y'all shot this in Thailand?

[00:33:23] Tommi Rose: Yeah, we shot it in Thailand.

[00:33:24] Marc Preston: Oh, okay. See, the, the plot thickens. Very cool. Yeah. So it's not like an Easy Bake Oven. The plot thickens. It's like a real deal kind of a thing.

[00:33:30] Tommi Rose: Y- yeah. But I mean, it's smaller than an Easy Bake Oven, but it was, like, a real oven.

[00:33:35] Tommi Rose: And so I, I have these famous chocolate chip cookies. So I made two different things, actually, while we were in Thailand. Um, so I made dirt pie, which is that thing that I'm famous for. It's basically like a cookies and cream pudding.

[00:33:47] Marc Preston: Yeah.

[00:33:47] Tommi Rose: Um, but, like, it's, it's legendary. It's really good.

[00:33:51] Marc Preston: Like, is it that thing- Um-

[00:33:52] Marc Preston: that kids sometimes make and put, like, the gummy worms in and stuff, and make it look like dirt? You know,

[00:33:56] Tommi Rose: I can't- Uh, yes. That's the idea. But nobody makes [00:34:00] it... Like, mine is so ... Like, my family's been making it for years, and, like, all of my friends since childhood... Like, sometimes I run into friends from childhood that I haven't seen in years, and they're like, "Oh, I m- remember your family used to make that dirt pie."

[00:34:13] Tommi Rose: And I'm like, "Yeah. That is what we're famous for. What can I say?" But, um, but yeah. So I made them that. They all loved that. And then I also made them, uh, the chocolate chip cookies that I make every Christmas. But I actually am now, I'm now remembering that- I made an abridged version of both of those because Gavin doesn't like chocolate.

[00:34:34] Marc Preston: Mm-hmm.

[00:34:35] Tommi Rose: And I didn't want him to be left out, so I made him the dirt pie with, like, the blonde Oreo cookies. And then I also made, instead of chocolate chip cookies, I made, uh, like, some of them that were, I think they were, like, maple and coconut or something. Okay. 'Cause there were these, like, coconut crisps that we were obsessed with that we would eat all the time, like, on set, 'cause they would give us these bags, and they were so good.

[00:34:59] Tommi Rose: [00:35:00] They were, like, really sweet. Um, and so I made that be, like, the crunchy thing instead of the chocolate chip. So I made a lot. I kind of came up with new things while I was there, but-

[00:35:09] Marc Preston: Well, I'm curious ... yeah Being in Thailand, that's one place I've always wanted to go because I think Thai cooking is just kind of magical and awesome.

[00:35:17] Marc Preston: But what... Did you, did you dive into the Thai cuisine when you were there?

[00:35:21] Tommi Rose: I could talk about the food in Thailand, like, a, a ridiculous amount of time. Um, so yes, I... First of all, like, pad Thai, right? Pad Thai is amazing. Um, we had a lot of it. Um, but the thing that I, like- The thing that I daydr- and mango sticky rice.

[00:35:39] Tommi Rose: Lot of mango sticky rice. Oh. They would bring it to us on set. Oh, it's so good. It's so good. I miss it so much. But honestly, like, both of those things, like pad thai and mango sticky rice, I've found, like, really good ones-

[00:35:50] Marc Preston: Mm-hmm ...

[00:35:50] Tommi Rose: in the States. Like, it, it, it's not... I feel like there's a lot of really great places that have that.

[00:35:55] Tommi Rose: The one thing that I cannot find, like... Actually, there's two things. There was a [00:36:00] salad that they had that I was obsessed with, um, and I don't remember what it was called, but it was, like, the whole salad was made out of mint leaves. And then, like, the dressing was, like, a coconut milk dressing- Mm-hmm ... and there was, like, mushrooms, but, like, hot sauce.

[00:36:13] Tommi Rose: It sounds crazy, but it was so good. And then- It's a-

[00:36:15] Marc Preston: their whole thing is, like, balance, hot and cold, uh, spicy- Yeah ... sweet. It's everything- Yeah ... I think the whole zen of their cooking style is everything's gotta be balanced, but it's contrasting. And, uh, I think-

[00:36:27] Tommi Rose: I- yeah ...

[00:36:28] Marc Preston: God, I, I'm so hungry now. I

[00:36:29] Tommi Rose: came home and I was like...

[00:36:31] Tommi Rose: No, I know, me too. I came home and I was so disappointed because, like, everything that I tasted tasted so, like... I was like, "There's no seasoning in this." Mm-hmm. I was like, I forgot, like, it was everything there was so flavorful, and there was this one thing there that every time I order it here, and I've found places that, like, serve it here, but none of it even tastes close to the places that I would get in Thailand, and it's called beef massaman.

[00:36:54] Tommi Rose: And it was legitimately... Like, I remember the first day that I got it, [00:37:00] and I remember saying, like... So Tame told me to order it, and Tame, like, he lives in Thailand. He's Thai. So he, he was so good at, like, telling us, like, what to order. Like, and, and also I have a gluten allergy, so he was, like, so helpful in, like, navigating that for me, and he was so wonderful.

[00:37:19] Tommi Rose: But Tame, um, he told me to order beef massaman. He was like, "This is one of the best dishes, like, in the world. Like, it's one of the best rated dish. Like, the most people like this." And I was like, "Okay." And I ordered it, and I remember saying to him, I was like, "I'm not kidding you. This is the best thing that I've ever had in my life.

[00:37:35] Tommi Rose: Like, this is the best dish that I've ever had."

[00:37:38] Marc Preston: I'm writing this down here 'cause, uh, now I'm curious. 'Cause sometimes I just like the challenge and going, you know, it's not gonna be as good as where you get it, you know, authentically, but I'll get a recipe and I'll start playing around with it. You know, massaman.

[00:37:47] Marc Preston: Okay. So- I'm gonna try that out ...

[00:37:48] Tommi Rose: let me tell you, I've ordered it so many times in the States, and never once has it even tasted, like, similar. Like- Really? ... not a single time. It is a totally different thing. I, I don't know [00:38:00] Well, first of all, there, like it's like a slow... Like, it's like a... I think it's...

[00:38:05] Tommi Rose: Obviously it's beef, but it's like, it's like slow roasted, so it's like pull apart. It's like so soft. And, um, and like the... There's like almost like a broth, but it's thick and it's red. And any time I've ever ordered it in the States, it's like orange. It's like a cinnamony kind of a thing. Oh.

[00:38:19] Marc Preston: Yeah, yeah,

[00:38:20] Tommi Rose: yeah, yeah.

[00:38:20] Tommi Rose: But there, there it's like, it's like a deep... It looks like my hair. It's like a deep red.

[00:38:27] Marc Preston: And I- I've never had somebody describe the food, "It's like the color of my hair."

[00:38:30] Tommi Rose: Yeah. No, I actually dyed my hair to match the beef massaman. But like-

[00:38:34] Marc Preston: And so you are definitely... Y- you've definitely bought into the whole b- beef massaman thing.

[00:38:37] Marc Preston: It's like it's your identity now. Yeah.

[00:38:39] Tommi Rose: Oh, totally. Yeah. I, I live by it. But it, it was so good, and it was so incredible. Um, yeah, the food there was just crazy. It was just crazy. It was so good. I don't think there was... I don't think there was one place that I went to in Thailand, and I ate a lot of places, and I don't think there was one place that I went to that I was like, "Eh, that was okay."

[00:38:59] Tommi Rose: Like, [00:39:00] everything was so good. They just really know how to f- flavor things. It's just so- So

[00:39:05] Marc Preston: how, how long was the shoot there?

[00:39:07] Tommi Rose: Feel like I was there for, like two... I wanna say two and a half months.

[00:39:10] Marc Preston: Oh, okay. So you had a good long stretch. Okay.

[00:39:13] Tommi Rose: Yeah, yeah. Um, we... The first two weeks we were in Krabi, um, and then the rest of the shoot we were in Bangkok.

[00:39:21] Tommi Rose: Um, so Krabi was like all of like the on location, like outdoor, like the beach things, and like anything that wasn't... So Bangkok was all in the studio. Um, which basically, like they had these giant... It was, it was incredible. They had these like giant, like aquarium sized tanks built to like look like caves.

[00:39:43] Announcer: Mm-hmm.

[00:39:43] Tommi Rose: Um, so that all was obviously in a studio. But, um, everything that we shot in Krabi was like the real stuff, was like the, the boat and, you know, the, the outside of the caves and, and um, all that kinda stuff. But i- it was, it was amazing. It was really, really [00:40:00] cool. B- both of them were great for different reasons.

[00:40:02] Marc Preston: I've always... That's one place I've always wanted to go, but I think, uh, i- as far as this, without g- without giving anything away, without giving spoilers- Mm ... how do you factor into, uh, into this, into the story of The Devil's Mouth?

[00:40:16] Tommi Rose: Uh, so my character, Adrienne, she is a part of the friend group of five, um, that goes to Thailand for vacation.

[00:40:25] Tommi Rose: And, um, you know, they find themselves in a very sticky situation when they're trapped in a cave with a shark. Mm-hmm. And, uh, Adrienne in this friend group is, uh, she's... She's so fun. She's so cool. I, I always, um, tell people that my, my favorite... Like, the thing that to me really stood out about this movie was, like- how interesting the characters are and how interesting their dynamics are.

[00:40:53] Tommi Rose: Like, I just think that they're very interesting people, and they feel very real to me. And, uh, [00:41:00] Adrienne, yeah, I mean, the, the, um, the... They've been friends for so long, and, um, they just have, like, these dynamics that you can tell are, you know, they're, they're not perfect friends. Like, they, they have their faults, and they have their, their weaknesses, and they have their little issues that they're working through or maybe not working through and should be working through.

[00:41:21] Tommi Rose: And, uh, Adrienne's very cool in the way that she, um, she kind of has like a, a, like a big sister kind of a vibe- Mm-hmm ... going on sometimes. Like, she's very good at, like, she wants to keep the peace, and she wants to keep everybody happy, and she wants to keep everybody laughing and wants to make sure that, you know, everyone's having a good time- Mm-hmm

[00:41:41] Tommi Rose: and everything's staying fun. That's kind of her thing. She's like the, the fun, like, let's, let's make sure that it's staying light. And, uh, and she's, she's really cool in that way, and she's always got, like, fun, fun little jokes for every scenario. And, um, [00:42:00] yeah, she's, she's, she's a wild little redhead- ... and

[00:42:05] Marc Preston: we love her for it.

[00:42:05] Tommi Rose: Massaman head. Yeah.

[00:42:06] Marc Preston: A beef Massaman head. Uh, so the- Yeah. Now I'm gonna think, any time somebody says redhead from now on, I'm gonna think beef Massaman. Yeah. But, and so was this a, a gig that came to you? Uh, just good old-fashioned all-American audition, or did, did somebody reach out and kind of pitch the idea to you?

[00:42:20] Marc Preston: How did it come together for you?

[00:42:22] Tommi Rose: Um, you know what's funny is I actually remember, um, when I... It was Zoom. Mm-hmm. Uh, it was a Zoom audition. Um, and, uh, yeah, they just, they reached out to my manager, and I don't, I don't remember why, but I think, like, I got all the material l- like, the day before.

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

[00:42:43] Tommi Rose: And, like, I remem- I, yeah, it was, it was so- So there's not a whole lot of prep time

[00:42:47] Marc Preston: for you

[00:42:48] Marc Preston: everything happened- You just kind of had to-

[00:42:49] Tommi Rose: Yeah, no ... rip and read. Yeah. Everything happened very, yeah, everything happened very, very fast. And, uh, and I just, like, I remember having a feeling about it. Like, I, it's so weird because, like, I've, you know, you do so [00:43:00] many auditions, and you, you have so many wonderful opportunities come your way.

[00:43:04] Tommi Rose: But, like, you start to get, like, a sixth sense about, like, hmm, this one's gonna be mine, you know? You start to kind of like... Like, there's a weird thing about it, and it, it, I just think, like, from the minute it came in, like, I think something about the fast turnaround where I was like, "This seems like the kind of chaos that would that I would be a part of."

[00:43:23] Tommi Rose: Yeah. You know?

[00:43:24] Marc Preston: And, um- What, what was the hang time between the audition and when you were on a plane to Thailand?

[00:43:29] Tommi Rose: Well, um, I actually found out, uh, pretty quickly that I had to be on a plane. Um, the... Both things happened pretty fast. Um, so I had, I think I had two different auditions. I had the first one with the casting directors, and then I had one with all the producers- Mm-hmm

[00:43:45] Tommi Rose: and Jeff. Um, and I think that was the next day. So they pretty much told me that day. They were like, "Hey, we like you. Let's see you again." Um, and, uh, then a long time went by and, uh, I [00:44:00] found out for sure, there was, like, some back and forth, but then I found out for sure that I booked it, and, like, I had to be on a plane in, like, 48 hours.

[00:44:08] Marc Preston: Wow. So that was pretty quick. Yeah. You hit the ground running.

[00:44:10] Tommi Rose: Yeah, it was... Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. No, 100%. I... And, uh, you know, it, it was, it was, it was pretty crazy. Yeah.

[00:44:17] Marc Preston: But, um, it was- But it's pretty co- it's very cool- ... it was pretty crazy ... because you've got a small cast, and I, I adore Kathryn Newton. I think she is, uh, I don't know, I think she's been in a couple of movies that my kids liked, and so she keeps showing.

[00:44:27] Marc Preston: Yeah. She was in this one film, uh, Freaky, with... Uh, I like the, of her trying to embody Vince Vaughn, you know, that whole Freaky Friday kind of thing where she's a killer or whatever. Um-

[00:44:36] Tommi Rose: Ooh, I don't know if I've seen that one. She's incredible. I bet she killed that.

[00:44:40] Marc Preston: It's fun. Yeah, she's... God, there was... One of the m- movie my kids liked that she was in.

[00:44:44] Marc Preston: But no, she's always been on the radar, and if I look at how small the cast is, it's gotta have a, like, a little summer camp vibe because you're just a handful of y'all- It's- ... in Thailand.

[00:44:52] Tommi Rose: Yeah.

[00:44:53] Marc Preston: So was it an, an enjoyable experience? Was it just kind of cra- besides the eating, of course, but...

[00:44:58] Tommi Rose: It wa- It... [00:45:00] Okay, so the first two weeks, Krabi, like- W- they were a dream.

[00:45:05] Tommi Rose: Like, we had so much fun. It was, like, really honestly, it was like those first two weeks were like being on a vacation, and, like, we also got to shoot a movie. It was so... Like, I just remember being, like, on cloud nine for two weeks straight. And also, like, I'm, I'm a water sign. I love the ocean. Mm-hmm. I love the beach, and we, our hotel was, like, right on the beach.

[00:45:27] Tommi Rose: We were on the beach every single day filming. It was so incredible. We all got along so well, so immediately. Um, I just adore everyone. I, I think so highly of all of them, professionally and personally. Um, and then Bangkok, um, like, when we got in the studios, like, that's when it started, like... 'Cause, you know, that's the part where we're in the caves, and we're in the thick of it, right?

[00:45:50] Tommi Rose: So that part was, like, as, as much as it was, like, it was enjoyable, and it was, you know, I am so grateful for every minute of it, it was hard work. Mm-hmm. Like, it [00:46:00] was definitely, like, it was very physically exhausting. It was very mentally exhausting. It was like we, we all really felt like we did go into, like, a survival situation together.

[00:46:11] Tommi Rose: Because also you get so wrapped up in, like, the, you know, what your character's feeling, and there's a lot of, like, really, really, like, anxiety-ridden and, like, devastating and, like, there's just, like, so many, like, really, really, um, like, there's just a lot of heavy stuff, you know? Yeah, are, like, are you in a water

[00:46:27] Marc Preston: tank, uh, for protracted amounts of time?

[00:46:30] Tommi Rose: Oh, yeah. Well, that was, like, most of, uh, filming actually. After Krabi was us being in these, uh, these, like, tanks, um, and, you know, swimming for our lives was pretty much the rest of the shoot.

[00:46:43] Marc Preston: Yeah, I don't know if, if that would be a liberating feeling or a claustrophobic ex- experience, where you're gonna be in the water every day, you know?

[00:46:50] Marc Preston: That, I mean, what was that like when you know you gotta be in the water and, and portraying somebody who's at least m- stressed, you know?

[00:46:57] Tommi Rose: Yeah. Um, you know, it [00:47:00] was, it was really, like... I think a good way to describe it is, like, it was very much like, like a workout, where, like, after you're done, you're like, "Oh, I'm so glad I did that.

[00:47:10] Tommi Rose: Like, that felt so good, and, like, I'm so proud of the work that I did today." But, like, one, you're exhausted. Um, and two, like, while you're doing it, it is hard. Like, there, there was definitely, like, there was a lot of things that, like, it was very physically... It was definitely the most physically demanding, um, work that I've, I've ever done.

[00:47:30] Tommi Rose: And I remember them telling me this, and that was a huge part in, like, auditions and everything. They were like, "Are you comfortable with water?" Like, that's a really, that's a really important thing. And, um, like, I just, uh, I remember it being, like, it was just, like, there was a lot. There was a lot we had to learn.

[00:47:48] Tommi Rose: Um, there was a lot of water safety. There was a lot of, um, like, you know, treading water, like, all day long. Um, and, like, there was just a lot That, uh, [00:48:00] it was fun and it was rewarding, but... And then also, like, you know, uh, mentally, like it, there was just a lot of like sh- high-stress environments that these characters are in.

[00:48:11] Tommi Rose: And, um, it was, there was some days that I would go home and I would just have, like, nothing, nothing left in me. Nothing left, yeah. Like I, I'd get back to the hotel, and I'd get an amazing Thai massage, and I'd go straight to bed. That's right. Like I had nothing.

[00:48:25] Marc Preston: Well, I gotta know craft service, though.

[00:48:27] Marc Preston: You're in Thailand. Was it, was it Taiwanese food when you take, do your lunch breaks?

[00:48:31] Tommi Rose: Oh, yeah, it was totally different. There was... Like, crafty was an entirely different thing because, um, it was amazing. Um, so we had an entire, like our whole crew was Thai, and it was, like, so cool because, um, it, like we really did feel like we got, like, such a cool sense of, like, living in Thailand, you know, as opposed to, like, just if you were just, like went on vacation there.

[00:48:53] Tommi Rose: And, like, all of the snacks that we had at crafty were, you know, from Thailand. And, [00:49:00] and they... Like, like I was talking about those, the coconut crisp that I put in the cookies for Gavin. Like, we were obsessed with those. And, like, I, I have yet to... You know, a good comparison, actually, the only one that I've found that's kind of like that is I think they're called Dang.

[00:49:14] Tommi Rose: They have them here in the States. They're called Dang. And it's not the same brand as they have in Thailand, but they taste very similar. And they're like coconut shavings almost. Uh-huh. But they're sweet, and they're so good, and they have like a caramel flavor. And then also, um, I could talk about the food in Thailand like all day.

[00:49:30] Tommi Rose: But, like, also they had this coconut water, and when I tell you, like I've been the biggest fan of coconut water for a long time before I went to Thailand, right? I was such a huge fan of, like, so many brands. And then I went to Thailand, and they ruined me. It ruined me. I can't drink coconut water anymore here- Yeah.

[00:49:50] Tommi Rose: because none of it... It, I'm not even kidding you, it tastes like melted ice cream there. Like they have this- And there's this one brand, and I took a picture of it, and I would order it all the time. I brought like one [00:50:00] whole... I like sm- I think I, like, tried to smuggle it home with me because, like, I was so, I was so addicted to this coconut water.

[00:50:07] Tommi Rose: And, like, we would, like, we would find it at crafty, and we would, like, save them for each other and, like it was so many. But,

[00:50:12] Marc Preston: um- Like I can imagine international coconut water incident at the airport.

[00:50:17] Tommi Rose: Yeah, I know. No, really. Um, but it was, like, it was so good. It literally tasted like melted ice cream. Like, it was so, so, so, so good.

[00:50:25] Tommi Rose: So we had that a lot. Um, they, they brought us all kinds of stuff that, like, we had never had before. And, like, we were just like, "Okay, we trust you." But, um, they would... Yeah, and they were so good 'cause I, I have a gluten allergy. So, like, I remember getting there and being really scared. And, like, we, um, An and Fawn, who were on our crew, like they were so good at, like, finding me, like, things in Thailand that were gluten free.

[00:50:48] Tommi Rose: And, uh, it was really, really great, and they were fantastic

[00:50:59] Marc Preston: Back end of [00:51:00] chats, I like to do my, what I call my seven questions, and that, th- the first question is food related. What is your favorite, and I know you've got a good answer for this, your favorite comfort food?

[00:51:10] Tommi Rose: My favorite comfort food. Well, to be fair, it changes. I, I think that it, it, it definitely changes all the time, but I think, ooh, like right now the first thing that I think comes to mind right now is, um, that dirt pie that I was talking about that my family makes, because it's nostalgic.

[00:51:34] Marc Preston: Right.

[00:51:35] Tommi Rose: It's nostalgic for me. And I, I also just had it 'cause I make it a lot during the summer. Um, and, uh, like the 4th of July, always make it on the 4th of July 'cause like it's just- You keep

[00:51:43] Marc Preston: talking about this. I'm like sitting here going, "I'm gonna have to hit you up for the recipe, man." I, I'm like, I'm-

[00:51:46] Tommi Rose: Oh, I can't give it out.

[00:51:47] Tommi Rose: Oh, you're killing me now

[00:51:49] Marc Preston: It's top secret. You're killing me

[00:51:49] Tommi Rose: now. You gotta, you gotta come over for a Rose family barbecue. Um-

[00:51:53] Marc Preston: Well, you know, I am a Texan, so I do appreciate some proper barbecue, so you know. All right. Or if you ever shooting anything in Texas, let me [00:52:00] know. I'll, I'll find my way. All right.

[00:52:01] Marc Preston: I'll be like knocking, like knocking on the door like . All right, perfect. All right. M- uh, dirt pie time. All right, perfect. Let's do it.

[00:52:06] Tommi Rose: That's what we'll do. That's what we'll do. I will let you know. I'll call you up.

[00:52:10] Marc Preston: Now, the next que-

[00:52:10] Tommi Rose: Yeah, probably that.

[00:52:11] Marc Preston: Well, the next question I got for you, if you, if you were to spend an afternoon, uh, just talking story, having coffee.

[00:52:16] Marc Preston: You're at a table, you and three people, living or not. Who would those three people be that you would like to sit down with and just kind of share stories with all day, or all afternoon?

[00:52:28] Tommi Rose: Marilyn Monroe, for sure. Um, I... She's, she's a big deal for me. Everybody who knows me knows that, like, I've got an affinity for...

[00:52:38] Tommi Rose: I just, I, I've just always, I've always loved her. Um, I used to... Really, actually, kind of a fun story, but, um, I remember when I was a, a kid, I used to, like, hate that I had this, like, beauty mark, 'cause, like, none of my friends had it. Right And, like, none of the Disney princesses had it, and, like, I just didn't understand, and, um, and I hated it.

[00:52:55] Tommi Rose: And my mom showed me pictures of Marilyn Monroe, and she was like, "This is known as, [00:53:00] like, one of the most beautiful actresses of all time." Like, I, this is, you

[00:53:04] Marc Preston: know, it's like- Well, same thing, Cindy Crawford, same thing. I, I heard something- Mm-hmm ... years ago. They said that the, that the most beautiful people in the world have what would be perceived as one imperfection, but that's what amplifies- Mm-hmm

[00:53:15] Marc Preston: the rest. You know, I forgot where I heard that. It was, I think it was, it was a photographer who was talking about something, but- Yeah, yeah, yeah ... he was referring to, like, Cindy Crawford, I think is what he was refer- Mm-hmm ... who he was referring to. But, but no, so, so Marilyn Monroe, that, that... But she had, uh, her own, like, epic story, you know, as well.

[00:53:29] Tommi Rose: Yeah, and I think I also have so many questions. Like, I just, I just think that I would, I would love to speak to her. Um, I also think... Oh, this is such a good question, and I ask people this very often. Um, I feel like also... Man, I feel like, I feel like Jesus is, like, an obvious one. Like, I just, I g- I got a lot of questions for him, too.

[00:53:54] Tommi Rose: Mm-hmm. Um, and then, like, maybe, uh, [00:54:00] I feel like I'm such a Wes Anderson fan, and so I think maybe him. Today that's my answer. I feel like it changes every time someone asks me, but I feel like Marilyn Monroe is always there.

[00:54:12] Marc Preston: Yeah, tha- tha- those three, Marilyn Monroe, Jesus, and Wes Anderson. I mean, just to listen to them talking amongst- What a

[00:54:18] Tommi Rose: table.

[00:54:18] Marc Preston: No, but them talking to each other, though. Yeah, I

[00:54:20] Tommi Rose: don't even need to say anything.

[00:54:21] Marc Preston: Yeah.

[00:54:21] Tommi Rose: Yeah, I don't even need to say anything. I think those three.

[00:54:24] Marc Preston: But yeah, Wes Anderson is just... I mean, I, I don't know if I could operate at that level of perfection in every scene and not lose my mind. Like, everything he does is just so perfectly composed, you know?

[00:54:35] Marc Preston: Um- Yeah ... and I, I think he went to U- University of Texas, so I gotta give him props. Um, I'm, I'm- Oh,

[00:54:40] Tommi Rose: nice ... I

[00:54:41] Marc Preston: gotta, uh... I think he was, um-

[00:54:43] Tommi Rose: Yeah, gotta rep.

[00:54:43] Marc Preston: I, I got to. You know, uh, you know, also, you know, McConaughey and all. You know, gotta give my Texas people props.

[00:54:49] Tommi Rose: Yeah.

[00:54:50] Marc Preston: Now, going back when you were young, uh, when you were little, or not little, but who was your very first celebrity crush?

[00:54:57] Tommi Rose: Ooh. I feel like I [00:55:00] had crushes on cartoon characters before I had crushes on real people, and also, like, fake people. But I think, like, if I had- Well,

[00:55:07] Marc Preston: when you say fake people, you mean like a character or a...?

[00:55:10] Tommi Rose: Yeah, like a character in a book. Oh, okay. Like, I read a lot, and I think I had a, I had a lot of book crushes.

[00:55:15] Tommi Rose: Um, but I think that if I- And again, like, I feel like even when I think of the... Like, I had a huge crush on, um, on Thor, like, when I first saw the first Thor movie. Mm-hmm. But it was, it was Thor. But you know what? It was Chris Hemsworth. It, it was, it was both. Yeah. I think that I watched, uh- But he's such

[00:55:34] Marc Preston: an

[00:55:34] Tommi Rose: unattractive

[00:55:34] Marc Preston: guy, though

[00:55:35] Marc Preston: the first Thor. I mean, I don't know why you would have a crush on him. I

[00:55:36] Tommi Rose: know. I

[00:55:37] Marc Preston: mean, he's just... Plus he's got that re-

[00:55:37] Tommi Rose: I know,

[00:55:38] Marc Preston: super

[00:55:38] Tommi Rose: unpopular opinion.

[00:55:39] Marc Preston: He's got that stupid Australian accent, and I... I mean, there's nothing about him that's appealing, you know, and I'm just kidding. No, I mean, I'm, I'm- Yeah, yeah, I-

[00:55:46] Marc Preston: dead or dying. He, he's one of those guys that makes us, the rest of us guys go, "We got no chance," you know? But he's g- Plus he's got a great sense of humor, you know? But, but yeah, I, I think- Mm-hmm ... uh, it- it is funny you mention that thing about books because I think when you read books sometimes, you go, "If I [00:56:00] met somebody like this..."

[00:56:00] Marc Preston: You just kind of have... You, you internalize their personality and go, "I can make a connection-" Yeah ... "with this person," you know? That's-

[00:56:06] Tommi Rose: Yes. Like, I remember specifically, like, when I was younger, um, when I was reading the Percy Jackson series, I was, like, the same age- Mm-hmm ... as Percy Jackson, and I just remember thinking, like, "This is my boyfriend."

[00:56:21] Tommi Rose: Like, I lo- like, I'm so in love with him. Like, I just remember, like, just thinking he was, like, the coolest ever and, and, uh... Yeah, so, like, I had a major crush on Percy Jackson, but the Percy Jackson in my head. Like, it wasn't, like... 'Cause they made a movie later- Yeah ... and I think I was just kind of like, I was like, "Great," you know?

[00:56:39] Tommi Rose: But, um, but I had a crush on the book character. Like, that was who... 'Cause, you know, you imagine it and-

[00:56:45] Marc Preston: Of course.

[00:56:46] Tommi Rose: Yeah. I mean, I, I, I s- I say P- I still have crushes on book characters, and I feel like that's, that, that hasn't changed.

[00:56:51] Marc Preston: Well, see, that, see, that would be fun for you. Write a screenplay. You got this character you love, and you get involved, if you direct it, you, the casting of it, and you can find the [00:57:00] just right character to play the per- See, I think that's, that's, that's the daydream.

[00:57:03] Marc Preston: That's the fun. That's the creating this, uh, you know, thing that might only exist in your head, but that's the fun thing about Hollywood. You get to kind of bring it on a screen and let other people enjoy it as well.

[00:57:13] Tommi Rose: Yeah.

[00:57:13] Marc Preston: Uh, now if you're gonna be- Yep ... let's say you're gonna live on, next question, you're gonna be on an exotic island somewhere.

[00:57:18] Marc Preston: You really wanna be. It's awesome. You're gonna be there an entire year, but no, uh, there's no streaming. So if you wanna l- listen to music- Mm ... you gotta bring one CD or a box set, and to watch a movie, one DVD. So you can bring one CD... You know, for music, one CD, one DVD- Ooh ... that you can watch and listen to over and over again.

[00:57:37] Marc Preston: What would those be for you?

[00:57:39] Tommi Rose: Ooh, okay. I think movie, the first thing that came to mind with movie was either- Either Enchanted, I love the movie Enchanted Mm-hmm Um, and there's music in it. Um, or it would be Pride and Prejudice. Uh, I literally just watched it I think for like the third time this year, like [00:58:00] two nights ago, and it is just, it is so good.

[00:58:02] Tommi Rose: Um, so maybe one of those two. But I might go with Enchanted just because there's music in it, and that is important to me. Um- So there's a little sing-along aspect ... 'cause I, yes, yes. And it's also like whimsical and princessy, and I, I feel like I would, Enchanted may- might be my way to go. Um, and then I think, what was the other...

[00:58:24] Tommi Rose: Oh, oh, uh- Oh, what would the CD be? An album

[00:58:26] Marc Preston: What would the music be for you?

[00:58:27] Tommi Rose: Ooh, yeah, so that one's hard because I feel like I'm a song person over like an album person- Oh, okay ... if that makes sense. But if I had to go with one, I feel like I really like, um, Toys in the Attic, Aerosmith. But I also really like, um, there's some Arctic Monkeys, uh, albums that I love.

[00:58:54] Tommi Rose: But I feel like- I feel like I, I would take Aerosmith with me. Very good. I think I would take [00:59:00] Toys in the Attic Aerosmith,

[00:59:01] Marc Preston: yeah. A- well, a side question. Who, who for you, songwriter-wise, who do you think writes music that you like? Uh, where you're just... It's almost like there's a great melody, there's great music to it, but you really...

[00:59:10] Marc Preston: You know, sometimes there's some songs you just really hear the, and feel the lyrics. Who writes music for you like that?

[00:59:17] Tommi Rose: I think, um... It's so funny because he's literally one of my favorite artists, and I... Every time I panic with saying his name. I think it's Hozier. Hozier? Hozier. Oh. Hozier. Hozier. Okay.

[00:59:27] Tommi Rose: Hozier.

[00:59:28] Marc Preston: Yeah,

[00:59:28] Tommi Rose: yeah, yeah. And every single time I panic and I say the wrong one, and then I'm like, I almost have to say it out loud wrong to say it right. But anyway, Hozier. Um-

[00:59:35] Marc Preston: He, you're the second one, uh, you're the second person to say that, i- in, of all the-

[00:59:40] Tommi Rose: I, I, I think that he is so... He, oh, he's so poetic.

[00:59:46] Tommi Rose: Uh, so good. Um, but, uh, I think him, I really, really respect his, just the way he articulates things. I think it's really interesting. And then also, I have to throw this one [01:00:00] in there, um, I think she might be the person that made me start songwriting, 'cause I think it, there was one point in my life that I was like, "I wanna sing, but I, I'm not a songwriter."

[01:00:10] Tommi Rose: And, uh, Dodie Clark, um, she was huge on YouTube when I was, like, in middle school. And, uh, and now she's, like, you know, she's on tour and everything. She's doing fantastic. But, um, she just... I remember, like, back when she was just, like, posting YouTube videos and I thought, like, I had, like, discovered her, you know?

[01:00:32] Tommi Rose: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Like, that, that, like, in my middle school brain, this felt very, like, secret to me. Like, I didn't want anybody else to, like, listen to her music because it was mine. And, uh, and I think that I just... Something about, like, the way that she... She has a song that I think is so brilliant, um, Intertwined.

[01:00:48] Tommi Rose: And I literally, like, I, I just, like, played it for somebody, like, a few weeks back. Like, I, I, I literally think that this song is just, like, one of the most I don't know. It's just such an intimately written song, and I think it's [01:01:00] really, really cool. And I, I remember watching her, and something about the fact that she was just, like, a girl in her bedroom, like, made songwriting feel so approachable to me.

[01:01:09] Tommi Rose: And so I think she's

[01:01:10] Marc Preston: like a huge part of the reason- Well, plus, like, the, the format of You- of YouTube. I m- my daughter had the same thing, I think- Mm-hmm ... with, like, Zach Bryan before he became, you know, the big country star he is. Mm-hmm. But, uh, th- you have that ownership, you know. There is a whole-

[01:01:21] Tommi Rose: Yeah ...

[01:01:21] Marc Preston: COVID era of people who just kinda broke out from their bedroom on YouTube, and I think that's, I, I, I- Yeah

[01:01:27] Marc Preston: you know, that makes it very democratized. I dig that idea. Now, the next question I got for you, if you were to say from stem to stern, time you wake up, time you go to bed, let's talk recipe, what are the ingredients for you of a perfect day?

[01:01:40] Tommi Rose: These sound very similar to the questions that I always ask my co-stars, like, on the first day of set, by the way.

[01:01:44] Marc Preston: Really?

[01:01:45] Tommi Rose: Very, very

[01:01:46] Marc Preston: similar. Well, you got

[01:01:46] Tommi Rose: great minds. It's, you know. I, I, I have, like... Yeah. Exactly. Um, so I, my perfect day is I have a very specific morning routine. Like, I'm crazy about my morning routine, and, like, no o- like, e- [01:02:00] everybody that loves me knows, like, do not disturb me for the first, like, 30 minutes of me waking up.

[01:02:04] Tommi Rose: Like, it is very important that I do this. So-

[01:02:06] Marc Preston: People that do that should be imprisoned, I think. That, that, and your first 30 minutes of being up that wanna have you hit the ground running, like, leave me alone.

[01:02:14] Tommi Rose: It's a sacred space. Yes, yes. It's a sacred space. So my fir- first thing that I do, like, always first thing that I do is, um, I either crack open, like, some kind of, like, self-help or some, some kind of spiritual book.

[01:02:29] Tommi Rose: Like, I have to read first thing in the morning. So, like, right now it's, like, my Bible, right? I'll read that, and then right after that I have to put on my good morning playlist. Like, immediately after that. Um- Are, are you

[01:02:39] Marc Preston: saying metaphorically it's your Bible, or literally the Bible?

[01:02:42] Tommi Rose: The Bible. Oh, okay. I

[01:02:43] Marc Preston: gotcha.

[01:02:43] Tommi Rose: Yeah. The, the Bible. Um, in, like, a super cool, chill way. But, like- But yeah,

[01:02:50] Marc Preston: I- The Bible in a super cool, chill way. Super cool, chill way. No, I didn't know if there was, like, a book, like, self-help kinda thing you're reading, and for you that is, like, your Bible, or you actually... No, so- You mean the Bible Bible.

[01:02:58] Marc Preston: Yeah, you mean... Okay.

[01:02:59] Tommi Rose: Yeah, yeah. [01:03:00] I actually grew up in a Christian school and I... It's so funny because I, I, like, I realized that I've never read it all the way through, like, start to finish, and I was like, I literally grew up in a Christian school and I just, like, took what everyone said to me as, like, law, and I was, you know.

[01:03:14] Tommi Rose: And I was like, "Maybe it's time I, like, read it for my own, and, like, come up with my own interpretations, and, like, you know, um, and, like, explore it that way, and, like, make it my own experience, you know? Like, my own relationship with, uh, God." And, uh, that's been really fulfilling for me, and I... It's been amazing.

[01:03:31] Tommi Rose: So I do that every morning and, and try to, um, connect with my spirituality in, in that way. And then, um, after that I, uh, I play my good morning playlist, which I am crazy about this playlist. Like, I swear by this playlist. I love it so much, and it's called, um, The World Is Good And So Am I.

[01:03:54] Marc Preston: And- Is this, like, a Spotify playlist, or...?

[01:03:56] Tommi Rose: Yeah. I made it, and, uh, it is... It's a Spotify playlist, [01:04:00] and it starts my day off... Like, I can tell a difference in my mood when I, like, forget to play it or, like, I don't play it. I need that playlist every morning, and it is only, like, positive, like- kind, loving songs. Like, that's it. Or like, you know, songs that, like, make you feel really, really good, right?

[01:04:19] Tommi Rose: And it started really small and now, now I just add, any time that I hear a song and I'm like, "This is pure good vibes," I, like, stick it in there. And you know what's actually funny? I started this playlist in Thailand. I actually- Nice ... I never had this playlist until I got to Thailand and I realized how badly I needed it, because we were waking up so early.

[01:04:37] Tommi Rose: And I just like, I think I just, like, started to real- because I was, like, not with my family and friends, I was like, "I need a grounding routine in the morning." This is when I started this morning routine.

[01:04:45] Marc Preston: Mm-hmm. Playlist are sort of like mix, it's sort of like a mixtape or a recipe or something that's uniquely you that you've created.

[01:04:52] Marc Preston: It, it- Totally ... I think it's, uh, it speaks volumes, you know? So hey, if you ever wanna share it. Yeah. I'd love to... I'd-

[01:04:58] Tommi Rose: H- I am so [01:05:00] happy to. I love sharing this playlist, 'cause I feel like it's like, it's such a little, like, slice of sunshine. Like, it's such a little joyous playlist that, like, I love, I love. I'll give it to anybody who asks, so I would love to send that to

[01:05:12] Marc Preston: you.

[01:05:12] Marc Preston: Awesome.

[01:05:12] Tommi Rose: Um, but yeah, it totally alters my mood. I love it. I play it every morning. My cat loves it. Um, and, uh, yeah. So I do that, and then I always try to dance a little bit to it if I can. I'm a terrible little dancer, but I, I do it every day. Um, and, uh, yeah. And so I do that, and, um, that's, like, definitely the start to my perfect day.

[01:05:35] Tommi Rose: And, like, I have a fun little breakfast that I do every day that are, like, all little health things. Um, and then I feel like after that, I... So I get 10,000 steps every day, so I feel like some kind of walk somewhere, like, really nice, like, with, like, perfect weather- Mm-hmm ... is, like, o- like, any kind of, like, really nice walk that I could get in.

[01:05:54] Tommi Rose: Like, I love, like, looking at little shop... Like, my favorite type of day is, like, somewhere that, like, [01:06:00] n- like some- maybe even, like, somewhere... I love newness, so, like, maybe my perfect day would be some kind of, like, new town to explore and, like- Oh, yeah ... little shops to walk in. So I can get my steps without, like, thinking about it is, like, best case scenario.

[01:06:12] Tommi Rose: Um, so that. Uh, there's gotta be a sweet treat in there. There's gotta be a fun iced coffee or iced matcha. That would definitely be a part of my perfect day. Um, and then the people. So, like, I love being around people. I'm such a people person. Like, to my core, I love people. I love stranger, I love meeting strangers.

[01:06:31] Tommi Rose: Mm-hmm. I love interacting with strangers. Um, I just, I just find every human being so interesting. I just find them all interesting. I wanna know everybody's story. I wanna know everybody's weird things. Um, so something where I met some strangers maybe would be part of my perfect day. And, um Maybe a burger or some sushi.

[01:06:51] Tommi Rose: I like both those things. I feel like they would both have to be-

[01:06:53] Marc Preston: Oh, you know- Yeah, something- So

[01:06:54] you

[01:06:54] Marc Preston: don't discriminate when it comes to food. It's like, you know, you got a couple ends of the scale. I miss good sushi.

[01:06:58] Tommi Rose: Yeah.

[01:06:58] Marc Preston: That's one thing I, I can't really- Yeah ... [01:07:00] get here on the island. Well, we got Patsy's,

[01:07:01] Tommi Rose: but yeah.

[01:07:02] Tommi Rose: Oh, yeah. That's tough.

[01:07:03] Marc Preston: Um-

[01:07:03] Tommi Rose: Yeah, I, I love some good sushi. There's so much good sushi in LA.

[01:07:06] Marc Preston: Indeed. So, so how would your day end? What would be the kind of the cap with the bookend for you?

[01:07:13] Tommi Rose: I think my day would end... There's a few different ways that I love to end my days, and, you know, I can't even say that I like one more than the other.

[01:07:23] Tommi Rose: It just has to do with what mood I'm in. Um, but if I had to combine them all, I would think that I would be somewhere where there was some kind of, like, like s- a show. Like, I love watching either a movie at the end of the day or, like, a fireworks show- Mm-hmm ... at Disney or, like, um, or, like, a parade or, like, some kind of show.

[01:07:42] Tommi Rose: I love ending the day on some kind of, like-

[01:07:45] Marc Preston: S- some theatrical note ...

[01:07:47] Tommi Rose: I don't know, something. Yeah, yeah, maybe, like, a, a t- Broadway show in New York, like, something like that. Um, and Like popcorn. I love, love popcorn. [01:08:00] Um, and friends. Like I, I just, I just, anytime I, I imagine like a perfect day, I'm surrounded by my friends.

[01:08:06] Tommi Rose: Like, that is the most important. We could do nothing. Like, I think that that honestly is more important than, uh, the activities within itself. Like I, I think that that's, uh, the best thing. But yeah, I think I- some kind of show and popcorn and, um, reading. I would end up reading every, every time, for sure.

[01:08:25] Marc Preston: Yeah, you make me feel like I need to kind of pick up the pace and do some more stuff during the day.

[01:08:29] Tommi Rose: Thank you.

[01:08:30] Marc Preston: But now the last couple questions. If you were, if y- somebody said, "Hey Tommi, y- this, this acting thing, it's not available to you anymore for whatever reason," what would be choice number two for you when it came to career option?

[01:08:42] Marc Preston: What would that be?

[01:08:43] Tommi Rose: Um, definitely either directing or, um, music. Interesting. Like I, I, I do think that... And honestly, I think I will do those things at some point. Um, I love writing songs. I really just, uh, [01:09:00] honestly, like all my friends are constantly like, "Tommi, you need to release more music than you do." So I, I think like, um, to do more of that- Mm-hmm

[01:09:08] Tommi Rose: and to like do more of that on a professional scale bec- just because I, I am, am writing nonstop, I just am not necessarily putting all of it out into the world. So I think that, uh, music, um, and directing. Yeah, I, I would, I would do either of those in a heartbeat and plan to do either of those.

[01:09:27] Marc Preston: Very cool. I gotta listen to some of your stuff now.

[01:09:29] Marc Preston: I've gotta do that. I gotta get that link too. Um- Thank

[01:09:32] Tommi Rose: you. Yeah, yeah ...

[01:09:33] Marc Preston: now the last question I got for you, if you had that DeLorean you could jump into and you could cruise back for a few minutes, uh, to when you were 16 years old and you can sit down with 16-year-old you, um, and have a conversation and offer a bit of advice, uh, wisdom, whatever have you, what would that be, uh, what would you offer 16-year-old you?

[01:09:54] Tommi Rose: I think that there's not a lot I would tell her, just because I love, like [01:10:00] I love the experience of learning, and I wouldn't wanna learn anything for my younger self. I would want her to go through everything that I went through. Um, and I like, that's one of my, my, uh, favorite parts of life, you know, is, uh, is that.

[01:10:13] Tommi Rose: But if I did have to tell her anything, I think it would be, um, to- That like life is the lens that you view it through. Mm-hmm. And the most important thing before every important day and after every important day, like you need to know who you are, and you need to... 'Cause it makes everything okay. Like, uh, and I just really think that like...

[01:10:40] Tommi Rose: Also, I think that, um, you know, like mindset is everything, and like being grateful is everything. Like, I think that the, the mi- like the, the core of like being a happy person, like a truly grateful, happy person is, is the gratefulness and [01:11:00] gratitude and like being able to find that in any situation that you're in.

[01:11:03] Marc Preston: Oh, I'm, I'm in that. I'm r- really catching myself during the day. Every time I say I have to or I need to or I, I... And this is like a weird thing I've... In the last couple weeks I'm like, "I'm saying that more than I should. I should be saying I get to," as opposed to I have to. Yeah. You know? Uh, I love, Tommi, what you said.

[01:11:20] Marc Preston: It is know who you are. Yeah. I don't care what age you are. Sometimes it's, uh- Yeah ... you know, depending on the people you're around, you can call, kind of fall out of phase of where your center line is. You know what I mean? And, and re- Yeah ... reminding yourself of that every day is, I think, mission critical for, a- as a, as a practice for a young person, especially a young lady, you know?

[01:11:41] Marc Preston: To, to tell your, you know- Mm-hmm ... don't let the world define you. You gotta tell how- Yep. I once had a, uh... I do a lot of voiceover. And I had a coach in LA once about 25 years ago. She said, "You gotta tell the world how to feel about you." You know? And I kinda- Mm-hmm ... I kinda, and that's when I coach, uh, talent now.

[01:11:56] Marc Preston: That, that's one of the things I do is like, "You gotta, you gotta tell your story, man." [01:12:00] And, um, but-

[01:12:01] Tommi Rose: Yeah ...

[01:12:01] Marc Preston: but I think, I think you've done a remarkably cool job at telling your story, uh, you know, both, uh-

[01:12:06] Tommi Rose: Thank you ...

[01:12:07] Marc Preston: I'm going to get that dirt recipe for you, from you s- one way or another. I'm gonna go... You know?

[01:12:12] Marc Preston: That's-

[01:12:12] Tommi Rose: Give me a truth serum.

[01:12:13] Marc Preston: Like,

[01:12:14] Tommi Rose: get it out somehow.

[01:12:16] Marc Preston: Yeah. You know, I'd love to see what that police report looks like. It's like, "Okay, why did you sedate this person?" "Well, they have this recipe, man." You know?

[01:12:22] Tommi Rose: Yeah. She wouldn't stop talking about it. What was I gonna do?

[01:12:25] Marc Preston: But, uh, Tommi, this has been, uh, this has been a real pleasure for me, and I, I, I'm excited to see- This was so great

[01:12:32] Marc Preston: uh, The Devil's Mouth. Absolutely. I, well-

[01:12:34] Tommi Rose: Yeah. Thank you. Please ...

[01:12:35] Marc Preston: best of luck to you, and, uh, you know, I really do hope- Thank you ... we have an opportunity to, uh, hopefully, uh, connect down the line at some point in time.

[01:12:42] Tommi Rose: Yeah. Yeah, 100%. This was so lovely. Thank you for talking with me today.

[01:12:48] Marc Preston: All right, there you go.

[01:12:49] Marc Preston: Tommi Rose. Chill, fun, enjoyed the conversation. The new film you can check her out in, it is called The Devil's Mouth. It is on Prime Video right now. Saw it the [01:13:00] other day. Uh, it- it's a fun ride. It is a fun film. Watched it, uh, with my daughter, Emma, just the other day. Uh, do me a favor if you would. Make sure to head to storyandcraftpod.com.

[01:13:11] Marc Preston: Everything you could possibly want to know about the show, past guests, past episodes, it's all right there. Also, uh, if you would, do me a small favor and follow Story and Craft, whatever platform you use, uh, whether it be, uh, Apple or Spotify or, uh, YouTube even. Make sure to like the episode, follow the show, helps people to find it, which is always really cool, and I appreciate it.

[01:13:33] Marc Preston: Uh, okay, I'm gonna get on out of here. I want you to do me a favor and have a great rest of your week or weekend. Hey, whatever you're up to. As I always say, thank you very, very much for making, uh, what I got going on here part of whatever you've got going on. It does mean a lot to me. And, uh, we'll be back shortly.

[01:13:48] Marc Preston: Got another episode coming up, so check it out. Uh, but you take care of yourself, and, uh, we will talk soon right here on Story and Craft.

[01:13:57] Announcer: That's it for this episode of Story and Craft. [01:14:00] Join Marc next week for more conversation right here on Story and Craft. Story and Craft is a presentation of Marc Preston Productions, LLC.

[01:14:09] Announcer: Executive producer is Marc Preston. Associate producer is 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

[01:14:27] Announcer: the know. Just head to storyandcraftpod.com and sign up for the newsletter. I'm Emma Dylan. See you next time, and remember, keep telling your story.