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Hello, beautiful souls! In this episode, we dive into the inspiring journey of Jim O’Heir, best known for his role on Parks and Recreation as “Jerry Gergich.” He shares his life lessons and the wisdom he has gained throughout his career. He opens up about the ups and downs he has faced, and how these experiences have shaped his outlook on life and his approach to acting. We also explore how Jim’s experiences on Parks and Recreation have influenced his personal growth and his perspective on life. He discusses the importance of gratitude, perseverance, and staying true to oneself.

Whether you’re a fan of Parks and Rec or simply looking for inspiration to navigate your own life’s challenges, Jim’s journey will leave you feeling uplifted and empowered. So, take a deep breath, feel the loving presence of your angels, and let’s dive into this enlightening conversation with Jim O’Heir.

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Transcript:

So, you know, life, is ups and downs. That’s life. You know, you ride high and then you go down and we always have to remember, even on the down downs, whatever, whether it’s career wise or family things or relationship issues, whatever, whatever the down is and they hurt.

We’re, we’re humans and they hurt. Things will get better. That is the nature of life. So even when you’re down, down, there will be an up. It’s just how it works.

Welcome to the angels and awakening podcast, where we connect you with your angels, loved ones, and soul self. I’m your host and author, Julie Jancis. My journey began when I started hearing my late father before I knew he’d passed. Through my readings, membership, and Angel Reiki school, I help you awaken, heal, and master your unique spiritual gifts.

If you feel called to work with me, it’s your [00:01:00] angels guiding you to discover your soul’s highest purpose. Details at theangelmedium. com. Thank you, Earth Angels for the five star reviews. You’re entered into a drawing to win a free session. Now let’s see what messages your angels have for you today.

Hello, beautiful souls.

Welcome back to the angels and awakening podcast. and friends. If you love parks and recreation, you are going to love, love, love today’s episode. We have Jerry. Or Gary, if you really watch the show, Jim O’Heir, who’s recently written a new book, which is just fabulous.

You know, I read at least two books a week, and this is one of the best books of the year. You have to read it for the writing too. Oh, you’re such a good writer in here. Jim [00:02:00] O’Heir, welcome to the show. Thank you for such an opening. My goodness. I love it. You really read two books a week, huh? I try a lot on audible.

Sure. No, but that’s awesome. I just, I try to do that and I don’t, I shouldn’t say I try to do two that, that I just wouldn’t have the time. Definitely try to do one every couple of weeks. And I just finished one and I know this is about my book, but I just finished a book called the silent patient. Check that one out.

I know that you weren’t in this scene, but my husband and I have been together since, I don’t know, 2007, 2006. And I remember us flicking on the TV one day and back in the day where you didn’t have like streamed television, you would just turn on the TV and a show would be right there.

You got what you got. Yeah. Oh my God. So we’re at this point where Aziz is in the hallway with the puppy and Ron Swanson comes up and he’s like, but it’s just a little puppy. Just a little puppy. [00:03:00] Just a little puppy. Yes. And we were like. What is this show? We have to watch it every week. And then as you get to know the character of Ron Swanson, his reaction to the puppy, because of course Ron is stoic and so super manly, hyper manly, and yet a puppy’s a puppy.

And you know, he’s licking his mustache. Well, it’s so funny if you go back and watch that scene, Chris Pratt goes, Ron says something and Chris Pratt goes, take it out back and shoot it. And Ron’s like, no, don’t take it out back and shoot it. And so then the puppy starts licking Ron’s face and he goes, okay, now take it back and shoot it.

Which is something that Ron would say. Of course. Yeah. There was, uh, you know, whenever he would do that, the sweet little. Boobie that killed us every time. Cause he did that in a couple of different scenes. And then whenever you put Ron into the mix with his hyper masculinity, it’s just brilliant. [00:04:00] And you’re brilliant in this show with your family and your three girls, the girgitches, you sing in the morning and you sing all the time. We are out of our minds. We are one crazy family. I think it’s hashtag family goals. I think so too. It really is. And what I, what I love, you know, this, I give the writers all the credit in the world, you know, at work, Jerry is kind of the punching bag and they tease them and stuff.

Jerry knows what’s important in life and. His family is his number one priority, and they adore him. he is their, man. Like, he is the father of that family, and he takes such good care of them. And they take care of him, and he takes care of them. And anyway, it’s, I love the family they gave Jerry.

Because, you know, work is important, and the people you work with is important. And, and Jerry certainly loved the people he worked with. Your family, that’s what you go home to every night. Yeah. And that’s so important. he could take all the ribbing at work, all the teasing, but he know when he knew when he went home, it was nothing but [00:05:00] love you know, camaraderie.

I love that. Well, our family doesn’t sing at the dinner table or the breakfast table, but, we have a lot of that too. It’s just me, Al and, her Papa Blake, but, I love just the energy that you guys all had in specific your family, the Gurgitches. I want to go into so much there.

This is a spiritual show. We talk about angel stories, signs, and I think that there’s so much spirituality that we don’t see behind television, the movie industry, just Hollywood in general. I think it’s a miracle that anything gets created in general. 100%. I say that every day. Yeah, we’ve been working, with some producers on a show concept for a while.

And it’s just, it’s interesting. I mean, Hollywood gets this bad rap sometimes, but there’s so much art that goes into the writing and how. [00:06:00] So I, I’m going to tell the listeners, I made a gut call 20 minutes before we came on with Jim and I ran and I picked up Elle, my daughter from school, uh, cause she loves acting.

And as I was reading through your book, I had this aha moment. Oh my God, I got to go get my little girl because she’s just going to love to hear your background story and how you came up into this industry. but. When it comes to this work, the writing that goes into it, the producing that goes into it, there’s just so much, which I feel is a miracle that it can all come together the way that it does.

And many times it doesn’t. I just finished shooting a pilot thing. And anyway, there was a wrap party last night and these writers were telling me about a project they’ve been working on and it was go, go, go. And now it’s not. and believe me, they’ve been working so hard and I, I shouldn’t say what the, it’s a famous project that they were going to do a prequel of.

but it’s a crazy business. [00:07:00] It’s just so hard. So yes, when anything gets done, it’s a miracle. Like when something gets on the air, you’re like, wow, Aziz used to say, you know, there’s a, a website called deadline And it’s kind of the, the showbiz, you know, you see what’s happening, what’s been picked up, what’s getting canceled, what the ratings are.

It’s, it’s very popular. It’s an industry website. And he will always say the thing is. The only exciting day is the day something is announced because after that it probably will never happen or it will be so much work you had no idea what you were even in for. So yeah, it is, it’s a crazy business and the craziest thing is that I still love it.

That’s what makes me crazy. I still love it. I love it and it’s silly. I shouldn’t, but I do. Well, you do. And I think that that is a great point that you hit on. You talk about deadline. com in your book, but that it is so much work. It is so much work and you guys make it look so easy when it just appears on your TV screen at night.

But It’s just round the clock grind. You’re thinking about it while you’re [00:08:00] sleeping. You go. Oh my gosh. It’s around. You’re 100 percent right. Yeah. it used to make us crazy because I forget who I was in. I remember being in a trailer one day with Amy Poehler and we’re just talking about whatever.

And I said, Oh yeah, somebody said, well, this isn’t really work. And we both like went off, like, what do you mean this isn’t work now? Granted, like my brother is a, he’s a retired welder now. Granted that’s physical, hard work. He’s in a, on a skyscraper in Chicago in February. I mean that. That is very, very hard work.

It’s physical, but what we’re doing, there’s so much that goes, it’s not just we show up, I sit in hair and makeup and then I spout some lines, there’s preparation, there was the training that went into this, there’s a discussions. How is this is all going to play out. it is work and it’s long days, super long days.

If you’re seeing it, you know, there’s, there’s what’s called multi camera shows, and then there’s single camera shows, multi cam would be your, Oh, like you’re, everybody loves Raymond was a multi cam, Seinfeld was a multi cam, cheers, all these shows and those schedules are [00:09:00] pretty good because you’re kind of just working.

8 to 5, except for the day that you actually tape the episode. Where a single cam, we could work 10, 12, 14 hours a day. There’s, it all depends if you’re on location, things have to be done, so there’s a lot that goes into it. So yes, it is work for those who think it isn’t. It is work. it gave me hope though.

I was watching The Sopranos documentary that just came out. Oh, I can’t wait to see that. Yes! I won’t give anything away, but they said that he had written that show in like, the very first season. Like I want to say in the early 80s. And it didn’t get picked up until the late 90s. So, I was like, okay, there’s hope.

There’s hope. There’s always hope. Yes. There is always hope. But it’s a it’s a Rough business, you know, timing matters and you just, you never know. Like even, even with my career, I was so blessed even before parks. I, you know, I was a busy actor, but then you get on a show like parks and it changes the landscape.

It just does for so many reasons. [00:10:00] Number one, you are now on television every week. For seven seasons. So it opens up other doors that never would have been open because people wouldn’t have had access to me like that. So that helps. And of course, you know, financially now you have this steady job that goes on for seven years and, and all that kind of stuff, always think this, and we can do this about anything in life, but what if I wasn’t available to audition?

What if I had been sick that day? What if. You know, they didn’t want Jim O’Heir and they wanted, you know, Bob Smith, whomever it, you know, there’s so much, and there’s so much luck and you hope some talents involved, but it’s all a crapshoot, you know, it really is. Well, and I thought that this would be interesting for people to hear, because I think that.

The spiritual realm on the other side, God, universe source, the angels are trying to bring more peace to the earth, more hope to the earth. And I hope that there’s a lot of healers listening today, because I believe that they’re trying to get you to understand more what this [00:11:00] industry is like. And I love at the beginning of your book, Jim, you talk about, cause this recently was something I came across.

you originally tried out or auditioned for the role of Ron, tell us about that. I mean, when you think about it, you know, Nick Offerman, who plays Ron Swanson, is such a genius at first, he’s a genius, he’s an amazing actor, and more importantly, an amazing human being in general, but then, The thought of anyone other than Nick playing that role just blows my mind.

But yeah, when this show first started, it was called the Untitled Amy Poehler Project. And so, there was a lot of, you know, the word they use is heat, meaning a lot of, you know, interest, out in the world because, they have Amy Poehler, and the network, it wasn’t just a pilot. Which normally you do a pilot and then a show either gets picked up or it doesn’t.

And normally it doesn’t, but they gave it a six episode order. So that is kind of unheard of. So that even made more excitement, like people wanted in. So I said to my folks, get me in, if you can, you know, my [00:12:00] reps and they got me in and I went in for Ron Swanson as did. I jokingly say everybody who was walking in Los Angeles went in for Ron Swanson.

There were so many famous people that went in for Ron Swanson. So many people auditioned for it. So my goal was in the, for L I know you’re, you’re sitting there listening. Here’s the thing I’m going to tell you if acting becomes a thing for you. I never went into that audition thinking I’m going to get this role.

for a couple of reasons. One, this is such a high profile project. I am a very much a journeyman actor. I’ve worked a lot, but no super high profile thing. So the odds are, I’m not going to get it, but what I did know. Was that the people in that room that I was auditioning for were the people that had created the office.

They had written on SNL. These are important people in the business. And my only goal, my truly, my only goal that day was to impress them enough to consider me for other roles down the road. Maybe a guest spot on the office, maybe a guest spot on this new show, Untitled Amy Poehler [00:13:00] Project, who knows what.

I just wanted to walk out of that room and think, I did the best I could. And you know, someone gave me advice. Well, it was just and it’s so simple. It’s so simple. a fellow actor and she said, I was worked up about some big film I was about to do. It was super high profile and I was just really nervous.

I was in my head and creating my own problems. And she said to me, Are you going to do the best you can do? I said, well, of course. And she goes, then what are you worked up about? And think about that. Are you going to do the best you can do? Okay. Well, that’s all you got. That is all you have. You can only do the best you can do.

And so I just wanted to go in that room and do the best I could do. And whatever I did was enough that they liked me enough that. After they cast the main characters, you know, you’re Leslie and, you know, Amy Poehler and Nick Gofferman and Rashida Jones and Aziz Ansari and Aubrey Plaza, who, uh, Paul Schneider at the time.

so once they had them, now they have to fill out the office. [00:14:00] And I stuck in their heads, for whatever I had done with my Ron audition. So then they called me in, you know, they called my reps and said, would he audition for a character named Jerry? Which they didn’t even know who Jerry was, what Jerry was going to be.

They knew nothing. they had to make up material for the audition. he wasn’t in the script. my agent called when they offered it to me, they said, First of all, I should tell you, the producers behind Parks were so open and they said, just see, you know, we, we got to be forward with you guys.

We don’t know what this is yet. you know, Jim might be sitting around a lot because we don’t know what this is. And so my agents, very nicely, they weren’t trying to, be bad, but they said, we don’t know if you should do this because you’ve worked a lot. There’s nothing wrong with being an extra, but you’re a working actor, you don’t do extra work at this point, but for me, it was a no brainer because these people had created the office where the background, supposed background people have become major players, you know, your Kevin’s and your Meredith’s and your Oscars and Phyllis and Stanley.

So for me, it was a no brainer. when I went in for [00:15:00] Jerry, it was kind of weird also because normally when I auditioned for something, they know what type they want. So I’m going to go in, there’s going to be big guys, you know, like kind of my guys. But when I went in for Jerry, they did not know what they wanted.

And so there were big guys and small guys and white guys and black guys and tall guys and short guys. And everybody was all over the place. But I went in, and again, my thought was, I just want to impress them enough that they will think of me in the future. And, through whatever happened that day, they liked what I did.

And, I got the role of Jerry. So, to get back to your initial thing, yes, I auditioned for Ron Swanson, and ended up as Jerry, and I think it all played out exactly how it was supposed to.

Friends. I just want to thank you for sharing each episode with your friends. Because of you, we’ve hit nearly 10 million downloads a year. Wow. As a thank you and gift, please enjoy my free 31 day angel success formula at [00:16:00] the angel medium. com. So you can start connecting with your angels today. And please share today’s episode.

If you’ve enjoyed it and tag me at angel podcast.

But I think that this is a huge life lesson that most actors know, but most lay people don’t. That you can be given a small role in anything.

I think about Mean Girls and the Oscars. Of the girls who had smaller roles, maybe even 10 lines, but they killed it be such great, like personality that they put into that character that they were just huge standouts and breakouts. And that’s the way I think of Jerry. And what happened is, as you know, for those who have followed the show every season, Jerry was there more and more and more.

And it was for me as an actor, [00:17:00] though, I’ll be honest, once I, once the show got legs, which means. It looked like it was going to stick around for a while. I was seeing the writing on the wall because Jerry would be in this scene and now he’s in this scene and now we’re meeting his family. And it was like, Yahoo!

That is exactly what you want. You want them to give you a family. Because that means we are getting to know this character. And so, yeah, you don’t know what’s going to lead to what. To you. You just never know. And to this day, I’m, you know, because of parks, a lot of jobs I get are offers, which L let me tell you, if you go down this path, there’s nothing better than your people calling you saying we have an offer, you know, without having to even audition.

but that being said, my reps also know I will fight for a job. there are some actors who are what they call offer only. Okay, that’s their call. but I’m always like. Put me in the mix, get me in the room. I will do what first I happen to like auditioning, which I know seems crazy.

A lot of actors, it’s the worst part of their [00:18:00] day. I like going in a room. I like chatting, as you can tell, I ramble. So you’re probably already like, he hasn’t shut up since we started, but I do like, you know, that’s just kind of who I am and so I like meeting the people. And I also love, being in a room.

I do My audition, you know, I use my choices that I chose when I was prepping for the audition. And then what I love is when the director will go, okay, now do this. I love when you get direction because who am I to say that my choices are the exact choices. I don’t know this script. These people know the script.

So I love that collaboration. I love collaboration in general with writers, with directors. and that was the thing about parks. Parks and Rec was so collaborative, we could pitch ideas, we could pitch guest stars, we had open access to the writers room. That does not always happen, and I’m not knocking other shows, it just doesn’t normally happen.

But our creators, Mike Schur and Greg Daniels, that’s just who they are, and We had Amy Poehler was our captain on set and [00:19:00] Mike Schur was the captain in the writer’s room. And they took such good care of all of us. And Amy is, I think she’s, she’s could be eight or nine years younger than me.

I’m not sure exactly, but even though she was the mother on that set, she took care of us. And, we had a, I’m going to watch my language here. I’ll close your ears, but we had a, they created what they call the no A holes policy. So if somebody showed up and they weren’t. It’s gonna be collaborative and pleasant to work with.

They were never seen again. And I just always think when you’re doing a creative thing, whether it’s acting, painting, whatever that creative thing is, to have the stress of people yelling and screaming, I don’t see how that works. It’s never worked for me. And I’ve been on sets where that is what happens.

And I just, I have to go with the flow, but I just think you’re, you’re going against what we’re all trying to do here. It’s never worked. Especially a comedy. We’re doing a comedy, people. Let’s, let’s smile. Let’s laugh. And that’s what Parks was for seven seasons [00:20:00] because of of Amy and because of Mike Schur and Greg Daniels.

Yeah. Now see, I ramble so much. I don’t even know what the question was. That’s how much I ramble. I love it. I’m a rambler too. My dad was a rambler as well. I started this podcast because he passed away and she was in preschool at the time, but every time I was brushing her hair, I kept hearing this thought within my mind.

Sounds like your own inner voice. Say she needs a hairbrush like I use. She needs a hairbrush like I used. And, I was like, Oh my God, I am going crazy. I had a really corporate business, professional job. And, I grew up very Catholic. You do not touch this stuff. Mediumship. Lo and behold, an entire month passes his family.

My name had changed when I got married. I wasn’t talking to him cause he did a lot of cheating. I’m at work a month later. I’m here in this all month long and I get a call from my sister. Dad’s past. And I see out of my [00:21:00] third eye, this vision of him brushing my hair. When I was a young girl before school, like he always did.

And he was using this brush that I hadn’t thought about in decades. This wooden handlebar bores bristles. I’m like, Oh my God, my dad’s been talking to me through my own intuition. I stayed with, Teresa Caputo’s teacher a little bit. I worked with a lot of different folks and, learned about it and then started I started the podcast, and so I had a reading by Teresa it was awful and I don’t mean awful.

It was a bad reading. I mean, I just sobbed like a baby on and off for an hour. I mean, oh my gosh, because I am also, I do believe like I, I raised Catholic, still a practicing Catholic and I believe, and if I’m wrong, I’ll never know. So I don’t care. But I believe that when my time comes, whether it’s tonight or.

20 years from now, whenever that time is, I will be greeted by my parents and my loved ones and It will be nothing but love and [00:22:00] I truly feel that I I always thank my angels when Like I just avert a car accident like last night For example, there’s something happened with one of my dogs and my dogs I don’t have kids and so the dogs become probably more important than my They should be important, but I mean, I just Googled this morning. How much does it cost to, what do you call like, um, clone your dog? Oh, the dog people too. Oh my gosh. We’re not going to do it, but yeah, we’re big dog people. So you’re a dog, but you get it. And there was something he almost got out anyway, which has never happened and it all worked out.

It all worked out. And I lived the first time. I was like, Oh, you know, thank you, God. Thank you, God. And thank you angels, for protecting, his name is Chase. so I am very much angels. I’m very much, I speak to my parents to this day. one of my dearest friends he runs an atheist organization.

he’s a skeptic, they call it. people can believe whatever they want. God bless. I don’t judge whatever. I have my beliefs. You can have your beliefs where that’s it’s we live in America and how wonderful is that? but I always say to him, [00:23:00] I win because I get peace. I get, security in believing that there’s someone I can speak with when things are scary doctor appointments that you’re waiting for test results and you can pray and you can talk to whoever, you know, your God is. And again, it could be whoever, whether it’s your, you call it a God or whatever the universe, whatever you want to call it.

I get such peace from that. I have that. And I, like I said, I believe when I leave this planet, I will go on. And be with my loved ones who I can’t wait to see again. And so I said, I win because he doesn’t have that. And again, it’s not a competition. I mean, we’re all at some point we, you know, this is, we all have a finite time here.

but I love that I have that and it gives me peace. And also I was just talking to somebody, a friend of mine, she’s Jewish and she just does the high holidays, like Rosh Hashanah is happening and she’ll do the different high holidays. And she said, I just love the traditions and I love, you know, the readings and that’s how I am [00:24:00] when I go to mass.

It’s number one familiar. my parents were very much every Sunday we went to Catholic mass. And then when I was old enough to make my own decisions, I stopped going because, you know, I’m going to do what I want, you know, whatever. And then as you get older, then I went back. So, we all have a path and you figure it out.

But. I very much, I very much believe that my parents are around me. I believe, you know, certainly I believe in a God and Catholic, you know, we have our Jesus Christ, you know, I I’m on board with all of it. Have you ever gotten signs where you just knew, like, you knew, like you knew it was your mom or dad coming through from the other side, throughout life here and there, but one that to this day, You know, and I talked to Teresa about it, still gives me chills when I think about it, but when my mom passed, I mean, my dad passed young, he was 57, lung cancer. And then my mom passed, she was 74, also lung cancer. and I have been a mama’s boy, you know, mom was the first phone call when things were good or even bad. Like, Oh mom, this happened and no, I didn’t get this job or, you know, I remember the [00:25:00] day I booked an episode of friends, mom, I booked friends, like, you know, like she was the call, she was the call.

And so when she died, it was, it was rough. you know, I was with her. We all were, it was just rough So, two stories that stick out. One is, I said to my siblings after she passed, I’m not going to be, because I figured they would expect me to do readings at her mass, because, you know, I’m the actor and I’m in front of people all the time and whatever.

And I just said to them, you guys, I just, I will not be able to do this. I just, And they were like, no, no, no, we understand. No worries. Whatever. So my mom had told me, she says, when I’m gone, because she knew it was coming, she had everything laid out.

And she says, go to my, dresser, the top shelf, there’s a box and you open the box. And I opened the box and at the very top is a letter. And it just says on the top, Jimmy, please read at my funeral mass. I’m like, son of a gun, she got me because how can I not do it? She’s just asked me to do it. So I did.

And you know, it was a blubbering mess, but her letter, it was to her children and it was to her grandchildren and it was to [00:26:00] the world to let the world know what a. What love she had in her life from the day she was born to the day she met my dad and then she thought she couldn’t have any more love in her life because it was so much and then her first child came along and Then she thought you know, and then my dad died and she thought I can’t go on But then a grandchild was born and that changed everything.

So That was amazing. But here’s the nutty part. I’m just gonna say it’s nutty So we go to the church to set up make all the arrangements for the funeral mass and the wake and everything and they said, okay We’re gonna you know, what picture do you want to use for the cover of the little miss Silhouette?

They give when you get there and we were like, oh, we don’t know. I don’t I don’t know Should we use a newer picture or maybe one from years ago, whatever? she said, okay Yeah, you know and to I need it within two days You Okay, so the next day, I’m because I’m staying at her house. I was staying at her house and she had died in her house because we had hospice at the end and everything and I go to take a shower and I was kind of living out of my suitcase while I was there.

I get out of the shower and on top of my [00:27:00] suitcase and again, people will say that is impossible. But here’s what it was. It was her high school graduation picture sitting on top of my suitcase. Now, I didn’t put it there. Yeah, nobody else is in the house. I’m the only one staying there. I think mom was like, I’m here.

Use this picture and I’m with you guys. And I again, I don’t know. Nobody else was there It was me. I didn’t take the picture and do it unless I had a mental break that I don’t remember. I don’t know. I don’t have an answer. But I have my own answer. My, it was my mom going, it’s okay, I’m here, let’s use this, and it was her way of letting me know it’s all good.

Because my mother, after my dad died, they were kind of like, there’s just this dream couple, like you find them dancing in the kitchen. They were just this amazing couple and we didn’t think she could get through it after he passed. And she just kept saying, I can’t wait to be with your dad again, because she believed that is what will happen.

And I believe it to this day. she said, we’re going to, [00:28:00] we’re going to fly all over the country on the clouds, visiting all of you, because we’re all in different areas. And so, but anyway, so yes, I. I believe my mother through somehow, I don’t know how it happened, put that picture on my luggage. And that is the picture we use for her, for her mess.

I think you had a second story there. So I want to come around to that one. But, I wanted to tell you that after interviewing and reading so many different books, interviewing so many different spiritual leaders, I truly believe that our souls are infinite, each of us, and that together we’re all that is God, universe, source, whatever you want to call it.

I feel like they really want you to understand and accept into your heart that when you’re on the other side. There’s a part of your soul that’s already there. That here Yes. Here is the only place that we can be without someone, that she’s still with you and all the kids. I feel like that it’s [00:29:00] really important.

And the grandkids she just had. Yes. Well, she said, she said in her letter that I read at the mass, she said to her grandchildren, it was Emily, Kristen, Nikki, and Hannah. And I read that, of course, through tears. I said Through her words. I’m with you. Talk to me. Tell me your problems. I’m always here for you.

Mm-Hmm. So I do believe that 100%. And again, if I’m wrong, I’ll never know. I’ll die and then that’ll be that. And, but I don’t think I am did you have another angel story to share? I wanted to let you share that one too, if you said, or, or that was the two, the letter, uh, tho those were the two.

But I mean, I believe there’s angels protecting us. I just do. Uh, and I know I’m sure some people listen to us talk and they’re like, Oh, they’re crazy. Okay. They’re allowed. They’re all crazy here. Exactly.

We’re all crazy. I’m an actor. Of course I’m crazy. I’m in the most ridiculous business in the world. Amy Poehler would always say, think about what we do. We walk into a room full of strangers and perform. Who does that? Like how crazy [00:30:00] is that? And yet, if it’s something in your heart, if it’s a passion, like L, if down the road, it’s in your, like it’s in there, who knows if it will be your career, but you certainly have to try.

You gotta, you just give it a shot. Try things. Yeah. But no, it is, it’s such a silly business and yet we do it. Well, and I thought it was interesting because going back to the book that you wrote, you kind of have different parts from different perspectives. So, I think it was Michael Shore, you had a part with him, and he was talking about casting Ron Swanson, and Elle, I wanted you to hear this too.

That he had met Ron, I think on, oh God, what was the best show in the world that, his wife did? Oh, Will and Grace. Yes, Will and Grace. Yeah. That maybe Michael Schur met Ron on set there. And he was like, I got a project for you. And Ron was like, no, not good timing. I got something else. And so Michael was like, I wrote his [00:31:00] name on a post it.

You got to tell this story. Cause I thought that was just, it was an angel story. It’s an angel story. You don’t know how, you don’t know who you meet. You don’t know what is happening day to day. , Mike meets Nick and Nick is such a unique character just to talk to him. He’s number so smart, just so smart, so funny, but he’s also Oh, my gosh.

he’s so smart that I don’t know half the words he says sometimes, you know what I’m saying? Like he is just this, smart, intelligent person. And so I’m sure when Mike met him, he was like, wow, this is a character. And by character, like, I love when people say, Oh, Jim is such a character. I love that. I love that.

That means you’re doing something different than everybody else and you’re, you’re your own person. And I love it. I love when I’m called a character. And I think he spoke with Nick and probably thought, wow, that is an interesting guy. This is a guy who’s smart, intelligent. He had probably seen some of his work and thought, I want to work with him.

So yes, he did. He took his name. He wrote it out. He goes, it was on one of those little [00:32:00] yellow stickums or post its and he put it on his computer and that name stuck there and then when the time came years later. For Parks and Recreation, there was his name and now Ron will forever be known, or Nick Offerman will forever be known as Ron Swanson from Parks and Recreation.

That’s wild. And then his wife, Megan, would come and do the show, she did the show a bunch of times, playing his crazy ex wife. Oh my god, did she kill it in that part. She, like, she was meant to be crazy in that role, but she took crazy to a whole new level. And I will tell you this about them, they are, You know, this, this industry we’re in again, the acting showbiz in general, it’s a tough industry because a lot of times you have to leave.

Like, you know, it seems like everything I shoot nowadays, I’m in another state or I’m in Canada, like it’s, it’s just the nature of the business. You’re going a lot, but they are the greatest couple. They are. So still madly [00:33:00] in love and they do this thing where they don’t go any more than two weeks without seeing each other.

If one of them’s on a job, the other will fly to them and you know, they’re fortunate they have the resources to do that, but still they make it a priority. because when you’re, You know, just, again, you could, like, I, I booked a film and I’m gone for six weeks. That’s a long time to be gone. And in Nick’s case, if he’s working and Megan’s working, like, we, when we were doing Pirates at one point, she was on Broadway.

And so, he’s in LA and she’s in New York. So every two weeks, they, the show would shoot him out early on Friday. He’d catch a flight Friday night. Spend the weekend with her, you know, go to her shows, go to her dressing room, and then fly back Sunday to be at work on Monday. So they have always prioritized their marriage.

And they’re, I think they’re a special couple. I think they’re, they’re unusual. And, I just, you know, cause again, I was raised by parents who, I also think we’re a special couple and I love to see that. And that’s who they are. Yeah. And, and Megan is just so [00:34:00] talented. She’s so crazy, talented. She can do anything.

I was so excited when they said she was going to be on the show because I was a huge will and grace fan. Yeah. So in my mind, Karen Walker is coming to the show. And I was like, Oh yeah. And what, El, what is the term they use when you’re, talking, when you’re excited to meet, you know, Meet some fan, you’re not, you’re fangirling, yes, I was fangirling all over, all over Megan Mullally.

I just, I couldn’t help it. But then after a while, I’m like, well, she’s here a lot. It was just like crazy. Like, here’s Megan again. Yeah. So exciting. I loved it. Oh, I know you’re a Chicago guy. we’re in Glen at like right near Glen Ellyn, Wheaton and Sean Hayes is from Glen Ellyn. So every time we’re down there, there’s a big picture of his face on one side of the Yeah.

Yeah. Rick Waltz. Oh, really? That’s awesome. I didn’t know you guys were in Illinois. We’re, uh, Wheaton, Naperville, Glen Ellyn, just like that pack right there. One of my best friends lives in Naperville and she had a grand, her first granddaughter today. I got the text this morning. Yes. Everyone’s excited.[00:35:00]

And, and, um, the way my book tour is working out, like I’m doing, you know, a lot of interviews and everything in advance, but beginning in November, The book is out on the 19th of November. So on the 15th, I start a book tour and I do LA, New York, Boston, Miami, and Chicago. And the last city is Chicago. So I’m going to end up spending Thanksgiving with my family in Chicago.

So the timing was perfect. Amazing. Well, we’ll try and come see you too. That’d be so, that would be awesome. I would love it. Yes. so going back to the book, Michael Shor also wrote, The good place. Oh my gosh.

Which we’ve watched three times. The whole series. Yes. The entire series. It’s amazing. I would die to just interview one of those writers on the show because it was so close to what I’ve always seen when I do sessions. Yeah. It’s why. He here’s what I’m going to tell you about Mike. Sure. And, This is such a big word.

I don’t use it often, but I use it on him. He’s a [00:36:00] genius. He’s a genius, a writing genius. And I, I don’t, I don’t say that lightly. I promise you. I don’t, I don’t call everybody a genius. what the reason parks stayed as relevant as it did a lot of shows after they become a big hit, the network say to the creators, okay, give us something else, create something else.

And. Mike did. He created Brooklyn Nine Nine with, Dan Gore. But the difference is, a lot of times that person will leave the show they’re working on to do the new show. Mike never left us. So we had his brain. Episode 1 till episode 125 however many we did. And I think that’s why the show stayed as strong as it did because His voice was always there and Greg Daniels, of course, who co created, but Greg had to leave us because he was still doing the office.

So he was still show running the office. He, you can’t show run two shows at once. It is a big, big, big job. So he was at all of our table reads and I know he went over all the scripts, but Mike was our [00:37:00] day to day show runner and Mike never left us. And so, so we finished out parks, I think. It was an amazing seven season run.

I take no credit other than I was blessed to be an actor on the show. Mike in the room, the writer’s room that he created was just above and beyond. So then the show ends and then he comes up with the good place. How does your brain go from, I mean, cause parks and good place are two very different shows.

I mean, they’re both shows about. Positivity and, you know, lightness and stuff, but the genius to be able to do the, and Brooklyn nine, nine, he was always involved. So again, the man is a genius and he was so gracious to write, you know, to sit down with me, to do this book, you know, he, I interviewed him. I interviewed Greg Daniels.

I learned so many things that I never knew about Parks and Recreation. And that’s what I keep trying to tell the fans. This is such a book for fans because not only is there great, you know, there’s pictures you’ve never seen behind the scenes and all this, [00:38:00] but there’s so many stories you couldn’t have heard because I never heard them.

I never heard some of these stories. How many of your favorite stories? Well, the story that shocked the hell out of me was that Amy Poehler was not the first one cast. I go, what, what are you talking about? It was not Amy. She was pregnant. She couldn’t do it. She said, I can’t do it.

Aziz Ansari was the first one cast. I never knew that. They didn’t even have a script. They just loved him. And another, he was doing a show called Human Giant. I believe it was on Comedy Central, but don’t, don’t hold me to that, but I believe it was Comedy Central. And they just loved him. And, you know, they could see that he could do this and he can do that.

remember this show, when I got on board was called the untitled Amy polar project. I just assume Amy polar. And then the network offered Mike and Greg to put this new show on right after the super bowl. Now that is the prime spot that anybody ever gets and they were going to do it. And then they said, [00:39:00] no, we want to wait for Amy.

And they said, thank you, but no, thank you. And they waited until Amy physically could do it after having the baby and all that kind of stuff. And you want to talk about how things are meant to work out. Imagine anyone other than Amy Poehler playing Leslie. No, you can’t, you can’t, but the fact that they took the risk of saying, no, we’re going to, we’re going to turn down that amazing offer, like again, After the super bowl, you know, you’re going to get 20 million eyes.

You just are at least if not more. So that story, the fact that Amy was not the person on board blows my mind. And then even I, you know, I interviewed the casting director. I didn’t know how I got on board. And apparently she said to Mike, you got to see this guy. You just got to see him. And that, that warmed my heart because you know, I am the king of, everybody say this, a lot of actors, L don’t become one of people like me.

We’re always doubting ourselves and we shouldn’t, we should, you know, I mean, I believe in myself, but I’m always the first one to think, Oh, I’ll never work [00:40:00] again, or like, I’ll, I’ll end up, I’ll end up on a job with another job lined up. And that when the job ends, I’ll go, well, I’ll probably never work again.

And my agents are like, you already have a job. I go, I know, but something will happen. I’m just, and I’m self deprecating and all that kind of stuff. But so it’s a crazy business. there’s a story I tell in the book that is so silly when I think back, but I told it, but I was on a plane heading to Atlanta to shoot a film with Steven Soderbergh, who is one of the greatest directors, In our world and the cast was channing tatum and and daniel craig and adam driver and hillary swank.

I mean, it was just unbelievable And I’m sitting on the plane and I start flop sweating. I start having a panic attack because I’ve convinced myself they made a mistake and I’m not the guy they think I am. And I’m going to show up and we’re going to go, who’s he? But anyway, of course that wasn’t the case.

And I was, I shot the movie and it was all wonderful. But, you know, actors can be our own worst enemies.

Friends. I just want [00:41:00] to thank you for sharing each episode with your friends. Because of you, we’ve hit nearly 10 million downloads a year. Wow. As a thank you and gift, please enjoy my free 31 day angel success formula at theangelmedium. com. So you can start connecting with your angels today. And please share today’s episode.

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I think you mentioned that you went into work for the first day. You get into the elevator. There’s like all of the A list like celebrities in the interview or in I’m in the waiting room and they’re all coming off the elevator, all of the cast. And I’m like, oh my God, oh my God. And they were lovely. Hey, hi. Now, you know, they didn’t know who I was. I’m just sitting in a, in the waiting room. because I had said to a good buddy of mine, I said, this could be something, this show, this could be something, Amy Poehler, look [00:42:00] at this cast, this could be something, six episodes, like, it’s already got six episodes, so I’m going to meet everybody for the first time, and I’m just sitting there, and they walk through, they’re all pleasant, they walk by, and that was it, and I remember texting my friend, and I said, I think I was wrong.

I think this is just going to be maybe a quick guest spot, and that’ll be it, didn’t feel it, I just didn’t feel it as they walked by, and again, nobody was mean, they were just quick hellos, and they walked by, so I sit there for 10 minutes, and I’m texting back and forth, and I’m like, yeah, that’s a shame, I really thought this could have been something big, all of a sudden, Mike Schur comes in the room, and he goes, Jim, come on back, And I’m still like, okay, and then he takes me back into the area where everybody is sitting.

He goes, Hey, everybody, this is Jim O’Heir, the newest member of the family. And I went from thinking this isn’t anything to, Oh my God, you don’t just say that. That’s a big sentence. That’s a big sentence. And I don’t think they knew that I was coming on board. I don’t know what they knew, but of course everybody, Jim, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

And then from that day on, I never felt anything but. A part of [00:43:00] it and thrilled to be there. Now, you know, there was many times read it and I who played Don Amigo because we weren’t hired as series regulars at first. Oh my God. She’s my girl. I love Marietta. We had lunch a couple of weeks ago and there was a couple from England who just were losing their minds that they, we were watching us have lunch together and they finally, cause ready goes, Oh, they’re going to, they can’t control themselves.

And they finally come over. Cause I think it, I think it, I think it’s a, it’s a, it’s a, People get, it kind of blows their mind when, you know, you see actors in LA because it’s LA, you know, whatever, but here’s two actors from a show that obviously they are friends. This is real there, you know, and actually I tell a story in the book.

I was at an event once with a couple of the office people. And when people see us together, the office people and the parks people, they go crazy because in their minds, it’s like worlds are like, what is happening? Worlds are colliding. And so, yeah, it’s fun. but right. And I never knew what was happening.

And then I tell this to Greg Daniels in my interview with him, I said, Greg, we always worried week to week. And [00:44:00] he’s like, what are you talking about? We always knew you were going to be there. I go. I’m like, boy. You should have told me like he goes. I’m so sorry because you know, they’re just doing their jobs that he’s not worried.

You know, he’s just we’re there every week. But yeah, as it turns out, right? And I spent a lot of time thinking this is what’s happening when the whole time it was all happening. We were fine. We weren’t going anywhere, but we didn’t know. We didn’t know. I had such a great lesson and

I got that from the book that, you know, you might think that to yourself, Oh, I’m never going to work again.

But you are, you’re going to continue on. There’s always that next job. And, And here’s what I’ll say about the acting business. So, you know, life, is ups and downs. That’s life. You know, you ride high and then you go down and we always have to remember, even on the down downs, whatever, whether it’s career wise or family things or relationship issues, whatever, whatever the down is and they hurt.

We’re, we’re humans and they hurt. Things will get better. That is the nature of life. So even when you’re down, down, there [00:45:00] will be an up. It’s just how it works.

That’s why you get through the down downs, but what’s interesting about, you know, keep using the term show business, but, as a big word, that’s what it is.

You could be so down you haven’t gotten had a job in a while and you’re so like, Oh, I don’t think I’m ever going to work again. And the phone rings and it’s your agent or manager, whomever, and they go, Hey, Would you like to head to Australia to do a blah, blah, blah. And there’s very few businesses where it can turn so quickly.

You know, like if you’re an account, your job is pretty much the same Monday through Friday, and hopefully you enjoy what you do, but it’s, you know, it’s routine. I need to balance this. I need to do all that. Whatever accountants do with this industry, it’s different day to day. But even when you’re down, that phone can ring and it changes everything.

So I always try to keep that in my mind because again, I’ve been so blessed. I, you know, there was a strike that happened and there was, you know, a lot of people out of work. I was fortunate you know, because of a show like Parks and Rec, I’m, I’m comfortable. I, I, I’m not so [00:46:00] worried, you know, I can take time off and I’m not so worried.

and my insurance will be covered, but a lot of people didn’t have that. I’m just grateful. But I always, tell buddies who have, you know, had a rougher times with it. it’s one phone call away. It’s one phone call away from all turning around and they will always ultimately tell you, I got that call and I love that.

I love it. I love when my friends are working. I love, you know, cause, Here’s a rough thing to keep in your mind. SAG actors, screen actor, guild actors at any point, only 2 percent of us are working at the same time. Wow. That is a tough number to really let sink into your head.

And yet, when you’re part of that two percent. I just feel you have to be so grateful to think that you’re part of that only 2 percent that is working now that doesn’t include, you know, there’s theater that separate and there’s commercial work. Well, actually, commercial work, I guess, would be included because that would be sad work.

I’m very much. You got to be grateful, about life in general. And I’m not saying we don’t all have bad days where you’re like, Oh my God, this was a [00:47:00] terrible day. And we all have them. That’s life. but I try to be grateful. And again, knowing there will always be a rise, that’s why people who are suicidal, you know, and I have dealt with, I’ve spoken of this before. I’ve dealt with depression in the past. Thankfully I was never at that point, but I could see how you could get to that point, but if people could just realize it will get better, there are better days ahead.

but sadly, sometimes the people can’t see that. And that’s the worst, obviously. You are just the best guy, Jim . You’re so amazing. I could talk to you for forever, but I wanna get you out on time. I do have a couple of personal messages. If I can bring those through to you. Bring ’em through. Yes. Well, I, I can do it afterwards.

are you, whenever you’re okay. I’m okay. Yes. so I felt your mom around like all morning and she don’t get me crying because that could happen. Be careful. I know. I’m sorry. Well, you know, everybody’s got different gifts and a lot of times loved ones and angels come through [00:48:00] to just tell you what your heart needs and show you a vision of your future that they want you to hold on to.

Do you have a partner in your life, a significant other? I do. Okay. Your mom loves this person. Oh, um, she’s just always wanted you to have that relationship like you, like she had with your dad, my dad. Yes. Yes. And so I don’t know if you met this person after she passed, but, um, she just loves this person for you.

I love that. I love that. Yeah. And then the other thing that she kept saying to tell you is that. sometimes I think we can get in our own heads too. Like I had the success with this podcast. I’m never going to reach that level of success with something else again. But she’s like, she’s so proud of the work that you’ve done.

And she wants you to hold this vision within your mind of parks and rec, not being. The peak, but one of [00:49:00] the peaks, because she said that you’re going to do this for the rest of your life and it’s a beautiful life, but you’re going to have even more great peaks that, you just don’t even see coming yet.

Oh my God. I love that. That’s lovely. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Of course. Your book is amazing. welcome to Pawnee stories of friendships, waffles, yum, and parks and recreation. Jim, let everybody know where they can find this We’ll put it all in the show notes.

Below. I love it. Uh, yeah, you can, uh, pre-order the book at, uh, _books a million B-O-O-K-S-A million. You can do it at Barnes and _Noble. You can do it at on Amazon. It’s gonna be all over the place. I signed over 3000, author pages, so there’s a lot of pre-signed books too. we’re gonna do this tour.

You can find me on Instagram at the real Jim O’Heir because. People made up some fake ones. So the real Jim O’Heir, and it’s O H E I R for my last name. And then, I think Twitter is Jim O’Heir and then, uh, Facebook is. I’m old and I do [00:50:00] Facebook. So that’s just Jim O’Heir. Yeah. So I’m kind of all over the place.

Oh, thank you. We’ll put all that in the show notes below. And thank you so much for being here today. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your time. And let me tell you, I don’t, this is such a different type of podcast. And because we, You know, are kind of on the same page. I just love, I can’t believe the hour’s over.

I don’t know where it went. I don’t know. And Al, here’s what I’m going to tell you, sweet girl. who knows what you’ll end up doing. You’re young. You’ll try different things in life. That’s what you should do. I will just say this. If, The world of acting or, showbiz, whether it’s theater, maybe it’s behind the scenes, stage management or producing and directing, writing, whatever it is.

If it’s in here, you have to at least try. It doesn’t mean it’s what you’ll do forever. But you have to at least give it a shot because I, I, I am one of those believers, of you hate to regret now you’re young, so you could five years from now being, Oh no, I have no interest in that anymore. Awesome.

You’ll find whatever it is. You do have an interest in, pursue what’s in your heart. I think that’s really important. [00:51:00] Amazing. And Chicago versus LA. If she went to college somewhere. Oh, wow. Well, it depends where you go for it. Remember Chicago is Northwestern. Which is one of the greatest theater schools in the world.

you know, L. A. has, you know, U. S. C., U. C. L. A., there’s great schools here, too. Um, but it’d be cheaper for mom and dad if you go to Northwestern. So keep that in mind. Keep that in mind. Perfect. Thanks, Jim. so much. guys.

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Now, take a deep breath. Tune into the loving presence of your angels and ask them, how would you have me be of service, experience joy and open my heart to abundance today and let them whisper answers to you all day long. Thank you for listening. And I’ll see you back here Thursday with a brand new episode.