Girls Know Nothing - S3 Ep2: Ilani Marriott-Lodge: The Portrayal Of Samsi On Top Boy And Acting Career

Episode Date: June 23, 2024

Welcome to another episode of the Girls Know Nothing podcast! This weeks episode is with the talented Ilani Marriott-Lodge. Ilani talks about her portrayal of Samsi on Netflix’s hit series, Top Boy.  Subscribe for more episodes, and don't forget to like and share this video with your friends! Girls Know Nothing Social Channels: Https://linktr.ee/girlsknownothing  Instagram: @girlsknownothingpod  Tiktok: @girlsknownothingpod TikTok: @girlsknownothing #TopBoy #Netflix #IlaniMarriotLodge #GirlsKnowNothing #Podcast p#SharonGaffka GKN Social Channels:  Https://linktr.ee/girlsknownothing  Instagram: @girlsknownothingpod  Tiktok: @girlsknownothingpod TikTok: @girlsknownothing Join us on a journey of candid conversations, insightful interviews, and unfiltered discussions about the diverse experiences of women navigating through life, love, careers, and everything in between. 🎙️💪 In each episode, we dive headfirst into the unknown, embracing the fact that it's okay not to have all the answers. We're here to celebrate the beauty of learning and growing. From personal anecdotes to expert insights, we explore the spectrum of challenges, triumphs and lessons that shape our lives. Our goal is to create a space where authenticity reigns supreme, and where every woman's voice is heard and valued.  Subscribe now to Girls Know Nothing and join the conversation, share your stories, and remember – it's okay not to have all the answers; what matters is the journey!  ✨👭🎉"

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With Indeed Sponsored Jobs, your post jumps to the top of the page for your relevant candidates, so you can reach the people you want faster. According to Indeed data, sponsored jobs posted directly on Indeed have 45% more applications than non-sponsored jobs. Don't wait any longer. Speed up your hiring right now with Indeed. And listeners of this show will get-K-A-T-Z 13. Just go to Indeed.com slash P-O-D-K-A-T-Z 13 right now and support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast. Terms and conditions apply. Hiring Indeed is all you need. You're supposed to have a voice and that's what media training is. But sometimes I just like to be myself and sometimes they like it and sometimes they don't. But then if you don't like me for myself,

then there's no point in me. I want to work with you then. Do you know what? Your agent told me that you got some really interesting DMs after the show was released. I was getting marriage proposals. Oh, stop it.

Because I didn't know what she meant when she said that. Oh no, I was getting marriage proposals and like bare sugar daddies. And like, yeah, that's mad. That's mad that's mad sorry i don't know what i was expecting but sugar daddy wasn't on that list so many people have offered me amounts of money just to like be their grandchild how old are you 28 what yeah i thought you were

like near my age like 24 nah i take it i take it though 28 yeah i mean you're not old i'm saying like right like damn you know that kevin harking damn you feel damn like another night welcome back to another episode of girls know nothing i'm sure many of you will recognize our next guest from netflix's hit show top boy where she played samzi alani is currently working on so many amazing projects but away from acting alani loves to dance and has been dancing since the age of four through her passion of dance she's been able to amass a large following on tiktok but alani also wants to show a bit more of her feminine side and stray away from her top boy persona which she is commonly associated with

so welcome to the studio alani i was actually a late person to top boy can't lie um i binged watched all five seasons when um oh wait what all five meaning the first two from when i was like eight years old yeah yeah that's insane i like binge watched all of them because i was like i'm i have like a really addictive personality so i try to avoid big long seasons yeah because then i get sucked in and yeah that happened with me a top boy because i've seen all these because the new season had come out and i saw these tiktoks and everything i was like right i'm gonna have to watch it now and i literally was i can't start from season five no you can't so i started you get spoilers before you watched it no wow i got lucky and you watched the entire thing all of it

how did you feel it was a lot it was there was a lot to take in it was good and I kind of get why people say that it's like a massive piece of culture yeah it's like to like so many different people especially around London and I at times I was like is it just people hyping stuff up and it's actually not that deep but then when I watched it I was like yeah actually I'm really privileged and I've never like experienced that life. But like, having worked in government and stuff like that,

you see things and like, I'm like, yeah, but I know people live like that and like to actually see it done that way was so well. You worked in government? Yeah.

I don't have as an exciting life as you, okay? Love Island is about as exciting as it gets. I did like brexit and stuff it wasn't my idea just to clarify like it wasn't my choice i just happened to be there at the time they did it it was like yeah yeah it wasn't i promise it wasn't my fault okay like i have to like say that to people because i was like brexit yeah literally but the only time i've i i'd never really caughtped that people thought it

was like I wanted it until I had my boob job done and the girl next to me facetimed her nan and told her nan that I was best mates of Boris Johnson and I was like right we can't tell people that like just let's let's tone that down none of that but um yeah well if we're talking about like upbringing and stuff I mean you were telling us that you like literally live, was it near Hackney? Where do you live? Okay, so I'm not going to say exactly where I live. Don't tell me your actual address and postcode.

East London is like the area, yeah. That's why I've never been to South. Because like there's nothing for me here. I feel like people in London are like that though. You stick to your like zones. And also, like I was telling my agent this this it takes like an hour to get anywhere like as in like as soon as I leave my house if I'm going somewhere it will take me an hour like I might as well just go to Manchester because it takes me two hours to get to Manchester anyway so coming here

it's like the weirdest girl math I've ever heard in my life. Like, if I'm going to the other end of London, it's an hour, I might as well go to Manchester. No, but yeah, literally, like, it took me an hour to get here. Like, a good hour to get here. Why does it take that long? Surely it should just be split up then, like, and not be called London. Maybe you should go into politics and sort out the, like, transport system.

But, like, you never wanted to be an actor? No. Like, not in the beginning. Like, when I was little, little like but that was when I was like dumb little like when I was like eight or nine I wanted to be an archaeologist shut up how did you get from archaeologist to actor well like I always danced like I was little dance I started dancing when I was like four but like and that's like the whole entertainment side of it but like I just always wanted to like find things in the sand like when I was little like my mum I just treasure treasure hunting kind of vibe and when I was little my mum took me to this thing near the Thames and it was

like me and just a bunch of old people just looking through the Thames sand trying to find Victorian stuff I was so little but i enjoyed it so much and i kind of had a traumatic experience where the guy who was like leading it um said i got something really special for you he put a sign in my hand and it was a leech oh and i'd never seen a leech before and i was like i saw it and i was like oh what's this and then it started moving i was like ah oh no okay that's vile I was really worried about what you were going to say then

I was like what did this mean old man give you yeah it didn't get to bite me before I noticed what it was so was that the end of your archaeology career I'd never seen one before

yes just the leech that was the first and last time I ever did it I was going to say because if you were an archaeologist you'd find a lot worse

than leeches yeah you could tell that you grew up in London like anything like that I was just like nah I'm straight out what was I didn london like anything like that's just like nah i'm straight out what was i didn't even know it was that's the first and only time i've seen a leech i don't think i've ever seen one actually just a little black worm that likes to like

sucking blood isn't that horrible i would good make something like that so then how did you go from digging in the thames with old people i'm like trying to like make the connection with old people to like getting I'm like trying to like make the connection in my head to like ending up in like

one of Netflix's biggest series like since 8 years old that's like the maddest transition ever I just well I always danced and like

I wanted to find like a dance class right and then I went to this place called Stage Studio in Stratford which is for like young people yeah um and I was really little and I really liked dancing but it came with dance

acting and singing oh so you went to like stage yeah I went to like a stage school for a while and I fell in love with acting there um and I've always wanted to be like so like any everyone kind of see someone on tv is like oh I'd love to do that do you know what i mean but then actually like yeah actually yeah yeah so when i turned 16 i went to a youth theater okay um after i got like hi i'm richard karn and you may have seen me on tv talking about the world's number one expandable garden hose well the brand new pocket hose copperhead with pocket pivot is here and it's a total game-changer. Old-fashioned hoses get kinks and creases at the spigot, but the Copperhead's Pocket Pivot swivels 360 degrees for full water flow and freedom to water with ease all around your home. When you're all done, this rust-proof anti-burst hose shrinks back down to pocket size for

effortless handling and tidy storage. Plus, your super light and ultra durable pocket hose copperhead is backed with a 10-year warranty. What could be better than that? I'll tell you what, an exciting exclusive offer just for you. For a limited time, you can get a free pocket pivot and their 10-pattern sprayer with the purchase of any size copperhead hose. Just text WATER to 64000. That's WATER to 64000 for your two free gifts with purchase.

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went into that and i did theater like the entire time like for a good three years i did the globe fair i did national fair i I did Barbican open for Shakespeare's company all that oh wow I loved it so much I want to get back into it by the way a lot of people that sat on in my podcast have been kicked out of college so don't oh okay don't worry too much about that we will win that even I was probably almost kicked out of sick for multiple times so you know like I think it actually like steers people into like the path they were meant to be on because then you don't waste your time doing stuff that's not meant for you like I ran straight into the industry I was like I'm I'm in this college I ain't gonna make no digs at nobody

in it like the teachers or anything like props to them in it for doing what they're doing but I was learning how to act from people that weren't necessarily, no, that sounds horrible, but basically, like, they just weren't that good. No, not even weren't that good, they just weren't in the industry, like they weren't actively in the industry and I wanted to learn from people who were. Do you get what I mean?

And I think that also just not getting like GCSEs that I needed in order to pursue, in order to do the course that I wanted to do yeah I was stuck with every a lot of people who felt their GCSEs who weren't in at that interested in it but just chose it because they think it's easy okay so eventually I was just like yeah no this is dead um stopped going to places like stopped going lessons and all that um and then got kicked out and then straight after I was like cool I'm just gonna act then literally

that's a good mindset to have though because sometimes when people are told like oh you know you're not good enough to do this or like

you get kicked out of something they take that as a real setback but you found that as like a real motivator yeah definitely I don't think anyone

should feel like that's a setback that should push you more to take like your own route you take the will do you get what I to take like your own route you take the will do you get what I mean yeah so I'm letting other people take the will for you and you're good I should start showing my dad more episodes of my podcast because he was always he my parents

are like very old school traditional like you gotta go to sixth form or college and get your A levels and go to uni and all this stuff and then when I say to people like no I don't think it's always the right route for people like Like, I have so many people that are like, like yourself have done incredibly well in what they want to do, despite being kicked out of college or whatever. Yeah. I appreciate that.

But like, also, I'm not intellectual. Like, in the sense of like maths and English and all that stuff, I wasn't good at it. I feel like I had really bad learning difficulties that weren't really addressed in my school even. Students I saw like a test in front of me, I just got tired. I just couldn't like,

I write my name, answer a few questions and go to bed. Is that like, I go to sleep. Was it hard? I don't know what it was like in a city school to like, in general,

because I grew up in like a countryside thing. So like classes were smaller. We didn't have- How many people were in a class? grew up in like a countryside thing so like classes were smaller we didn't have how many people were in a class I probably had like 20 okay okay but like it was it probably wasn't like as diverse and we have different like experiences of like the outside world yeah like the worst thing that ever happened to me was like a cow escaped a field like so like do you know what I mean so that cows are your me was like a cow escaped a field. Like, so like, do you know what I mean? So the cows are your school?

No, like outside, like in the field. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Like they're in my school. Wow. So like, I just, I guess like in an inner city school, I always assume that like,

it's harder for teachers to address things that students need because there's just so many more people, like more challenges that they have to overcome as opposed to what I had to deal with. I think everyone has a different experience because there are people who are bullied.

There are people who aren't bullied. There are people who are the bullies. There are people who are isolated. I would say I was quite isolated. And I don't mean this in a weird way. Like I wasn't popular, but everyone knew me because I was like the little dancer in the school so like in assemblies I'd be dancing and that and people

rated it so that was like how I got recognition through school but like as far as friends go I had one or two do you think that's like I know that when people start to do like either a sport or like an entertainment profession from young they do feel isolated because they want to focus so much on that they don't go to like all the like parties and stuff like that they just want to do oh i partied but like not not until i was like 18 obviously um i see you were a good girl i had to be man my parents are strict my mom yeah my mom was strict man my mom is strict but if she wasn't then, I wouldn't be doing what I'm doing now, man.

Honestly, she's one of the main reasons why I'm even pursuing this because she could have just said no. Like, go to that lesson and go to uni and do something else and get something to fall back on. But she trusts that I will do well. Was your mum like your biggest motivator then? My mum is my biggest motivator, definitely my dad yeah 100% this got a bit yeah it literally

went really like just straight away from body into mum um but yeah no definitely my biggest motivator just my family is like they all believed in me which is something that I'm so grateful for because some people don't have that yeah I mean how did you end up decide like well ending up getting on to a show like Top Boy from such a young age I was so I did that um first season I did I was 18 yeah so I went to a youth fitter okay called Big House the Big House which is a really good youth fitter I'd, and Intermission Youth Hit. They're both really good. And I was just like, I just like was put forward for a top way. They were like, they were like, Elanji, you want to audition?

I was like, sure. I was like, no way, because I was just doing a play with them. And this was just before COVID hit. So we actually filmed during COVID. Oh, wow. So you were like one of the few actors that were like still working. The COVID tests were insane. It it was mad it was so horrible like having to go in every day and take that test and i eventually got sick as well like i didn't get covid but i got something else and i was in hospital

and that stuff was mad but that's another that's i'm straying away from the conversation but the way i did it was just i did um a play and des hummettton took interest in that and saw a bunch of actors, like young actors of this youth fit are, I'm telling you, youth fit is the way to go. Like literally and saw a bunch of young people and said, do they want to audition? Picked me and another young person. And we both got it actually. There's another girl in it who's in the youth fit that I was in. And yeah, you just audition, eventually got an agent, got onto something called Spotlight, which is where all the actors and agents and cast and directors and everyone in um and yeah you just audition eventually got an agent got into something called spotlight which is where all the actors and agents and casting directors and everyone is yeah um and that's how

you get your job i don't know very many people that did youth theater like i did a little bit of like i'm not a very good dancer but when i was younger i did like a little bit of dance and stuff like that but i never like i don't actually know anyone that took it seriously enough to go to youth theater and stuff like that. Like what plays did you get into? So that youth theatre that I first went to was actually for people who were going through something. Okay. So it was a way for young people to find an outlet that wasn't being on road.

Okay. Or wasn't doing something else or selling drugs or anything like that. And I was doing that. I wasn't. But like, it was a way for me to not go and be stupid. Yeah. Do you get what I mean? Yeah, I mean in the area did you grow up in was it a lot like a high percentage of...

Very intense, it's still intense now. Okay. Um of like gang violence and things like that and obviously like even um I don't know if you've seen on the news but like robberies are getting worse now. Like people are getting their phone taken. Watches. Do you see that? The guy who got his watch taken. Do you hear what happened to him?

He killed himself. You not know about that? No, I didn't know that. Yeah, the guy who got his watch taken, he put him in a headlock. Yeah. He ended his own life, man. Unfortunately. But it's just, bro.

People don't even realise the consequences of their actions man. You think you're just taking someone's watch, but you don't know how traumatic something could be to someone. Do you get what I mean? But Youth Fair was for just people who were going through stuff man. So it was a nice way. They found me in college. I literally watched one of my plays and said straight away, do you want to be part of the Youth Fair? I said yeah. so it was a nice way they found me in college I literally watched one of my plays and said straight away do you want to be part of the youth where I said yeah because it was just a way for me to learn how to act and that's how I got into Shakespeare. What do you think you'd have been like doing if you didn't join you theatre? Honestly I don't think my mum would have let me like I don't think my mum would have let me stray

away she would have just been did you get what I mean? I think that mum, like, even my partner went through the same thing where like, if his mum wasn't there for him, he would probably be in prison right now. And that's not to put like a bad name on him,

but just his surrounding and like the kind of people that he had around him and just where we grew up because we grew up in the same area. It's so intense that you just never know where you'd end up. But I don't, like, my mom loves me too much for that to be,

not that people's moms don't love them. I mean, some don't. Going through it. But. Yeah, but like. Hi, I'm Richard Karn, and you may have seen me on TV talking about the world's number one expandable garden hose. Well, the brand new Pocket Hose Copperhead with

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Terms and conditions apply. Hiring? Indeed is all you need. Yeah, she wouldn't have let me, man. But I don't know, probably just find another way to be an actor. But when you were in Top Boy, did you get to pick your role or did they just say this is who you... No, so you go forward, you get your headshot sent to the casting director and they say, they actually, do you know what, I was the only female that auditioned for Samsy.

Oh really? Yeah, everyone else was male. It was supposed to be a young black male and a young white male and it was supposed to be like their friendship and I ended up getting it which was insane because so many like young actors auditioned for Samsy and I was the only actress and then I got it which was crazy but um i keep shying away from what i was gonna be no do you know what because like i've obviously watched it and i couldn't imagine the role being played by a man now that's nice thanks do you know what your agent told me that you got some really interesting dms after the show

was released i was getting marriage proposals oh stop it because i didn't know what she meant when she said that oh no i was getting marriage proposals and like bear sugar daddies and like yeah that's mad it's mad sorry no bear sugar daddies and um uh i don't know what i was expecting but sugar daddy wasn't on that list so many people have offered me amounts of money just to like be their grandchild why are you laughing literally is crazy like um what else did i get like people just sending me pictures of like nah this was weird someone's like screenshotted one of my tiktok videos and like zoomed in to like flowers in the back and say who got you those and who got you those flowers like it's like

I don't know what alright that's a bit creepy yeah man and like I know you definitely you 100% got this foot pics bro people ask you for foot pics

no I oh people ask me for foot pics yeah yeah 100% I feel like every girl gets that just like would you send me pictures

why are you nodding like you asked for foot pics I'm gonna draw you out no no like would you send me pictures why are you nodding like you asked for foot pics i gotta draw you out like um have you looked yourself up on wiki feet no what's that it's like where people give you foot ratings oh come on man yeah it's a real thing what so they've screenshoted your feet pictures of my feet on instagram and stuff like that like and like all like clips of me on love island they've zoomed into my feet and they've given me a fuck rating. Oh my gosh. I think I'm like really average,

which I find very offensive. Like, come on. Average toes. Feet are clapped as it is, but my toes are not average. I can 100% say that. That's not the most effective. Oh my gosh.

I have anything anyone has ever said to me to say I have average feet was really upsetting. Average feet is insane nah I don't even want to know what mine says literally maybe look it up later nah I don't want to

I'm going to look it up and send it to you but yeah I don't know what I was expecting I don't know why but I thought it was going to be something

really profound and like people reaching out to you and saying like they really liked your portrayal of Sam Z oh nah I got that as well I got really nice stuff as well. But yeah, no.

The sugar daddies is what you remember. I'm getting voice notes in different languages. God knows what they're saying. Literally, I'll have to Google translate that. But do you find that mad that like people, that that many people had watched it? It's insane. Like love from so-and-so, love from so-and-so. I think it's insane. Like just the fact that I've reached that many people. And I'm such a small character as well. And like, the response has been unbelievable. Like, just alone getting 100,000 followers on TikTok.

Yeah, that's a lot. After it came out. And it was only a few days after. Oh, wow. Yeah. That's like some people's dream though, isn't it? Did you not? Were you really overwhelmed by it?

I was mad. It was mad. Like, because I post on there all the time anyway. And it's like, it was just crazy that people saw I was a dancer as well. And was just able to tap into me and not just Samsy. But was able to see like Ilani, who's a dancer. And like, I want to genuinely support her and followed me. It was crazy.

That's really nice. Because like, obviously we were saying before like recording started that we both knew each other from like you knew I knew you from Top Boy and you knew me from Love Island but neither of us want to remain as like

in that little box time to move on yeah it's a season but it's hard to like move on isn't it especially when you

get your big break yeah from something like as big as that that people only really remember that or like trying to move away from it.

It's incredibly hard. Yeah, it is. Because people constantly come up to me and they're like, you sell drugs? Oh, shut up. They actually ask you that? You know, people actually think it's real.

Some people, like, I've met kids who shouldn't be watching it. No. Ask them, have you held a gun? Like, I don't even know if you're allowed to put this on. No, it's fine. But like, have you actually, gun like i don't even know if you're allowed to put this on no it's fine but like like have you actually did you actually shoot people no it's not real people need to separate that that is actually mad i firstly i was a full-grown woman watching top

boy and even i was like oh my god this is a lot yeah yeah yeah so like for some kids but also it's really weird that people would think it's real. Because it is. Well, it is. Yeah. But like, because it is. Like, it wasn't, but it like,

is a very good representation of what it can be like. Of things I know people have gone through. Do you get what I mean? Like, my own mates have gone, like, pen or

literally just saw one of my brothers the other day. I'm so glad he's out and he's just living his best life now. Yeah. It's insane. Like, it is real. It is real out and he's just living his best life now. It's insane,

like it is real, it is real, but it's just those specific things aren't. Did it make it hard for you to like differentiate Ilani from Samzi because you know people that have experienced that life? Yeah and also because I'm from there and because I talk like, I talk the same, just a little less like, Yeah. But like I'm from there, I'm literally like yeah but like I'm from there I'm literally from East London I'm around the corner from where we shot it so people still hear her regardless of

whether they yeah it's weird but so because I know that you wanted to like break away from that character and move on to like other things and you want to move back into theatre right definitely I want to do for I want to to do, like, I'm still, I'm shooting something at the moment, which I'm really excited for people to see. I can't say anything. Yeah, I've been told not to ask you questions. And I will respect that, unlike the live journalist.

I can't answer nothing, but I'm really excited for what's to come. And I definitely do want to do screen, but theatre is just something about having a live audience and making people cry and hearing it while I'm performing and stuff. It's amazing. I love it. I never thought about it like that,

like how different it would be from live performance. Because obviously when you're on set, it's like cut, reshoot, cut, reshoot, cut, reshoot. And then you don't actually get to experience the full character. Well, imagine doing this, but there's 500 people there, over there. Yeah, I'm kind of glad that love island wasn't done by in front of a live studio audience that's been horrific it's mad yeah it's mad so yeah i guess that is because i'm a theater goer i love going to the theater really yeah yeah like i love musicals

which people would not expect from me they are what's your favorite musical i love chicago chicago yeah i love chicago and stuff like that so people don't necessarily expect that but like i'm a man and i think it's really important to like support actors that are in the theater because it's tough gig you can't fuck up well yeah facts and the thing is is that like if you do you need to improv in front of hundreds of people and that could be really daunting sometimes yeah and like improving in shakespearean language is also very daunting it was crazy you feel better i would never have known like i would have no idea i have no clue but like um i would say i would say that doing fit eyes it's like so when i my play, we rehearsed for 10 months. Yeah.

Every day. Wow. For a nine to five every day. That's a lot. It's intense. Yeah. And then you perform it for like three months, every day, twice. Do you not get bored of doing it? Like, I guess the first show-

Actually, no. Really? Actually, no. Because I always wondered like i've gone to see the lion king and they had to do it every single day for like months on end and i was like do they not get bored too fun when you enjoy it's too fun like imagine i'm getting paid to pretend and you are loving it like it's amazing it's so fun like and just stepping out of yourself and stepping into someone else and they're going through something

and like, or just like being in love and things like that and being able to portray that and making people feel things. It's amazing. I love it. Do you find it hard to like go for theatre castings based off like, you know,

how you talk and your appearance and stuff? Especially for things like Shakespeare because that's really like old school English. I mean, damn man. Yeah, going into the deep questions, you know? Yeah, like you're supposed to have a voice and that's what media training is. But sometimes I just like to be myself and sometimes they like it and sometimes they don't. But then if you don't like me for myself, then there's no point in me.

I want to work with you then. Do you know what I mean yeah it's good for you to like stick to your like morals and your like who you are as a person because I know that a lot of people I that I've spoken to they're in the like entertainment industry find it really hard so like the rejections were like really personal or like they feel like they have to be somebody they're not because they want to be successful. The rejections are insane. Like I know for a fact, since the beginning of January, I've done about 60 auditions. Yeah. Oh really? Yeah.

But you would never like, and that's coming from someone- Only one person can get it, Sharon. I know, but that's mad. Like when it's you. Yeah, you've been picked out of thousands of people. For someone like you, who's gone to do these really big things, to then just do 60 auditions and then... Yeah, man. People wouldn't even think that people like Will Smith or anyone

have been auditioning and don't get things like... Every actor goes through rejection, even the biggest. You'll literally see... I think it was... I hope this isn't misinformation, but even Jamie Foxx got replaced with Ashley Waters for a Mike Tyson movie. Wow. And that's like, or series or whatever it was, but like people get replaced.

Doesn't matter how big you are. Do you know what I mean? And that's also something that people don't understand. It's like, if you get rejected, it doesn't mean you're a bad actor. There are hundreds of amazing, amazing actors. Jamie Foxx is one of my favourite actors of all time do you know what I mean

it's really competitive field it's insane I don't have the minima rules to get rejected that many times minima rules I just don't have it in me to like

if someone says if someone rejects I'm like and then if I got rejected 60 times like that would break me I just I'm not strong enough

to be able to deal with something like that but then you just get what's for you man and that's what makes it amazing like you just get what what is meant for you you know i mean it's a good thing is that how you feel like you're so positive but even into your personal life like it brings it like it all intertwines and it just makes like so if someone rejects your opinion or if someone doesn't like something you said all right well then I hope that you get the opinion you want

or you get what you want from someone else. Well, it must be really cool to live in your brain. Like you're just so chill. In my head, I'm always like fighting someone in my brain or in Instagram comments. Oh no, don't get twisted. People are jarring.

People are jarring. But like, it doesn't matter, man. No, I get that. But I also heard that you were reposted by Chris Brown. Bro. Bro. When I saw that, I was like...

After that, that's when I stopped caring about everyone else. Bro, if Chris Brown reads me, if you ever say I'm a bad dancer, I don't care because Chris Brown... Oh, so it was a dance video that he reshared? Chris Brown posted a viral video of me. I didn't even tag him in it. It was nothing to do with him. Do you get it? It wasn't to his it. It was nothing to do with him. Do you get it?

It wasn't to his music. It was to join Lucas' song. And he posted me on his story on Instagram, as in saved it to his gallery after watching it several times. Probably went, oh, this is sick. Oh my God, bro. This is sick, bro. Hey, y'all, come watch this.

I know, bro. And then just posted it on his story, and I just lost my mind. Because he's like the reason why I dance. Do you get what I mean? Yeah. Like, I only listen to him, his music. 11.11 album is amazing.

Like, he's flipping incredible. And for him to post me was unbelievable. You should have got you to dance. Huh? Should have got you to dance on his tour. Yeah, but he didn't know who I was because he probably saved the video from someone else. But I want to do that I will 100% try my hardest and you heard it here first in it I will try my best if it happens I can be like Sharon I'll get you some

tickets there's a quiz around tickets um but no that's that's actually mad I was insane I cried at least it was like for actual talent Lewis Capaldi reshared a TikTok of me and I was crying why? because there was his music video and the dog dies alright like that shit is deep to me so like the only time

I ever reposted I'm crying and no one sees me cry apart from Lewis Capaldi's Instagram followers sick yeah I mean

I'd also probably go viral for dancing but not for the right reasons like it was crazy but like what other big milestones have you achieved I'd also probably go viral for dancing, but not for the right reasons. No, it was crazy. But like, what other big milestones have you achieved? I know you can't talk about what you're doing right now, but like when you look back at your career,

how long have you been acting for now? Since I was 11. So, but like, I think the biggest milestone was definitely Top Boy, because that's when Scream started. Like obviously I did extra work prior to that, where I did like small films that you'll see me in, playing very minor roles, but this was like a proper speaking role where people can remember me. And I think moving forward, I'm just going to hit more milestones like that where I can do films and things like that.

And milestones prior to that, I mean, things like TikTok where I'm like getting like people really like my dance videos, man, which I just love so much because I love dancing and just freestyling and being able to like. Hi, I'm Richard Karn. And you may have seen me on TV talking about the world's number one expandable garden hose. Well, the brand new pocket hose copperhead with pocket pivot is here. And it's a total game changer. Old fashioned hoses get kinks and creases at the spigot. The brand new Pocket Hose Copperhead with Pocket Pivot is here, and it's a total game changer.

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Just text WATER to 64000. That's WATER to 64000 for your two free gifts with purchase. W-A-T-E-R to 64,000. By texting 64,000, you agree to receive recurring automated marketing messages from Pocket Host. Message and data rates may apply. No purchase required. Terms apply. Available at pockethost.com slash terms. When we started writing our thoughts down on paper, it opened up endless possibilities. Ideas could grow beyond the borders of the mind, and it changed the world. Somewhere along the way we lost touch with paper, distracted by devices made for every

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With digital features for taking notes, thinking, and organizing. Without any distractions. Paper is about to change the world. Again. Get your Paper tablet at remarkable.com today. Just moved to music. And like, I recently hit 200,000. And I just can't believe, like, why are 200,000 people people almost a quarter million people supporting me just watching me dance isn't it it's one thing that's really weird right so I've always said this to people I'm always like oh it's not that many followers but then they were like but imagine if you put them all in a room together they wouldn't fit in

the room yeah that's the thing that and when people say that to me I'm like oh shit yeah yeah I really deep like how big it actually is that's a lot of people you have a lot of followers so what advice or tips would you give to like people that are watching it that want to like do what you do and like break into acting but not sure where to start not sure where to start I think the problem is that there isn't somewhere to start you You just do it. Even if it means posting on TikTok, voicing over certain scenes from movies or I don't even know, posting Instagram reels of you just acting in front of a camera, doing self tapes, which is basically that, and posting them, tagging casting directors saying, I don't know where to start, Googling

agencies and saying, I want to be an actress. what I want to do I haven't done anything yet but I would love to do things I have a serious passion for it making sure they understand that you are a hard worker and that you are willing to be on set for 15 hours do you get what I mean and doing a scene at night in the cold with with hand warmers in your shoes. Yes. You get that, don't you? Like, when I told you, like, when I was on set, I caught the worst tonsillitis that I'd ever had in my life. And Netflix hired a private doctor to come to my house.

All he did was look in my mouth and said, and literally said that's the worst tonsillitis he's ever seen in his 30 years of being a doctor and that was literally through me being outside in the rain in the cold and not looking after myself I think your health is the most important thing when you're an actor and people don't even realize that people just care about how they look on camera and all that stuff but bro you need to look after yourself because the that to to shoot a scene it takes hours you know because you have to shoot from there from there from there from there up from up there with drone shot and you have to

you constantly have people coming up to you and fixing you and making sure that everything looks exactly the same as it did two days ago when you were shooting the same scene do you know what I mean because it's important and like I didn't look after myself the first time and I ended up in hospital literally I was in hospital like they rushed me to hospital we didn't shoot my scene and i had to come back when because like my throat was too tight my neck was two times the size um it was when we started shooting the scene it was insane that is vile like they clocked that my neck was bigger and said nah literally you don't even look the same as you did like 30 minutes ago when we were shooting this. It was, it was.

Oh, so literally expanding. In 30 minutes, it was, I looked. I was going to say, I'd feel really insulted if someone came up to me and was like, your neck is getting real big. Thank you. But that adds up, that adds up a lot. So yeah, but. Yeah, it was crazy. And everyone's just drinking teas and all that stuff and looking after themselves.

It's really important that you do that, man. I mean, when you were trying to break into the industry and like dancing and stuff, like who's your like biggest inspiration? Chris Brown is one of them, 100%. Acting wise, I love Michael B. Jordan, not because of the way he looks. Everyone likes this guy because of the way he looks.

I like him because of the way he looks. But he's genuinely just an amazing actor and like he's done a list of movies like Fruitvale Station Black Panther that all they all are just like like emphasizing black culture and just like he like when you look at his credits it's like this list is amazing I would love to have a list like that do you know what I mean is it really important for you to like represent black culture in what you do representing like anything like that is of importance like even representing God like it's really difficult to build a platform um in the industry that isn't God dominated I'll be so do you get what I mean

I get what you mean yeah so it's really hard to like build that platform so I'm trying to so that I can get to that position where I can just say this is the way but like I think credits are important and I wouldn't do certain things on camera there are certain things I wouldn't do um so yeah it is important to me and that's why like I've denied certain jobs that probably would have changed my life, you know. But it's just not the time. But you know, this is the thing about being either on social media as an actor or as a dancer, like turning jobs down,

even though they would offer you so much money, even though you know it's a good opportunity because you know it doesn't fit your long-term goals, it's super important. And people don't really deep like how hard and upsetting it is because I've turned down big money from social media because they don't fit my morals yeah but like i'll sit there if i get a bill and i'm like i wouldn't have to worry about this bill if i took that job but like i know the long-term impact it has if i take that job facts and it's like i feel

like there's the difference between a good opportunity and a good opportunity man and i feel like i feel like one that is given like from God and one that is just given that looks amazing but maybe it's not necessarily going to help you in the long run there's not a lot of people

in the entertainment industry that like 100% stick to their morals every single time so like you know makes you stand out I really hope that I do like I believe I will

but like some things are tempting you know it's really hard in our real life when you see that amount of money in front of you you're but like some things are tempting you know it's really hard in our real life when you see that amount of money in front of you you're just like

why can't I just take it and change my mum's life why can't I just take it and change my whole family's life and buy everyone a yard do you get what I mean but like I'm going to have to do that

in order to do that do you get what I mean I'm going to have to sacrifice something I don't want to show my behind on camera do you get what I mean there's a lot of people that do.

Yeah, that's fine. Big up them. Bro, I rate your confidence, man. Honestly. For me, I can't do that, man. And that's not belittling them in any way. Yeah. It's just, yeah.

Your mum wouldn't want you to do that though, right? My mum wouldn't even watch that. My mum wouldn't watch that. She'd take the money, but she'd be like, hell nah. Imagine how my parents start watching Love Island.

Okay, fair enough. I hear it though. Love Island looks very fun. Until there's a man spitting gravy in your mouth. Nah, they need to get rid of that episode.

Like, why did they do... My parents had these turned over. Why did they do that? Did they... Did you actually, you actually like, oh my gosh, man.

Oh my gosh, man. So man so like yeah there's um there was i said there were certain things that i wouldn't do either yeah like i wouldn't be intimate on like on camera yeah because my mom and dad don't need to see that no there's just some things they don't need to see yeah but like like nothing against people that want to do yeah literally not a bro like each to their own anyone could do what they want literally

but it's just certain things people don't want to do and that's fine but the gravy thing is mad I'm surprised it's the only thing

that people don't remember I can't believe yeah that's do you know what being there was probably more fun than watching it is it

did you watch it back you didn't watch it back no no one watches it back it gives you ptsd because you know what happened yeah but like you don't know what gets shown yeah and what happens on tv is what happens in it because at least when you're watching back um screen things that you do like it's edited to look good yeah it's a script not necessarily in my case yeah and you know what's gonna happen because you read the script yeah but like yeah being there was fun watching it back not so much fair enough but am I allowed to ask you what like if if your agent could phone you tomorrow and say I've got you this and it's like your dream role and there's like you don't have to

compromise any of your morals on it can I ask you you what that would be? Or am I not allowed to ask you that? Okay, the screen role would probably be Euphoria. Okay. I'm obsessed with Euphoria. But in the same breath, like, I don't know what I would do without doing something I wouldn't want to do,

so I just watch it instead. Yeah, because that, have you seen Euphoria? No. Oh, watch that. Okay. Next thing to watch is Euphoria. Because I finished The Crown,

I finished Top Boy, I need something else. The Crown, is it good? It's a little bit mad. Okay, I Next thing to watch is Euphoria. Yeah, I finished The Crown. I finished Top Boy. I need something else. The Crown. Is it good? It's a little bit mad. Okay, I'm going to watch it. I need a new series. I love Princess Diana.

Oh, is that what it's about? Her story's insane. There's bits of it that's her story. Like the most recent season. Isn't Kristen Stewart playing her? I think so, yeah. No. Kristen Stewart plays her in something.

You know the girl from Twilight? Yeah, yeah, yeah. I think so, yeah. No. Christian Stewart plays her in some, you know, the girl from Twilight. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I think she might be in it. Okay. But yeah, dream role, Marvel,

Disney. I could see you in Marvel. A lot of people have said that. I could see you in Marvel, 100% actually. Like, yeah, Disney, like,

when I say Disney, I mean like a Disney movie, like a remake of like how they've done Aladdin with Will Smith, something like that. I'd love to do a remake. What remake would you do? Live action. Oh, oh, Moana.

Hi, I'm Richard Karn, and you may have seen me on TV talking about the world's number one expandable garden hose. Well, the brand new Pocket Hose Copperhead with Pocket Pivot is here, and it's a total game changer. Old-fashioned hoses get kinks and creases at the spigot, but the Copperhead's Pocket Pivot swivels 360 degrees for full water flow and freedom to water with ease all around your home. When you're all done, this rust-proof anti-burst hose shrinks back down to pocket size for effortless handling and tidy storage. Plus, your super light and ultra durable pocket hose copperhead is backed with a 10-year warranty. What could be better than that?

I'll tell you what, an exciting exclusive offer just for you. For a limited time, you can get a free pocket pivot and their 10-pattern sprayer with the purchase of any size copperhead hose. Just text WATER to 64000. That's WATER to 64000 for your two free gifts with purchase. W-A-T-E-R to 64000. By texting 64000, you agree to receive recurring automated marketing messages from Pocket Hose. Message and data rates may apply. No purchase required.

Terms apply. Available at pockethose.com slash terms. Time is precious, and so are our pets. So time with our pets is extra precious. That's why we started Dutch. Dutch provides 24 24 7 access to licensed vets with unlimited virtual visits and follow-ups for up to five pets you can message a vet at any time and schedule a video visit the same day our vets can even prescribe medication

for many ailments and shipping is always free with dutch you'll get more time with your pets and year-round peace of mind when it comes to their vet care. Oh, really? Maybe. But I'm not a singer, man, so I don't know. But like, something like that. I can see that. Yeah, but they got Beyonce to do The Lion King, you know? Yeah, but that's not live action.

You don't see her. Do you know what I mean? I mean something where I'm acting it, like how Will Smith is the lead genie. Like, something like that. I would love to be, yeah a Disney princess why not and it would really take away from the fact that I can like I've done dialect coaching with American Generic in it so I can actually like stray away from British and all that stuff but like yeah man I don't know but like theatre anything man like man. Like just a lead. I would love

to be a lead. Like I've been a lead once but it was quite a short production. I played Hero in like a Shakespearean show. I can't remember what it's called, it was a really long time ago but I got married in it and I was like 15. Oh. Yeah. And the other actor was like 28. We didn't kiss so it's fine. Okay I was going to say wow. We didn't kiss so it's fine. I was gonna say wow but we didn't kiss so it's fine

but like no I think he was not actually I think he was 23 and I was like 16 but like we were just acting it was so fun man

like yeah just a lead a lead in anything but even Lion King or Wicked or like those kind of I love musicals you know just to be able to dance

and act but I don't really like singing I like to rap I think I could rap spit bars what musical called the has bars i don't know man maybe just an idea get someone to write one for you so then you could do the lead and rap and dance sister act would be a shout as well i loved sister act i did drama to be fair i have done that quite a few times i love sister actor i did drama at GCSE. Oh, is it?

Yeah, I'm not an actress though. I'm not very talented. I just wanted to go to the theatre on the trips. Whenever anyone says they're not talented. No, there's things I can do, but I'm not an actress. I'm a drama queen. I bet you could. I just bet you could act.

If you just got a job tomorrow and just said, you know what, calm, let me try. I know you just shed it. My mum said she could see me on EastEnders. That's EastEnders though. Like, you don't even really need to like act. It's because I'm a drama queen. Oh, okay.

I've never seen it. I don't know. No, like I'm a bit of a diva. Okay. I can be. Period though. Yes, my mum was like, come on EastEnders. I was like, thank you.

But like, no, I definitely could see you like doing a movie. 100%. Why not? Do you know, like I can tell that you're so passionate about theater because the way you talk changes what do you mean not even like in a like you you there's a little bit more passion behind when you're talking about theater it's just so fun like it's just really fun I just enjoy it and like I believe anyone can do it man like with the right training like anyone could be an actor I feel like or a dancer is that if you had like if you had to have a choice between the two oh no I'm not answering everyone asked me that I have no answer for you literally I love them both so much that's like picking between your mother and your father like I mean well some people can but like just joking yeah picking

between parents like it feels mad or like pick between your nephews if you had two nephews you have to pick one oh yeah i just couldn't do that i love my nephew so much i can't pick between one of the other brothers and sisters got a younger brother yeah okay how old well he's 25 how old are you 28 what yeah i thought i was i thought you were like near my age like 24 nah i take it i take it though 28 yeah i mean you're not old i'm saying that like right like i am kevin harting damn you feel damn like another night wow you don't look 28 at all yeah it's botox that's what i pay for my eyebrows are moving a little bit but they don't normally move so i'll just you look amazing thank you but like 28 is young so i'm saying it like you're old but you're not but i just thought you were way younger than that no yeah people think that so i'll be 29

this year so when december long time away okay there you go sometime yeah counting down from 30 christ um i always ask all of my guests the same last question so if you could give yourself your younger self a piece of advice based on your life and career what would it be stop giving people your time like stop giving people so much time you don't deserve it yeah literally like like and I don't mean that like giving people the time of day I don't mean it in that way but like when people constantly push negativity in your face it's time to like let go yeah and I feel like I'm constantly trying to turn the negative to a positive sometimes you just can't sometimes you're not the one in control and like just just go about your business literally just go about your business and stop worrying about other people

and what they think of you and just do what you need to do in order to be what you want to be because at the end of the day they're not gonna get you there it's wasted energy as well right so much wasted energy and i've wasted so much harren literally i wasted so much and it just doesn't no not deserving thank you so much for coming i'm sorry that you waited outside for 20 minutes while i was shoving crisps in my god that's all right i'll be real i was outside for 20 minutes that was a mistake i came upstairs she was like how did you even get in how did you get in i can't even get in we went inside it was crazy that must look really creepy to these people like who is this girl

but no thank you so much for coming i really appreciate it and i actually you have to let me know when it is whatever top secret project you're working on comes out i'll be able to tell you soon. Okay, cool. Because I want to see it. We've heard it. If I don't watch it first, I'm going to be human. But thank you.

Hi, I'm Richard Karn. And you may have seen me on TV talking about the world's number one expandable garden hose. Well, the brand new Pocket Hose Copperhead with Pocket Pivot is here, and it's a total game changer. Old-fashioned hoses get kinks and creases at the spigot, but the Copperhead's Pocket Pivot swivels 360 degrees for full water flow and freedom to water with ease all around your home. When you're all done, this rust-proof anti-burst hose shrinks back down to pocket size for effortless handling and tidy storage. Plus, your super light and ultra-durable pocket hose Copperhead is backed with a 10-year warranty. What could be better than that? I'll tell you what, an exciting exclusive offer just for you. For a limited time, you can get a free pocket pivot and their 10-pattern sprayer with the purchase of any size copperhead hose

just text water to 64 000 that's water to 64 000 for your two free gifts with purchase w-a-t-e-r to 64 000 by texting 64 000 you agree to receive recurring automated marketing messages from pocket hose message and data rates may apply no purchase required terms apply available at pocket hose.com slash terms time is precious and so are our. So time with our pets is extra precious. That's why we started Dutch. Dutch provides 24-7 access to licensed vets with unlimited virtual visits and follow-ups for up to five pets. You can message a vet at any time and schedule a video visit the same day. Our vets can even prescribe medication for many ailments,

and shipping is always free. With Dutch, you'll get more time with your pets and year-round peace of mind when it comes to their vet care. Hi, I'm Richard Karn, and you may have seen me on TV talking about the world's number one expandable garden hose. Well, the brand-new Pocket Hose Copperhead with Pocket Pivot is here, and it's a total game-changer. Old-fashioned hoses get kinks and creases at the spigot,

but the Copperhead's Pocket Pivot swivels 360 degrees for full water flow and freedom to water with ease all around your home. When you're all done, this rust-proof anti-burst hose shrinks back down to pocket size for effortless handling and tidy storage. Plus, your super light and ultra durable pocket hose Copperhead is backed with a 10 year warranty what could be better than that i'll tell you what an exciting exclusive offer just for you for a limited time you can get a free pocket pivot and their 10 pattern sprayer with the purchase of any size copperhead hose just text water to 64 000 that's water to 64 000 for your two free gifts with purchase w-a-t-e-000. By texting 64,000, you agree to receive recurring automated marketing messages from Pocket Host. Message and data rates may apply. No purchase

required. Terms apply. Available at pockethost.com slash terms.