Tommy's Primary School Mate | Aussie Actor
Rhys goes way back with Tommy, all the way to primary school days. He's an actor and a writer, starring in shows like Barracuda, Upper Middle Bogan and The Wizards of Aus. Rhys has spent plenty of time behind the scenes as a producer for various short films and videos.
Rhys on Instagram:
@dripcoffee
Verbatim from the transcripts — each quote links to the moment.
“Don't invest everything into like one dream. I think diversification is, is essential for being in entertainment or just being a human.”
“I'm not a medical professional. I just want to put that out there.”
“It's like TEDx Abbotsford.”
“I gave him 5 stars.”
“Excuse me, sir. I'll stop you there. Uh, honey is not a food. It's a medicine.”
“I was clinically dead for 5 whole minutes.”
“That's like the number one rule of improv. You say yes and, and then add to the idea.”
“You know what I like the most? I love an email.”
What should creatives learn from a near-miss TV deal falling through?
Don't invest everything into one dream; diversify your opportunities and offer yourself multiple paths rather than relying on a single project succeeding.
What's the key rule for doing improv comedy?
Always say yes and add to the idea rather than blocking with 'no, but' — give one performer something they want and another who creates conflict against it.
What's a good approach to staying in touch with someone who lives far away?
Rhys suggests favouring email for distance relationships because it can be revisited later and isn't disrupted by changing phone numbers, preferring it over texts, DMs, or phone calls.
Should I have a backup plan ('plan B') while trying to make it as an actor in a competitive city like LA?
Rhys advises against having a plan B at all, arguing that if you have one you will inevitably take it instead of fully committing; you need to be a bit 'deluded,' fully believe it might work out, and be willing to put in the work and live in hard conditions (like a wardrobe) to pursue it.
How do you actually build a writing habit instead of just buying software?
Rhys and Tommy agree that buying tools like Final Draft doesn't make you write; you need to schedule dedicated time each day, treat it like a job with a set timeframe, and build the habit as a repeated 'muscle' over years.
Rhys describes the tense atmosphere in LA as COVID escalated (people stockpiling bullets rather than toilet paper), deciding to leave due to lack of health insurance, catching one of the last flights before hotel quarantine began, wearing precautions on a tense flight, and completing 14 days of isolation back in Melbourne.
Rhys reveals he sold and developed a pilot script with Comedy Central co-written with Paul W. Downes and Lucia Agnello, based on his real life living situation, describing it as his closest step toward a TV show before the pandemic halted the project's progress.
Rhys recounts a surreal Uber Pool ride in LA where the driver claimed to have been clinically dead, visited an alien realm, cured his own cancer by having bees sting his spine, and showed Rhys a glove box full of live bees, asking him to come sting his spine.
Rhys describes initially living in a share house in a walk-in wardrobe with two windows, lying on the floor with his feet touching the wall, framing it as a 'rags to riches' story once he got his own room.
Rhys describes a sore elbow that turned out to possibly be a tissue infection, leading to a dramatic US doctor visit involving butt injections and antibiotics, contrasted with jokes about how expensive US healthcare (like asthma inhalers) can be.
Drawn from the episode transcripts.
He said that without a job he had no health insurance in the US, so staying didn't seem sustainable or smart, and he caught one of the last flights home before Australia began mandatory hotel quarantine.
From episode 773→He had sold and developed a pilot script with Comedy Central, co-written with friend Paul W. Downes and his partner Lucia Agnello, about the two of them living together, but the project stopped moving forward because of the pandemic.
From episode 773→He says he associates unexpected calls with bad news, a feeling reinforced after Tommy once called him as a teenager to tell him a mutual friend had died.
From episode 587→He originally came over in 2017 for a TV series for FX, then returned home, got a visa, came back for a planned five-week trip, and simply never went back, eventually staying for what has become about two years.
From episode 515→He says you should not have a plan B at all, because if you do, you'll eventually take it; instead you need to be willing to be 'a bit deluded' and fully commit to pursuing acting even while living in difficult conditions (he started out sleeping in a wardrobe).
From episode 515→Yes, he recently started therapy with an Australian therapist over Skype, seeking tools to deal with the rejection and isolation that come with an acting career based on being accepted by others, and he encourages especially men to talk about their feelings rather than suppress them.
From episode 515→Guest Rhys Mitchell describes initially living in a cupboard for two months, facing imposter syndrome and financial uncertainty, but finding a strong, supportive community of Australians in LA (including screenings like Australians in Film) that made the transition easier than expected.
From episode 183→Yes — Rhys notes that Australian productions like The Letdown, Hannah Gadsby's Nanette, and Sisters have gained international attention through Netflix, helping local talent and projects reach audiences abroad.
From episode 183→Mentioned on 10 episodes Rhyswasn’t on.
Sent both hosts a bee-venom cancer research article individually, prompting a story about an Uber driver.
Mentioned as appearing on the show over the weekend and signed off as tomorrow's guest.
Tommy's best mate who gifted him the custom 'Oh my God it's Tommy Jacket' t-shirt for his 18th birthday.
Josh's best friend, an actor living in LA who will later appear on the show and who did artwork for a Kimbra album.
Mutual school friend and previous Daily Talk Show guest referenced throughout the episode.
Josh's best mate since grade prep, whose father introduced Josh to numerology.
Every episode featuring Rhys Mitchell on The Daily Talk Show.
Rhys Mitchell joined Tommy Jackett and Josh Janssen on Episode 773 (26 June 2020) — "Rhys Mitchell's Home From L.A". Rhys Mitchell is back in the studio. We chat about his TV pilot, conspiracy theories, living in LA when Coronavirus hit and of course we finish with some improv.
Rhys Mitchell joined Tommy Jackett and Josh Janssen on Episode 587 (23 January 2020) — "Three Greedy Pigs With Rhys Mitchell". Rhys Mitchell joins us for Fat Fridays! We chat about Rhys' communication hierarchy, gymnastics and backflips, ADR, and Rhys' idea for a TV show.
Rhys Mitchell joined Tommy Jackett and Josh Janssen on Episode 515 (12 November 2019) — "Rhys Mitchell On Therapy & Having A Plan B". Rhys Mitchell is back! Rhys is one of Tommy's old mates from primary school and is an actor, writer, and filmmaker living in LA. We chat about Rhys' infected elbow, having a plan B, therapy and we even do some improv!
Rhys Mitchell joined Tommy Jackett and Josh Janssen on Episode 183 (26 September 2018) — "Activating Aussie Actor Rhys Mitchell". Tommy's Primary School mate, now actor in LA, Rhys Mitchell, is visiting Melbourne for work at the moment. The perfect opportunity to catch up and give us his perspective on living in the US before our trip next week! What it's like being an Aussie in LA, What is an activation anyway, Con vs Don ...