Baywatch: The American Dream

Factual America

9 Jun

Written By

Baywatch was a 1990s phenomenon well ahead of its time, going ‘viral’ long before there was something called social media.

Director and producer Matt Felker is an acclaimed observer of pop culture and social media trends. As a result, Matt is making a documentary that takes a serious look at Baywatch – a show that still resonates with a global audience 20 years later.

Recently, Factual America caught up with Matt, producer Nicole Eggert, who played Summer Quinn on the show, and Jeremy Jackson, who played Hobie Buchannon.

Besides sharing their experiences and memories of Baywatch, they explain how the Covid-19 pandemic is affecting their day-to-day lives and their ability to complete production on Baywatch: The documentary.

Moreover, all three examine why Baywatch became the most watched TV show in the world. In addition, Nicole and Jeremy share with complete candour what it was like being child actors and the ‘family’ they have built around Baywatch.

“I’ve been in the trailer when packages of cocaine and alcohol arrived. I’ve seen the predators around the kids. Baywatch wasn’t like that, it was very different to a lot of sets I’ve been on in my life.” - Nicole Eggert

Time Stamps:

03:17 - The history of Baywatch meeting our guests.
04:50 - How the Covid-19 pandemic is affecting Matt and production.
07:01 - Jeremy’s experience of the lockdown.
09:08 - Nicole’s experience with having kids at home during the lockdown.
12:08 - Why Matt decided to make a Baywatch documentary.
16:24 - Why Nicole was so keen to get involved.
17:54 - How Jeremy got contacted for the documentary.
21:42 - The layers behind the movie, and people’s careers after being on the show.
27:56 - Our first clip, showing the lives of Nicole and Jeremy.
29:47 - The intellectual side of Baywatch.
32:50 - A funny story from the filming of the documentary.
42:41 - Baywatch's brand and how it influenced 1990s culture.
45:15 - How modern day culture references back to the 90s.
46:28 - Could Baywatch be made today?
47:59 - How they’re going to finish the documentary in light of social distancing measures.
54:19 - How fanatical Baywatch's European fans were.
58:14 - Why this show was much more successful in Europe than it was in America.
59:50 - The hardships with being a child actor.
1:03:15 - The risks involved on most film sets, and how Baywatch differed.
1:05:04 - How much of a role David Hasselhoff played in creating the show.

Resources:

Baywatch the Documentary (IMDB) - Baywatch documentary release date
This Is Distorted
Alamo Pictures

Interesting Reading from Factual America:

Transcript for Factual America Episode 17 - Baywatch: The American Dream

0:00
What's up guys? This is Jeremy Jackson and I played David Hasselhoff's son, Hobie Buchannon on the show Baywatch.

0:05
Hi, I'm Nicole Eggert and I played Summer Quinn on Baywatch and currently producing on the Baywatch documentary.

0:12
Hey guys, I'm Matt Felker. And I was not on Baywatch ever, but I directed or I am directing the Baywatch documentary, and producing.

0:20
(music) Baywatch.

0:34
Just seeing the show on TV and going - I'm gonna be that girl on the beach. They had to wear next to nothing.

0:40
Speedo, really? Can I just wear the red trunks?

0:43
Kelly Slater has become the envy of guys the world over.

0:45
I looked at the guy who wrote it - did you write this?

0:48
They were the worst storylines, but they were the most fun to film.

0:51
It's the 90s you could be fired for being gay.

0:54
Very much part of the L.A. Zeitgeist at the time.

0:57
Multiethnic, multieconomic, that will strip of land right at the beach.

1:03
He was already Knight Rider, Berlin Wall comes down big.

1:07
He's almost like this unspoken superhero.

1:12
It was one of those shows that had an incredible impact worldwide.

1:17
Baywatch was what Instagram is today - a visual feed of beautiful people.

1:22
I was so flattered by that and I reposted the heck out of it.

1:29
She is such an amazing, grounded human being that is complete opposite of how she was portrayed on that show.

1:36
They really hit the lottery with Pamela.

1:38
Back then we all wanted to be Pam.

1:40
I think that in some ways women are superior to men. And I want to keep those superpowers.

1:44
The women had as many rescues as the men.

I don't think wearing a bathing suit makes you feel uncertain about your authority.

1:50
Alexandra Paul, David Chokachi, Nicole Eggert. They came to visit me in jail.

1:55
It was very difficult for him. He is one of my closest friends on the show. So it was a secret that we kept.

2:02
I never thought the President of the United States would ever utter to still miss Baywatch.

2:08
Baywatch is iconic, timeless, really Baywatch is a phenomenon. Iconic.

2:14
For me, Baywatch is family.

2:16
Baywatch is irreplaceable.

2:21
Baywatch really delivered the American Dream right into the living rooms and the laps of the rest of the world.

2:34
That is the trailer for the upcoming documentary "Baywatch - the American dream". And this is Factual America.

2:41
Factual America is produced by Alamo pictures, a production company specializing in documentaries, television and shorts about the USA for an international audience. I'm your host, Matthew Sherwood and every week we look at America through the lens of documentary filmmaking by interviewing filmmakers and experts on the American experience. Subscribe to our mailing list or follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at Alamo pictures to be the first to hear about new productions, to find out where you can see our films, and to connect with our team.

3:16
At its peak, Baywatch, was the most popular TV show in the world, watched by over a billion people. Cast members were regulars on entertainment programs, and in many cases in the supermarket tabloids as well. Although derided by some as merely a show full of tits and ass, and there obviously was plenty of that, Baywatch was a phenomenon well ahead of its time, going viral long before there was something called social media. As an acclaimed observer, pop culture and social media trends, director and producer Matt Felker is making a film that takes a serious look at Baywatch, a show that still resonates with a global audience even 20 years later. His partner in crime is producer Nicole Eggert, a former cast member on the show. Factual America caught up recently with Matt, Nicole and former cast member Jeremy Jackson. Besides sharing their experiences and memories of Baywatch, they explained how the pandemic is affecting their day to day lives and their ability to complete production on the documentary. In the process, we found out that Matt, Nicole and Jeremy are just like the rest of us, making the best of a challenging situation and falling back on family. In this case, their Baywatch family.

Matt Felker, Nicole Eggert and Jeremy Jackson, welcome to Factual America.

4:36
Hi, thank you. Thanks for having us.

4:38
Hey, Matt, maybe, you know times like these with Coronavirus and everything, just want to ask how are you doing? And I will get to Nicole and Jeremy here quickly, but how are things there in California?

4:50
We're okay. I mean, it's, we're a little more locked down than other places in the country and I think people are taking it a little more seriously than other places. For me personally, my life hasn't changed dramatically because I work out of my house anyways, and I really don't leave my house anyways. So there's really not a huge change. You know, we've always got groceries delivered and stuff like that prior to this. So I don't really think we've changed all that much. The only thing we really had an issue with is trying to figure out how to complete the movie because we were pretty much about 70% done when we got locked down and we actually had Jeremy, Jeremy got in insane shape because I kind of was recreating the intro scenes of Baywatch sort of as this, we want to use a lot of original footage rather than all this, like, you know, sort of archive stuff. So I was, you know, doing a modern day version of all the actors sort of in their own element, but not in necessarily Baywatch. But ironically, a lot of the actors pretty much live that Baywatch lifestyle regardless of you know, it being a part on the show. So Jeremy was like: shit, man, I just want to get shredded. Because Jeremy's into MMA, and I know Jeremy's like a super, you know, he's an overachiever, type A personality. And it just took me to give him the challenge to be like, you want to, you know, do an MMA opening sequence where you're shirtless. It's looking like a machine. He's like: Fuck Yeah, dude. So he trained his ass off for I don't know how many months. I mean, he should have been like one of those like before and after transformations for a supplement company, because it was unbelievable. And we were supposed to shoot them and this dude almost killed himself dieting and we couldn't shoot him because they closed other gyms on so we, we couldn't we couldn't get it. So, but fortunately, Jeremy's always in good shape. But he's so hard on himself that he wanted to be that specific for the, for the movie, but hopefully we'll be able to, we'll be able to get that shot. And I think we will. I mean, I think things are loosened up a little bit. And because we're a short and a small crew, the actors are comfortable, we'll be able to move forward. It's the bigger productions that I think are in trouble with the insurance and that kind of thing.

6:51
Okay, I think we'll get into that more a little bit later. But since we're already talking about Jeremy, so Jeremy, how you been keeping these last 8 to 10 weeks?

7:01
You know, it's been an interesting, it's been an interesting time. I'm no stranger to, to dealing with problems, to facing adversity, you know, overcoming challenges finding a way to make things work in lieu of, you know, hard times, so to speak. But I think it's a very rare experience and opportunity where people across the globe are facing the same issue, you know. So that's been an interesting dynamic to know that the whole world is facing the same problem at the same time. I think it's a very rare situation. So, I've personally been taking the opportunity to invest time and energy into the things that are important to me but not as urgent, seeing as I don't have to keep hours at a job. I don't have to, you know, check boxes, so to speak with the, with the dutiful type of work. And, you know, get more into the things that are important, just kind of manifesting, daydreaming, creating, you know, new opportunities, stuff that I now have time for. So, you know, I went through all my closets just gave a bunch of stuff away to charity and thinned out my life a bit, so to speak. And spending more time with people I didn't have as much time to, to to share with. So I try to make the best of it. And I think that's really all, any of us should really try to do, while obviously observing what is necessary to not get other people sick and or support charities and causes that are helping people. So, it hasn't been so bad for me personally. I've tried to make the best.

8:50
Yeah, it sounds very familiar. I mean, as you say, it's you know, around the world. I have calls with people literally around the world and they're all saying similar things. And I think it's really helping us appreciate what's important in life, actually. I mean, Nicole, what about you? How have you been?

9:08
Um, well, my situation is different than the guys because I have kids. So, um, at first it was kind of just like a weekend. You know, it was like this long, long weekend and it was fine and it was fun and we adapted but then when it came to dealing with school, you know, suddenly I'm having to homeschool and you know, keep her entertained 24/7 and my day to day... Are you okay, there Jeremy?

9:35
Jeremy's down.

9:38
Man down.

9:40
No, but suddenly, I was having to homeschool and keep her entertained and my day to day and the week changed drastically because now I'm at home all the time. And, and now we're sort of facing this issue of like Matt said, we're on a tighter lockdown than most anywhere else. So they're talking about not returning back to school anymore and doing this distance learning from now on, starting in the fall. And, you know, I kind of have a big decision on my hands if I want to stay in Los Angeles and, you know, deal with my child not having inner social interaction with other children, or do I move to a nearby county where everything is open and she can live a normal life? So I'm kind of facing a big, a big choice right now. It's kind of a big deal.

10:26
I mean, no, indeed, I mean, have you found? I mean, because I'm in a similar boat. How have you found being a schoolteacher?

10:33
Um, at first, I thought I was gonna rip all my hair out because it was Google classroom and it's so, is not user friendly whatsoever. It is, it was so confusing. And we have all Mac in the house. So it wasn't compatible completely. And it would say, you know, assignments weren't done. So at first it was this really like, hair pulling process, but then we got used to it and accustomed to it, but I feel like she is not getting enough education and I'm not qualified. If I'm gonna be completely transparent. I'm not the one, I never, you know, that was never in my plan. So, I don't love it. I don't.

11:14
There's, there's nothing wrong with saying that. I'm in a very similar boat. I mean, I have a new appreciation for teachers, I have to say.

11:22
Me too.

11:23
Hey, so you're all here because we're going to talk about this film that you're going to be releasing, hopefully, sometime in the near future. Yes. Matt, I mean, Baywatch. I mean, we don't even need to give it an introduction. But maybe you can get a little bit of a background on the documentary. I mean, why now? Or I guess it was 2019 when you decided to?

11:48
Do you want to get into how we sort of just came upon the idea and executed it or do you want to know why I wanted to do it or what do you exactly because there's a lot of layers to it. So I can give you a lot.

11:58
Yeah, I think more about, well, who was, whose decision was it to, you know, why Baywatch documentary? And why at the time?

12:08
Ok, yeah, easy question. So I had come off of producing a different documentary about social media. And I was on camera for a relatively successful Netflix documentary on social media as well. So I've been working with documentary filmmakers for the past like four or five years. And for me, even the sort of content that I consume, it's not really scripted anymore. I'm always drawn to either documentaries or docu-series, because they're so well produced now and they're actually very entertaining. It's not just like, you know, after school specials for the most part, you know, that's just like a boring informational video. It's actually entertainment. And I feel I learned something at the same time. For me personally, I always grew up being so saturated, almost obsessed with media and what like Hollywood was, you know, throwing at us and I grew up in Middle America. I grew up in Wisconsin in the cold, landlocked you know, we grew up on lakes but we certainly weren't by the ocean. My family, you know, traveled a little bit, you know, obviously we went to the ocean but you know, taste of California, a taste of Baywatch just that look, that image, sort of just a lifestyle that that Baywatch was selling not just the United States, but the world, that was always really interesting to me. Flash forward, you know, 15 years later, you know, I met Nicole, probably early 2000s. Just out and then, you know, kind of knew her but didn't know her well, and then sort of kept in contact with her on social media and a guy at the time who I helped do his distribution deal and was a financier in a different movie. He had seen Nicole and I interact on an Instagram post, ironically, and you know, he was a, he's about 45 you know, grew up with "Charles in Charge" and "Baywatch" and was the ultimate Nicole Eggert fan. So, he, he's like: dude, dude, how do you how do you know Nicole Eggert, like pretty much like hyperventilating at the mouth and like foaming and I'm like, I don't, I don't know, a lot of people have lived in LA for 20 years, like, I mean, she's not like my best friend but I know her. So because, dude, dude, let's do a Baywatch documentary and I kind of like think and I'm like - that's fucking genius. Okay, yeah. So just the the timing what I was personally into, and then having access to Nicole are really what happened. Now the financier at the end of the day dropped out, and then ended up being me and one of the other producers on it putting the money up because we were, as we develop this story, and develop the casting characters, I just knew it was a slam dunk because the brand was so strong. So you know, we we took the risk and put the money in ourselves but Brian, who's the the third party financier, I mean, he's pretty much the one that got us all of our asses to actually make it happen. Regards to him being a part of the project. I mean, I'm still friends with him, so he's not upset about it, but that was, he was pretty much the catalyst of that, he's Oh, dude. So, so you thought the idea was so good that you're just gonna fucking kick me out? I go - sort of, sort of. And I guess it's just about the relationships, you know, it's like who you know type thing and Nicole, you know, giving her as much credit as I possibly can because she deserves it. You know, she was pretty much the quarterback in the beginning because without her access to David, to Jeremy and you know, a handful of the core cast members, it's not a safe investment at all. So our first call was to Hasselhoff, she reached out to David and David was in, you know, and once we had David, we're like, okay, Pam is great too, Pam is very important. But we can make a movie knowing we have David, you know, attached and then as time went on, David came on as a producer as well. So, six months into the production, David came on as an executive producer as well. So that's, that's sort of how it started. You know, Nicole started reaching out to all of the cast members she's still, you know, had contact with which is a pretty strong number of people, core cast that you know, people remember. And that's, you know, sort of how we got the ball rolling, rolling. It's kind of a snowball effect. You know, a lot of people say no to you at first, and then like, but so and so's doing it, and then you know, so and so has a great experience. And then they call one of their friends that we don't have access to, like you got to do, this movie's gonna be great. And it just kind of, you know, you just hope the steam just keeps going and then just builds and builds.

16:19
So that's, I mean, Nicole. So when Matt approached you, why did you? Why did you say yes?

16:24
Well, I had previously pitched a show with Baywatch cast members, I knew that there was something to be done there. And I took it to every major network, and I had about five or six of main core girls from the cast, the women from the cast. And we took it around everywhere from E! to CMT, I mean, everywhere, but it was kind of as formulated in a reality version. And it just didn't, it just wasn't hitting the mark. It just wasn't clicking and it wasn't working. Every network wanted us to be like in a house on the beach or like to go down south and live in the beach. There was just all this stuff. It just didn't work. And I knew there was something to be done. And I just couldn't put my finger on it. So when Matt said, a documentary, you know, a light went off, because I'm watching documentaries is what I do when I'm not doing anything else. And I'm a big fan. So it made perfect sense. It's just, it was kismet with their idea and me wanting to do something. So I had been in contact, you know, over the years with a lot of people because, and they knew to trust me because I took them to every major network. So they knew I was serious. So it all just really worked out. It was it was timing.

17:32
And journey.

17:34
Yeah, I mean, it was very good timing.

17:37
You know, it's, well, it's, like you said, it's a golden age for documentaries. Really. It's, I mean, it's, it's an amazing time. Jeremy, when were you approached by, about being on this film? And I guess there was a time probably when you must have had your doubts about anyone, about whether anyone would approach you.

17:54
You know, something always seems to come up with the Baywatch cast or vibe, whether it's a reality show like Nicole was talking about or, or a movie, or a reunion, someone's always talking about it. I don't think more than six months ever goes by without some kind of pitch or idea happening, cast&crew signing. So, you know, Baywatch can't die, you know? Sometimes, it feels unfortunately. But, you know, regardless, Nicole and I have been close friends for a long time. We became closer friends after the "Baywatch: Hawaii" wedding, kind of a TV film that we shot. I think it was 2001 around there. And I know Nicole, you know and Nicole always has been a trailblazer cut from a little bit different of a cloth set aside for me, you know, the blond, big blue types, if you will, quote unquote, so to say, she was cool. She had, I respected her for, you know, her mindset and her mentality and we saw eye to eye for a long time. You know, after after Baywatch, I went on to work with, you know, brands like Ed Hardy, von Dutch Christian Audigier, producing fashion shows, being a being of lifestyle and brand development. So when Nicole told me that she had, she was going to do a documentary, I knew right away it will, would be done right. And not cookie cutter. And not that same old, same old, everybody talks about. And so there was no doubt in my mind, it was a project that I'd want to do and feel comfortable doing and really show the cool, cooler sides to the show. And when she introduced me to Matt and I met Matt, I just wanted to slap him across his face.

19:51
You're not the only one.

19:54
This guy like, you know, I'm not sure if he's better looking than me or as good or tougher or leaner, but there's something there, I just want to maybe wrestle with him.

20:05
You sound like brothers.

20:07
I would never wrestle with Jeremy cuz he would kick my ass. I am terrified of Jeremy.

20:12
I wasn't sure if I wanted to kiss him or slap him across the face. Let's put it that way. And, you know, he told me he told me about his story, you know, growing up in Wisconsin like idolizing Baywatch, watching Baywatch being deeply affected by it. And, you know, there's a lot of people that have been deeply affected by Baywatch. And, or grew up watching it and or, you know, their moms and dads did. Somehow, someway, it seems people around my age, usually have had some type of experience with Baywatch. Some people like to pretend they never watched it. That's like the first thing they like to say, Oh, yeah, I never seen it. I say congratulations. You're one in a billion.

20:50
Yeah, exactly.

20:52
And then there's other people who will share that experience and Matt was, he was affected by it. And I'm like, wait a minute. This is cool. Dude is here, he's now, he's doing projects with social media on Netflix and he's coming into this Baywatch thing which can get a little dusty and, and, you know, Black Luster and I believe these two are going to breathe some really cool life into the current condition and state of the world using old information. I'm so down, I can't wait to do it.

21:26
It sounds awesome. I mean, Matt, this gets to the point, what is the, you know, it's a Baywatch documentary, but what is the story? You know, what is, why, what are you gonna be showing that others you know, can't just find by googling you guys on YouTube and things like that?

21:42
Yeah, there's, a there's a lot of layers to the movie and it's really hard unless you've cut like a you know, 10 minute long trailer to really show all the layers. And because no one has the attention span, you just won't cut a trailer that long. So we have, we have different trailers showing different sort of layers and I sent you two different ones that are pretty drastically different in sort of the vibe and feel of the movie. We also, I also hired, when I brought on, I hired another director, a Canadian director by the name of Randall Lobb, who's very, very different than I am. He's, he's a former teacher. He's super intellectual. He's very nuts and bolts, he's very informative. Whereas me, I'm the guy, you know, setting up the water shots, your boob is up, you know, fix your boob, like I'm on the, on the aesthetic person that's making sure everyone's lit right, you know, but I also have had a really strong viewpoint on what the story should be. So I lean on Randall for the nuts and bolts, the you know, I've never directed fully a feature. I directed things, but never a feature documentary start to finish. So for me, when I started, I really wanted to insulate myself with someone that had done it a bunch of times and had a track record, to really make sure the story was strong beginning, middle and end, you know, very, very strong structurally because sometimes my weakness is I'll make everything look amazing. But then structurally, the story sort of wobbles, you know, in places so that's what I really lean on him for. But as far as what we really are going for, you know, there is the E!True Hollywood Story, which you guys can probably pull clips on in the early 2000s. And it's really negative. It's very, sort of the ins and outs, like who was dating who, who was, you know, sleeping with whose boyfriend, who hated who this and that and the other. And we all sort of made the collective decision that 30 years later, even though there is some sort of internal struggle with a lot of the cast members with each other, some love each other, some hate each other, some are just whatever with each other. We made a collective decision everyone, including David Hasselhoff, who I ve had a long zoom call with a couple days ago, that the negativity really isn't interesting anymore, because the consumer doesn't care about that shit anymore. You know, young kids care about, like, who's dating, who slept with whose girlfriend, but you know, most of the core audience now is adults. I mean, Jeremy and I are about the same age. And you know, we're pretty much the youngest people that grew up with the show. So, that aside, we wanted to focus on the positives, the legacy of the show, where people are now how cool you know their lives are you know Billy Warlock who I flew to Telluride and Nicole got us to film him, he quit Hollywood. He lives in Telluride, he runs a ski school in Telluride, that's interesting, you know. And it's not because he didn't want to act and or didn't, you know, couldn't get acting jobs. He was just done. It was a new chapter and I thought, you know, for me growing up, you're always given information about Hollywood and you always think like, oh, what happened to Jeremy Jackson like, oh, he just keep must not be able to work anymore. It's, for all these people, it's not that at all. They just don't give a shit anymore. And they don't want to be a part of the machine. And they just, they truly don't give a fuck yeah, if you gave Jeremy an acting role it was in a great movie I would get, I'm not gonna speak for him, but I guarantee he would take it, but he's sure as shit isn't going to go out slave around and do auditions like he was when he was a little kid. It's just, it's not interesting to him. Nicole as well. You know people Oh, Nicole, she doesn't want to work anymore. You know she this that and the other, that's why she's not acting. She doesn't want to. And that's, you know, in some, some actors, some of them do. And some of them are still pursuing, but I thought it was really powerful to show people like just because you're an actor in, at one point in your life doesn't mean you're an actor throughout your entire life. People change careers all the time, whether you go from a lawyer to a plumber, you know, whatever people, you know, shape shift through their lives and, you know, people don't realize Nicole and Jeremy wanna run the show. I mean, Nicole is like in her, were you a teenager, Nicole, you were there a teen or?

25:30
I was 19.

25:31
Yeah, yeah. So Nicole's 19. Jeremy is like 8 when he started the show. So, you know, there is that aspect of showing that and there also was the aspect too of Erika Eleniak, who talked about a pretty eloquently they just talked about ageism, and how like Hollywood just puts you in a box because you became like a certain age. And, you know, it doesn't apply as much anymore as it used to. Because there are a lot of like, you know, careers that are being resurrected by people like Ryan Murphy and stuff like that or are taking these actors and actresses who have been working for 20, 30 years and you know, sort of reintroducing them to a new audience. It's sort of the same thing I want to do. It's like, it's reintroducing these people to a new audience, and then drawing to some younger people and younger actors, actresses, celebrities, whatever, who may have not been on or been around during the show, or too young to really appreciate or watch a show, but to get their take on. When you just ask them what Baywatch is and just see how, even though it's not their generation, it still affects them. And they still have like a preconceived notion of what Baywatch is. And we also, we also hit a lot of what's going on in the decade. I don't know if you've seen any of those CNN documentaries, like they're, you know, the 90s, 80s, 70s, that sort of thing. We really have a whole sort of theme of what's going on in the 90s. The show ran from 1989 to 2001. And there's a lot going on in Los Angeles between 1989 and 2001, and or even in the world, you know, David Hasselhoff is standing on the Berlin Wall as it comes down singing his song. That's 1989. That's right when the show started, then we move into the 90s. We have O.J,, we have earthquakes, we have riots. You know, we have, there's so many things going on in Los Angeles all at the same time, while we have this little microcosm of beautiful people running around on the beach, so it's like this really sort of juxtapose on what Baywatch is, is beaming into the world of what Los Angeles is, and actually what's really happening in Los Angeles at the time, too.

27:31
Well done, man. I think you've just taken all my material here, I can probably get rid of these notes. But no, no, I think it's a it's a very good point. And also, I will give the Jeremy and Nicole's agents the opportunity to come in and say, ask us to maybe delete that part about how they're not interested in anymore acting ops. But, no, I think it's a point well taken. And I think this is also a good point to maybe watch a little clip that you're graciously provided us with that features both Nicole and Jeremy. So without further ado, let's, let's listen and/or watch, watch that now.

28:09
I personally grew up with a single parent at the beach. And when I got Baywatch, I got to have David Hasselhoff as my dad.

28:16
I spent a lot of my childhood on the beach. And I think that's something that never leaves you.

28:21
You want to be grown up way before you're growing up. And Nicole was the one that I looked up to.

28:27
Jeremy is the soul that, when he trusts you, he will tell you everything, and I can see his soul.

28:34
Nicole was the one who recommended the lawyer that I use that basically saved my ass.

28:40
When I've put myself out there, it's something you just gonna let go. Like Jeremy's meditation class where you just scream and you just let it out.

28:50
I work with drug addicts and alcoholics, being a part of somebody else's victory. It's everything. Without that I'd probably go nuts all over again.

28:57
We all share this one phenomenall experience.

29:01
I just pretend I'm saving lives. But really they're saving mine.

29:10
Nicole and Jeremy, we're talking about, Matt was talking about how a different approach to Baywatch, certainly than what's been taken previously, from a factual or documentary standpoint. But you both must have some stories that you could tell what are some, maybe each one of you is their story that we're you know, I know, you don't want to spoil things for people, but maybe something that you're going to, we're going to find out that we did, did not know beforehand when we, when this documentary comes out. Nicole, do you have anything you'd like to say?

29:46
I mean, I think more than like a specific story because yeah, I don't want to give anything away. I think that people kind of giggle at first when you say it's kind of an intellectual look at Baywatch. Because I think when you say Baywatch documentary people think fluff and T&A and like, you know, flash. And like one of the reasons I wanted to do this with Matt, I wouldn't have done this with just anybody, is because you know, I really liked his sense of humor and his style, his aesthetic and everything, so I knew that he was somebody I would see eye to eye with on all of that. And, so it's just really, it's people are really going to be surprised at the arc of the characters, you know, people were huge stars while they were on the show. And then they went had ups and downs in life and everybody is a success story, excuse me, at this point in their life. So, I think it's just really, gonna surprise people on how much depth there is to everybody instead of just being, you know, beautiful face and body. And, and really the approach we have on it and you know, like Matt said, you know, what was going on in the world, earthquakes and riots and, you know, Baywatch was the escape, and that's why it was the number one number one show in the world. And I think now, with this quarantine, it can once again be everybody's escape for, you know, what's going on in the real world. So I think it's really kind of come full circle. And for the project this quarantine I think, is kind of a blessing in a weird way, for the project. Because it will give everybody that same sense that they got in the 90s when they you know, wanted to escape all of reality and watch this fantasy show. So they'll get to relive that and it's a, it's a warm, happy feel good documentary, so I think it's not gonna be what people are expecting.

31:30
It sounds also. And Jeremy, what do you, do you agree with that?

31:33
Oh, absolutely. Um, you know, it's, it's a fun time. Because, you know, we walked in our shoes, you know, Nicole was there. You know, we get to tell the story. Like she said, intellectual story, the story that most, you know, news articles, that most interviews don't want to take about, right. It's, Baywatch was very much in a box of just beauty and or, you know, the same old questions all the time. It's just manufactured, it's, you know, they got a preconceived interview that they want to land and they're not going to let us tell anything but that so, you know, being on the other end of the, of the story, knowing, you know, the authenticity that took place, the hurts, the good relationships, the special moments and or, you know, being put in that box and what is that like, and how did that affect us will be really cool. I have, you know, a pretty interesting story specifically that I, Matt, are we going to talk about that a film festival in the documentary?

32:44
Oh, I think we might not talk about the film festival. We should talk about it now. It's great.

32:48
Yeah, so, this is, here's a funny story that, honestly, being on Baywatch, these types of things actually happen all the time. And it just so happen to happen to our whole cast and crew during the filming of the documentary. So, you know, when you're on the number one TV show in the world and whether it's hot and it's in the middle of its, you know, heyday, or post post heyday, you seem to get these type of weirdos and weird things that just feel like only happened to you. So I get hit up on Instagram from a page that has a bunch of other celebrities and a bunch of great digital assets and they're doing a film festival and you know, it's in Miami at a prestigious hotel and the flights are paid for, the accommodations are paid for and it's just a real easy gig and they'll be all these perks and fun stuff going on and bring a friend, fly first class, yadadiyadadi. We have this person and that person, you know, it looks like it all checks out. You go to their page, you go to their website, they got you know people from other series and movies and they're giving an award away to this big director and yeah, you know? Sure, I guess, I guess we still do got it. You know, I guess people still do want to hear from us and people are buying tickets and the whole thing is blowing up and it looks great. And I'm putting this guy that's, you know, contacted me in touch with somebody else on the show, and somebody else from the show getting in touch with somebody else. And before you know, we got everybody pumped up, excited to go spend time together in Miami. And, you know, we can't wait to kick in and have a good time. And this will be great for the documentary. Why don't we bring the documentary in? And a couple days before the, before the event, nobody has flights yet. And we're all calling each other, emailing each other. It was just like, did you talk to that guy? I don't know. Something seems weird, right? Did you get a contract? Yeah, I got a contract. No, I didn't get... Okay. So I even called the hotel. You have this event booked at the hotel? Yes, we sure do. Oh, okay. I guess it is going on. There's a miscommunication, so to speak, supposedly, with the travel agency, it's out of the country and they change travel agencies and now it's a big you know, mess but we're gonna clean it up. And I'm on my way to the airport, the only person out of the cast with a ticket. And I call the guy I'm like, look man, hustler to hustler, you know, game recognize game, look, if you just like, are screwing everybody over. But, you know, he mums the word I'm not gonna say, I'm not gonna blow your cover. But don't send me to the airport and have me come out of pocket in an Uber and like waste a bunch of my time like, the jig is up, you know, no big deal. Just don't take from me, like, I understand. You wanted to make some money off a bunch of fans that are willing to pay for tickets and you pulled off some big coats, but don't take money out of my pocket. It's not even going in your pocket. That makes no sense. Should I go to the airport or should I just turn? You know what? Why don't you just turn around and go home and we'll work this out later on like. Wow, this guy just conned our whole cast into getting all pumped up to go to Miami...

36:12
the Baywatch fair

36:14
I did not get suckered into this. I did not. When Jeremy contacted me about this festival...

36:20
Nicole hated that guy, she's just like fuck that guy. Yeah.

36:24
See, women have a radar for these things.

36:26
I listen Nicole on everything.

36:29
Well I was five years old, I've been dealing with these kind of like, you know, jokers. When I showed up on set, he was there. I was like, get him out of here. Who is that? Like, who's that guy?

36:39
Yeah, he infiltrated our whole production.

36:41
Yeah, he tried to just make himself at home on the production. I was like, no, we don't, nobody knows him. And yeah, it's just, it all smelled fishy to me from the beginning. And thank God I was like nah, you know, yeah, there's crazy crooks out there.

36:55
And there's Jeremy with his pants around his ankles, bending over.

37:02
I have to say the ongoing joke between me and Ari Shofet who's my lead producer on this, and he's among the other financers too, he and I whenever we don't listen, Nicole, we always end up kicking ourselves in the ass or like just if Nicole has a hunch, just listen to her. Because we didn't listen to her a couple times and we we regret it. So Nicole is like the den mother of the production, you know, you listen to anything she says.

37:24
I think you need a little bracelet that just says WWND on it, probably - What Would Nicole Do. I think, actually, this might be a good time to take a break for our listeners. So let's do that. And then we'll be right back with the Baywatch documentary.

37:42
You're listening to Factual America. Subscribe to our mailing list or follow us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter at Alamo pictures to keep up to date with new releases or upcoming shows. Check out the show notes to learn more about the program, our guests and the team behind the production. Now back to Factual America.

38:02
Baywatch is one of the most popular television shows worldwide.

38:05
It is seen in more than 100 countries with more than 1 billion viewers.

38:10
Baywatch, the number one show in the world.

38:16
The 90s was the time of globalization. And for the first time entertainment was also seen across the world at the same time.

38:26
Getting off the plane, and there was thousands of people waiting at the airport.

38:31
There were villages that would fire up a generator just to watch the show.

38:35
To actually make it onto the show that's being seen by a billion people. I was stepping onto this thing that was just like a rocket ship.

38:45
The gravity of how popular it was.

38:49
Baywatch is the California dream, you know, I mean, I can't believe I'm here.

38:56
Those guys, those three guys, they knew, they knew

39:00
It was a weird thing because I just felt like this kid from a small town and there were times where I felt like it was Marilyn Monroe or something because people would treat her that way. You know, it's just, it was crazy.

39:09
We feel in our hearts a compassion for her because she gets beat up on the magazines, but we know the real person.

39:14
Pamela just exploded.

39:16
She really epitomized where it ended up.

39:19
She was perfect.

39:24
Add a little more sex appeal to the show, you know, a little bit of that doesn't hurt, right?

39:29
I've never felt repressed. I've never felt like I don't have a voice.

39:32
I don't believe that I could be exploited unless I make the choice to be exploited.

39:37
We had all ethnicities. We had females who were as capable if not more than the men. That's way ahead of the time.

39:45
I think they were made more eye candied sometimes than the women were.

39:51
He is the biggest energy.

39:54
I mean, David can light up.

39:57
He's got a kind of a Cary Grant thing about him. That, this is appealing and you go with him.

40:01
He had a lot to do with why that show sustained itself for as long as a day.

40:07
I wanted to be famous because I wanted to start an orphanage.

40:10
I created Logan Fowler for me, I wanted to show that gay people can play straight characters.

40:15
I remember when Kelly came into the show and that was just really interesting because he was so revered.

40:22
You get that call sheet and it's like, for a, yeah really, that's real.

40:26
You're supposed to be walking sexy on the sand but the sand is so freakin hot. You can't move.

40:32
How could she jumped from the waverunner and take out the bad guy going full speed.

40:35
It was like the best.

40:43
Baywatch is not an image you really want it to be. Because the States did not respect Baywatch at all. If it wasn't for Europe, Baywatch would have failed.

40:53
He said Alexandra don't take this for granted because it doesn't last forever.

40:57
I started getting a lot of doors shut at my face. A lot of the same casting directors weren't having me in.

41:03
I don't want to be the best anymore. I don't want to be up there anymore. I want to be down there, deep maybe then I can just be.

41:09
When you make a living visually, there's expectations.

41:18
When you share being on a show that was the number one show in the world, it bonds you.

41:23
Made us feel like a family.

41:26
I still run into people now that I met from then and you know, it's good memories.

41:30
Little sleepers like Baywatch where everything just lines up in the stars. It just launches.

41:36
That's the lightning in a bottle stuff you just can't plan for.

41:39
The idea became very clearly about the California dream.

41:52
Welcome back to Factual America. We have Matt Felker, Nicole Eggert and Jeremy Jackson from Baywatch - the American dream, the documentary about Baywatch. We were, we were talking. We've alluded to this already a few times. But, I want to get to this point about this, I know some, as you said, you admit it yourself. Some people will snicker when they hear an intellectual approach to Baywatch. But, I mean, all great docs have their subject. We know this one's Baywatch. But they usually are really about something else. I think you've already said something about the 90s, Matt. And why did this film resonate with, you know, your generation? And, you know, this is pre-social media. I mean, you look back at the episodes, they seem in retrospect, they seem quite innocent really?

42:41
Yeah, it was for me, you know, Baywatch was like, it was part of this brand of the 90s. And it's sort of like integrated with other brands, Calvin Klein, Baywatch, MTV, Playboy, there were these sort of like staple brands of the 90s that were really sort of controlling the consumer on what was hot, what was sexy, what was marketable. They were sort of in control of youth at that time. Are they today? No, you know, MTV is, you know, not nearly what MTV was, I don't think Calvin Klein has the power it had in the 90s. I don't think Playboy has the prestige it had in the 90s. So we, I started focusing on these other sort of parallel brands too, and reaching out to these sort of things that were interlacing with Baywatch. But I think the 90s in general, like Nicole said earlier, it was just like, everything was just the right timing. Sometimes, you know, I don't think that this movie was done five years earlier, or five years later, it will be as successful or would be as successful. I feel because kids Gen Z and Millennials are obsessed with the 90s generation right now in their fashion, looks, how they dress. You know, rediscovering people like Kurt Cobain and all these people that you know we grew up with as kids, but they're new to this next generation similar to my generation was like Grateful Dead, The Doors, like all these people that were slightly before us, I think it's just how generations normally work. The generation before always seemed cooler than the one you're actually in. So between that, I thought I could really bridge the gap to a younger audience, really focusing on the 90s. Because people of that age are interested in that that era. And then the hardcore Baywatch fans, which are probably between 30 and above, aren't going to follow it just because of the subject and because of the show, and they grew up with it. So I just thought, you know, all the sub, you know, text of what's going on in California, in the media, with all these other brands was just was very interesting, just from a marketing standpoint, and just the timing standpoint. And, you know, using the term Baywatch, the American dream, you know, politically, you know, you guys follow our politics just as much as the rest of the world. We're in a very interesting place, politically. And even though this isn't a political movie, it plays on the American dream and sort of where we're at and what is the American dream. Is it the same as it was then? And is it going to remain being the same?

45:03
That's a very interesting point. In fact, that's also in my notes, Matt. But, Nicole, do you agree with that point? I mean, do you, you know that's that's the appeal?

45:15
Yeah, he's exactly right. Because the 90s are everywhere. You see Justin Bieber's wife posing in Baywatch bathing suits. You see all kinds of women, recreating the Baywatch look, you hear Baywatch referenced in everything. I recently caught the show Big Brother, which I'm new to, I don't know where I've been. And almost every season they're referencing Baywatch, like every, it just is, you know, it's just is back. And I don't think it ever really went anywhere. But when you start seeing the kids dressing the same way that you were dressed on the show, like you know, I have a 22 year old daughter and when I see her, you know, wearing almost the same exact outfit I think I wore on the show. You know a light bulb goes off and you're like this, it's all back, you know. And it's interesting because you're now vintage in a way. You know, you're kind of retro, you're old school. And it's, it's fun. It's fun to see it come back around and this new appreciation for it. And it's also funny because you look back and see how horrible the fashion was. And like, you know, the bad decisions that were made, but it is timing, and right now, 90s are everything everywhere.

46:24
Yeah, but do you think, I mean, Baywatch would, could get made today?

46:28
We actually, that's actually a question I ask every single person we've interviewed. In it, it varies from person to person. I think it's more of opinion. My personal opinion, Baywatch to be made in today's day and age would have to be structurally completely reformatted. The current generation is so much more open to gender, to sexuality, to all this sort of thing. That was you know, MTV was exploring that stuff in the 90s. But it wasn't mainstream. You know, you didn't have network gay characters, you didn't have network transgender characters. You know, it was predominantly white, you know, people, there wasn't you know, anyone, you know, very many people of color. So, if you were really going to create that show today, in my opinion, that's just an opinion, it doesn't mean anything. I think you just have to, structurally really, you know, sort of, you'd have to plug and play like a person for every single audience member, someone to identify with that one, someone identify with that one. I mean, me growing up a white, blond haired tan kid from Wisconsin, I identify with everybody. I mean, it was like the crazy. I'm that guy. Oh, sweet. I want to be like that guy. So it for me, it makes sense. But if you're, you know, an African American kid in you know, in Chicago, are you watching Baywatch? You know, probably not. And attacking it from just a you know, from a consumer standpoint, or an executive standpoint, you really have to, you know, sort of hit every notch, to hit get as much of an audience as you possibly can. And I think that's the thing.

47:56
And so, Nicole, how are you going to get this film finished?

47:59
Well, I think that you know, this industry has been really creative with how they're shooting things. Like, I'm watching commercials being made during COVID. So, like, like Matt did the ABC thing, it's very easy to set up, especially for interview style, shooting, you know, to set up in a lit room and just have talent and a camera operator. And then Matt directing them either, you know, remotely or, you know, from 12 feet away. And I think that it's, it's definitely feasible. I don't think that you're even going to be able to tell that there's a difference. And you know, people are adapting so surprisingly well and quickly, to how to shoot and how to get things done. A lot of shows are going back into production. And, you know, it's like, how are you doing it? I know the Kardashians finished their season, doing that setting up and then having them just turn on the equipment and do it themselves. I see a lot of reality shows doing it via zoom, and they're doing a great job, and I don't think, I don't think that much value is lost. I really don't. And it adds to what's going on, you know, it adds to, again, what we're going through. And this is, this is monumental, this isn't something we're all going to forget about. It's a big deal. So for it to be part of the documentary, I think it only kind of adds another layer to it.

49:18
Yes, just, just to chime in real quick, yesterday, just to give Nicole's reference some meat to it. I did a thing for ABC News. And, you know, they, you know, they're shooting with like iPhones if you want to type thing because they just they need the content, but you know, I have access to the right cameras and lights and all that kind of stuff from the movie. So, you know, I had a one person crew shooting two cameras on proper light kit, and we let it look exactly like we did for Baywatch. So, you know, I feel, you know, by August we're sort of making a executive decision to really resume production as much as we possibly can. Now can we whip people out like we were doing like we were doing sometimes five people a day, you know, just trying to get a big bulk of cast members. No, it's going to be a lot slower. It's going to be probably one person a day, it's not going to be as quick and sort of like, you know, machine sort of in and out type thing, but we'll do it. I think we'll do it. And it's the thing that's nice too, is because everyone is so, it's so hard to get anyone to commit to it. Because people are like, well, what is this? What am I doing? Everyone's always concerned. You're doing a documentary, you're technically showing up on camera, talking to me, who you probably don't know for free, you know, just to promote yourself or, you know, whatever you're doing type thing. And it's hard to convince people so it gives us a little bit of a lead time to bother people over and over and over again until they say yes, because I basically I don't take no ever for an answer. So I will just bother you till you pretty much give me a restraining order, to get to get into talent. And it works, I mean, if you never, you never, there are very few people like Jeremy or David that will just give you a yes. out of the gate. You know, the bigger the star the the more of the pushback you get. And it's just a challenge for me. It just makes me, makes me want to, you know, make sure they get on camera even more. So I actually started weird, but like a toothache I sort of enjoy it. When people say no to me cuz I just want to know well okay, but I got this and we'll do this and look how great this looks. And this is what it will do for you, you know, I'm constantly selling shit to people. So, but, we'll resume production in August we, I think we have David Hasselhoff set up for August right now. Because I think by then we'll, we'll know enough about kind of what's going on with COVID, how to treat it, how to prevent it, how to stay away from it, I just think more more knowledge will be given to us. And we're a small production, you know, that at most, I mean, I think our biggest production day, we were shooting in the water stuff and we were shooting interviews that day we had like a 20 person crew. But we had two crews going, we had a water crew and an interview crew so that was like the biggest day but for the most part we can do it three people and do it via Zoom. Like my interviewer in New York yesterday was on iPad just set up to the eyeline of exactly where I would be or the inerviewer would be, and you wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

52:02
It's very interesting.

52:03
I think when I brought this up to Matt and Ari. Matt, you thought it was crazy, right? A few weeks ago, I said, I think we can do this, I think we can setup...

52:11
Yeah, I just, first, I don't mean to interrupt, but I just, my biggest concern is we spent so much, well, I spent so much money on the look. You know, I wanted makeup artist, I wanted everyone to look perfect. A little kid just ran by your house, like little, little baby just running in the background, it's just like teereeree. You know, we spent so much money on the visuals because I thought it was important, because Baywatch is such a visual show. And you can't really shoot Baywatch like a traditional documentary because you want it to be beautiful. You want to again sell this brand. So we spent a ton of money on the interviews and the looks and the lights and flying a crew up from Canada and you know, there's, there's a lot of money spent there. So for me initially to go in that direction. I didn't really want to cheapen the production, especially as we're getting into the Hasselhoffs and you know, the sort of the quarterbacks of the franchise. I really didn't want to, you know, waiver any sort of, sort of production quality just because of COVID. But I think we can, we can match it, I think we'll be able to match it. Now traveling might be a little different. Fortunately, we already did a trip to Hawaii, we did a trip to Telluride and stuff like that. So we got a lot of our travel and location stuff. Luckily, because I don't think you'll be able to get that. Like there was, there was a couple actors in Australia, I was contemplating on hiring a local crew and going to Australia but I just don't think that's gonna be realistic anymore.

53:30
I want to maybe change texture a little bit and also recognize that Jeremy, I don't know you that well, but I have a feeling this is as quiet as you've ever been for this amount of time. So I do want to get you back in here. But in one of the trailers someone says, I'm not exactly sure who it is, but if not for Europe the show would have failed. I will get back to you Matt or Nicole who ever wants to take this. Why, can you expand on that for us? Why was the response so different between, at least what US audiences supposedly were saying. Like you said people said they never saw it, it was dumbed down. And then those where the rest of the world fully embraced.

54:11
I think, Jeremy, why don't you take that question because you were on the show for a really long time. And when you're a kid that affects you quite a bit, so why don't you take that?

54:19
You know, it was a pretty crazy time and some pretty intense stuff, you know, getting off the plane. You know, you live in, live in America, and you know, your friends from school, know who you are from TV or you know, it's, you get lots of, you know, sign an autograph here and there and take a picture here and there, people know who you are. But that time, Europeans were just fanatics. I mean, I realized why they call them fans, you know, they are fanatical. And getting off the plane having to have human tunnels built with security guards so you could walk with getting pieces of your hair cut off, losing the shoe, you know. People passing out, people have been carried, you know, by security guards above, you know clamoring hands because they're unconscious, was wild for me. I mean, imagine I'm like 12, 13 years old and these girls are screaming, weeping, crying my name and I'm just like, this kid from the beach in California. Because what the heck. So it was cool for me because that was like, growing up watching Michael Jackson, idolizing Michael Jackson, you know, and then seeing that same type of response that happened for the king of pop happened for me was, was pretty neat thing to experience. But I also feel, you know, it was the mystique, you know, it was the beauty of the beach and the interaction of the perfect characters and you know the drama and the adventure and that, you know that mystique of the California lifestyle being so perfect as, you know, driving along the coast in jeeps and you know, sitting down at the, you know, the burger shack and with all the beauty around you and the sun shining on you while they're like, you know, eating cold...

56:16
While I was in shitty Wisconsin freezing my ass off, yeah, exactly.

56:21
Eating cold cut hard meats on the train in the, in the cement jungle going to the city to do, you know, your job or to be at your school with a uniform. It's, I just feel like Europe was, you know, they've got barely any summer and it was dreary and you know, all work and no play kind of thing much more so than this facade really that was California. I mean, most of the world was convinced back then that, you know, America was the reigning champs and our dollar was top and we were the king of the heap. And I think that, that bubble has been popped. I think they realize you know, us Americans aren't as honest with it as we led to be for a long time. So that's, that's what I think.

57:09
I mean, it's an interesting point because I can tell you I talk to people here and they'll say, you know, yes, you're American, but and I've been living here for nearly 20 years now. But they'll say you don't know what it's like to grow up wanting, just dying to go to high school in America. And I'm thinking, I don't ever want to go to high school again. But that, but that's what, you know, and it was if they're an older generation, even, you know, college was all Animal House. I mean, you know, it's this kind of image they have. And at the same time, you know, you talk about Hasselhoff being at the wall, Matt, I think you already mentioned that. And you mentioned it to, you know, I think back in the States, some people would say, Oh, that was cheesy and we didn't even have that word back then. I don't think but. But you talk to people here and they it resonates. I mean, they give him a lot of credit for that. And they don't see it. They don't, you know, we're talking about Europeans being cynical and Americans not or don't get irony, but there's nothing, no one's, no one here is looking at it that way. And it's, it's a very interesting dichotomy, actually.

58:11
Can I just add something, you know what, I also think that it was so popular in Europe, not only because, yeah, it was the American dream and it was delivered into their living room, but I think that Europeans also are much more comfortable with the body and they don't look at it like Americans. It's all situation and the humor there, they're much more salacious and, and much more open. And what we consider crude here is just an easy throwaway word, you know, in a lot of places in Europe. So I think that in America, people are a little bit up tight and just wanting to like snub their nose and say, Oh, it's just T&A. Whereas other countries, you know, they're used to it. They don't wear tops at the beach, like it's no big deal to just see, you know, girls in bikinis. So I think that there was that factor too where they were much more open to the concept of being in bikinis on the beach.

59:02
It's an excellent point. I mean, we're coming close to the end of our time. It's hard to believe. But one last little thing I want to talk about is, because I've got both you, Nicole and Jeremy here. And I think it's an interesting opportunity because you both are child actors, were child actors, got your starts as children. And, you know, I know you've, Nicole, you've had your own trials and travails that we're not going to talk about them here. But, I'm just wondering, you know, you have talked about and, you know, I know you knew, you know, your relationship with Corey Haim and others about how child actors have been treated over the years. And, I mean, would you do it again? And do you have any regrets having started off so young?

59:50
Well, I don't really believe in regrets. So, I would do some things differently if I could talk to a younger Nicole now. There's things I would probably handle, I would definitely handle differently. But no, I think this road has been pretty amazing. It's been a pretty amazing journey. And it's, it's also allowed me to be a stay at home mom with both my kids and, you know, really kind of get to enjoy being a mom and in on the second part of my life. And, ah no, I love it. I mean, listen, I wasn't gonna be a doctor. Maybe a lawyer, but you know, I have no idea where I would have gone. I've been acting since I was five years old. So, it's sort of, I don't know any different, if that makes any sense. It's how I grew up. It's my first memories are on set. So would I want my children to do it? No, like, no, not at all. I wouldn't help them. If they wanted to do that when they're adults, and that's what they chose. That's fine. But my oldest doesn't want anything to do with it in front of the camera. So that's great. And my youngest, you know, she's only eight. So we'll see. We'll see where it takes it. But no, I wouldn't trade, you know, I wouldn't trade my life's journey for anything.

1:01:03
And Jeremy, do you blame your stardom at all and Baywatch for any of the later problems you had later in life?

1:01:10
Absolutely not. You know, I'm pretty sure I said this same statement when I was interviewed for the documentary, but you know, I don't believe that I am the way I am because of Baywatch. I believe I was on Baywatch because of the way I am. It didn't, it didn't create me, I was already, I was already that, you know, I was a creative kid who just wanted to perform, dance, act, sing. And I did it at any and every opportunity. You know, I wasn't great in school. I wasn't great in sports. I didn't really fit in with the kids. I wanted to, I wanted to do different things. So I think it's an easy out. You know, for a lot of people who may want to blame the entertainment industry for, for stuff, but I don't see it that way at all. There's obviously trade offs, you know, you know. On the other hand, what type of trouble, what type of pains and hurts might I have had, had I not had Baywatch, had I not had the financial freedom to kind of get me out of said trouble that I might have gotten into without lawyers and agents and managers to watch out for me and so on. So, both sides of the coin come with different challenges and you know, and obstacles, but it happened the way it happened, and I think it was the way it was supposed to happen. Because that's, you know, that's it.

1:02:46
You know, I think that's very interesting is to kind of the point I was going wanting to get with this was was - Was Baywatch different? You know, maybe Nicole certainly has perspective on this having been on other shows as well as, you know, it seems to me it comes out in the footage I've seen about it being this this family and certainly the way you've been treated by your cast, you know, former cast members, Jeremy, it strikes me that this is a, this is a very different situation we're talking here.

1:03:15
Well, I think you know, in Jeremy's right, he had a really present mom who was there, and a lot of kids aren't. So a lot of sets I've been on that are very different than Baywatch to growing up. I've seen. I've seen things that would horrify most parents. I mean, I've been in the trailer when packages arrive of just blow cocaine and alcohol and you know, I've seen it, I've seen it all. I've seen prescriptions being delivered. And I, you know, and I've seen the predators around the kids and I've watched boys be abused, as well as girls, but the boys are a big target. And it's just, Baywatch wasn't like that. And I don't know if it's because it was more like young adults. And young people, everybody, close to the same age. And it was fast, and it was a big cast. So it was very different than a lot of sets that I've been on in my life. And that's why as a mother, I wouldn't want my children, I wouldn't want my children to participate, because I wouldn't want them subject to a lot of things. And I think it's great that Jeremy takes credibility for himself. And that's what makes him strong and he moves on. But I kind of tend to disagree that the industry isn't a big influence on a lot of like problems that child actors have, and what they struggle with. Only because I've seen it, and I've watched it, and I've lost a lot of friends. And, you know, it's not, not pretty.

1:04:45
I mean, and another point on this is, and I can't believe we've come to just about the end of a podcast about Baywatch. And we've barely talked about David Hasselhoff. But how much of, how much of a role did he play in creating this environment on set?

1:05:01
Yeah, absolutely. Um, you know, I just talked to David about three days ago on the phone. And we have stayed close and reconvened, reconnected with each other at different points in our relationship. I actually did my wedding reception at his home, he opened that up to me. And, you know, I was, gosh, five, six years ago and I still have friends that call me and thank me for the opportunity to get to meet their idol and take a picture with the KITT car that was outside of his house. Yeah, on set was definitely the David Hasselhoff show. You know, there's no doubt about that. And he truly is a bigger than life personality. He truly is one of a kind. I mean, he's just, he's coming to set with all of the gravity of Knight Rider, but in red shorts, you know, and he's, he's, yeah. A kid with no dad, you know, I had a single mom, so, you know, getting to show up to work in the summertime, surf at lunch and hang out, lift weights, you know, I'm like 10 years old trying to lift weights with my, my hero, basically, you know, because I did watch Knight Rider every day. I did go to Universal Studios just to take a picture in the KITT car you know, I was obsessed with that. I had the Knight Rider big wheel so like when I'm riding around...

1:06:23
So did I, and it had the little thing, the little levers, you got it? Yeah.

1:06:28
You know what, when I was working at Universal, when I was working at Universal on Charles in Charge as a kid. He used to be on a lot riding around in little, the little KITT car. So that's how I, my first experience with David. That's hilarious.

1:06:41
I waited in line for an hour. Yeah, I waited in line for an hour to get in the KITT car. And just as I exited the kit car, my mom slaps when she goes, look, and it's him in the friggin leather jacket with the skinny legs and tight jeans. I'm literally walking through the crowd, I'm like, my mind was blown like as a little kid, I'm in the KITT car and the real Knight Rider is right there and like we chase them down and everything. You know, when I got the, when I got the show, huge audition process, usually people like to talk about the fact that I beat out Leonardo DiCaprio and, you know, Will Horneff and all these, all these actors who did really well that were about the same age as me. And it was like a big deal. But really what it came down to on audition day is picking up his three favorites, at the same time and seeing which one was lighter so he could look buffer as he picked us up and threw us on his shoulder. And that was the final decision making process. So luckily, I was a small and light for my age, but we had amazing times. You know, I idolized him I absolutely studied him and learned a lot, but at the same time, you got to imagine, he's 30, you know, he's the king of the world. I'm a 10 year old hyper kid without a father. I'm pulling on his coattails. I'm bugging him, I'm, you know, all day every day. So you know, there was, you call that a family, right. And I don't, I don't know any family that doesn't have a certain amount of dysfunctional areas there. So, were we a family? Yes. A dysfunctional family? Absolutely. So, it was, it was interesting, but luckily him and I stayed friends, stayed close and we get to talk about that now today you know, we get to talk about, Wow, where did the time, that was our conversation three days, three days ago. Wow. Where did the time go? Like, you know, what about this time, remember this time and you know, I thought about you the other day because of this. And now in life I have learned or grown or been experienced in certain things that make me realize mistakes and, and the specialness of certain times that we spent together. And we get to talk about that stuff. And it's, it's powerful because you can't really recreate a situation like that. You can't. You can't buy wisdom and experience in time together, you couldn't manifest a show or a movement as big as Baywatch and have lived through it together and, you know, gone off into life to reconvene and talk about that. It's just, it's a special thing. It's a powerful thing.

1:09:29
Well, well, Jeremy, I think maybe this isn't the first time but we're gonna let you have the last word on on this. It's, it's, it's hard to, hard to believe we're already coming to an end. I've got loads of stuff I could ask you. So if you haven't been scared off, we'd love to have you all back on once this is all released and hopefully that will be very soon. It's been a, been a thoroughly enjoyable I just want to thank you. Nicole Eggert, Jeremy Jackson, and Matt Felker, for coming on to the to Factual America. I want to give a shout out to This Is Distorted, this new, first time we've been in this studio, it's a studio in Leeds, England here. And actually Nicole, Jeremy and Matt, start with Nicole for your fans out there. What's the best way for them to follow you and keep up to date with what you're doing?

1:10:18
Instagram is good. Um, Instagram, Facebook. I don't Twitter so much. It's kind of a nasty platform at this point. But, um, yeah, I'm on Instagram at Nicole Eggert.

1:10:31
And Jeremy?

1:10:32
Oh, just call me on my personal cell it's... (laugh) Yeah, Instagram is at Jeremyjacksonfitness, at Jeremy Jackson fitness or you can find me on Facebook, you'll probably get an automatic response to go over on my Instagram because that is where I'm most responsive and available and yeah, find me on IG.

1:10:54
And Matt?

1:10:55
Don't find me on Instagram or Facebook because I have private profiles that just upload really inappropriate memes. You'll never find me. But you can find me on Twitter. I like the nasty platform. Kill me. It's actually the only thing that I have. That's, that's, that's my real name on it. I think it's my username is fattmelkerIII, so you can find fattmelkerIII on Twitter.

1:11:16
Okay, well for for our listeners, you can check the show notes with this podcast for some of those links. I just wanted to just remind listeners to please remember to like us and share us with your friends and family wherever you happen to listen or watch podcast. And this is Factual America, signing off.

1:11:40
You've been listening to Factual America. This podcast is produced by Alamo pictures, specializing in documentaries, television and shorts about the USA for international audiences. Head on down to the show notes for more information about today's episode, our guests and the team behind the podcast. Subscribe to our mailing list or follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at Alamo pictures to be the first to hear about new productions, to find out where you can see our films and to connect with our team. Our homepage is alamopictures.co.uk

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Baywatch: The American Dream

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