Interviews
A Chat with Ashley Williams (”Novel Adventures”)Posted by Will Harris of premiumhollywood.com
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Even though she spent her youth as a cast member of “As the World Turns,” it never occurred to Ashley Williams that, after going to school and getting her theater degree, she’d be able to come out to Los Angeles and get cast in the first show for which she auditioned. But that’s what happened, and that’s how she burst onto the scene as the female lead in NBC’s “Good Morning, Miami.” It wasn’t necessarily the greatest experience for her, given her lack of a comedic background, but it was certainly a learning experience…and what she basically learned was that, all things being equal, she’d rather not have to deal with the hassle of carrying a series on her shoulders. Since then, she’s been picking and choosing smaller parts at her leisure - you may have seen her on “Monk” or “Psych” or her stint in Season 1 of “How I Met Your Mother” - and, most recently, she’s been having a ball as part of the ensemble of CBS’s original online series, “Novel Adventures,” about a decidedly unique book club. We spoke with Ashley about how much fun it was to film the series, how she found her way into her current method of choosing roles, and whether she’d be willing to be the “Mother” if she was asked.
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Bullz-Eye: Hello?
Ashley Williams: Is that Will?
Bullz-Eye: It is!
Ashley Williams: (Exhales deeply) Oh, my gosh. First of all, I didn’t even know if my phone called to the 757 area code! So that’s the first victory of this conversation…
Bullz-Eye: Nobody ever knows where it is, but it’s in Virginia.
Ashley Williams: Sweet! How did I just call Virginia on this phone? This phone is for, like, only calling 911.
Bullz-Eye: (Laughs) I don’t know.
Ashley Williams: That’s amazing!
Bullz-Eye: Well, congratulations.
Ashley Williams: (Giggles) Sweet! So can I call my parents on this phone, too?
Bullz-Eye: I don’t know, but…let’s say, “Maybe.”
Ashley Williams: (Laughs) Well, hi, I’m Ashley!
Bullz-Eye: Hey! It’s great to talk to you!
Ashley Williams: And, you, too. I’m sorry I’m eight minutes late.
Bullz-Eye: That’s quite all right. I work at home, so I have plenty to keep me occupied.
Ashley Williams: My dad works at home, too. He’s a writer. I remember the first time my dad was going to work at home. He was working for a magazine as well, and he got up really early and…he put on a suit.
Bullz-Eye: Force of habit?
Ashley Williams: No, he was just, like, “I’m gonna go to work now!” And he went into the office in his suit.
Bullz-Eye: Pretty much the only fashion rule of thumb that my wife requires is that I wear a pants.
Ashley Williams: (Bursts into laughter) That’s a good rule!
Bullz-Eye: “It’s a slippery slope,” she says. And she’s right. First, you’re, like, Okay, maybe just pajamas today.” And then it’s, “Well, no-one’s gonna see me, so, really, I could wear my boxers and a t-shirt.” So she said, “Sweetie, just don’t even start down that road. At the very least, you need to always be wearing pants.”
Ashley Williams: (Laughs) Well, that’s comforting to know that you’re wearing pants right now.
Bullz-Eye: It is, I’m sure. I would’ve done it for you, anyway, but just for the record, it really is a regular thing. So, moving on, how did you first come to be approached about “Novel Adventures”? Because, y’know, to be blunt, it’s kind of a rarity for a network to produce an original web series featuring actors that you actually recognize.
Ashley Williams: Yeah! It’s so interesting in hindsight, because Jonathan Prince is a friend of mine. I think we met at a freaking party…like, ten years ago, maybe. I don’t even know for sure how we met. But he’s a buddy of mine, and he basically got in touch with me and was, like, “Do you want to do this?” And it was laid out like this: it’s seven days of work, it’s adorable, and it’s sort of a pilot. And a pilot is a proposal of a new TV show, and… (Hesitates) …and, yeah, you already know everything.
Bullz-Eye: Well…
Ashley Williams: You do! (Laughs) So the theory was that if we got a good response, we could turn it into a TV show, so it was basically a pilot. And for people like me, who basically do pilots for a living and then they don’t get picked up…which is fine. (Laughs) I was, like, “Oh, hey, add another pilot to the pile!” But, yeah, that was the thinking behind it. And I read it, and…and it really is adorable!
Bullz-Eye: Yeah, the adjective “cute” is used a lot in the reviews I’ve seen.
Ashley Williams: Ooooooh. They’ve reviewed it…?
Bullz-Eye: Well, I’ve seen a couple of things online.
Ashley Williams: Oh, my God, that makes me want to throw up. I have to go look now.
Bullz-Eye: Don’t worry, the one I’m specifically referring to basically said, “It’s cute. I can’t necessarily tell you that I’d watch it, but I know my mother would, because she’s already sent me two E-mails about it.”
Ashley Williams: Oh, my God, that’s the perfect review. That’s great! I don’t think I’ve ever gotten such a good review in my whole life! (Laughs) But, yeah, anyway, it was seven days of work, and it turned out that I’ve never had so much fun shooting something in my entire life, because…I think there was just this element of disorganization which created an atmosphere of total haphazard creativity that was just sort of magical. I never could’ve anticipated it. Usually, when you work in TV, everything is sort of metered, and the days are planned within an inch of their lives. But on this, we were flying by the seat of our pants as a group.
Bullz-Eye: It definitely seems very loose and freewheeling, like you had a basic concept and the director just said, “Okay, run with it.”
Ashley Willams: Definitely. It was very much the kind of set where I could just ask, “Hey, can I put this funny hat on?” (Laughs) Or I’d say, “I don’t really think it’s funny,” and they’d say, “Well, let’s see!” Usually, everything is so planned, but because of the way this was, I actually said to JP, Jonathan Prince, “If this ever gets picked up again and we come back to this, and it’s more organized than it is right now, I’m quitting.” (Laughs)
Bullz-Eye: So at what point did it evolve from being a pilot into being a web series?
Ashley Williams: Well, it was always a web series, but the web series was going to serve as a pilot. And from there, we’d see what level of interest there was. That’s how that worked. But none of us actually went into it, thinking, “Oh, this is a pilot.” It was much more thinking, “This is seven days of a really fun little script, and it’ll be online.”
Bullz-Eye: I know that my wife would sympathize with the problem of a book club that’s way over-intellectualized. She loves to read, but when people start spouting off about the subtext or whatever, it’s, like, “Yeah, look, I just liked the book. Can’t we just talk about that?”
Ashley Williams: Exactly!
Bullz-Eye: So are you the kind of person who would join a book club yourself, or would it have to be closer to the one in the series? (Laughs)
Ashley Williams: No, I definitely have been a member of a book club, but…I find, actually, interestingly enough, that the book club that I most thrive on is literally when I’m just sitting with my friends, talking about our lives, and just ask, “What are you reading right now?” And then we’ll just sort of discuss. But even then, it’s not really a dissection of protagonist, antagonist, and story arc. It’s, like, “Could you put it down?” That’s the basic question. Could you put it down? How long did it take you to read it, and where were you when you read it? (Laughs) But, yeah, every time I’m talking to any of my friends, the question of “what are you reading right now?” always comes up. And that’s a book club for me, you know what I mean?
Bullz-Eye: Absolutely. Of course, it begs the question, “What are you reading right now?”
Ashley Williams: Oh, what am *I* reading right now? I’m reading Sisters and Lovers. I read it in high school, and…it’s the favorite book of a person who’s very close to me, so I wanted to read it again. And I love it! But then I learn that it’s impossible to read if you’re going through a phase in your life when you’re really tired all the time… (Laughs) …like I have been! Every time I sit down to read, I read 20 pages, and then I fall asleep for an hour! It’s like I can’t read unless I’m fully rested, because it’s sort of a way of…like, your body relaxes, you calm down, you start to focus on something, and if you’re really hungry, your body will be, “We need food.” If you’re really tired, your body will go, “We’re going to take you to sleep for a little while.” It’s a good way of checking in with what your body needs… (Laughs) …because it’s a form of relaxation.
Bullz-Eye: Yes, many times I’ve walked into the bedroom to find my wife sound asleep with a book in front of her.
Ashley Williams: Oh, yeah! Completely! But that actually means that the book served its purpose for a little while. It’s nothing to do with the book. It just means that she was able to relax enough to realize that, “Wow, sleep is what I really need right now.”
Bullz-Eye: So, y’know, I realize “Novel Adventures” is a collaborative effort between CBS and Saturn, but I have to admit that I’ve occasionally laughed out loud at the long, lingering glances by the camera at the car.
Ashley Williams: (Laughs) Uh-huh. Yeah, it’s pretty funny. Those were definitely added in editing, because none of us were looking at the car…although we continued to say, “Do you think we’ll get a free car out of this?” (Laughs) “If this is a big success, what kind of car do you think we’ll get?” But, yeah, pilots are extremely expensive, and what they said was, “If we feature Saturn cars, we’ll pay for the whole shebang.” But it’s funny because those long, lingering shots of the Saturn weren’t in the script. They were added. Which I fully support. (Laughs) But I have been getting a lot of E-mails from cousins and friends who I don’t check in with on a weekly basis to say “what’s up,” and they’re saying, “I love your new Saturn commercial!” Which is a compliment, really.
Bullz-Eye: Yeah, I think the only line that was overt enough to really make me laugh was when your character’s husband – who’s a Saturn dealer, of course – offered up the really detailed line about the vehicle’s safety features.
Ashley Williams: (Laughs) Yeah, it’s interesting, because on “30 Rock,” they’re pretty graceful about it and actually make it into a joke.
Bullz-Eye: And, granted, that line I mention certainly felt like it was a wink at the viewer. But even so, I just went, “Oh, man…”
Ashley Williams: Yeah. But it was so fun, though!
Bullz-Eye: I guess it will not surprise you that my favorite episode of the bunch was “Bare Essentials.”
Ashley Williams: Which one was that?
Bullz-Eye: The one where the girls try out the stripper pole.
Ashley Williams: Oh, my God, I haven’t watched it!
Bullz-Eye: Well, you know, as a guy, it’s only inevitable that it would be my favorite.
Ashley Williams: This is the moment when I appreciate that you’re wearing pants. (Cackles)
Bullz-Eye: Exactly. And, oh, man, is that a pull quote.
Ashley Williams: (Laughs) Oh, my gosh, I have to go watch it! Has it aired? I mean, is it on CBS.com?
Bullz-Eye: Yeah, it’s on the site. It’s the most recent episode…and I should know, because I just watched all of them in one sitting.
Ashley Williams: That sounds tiring.
Bullz-Eye: (Laughs) I’m kind of overdosing on cuteness. I feel like I should go watch “Rambo” or something.
Ashley Williams: Or go eat some raw meat. (Laughs) I really need to go watch that, though. It was funny because, about three weeks before we shot that, my friend and I decided to go take a class at S Factor, where that was shot, and we took, like, an intro class. Basically, we learned all of this stuff, and then we did the exact same thing. I walked in, and I knew the area, I knew the basics of what they were talking about. It did not mean that I was any more graceful than the next guy, but I was sort of the expert. (Laughs)
Bullz-Eye: Like I said, the reviews mentioned that it was “cute,” but would you say that it’s fair to call it a “girls show”?
Ashley Williams: I don’t know, it’s a tough one to answer. I mean, it’s about a group of women, but what I think is interesting about it is that the cadence of the conversation is pretty accurate. It’s pretty true to life. So…I don’t know, I’ve heard a lot of guys say things like, “You don’t understand: when you need a guy to know something, you just need to tell him what he needs to know. There’s no guessing with guys.” And I think there’s a certain nuance among women where there’s a look in your eye which says a lot, and then you go, “Oh, my God, what?” And it’s kind of important. For a guy who wants to sort of figure out what happens with women…I mean, honestly, when me and three of my friends are talking, you wouldn’t be able to record it, because it’s kind of too dirty. There’s always something that’s very inappropriate…and it wouldn’t even be appropriate for the web! So it’s like what’s on the web series, except that in reality it’s probably about times three, basically, in terms of honesty and levity. Which isn’t always a good thing. It’s actually one of the things that drives me crazy about women. Oh, my gosh, I’m all over the place right now. (Laughs) What I’m trying to say is that it’s pretty true to life for women, so that would appeal to women because it’s approximately what would happen if a group of girls were to get together. And one thing a guy could get from it is to have a little window into what happens when they aren’t around. But, again, I want everyone to bear in mind that when girls are together, it’s…it’s a little bit more obscene. (Laughs) I don’t mean, like, we’re naked. I just mean it’s very, very honest. And there’s usually wine involved. And there’s a lot of laughter and confession.
Bullz-Eye: I think the best part of that answer was that you had to clarify that there’s not nudity involved.
Ashley Williams: (Laughs) It’s a theme in my life. For the record, no-one is naked!
Bullz-Eye: FYI.
Ashley Williams: FYI. (Laughs) Actually, that’s not true. Often, there is nudity. Well, not often… (Laughs)
Bullz-Eye: That’s just titillating enough to be the perfect answer.
Ashley Williams: Okay, perfect. That’s all I’m going for. (Cackles)
Bullz-Eye: So you’re not really a stranger to the so-called women’s genre. You were in “Side Order of Life” on Lifetime, and you were in the adaptation of Nora Robbins’ “Montana Sky.” Do you think of yourself as a girly-girl?
Ashley Williams: No. (Laughs) Not even close.
Bullz-Eye: To be fair, I wrote that question before I started talking to you.
Ashley Williams: (Laughs) Yeah, I’m not very…what’s funny is that I keep on trying. I have this whole basket of different kinds of perfumes that I’ve collected over the years, and it’s in my bathroom, but I never put them on. I actually have a really ornate and organized bathroom, but unless I have an audition, I don’t even venture into the makeup area. I just moved into this apartment, but my bedroom is really organized, I have a dresser drawer full of jeans, and then I have a closet full of t-shirts…and then I have *a* purse. (Laughs)
Bullz-Eye: There’s nothing wrong with that.
Ashley Williams: I keep trying! I have a bunch of dresses in another closet, but I never wear them! So, yeah, I’m always sort of working on that, but it’s not going very well. (Laughs)
Bullz-Eye: I just wanted to ask you a couple of questions about some other things you’ve done. When you did “Good Morning, Miami,” you clearly suffered through the slings and arrows of critics on that one…
Ashley Williams: Uh, yeah. (Laughs)
Bullz-Eye: …but was it worth it just to be able to work with Suzanne Pleshette?
Ashley Williams: Oh, gosh, she’s amazing. Every time I stop and think about the fact that I got to work with her, y’know, I really need to take a moment and appreciate the bizarre path that an acting career will take. She’s pretty amazing. She told so many stories and was so full of life, and she was really a champion of telling us what was okay and what wasn’t in terms of how actors are treated and how we were feeling on the set. She was dynamite.
Bullz-Eye: How did you enjoy working on the show as a whole? Because you had been predominantly doing soap opera work prior to that, and then here you were on a sitcom.
Ashley Williams: Yeah, I had been on “As the World Turns,” and then I went to college, to theatre school. And after I got out of theatre school, I did a little bit of theatre in New York and then came out to L.A. for pilot season. “Good Morning, Miami” was my first audition, and I got it, and then…the last time I’d really been part of a group had been in theatre, so I was really startled by a lot of what happens. Like, if you went to the bathroom, someone would wire over to the first assistant director that you were in the bathroom…whereas, in a play, everyone needs to fend for themselves, and if you step out, you’d better get back quick. And I was always trying to be in charge of all of my props, but they’ve got a guy in charge of that who, literally, his job is to hand you your props before you walk onstage. So there were things like that which I was amazed by, and it was hard to relax into. There was that aspect, and also I suddenly had money, which was very startling, because I always assumed I would come to L.A., wait tables for six years, and then get married. (Laughs) But, yeah, suddenly I had money, and suddenly I had this life that I’d never anticipated. And what’s interesting about sitcoms is that it’s actually pretty close to Shakespeare, in a weird way. The punctuation is very important, the word choice is very exact, and there’s a real rhythm, the same way there is with Shakespeare. That was the only part that seemed to make any sense to me, but sometimes I couldn’t…there’s a real science to sending up a joke and landing it, and I was being thrown into it on a daily basis. The learning curve was so high that I would often just panic and say, “I don’t know what I’m doing!” And it ended up being an incredibly hard job, one where I felt like often it was more important how I looked than whether or not I could send up the joke, which I couldn’t even do in the first place, y’know? (Laughs) So I was a little bit at sea during that whole time. Fortunately, the cast was so supportive and so amazing, and they really tried to help me.
Bullz-Eye: So, now, was your sister (Kimberly Williams) working on her sitcom (“According to Jim”) at the same time?
Ashley Williams: Actually, she was filming it on the same lot, and I remember one time… (Starts to laugh) …this is so funny, and we were just talking about this the other day, but I called her and said, “I’ve got this joke, and I have no idea how to say it.” And she said, “Wait, I have 10 minutes right now.” “Oh, my God, come over!” So she pulls up in her car, outside of our soundstage, and I got in her car. The windows were open, and I was, like, “Close the windows!” And we turned up the music, I said, “Okay, here’s the joke.” And it was like having a lifeline when you’re on “Who Wants To Be Millionaire,” because I had fifteen seconds to ask the question, and she had five seconds to answer it before she had to go. But the joke was that I had to say, “I’ve got this heater that’s broken, and every time I turn it on, it makes this sound,” and then I had to make the sound of the heater…and I was trying to figure out what the funniest sound would be for a broken heater! And it was the most bizarre thing, because we sat there, just trying to make sounds, and it just ended up with the two of us making sounds. I’d make one, and I’d say, “Was that funny?” “No.” (Laughs) It was this orchestra, this chorus of weird sounds, everything from a monstrous rumble to a songbird chirping, coming out of this car, so thank God the windows were closed! Needless to say, I went in and bombed the joke… (Laughs) …which was a regular occurrence. And the entire time on “Good Morning, Miami” was made up of moments like that, where I’d be going, “Is that funny? Oh, I don’t think that’s funny. Okay, is this funny?” The bottom line is that, when “Good Morning, Miami” ended, I felt kind of stupid. I just felt pretty dumb and untalented. And, so, I just quit acting. I decided that I was going to go and teach the relationship between Shakespeare and sitcoms, which I thought was a really interesting idea. So I got this job up in Santa Clarita where I was teaching improv, and then I was sort of teaching ethics…wait, not ethics! (Laughs) Oh, God. I mean the rules of improv. God, the ethics of improv…? I can’t even imagine. I’m just talking about, like, the basics of improv. And…oh, man! Hang on, my alarm is going off…
Bullz-Eye: No problem.
Ashley Williams: (Leaves for a moment, then returns) Don’t worry, I know exactly where I am in this story. So I’m teaching this class, and I loved it, but they said, “If you want to be a full-time teacher, you’re going to have to get your teaching degree.” And I’m, like, “Whaaaaaaat?” (Laughs) And they’re, like, “Yeah, we’re gonna have to have you do English and Theatre.” So that news is delivered to me at basically the same time I started to realize that I wasn’t going to make even remotely the same amount of money as a teacher, which was a novel idea. And right around that time, the same week, I got offered “Snow,” which was a Christmas movie, for, like, a big bundle of money. And, suddenly, I’m, like, “Wait, if I could figure out how to do both…” Because I’d already tried professionally working, and I don’t like it, but if I could do this 20-day shoot, then I could live happily and not want for anything, and I could still teach. But then I got up there and started shooting “Snow,” and it was so much fun, because it wasn’t about trying to be funny. It was just a fun, adorable little Christmas movie, and my only job, really, was to be heartwarming. And I was, like, “I am all over this!” (Laughs) So I got back from shooting “Snow,” and I found myself thinking that I might want to try being an actress again, but I didn’t want that pressure of having to be funny or the pressure of having to carry a show. I wanted it to be a little bit down-scale. And ever since then, I have taken jobs that were of a really low stress level, where I really felt at home and knew I could do well. And I think that’s the difference between my career now and my career back then. I really enjoy smaller parts in things. I really enjoy being able to play a scene for real and not just for comedy…although, now, I’m very at home in comedy. It’s just been awhile. But, yeah, I basically just decided to only do parts that I thought would be a hoot. (Laughs) That’s my career plan. Anything beyond that, I might just not be the best person for it. And I’ve been happy with that. Really, really happy. And I’ve been able to pull off this sort of steady career, which is a miracle!
Bullz-Eye: I know you said you’ve done a lot of pilots that haven’t necessarily taken off. Is there one in particular that would’ve made you the happiest if it had taken off?
Ashley Williams: I did this pilot called “Night Life” that Zach Braff directed, and his brother Adam wrote it. I played a wife, and…it’s so interesting, because I turned 30, and even just a year ago, I was suddenly being considered for the mom parts. And I was playing the mother of a nine-year-old kid in this pilot! I was sort of, like, “Wow, this is a strange place…” But I loved this pilot. I thought it was amazing. David Denman was the lead, and I played his wife, and it was about a man who becomes an EMT and is out in an ambulance, helping people and saving people’s lives, bringing them into the hospital. It had this amazing sort of pace to it, and it was exciting and moving and terrifying, and I loved it. I loved that project. I really thought it was going to get picked up. But you know how it is. You find out that it’s not picked up, and then…I needed to cry for about three days, and then I was okay. (Laughs) But that was one of my favorites.
Bullz-Eye: I’ve got one more for you, and then I’ll let you go. You mentioned how you’ve started to be considered for mother roles. If you got the call from Carter Bays and Craig Thomas…
Ashley Williams: (Starts to laugh) You’re funny.
Bullz-Eye: …and they said, “Hey, we decided: you’re the mother,” would you go back to “How I Met Your Mother”? Hypothetically speaking, of course.
Ashley Williams: Oh, of course. And, yeah, I…this is the funny thing…I’m not really in a position to turn down any job right now. (Laughs) Not financially, not confidence-wise. Just like everybody else in the middle of this recession, I would love to be able to proceed with my life as planned, and I would like to buy a house and have children and son, so, really, when any job comes along, within reason, I’m going to take it. Within reason. (Laughs) “How I Met Your Mother” is such a fun, low-grade roller coaster. What I mean by that is, it doesn’t ever really terrify you, but it has so many hills and valleys, and it’s so much fun. I remember that, in the first two episodes I did, I asked them, “Do you guys know what you’re going to do?” And they’re, like, “We’re not totally sure yet.” And I don’t know if they were lying, but…that’s the thing about them. They either have an amazing plan, or they don’t and they’re just pulling off something mysterious brilliantly. But, gosh, yeah, of course I’d go back!
Bullz-Eye: I take it that it was fun doing the show, then.
Ashley Williams: It was great, yeah.
Bullz-Eye: Well, I don’t want to take up your entire morning, but it’s been great talking to you!
Ashley Williams: Oh, no, this has been great! Thank you so much! But…when you put it on the site, can you take out the word “like” as much as you can? Otherwise, my dad’s gonna kill me!
Bullz-Eye: I promise I’ll take out at least some of them.
Ashley Williams: Just make me sound smart. And make me sound pretty, too! (Laughs)
Bullz-Eye: As if you need my assistance for that.
Ashley Williams: (Giggles) Okay, have a great day!
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OCTOBER 23, 2007
Website: connectsavannah.com/gyrobase/Conte...d=oid%3A3274
Film Festival: Brad Paisley, poop star
Numero Dos takes an irreverent look at tour etiquette
BY JIM MOREKIS
FOR A FIVE-MINUTE SHORT about finding a toilet, Numero Dos certainly boasts an interesting — and complicated — pedigree.The “plot” concerns the efforts of a roadie for country superstar Brad Paisley to find a restroom, because according to an ancient unwritten rule of the road, “you just don’t go number two on a tour bus.” Country stars don’t generally have a large presence at film festivals, to put it kindly. But they do when they’re married to a sitcom star (Kimberly Williams-Paisley of According to Jim) whose sister Ashley Williams is an established actress in her own right (Good Morning Miami, Law and Order, Montana Sky). Kim wrote and directed Numero Dos, with Jay Williams as the guy looking for a place to go "numero dos." Brad has a small role in the film and composed and performed the score.
Unfortunately we didn’t get a chance to speak to Brad or Kim. But we did talk to Ashley Williams and her significant other, Neal Dodson, Numero Dos producer, who works at Warner Brothers in his other life.
You’ve made a film about taking a dump. What sicko came up with that idea?
Ashley Williams: We were definitely at a dinner and definitely drinking some wine. That was part of the excitement and the inspiration (laughs).
Neal Dodson: For the inspiration, I actually have to give credit to Mr. Paisley. Brad told us a story over dinner one night, a country urban legend — so I guess it’s a “rural legend,” if you will — about an unwritten rule on tour buses that you can’t do number two. You just don’t do that on the bus, it’s too close quarters to risk it.
He told us this story of a guy who was basically being tortured by being told he couldn’t do it, and he was trying to find a usable toilet. In the film there’s a little twist on the end. So I suppose you could chalk it up to the real-life experiences of Brad Paisley.
Ashley Williams: We were laughing so hard. It was definitely one of those roundtable, wonderful dinners that lasts three hours. That was the inception, the moment of genius (laughs).
From what I hear since, possibly inspired by the film, Brad is upgrading to a really fancy bus now. So now you really can do number two on it. I guess that’s a sign you’ve really made it, when you can afford a bus that allows you to do number two (laughs). At some point you have to make the transition from dinner table to film set. How did that come about?
Ashley Williams: At that point Kim had just finished doing Shade for the festival circuit, an 11-minute piece about somebody with a serious disease who can’t go outside in the sun. Let’s say it’s a pretty sobering movie (laughs). So when she was done with that she was like, can’t I do something funny?
It’s all been very hands-on doing this little project, but we really tried to keep it light. Which meant don’t spend a ton of money. We didn’t even have a clapboard. I would stand in front of a camera and say, “Scene three, take six,” and clap my hands. Of course the whole time just laughing.
Neal Dodson: The old bald guy that leans in the bathroom at the end, that’s my dad. The woman at the concert in the credits, that’s my mother. The bus driver is one of Brad’s bus drivers. The whole thing was done for a dime over a weekend of riding the bus around in Texas, Nashville and New Orleans.
Ashley Williams: Kim and our brother were the ones who edited it. It took a year to edit, mainly because we were so unorganized about the shots. It was very haphazard, and we had to do a lot of work in post. So that was the first time that “fix it in post” actually worked (laughs).
It was always just a hoot to us. The first time we watched it we were just falling on floor and laughing. Then we figured why not have a comedy short, and just send it out and see what happens just for fun?
And it’s actually been an incredible success. I guess it’s sort of refreshing for people to watch a short that’s not trying to do a very in-depth job.You guys sound like one fun family.
Ashley Williams: We do have a lot of fun. We laugh a lot together.
I don’t follow country music closely, but it seems like Brad Paisley isn’t the typical country star.
Neal Dodson: For sure, he’s not. Full disclosure here, I didn’t know a heck of a lot about country music either before I started dating Ashley. When I came into the family I didn’t know a whole hell of a lot about country or Brad either. I’ve gotten to travel with him on the road a little bit. He’s an unbelievably talented guy. Aside from being a superstar he’s a real phenom on the guitar. His concerts are very video and film-driven. His new concert set incorporates video and special effects. All the risers are made out of amps, and the front of the amps become televisions.
But Brad’s music is on the more traditional side. His musicianship comes out of real respect for country music. So he has a Mac and an iPhone and animates and does film, but his musical roots are very much based in tradition.
Brad Paisley is an animator?
Ashley Williams: He does his own animation for his music videos, and he often edits own music videos. He stays up all night on his computer, he’s a total night owl. He’s a lot more creatively involved than really he has to be, and because of that I think that’s a big reason why he’s so successful.
Neal Dodson: One of his videos is directed by and stars Jason Alexander, from Seinfeld. His videos are always fun and almost more like short films than videos.
Of course he does the music for Numero Dos.
Neal Dodson: Yeah, there’s no real lyrics, it’s more like film score music. It’s all played by him. It’s not a single with lyrics, it’s not something where people will say, “Oh my God, that’s a Brad Paisley song.” There’s one track that sounds more like elevator music. One thing is an organ-driven hymn, sort of at the ultimate moment of the film, called “Dark Victory” (laughs.) At the end you’ll see him play a song in concert. It finishes with him in some great concert footage.
Is Brad interested in making any more films with you guys?.
Neal Dodson: We haven’t discussed it with him. Certainly it’s possible. He loves music and has no desire to act, aside from playing himself for a brief second. He’s humble enough to not want everything to revolve around him. Of course in the world of country music there’s a plethora of stories waiting to be told. I think we’re looking to tell other stories from that world.
Is Numero Dos a better film because you all have established careers and can be so loose about it?
Ashley Williams: You mean it’s almost like at this point we don’t have as much to prove? Well, by no means have any of us completely landed where we ultimately want to be professionally. We’re always striving to get to the next level.I guess the thing that’s happened is Kim and Brad have money (laughs)! That puts us in a completely different situation. We can afford to sit there at dinner for three hours as opposed to how it was when I was in school. But, yeah, Numero Dos is my ticket to Hollywood (laughs)!
So what other projects are you doing now, Ashley?
Ashley Williams: I’m babysitting for my nephew, actually. That’s a huge project (laughs). He’s napping upstairs now, so it’s going really well. I’m doing the audition game these days. I have to convince people I’m awesome (laughs)! Frankly I kind of love auditioning, it’s hysterical to me.
If nothing else, you can always continue to make movies about bodily functions.
Ashley Williams: Oh, I can totally keep doing that (laughs). Yeah, we’ll see ya next year in Savannah for Fart Time!