Los Angeles actor/writer, Tim Coyne, interviews actor James Bulliard, who went from the lead in an ABC primetime drama to a depressed, bankrupt and out-of-work actor. This is part two of his story. Running time 55:08
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Hollywood Podcast #36 – OVERNIGHT SUCCESS PT.2 – “THIS IS NOW”
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re the “bitch” debate, i think that was originally your own description of how you might be sounding and i, upon reflection, thought it might actually have some validity. i usually think of it as someone (male or female) who wants to punish someone for simply having an opinion that disagrees with their own – regardless of how valid and well thought out that other opinion might be – although i almost never use the term since i think it’s kind of derogatory towards female dogs in heat.
re your question from before, was thinking about it as i drove the 10 home and i’ve found a good solution for james “career mooch” bulliard. he should first take the $4.18 that jamie, erica and i have so generously offered, along with jamie’s little sister’s bike and use that as a base to work from. then he needs to find a sugar mommy (or sugar daddy if he happens to realize through greater self realization that he prefers men) who’s extremely gullible. preferably one who’s not very proficient on the internet so that they wouldn’t have read this thread.
so, just to conclude, i don’t have much hope for him in ‘real world’ redemption since there’s just too large a chance that he’ll find some way to get himself fired. i think his best bet is to find a replacement for his current mom and then hopefully he’ll be fine and won’t end up homeless.
Tim:
You seem to think that *everything* that’s happened to James has been totally and completely his fault. I’m honestly curious here: do you believe that he “got himself fired” from that show he was on? If so, how do you figure? I mean, from what I gather, the ratings just weren’t there… It just seems from some of your remarks that you blame everything right from the beginning on some flaw in his character.
I don’t know. I guess I just don’t have as jaded a view as some people do; and as I said, I may be a little idealistic. I suppose I subscribe to the same belief syatem as Tim #1 (did there really have to be two Tims on this thread? I mean, REALLY *lol*) — I tend to see hope and possibility in everyone, and that includes people who, like James, seem to be currently rather hopeless. I guess I just like to believe in people as much as I’d like to have other people believe in me. Like Tim, frankly, I’m rooting for this guy. I’m not going to make any assumptions about his personality, or his worth as a human, because I don’t know him. I just hope that someday he manages to get himself back on his feet, back in school, something — because everyone’s got something to offer, even if the majority of the odds seem to be against them.
Cheers Liz!
Nothing but love on Valentines Day!
Tim
PS – I love you also Tim.
Hollywood: (Actually, y’know…that’s a pretty cool handle):
Much
Well, apparently symbols = a no no here, so I’ll amend my statement.
“Hollywood” Tim (Hey, I like that!):
Much love to you as well. Happy Valentine’s Day (even if it is a bit late!)
Liz
Tim, I’m from london, uk and just started listening to your podcasts. Brilliant, brilliant stuff and this thread is piss on yourself funny.
I agree with tim that he should forget about the university gig as he doesn’t seem to have the smarts to make it in the real world. Best thing for james would be to stick with his mum or find some rich old woman to cadge from – since this seems to be what he’s best at.
Liz might actually be the perfect girl for james – totally gullible, not too smart, sympathetic to non-educated wankers like james and perhaps has a few extra quid to throw to his cause – in short, the perfect “sugar mommy”.
And let’s face it, even if she’s a complete and total minger – which she likely is – james isn’t exactly a hot item either these days.
Cheers to a great show!!
– Darren
Darren:
Thanks for the assumptions about my intelligence. However — my master’s degree in education says you’re dead wrong about my being “not too smart.”
I also love the assumption that, since I have empathy for others, I am completely worthless as a human being. Sounds like you’re a real winner yourself; I imagine the ladies must be swarming.
Darren,
Hello and welcome. Thanks for listening! I hope to make it out there to London some day. Never been.
Re: Liz.
You’re messing with the wrong “bitch”.
Tim
welcome to an interesting thread darren. you make some great points about liz and james. still james has a stated desire to be banging actresses on set so i’m not sure liz even will fit the bill for him. at the same time i’m pretty sure he can’t afford to be too discriminating in who he’s banging these days given his circumstances. can’t imagine too many self-respecting women, such as liz seems to be, outside of some big fatties who’ll get what they can take would even let someone like james touch them. then again there could be some crack whores who may be interested since he does actually still have a roof over his head. you never know.
You know, Tim, you started out on this thread making points that were at least half-coherent and original. Now you’ve just resorted to the same old tired bullshit over and over.
At this point I’m pretty sure anyone who reads this thread will come to an immediate conclusion as to your opinion of James (as well as your apparent allergy to capitalization.)
i think if you’ll actually read the thread you’ll see that jamie first brought up the notion of james’ romantic prospects, then i looked at it from a practical standpoint as far as what’s best for james and then darren was kind enough to look at it from a realistic point of view. all different things entirely. i guess darren makes a good point about your level of intelligence. i’m actually a big fan of james and am rooting for him like the rest of us. go james!!!
Tim, it would be smashing to have you come over to this side of the pond. After reading Liz’s last few posts I’m flummoxed as to why she’d be so offended by my comments and so peeved at tim. We’re simply trying to help a mate out and get him back into fighting form.
I’ve plenty of empathy for the ol’ cellar dweller and hope he finds himself that lucky lady out there. Perhaps Tim would care to do a follow up interview with him as erica originally proposed just to see how things are working out for him?
Cheers!
Darren : You’ve got a funny idea of “helping” someone. Interesting. As for being “flummoxed” regarding by my being offended — well, if you can’t figure out why — well, then you belong on this thread, don’t you? You can join in with the rest of the naysayers.
Tim: Nice turnaround. You call what you’ve been doing “rooting” for someone? They must have a vastly different definition of the term where you come from.
Have a good time here on the thread, Darren. I’m sure you will — there’s more than one of your ilk present.
Jeez, I leave a thread for a week and see what happens!
Interesting to hear about how you hooked up with James originally. I often wonder about how the interviews came about. How did you meet the Baywatch stand-in women? Why are there so few pictures of her anywhere?
Liz, isn’t it kind of insane to think a complete skankbag like james is suddenly going to be altogether different from who he’s self-admittedly been for his entire life? Similarly, where’s the real hope with James beyond the hope that he’ll continue being to be the complete loser he’s always been? I agree with Jamie, Tim and Darren that his best bet is to find somebody (sugar mommy or sugar daddy) who’s o.k. with psycholoser guy and who will put up with his b.s. As I said above, there are good guys and then there are sleazebags – one acts like a great guy and one acts horribly – and n’er the twain shall meet.
You’re one of those ‘leopard can’t change its spots’ people, right Erica? Maybe you’ve had bad experiences with people… Personally, I’ve got a little more faith in humanity.
My gf is a counsellor and has seen many people FAR lower than James turn their lives around – addicts, suicidals, self-harmers. Furthermore, there are quite a few examples of actors, singers etc finding huge success after years in the doldrums. Jarvis Cocker was scrounging around on the dole thoughout his 20s. Ian Richardson, who just died at 72, won a clutch of Baftas after he turned 50. But he was stacking shelves and and had a breakdown in his early thirties.
Don’t write-off James just yet. Or anyone else for that matter.
Darren,
I may, in fact, try to do a follow-up interview. I’ll look into it.
Tim
Andrew:
Your point about addicts, suicidals, etc. is spot on. I know. I was one of them. Entire years of my life are blank for me, thanks to an addiction that took me places I never wanted to be. Yet here I am, a successful, happy individual. I have a wonderful career and a life I love — but it took a hell of a long time to crawl back up from the bottom of the barrel, and I know I wouldn’t have been able to do it unless I had support. Having people tear you down is never helpful; although people often make arguments that “tough love” works wonders, there is a distinct difference between tough love and kicking someone when they’re down (which is, sadly, what has been going on a lot in this thread.)
People grow. People change. And even when they’ve been “losers” for most of their lives, they can turn things around. But it’s not something you can accomplish overnight, and it’s not the kind of situation where you wake up one morning and say to yourself, “That’s it, I’m going to change!” and *poof* — suddenly you know exactly what you’re going to do and how you’re going to accomplish it.
I agree with you, in short — people shouldn’t be so quick to write anyone off. But it’s all too easy to look at someone else and point out all of their shortcomings. It’s not so easy to look at your own. And I think that this is where James should be applauded. He had the guts to talk about his failures, and all a lot of people can seem to do is shit on him for it. I wonder if anyone else here would be willing to admit their failures, let alone laugh about them.
I said it before and I’ll say it again, I’m with Liz on this one, folks.
People like James just need to man up and quit being scuzzy. Get yourself a GED, enroll in a community college, burn more CDs for random strangers like Tim. Take my little sister’s Schwinn and the money we’re offering and get yourself a paper route or something.
People CAN grow and change into respectable human beings, like liz did, and I’m sure James can someday be something more than a total loser. Go James, go!!
No, Andrew. I have a lot of faith in certain people to change and grow. People who have a sense of right and wrong and are essentially good people. People who are just trying to game the system like James, I think, are only interested in manipulating other people to think they’re good people but have no real interest in actually doing things to effect real change.
The more comments I read on this thread, the more I wonder if anyone listened to the same podcast I did. “Game the system”, Erica? What exactly is that supposed to mean, and where are you getting this idea? I guess I just don’t see where you’re drawing that inference from, and I’d like to know where you’re coming from with this.
I think maybe she’s getting confused with another podcast, Liz. Easy mistake to make.
Well, that’s an explanation for some of the comments that have been made here, Andrew. Honestly, some of the inferences being made in this thread make me wonder if Erica’s the only one who’s confused.
I think shoplifting when pretending to be shopping is gaming the system. I think living at home when you’re James’ age and not working is gaming the the system, too. From the interview I think it’s pretty obvious he’s a sleazy guy and there’s certainly no confusion about that.
OK. The big question.
Can James turn things around after experiencing such highs and lows?
Can he turn things around?
And how do we define “turning things around”?
Happiness?
Money?
Love?
Any thoughts?
Erica:
I’ve done all of the things you describe as “gaming the system”. Took me six years to get back on my feet and for most of that time, no, I did not have a job, and I lived at home. Luckily the people who believed in me outnumbered the people like you, and I was able to get back to where I needed to be.
Tim:
Yes. I think James can turn things around. I’m curious….did James, in fact, have a job at the time you interviewed him? I just know that some of the comments here have dealt with the idea that he was some unemployed bum mooching off of his mother, and it just occurred to me that none of us even know whether he had a job or not.
To get back to the point: yes, I do think James can turn things around. But I think that I might define “turning things around” a little differently than some people on this thread; unlike Jamie, Tim, and Darren with their “fund”, I don’t think that money is the problem here. Yes, I suppose having money might fix *some* things, but — well, frankly, if James’ story teaches us anything, it’s that money isn’t the most important thing in the world. In short — having money does not make you happy, or successful.
Turning things around, for me, means being happy with your own life, regardless of what others may think. It means finding something in life that you love to do; when you find something like that, it doesn’t matter how much money you make. I think that the upshot of this story is that when you’re doing a job you don’t really enjoy, money is the *least* important issue. Happiness is what it all comes down to. Happiness and knowing that what you’re doing is fulfilling for *you*.
I sincerely hope that James is able to find his own happiness, no matter what that may be.
Liz, happiness is about finding the right job? That’s way too depressing. I think money’s pretty important in order to do fun things like traveling or going out to restaurants or whatever – never mind mortgage payments, bills, car payments, the kid’s clothes and groceries. While money obviously doesn’t bring happiness it’s a pretty miserable existence without it – and I know because I’ve been there. Now, I may not know what happiness is any more than the next person but I can say that it makes me happy when I do good things for the people in my life or when I accomplish something significant – like getting the kids off to school without one of them having a temper tantrum.
I think the follow-up question to Tim’s original question is, assuming James does turn things around, how long will he stay “turned around” before he falls apart and starts acting horribly again? A week? A month? A year maybe? I hope he does figure out how to pull things together but then again I won’t be holding my breath.
Erica: I did not say that happiness is about finding the right job, actually. I said that, for me, it was having a life that satisfies you. For some people, that may involve finding the right job, yes. Since not all of us are lucky enough to be independently wealthy, a good job is usually rather essential in doing things like, oh, I don’t know — surviving.
As for you “holding your breath”, no, I don’t suggest you do that — because I have the feeling that your idea of “pulling things together” is so lofty that no one would ever be able to attain that goal, at least to your satisfaction.
I see by your latest comment that you have children. If, God forbid, one of your children grows up to have a tough time of it and ends up in a similar situation to James’, I wonder if you’ll be as hard on them as you’re being now.
Liz, you talk out of all sides of your mouth. On one hand someone like James is perfectly fine and worth rooting for as he is while he’s out shoplifting and then at the same time you say that having a good job is essential for —survival. Well, which is it? Should he be working or is he totally fine, in Darren’s parlance, cadging off his mom and stealing from grocery stores? As far as my idea of “pulling things together” goes I don’t think youhave even the first clue as far as what this means. What I mean by pulling things together is simply not acting like a complete skankbag, like a James, and taking responsibility for the person you present to the world. Perhaps this is too lofty for anyone to attain and perhaps it is just basic.
Wow!
You two are mixing it up.
I’m about four margaritas and a glass of Pinot Grigio in but I’m going to call you out Erica. I think that you think James is a dirt bag right now. I think Liz wouldn’t like that label but it’s hard to argue with some of the behavior that he detailed.
BUT
I do not believe that you think he is hopeless.
BUT
It seems that the big point for you is whether it will stick.
My mother talks about “character” a lot. Maybe this is what you’re saying about him. That you doubt he has the character to persevere.
The truth is, none of us know. Time will tell and hopefully I’ll be able to sit down with him again.
BUT
I think my story about how James and I met is indicative of his character. He had nothing to gain in being so friendly to me. He didn’t know that I had this amazing podcast. Kidding!
Tim
Okay, Erica, I concede. Yes, I do think that a job is, in some manner, a big part of having a ‘good life’, at least in financial terms.
Having said that, I know what it’s like to go without a job for an extended period of time, and not for a ‘good’ reason, either. I was unemployed for a hell of a long time because I was too goddamn strung out to work at anything. Even after I had cleaned myself up, it still took a hell of a long time for me to get up the courage to go looking for a job, because my self-worth was in the toilet. I didn’t really think I was good enough to do anything. I wonder (because of the failures that James has experienced) if he feels the same way, you know?
In any case, obviously you feel strongly about this, as do I. I think we can agree to disagree, because as a wise man once said — I may not agree with what you say, but I’ll defend to the death your right to say it.
For the record, I’m willing to give James the benefit of the doubt simply because I don’t know his character enough to say anything otherwise.
Tim, I agree with your take on how I see things. Maybe he was hitting on you at the diner? After all you’re not so hard on the eyes.
Liz, thanks for the concession and am sorry you had that kind of battle with heroin. I think it says a lot about your character that you’re still with us and fighting for what you believe in. Maybe Jams does feel the same way as you did but who really knows how he feels about this stuff. The way I heard it was that he’s just laughing at everybody that gets up and does an honest day’s work each and everyday. To me that’s just disgusting and, in Tim’s words, qualifies him as a complete dirtbag. And yes, we’ll have to agree to disagree on this one.
Erica:
I honestly did not hear what you heard….I don’t recall getting the feeling that James was “laughing at everybody who gets up and does an honest day’s work”, so I’m not really sure where you’re getting that. What I heard was a guy who fucked up, who admitted he fucked up (for whatever reason) and was telling his story. I didn’t get the feeling that he was trying to say, “Oh, look at me, I’m so awesome and everyone else is a sucker!”
But again, I’ve been in low places, so I may have an insight into this that not everyone has.
Liz, James sounded to me like a born fuck up. It would have helped if he’d at least been funny but I can’t even say I laughed at any of his stories. At least Tim, Jamie and Darren thought his skeaziness was humorous but I can’t even say that.
Well, Erica, to each his or her own, I suppose. I think you are reading things into the podcast that weren’t there, but perhaps you’ve had your own experiences that are colouring your impressions. I have to say I still do not see exactly where you are coming up with this impression of “skeaziness”, but I suppose you have your reasons.
liz, i think erica has already detailed a couple of times a lot of the ways that james is a skeazebag. i also just have to say that it is a very concrete vote of confidence in a person’s character by having an ex-heroin addict, such as you are, as the only real defender of one’s worthiness…
Tim, Mr Coyne himself has defended James several times here and said that the guy isn’t worthless. Not only is TC the only person here who’s actually MET James, he’s also the guy who runs the site. If you hold HIS opinion in such low esteem then why are you even posting here?
Furthermore, I’ve defended James too, and I’ve never touched class A drugs. And it’s also pretty sad that you ‘just have to say’ that the opinion of a recovering drug addict is worthless.
Wow, Tim. Thanks for reaffirming my thought that you can’t defend your opinion without putting someone else down. It’s great to know that, apparently, as a former drug user, my opinion is worthless. You’re…a piece of work. Congratulations.
Additionally (and this speaks to the issue of inferring things where they aren’t there, actually): at what point did I say that the drug I was addicted to was heroin?….Both you and Erica seem to have read things into my experience that weren’t there. (The drug was not heroin, by the way, so I’d also like to congratulate you on your reading comprehension.)
I, like Andrew, question why you’re even bothering to post here, if you’re so bent on insulting an opinion that is held by more than one person here. As Andrew has said, Tim C. has actually met James, and apparently does not see him as the “skeazy loser” that you and others think he is. So why is it that I’m the only one you’re shitting on, here, Tim, huh? Is it because you lump me into the “loser” category as well, because of my past, therefore making me an easier target?
If that is the case, then I assure you that your insults lose most of their veracity. Not that they had much to begin with….
liz – heroin, crack, meth – whatever. same difference. anyway, andrew, no one’s saying james (or liz’s opinions) are worthless. if i can speak for the others for a second, i think we’re just saying they’re not worth too much. james could certainly get a job someday – whether it’s fry guy at bk or used car salesman and then actually contribute something to the world and liz may actually start make some decent points beyond her bleeding heart twaddle.
“Same difference” — no, actually, there is a difference, Tim, but I wouldn’t expect you to know it.
As for my “bleeding heart” twaddle, believe me when I say I’d rather have my “twaddle” than your insults, callousness and total lack of ability to defend opinions in any way besides tearing down others.
I’m trying really hard here not to fall into your trap of insults here, but you’re making it pretty difficult.
Is it irony that the second place Hollywood Podcast logo was a heart bleeding into the shape of a microphone?
I guess I am a supporter of “bitches” and “bleeding hearts”.
Yo Tim. You do seem to be coming at this with a lot of judgment.
My objection all along is the lebelling of James as a “sleaze bag” or “dirt bag”. It’s just too easy. But I suppose if you had described him in some middle of the road term then this comment thread wouldn’t be so polarizing.
I am hoping this all ends with a cyber hug though.
Tim: “andrew, no one’s saying james (or liz’s opinions) are worthless”
Yes, YOU were saying that. You said:
“an ex-heroin addict, such as you are, as the only real defender of one’s worthiness…”
Now, given that both TC and I were also defending James, and you are claiming it was just Liz, that means you are completely discounting what we said. Now you’re saying that YOUR opinion on someone you’ve never met has more value than that of an acquaintance of that person. Anyway, weren’t YOU the person who posted this a while back:
“i’m actually a big fan of james and am rooting for him like the rest of us. go james!!!”
You’re a troll. I’m guessing there’s bad stuff going on in your own life. You know what I’m talking about.
I can’t believe the judgements you people are making on someone who you have heard less than 2 hours of an audio interview with and had no personal contact or communication with. We’re talking about a complex human being here, not a piece of machinery.
Can he change? Look at the metamorphosis we have all made since we were born. Coming to such conclusions on anyone is ridiculous, let alone someone who was sucked into the Hollywood machine and was candid enough to talk about his experiences on a podcast by some guy who he befriended.
Congratulations Tim, clearly an incredibly good interview based on this polarizing discussion alone. Too bad some people are so narrow-minded or quick to jump to idiotic conclusions due to the liberties an internet message board affords them.
Well, I’d like to offer congratulations to both of you, Andrew & Jesus, for finally seeming to have accomplished the rather lofty goal of putting the kibosh on Tim’s rantings. Way to go, both of you
Cheers! We aim to please. It’s been bumped down a page now by the newest podcast, so I’m guessing trafic on this thread will quieten. Now, scuse me while I listen to the Flags of Iwo Jima Extras podcast.
you guys are too funny. my rantings?!? that’s strange. i thought that’s exactly what you were doing all along liz.
tim, if i’ve been overly judgmental then i deeply apologize.
andrew, you’re creepiness from the last post is … well … creepy and weird. and i didn’t see tim or you actually doing much defending of james up above. in fact i think tim was the one who brought up the terms “douche bag†and “dirt bag†as more appropriate terms for james. i don’t disagree with him on this front and hope he does do a follow-up interview with james to see which term he himself would prefer that more accurately describe his actions in the past. perhaps tim’s two terms are actually less polarizing ones that we can all agree on?
jesus, you’re saying what? that james is somehow still in his development phase of evolving into a person? i thought we guys peaked at 18 and that it’s all downhill from there. for james peaking meant getting thrown out of school and then moving into his parent’s basement. that’s quite a peak. sorry but your point about james being full of hope and promise falls on deaf ears over here. now, let’s be realistic for a moment and strategize about james’ future.
you guys really are way too much and i’m still trying to figure out why you don’t think it’s as funny as the rest of us who have posted in the past do and offer some solutions instead of trying to suppress people’s opinions.
I have another soluton. How about a lemonade st
oops…premature posting going on over here… The idea was what if we all pitched in a couple of bucks to help james put up a lemonade stand?
Hello.
Tim. I think most people found his situation humorous, sad, funny, etc.; I just think a couple of you seem to be coming a little too hard core at the guy.
I think it’s that simple.
By the way, Gladwell’s book THE TIPPING POINT has some interesting points about “character”. Long story shot – character is mostly defined by context not some core state of being that is unchanging.
In other words, who know how any of us would have reacted in similar situation: sudden wealth, fame, etc.
Tim, how about you learn to use punctuation and capitals in your posts. Then people might be bothered to read them. Or perhaps not.
No wonder you found my post creepy. You knew I was right, which must have been harsh for you.
Men may reach their physical peak around 18, but mentally teenagers’ brains are still pretty undeveloped, according to recent ideas. This explains why they are the best people to send into wars – they’ll obey orders without considering the risks.
Ask any 30-year old if they’re more mentally developed now then 10 years before. They’ll admit to a physical slack-off, but most reckon they’ve learned from their years of mistakes too.