Transcript of AOL Live Chat with the cast of Promised Land

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Welcome to the cast of Promised Land!

AOLiveMC9: Who is with us so far?

PromsedLnd: With us are the following. Bill Schwartz - Producer, Gerald McRaney, Wendy Phillips, Celeste Holm, Austin O'Brien, and Eddie Karr.

AOLiveMC9: Welcome to all of you. Here is our first audience question:

Question: Is the set of PL a closed one or are visitors ever allowed on?

PromsedLnd: Sarah Schaub just joined us.

PromsedLnd: Bill: Visitors are allowed on, with permission.

PromsedLnd: Gerald: They are not strictly prohibited.

Question: Approximately how long does it take to get one episode done?

PromsedLnd: Gerald: We work 8 working days to get one episode through. That's once we have a script.

PromsedLnd: Bill: It takes 8 days, and 3 days of prayer. Actually Gerald, I think it only takes 7 days with a script.

PromsedLnd: Gerald: Yes once we have a script it's a little less complicated.

Question: Is there a web site for the show to look up things?

PromsedLnd: Bill: Yes, there is a CBS website. Promised.com.

Question: I understand the show deals with contemporary issues - do you get a lot of mail about the topics?

PromsedLnd: Celeste: I get mail asking about issue, we have done stories about specific issues, and the next week I get mail about it.

PromsedLnd: Bill: We try to do a lot of stories that deal with topical issues, that deal with the family.

PromsedLnd: Wendy: It's interesting because most of my mail is a response to what we have done. People want to respond, to confirm their feelings about it.

Question: Have you been renewed for next year? I hope!!

PromsedLnd: Bill: We have not officially been renewed, but we are hopeful. Our fans out there can send letters.

Question: Does any of the cast help with the script?

PromsedLnd: Gerald: We hinder as much as we can.

PromsedLnd: Bill: The cast is very involved with the script after they receive it, sometimes before. But they are always involved in the process.

Question: Are you on the road the entire time?

PromsedLnd: Gerald: No, it only feels that way. Most of our production is done in Utah. Actually, all of it is. Hopefully next year we can go to other places, because we have about run out of places in Utah.

Question: Do y'all have mailing Addresses, or email addresses, or anything like that?

PromsedLnd: Gerald: The mailing address for everyone is the production company. Please send mail to Promised.Com or CBS, 4024 Radford Ave. Studio City, Cal. 91604.

PromsedLnd: Bill: Fan mail can be sent to "fanmail@promised.com".

Comment: Hello Everyone! I am Ben from Germantown, Tennessee a suburb outside of Memphis, Tennessee! I want to tell you all to keep up the good work!

Question: Sarah , when did you join the cast of Promised Land?

PromsedLnd: Sarah: I've been in it from the beginning. I was there.

PromsedLnd: Gerald: She was smaller at the time.

Question: Sometimes u shoot scenes with like people just walking in the background like if your on a sidewalk. those people who just happen to be walking by or people u pick.

PromsedLnd: Gerald: They are extras. Unless we are shooting in city streets, which sometimes those are people just wandering by. Usually though they are people placed in specific places.

Question: How many hours do the kids have to work each day?

PromsedLnd: Sarah: It's 9.5 for myself and Eddie. When Austin turns 16, he can work 11 hours if they give him a 1 hour lunch. That also includes 3 hours of school.

Question: Is there an understanding between the writers and the cast that there has to be always good family values?

PromsedLnd: Bill: No, I think we all have good family values, and we try to deal with them.

Question: Will there be anymore cross over episodes with Touched by an Angel for this season. By the way I really liked the 'Homecoming' (I believe that that's what it was called) 2 parter with Delta Burke.

PromsedLnd: Gerald: The Homecoming was when Joe came back.

PromsedLnd: Bill: Thank you for liking the show. We have no plans for crossovers at this time.

Question: I would like to compliment entire cast of PL. It is so rewarding to see a show with family values in our home. I sure wish more shows of this caliber would replace those based on violence and sex. Gerald, which is your favorite show, thus far?

PromsedLnd: Gerald: That's hard to answer. My favorite so far is the pilot that we did, the one that established the show.

Question: Eddie, I saw you in a Saturday Night Live skit once. Are you interested in doing comedy in the future?

PromsedLnd: Eddie: Well, I'm not sure. I hadn't really thought about it.

Question: Celeste, I saw you on the Oscars the other night - congratulations. How is it different working in television compared to doing movies?

PromsedLnd: Celeste: There no difference between making a television movie, except budget, which means they can take longer doing a film.

Question: Are there any topics near and dear to any of the cast members that they would like to see done on the show?

PromsedLnd: Eddie: I've got one. The Greenes go to Disney World.

AOLiveMC9: lol

PromsedLnd: Bill: Mine is the Greenes go to the Cayman Islands.

PromsedLnd: Wendy: Since a lot of stories take place in the backdrop of the country, I would like to see some stories dealing with environmental issues.

AOLiveMC9: I think this next question might be sent from someone who is 12 or13:)

Question: When all of the people were young like 12-13 what did u want to be when u grew up or did u always want to be an actor. Do u have advice for someone who wants to be an actor.

PromsedLnd: Gerald: Yes, I wanted to be an actor since I was about 13 years old. So yes, the advice find honest work instead.

PromsedLnd: Sarah: I wanted to be an actor since I was 2.Question: Have any weird things happened while filming a show?

PromsedLnd: Gerald: Weird things are fairly normal around. Nothing too unusual unless you count the camera truck blowing up.

AOLiveMC9: For any of you in the audience that may have just joined us, we are pleased to have the cast of Promised Land here with us.

Question: What do you like doing best away from all of the publicity?

PromsedLnd: Sarah: I love to snowboard.

PromsedLnd: Wendy: We like to be at home with all of our loved ones.

PromsedLnd: Celeste: I like to cook.

PromsedLnd: Gerald: We all get together and beat up Eddie from time to time.

Question: Also are the inside camper scenes filmed on a set or actually in the Airstreams themselves?

PromsedLnd: Gerald: We have a Airstream that is a fixture on our stage, so we use that.

Question: Do any of you like animals and like working with them? Do any of you ride horses?

PromsedLnd: Gerald: I like working with animals, or otherwise I couldn't survive in this cast. I think everyone here likes riding horses.

Question: When will Mrs. Greene have the baby????? And what will happen to Masey?

PromsedLnd: Bill: Keep watching for the baby. And Masey is going to be fine.

PromsedLnd: Celeste: Masey began to see the errors of her ways.

Question: Do you guys joke around a lot on the set, or is it serious

PromsedLnd: Gerald: No, we never joke. It's always serious, that's why we beat up Eddie all the time.

PromsedLnd: Celeste: While at the Oscars, I asked Michael Caine what his favorite picture was and he said, "The Man Who would be King", the reason why was they laughed their way through it. I think that is imperative. It is very important to enjoy the cast.

Question: Do all of you live in Salt Lake City?

PromsedLnd: Celeste: We have to, because it's where we shoot.

PromsedLnd: Wendy: It takes us 9 1/2 months to shoot the season. Sarah is a native of Salt Lake, Gerald commutes from Mississippi and New Orleans. Austin lives in Southern Cal.

Question: Sarah, do you consider yourself a lot like your character?

PromsedLnd: Sarah: In some respects, yes, but in a lot no. I guess her organization and studying are things I am working hard at. Her consideration and care for everyone are qualities I think I have.

Question: How do you make yourselves cry when you need to? What methods do you use as actors?

PromsedLnd: Eddie: I have some one hit me.

PromsedLnd: Wendy: Two things go into it, when it's the best, it's because the situation is me, not the character, I find the situation moving. Exhaustion helps. The more tired I am, the more likely I am to burst into tears.

PromsedLnd: Celeste: I agree. Sometimes it's thinking of a dog that died or something like that.

PromsedLnd: Martha Williamson, Executive Producer: Austin made me cry in an upcoming episode. "When Darkness Falls". Everyone has a special moment, dealing with a boy who takes a gun and starts shooting up his school. We completed the shooting only a few days before the tragedy in Jonesboro.

Question: Hi, Mr. McRaney. Have you been to the Big Country Celeb. Quail hunt in Abilene TX. If your here again I would sure like to join you next time

PromsedLnd: Celeste: When he comes back, we will pass it on. Gerald stepped out of the room for a moment.

Question: Sarah, was it hard for you to work on the episode where Dinah was attacked?

PromsedLnd: Sarah: It was easy to find the emotion for it, because it was written into the script, There was no other way that someone would react to it.

Question: Austin, Have you acted in any plays?

PromsedLnd: Austin: No. I have always been so afraid of the stage. I cannot get up there without freaking out.

AOLiveMC9: We have this comment:

Comment: I had the opportunity of meeting Martha Williamson a few weeks ago and I can't tell you what an honor and privilege that it was as she is absolutely great and very very warm!

PromsedLnd: Martha: Thank you very much!

AOLiveMC9: And here is the next question:

Question: Do you guys do a lot of personal research for different topics yours how is dealing with?

PromsedLnd: Austin: One time, I remember watching someone who was blind, trying to pick up on things, mannerisms, for an upcoming scene.

Question: How do you choose people to be in your cast?

PromsedLnd: Celeste: We have a wonderful casting director.

Question: Martha, how can you produce 2 shows at the same time. Doesn't seem like there's enough hours in the day!

PromsedLnd: Martha: I read the other day, where another exec. producer said, the only way to do it right is to do it all yourself. I completely disagree. The only way you can do a show about love and forgiveness is trusting a lot of people. It's getting the right message across.

AOLiveMC9: I guess this next question must be for everyone:

Question: Who was your mentor as a child?

PromsedLnd: Celeste: My grandmother. She knew everything. The challenge of being accepted, she taught school and drama, from the time I was born she was a critic, a real one. She taught me all of the wonderful things that were happening. It was always wonderful. She always taught me to have a sense of wonderment about what ever I am doing.

PromsedLnd: Austin: It was my youth pastor. He helped me a lot. He really understood me.

PromsedLnd: Sarah: My Mom and my family. They supported me in all of my dreams.

PromsedLnd: Eddie: My Mom, she has always taken me out for auditions and supported me. She works harder than I do.

PromsedLnd: Wendy: It would be my Grandmother Mimi. When I was a little girl, she always taught me about the true meaning of love, totally.

Question: Why aren't Dinah and Josh home-schooling anymore? Is it because Claire is working now, when she can?

PromsedLnd: Martha: Yes, they home-school when they can, because of great story opportunities.

PromsedLnd: Celeste: I am trying to be as much like my grandmother in this show as I can.

Question: Do any of you use computers in your spare time?

PromsedLnd: Sarah: I do all of my homework on a computer.

PromsedLnd: Austin: I am completely computer illiterate. That's interesting because my dad is in the computer field.

PromsedLnd: Eddie: I don't go on the computer a lot because I have horrible typing. But I would like to try it more.

Question: Has there ever been something your character believed in that you personally disagreed with? A decision made perhaps?

PromsedLnd: Celeste: Not in this show.

PromsedLnd: Martha: Any time the actors have a personal concern about an episode, we talk it out until everyone is comfortable with it. We never ask someone to go against their beliefs. That's why it is such a successful show, because the audience recognizes that.

Question: Do you all like working together? Do you think of each other as a family?

PromsedLnd: Completely. Totally. We all love each other.

AOLiveMC9: Thank you all so much for being with us today. It has been great.

AOLiveMC9: We have time for one more question from our audience:

Question: Who came up with the name and the plot of the show?

PromsedLnd: Martha Williamson came up with it.

PromsedLnd: Nathaniel Green, my great, great, great grandfather, he was the deciding Quaker in the revolutionary war, so when I decided to write this story, I used that as a reference. The names, like Claire, I imagined her to be the clarity, a peaceful lake to the family. Dinah is named after my niece. Joshua comes from the Bible, because I imagine him as the one who becomes the leader of the family, in the next generation. Russell Green, that name just popped in my head.

AOLiveMC9: Once again, thanks to everyone from Promised land that has joined us today.

AOLiveMC9: Audience, our thanks to you also. Good day everyone. Take care.

PromsedLnd: Thank you all.

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Transmitted: 04/06/98 15:21