A few weeks ago I had the good fortune to do a set visit for Rooster Teeth's new season of their successful dramatic series DAY 5. Some readers may recall that my set visit covering season one of the show took me to a hospital set outside of Austin in the Texas Hill Country. My season two visit found me smack dab in the middle of Austin at Rooster Teeth's newish headquarters adjacent to Austin Studios and Robert Rodriguez's Troublemaker Studios- a complex of hangars-turned-soundstages on the site of the Capital's former airport. It was considered quite a boon for the city when Austin Studios and Troublemaker took over the abandoned structures years ago and renovated the spaces into fully functioning sound stages, and now the addition of local web phenom Rooster Teeth has definitely solidified the lot as a going concern.
As I drove through the gates and made my way to the main office, I passed the usual installation of trailers and equipment trucks. Once I found the main office among a maze of "bungalows" I was greeted by the set publicist who escorted me onto the RT sound stage only a few steps away. Inside the cavernous space, I took in the rather large set that took up an entire corner of the building. The scene they were shooting was apparently taking place in a makeshift camp complete with trucks, tents, fencing, and several extras milling about. Though I wasn't allowed to take any still photography on set, I was able to sit in while they filmed several takes of a particular scene featuring season one's Davi Jay and new cast member Adriene Mishler.
While the crew took a break for another set up, I was ushered over to one of the production trailers to chat with the "kid of the cast" Walker Satterwhite. Though I hadn't really prepared to interview him, I was pretty excited to do a follow up to our chat during season one. I was surprised to find a much taller and deeper-voiced kiddo than last year (go figure!), and I learned how they attempt to play off this unavoidable gaff in the story's short timeline. I hope you enjoy our talk.
Annette Kellerman: Hey Walker!
Walker Satterwhite: Hi!
AK: You've grown up quite a bit since the last time I saw you on the hospital set from season one. I assume you're still the only one going to school on set?
WS: Yeah. I actually just finished school for the day. Three hours.
AK: So you're good for the day then, right? Isn't it 3 hours a day?
WS: Yes ma'am. Three hours a day. But I have banked hours, so if I do one more hour of school I can bank that hour.
AK: I remember your mom telling me last year how it works. I didn't know you could bank hours.
WS: My mom is actually my school teacher now.
AK: Oh, awesome!
WS: Last year it was not my mom, but this year it is. It's much easier.
AK: I'm sure there's a lot more flexibility. So tell me, how has your character evolved in this second season.
WS: I believe that last season Sam was grown up and he was the anchor for everybody. But I feel like now Sam is definitely more serious. I kind of feel like he might be falling off the edge. Jake and Sam were already sort of separating. There's a new character and him and that person are really, ya know getting together, and Sam is kind of jealous. The jealousy is taking over Sam, and he's trying find ways to not be around them as much, throw shade on them. Stuff like that. Definitely a big change in maturity and how much his will to keep going is.
As I drove through the gates and made my way to the main office, I passed the usual installation of trailers and equipment trucks. Once I found the main office among a maze of "bungalows" I was greeted by the set publicist who escorted me onto the RT sound stage only a few steps away. Inside the cavernous space, I took in the rather large set that took up an entire corner of the building. The scene they were shooting was apparently taking place in a makeshift camp complete with trucks, tents, fencing, and several extras milling about. Though I wasn't allowed to take any still photography on set, I was able to sit in while they filmed several takes of a particular scene featuring season one's Davi Jay and new cast member Adriene Mishler.
While the crew took a break for another set up, I was ushered over to one of the production trailers to chat with the "kid of the cast" Walker Satterwhite. Though I hadn't really prepared to interview him, I was pretty excited to do a follow up to our chat during season one. I was surprised to find a much taller and deeper-voiced kiddo than last year (go figure!), and I learned how they attempt to play off this unavoidable gaff in the story's short timeline. I hope you enjoy our talk.
Annette Kellerman: Hey Walker!
Walker Satterwhite: Hi!
AK: You've grown up quite a bit since the last time I saw you on the hospital set from season one. I assume you're still the only one going to school on set?
WS: Yeah. I actually just finished school for the day. Three hours.
AK: So you're good for the day then, right? Isn't it 3 hours a day?
WS: Yes ma'am. Three hours a day. But I have banked hours, so if I do one more hour of school I can bank that hour.
AK: I remember your mom telling me last year how it works. I didn't know you could bank hours.
WS: My mom is actually my school teacher now.
AK: Oh, awesome!
WS: Last year it was not my mom, but this year it is. It's much easier.
AK: I'm sure there's a lot more flexibility. So tell me, how has your character evolved in this second season.
WS: I believe that last season Sam was grown up and he was the anchor for everybody. But I feel like now Sam is definitely more serious. I kind of feel like he might be falling off the edge. Jake and Sam were already sort of separating. There's a new character and him and that person are really, ya know getting together, and Sam is kind of jealous. The jealousy is taking over Sam, and he's trying find ways to not be around them as much, throw shade on them. Stuff like that. Definitely a big change in maturity and how much his will to keep going is.
AK: I don't want spoilers, but were there any big surprises in season two that you didn't see coming?
WS: There's one really big surprise that I didn't see coming, but another really big surprise that not all of saw coming...they wrote it in and we were kind of shocked because we thought this was going to be a good thing but it turned out to be bad for the cast. Well, not the cast, but in DAY 5. Not in real life. [laughs]
AK: Right.
WS: It was bad for all of us.
AK: The characters.
WS: Yes, the characters.
AK: On a different note, at this point in the story you've been awake for...
WS: About seven, eight days.
AK: How does an actor prepare to portray this level of sleeplessness?
WS: One day I tried to do method acting. I tried to stay up all night...didn't work. I got to set the next day- it was at the hospital. I think I fell asleep in one of the hospital beds.
AK: I bet! Of course, unlike your character you weren't doing tons of Ritalin or all of the various ways people stay alert in the story.
WS: Yes! I remember it was actually in my school room [on the hospital set], and I was like, "Give me a second," and [claps his hands] I was out. I forgot a lot of my lines then. But the way I prepare...I feel like I have a really strong connection with Sam. I'm kind of like the anchor with all my friends. Ya know, I talk to mainly adults all day. I don't talk a lot to other kids, but I do with my best friends. So as far as preparedness, I definitely get into the mind set before big scenes, but other than that it's kind of just me.
AK: I guess there's the other side of it when your character is doing Ritalin and all the other things to stay awake. That's another side of the sleeplessness, because you have to portray somebody who's agitated or on stuff.
WS: Last season was kind of easy for me because I had a lot of energy. Becoming a teenager has definitely put a slope on my energy.
AK: [laughing] It's scientifically proven!
WS: So Jesse and Stephanie...we jump around, we get ready for scenes doing stuff like that. Stephanie and Jesse have this thing where they grab each other's hands and push up against each other to kind of get in the moment. And then I'm like [in a silly voice], "Hey guys, can I jump in? Are you just doing this with out me? What's happening?"
AK: Yeah!
WS: But that's what we gotta do. Jesse does push ups. Stephanie also does push ups- actually she got Jesse into it. Stephanie is strong! She does a lot of push ups!
AK: She's got the guns.
WS: She's got the guns!
AK: It's interesting because sometimes you're obviously sleepy, but other times you have to be amped up.
WS: Yeah, this season is definitely different because...because there are more days and we've already established from season one that you can't stay awake for that long without going away... this season we're definitely fighting sleep. We're trying to be energized, but we're fighting the sleep. It's more balanced this season, but sleep is starting to take over.
AK: Just watching it, I feel tired! So you mentioned working mostly with adults, and obviously you're used to being around mainly grown ups being a professional actor for a lot of your childhood...
WS: Yes ma'am!
AK: Do you find that it's becoming easier or changing your performances since you are getting older now? I guess I mean- has your perspective shifted?
WS: I think it is getting a little bit easier as I'm getting older just because as I get older I learn more and I understand where crew and cast are coming from when they... you know when Josh is telling me what I need to do. Becoming older gives more maturity. I'm not saying that I'm super mature [laughing]. I mean I am still 14.
AK: You're still a kid.
WS: I'm still a kid.
AK: Right, but you've gone through this transition on this show.
WS: I'm definitely more understanding. And I don't think a lot of that has to do with age, I think it has to do with just knowing what to do. Knowing what to do when they say... no offense, but we need you to calm down. But yeah, absolutely I think growing up does put a staple into helping you understand things and get better at working with adults.
AK: And is this your first- forgive me that I don't know your whole flmography- is this your first opportunity to see a character through two seasons?
WS: It is, yes. I work a lot with Dreamworks Television, but it's nothing like seasons or tons of episodes. So, absolutely this is my first time doing it.
AK: The first time you've really had an arc and been able to see a character through until...I don't know! Maybe there's going to be DAY 35!
WS: DAY 35? Let's hope!
AK: I'm sure it's also been cool to work with the same crew this long.
WS: My favorite part about set is cast and crew. We're all very close, so whenever I get on set I always have people to talk to. Ya know, get through the morning. I think crew and cast have the really big part of making a shoot great. Not only because that's what we do, but it's also because once you establish relationships, you work way easier with one another.
AK: There's more of a flow or rapport.
WS: It becomes a big family.
AK: Of course, you're definitely in the Rooster Teeth demographic. Do you have any friends that are like, "Wow! You're on a Rooster Teeth show."
WS: I do! Before I got the role, I didn't know much about Rooster Teeth. I think I had seen some shows, but I didn't know who they were by. And when I got it and told my friend- his name is Francesco- we were at my apartment in L.A. and I was like, "Yeah, I'm doing this thing DAY 5 with a company called Rooster Teeth..." and he was like [gasps and exclaims], "Dude! Rooster Teeth?!" And I'm like [nonchalantly], "Yeah yeah yeah, it's this company..." He cut me off and said, " I know who Rooster Teeth is! You don't have to tell me who Rooster Teeth is! I watch RWBY every single day!" I was like, what? He said, "Yeah dude! Have you ever seen it? Dude, I. Love. Rooster Teeth. They're huge!" And I'm like, crazy. And then I looked it up and was like, oh my gosh, Rooster Teeth is big! My friends Tyler and Bryce, they watch RED VS BLUE, RWBY, stuff like that.
AK: So that must be pretty exciting to be a part of it.
WS: Yes. And I play a lot of video games, so whenever I'm on someone will mention something about Rooster Teeth and I'm like [in his silly voice again], "Well, I don't mean to brag, but..." They usually don't believe me, and I don't make a big deal about proving it to them. They don't have to believe me.
AK: I do have to ask one more pressing question. How are they explaining- or are they explaining- how you've managed to grow so much in such a short span of time?
WS: Well, there's a little cheeky line in the first episode. It's kind of a comedic couple of seconds where he says like, this and this and Sam...well I don't want to spoil the line.
AK: Totally. Don't spoil it! But there's something along the line of...
WS: Something along the line of, "Sam, you look crazy right now man. Something is different about you. I don't know what it is." I told Josh... there's a couple things I want to do. What if I look in the mirror, confused and then say, "Ah, it's probably nothing." Or I said what if I'm in a wheelchair and I never have to stand up so no one will notice. Or make a super sleep drug that will make me grow a couple inches in a day.
AK: That's one of the side effects- every one will wake up 4 inches taller!
WS: Or I can just be like, "Somethings different," and then look at the camera and smile.
AK: A little wink. Break the third wall. Well, I was just a little curious about that.
WS: We all were!
AK: I bet. Well, thank you so much for sitting down with me once again to talk about DAY 5. I'm really looking forward to season two!
WS: Thank you. It's nice to see you again.
After my fun convo with Walker, I was escorted back to the set where I got to see the reverse shot of the earlier scene being filmed, this time with with local it girl Katie Folger also from season one. Soon they got what they needed, announced who all had wrapped that day, and quickly began breaking down the impressive set. In the midst of all this activity, I was able to briefly sit down with show runner Josh Flanagan. In my follow-up to last years' chat with Flanagan, we talk about the new direction season two is taking the survivors, that shooting in West Texas wind is hard, Jurassic Park shirt day on set, and of course about dealing with a primary cast member's growth spurt.
JF: I'm giving away the ending right now!
AK: Right now! [laughs] But what can we expect?
AK: Okay, I have to ask...what about Walker growing so much in a couple of days?
JF: What's funny is that season two picks up about an hour after season one ends. Season one starts on the fifth day of the apocalypse and the morning of the sixth day. Season two starts on the morning of the sixth day right behind it. Yeah, ya know, he might look a little different. That might be kind of, wink wink acknowledged in the show. [laughing] He looks a little different.
AK: I guess you kind of have to. So if there's a season 3, he's just...[motion like I'm expanding]
JF: [joking] Yeah, he's just dead. Season three episode one his face just explodes and you're like, well that solves that.
AK: That solves that! So I guess you always have an idea about the big picture in a story like this, but then things like that pop up.
JF: Definitely. We kind of knew. And we are in a weird place because the time frame of the show is so short. There's plenty of shows where there's a kid regular and every season they grow.
AK: Right, like Carl in THE WALKING DEAD is, like, almost a man now and the show hasn't spanned that much time.
JF: He's huge! [laughs] Yeah, but like GAME OF THRONES... we all go through it, it's just they don't have the time parameters that our show has, so it does create a unique problem with an entire series that's only going to run the span of a few days.
AK: Can you talk about going from a first season to a second season as far as the flow with the crew? I'm guessing that you're working with pretty much the same crew? Is it easier or is it more challenging because it's on a grander scale?
JF: Season two is easier in some ways and harder in other. It's mostly the same crew, so the camaraderie is there and the machine runs really well. But at the same time because we're shooing a season that really ups the scope- I mentioned a lot of location shooting in Alpine, we shot for a couple of weeks in San Marcos and Taylor [Texas] and we were kind of all over the place- that lends itself better for the budget and resources we're working on to block shoot it almost like an indie feature. So season one we were able to shoot pretty chronological bringing in directors on time, but this time there were times when we would bring out an episode director three or four times over the course of three months because we had to block shoot all of our Alpine, TX stuff or we had to block shoot all of our San Marcos airport stuff. Everything had to be block shot, so you get into this place- even in editorial where you have later episodes actually shooting out first because we're shooting in this strange order.
AK: So a lot more moving parts in this season.
JF: Yeah, a lot more complex shoot for sure.
AK: Obviously the Rooster Teeth universe is becoming pretty vast, even though I'll admit that I'm not exactly the demographic for most of the content...
JF: [laughing] This interview is done!
AK: I'm out of here! I'm curious if in a series like this there are Easter eggs for the hardcore fans?
JF: Sure. Yeah, there's Easter Eggs. I actually don't think there are as many this season as there were maybe...
AK: Because in season one in certain scenes I was like, I bet that's a thing or a reference I don't know about.
JF: We do have some. I think the biggest thing we can do on a show like this is have some kind of surprise casting of familiar Rooster Teeth faces. Season two definitely has some more of that, and I think people will pop up when Rooster Teeth fans are least expecting it.
AK: Was the reception from the fans what you expected? Did it exceed your expectations?
JF: It was good! it was great. You know it was a weird thing because I was trying to make sure that we made a show...because it was Rooster Teeth's first dramatic show, I think the fans would've been pretty lenient with it if it wasn't good. They would've given the golf clap, like [does golf clap],"Good first try." I think it was pretty overwhelmingly well received, so it felt good to knock it over their expectations and I think this season is going to even higher.
(Just then the set publicist came over to tell Josh that he was needed on set again.)
(Just then the set publicist came over to tell Josh that he was needed on set again.)
AK: Ah man! You have to go work?
JF: I know.
AK: Well, I think that actually wrapped it up rather nicely, so go get back to work! Thank you so much for your time.
JF: Yeah, of course!
AK: Good luck wrapping things up. I can't wait to check out next season!
JF: Thanks.
After my chat with Flanagan, the set publicist and I headed over to the same production trailer this time to interview new cast member Adriene Mishler who had just changed out of costume and cleaned up a bit after being on the dusty set all day. Though she is new to the Rooster Teeth team, Mishler also has a pretty impressive online presence in her own right with over two millions followers on her YouTube channel Yoga With Adriene. We chat about incorporating that part of her persona into her acting career, coming into the second season of a series, as well as whether or not she would survive a sleep epidemic.
Adriene Mishler: Sorry if you had to wait.
Annette Kellerman: It worked out perfectly actually. It's pretty dusty on set, huh?
AM: Yeah, I pretty much have to use my neti pot every day when I get home.
AK: For real! How is it coming into the second season of a series, and what does your character bring to the table?
AM: I am a fresh character, and it was actually a little nerveracking coming in as an actor because it's such an ensemble piece. There's a very specific, tight-knit group of characters that you follow from beginning to end, I was like, "Eh! What's this gonna be like?" And they joked and said they were going to haze me even though I'm a grown woman, but then they said I was too nice. So they decided not to.
AK: Ah! How sweet of them to not torture you.
AM: But as an actor, yeah, coming in is exciting because it's new, it's fresh, I get to make the decisions, and this person, Gabbi, is really bringing in a different perspective on the whole situation in the given circumstances. She's coming in and giving the audience a more big picture perspective, so that's kind of important and helps drive the story from the very first episode. She's essentially following a lead when we meet her, and that has blown up. Literally the lead she has been following has been busted, so she has the choice to either go off on her own or join this group of characters that we know so well from season one. She decides to join them, so just naturally I think it gives a little different dynamic from the outside coming in story line. And she's very different from the rest of those characters. It's fun.
AK: So, personally if a sleep epidemic hit in the middle of the night, would you be totally dead or would you be one of the few who happens to be awake at that hour?
AM: At this stage in my life, I would be a very dead, dead girl.
AK: So would I. I'd be so dead!
AM: A couple years ago, or a decade ago, I would've made it. But now, no way.
AK: What would be your method for staying awake?
AM: Well, I'm a yogi, so I would bust out the big moves like some pranayama, crazy breathing practices and stuff like that.
AK: Do you bring that aspect of your life into your performance as well as in being an actor in general.
AM: Absolutely. Because I come from a very physical theater background, so for me I'm never really going at it from training or background of, like, "I'm channeling my dead grandmother," or something like that. That's not something I did as a young actress and now I'm coming back to it going, oh yeah that still doesn't work for me because it's not really healthy for a person. My ideas of what being a professional actor means have kind of shifted because of the yoga, so I want to be healthy and be the best version of myself through yoga. So when I show up to work on set it absolutely has made a difference. It's also made me a better person. I'm more patient and kind. I don't feel like I stomp around like I used to, feeling entitled. I'm really grateful to be here.
AK: Your more centered.
AM: Yeah! Actors get this certain rap- I won't say a bad rap, but I kind of stepped away for a bit to grow my business which is a yoga oriented business- and it is really nice. I feel like there are a lot of things different now just in the way that I approach it. And then logistically yeah, I like to play with physicality and kind of creating a real experience so I don't have to channel some toxic thought.
AK: Do you feel like your fan base from that world crosses over to this world at all.
AM: Yes! And this is a big experiment and it's really exciting, but I'm feeling like it's going to be a positive thing. I mean, there's risks all the time. I spent a lot of time and energy and money, everything cultivating this audience and telling a story and getting their trust. So anything could happen but I think that goes with anything. You know when I post something about politics on Twitter, I take that risk. You just choose what side of the line to be on, and I've chosen to continue to tell a story and let it be mine. Everyone [on YouTube] knows that I'm an actor, they know my upbringing, the know it's in my blood.
AK: It's just another part of your story.
AM: Yeah. I think everyone understands. We have a lot of conversations in our community, Yoga With Adriene, and we have a membership that's similar to Rooster Teeth called Find What Feels Good. They know my story just like I know a lot of them. They understand that I didn't create Yoga With Adriene to become a workaholic yoga teacher. Like a wealthy workaholic yoga teacher, like, "just get the money!" I think they know that I'm an artist and always have been. My mom is in season one. She play La Bruja.
AK: Oh, cool!
AM: And if you've ever met my mom, you'll go, okay they're artists. She's just so eccentric and big thinking. So I think they know enough about me that they know, this is good for Adriene.
AK: It's just another extension of your creativity.
AM: Yeah, and I think that- I mean it could NOT happen, but from what energy that's been stirring on social media platforms in particular-I think that a lot of them are gonna sign on to watch season one and of course season two.
AK: Which is great for Rooster Teeth too.
AM: And it's really cool because I knew this year that I wanted to get back, that I wanted to start going out for things and saying yes to readings and making space for that. And my business partner and I met on a film set, so we created the whole damn thing so we could be our bosses so that we could create art. Not the other way around, so he's been really supportive. But a really interesting thing- we never thought that it would be on a platform where we would share space. I always figured that I'd go back to film or TV, but this is going to be really interesting and really cool because we've spent so much time cultivating a very trusted audience on YouTube and with our membership.
AK: You're mom was in season one, but before that were you a fan of Rooster Teeth?
AM: Abosultely. So I grew up here in Austin and I've been working as a professional actor for...well as soon as I moved out of the house. So, I've watched it all grow. And then with Yoga With Adriene and my business partner- he was the first one to really introduce me to Rooster Teeth and Bernie and all those guys. Actually, I remember rehearsing plays in the old Rooster Teeth space down south. So it's just Austin, right? Everything's intertwined.
AK: It's a big venn diagram.
AM: Yes. So I was always aware, and it was fun to watch it grow. And as I'm sure you know, it's like people- and the same thing happened to me with YouTube- people didn't understand what I was doing and then all of the sudden they're like, "Whoa, you have two million subscribers?" I'm like, yeah I've been doing this forever you guys, consistently. I tried to tell you it was a real thing, its' a real way. But I think a similar thing happened with Rooster Teeth for a lot of people in Austin. I think it's still happening right now. Nobody quite realized the reach and the success which is so cool. Not only that, but a lot of what we've done with my business, we've always tracked and had a lot of respect for Rooster Teeth and the way in which they've grown up. So, we've had friends and colleagues make suggestions based on that.
AK: It's a big venn diagram.
AM: Yes. So I was always aware, and it was fun to watch it grow. And as I'm sure you know, it's like people- and the same thing happened to me with YouTube- people didn't understand what I was doing and then all of the sudden they're like, "Whoa, you have two million subscribers?" I'm like, yeah I've been doing this forever you guys, consistently. I tried to tell you it was a real thing, its' a real way. But I think a similar thing happened with Rooster Teeth for a lot of people in Austin. I think it's still happening right now. Nobody quite realized the reach and the success which is so cool. Not only that, but a lot of what we've done with my business, we've always tracked and had a lot of respect for Rooster Teeth and the way in which they've grown up. So, we've had friends and colleagues make suggestions based on that.
AK: To follow that model.
AM: So it's really weird because I know I'm here as an actor, but I'm also hoping that this is a nice way to connect Rooster Teeth with Yoga With Adriene or Find What Feels Good and grow that relationship too and see if we can...I mean we're friends already.
AK: Exactly, but you never know because there could be another professional collaboration there.
AM: Yeah, my business partner moved to L.A. two years ago, but I chose to stay here in Austin to keep the story alive. I'm single, I could move or travel all the time, but I was like, no I really want to stay here and try to keep making this web stuff here.
AK: The stuff that feeds your soul and not just your bank account.
AM: Yeah exactly.
AK: Well I think I've taken up enough of your time.
AM: Not at all! This was great.
AK: Well, thank you so much for taking time at the end of a big day to chat with me. I really appreciate it! I'm looking forward to season two!
AM: Thank you so much. Have a great day.
And so ended my set visit for season two of DAY 5. I truly was impressed by the clever storylines and character development in the series' first outing, so needless to say I can't wait to see what Flanagan and company have in store for us in the continuing saga. Be on the look out for release date announcements from the RT team soon! Thanks so much for reading.
Rebecca Elliott
aka Annette Kellerman
