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Daytime Royalty Interview with Matthew Ashford
Topic Started: Jun 26 2012, 11:04 PM (17,923 Views)
Liz<3Days
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WOW...talk about loaded interview:

Quote:
 
Well, whenever some people leave that opens the door for them to bring other people on. So yeah. That’s kind of what happened. If I had ever had a chance, I wish I could have switched the Devereaux name for DiMera. It's kind of gold plated.

So I guess we can rule out the theory that ED and/or GV hirings had nothing to do with re-offering MA to come back during that time the Diva (I think) tweeted that MA was the one considered. Very telling quote about being a DiMera.

Quote:
 
I don’t think there’s anybody on the show, maybe one or two people, who wouldn’t say ‘I’m not on enough. I need to do more.’

Hmmm...wonder who the "one or two people are"...which leads me to my next quote...

Quote:
 
It was kind of a strange moment for me. But whatever. It was there to push some buttons for Sami. It’s about other people.

So he dies for another stupid ass Sami story...

Monkey's paw...people were tweeting for his return but his name is not DiMera...but Deveraux.

DR...good interview!

ETA...wait, so the Sami stuff is not about his exit...but the safehouse explosion? He doesnt sound happy about his exit if he has to get used to it.
Edited by Liz<3Days, Jun 26 2012, 11:55 PM.
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SoapGal1
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Liz<3Days
Jun 26 2012, 11:53 PM
WOW...talk about loaded interview:

Quote:
 
Well, whenever some people leave that opens the door for them to bring other people on. So yeah. That’s kind of what happened. If I had ever had a chance, I wish I could have switched the Devereaux name for DiMera. It's kind of gold plated.

So I guess we can rule out the theory that ED and/or GV hirings had nothing to do with re-offering MA to come back during that time the Diva (I think) tweeted that MA was the one considered. Very telling quote about being a DiMera.

Quote:
 
I don’t think there’s anybody on the show, maybe one or two people, who wouldn’t say ‘I’m not on enough. I need to do more.’

Hmmm...wonder who the "one or two people are"...which leads me to my next quote...

Quote:
 
It was kind of a strange moment for me. But whatever. It was there to push some buttons for Sami. It’s about other people.

So he dies for another stupid ass Sami story...

Monkey's paw...people were tweeting for his return but his name is not DiMera...but Deveraux.

DR...good interview!

ETA...wait, so the Sami stuff is not about his exit...but the safehouse explosion? He doesnt sound happy about his exit if he has to get used to it.
Lysie just said upthread that the Sami reference was about the safehouse explosion, not his exit.
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AHM


I try so hard to only love the character, because I think it's ridiculous to love someone I've never met, but I love Matt Ashford. He is classy and he is positive when I see so much reason to be negative. And he always sounds so intelligent and like he really does try to be thoughtful and to put his all into his work. He did make me feel a bit guilty about my negativity toward MR, but I can't make myself like her acting choices or her Dannifer pimping/downplaying of JnJ. But I repent. I still want her off the show if he is though.

He's absolutely right that Jack shouldn't have just been Jennifer's beck and call guy. However, some things that he thought were good, I think were downright awful. Jack had plenty of reason not be happy, and Jennifer came off as a cruel nitwit. I imagine also, he doesn't understand how some fans just couldn't handle the whole Daniel being a "real threat" thing because he didn't see the utterly lame and hollow insta-love story that Dannifer had.

I officially despise EJ if he gets the suits because there is only budget enough for one character to wear suits. Jack's the original, dangit! But, sheesh, Matthew, just bring a suit from home and don't let them do your hair.

So dead but possibly not dead it is.

Perhaps I could have handled an attempted suicide (I would have been ticked though, if the guy who pulled off soap opera's greatest redemption story had ended his life in suicide). But I think a story like that would have required much more air time than the show seemed willing to give him.

I think he's right that Jack's downward spiral is on Reilly's failure to understand the character. This started when Reilly came on back in 93, and I will forever hate Reilly for recasting Jack so that he could pull the soul out of him. I suppose it led to being fired repeatedly and might not have been the greatest career move, but I so appreciate MA's desire not to change Jack into another person, because Jack is the greatest character this show has ever created (and whatever accolades Reilly might deserve, his lack of vision with Jack is pathetic), and it's a shame that, despite MA's efforts, things were lost with Jack over the years.

I am so sad that it seems there is no plan to bring him back.

Wonderful interview! Perhaps the best I've ever read. Thanks, Guinevere and DR!
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bomber
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OK I reread the interview and I think I've got a better handle on it now. I love his honesty and again the questions were brilliant. Well done DR. Does this mean that any twitters for his return are best sent to NBC and Sony rather than Days itself?
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lysie


bomber
Jun 26 2012, 11:59 PM
OK I reread the interview and I think I've got a better handle on it now. I love his honesty and again the questions were brilliant. Well done DR. Does this mean that any twitters for his return are best sent to NBC and Sony rather than Days itself?
No, those accounts belong to NBC and Sony so they're still going to the right places.
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Liz<3Days
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I would tweet that he be a long lost DiMera...maybe Harper was one of Steffy's brothers?
Edited by Liz<3Days, Jun 27 2012, 12:02 AM.
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DiMera87
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Wow. I feel like I just ran a marathon from reading that interview. Thank you, DR. That was far and away my favorite interview that I've ever read on here. I have so many thoughts about it, but I have to just say Matt Ashford is the epitome of class. I love the man.

His answers are so in depth and I believe EVERY single word he says. He doesn't beat around the bush and he's confident enough in his own life and talents to just say how he feels. I respect that more than any person who comes in and gives PC or scared answers.

I banged my head against the wall when he said he would have loved to work with Sarah Brown because when it was announced they were both coming to the show I thought that instantly if they weren't going to do Jack and Jennifer right away that they would have exploded off the screen. It could have saved Jack and Madison. Sigh! He seems very in touch with what his fans want for Jack...either that or he has some of the same wants for Jack, himself.

I loved his answers about Melissa Reeves because I have never believed there was an actual beef between them at all. They both just seem like great people so it was a little hard to believe. She is a little more closed off from years of getting abused because of the relationship that DAYS has with Matt Ashford. I also loved him praising Ken Corday and Greg Meng. Now, Corday I know is a very flawed person and might even be a little bit crazy...but I'm glad to hear that he loves Matt Ashford and the character of Jack. Greg Meng I have so much respect for and I think he could really fix this show if he was allowed to do what he wanted. Before DAYS went into this state of Hell again Greg Meng was sounding so intelligent. Now he's spouting out the company lines being handed down from either NBC or Sony and he sounds like a TOTAL idiot. At least now I can continue on liking Meng.

SIGH! Jack is either going overboard or blowing up because MA says to him Jack is still alive. I'm guessing this exit is ambiguous. Going to be rough on the characters of Jennifer and Abigail again because its hard to believe they would accept Jack's "death" again without a body...again. Lets hope TIIC fix this mess and bring Jack back so we don't have to worry about those problems.
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DrewHamilton
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Quote:
 
Let’s rewind a few months. What happened?
Things seem to come out of nowhere, but they really don’t. After we first came on, there was a moment of kind of coming together. Jack seemed to be kind of catching a lot of flack from Abigail and Jennifer. Daniel was in the mix, and all of a sudden there was this point where they were maybe all going to try to date each other or something, and when that all didn’t seem to go anywhere and Daniel kind of backed out, the bottom fell out. The energy kind of left. I felt that. I know that Missy and Shawn felt that, too. You feel it. Something changed. It didn’t feel right. So I think it was happening back then. There was a shift going on already, and I don’t really know for sure who is behind most of the change. There’s a lot of cooks in that kitchen. I know I have a really good working relationship with Ken Corday and Greg Meng, and I don’t know the other folks too much over at the other places, but there’s just different ideas about what kind of a show it is and what kind of a show it can be. That happens on all the shows. I could feel something was going on. I just felt like I wasn’t working much.

When Daniel left town, I knew that wasn’t good for anybody. It wasn’t good for me; it wasn’t good for Jennifer, and it wasn’t so good for him. Maybe it will work out. I don’t know. But it certainly wasn’t a good sign for me. These characters need conflict. Maybe that conflict wasn’t the best conflict. I don’t think the audience cared for it too much. I think Jack took it all lying down. I would have preferred if he had maybe accepted Jennifer at word and then said, ‘I’ll go look for my list of girls, too, and maybe start seeing some other people.’ Maybe pursue some other avenues all while keeping an eye on her. I think that would have been fun. I just think that there are a lot of characters on the show, and I just don’t think they are writing for them. I know when Sarah Brown came on the show I was like, ‘Wow. I’d love to work with Sarah.’ That wasn’t meant to be. She was there and working with Brady. We tried to do the best with what we had, and hopefully we did.
It definitely would've been interesting to see Jack and Madison interact. That could've added different conflict to Brady and Madison's beginnings, as well as taking Jack/Jennifer/Daniel in a direction that didn't make Jack look so pathetic in comparison to Daniel.

Quote:
 
We’ve just heard some recent casting news, Eileen Davidson and Greg Vaughan. Did those hirings have anything to do with your firing?
Well, whenever some people leave that opens the door for them to bring other people on. So yeah. That’s kind of what happened. If I had ever had a chance, I wish I could have switched the Devereaux name for DiMera. It’s kind of gold plated. Although, there have been DiMeras that have come and gone, but it’s been a good thing. Different writers just want to go in different directions. I think Eileen is a wonderful actress. She’s beautiful and talented. She had the chance to play so many characters, and I’d have loved to do that, so I can’t blame her. I’ll be curious to see whether she gets paid to play all of those characters this time because of the budget, but how much fun is that. It’s connected, but not necessarily that they get rid of one so they can bring in someone else.
More confirmation!

Quote:
 
What were your expectations when you returned?
I wasn’t sure what was going to happen. I learned to stop expecting things and just appreciate things. I got a strong sense that they wanted me back, and that was the best thing. So if I had expectations, it was that they were going to write something for me, and they did. It didn’t continue, but what they did write was story. I don’t think there’s anybody on the show, maybe one or two people, who wouldn’t say ‘I’m not on enough. I need to do more.’ Everybody feels that way because they enjoy what they do. I don’t think there’s anybody there that hates acting or hates the character. Once you start getting a chance to play it a little bit, it’s enjoyable. It’s what most of us dreamed of doing, and we’re getting to live that dream.

My expectation was to be able to play and working with some good writing and directing. I got some of both. He’s not there anymore, but Noel Maxam was really wonderful to work with as a producer/director. He had great energy. He is young... younger than me. I think. He believed in it. He really helped me. I enjoyed the writing that was coming out then. It was good stuff. Maybe overall there could have been tweaks. I always enjoy working with Missy. I really enjoyed working with Shawn Christian. From my character’s point of view I felt like he was a very serious threat. I could see that Jennifer was happy with him, and that was tough. I thought that was the most credible challenge that Jack has had to face. I feel like a lot of people didn’t like that. I don’t know. But to me it was a good challenge. Jennifer was able to finally say to Jack, “You’re not happy with yourself, and I can’t be with someone anymore who is so unhappy with himself.” And Daniel has his own problems, but he’s basically happy. Jack has never been happy. There were some interesting new things. Believe it or not, we were kind of maturing on some level. It was good.
Love what he said about Maxam. I totally agree. What a wonderful producer/director. The show looked so well when he was still there. Not that it changed drastically after he left, but it was still noticeable that he was no longer in the building. I still want to know what happened there. Only thing I can think of is this is when NBC really started getting involved, initially. Makes sense since Lisa de Cazotte was brought on and she worked closely with NBC when she was Executive Producer of Passions.

Jack has come and gone a lot. Why do you think that is?
It comes back to writers and writers’ style. He’s not alive anymore, but with Jim Reilly I don’t think it was anything personal. I just don’t think he ever really got my character or cared for him. I think that others really liked me and wanted me on the show, and I don’t think Jim could figure out how to use me, so he used me to the best of his ability at that time. Which wasn’t very satisfying, but I worked! Overall it was a little f

Quote:
 
There have also been a lot of rumors about a rift between you and Melissa Reeves. Is there any truth to any of that?
No. Not at all. Unfortunately, people look for something, anything they can, to come up with reasons why this or that. What’s made me really sad is that many times Missy has come under fire for things she’s had nothing to do with. Women get blamed. Some really really cruel things get said and written, which makes me sad. And unfortunately these people claim to be fans of mine, and then they say these things that are kind of cruel and heartless against someone I’m working with, and they don’t think that that might affect working relationships. I end up having to really kind of bolster her up when people write stuff like that. It’s unfortunate.
A-fucking-men! Thank you Ashford for addressing these absurd assumptions.

Quote:
 
What can you tell us about your exit?
Well, it’s a real cliffhanger. I actually have come to like it. I like it. We got to have a table read, which was pretty fun. We got to sit down with this director, his name was Steven, and he came from AMC. It was fun to work through it like that.

Is Jack going to die again?
I really can’t say. I don’t know. In my mind, no. I mean, look at someone like Stefano or all those people who were blown up in the safe house. We came in, and everyone was blown up. I was like, ‘What?’ We were doing this stuff where people were freaking out, and I didn’t know what to say because they’re not dead. We know they’re not dead. The audience is going to know they’re not dead. You can’t kill that many characters at once. Come on! That’s not happening. It was kind of a strange moment for me. But whatever. It was there to push some buttons for Sami. It’s about other people. This is a place where things blow up and people don’t die. And there’s Stefano. I mean, I know he’s come and gone more than I have over the years. He’s been gone longer.

I think it might seem like more for you because it happened several times in a short period of time.
A couple of times when I left it looked like I was gone in the middle of my contract. The character never died. It was a DiMera plot. Every time I have to try and explain this, my stock in my character goes down.

It got complicated when you returned in 2004 because they had donated your organs when you died.
Yeah. That was very confusing. I didn’t really watch it. I went to another show and was a serial killer there. I really liked coming back to that island, though. It was really cool. It felt like we were on this alternate Days world, and I didn’t trust anyone. That’s how I played it. I didn’t know if they were real or not. It wasn’t what they were expecting, but it was fun.
I think that's confirmation that Jack is going to be presumed dead in some sort of way, connected to the big Olympic cliffhanger.

Quote:
 
Who chose Jack’s wardrobe?
The wardrobe department. I don’t really have a say. At that point, I was just appreciative of anything I got. There’s been big budget changes, and I think we’re all pretty appreciative just to get what we can get. I know a lot of people would prefer if Jack wore suits, but you know, EJ wore suits. I think in their minds, EJ was the suit wearing guy and Jack was now a professor guy and not a suit guy.
College professor is one thing. There are young, well-dressed college professors. The wardrobe department dressed Jack like he was a 75 year old philosophy teacher.
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AHM


Dreamer
Jun 26 2012, 11:45 PM
I liked that he wished Dannifer would prevail, so Jack could persue other woman. An interesting thought that so many of us posters wanted it to happen.

I didn't get that from what he said. I got that he wished Jack hadn't hung around pussy whipped but had kept his eye on Jennifer.
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Sindacco
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lysie
Jun 26 2012, 11:04 PM
Who chose Jack’s wardrobe?
The wardrobe department. I don’t really have a say. At that point, I was just appreciative of anything I got. There’s been big budget changes, and I think we’re all pretty appreciative just to get what we can get. I know a lot of people would prefer if Jack wore suits, but you know, EJ wore suits. I think in their minds, EJ was the suit wearing guy and Jack was now a professor guy and not a suit guy.
Great questions and great answers!

But I'm not sure what he meant here because EJ isn't the only "suit guy". Stefano, Victor, Ian, Abe and Roman all wear suits too.
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isthmus


Great interview. Love MA.

So disappointed he's not coming back in the foreseeable future.
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AHM


Quote:
 
I wish I could have switched the Devereaux name for DiMera.


I know exactly what he means. And yet. Harper and Jack beat the hell out of Stefano and EJ. And Deveraux's a way cooler name. :)
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DiMera87
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Sindacco
Jun 27 2012, 12:08 AM
lysie
Jun 26 2012, 11:04 PM
Who chose Jack’s wardrobe?
The wardrobe department. I don’t really have a say. At that point, I was just appreciative of anything I got. There’s been big budget changes, and I think we’re all pretty appreciative just to get what we can get. I know a lot of people would prefer if Jack wore suits, but you know, EJ wore suits. I think in their minds, EJ was the suit wearing guy and Jack was now a professor guy and not a suit guy.
Great questions and great answers!

But I'm not sure what he meant here because EJ isn't the only "suit guy". Stefano, Victor, Ian, Abe and Roman all wear suits too.
Yeah, that was a little confusing for me. I think he sees a lot of young Jack in EJ. Like EJ is where Jack was back in his early days. Even though the character of EJ has gone through the ringer by now, it still seems like a comparison could be drawn.

For me I LOVE Jack in suits and if they would have ever showed him in a work setting I would have loved to see him in suits, but it didn't bother me that he wasn't wearing them because we only really ever saw him in casual settings. I just wish they would have dressed him well, like dress shirts, instead of like an old man.
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AHM


DiMeraFan67
Jun 27 2012, 12:14 AM
Sindacco
Jun 27 2012, 12:08 AM
lysie
Jun 26 2012, 11:04 PM
Who chose Jack’s wardrobe?
The wardrobe department. I don’t really have a say. At that point, I was just appreciative of anything I got. There’s been big budget changes, and I think we’re all pretty appreciative just to get what we can get. I know a lot of people would prefer if Jack wore suits, but you know, EJ wore suits. I think in their minds, EJ was the suit wearing guy and Jack was now a professor guy and not a suit guy.
Great questions and great answers!

But I'm not sure what he meant here because EJ isn't the only "suit guy". Stefano, Victor, Ian, Abe and Roman all wear suits too.
Yeah, that was a little confusing for me. I think he sees a lot of young Jack in EJ. Like EJ is where Jack was back in his early days. Even though the character of EJ has gone through the ringer by now, it still seems like a comparison could be drawn.

For me I LOVE Jack in suits and if they would have ever showed him in a work setting I would have loved to see him in suits, but it didn't bother me that he wasn't wearing them because we only really ever saw him in casual settings. I just wish they would have dressed him well, like dress shirts, instead of like an old man.
But Jack wore suits sort of as a way to define himself, often even casually, and I can't imagine Jack not being a suit wearing professor. I think back to the generally awful Hawk story, but one thing I appreciated was Jack, even on the run, feeling the need to find a suit, even if all he could get was Vern's old powder blue leisure suit from the thrift store (never mind that there's no way Vern could have ever fit a suit that fit Jack.
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happy
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TFP. Great interview questions. Seems pretty obvious that he wants to come back to the show and is hoping fans will push TPTB to make it so.

But honestly, the interview made me sad. I think he willing to do just about anything now to get a regular paycheck and be back on the show. I admired that he used to fight for his character and coherent story. Now, I think he's just tired and wants to work.

Yes, I'm ready for the "dislikes" to my post. But that's how I see it.
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DiMera87
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happy
Jun 27 2012, 12:20 AM
TFP. Great interview questions. Seems pretty obvious that he wants to come back to the show and is hoping fans will push TPTB to make it so.

But honestly, the interview made me sad. I think he willing to do just about anything now to get a regular paycheck and be back on the show. I admired that he used to fight for his character and coherent story. Now, I think he's just tired and wants to work.

Yes, I'm ready for the "dislikes" to my post. But that's how I see it.
I'm not going to dislike it because that's the way you see it...but to me he seemed like someone who would welcome coming back but he also wasn't afraid to speak his mind. He didn't seem to worried about stepping on anyone's toes. I don't know if its all about a "paycheck" for him, he seems to really like the challenge of acting and like he wants some material that actually makes him work hard.

It made me sad just because they have missed the boat more with Jack than any other character in the history of this show. Its amazing that Matt Ashford is still willing to give anything to this show.
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Liz<3Days
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Re: suit comment. I think he meant that there's only room for one leading man type to be the professional. Victor/Stefano/Ian...those guys are not really in the mix.

I took it the same way as the DiMera comment...they're just not invested in his character because TPTB are into the DiMeras.
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Kenny
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Liz<3Days
Jun 26 2012, 11:53 PM
Quote:
 
Well, whenever some people leave that opens the door for them to bring other people on. So yeah. That’s kind of what happened. If I had ever had a chance, I wish I could have switched the Devereaux name for DiMera. It's kind of gold plated.

So I guess we can rule out the theory that ED and/or GV hirings had nothing to do with re-offering MA to come back during that time the Diva (I think) tweeted that MA was the one considered. Very telling quote about being a DiMera.
I didn't take that quote as "I was fired to pay for Eileen." I took it as "I was fired because Sony/NBC (whoever is in charge) don't value Jack as much as other characters (i.e. the DiMeras)." There's plenty of room on the canvas for both Matt and Eileen, especially with all the dead weight they could get rid of to free up cash. They just don't want to write for Jack for whatever reason. That's not Eileen's fault.
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Shick
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My reaction to current Y&R ...

I love the support he showed to Missy Reeves! He is a class act, I just love MA.
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Virginia
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I loved reading this interview. I also loved how he stood up for Missy and I am glad that they are not at odds. The only thing that had made me think they were was when she blocked people (myself included) for what seemed like being fans of his. I know people got blocked for not being rude to her or her character (myself included). So I am glad he cleared things up. I now believe she just started blocking people like crazy because she had been burned by to many J&J fans in the past when Matt was let go, and maybe she thought people who participated in the #RehireMatt twitter bomb would be more likely to turn on her if our campaign did not work. It's sad that she has been so hurt in the past that she felt she needed to go on a blocking spree. I know he did not bring up Missy blocking people but what he had said about how much she would be hurt by negativity in the past to me explains a lot. So I can forgive her.

I loved how he answered the questions open and freely. He did not seemed to be worried about saying "the right thing" He really is such a class act. This interview was awsome I had been waiting so long for DR to do one because you guys really do ask the questions that we fans want the answers to so Thank You to everyone who made this interview happen
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