On this edition of THE INTERVUE, our guest has the unique distinction of being our first guest for our 13th year! She was “Wendy the Waitress” in How I Met Your Mother and was recently on Grey’s Anatomy. Now you can see her on the small screen in a brand new Pure Flix’s drama Sons of Thunder: Redemption. SOTR is a spinoff show that follows another former member of the Devil’s Hand who is righting wrongs and spreading the love of Jesus. This new show follows Jacob, fresh out of prison for crimes he committed for the biker club. But his stint behind bars was freeing for his soul because of an encounter with fan-favorite, Simon.
Ladies and gentlemen, we have Wendy the waitress but she’s better known as Charlene a more. Yep.
Charlene. Welcome to the interview.
Oh, thank you for having me.
Well, it’s great to have you here, especially talking about this brand-new series, Sons of Thunder: Redemption which was just came out just a few weeks ago. So, for those who have not seen the spin off series, nor the first series Sons of Thunder, can you tell us more about that?
Absolutely, you did a great introduction to the show. It is a show about motorcycle gang. And the first season which was called just Sons of Thunder. Then the character Simon undergoes a change in character change of heart and seeks to right his wrongs and put it out into the world and in each app. So, he encounters a different group of people and changes them for the better. And in this series, it starts off where the protagonist, which is played by Rocky Meyers, and he’s my character’s ex-fiancé, was in the gang with Simon and goes to prison, has a change comes out and wants to make amends for all his past wrongs.
So, in the first episode, he seeks to find me as his ex-fiancé, who we left at the altar after showing up high and hooking up to one of the bridesmaids and wants to seek forgiveness. And I, as I think most people in this situation have want nothing to do with him. And so, for the first couple episodes, I really give them more time and throughout the series, you see how they both change and maybe even spark a different kind of friendship. So, it’s the intention, the show really is a hopeful show. It’s to inspire and you know, have very redemptive quality.
Absolutely. And what I’ve seen of the show so far, it is brilliant, and your character Sandy is a wonderful character, but I’m mad at him for leaving you at the altar. That is very shameful, very shameful. So, what intrigued you to the role of Sandy the ex-fiancé of the main character?
Well, I just came home one day in the audition in my mailbox along with four other auditions that came in and so I just had to study all of these auditions like quickly because there was a quick turnaround and I didn’t have a whole lot of time to look more into any of these projects, initially. So, I banged out the audition. And then when they called, you know, offering me the role. I went ahead and went on the network to check out the first series and then I thought it had a great message. I was happy to accept that role and be part of it.
That’s great to hear. What is it like to work with the cast? And I want to clarify something you mentioned moments ago, were you a fan of the first series, or did you hear about when you got to audition for the role of Sandy?
I didn’t know about it until I got the job. And then I went on and signed up for the network and watched this the first season. Yeah, watching it, I became a fan of Simon. He’s an very endearing character and we can’t help but love them.
You’re right. The moment you look into what he has done with the series, you definitely follow up, you want to follow this character towards the end of the series, or at the end of the season. You wonder what happens next. I agree with following Simon.
You have had such an amazing career over the past several years, especially with “Wendy the Waitress” in How I Met Your Mother, which I’ve read, it was supposed to be a one-off character. That’s it. And then it just becomes a fan favorite that you end up being in seventeen episodes that before I got this interview, I was watching on YouTube, that there was a Wendy the Waitress tribute on YouTube. And it’s amazing. How is the fan reaction then since you played this character many years ago?
Yeah, I was. I think I did that interview a few months ago. It was like a real surprise to me to see someone who knew more about my character and the show than I did. It was like to have a fan base like that is it? It’s great. You don’t ever know that going into any project. And the show grew, and the fans grew and there’s so much it’s just become a beloved show. So, it was really nice to speak with him and do that tribute.
That is wonderful. Now, have you seen the spin off series How I Met Your Father, since that just debuted a few weeks ago?
I have watched the first two episodes, and I don’t know if you know this, but they have they’re using a lot of the same sets. So yeah, you see a lot of the same set pieces and the apartment. I think it definitely is, speaks it like you know, they’re speaking to the audience. You know, they’re trying to make the fans happy. And I think they’re doing that.
Who knows, they may bring back Wendy the Waitress from the Father from the universe of How I Met Your Mother to How I Met Your Father, you never know, especially in the world of spin-offs and reboots and all that you never know right?
I went to your Instagram recently, and I saw that you had this Lockdown Human Trick of learning to juggle, which I have tried for several years, never ever to nail it down. How did you manage to learn how to juggle and do it so brilliantly?
Oh, let’s say, in the very beginning of the pandemic, I was watching a lot of documentaries. And I watched one just brain and it was a three-part series. And one was to increase creativity, one to increase intelligence and one to increase physical hand eye coordination. One of the first things that they talked about was how juggling is very good for the brain. And you know, and also how taxi drivers have parts of the brain they’ve more developed than others because the mapping that they learned from driving around the city all the time.
The documentary just inspired me to pick up a couple of potatoes in my kitchen and try it and then I went on to YouTube and just watched a couple of videos and started slowly with just doing the two. And finally, when I caught that and added the third one, it took a little bit but I liked it. I think because I really enjoyed it. I found it a bit meditative. I just stuck with it. And then one day it just became easy. It kind of surprised me one day I was like, Oh, wow. without dropping a ball.
Well, that is great to hear. I’m so glad to hear asides from learning to juggle, how have you kept yourself busy during the pandemic asides from getting your roles?
Initially, I left LA, I moved up to Vancouver and spent three months up there, hiking around and exploring that city, which was really nice as it felt like an extended vacation. You know, the industry had shut down. And I felt like I could go anywhere. And they just, you know, that was, it’s like, you know, when you go into new city that you’re stimulated by so much, because there’s things are just different.
So that’s what I did at first, and I came back for voiceover. And I, you know, I could have cooked more. And I’ve definitely like explored even L.A. in a way that I hadn’t done before just doing different parts of the city hiking around the city, more beach walks. Also started learning Spanish and obviously juggling and doing a lot of singing classes, and meditation, getting together with friends when everybody felt comfortable. That’s basically caused me to slow down, which was the has lots of benefits.
I just got some questions based on your answers just now. So, I’m planning a trip to Vancouver in the near future. And since you just been there not too long ago, give me some places I need to go or hike around to experience some of Vancouver living.
Oh yeah, Vancouver has been best hikes. There’s one by the college where it’s just stairs, like you do, like so many thousands of stairs. You don’t really think you’re gonna make it but it’s in the forest but also, you know, just when you go down to the water and the city and you’ll just see there’s nature everywhere. And when do you plan and go, we’ll be there during the hot months for the whole month?
That’s a good question. So I’m hoping it’s probably towards fall or winter.
Okay, well it’s definitely has a rainy season. So, the summer is the time you really can really enjoy Vancouver. What else I think I just enjoyed the people. They’re very nice, very friendly people. I think you’ll notice a difference. Okay, so that trail that I was telling you about is called the Grouse Grind in North Vancouver. And it’s yeah, you just walk in stairs all the way up through the forest. And it’s, it’s a difficult hike, but it’s so worth it.
I say bring it on, especially I love hiking. So, thanks for giving me a new hike. A trail hike in Vancouver one day, since you mentioned you also cooked more do you have you found a signature dish during the pandemic that you know how to cook well.
I think my favorite thing to cook is growing a grind up like omens in a coffee grinder. And I will use that instead of a breadcrumb to bread either salmon or chicken breasts or chicken links. So there’ll be basically the base of ground up almonds, but then I’ll add chopped garlic and basil and sea salt and some spices. And this Italian seasoning really to make it very similar to what a bread crumb would be like. And I use that and so it’s a much healthier version but so delicious and really really tasty. So I’ll make either salmon or chicken and with some like an arugula salad, or you know, some broccolini or something and super healthy and super delicious.
Very fascinating. I’m gonna try that for salmon and chicken next time. Okay. I read somewhere that you like to play extremely flawed, quirky characters that don’t fit in with the rest of the world. So I need you to emphasize why.
Well, I think I have internally always felt that way, especially growing up, you know, just feeling different or, yeah, something is something different about me or that I don’t fit in with the molds. And so, I think as a performer, relate to them and gravitate to them, because there’s also more permission to have corks like really silly things that you could do with them. So, I think they can make people interesting, and on some level speak to the ones that feel and spoken to. And like, I’ve just always been a fan of, essentially the underdogs.
Absolutely because you never know when you see that underdog. Now remember, moments ago, you mentioned about voice over acting. In fact, I was checking to your Instagram and I saw that you converted your coat closet into a voice over booth, which I think I need to do in the near future because I done a voice over project a few weeks ago. How do you find the right voice to portray for that project?
I think I got a lot of interest from the script. And whatever impressions are made from the character, you know, whatever I get initially, I just try to trust and stick with and, and then I play around with it a little bit as we go try it a few different ways and then just settling on one that just feels right.
I agree with you, 100%. Is there a role that you haven’t played yet, but you would love to one day in life?
I would love to play. I would love to do more comedy and, you know, be able to do scenes where I get to be really physically silly, like how Elaine did her famous dance on Seinfeld. Things like that. really appealed to me.
And my last question for the interviewer is what would you like to say to the fans who have followed you throughout your career from Wendy the Waitress, to being a doctor on Grey’s Anatomy to your current role is Sandy in Sons of Thunder: Redemption? How would you like to thank them for following you after all this time?
I just want to say thank you, because without the fans, you know, there’s no reason to do this. And I appreciate it. Because sometimes along the way, you lose, you know, confidence in yourself and when kept people that continue to root for you. It really helps them the downtimes.
Don’t forget you can catch Charlene in her latest role Sandy in the new series, Sons of Thunder: Redemption, it is streaming right now on Pure Flix and if you want to fall Charlene you can follow her on Instagram at @Charlene.amoia
About The Author
