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Step into the dark side of public speaking with “The Public Speaking Horror Show,” where we expose the chilling fears and epic stage fails of speakers who’ve lived to tell the tale. Join us as we dig into their nightmares and discover the killer tips that turned their terror into triumph.
Laura Reid: [00:00:02] Welcome to The Public Speaking Horror Show, the podcast where stage fright meets storytelling and fumbled lines become unforgettable lessons. I am your host, Laura Reid. If you're enjoying all these episodes, you know what to do so you never miss one. And if you've ever frozen, fumbled, or full-on like faceplanted with a mic in your hand, you are not alone. Now today's guest. You're in for a treat. She is living proof that dreams don't have deadlines and the word inconceivable is just a dare in disguise. She is an artist, an actor, an island mama and the very definition of a multi passionate creative. Born into a family that blended the arts and media from her model actress mom to her radio TV dad, she grew up in a house of six siblings where big dreams were encouraged and creative messes were welcome. She's been married 35 years to her college sweetheart, it's so cool, a fellow actor and reformed radio DJ. She's raised three amazing kids on the island of Oahu and still finds time to run her own business, As You Wish Arts. Named after the most romantic line in The Princess Bride and an ode to love, whimsy and doing life your way. Her artwork is inspired by the beaches and hikes of her Hawaiian island home, and her pieces have found homes in the shops across the North Shore and online. She's now added children's book illustrator to her already epic resume. I am so, so thrilled. Oh, I've got other things on her bio, but you know what, we're going to talk about them anyway. But she's been on like over 30 feature films and TV shows, including Hawaii Five-O, Magnum P.I. and a special agent on all three seasons of NCIS Hawaii. That is so cool. She's also the president of the Hawaii SAG/AFTRA union wrapping up her second term this September. So cool. So I am extremely excited to welcome Andy.
Andrea Sikkink: [00:02:26] Thank you. Thank you so much. Wow. I don't need to talk after that. Stage fright can just take over.
Laura Reid: [00:02:36] Oh, no. It's so good. We're so happy to have you. Yeah. Andy Sikkink is just, you know, someone I've admired for so long. Being in a group with her, kind of like a networking group where we met every week, and I got to, I got to see her... We've actually never met in person, though, so that day is coming soon. But I've admired not only, you know, her artwork, but also her energy. And I'm kind of in awe that she's been an actor too. But you know how this all starts out. We start with the killer 13 rapid-fire questions. Andy, are you willing to-
Andrea Sikkink: [00:03:14] - the deadly 13? Yes. Bring it on.
Laura Reid: [00:03:18] Yes. We're ready. Okay, here we go. Number one, what's scarier, a live audience or a live camera?
Andrea Sikkink: [00:03:27] A live camera. Because I've been on set with a live camera that gets everything.
Laura Reid: [00:03:37] Oh, yeah, I can... Yeah, we'll talk more about that. Right. Number two, if your life had a movie title, what would it be?
Andrea Sikkink: [00:03:45] Inconceivable.
Laura Reid: [00:03:48] Inconceivable. Yes, I see it. And you have to get your book out there too with that, I love it. All right. I see all kinds of cool things behind you. You got a surfboard and all, you know, some cool signs and some artwork. What's the weirdest thing in your art studio right now?
Andrea Sikkink: [00:04:06] Some charcoal sketches of ghosts.
Laura Reid: [00:04:12] Yes. Those are my favorite. Andy, does these amazing kind of spooky series around Halloween. And that's when I think I truly felt like I was like, yeah, because you come off as, like, just... You're such a, I mean, and you are, you're such a positive, radiant person filled with a lot of, you know, good energy. And then this dark side is--
Andrea Sikkink: [00:04:35] -- dancing bats, and skeletons.
Laura Reid: [00:04:38] It's so good, is very like Edward Gorey kind of ish. That's what it reminds me of, we have so, so, so good. So I love yeah, I love that side of you too. And the contrast that it brings. So good. So I'm not an actor, but sometimes, maybe, I mean, I was in a couple plays in high school, and I think sometimes I still get these nightmares where I'm about to walk on stage in a play, and I have no idea what the play's about or what my lines are or any of that. Like, I get those nightmares even though I'm not an actor. Like, do you get any kind of nightmares like that? And if so, what are they?
Andrea Sikkink: [00:05:18] Definitely. I mean, that's a real one. I've missed every rehearsal and I have this big speaking part, and I'm part of the main cast, and they're all like, what the heck? It's the ultimate stage fright, right? And the times where I really have filmed with, like, big directors, it is, it's a real fear. It's a real fear that you're just gonna... It's all gonna leave your brain instantly. And that's why I am so in awe of you, because you help people to get that, get over that fear and realize their brain has it. They just have to let it out.
Laura Reid: [00:05:56] Yeah, the fear is real. I mean, and we'll dive deeper into that too after these questions, but, yeah, sometimes it's about like, my new thing is probably having more of a dialog with fear because it doesn't really go away. There's no like overcoming it. It's still going to creep up. But I think the more we learn to friend it and face it, then the easier it gets, right, for those moments. And I mean, we can't control the nightmares, but we can control, like our real awakening moments, right? Unless this is all a dream, that's a whole nother podcast. All right, number five, what's your go-to karaoke song?
Andrea Sikkink: [00:06:36] Oh, gosh, nobody wants to hear me do that. I actually, surprisingly, I was in choir and I played instruments as a child, and then that, just that ability just kind of went away.I'll tell you a funny story that fits with this. When I was a kid, there was a singing group that was kind of like the Von Trapp family, and they would come to the local park, and I was cute with little Shirley Temple curls. So they pulled me up on stage, and then I'd want to sing something amazing, like I'd have a Barbra Streisand or something in my head, and out would come Catalina Magdalena, Catalina Magdalena Rubensteiner or Wallendiner, Hogan and Logan, what's her name? And every time. And my mom would just sit in the audience and laugh and everyone would get going because it was a goofy song. But yeah, I guess that'd be my go-to.
Laura Reid: [00:07:27] Oh, I would love, that would be epic. I would be like, what's happening right now?
Andrea Sikkink: [00:07:32] And then it's like a song you'll never forget once you've learned it. You know, like John Jacob, Jingle Heimer Schmidt. I mean, if you learned it, you know it.
Laura Reid: [00:07:40] Wow. That. I haven't heard that since I was like... That brings back memories. Wow. All right. Number six. Was there an actor that you're also a huge fan of that you got to work with, and you're kind of, like, in awe. And it was kind of hard, because.
Andrea Sikkink: [00:08:00] Can I do two? Okay. I got to work with LeVar Burton, who my kids watched on Reading Rainbow, who I watched on Star Trek: The Next Generation. He played this really cool Geordi character. So he came and directed episodes of NCIS Hawaii. And so I literally got to have sidebar conversations while we're waiting for everything to be set up. And I'd be standing there and he would talk to me, and it was just like, am I dreaming? Like, how could this be? And then I've always admired LL Cool J and you look at me and you go, oh, yeah, sure, she listens to rap music, but I really... He has this whole thing, like, dreams don't have deadlines, that has always literally stuck in my head as one of his things. So second season of NCIS Hawaii, he comes on as a guest star and they tell us all don't talk to him. Leave him alone. People fangirl over him. Don't talk to him. So I was being a good girl. I'm off in the corner with my friend Marie. Who you'll get a chance to meet soon. And Marie and I are standing waiting for the scene to begin, and he comes over, Hey, I'm Todd, and we're like, oh, that's why they had Todd Smith on the call sheet. That's what he goes by when he's on set. Is Todd Smith. Todd. So he's like, hey, I'm Todd. Yeah. And it was just like, that was my most fangirl moment ever. I'm not sure I said actual words. Marie was kind of poking at me like, you're fine, you're fine. I'm like, oh my God. Yeah. And then we got to work with him all of season three, he became a regular guest star. Yeah. So he was totally cool. He was the coolest guy. He played his music on set, and he always knew his lines. He always knew his lines. Unlike, I won't even mention some of the other people that didn't,
Laura Reid: [00:09:49] Oh, you may have to dish later. But yeah, that is such a fun, that must be so.
Andrea Sikkink: [00:09:57] Yeah, I just need to write some of those down. Yeah, it's just a killer. Especially when you're so used to, you know, that whole thing of like, don't talk to them, don't make eye contact. If they talk to you, you can talk to them. And then, yeah, and then when they're just like a human, just a nice, really nice person. Yeah.
Laura Reid: [00:10:14] Yeah. That's so good. Okay. Number seven, you've painted pet portraits. I've seen large murals. And the awesome, spooky Halloween-inspired art. Do you have a favorite?
Andrea Sikkink: [00:10:29] I think pet portraits. I don't know why, I cannot really explain how I fell into that, but I had, my sister-in-law had asked me way back when to paint a pet who had passed away, and I was like, had known this dog forever. So it just came out, just like onto the canvas, like the the perfect little Daisy dog. And. Yeah. And then from there, somebody told somebody and somebody told somebody, and all of a sudden, I'm just, I'm mostly painting dogs. I've painted cats, birds, fish. But yeah, the dog portraits, just because people love their pet and it makes them so happy when they open it up and when I can really customize it, if it's one that's passed, then I put a rainbow bridge in there, you know, and kind of some of their favorite toys. And if it's one that's alive, I've done as many, I think I did 4 in 1 portrait. And I just, I love to make it fun.
Laura Reid: [00:11:28] That's so special. Well, my favorite, so to speak, stuffed with charcoal. But I get it. That's. Yeah, that's really special for people to always cherish. Number eight. Favorite Princess Bride quote. Other than, As you wish.
Andrea Sikkink: [00:11:42] Inconceivable. I don't think you know what that means.
Laura Reid: [00:11:48] Oh, good. I love it. You got me wanting to rewatch that movie now. Maybe. Yeah, maybe this weekend. Number nine, what's your dream acting role? Like real or imagined?
Andrea Sikkink: [00:11:59] Well, my mom wrote two books, and I would love to make those books come to life and then play my mom.
Laura Reid: [00:12:06] Oh, wow.
Andrea Sikkink: [00:12:07] That would be amazing.
Laura Reid: [00:12:09] Oh. Your mom. Wow. I love that. That's so special. Would you rather be remembered for a famous role or a role you played, or for a piece of art you created?
Andrea Sikkink: [00:12:24] Definitely a piece of art. Definitely a piece of art. I've walked around the Smithsonian so many times, and you see artists from the 1500s, you know, 1600s, and you go, wow, like we still have this. So yes, I think, I think that would be cool.
Laura Reid: [00:12:42] Art does have a way of really living on, you know, like my dad passed a while ago now, but he was an artist, and I have his art, and every once in a while, he has a lot of art up in, like, random hotels in New York, because that's where he lived. And he'd do, like, trades with restaurants for getting to eat there for free for like the rest of his life, that kind of stuff. And people will still, like, take a photo of it and send me like, oh, I just saw your dad's painting. And it's kind of cool how that does live on in a special way. There's something about it.
Andrea Sikkink: [00:13:13] I think I felt like the most like, wow moment when somebody showed me one of my paintings was up for sale on eBay and I was like, oh, I'm embarrassed about that painting. I wish it wasn't for sale on eBay, but it was one of my really, really early ones from like the 80s or something. Yeah.
Laura Reid: [00:13:29] Oh, that's so cool. Someone sent me, like, some of my, one of my books is for sale on eBay, which is so weird. I was like, yeah, it's like, okay. But I did feel like a little, you know, a little bit of a cool, like, I've made it. In this really small way. All right. Number 11, what's your biggest creative fear?
Andrea Sikkink: [00:13:53] I think it's just like losing that passion. I've had people say, oh, you're going to run out of ideas to paint. You know, you're going to get tired of it. It's just something you can't do forever. But yeah, I would hate to lose the passion or have the inability, like, due to arthritis or something, to not be able to get that out there, that a real honest fear. Like, even if nobody ever saw it, if it never went viral, if it never, you know, if I did a spectacular painting, but it hurt so bad to do it, and I could never do another one, I don't know, that would be tough.
Laura Reid: [00:14:30] Oh, Yeah. It's so hard, I would think too as like, if your mind still is there and like, you really want to create, but you're not able to. But I think there's always ways, there's always ways to create. Like I'm thinking of that, remember the movie My Left Foot and he was a painter with his just his left foot, that was all. And he created these beautiful things. So I feel like like there's always a way. But if it became painful, that would be really hard.
Andrea Sikkink: [00:14:57] I know.
Laura Reid: [00:14:58] Okay. Number 12, do you have a go-to ritual or before the director yells action to kind of just get you in the moment of that character?
Andrea Sikkink: [00:15:09] That's great, I love that. Yeah. So I've worked with some really big directors, and I've had the pleasure of them saying that you make it real. So, one of the Hawaii Five-Os, I hadn't been doing it forever, but I'd been doing it for quite a few years, and Peter Weller was directing, and everybody's afraid of Doctor Weller because Doctor Weller is a hard nose. He was RoboCop, but he is a hard-nosed director. And this lady was sashaying across the pool and walking all, like, sexy. And he goes 'out' and he kicks the lady out who had gotten the part. And he goes 'her' and he points to me. 'She walks with purpose'. And I was like, but that's always what I try to do is like, it has to, it has to feel real. I wouldn't walk across the pool like I'm in a, you know, fashion show or something. So I walk across and they go, that's it, print it, move on, you know, and so that's always been in the back of my mind. So in NCIS I'm a background agent. Here's LL Cool J and Vanessa Lachey and they're all doing their stuff. And I am back there, I am making copies. And then I have to run a folder and hand it off to one of them and it's like, oh my gosh, I'm gonna get in trouble because it's taking me so long to make this fax come out, and it literally feels real. So then when they get done, I remember exactly where I were, what they were saying, and I do it exactly the same again on the next take. So my go-to is, if this was my real job, how do I do it and not get in trouble? You know, whatever I'm doing, if I'm being a cop, if I'm making copies, if I'm walking across the pool, it's like if this was actually what I need to be doing right now and I get myself in that mode, this is my job and I am going to do a good job of it. And I forget about the cameras. I forget about everything else. I've tripped over a cord doing that because you just like, it starts to feel real.
Laura Reid: [00:17:00] Yeah, yeah, I love that. Make it real. I think that can be used, you know, in so many different ways, too, because sometimes it's not about what you're doing. It's really who you are being. So even like in real life, it's like, okay, if I want to be a bestselling author, like, what would a bestselling author be doing? And how can I make that real? Right? I wouldn't be just thinking about it. Right.
Andrea Sikkink: [00:17:24] So you have it kind of thing. Exactly. And it's a good way to not get butterflies about it because, like, if I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing, I'm not going to wreck the take. I'm not going to upstage the main actors. Or if I'm the main actor, I'm not gonna, you know, say something different. I'm going to say what I needed to say. Right. So it does help me to get in that frame of thinking.
Laura Reid: [00:17:45] Yeah, I love it. So okay, last question. You just about made it here. Number 13. What's your biggest wish?
Andrea Sikkink: [00:17:54] Oof! I would love to just get other people to follow their dreams. I don't know how to go about that. I think, yeah, like, you're a motivational speaker and you're also a coach, and maybe that's eventually going to be my life purpose. Like, while I'm painting, it's encouraging others to paint, and social media will probably allow me to do that. I don't need to be Bob Ross because he was Bob Ross. But I would love to be able to encourage others to be themselves and to tackle something. If it's painting they want to do. If it's acting they want to do, if it's writing or whatever. So kind of a motivator person, but not necessarily on the circuit of a motivational speaking. Just being that, I don't know, maybe a resource, maybe just like somebody that they can call and say, hey, I'm stuck, what do I do?
Laura Reid: [00:18:46] I love that your biggest wish is helping other people achieve their creative wish. That's so beautiful. And yeah, that just shows your heart, you know? And yeah, I could see you totally, maybe like a creativity coach, you know, in some way, like helping people, helping people achieve that, you know, because we're all here to create. We all have the ability. And so much of what we can create can just change other people's lives, you know, and our own. So that's so beautiful.
Andrea Sikkink: [00:19:13] And just not being afraid. But yeah, being like you've taught people to not be afraid to to speak their truth. And, you know, maybe they don't want to paint, but maybe I inspire them in some other way. You know, by stepping into the acting world or doing something out of the box that they haven't done.
Laura Reid: [00:19:30] I love it. I've always secretly wanted to be an actor, so we'll have to try.
Andrea Sikkink: [00:19:35] Here we go.
Laura Reid: [00:19:35] But I just want a small, just a small step out, you know? Step on role. I'll trip over. I'll make up.
Andrea Sikkink: [00:19:41] See. And then. And that's the thing. Once it bites you, it's like Hawaii, once you've been to Hawaii, it's part of your family. Once you've been on set and you've had a good time, you like literally feed off of it. It's addictive.
Laura Reid: [00:19:56] Yeah, I bet. I bet it would be so, so, so much fun. Well, you survived the killer 13. Congratulations. So now is when the fun really begins. I want to just deep dive, like, straight in. If you can share with us, you know your story. Like your journey to being like where you are. And I'd love to hear, maybe there's a moment you can share with us where things just really didn't go as planned, but you learned from it. There was some kind of takeaway, whether it was on set or in life. You know, we'd love to learn from you in that way.
Andrea Sikkink: [00:20:30] Oh my goodness. Well, I already shared my singing Catalina Maddalena in a panic. Multiple times.
Laura Reid: [00:20:35] That's a good one. Yeah.
Andrea Sikkink: [00:20:37] But I think as an adult, it probably doesn't, looking at me now, I was a big athlete. And that was the way I hid the art side of me. So a lot of my friends, unless they came over to my house, never saw the paintings lining all over. I mean, nobody did oil painting. It wasn't a thing. So I kind of hid all that, and I did sports, and I had a running scholarship. I had a couple of them, I got injured my freshman year, so they kind of what they call redshirt you. And I was afraid of, you know, losing money for school. I'm paying for it myself. I'm the youngest of six kids. Mom and dad aren't paying for school, and I'm not doing so great in my grades because all the training takes up all my time. But one, when I got redshirted, they were like, you're just going to go to physical therapy and you're going to get better, and then you're gonna get out. You're going to go out there and win races again. And that little bit of time like, what is my purpose? Is my purpose just to run around a track forever? I mean, it was like, yes, it's a means to an end to get the education. But that was sort of my reset. And while it was a disappointment to realize that I wasn't going to be this great Olympic runner, it was also sort of like, I could do it, but I don't want to do it anymore.
Andrea Sikkink: [00:21:54] And so that pivot, I would credit with me, like I had already met my future husband, but I wasn't, you know, necessarily serious about him yet. It's just like all of a sudden everything kind of came into focus of like, hey, what, why am I doing this? You know, why am I trying so hard to recover, just to run so hard that I hurt myself again? And I think a lot of pro athletes have that moment when they get hurt and when they face that huge obstacle or they get traded off the team or whatever. I think your husband probably knows about this because he's a coach, right? But it's also so important that, like, I had the family there to go it's okay. Maybe that's not going to be you going forward. You thought you'd be this big college athlete and maybe a professional runner, but actually, you had all this other stuff that you neglected because of it. And so then I did more painting, and I did way better in school and ended up graduating with a 4.0. And when you're at the bottom of the bottom as a freshman, to get back up to a 4.0 is hard, hard work. Yeah.
Laura Reid: [00:22:59] Wow. I love that story because it shows how important a pause in your life can be. And even when it feels like a disappointment, something unexpected, you know, there's things that could come out of it that we just don't know they're going to be gifts yet, because it feels like it's absolutely not a gift, right? Something's been taken away from us. But then in hindsight, we realize, often I've heard that so often what a gift it really was. I mean, even the pandemic, when the whole world was pausing in so many ways. You know, I hear so many stories about how that was just this pivotal moment, because I got this break to really think about, okay, what do I really want to do? Maybe I don't want to go back to this job or, you know, whatever it is. Right? So what got you into wanting to be like, how did you know you wanted to be an actor? And were there some do you have any tales of, you know, that particular thing, like either going sideways or some tips, like the help you just not get nerves and, you know, it might be really helpful too is I was always wanting to ask you this before because I'm always trying to help my clients learn their speech, but also keep it authentic. So not memorize and recite, but really feel the words. And I imagine it's like that with acting too. It's like you have to learn word for word for that. But do you have any strategies to do that but also keep that authenticity? That was like three questions.
Andrea Sikkink: [00:24:32] That's amazing. Okay, so we'll light up the first part. I didn't actually think I would become a professional actor. I just enjoyed, like, community theater. My mom had acted with her whole family in the community theater, the old log theater in Minneapolis. And then she got a job at the radio station as a copywriter. And then she met my dad, who was a copywriter. So it's sort of in my blood, like we weren't afraid to necessarily be pulled up on stage. It's just when everyone's looking at you, you sing Catalina Magdalena, because you can't think of anything else. But I had done, like, plays in school. And I remember really wanting to be Annie. They did a nationwide search for Annie, and we had put the play on at my school, so I was the understudy. I knew every song and I remember just haunting my mom, walking around the house, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing. And they're saying on the TV they're going to have these tryouts. And I'm like, begging her. She didn't like to drive, and I'm begging her, please drive me into Minneapolis. And then she just kind of sat me down and she said, I don't want to be a stage mom, and I don't want to have that relationship with you. I want this to be fun for you. She had an older sister who was kind of her stage mom, who had done Vaudeville, I think she was 15 years older. And so she had driven my mom into ballet lessons and modeling and all this stuff. And my mom was super shy like I had been, and she just said I want it to keep being fun. And if you got this, it wouldn't be fun anymore. You wouldn't like it. So it was always like, I would do stuff that I knew wasn't a long-term commitment. But then I got out here and all these shows are running and we had done some modeling as a family. That's easy, that's a day or two and you're done. And I remember thinking, do I want to make a long-term commitment to be a reoccurring police officer or be a reoccurring agent? But yeah, my kids are older, so I could really dig in and do it. And when that's your only focus, see that's what people forget, they see these really long lines that someone has to learn in a theater play, well, in the theater play once you've done it the first few times, you're never going to forget it. It is in your head for the rest of your life. Like, I can recite stuff from Rumpelstiltskin that I did in third grade, and I was Rumpelstiltskin, by the way.
Laura Reid: [00:26:50] Oh, wow. Congratulations.
Andrea Sikkink: [00:26:52] What if I can still have, you know, the songs from Annie are still in my head. Like, once you do something in theater, it's a lot of times. In television, it's a faster pace and especially like soap operas, I would, I don't think I'd ever attempt that because there's so much dialog that you have to know and be off-book, and then you spew it out and then you might do one more scene or two more scenes or seven scenes that day, and you have to know them all, and you have to understand what your character is going through. So that's huge. I think I like it, but what we don't realize is that those actors, that's all they're doing. They go back to their trailer, they're working on their lines, they sit waiting for the scene to get set up, they're tossing it back and forth like a ball. I've watched them and they're practicing that line back and forth with each other. So when I was in the green room for Hawaii Five-O and I'm playing a Russian spy, I had worked with all these people as a cop. And so they're wanting to chitchat about how is this feel to be here? And I'm like, can we just practice? Like, can we just like, do the lines so I don't forget them? But what's great about it is you get a rehearsal. So they take you to where you're actually doing the scene, they've already had your stand-in, practiced it. They show you where you're going to walk. And at that moment, it can start to feel really real. Like I'm in the basement of a Russian embassy, here's my daughter, and now they've found me. And Five-O is going to haul me out of here. And what's going to happen to my little daughter, who is my real daughter? So that was easy to pretend.
Laura Reid: [00:28:24] Oh, that's so cool.
Andrea Sikkink: [00:28:26] And she had tried out and got that all on her own. I didn't think we were going to get cast together. Yeah. So at that moment, once they show you, you can forget about the camera angles or whatever, because you already in your mind, you've made this scene real in your head of, like, I've got to tell her it's going to be okay, and I will explain later. She didn't even know I was from Russia. I don't know how. That's the magic of TV. She didn't know I was a Russian spy. She's 13.
Laura Reid: [00:28:55] That's how good a spy you were. Yeah.
Andrea Sikkink: [00:28:57] So, yeah. Also, in the back of my mind, I'm thinking, well, I'm doing it, but they just saw me. If anyone was paying attention and slows it down, they just saw me as a cop arresting somebody in the previous episodes. So in my mind I'm like, well, this makes sense now because here I wasn't hiding right in plain sight. And now they have to deal with me. And I managed to evade them until the very end of the episode. So I felt like, okay, if they kill me off, no big deal. But then they ended up just arresting me. And then my daughter started an online campaign of Hashtag Save Monica Shores. Save my Mom. It was great. She was trying to get us brought back on for another episode. I escape or something. Yeah.
Laura Reid: [00:29:38] I love it, I love it. Was there a favorite role that you've had? Because I know I've heard you say you've, like, arrested a lot of people. It sounds like you've been a spy. I don't know if there's something going on here with you're, like, typecast as, like, you know.
Andrea Sikkink: [00:29:50] I think I think my favorite role was just sort of a semi background on The Wrong Missy, which was directed by Adam Sandler and another director. So it had all his comedian friends Lauren Germain, David Spade, and just to become part of that energy of them, just the comedy. And I said to my husband, maybe I was meant to do comedy. And he's like, comedy is hard. I said, no, I just lived it for two months. Comedy is fun. Like so yeah, I think that was a favorite role, even though I've had more important roles. I think that was a favorite one just because it was fun and the director had this ranking thing. I'm not going to mention the director's name in case he ever watched this, but he had this ranking thing of swear words of how good it was. And when he got up to the big F, then we knew we were doing well. I like your book.
Laura Reid: [00:30:47] I love it.
Andrea Sikkink: [00:30:48] Said the big F-word meant we were slamming and yeah. So it just got that energy. It was literally like playing like a kid. Like when you'd play with your friend. And let's imagine we're the Bionic Woman or something like that. Or the Bionic Man. The Million Dollar man. I remember playing that as a kid. But yes, when it feels like playing, that's when you know you're supposed to be doing it. And that one in particular, that comedy working on that, we all became super good friends and during our break times instead of like, you know, getting on our phones, we'd sit there and see who could still do a cartwheel. Just dumb stuff, right? But it was fun.
Laura Reid: [00:31:27] Yeah, but I like. Okay. I'm picturing you now doing cartwheels with Adam Sandler, and that's really awesome. So, are there any, like, misconceptions people have or even yourself, like, what was the biggest surprise about being on a set, a TV set, you know, and what it's like?
Andrea Sikkink: [00:31:45] I think the misconception is that it's easy, that it's easy, and I see how much work it is and how many people are involved. And that's part of just me getting involved in the union and contract negotiations or all these other parts. It's a job, you know. It might seem like I remember watching models on TV and they'd be like, oh my God, it was such a long day modeling the swimsuit. And I'd think, oh my God. Like, what are you talking about? I did modeling. It's hard, it's hard. You are so uncomfortable. They put you in poses that are so uncomfortable. Or they expect you to know the pose that's comfortable. It doesn't happen. It's hot. There's light. You're getting wet. You're, I mean, everything that could happen and then you're starving. Like, a lot of times I remember just going, this is a great weight loss plan being on set because I'm just starving. Can we finish this take? You know, so I can go to crafty and get a snack? Yeah. I think the biggest misconception is that it's easy. It's not easy. And, while it can be very, very fun, it takes so many people, and I made it a point to get to know and thank everybody from the guy who gave us a snack when we could finally eat, to the person coming with the sunscreen, to the person, you know, blotting your shiny face because you're making a glare way back in the back. I just, I just made it feel like a family. And I think, I think part of the reason that new Lilo & Stitch is so successful is that set was that way. That little girl, Maya, her whole life is going to be different. And it all started because she got a part, you know, when she was 5 or 6 years old, and her whole life is going to be different. But everybody there kept her safe like a family. It was just really cool.
Laura Reid: [00:33:38] Wait, were you on that set?
Andrea Sikkink: [00:33:40] Just briefly. I didn't have any speaking part or anything, so. Yeah.
Laura Reid: [00:33:47] Oh, that's so cool to get to be there and witness that, though. Now, you mentioned earlier that you were a shy girl. If you could go back and tell that version of you, that little girl one thing, like, what would you want her to know?
Andrea Sikkink: [00:34:02] I think my daughter and I did that when we were in our trailer. We put on some music and danced around to Spice Girls When I Grew Up. This is before we even filmed. And we both went like, wow, I wish I could have told my sixth grade self that, you know, those other mean girls, none of that mattered. Like, you are great. You are fantastic. Like, stop taking other people's opinions. Stop worrying about everybody you think that matters. You know, that's what I would tell myself.
Laura Reid: [00:34:33] I love it. Your creativity and how you put yourself out there now is, you know, so, it's so beautiful. And, yeah, that little girl might have thought it was inconceivable to, you know, do what you're doing now. Is there any, you know, main message or takeaway that you want to leave our listeners with, you know, too, if they're thinking about, oh, maybe I'm too old to go into acting or it's, you know, I'm not talented enough to create art. Do you have any words for them?
Andrea Sikkink: [00:35:05] I do. Definitely LL Cool J said it better than I can ever say it. The dreams don't have deadlines. Like, if there is something that you remember loving when you were a kid, you got to take that time with your head and go, oh, that was so fun. Me and my cousins did blank. Or when me and my friend did blank. And then look at that, because to me, when someone tells you you can't do that, that's what you should be looking at. Kind of like when they ban a book, that's the one you want to read. Yeah. So for me, like, literally when when we went to move to Hawaii, people said, that's impossible. You're never going to make it. It's so expensive, you'll never be able to afford to retire. Your kids are going to suffer. Everything is going to suffer. And that's where Inconceivable from Princess Bride came in. It's like, I don't think you know what that means. I think we can do even better than we could have done had we stayed where we were. If everybody had that attitude, would they ever have moved out of Europe? Out of Africa? No. So we have to be willing to take that risk and then also like, yeah, just follow the dream. Follow, like if someone tells you something's inconceivable, it's not that they care that much about you. They're more like, they can't believe that you could accomplish it. And they're naysayers. They're, maybe they're in their mind trying to protect you from something, but that's exactly what you should go trying to do then, because it's not, nothing is impossible. If you can think of it, you can make it happen. And I honestly believe that because I was told to, you know, don't join the union. Don't get involved in this production or that production. This is going to go horribly. Every time I was told no and I tried it anyway, it ended up being fantastic. Absolutely fantastic.
Laura Reid: [00:36:58] Mhm. I love that so much. I mean, the only person that really needs to believe is you, right? And no one else's opinions matter. And I find that so often when someone is negative about an idea or something you really want to do or pursue, sometimes it's just triggering something in their own fears, right? Like that they need to kind of express out on you, like it's never really about you. It's about them and their journey and that, you know, but that doesn't matter for our lives, really. Right. You know, just we need to believe. And I love how you approach things too, with the element of joy and fun. Like, you know, it still could be fun even when things go wrong, even when something seems like a disappointment. You can find, like a new avenue, you know, and, yeah, make those dreams happen. Where can our viewers and listeners find your artwork, which is amazing, and be able to work with you and follow you, all of those things?
Andrea Sikkink: [00:38:01] So I mostly use Instagram and then I push it through to Facebook. And that is, As You Wish Artist. That's the handle there. And then I have a website As You Wish Arts. And then if they live on Oahu or come to Oahu, I have my paintings in a couple shops up on the North Shore, in Kahuku by Giovanni Shrimp, there's a Route 99 container store, and they also have a kiosk by Matsumoto Shave Ice. So I mention that food each time and maybe people will end up getting there. Shave ice and then shrimp truck, they can get to these places and find my art. Yeah. So I just encourage people, and maybe eventually I'll have a YouTube channel where I just do some tutorials and then offer people like advice or coaching or something. I don't know. I don't know how that's going to look.
Laura Reid: [00:38:51] Yeah, well if you're dreaming it, you can definitely do it. It is not inconceivable. And I can't wait. I can totally see you doing that. Thank you so, so much, Andy, for being on the show, for sharing your creativity and your heart and your stories with us. And, yeah, some of your celebrity sightings and cartwheels with Andy or with, what's his name, cartwheels with Adam Sandler and all of that. These are so, so, so cool. And thank you to all of our listeners for tuning in to another episode of The Public Speaking Horror Show. Remember that, yeah, if you can conceive it, you can be it and you can dream it. And it's never, ever too late. The only person that ever has to believe is you. Thank you. Aloha, everyone. Aloha.