Reyn Doi on Ozzie's Journey and What to Expect in Season 2 of 'That '90s Show' Part 3

[00:00:09] [SPEAKER_00]: Reyn, thank you for joining me today on Pop Culture Unplugged.

[00:00:15] [SPEAKER_00]: Thank you.

[00:00:17] [SPEAKER_00]: Exciting times.

[00:00:18] [SPEAKER_00]: We just heard the news.

[00:00:20] [SPEAKER_00]: Part 3 coming out mid-August.

[00:00:22] [SPEAKER_00]: We're supposed to get in October.

[00:00:23] [SPEAKER_00]: How excited about that?

[00:00:25] [SPEAKER_00]: The fans are excited.

[00:00:26] [SPEAKER_00]: I've been reading online.

[00:00:29] [SPEAKER_01]: I know.

[00:00:29] [SPEAKER_01]: Very excited.

[00:00:32] [SPEAKER_01]: This was unexpected even for us as the cats have the episode they were dropping earlier.

[00:00:36] [SPEAKER_01]: Two months earlier.

[00:00:38] [SPEAKER_01]: No, I'm really excited to see it.

[00:00:39] [SPEAKER_01]: I think it helps to have a closer release date.

[00:00:42] [SPEAKER_01]: I think October is a little long for the fans to wait.

[00:00:45] [SPEAKER_01]: I think since we released at the end of June and August is a perfect time.

[00:00:51] [SPEAKER_00]: The fans love Ozzy.

[00:00:53] [SPEAKER_00]: What can they expect from you from Part 3 now?

[00:00:56] [SPEAKER_00]: What can you tease about him?

[00:00:59] [SPEAKER_01]: Part 3.

[00:01:00] [SPEAKER_01]: Let's see Ozzy.

[00:01:01] [SPEAKER_01]: Definitely.

[00:01:02] [SPEAKER_01]: He has a new friend.

[00:01:04] [SPEAKER_01]: I'll just say he has a new friend in the group.

[00:01:09] [SPEAKER_01]: He definitely strengthens his bond with the bros.

[00:01:12] [SPEAKER_01]: We call it the bros, all the boys in the cast.

[00:01:15] [SPEAKER_01]: Then you see him just get into a lot of shenanigans like always.

[00:01:19] [SPEAKER_00]: There you go.

[00:01:21] [SPEAKER_00]: In Part 2 also, I wrote this down because I wanted to start off with this.

[00:01:24] [SPEAKER_00]: You had a great scene with Kitty Foreman about your character coming out and everything.

[00:01:29] [SPEAKER_00]: How did you approach that scene?

[00:01:31] [SPEAKER_00]: What was it like filming it?

[00:01:34] [SPEAKER_01]: Well, we pre-taped some scenes and then we filmed some of the scenes live.

[00:01:38] [SPEAKER_01]: That scene was actually live in front of the audience.

[00:01:41] [SPEAKER_01]: It was a very heavy scene for such a light comedy show.

[00:01:48] [SPEAKER_01]: But I think those scenes are necessary because it is real life.

[00:01:51] [SPEAKER_01]: It's realistic for Ozzy.

[00:01:55] [SPEAKER_01]: What was like, I think Deborah Jo being my scene partner in that scene definitely helped

[00:01:59] [SPEAKER_01]: a lot.

[00:02:00] [SPEAKER_01]: And she adds so much to the scene.

[00:02:02] [SPEAKER_01]: And I feel like we just have such good chemistry.

[00:02:04] [SPEAKER_00]: I can tell and I can see from other interviews also that she's like a mother figure to you.

[00:02:08] [SPEAKER_00]: Like she loves you for what I can see.

[00:02:10] [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, yeah.

[00:02:12] [SPEAKER_00]: That's amazing.

[00:02:13] [SPEAKER_00]: So with the 90s show and everything, we got a unique mix of nostalgia, new elements.

[00:02:21] [SPEAKER_00]: How do you feel about being part of a series that connects both with the older

[00:02:24] [SPEAKER_00]: fans from the 70s show and now with the new generation as well?

[00:02:28] [SPEAKER_01]: I feel honored to even be a part of this show to begin with.

[00:02:33] [SPEAKER_01]: As a cast, we always talk about is like we're continuing that 70 shows legacy with adding

[00:02:41] [SPEAKER_01]: new characters, like a new generation of kids, but also making it our own.

[00:02:46] [SPEAKER_01]: And I think you definitely see that this season, last season, we definitely relied

[00:02:50] [SPEAKER_01]: on the appearances of Mila and Ashton and so far in the first eight episodes

[00:02:56] [SPEAKER_01]: that came out like a couple of months ago.

[00:02:58] [SPEAKER_01]: You see that, you know, you'll see Laura and Tommy Chong coming back as Leo

[00:03:02] [SPEAKER_01]: and Don Star coming back as Bob.

[00:03:04] [SPEAKER_01]: But I feel like definitely we've become our own now.

[00:03:09] [SPEAKER_00]: I guess yeah. Now with Ozzy, how would you describe like his journey now

[00:03:13] [SPEAKER_00]: from season one now going to these parts and like how much

[00:03:15] [SPEAKER_00]: do you think he's grown into the series?

[00:03:18] [SPEAKER_01]: I think he's grown.

[00:03:19] [SPEAKER_01]: I well, he looks a lot different.

[00:03:23] [SPEAKER_01]: He's grown a lot.

[00:03:24] [SPEAKER_01]: I'll say it's been a year, 95 to 96.

[00:03:28] [SPEAKER_01]: So I think obviously the group's dynamic has definitely changed.

[00:03:32] [SPEAKER_01]: And because of that, him as as a person, as an individual, he's he's evolved.

[00:03:38] [SPEAKER_01]: And I think he's gotten more vulnerable with a lot of the people

[00:03:41] [SPEAKER_01]: he wasn't vulnerable with.

[00:03:43] [SPEAKER_00]: But I like about Ozzy is like his humor and quick wit.

[00:03:47] [SPEAKER_00]: How much of that comes from you or you get to improvise?

[00:03:51] [SPEAKER_01]: We improvise a lot on the set.

[00:03:52] [SPEAKER_01]: We improvise so much.

[00:03:54] [SPEAKER_01]: I mean, not only do we improvise, but our showrunner Greg will come in

[00:03:58] [SPEAKER_01]: during while we're filming and he'll say, OK, we're going to change this line

[00:04:02] [SPEAKER_01]: and we're going to change it to something else.

[00:04:04] [SPEAKER_01]: And to be honest, a lot of the times because it's 90s references.

[00:04:07] [SPEAKER_01]: I don't know what he's talking about, but I just go along with it.

[00:04:11] [SPEAKER_01]: And I just I feel like Ozzy is the character where he can play with

[00:04:14] [SPEAKER_01]: the material he's given.

[00:04:16] [SPEAKER_00]: How often do you go back to do some research?

[00:04:19] [SPEAKER_00]: I like something from the 90s that you don't you never heard of

[00:04:22] [SPEAKER_00]: though you haven't seen.

[00:04:24] [SPEAKER_01]: Well, every time we get the, you know, the first draft of the new script

[00:04:28] [SPEAKER_01]: I for the episode, I'm I'm probably looking up different things 10 times

[00:04:32] [SPEAKER_01]: because I do not know so many things.

[00:04:35] [SPEAKER_01]: I'm the youngest one in the cast.

[00:04:37] [SPEAKER_01]: Definitely not used to things in the 90s, but

[00:04:40] [SPEAKER_01]: see, that's why Laura being our director helps because she was in the 90s.

[00:04:44] [SPEAKER_01]: So she explains everything to us.

[00:04:47] [SPEAKER_00]: What's been your favorite moment filming this series?

[00:04:53] [SPEAKER_00]: My favorite moment.

[00:04:56] [SPEAKER_01]: I would have to say the the live tapings we have every Friday night in front of the audience.

[00:05:02] [SPEAKER_01]: You know, every after we finish the show, it's around 10 p.m.

[00:05:05] [SPEAKER_01]: We always sign sign the pamphlets that the audience members are given

[00:05:09] [SPEAKER_01]: and just being able to interact with the audience.

[00:05:11] [SPEAKER_01]: A lot of us talk with the audience.

[00:05:12] [SPEAKER_01]: We come up, we talk with them and being able to have my friends sit in the audience

[00:05:16] [SPEAKER_01]: as guests, I think it's just a very special moment.

[00:05:21] [SPEAKER_00]: What's been your favorite like Aussie moment or scene that you filmed?

[00:05:25] [SPEAKER_00]: Not counting part three.

[00:05:26] [SPEAKER_00]: So let's go from before that.

[00:05:28] [SPEAKER_00]: Who would you say before that?

[00:05:31] [SPEAKER_01]: Let me think.

[00:05:32] [SPEAKER_01]: Well, Aussie had to get drunk for the first I have.

[00:05:35] [SPEAKER_01]: You know, I played high in season one.

[00:05:37] [SPEAKER_01]: I had to be high, but drunk.

[00:05:40] [SPEAKER_01]: He had to get drunk in part two when they went to the field party.

[00:05:43] [SPEAKER_01]: And so that was definitely a moment I really enjoyed playing.

[00:05:48] [SPEAKER_01]: I just, yeah, I think Aussie has a lot of great or the scene

[00:05:52] [SPEAKER_01]: where I'm flying on top of Nate's van.

[00:05:54] [SPEAKER_01]: That was a really cool scene to film.

[00:05:56] [SPEAKER_00]: So part three, we got eight episodes.

[00:05:59] [SPEAKER_00]: Yes, they're saying is there a specific episode

[00:06:01] [SPEAKER_00]: that you can't wait for the viewers to watch?

[00:06:04] [SPEAKER_00]: Has something to do with Aussie?

[00:06:06] [SPEAKER_00]: Can you tease us about that?

[00:06:08] [SPEAKER_01]: If there's a specific episode, I think.

[00:06:12] [SPEAKER_01]: Well, Kevin Smith and Jason News, they already announced

[00:06:16] [SPEAKER_01]: they're coming back for this final eight.

[00:06:20] [SPEAKER_01]: My character Aussie and then the two boys, Nate and Jay,

[00:06:23] [SPEAKER_01]: we all three of us had a really good episode

[00:06:25] [SPEAKER_01]: where it was our storyline with Kevin and Jason.

[00:06:29] [SPEAKER_01]: So I think that's something I'm really excited for the fans to see

[00:06:32] [SPEAKER_01]: because, you know, you see Kevin and Jason come in at the end

[00:06:35] [SPEAKER_01]: when they crashed their car into the Forman house.

[00:06:37] [SPEAKER_01]: But you don't really see them much in the first eight.

[00:06:39] [SPEAKER_01]: So I'm excited for everyone to see them.

[00:06:41] [SPEAKER_00]: If we get another season, what are you hoping you see with Aussie?

[00:06:44] [SPEAKER_00]: What are you hoping?

[00:06:45] [SPEAKER_00]: What's the next thing you want to see with them?

[00:06:48] [SPEAKER_01]: I would love to see the writers dive more into his family background.

[00:06:54] [SPEAKER_01]: You know, I mean, I'm being Asian in Wisconsin in the 90s,

[00:06:58] [SPEAKER_01]: not a lot of people.

[00:07:00] [SPEAKER_01]: So I would I would really like to see his parents come around,

[00:07:03] [SPEAKER_01]: his, you know, just he have siblings, anything like that.

[00:07:08] [SPEAKER_01]: I would also like to see him have more scenes

[00:07:10] [SPEAKER_01]: with Derrick John Kurtwood.

[00:07:11] [SPEAKER_01]: You know, I think those scenes are always such a blast to film.

[00:07:16] [SPEAKER_00]: Is there somebody else in the cast that you haven't had a chance to do a lot of

[00:07:18] [SPEAKER_00]: scenes with that you're hoping that you can have either maybe a story

[00:07:21] [SPEAKER_00]: with them or even more scenes with them?

[00:07:25] [SPEAKER_01]: I would love to have more scenes with with Jay, you know.

[00:07:30] [SPEAKER_01]: I feel like, you know, we did have like a bro moment in part two.

[00:07:34] [SPEAKER_01]: But other than that, you know, Jay's oftentimes with Leia.

[00:07:38] [SPEAKER_01]: So I would definitely like to see Jay and Aussie,

[00:07:41] [SPEAKER_01]: you know, dive deeper into their friendship.

[00:07:44] [SPEAKER_00]: Is there one thing you could take away from the experience of being on a show like this?

[00:07:48] [SPEAKER_00]: Like it's impacted you both personally?

[00:07:54] [SPEAKER_01]: Well, I will say one thing I the show has given me is lifelong friendships with everyone,

[00:07:59] [SPEAKER_01]: you know, and I consider all of them to be.

[00:08:02] [SPEAKER_01]: I mean, we always say when we film, it's like we're a family, you know.

[00:08:07] [SPEAKER_01]: And so, yeah, I think that's one thing I take that the show is given.

[00:08:11] [SPEAKER_01]: And and it's also it's definitely, you know, being able to work with like

[00:08:19] [SPEAKER_01]: Mila and Ashton and Deborah Jones, it's it's taught a lot.

[00:08:22] [SPEAKER_01]: You know, they've given a lot of advice and I've learned a lot of things from them.

[00:08:25] [SPEAKER_01]: So definitely that learning experience.

[00:08:28] [SPEAKER_00]: A couple of months ago, I had Sam on Sam Morello's.

[00:08:30] [SPEAKER_00]: She never wants to show the red notes, your thoughts on that.

[00:08:34] [SPEAKER_00]: I'm sorry. One more time.

[00:08:36] [SPEAKER_00]: I had Sam Morello on the on the show a couple of months ago.

[00:08:39] [SPEAKER_00]: She doesn't want the show to ever end.

[00:08:41] [SPEAKER_00]: What's your thoughts on that?

[00:08:42] [SPEAKER_01]: Oh, my thought on that completely agree.

[00:08:46] [SPEAKER_01]: I hope the show never ends.

[00:08:48] [SPEAKER_01]: You know, I hope we can I mean, I feel like the good thing is there aren't

[00:08:51] [SPEAKER_01]: a lot of sitcoms on TV right now.

[00:08:53] [SPEAKER_01]: And so we're definitely in a good position and Netflix specifically doesn't have

[00:08:56] [SPEAKER_01]: many sitcoms.

[00:08:58] [SPEAKER_01]: And I feel like it's it's it's it's nice to be one of very few.

[00:09:03] [SPEAKER_00]: Definitely. What's been the fan reaction now with the part two?

[00:09:08] [SPEAKER_00]: And now we know we got part three coming now.

[00:09:09] [SPEAKER_00]: What's been like the feedback that you've gotten from fans, family, friends?

[00:09:16] [SPEAKER_01]: Well, yeah, I think well, everyone that I know has loved part two.

[00:09:21] [SPEAKER_01]: It's definitely a step up from part one or season one.

[00:09:24] [SPEAKER_01]: It's it's a different elevation.

[00:09:25] [SPEAKER_01]: It's you see the chemistry is more visible on screen between the kids.

[00:09:31] [SPEAKER_01]: And I think Netflix, you know,

[00:09:34] [SPEAKER_01]: deciding to release the final eight episodes closer than sooner than expected.

[00:09:39] [SPEAKER_01]: I think I think that will definitely give the fans what they want,

[00:09:43] [SPEAKER_01]: you know, which is the episodes.

[00:09:45] [SPEAKER_01]: And so I'm excited for everyone to see it.

[00:09:47] [SPEAKER_00]: Have you heard anything from the writers?

[00:09:49] [SPEAKER_00]: Have they started like even writing anything down for possible next season?

[00:09:52] [SPEAKER_00]: Have you heard anything?

[00:09:54] [SPEAKER_01]: You know, I have not.

[00:09:57] [SPEAKER_01]: I have not.

[00:09:58] [SPEAKER_01]: We're fingers crossed.

[00:09:59] [SPEAKER_01]: We're very hopeful and thankful for everyone who's watched part two

[00:10:03] [SPEAKER_01]: and plans to watch part three.

[00:10:04] [SPEAKER_01]: And we hope that we can draw more viewers to watch part three

[00:10:07] [SPEAKER_01]: since it is coming out soon.

[00:10:10] [SPEAKER_01]: But all I can say is just keep watching so that we get another season.

[00:10:15] [SPEAKER_00]: Red, let's end this by how kind of viewers and listeners find you

[00:10:18] [SPEAKER_00]: in social media to keep up with you because I know you like to post

[00:10:20] [SPEAKER_00]: about the show and pictures and everything.

[00:10:23] [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah. Just Instagram or TikTok.

[00:10:26] [SPEAKER_01]: It's just my name, RENDOY.

[00:10:28] [SPEAKER_00]: All right, this is great.

[00:10:29] [SPEAKER_00]: Thank you for giving us today, part three out in about two weeks.

[00:10:33] [SPEAKER_00]: Thank you again. This was great.

[00:10:35] [SPEAKER_01]: Thank you for having me.