Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum - Heels’ ALEXANDER LUDWIG: Finding Sobriety & Trusting the Process

Episode Date: March 8, 2022

Alexander Ludwig (Vikings, Heels) joins us this week to share his journey in fighting his demons head on by finding sobriety, plus the experiences in this industry that have given him hope and the rea...ssurance that kindness and gratitude win in the end. Alexander talks about his passion for adventure and activity to calm his anxiety and how difficult it is to pursue his passions given the contracts he has on certain shows. We also talk about going all out with Stephen Amell during scenes on Heels, how fitness helps center himself, and his love for and pursuit of a country music career. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Starting point is 00:01:08 I just started going, this podcast is brought to you, by? And I was like, Ryan's like, no, this is the beginning of the podcast. We're doing that first. We're doing the ads in a minute. Lord, son. My goodness. We're going to get to Alexander Ludwig. If you're here for him, please just listen here.
Starting point is 00:01:22 And I would say, if you'd like the podcast today, all I ask is like, hey, let's give this guy a shot. Let's subscribe to Inside of You, with Michael Rosenbaum and listen because we like the interviews. We like what he gets out of people. So I hope you'll do that. Subscribe on YouTube, on Apple, on Spotify,
Starting point is 00:01:40 pretty much everywhere, and write a review that really helps the podcast. And another thing are our handles. You could follow us and find out what's up with the old Inside of You podcast and the handles are, Ryan? At Inside of You pod on Twitter. At Inside of You podcast on Instagram and Facebook. That is correct.
Starting point is 00:01:55 Yes. Correct. I want to say, first of all, thank you for everyone for coming out to see me play music on March 5th last Saturday. It meant a lot to me. You know who you are. I appreciate it. Congratulations to all the winners of prizes. Also, you can go to the inside of you online store, Smallville signed lunch boxes, me and Welling signed lunch boxes, autographed pictures of Lex, inside of you mugs, inside of you tumblers, shirts, all that stuff is at the inside of you online store. You could also go to sunspin.com.
Starting point is 00:02:29 You could book a Zoom with me. You could buy some cool swag, band swag, and follow us at Sunspin band on all the handles, I believe it is. But that really is it. And, of course, I couldn't do this without my lovable patrons. If you want to give back to the podcast, go to patreon.com slash inside of you. I will write a message right after you join within a few days thanking you and welcoming you to a wonderful community. so patreon.com slash inside of you this guy on the podcast today really needs no introduction i mean ryan i what did you do it anyway i really enjoyed him yeah i really did enjoy him
Starting point is 00:03:10 and i learned a lot about alexander ludwig um country artist which he's great he really sounds like he should be on the air yeah uh another thing i the show vikings a big hit he was one of the leads and Vikings. And now his show on stars called Heels with our good buddy, Stephen Amel. Right. So we had to get him on here. And he really opens up. He opens up about alcoholism, drug addiction, things like that. And I think you're going to really enjoy this. So without further ado, let's get inside of Alexander Ludwig. It's my point of view. You're listening to inside of you. Michael Rosenbaum Inside of you with Michael Rosenbaum was not recorded in front of a live studio audience.
Starting point is 00:04:09 You there, bud? What's going on? Can you hear me? Fucking A rights, I could hear you. I'm trying to be Canadian right now. Well, fucking right there, you hoser. Fucking right, then. My buddy's Chris Pronger.
Starting point is 00:04:26 name drop but he's a place for the st louis blues he's from dryden ontario and i mean they just put his jersey in the rafters last night you know and no way and he gave his speech and then he downed an entire beer like a true canadian in front of all like 30 000 people he's down to beer chris pronger dude that i i remember uh watching him play as a kid he's amazing oh yeah he was chippy chippy what weren't she i know he's listening he listens to the podcast every once in a while. He was always the guy that you wanted to be when you played the video games. Oh, yeah, in the NHL.
Starting point is 00:05:02 He always wanted Chris Runger. Yeah. Yeah, the tough. You could just destroy people. You know who's a fan of here? There's another hockey buddy in mine. I told you about Bernsie. Burns, Brent Burns from San Jose.
Starting point is 00:05:15 He's such a beauty. He did a cameo on Vikings. Right. Yeah. So we kept in touch a little bit. He's just, what a good. I love when people. I love when good things happen to good people, you know?
Starting point is 00:05:28 Yeah, he was a big fan, and he just got to be on Vikings. It was like a dream for him. He was so pumped. He loves that show. He's like, you know Alexander? By the way, I was thinking about this because I haven't really heard someone say your name. But like, I think of Ludwig van Beethoven. So I think he's got to go by Alexander Ludwig.
Starting point is 00:05:49 Yeah, yeah. He was actually my, like, my great, great, great grandfather. No, he wasn't. You fuck. I'm like, how's that possible? His first name was Ludwig. Not his last name. It's true. I'm just an idiot.
Starting point is 00:06:03 It doesn't even work. No, it kind of worked. You still almost got me. People ask me how I pronounce my name, and I still don't know. Like, everyone says it differently. It's like you and my parents. Like, sometimes it's Ludwig, sometimes it's Ludwig. So I just say, I kind of go in between.
Starting point is 00:06:21 I just say Ludwig. You say Ludwig. You know, that's funny because I say, Rosenbaum and my dad just gets pissed off. I've talked about this. Hold on. I'm just making fixing shit. But my dad says, what's your name?
Starting point is 00:06:34 I go, Michael. He goes, no, your last name. I go, Rosenbaum. He goes, your last name is Rosenbaum? Mike, yeah, he goes, it's Rosenbaum. I go, look, buddy. I'm not saying, hey, I'm Michael Rosenbaum to everybody. I'm just going to say, it's Rosenbaum.
Starting point is 00:06:49 Throw it away. Throw it away. Ludwig. I'm Alexander Ludwig. He gets so pissed. You know, I mean, my dad always just to be, he also, like, he would always, I think it's maybe that generation, too. Like, my dad, my dad always said, you know, your name is not Alex.
Starting point is 00:07:06 It's, I named you Alexander, you know, for a reason, right? Right. And, like, my buddy should be like, hey, Alex, his name's Alexander, you know, or like, but now, I mean, now it's whatever. I, you know, some people call me X, some people call me Z, some people call me Alex. You know, I'll give it on. Can I call you, I'll call you a wig. up Whig?
Starting point is 00:07:26 No, I didn't like. People call me Lutty. Lutty. Lidwig. Hey, Ludd, what's up? Yeah. I love it. I love it.
Starting point is 00:07:33 You know, are you in, you're in Canada right now? No, I'm in Atlanta. You're in Atlanta. What do you film you? Are you allowed to say? No, yeah. No, I mean, I moved here when we did Heels because it's, it just, I had just, I took a shot in the dark.
Starting point is 00:07:46 And, like, one of my biggest regrets when I had Vikings was not buying a place in Ireland. And I was just like, you know what, regardless of whether or not heels comes back. I love Georgia and I love the South. So I'm going to move here and it's close to Nashville. So for music stuff, it made a lot of sense. So we just took a shot. And people thought we were crazy. And now that we're coming back, we're geniuses. Yeah, exactly. You got the place in Atlanta. Yeah, because I didn't realize this, but you really are a country boy. I mean, you ride horses. You listen to country music. You play country music. I listen to your album and I was like, holy shit he really digs deep yeah thank you man thank you so much like i i i don't know how
Starting point is 00:08:32 like it's not like i grew up on a farm you know i grew up in vancouver or just just outside but um i spent all my like my just all my inspiration came from being outdoors and being like in the mountains and my family and i would always go to montana and ride there and i there's a dude ranch there and I just I fell in love with just that whole way of life because and I think what I love about it so much is just to what it speaks to like especially in our industry we're always looking for like I think the next win or the next thing and it's just a reminder to like just take a step back and just enjoy the little things and what actually matters in life you know yeah do you do you do that do you still to this day are you someone who wakes up and goes outside does something outside outdoors are you always outside or are you always outside or you because I'm a little bit of a what's it called Ryan a hermit yeah whatever I kind of like you know I like staying in the house it's hard to get me out unless I'm playing something competitive or a sport or something like that I don't you know but I got to try and get out of my comfort zone this year and start to do more hikes and things like that but what do you do to to relieve stress and things
Starting point is 00:09:41 like so what like I you know funny I skydive that was like I have my A license so that's something that I would do but when I'm under contract I can't do that. So I love surfing, but I'm not in L.A. So now, you know, we, I do, my dream is to always have a ranch. I've always wanted to have a ranch and preferably a ranch on the lake, which is a hard one to do. But that is, that is the dream. And, you know, I, when I first moved to Atlanta, we, like, I was spending all my time outside and building shit, you know, just trying to learn because I've never really had a place where I can do that. but now
Starting point is 00:10:21 like especially like these next couple weeks it's just been like I spent like last week doing absolutely nothing for like the first time and a long time because I was just so burnt out
Starting point is 00:10:32 and just like I need to just turn it off but like I'm usually like writing music or I love I love being outside I love hiking like I do love being in nature
Starting point is 00:10:43 but I wouldn't say that like hiking is my jam like I love like rock climbing or like just something where you know like I noticed that I've been spending too much time inside so I went did a jiu-tizu class this morning you know like stuff like that so I try to get try to do stuff right but um but yeah not you know it's it's difficult you know like with our life it's just no structure so it's really hard to turn like okay well I'm not working right now so it's like I need to have my own plan and my own structure so yeah have you ever not been in
Starting point is 00:11:17 good shape. Every role I see you in, you're ripped. I mean, whether it's Vikings or whether it's heels, playing the wrestler or whatever it is, you're always, you know, national champions. I mean, I can go on, but like, is it something that's just part of your routine? Like, you have to work out because you just enjoy it or do you work out because it's part of your, you know, your career? When I was in high school, I was a really late bloomer. And I think that really kind of fucked me up mentally like I think I didn't realize at the time but I was like you know like everybody's chasing girls and I'm just like what the hell like you know what's going on yeah no hair on the balls yeah I experienced the same thing not a pub inside of praying I used to pray for pubes I
Starting point is 00:12:04 swear to God I go to bed at night and go dear Lord give me pubs yeah really though like that she messes you up as a kid and you know especially when your when your friends are like amazing athletes that are you know and you know i and then when i finally hit you know puberty i i think i got mono so i lost like a ton of weight and i think right after i got over that i was like i am i am just making a serious lifestyle change and i literally live in the gym and i think ever since then i felt so good and i think ever since then i just like it's more just for mental health uh than anything like i just like i like feeling good like i just i feel really like you know my head just gets really weird if i haven't exercised you said your head gets weird do you mean you get sort of down in the dumps
Starting point is 00:12:55 depressed or anxious or just like you know just i just don't feel centered um so i think that just working out has kind of always been just a part of my my life uh and i you know i miss sports and i miss so I'm trying to find a way to do that It's hard Like with you know Like with our industry It's like you're not really allowed to do anything that I really love doing You know when you're like on a series
Starting point is 00:13:21 I can't just like go sky Or go climb something you know Wait a minute you can't do that stuff But you could throw your body around in a In a wrestling ring and just destroy yourself But you can't do that you destroy yourself on our time Not on your time is that what happens that's exactly what happens they're paying you a lot of money they want you to be
Starting point is 00:13:44 you know be alive they want you to be on set so they could destroy you do you do a lot of your own shit like on the heels by the way guys is on stars it's uh it's awesome it's like amateur wrestling right yeah yeah it's about what's that i mean it's yeah it's like it's about pro wrestling in small town georgia and um you know these guys with with big dreams i want to make a other small town and um you know i've never i wouldn't say that traditionally i was like brought up on it or something that i was like crazy about even though i didn't watch it as a kid but um that whole way of life is just so fascinating to me um just what these guys put their bodies and minds through for like for their drains is really inspiring i mean these guys they use and abuse their bodies
Starting point is 00:14:30 on a regular basis they got no help and they're just driving from town to town just to you know it's it's their version of the of the NFL or the NFL or whatever so I became an actor to be able to tell stories about things that even I don't know about so that was really exciting but yeah like
Starting point is 00:14:49 you know it's so funny I love when I hear actors go like oh yeah I do all my own stunts I'm like you're so full of shit man there's one person in the world that does all his own stunts that's Tom Cruz but Tom Tom is a is a certified stuntman and you know like when you get to that level
Starting point is 00:15:06 I think you can, you can demand certain things, you know, like, but for me, like, I will happily do stunts, but it's, it's just, you know. You're not an idiot. You know when to walk away. Yeah. And also, not to mention, like, you know this, like, stuntmen make an adjustment on a stunt. So it's like, when you, you know, like, you want to look out for your fellow stuntman, too. So, but, like, Stephen and I talked about this and, like, you can't really fake it when you're, when you're, would you be. doing the show like heels like you can't you can't just like fake wrestling in the rings like
Starting point is 00:15:40 most of that stuff we learned to do and I would say 90% of it we did do but there's certain things that you know we have incredible sunk guys to like fall off the top of the cage like they're not letting us do that there's just no way and it'd be stupid to me to do that because we don't need to it's probably hard to stop amel though Stephen Stephen likes to do he loves wrestling more than anybody and I know that he likes to do his own stuff and he gets injured and things like that, but he goes the extra mile, I think. For sure, and that's one thing I loved about him, too. Like, I didn't know what to expect when we first met each other.
Starting point is 00:16:14 And, you know, for me, I've always gone into, like, stuff just with the mindset of, look, we don't have to be best friends, but let's just show up and give 10010% to everything we do. And remember how grateful we are. And Stephen was that and more. Like, he's a brother to me, and I love him, and he cared so much about this. You know that he's got such a soft spot for us. wrestling and he was such a massive fan of it.
Starting point is 00:16:38 So he was such an asset to me. And we really pushed each other, I think, to just get the best performance as possible. I mean, the last episode of Heals, I swear to God, the crew thought we'd kill each other because we went all out. And I'm so grateful to have, like, just like, you know, a partner who would do that with me. Do you like that? Do you like that intensity where you're like, I don't, is it a feeling of, I don't know if he's really serious right now, but I'm going to, you know, like you're keeping up.
Starting point is 00:17:05 almost like, are we fighting right now? Is he going, he's doing a little more than I thought he was going to do that we talked about. Yeah, I love that. Like, we did a take. We did a take and I remember we looked, we saw it back and we were like, no, like this isn't working. And we're like, all right, let's do one.
Starting point is 00:17:22 Let's go all out on one. This is going to really hurt and it's going to suck. But let's do it. And he's like 100%. Let's go. And that was, I mean, that's fun as hell. And you feel like you just like went, went to order. or something, you know, like, you're just like, wow, we, we really, we really did that.
Starting point is 00:17:39 Were you hurt? Did you get, did you feel afterwards like, oh, my God, what hurt on you or him? Oh, man, dude. Like, wrestling hurts your body in ways that you never could have, or that I could have expected. I mean, you're just sore everywhere. And, like, I mean, and it's always the things I never would have expected that, like, the crazy stunts don't hurt nearly as much as, like, like, the simple bumps. Like, when you're just falling flat back, you're just like, your bell is wrong. And you're just like, man, that was like, it's like the weirdest feeling.
Starting point is 00:18:11 You really got to go into it. I mean, it's like, it's like anything. I guess they'd say the same in football. It's like if you go in half ass, like that's when you get hurt. Right. So like when you're tackling a guy or anything. Inside of you is brought to you by Rocket Money. I'm going to speak to you about something that's going to help you save money.
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Starting point is 00:19:05 rocket money. I did, yeah. And I also talked to a financial advisor recently and I said, I had rocket money and they said, that's good. This will help you keep track of your budget. See? See? It's only, we're only here to help folks. We're only trying to give you, you know, things that will help you. So rocket money really does that. Rocket money shows you all your expenses in one place, including subscriptions you forgot about. If you see a subscription you no longer want, Rocket money will help cancel it. Rocket money will even try to negotiate lower bills for you. automatically scans your bills to find opportunities to save and then goes to work to get you better deals. They'll even talk to the customer service so you don't have to. Yeah, because I don't want
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Starting point is 00:23:50 Don't wait. Download the Rocket Money app today and tell them you heard about them from my show. So talking about that because you get beaten and battered doing these things and it's amazing how you kind of went all for it and just said, fuck it. And the producers are like, let's go.
Starting point is 00:24:08 Don't hurt each other. Just, you know, but keep in mind, we've got another season, hopefully, to do here. And then you do it and then they get it. But Stephen says he wants a plunge pool like you have. And he says he's serious. He wants you to promise him on the podcast. right now that you'll hook him up.
Starting point is 00:24:26 All right, Steve, and I'll hook you up for the blindful. I know the owner, I was really lucky. I saw this thing online and I just, I was, during COVID, like, during our quarantine, I was so bored and I was like, I want to talk to somebody who I'm like fascinated by, and Wim Hof was somebody who I just, I admire so much. I don't know if you know anything about Wim Hof, but he's called me Iceman, and he basically, like, invented cold clums therapy.
Starting point is 00:24:50 and he basically he's broken numerous world records he does not get sick they injected him with coli and his body beat it and he's fascinating so I ended up getting on like a live um Instagram with him and so I've asked him all these questions and um I've always loved the cold water it's like I just feel like when you're in that much pain and you're like you just you have to go in words and you have to kind of just like read through it it's really how cold how cold are we talking about here you plunge when you plunge into this water how cold is this water yeah so like i'm trying to think in i think my well freezing's 32 degrees okay so my my plunge pool is at like forty three or 42 and how long can you stay in this plunge pool i did i did 15 minutes which
Starting point is 00:25:40 was way too long i did 15 minutes and then i was just like shivering the whole day so usually i try to do like five five minutes um or so you know it's just like an ice bath you know after a workout or something and you do this all the time i try yeah i mean i try to right now it's yeah i had to i moved it on to this like structure in the back door and so i got to fill it back up again but yeah usually i try to do it like every day or every other day dude i look at your all the stuff you've done i mean you know you got heels the vikings which was huge you played bjorn right bjorn yeah and that was huge uh hunger games national champions lone survivor you got them you got all these things first of all i want to know with all these
Starting point is 00:26:19 you've worked with big actors. I mean, Sandler and Marky Mark or, what's it, Walberg, Mark Wahlberg. I still think Mark, you fucking said Marky Mark before and it got in my head, but Walberg, who I love. Jennifer Lawrence, right?
Starting point is 00:26:36 So there's got to be it of all these great actors or icons. Someone had to be an asshole. You can't work with guys that are just awesome all the time. Dude, I just said this. I did a podcast yesterday, actually, and I just said this same thing. And I stand by this, man, like, whether it's Will Smith, Mark Wahlberg, Anthony Hopkins, you know, any of the people that I've been fortunate enough to work with, the one thing they have all had in common is that they are good people.
Starting point is 00:27:06 And I mean really, really good people. I mean, they're businessmen, there's no doubt, but they treat everyone with respect and they're humble. and um and that that gave me so much hope because i realized that kindness does win at the end it really does you know like like i feel like most of the people who and i haven't really worked with assholes ever like i really need that like i've usually been able to get i've worked with people who other people thought were assholes but i've never had that experience and i just feel like usually i you can find some sort of commonality or a
Starting point is 00:27:45 way to, you know, have some sort of camaraderie on anything you do. But, um, I just feel like sometimes it's the people who aren't where they want to be, you know, and are lacking that gratitude that are really, really frustrating. The guys who think they deserve more, they certainly deserve. Right. And I think, um, all those guys at the top have done something. They're all so, they're all so well spoken and they have mastered themselves and I think that you know some people always ask me
Starting point is 00:28:20 like Alexander like why do you do all this stuff or like why do you speak what you do and I'm just like man like in this business you know this too like you have to master your emotions to survive like if you don't this business will eat you up because you know
Starting point is 00:28:36 it is so easy especially when you're starting out to compare yourself and to look around and and feel less than and we realize comparison is the fee for joy and I'm going to put my horse blinders on and I'm going to put
Starting point is 00:28:49 one foot in front of the other and not look left not look right be grateful that I'm getting paid to do what I love then the world is your oyster
Starting point is 00:28:59 and it's so much easier to preach it than live it like don't get me wrong like we all have our days but that's that is the huge takeaway I've taken from all these people
Starting point is 00:29:09 is just an immense amount of gratitude and, you know, I mean, everybody has a bad day, but there's no doubt. I'm sure Martin Lawrence had a bad day. Dude, Martin blew my mind. I mean, I've heard stories of Martin from back in the day. That man is really special. I love him. Did you ever see the movie Life?
Starting point is 00:29:32 He's genius. Yeah, and he gave me the time of day like you never would expect. I remember when we finished Bad Boys, I brought them, I bought Will and Martin this, like, necklace. I said, like, bad boys on it. It was this gold necklace that I had this, like, this jewelry company engraved, you know, bad boys on. I get one of Martin and one to Will. And Martin wore it to the rap party, you know, and he's just, yeah, you know, like, he's just one, you know, he's just such a good dude.
Starting point is 00:29:58 And his buddies that he's, his sister's amazing, the buddies that he surrounds himself with, they're all, so I don't know what he was like back in the day, but whatever, whatever it was, I had nothing, I had nothing but incredible things to say about that. And he's just so lovely and just was there. I remember I was a guest on Conan O'Brien and he was the main guest and I was just sitting in my, you know, room and kind of a little nervous, you know, right before. And all of a sudden there's a knock on the door and it opens up and it's Martin Lawrence. I'm like, because I had told somebody, I'm like, oh, I'm a big Martin Lawrence fan. And he looks at me. He's like, hey, man,
Starting point is 00:30:32 what's up? And I go, hey, dude, he's like, hey, you do your thing on there, man. You do your thing on there. And I'm like, you know, he just came over to give me a hug. And then I quoted the movie Life. And he goes, I just said something like, oh, damn, Ray, I got my big toe caught in a bottle. And he just started loud. He's what? How do you know that? You know, he just like, he's a random, random quote from this movie. And he was so sweet. That's why I thought, because I heard stories too, but my meeting with him, he went out of his way to be kind. So I hear you. I love that. And imagine, like, and that's the other thing is like, I think it's really important the whole judgment until you meet somebody in person. Because, like, imagine if everyone was watching
Starting point is 00:31:10 you all hours of the day. I mean, we've all had a bad day at a supermarket or at a fucking gas station. I mean, like, you know what I mean? Like, the difference is that this has become so public. I think, um, I can't imagine that kind of toll would take on you. So, I mean, I absolutely love Marty Marr and I can't wait to work with him again. You said some, you said thief of joy comparing yourself to others. Yeah, comparison is the thief of joy.
Starting point is 00:31:37 comparison is the thief of joy boy we you know in this podcast we we definitely talk about comparing yourselves to other people and like why does he have that and why don't I have that and why I'm this and you know we all do it I've done it and it's the thief of joy I like well put well put yeah I mean it's important you know it's so important to remember like even the shittiest days man there's somebody in the hospital with fucking COVID right now begging to be in our position you know or cancer or anything and you know I I think it's natural to want more and to want to push yourself. I always tell people, trust that it's going to happen,
Starting point is 00:32:16 just never how you expect it to or when you expect it to. And enjoy that journey that is life. Because anything that I missed out on, looking back, it was the blessing in disguise, you know, or anything I thought that was a bad experience. There really are no bad experiences because it makes you who are. now. Yeah. It's just new perspective. Yeah. And you're only 29. Is that right? Yeah. You're 29 years old. You seem like such an old soul. Like, you know what I mean? Like you've
Starting point is 00:32:49 kind of lived in a lot of ways. I don't know if working in Ireland and kind of being thrown into that kind of you learned a lot. I don't know what it was. All my friends were, you know, my whole life I've been in their 40s and, you know, make 30s or 40s or 50s. Because that's that, you know, I've been working since I was a kid so I think that that's just the kind of people I always gravitated to and then I think just by osmosis I started just picking up things and you know you kind of got to go up quick in this in in this business um as well but I certainly don't feel young anymore like like you know what I mean like I was just talking to my buddy the day I'm like you know I'm about to be 30 and and again this is another thing like you got to check yourself on this shit is like
Starting point is 00:33:33 man i'm still i'm about to be 30 like aren't i supposed to be here it's like hold on hold on like stop putting these bullshit time time frames you know because we all have those that we you have this clock in our head like oh man like i'm oh man i'm 40 i'm supposed to be here at 40 you're not you're supposed to be exactly where you are yeah 49 here buddy i'm about to be 50 no you're not no you're not i'm gonna be 50 this year can you believe it no you're so full of shit i swear to god and i will say this i don't dye my my hair I don't dye my hair I get a few grays
Starting point is 00:34:06 I feel like shit but I don't have gray hair I actually don't believe you I swear to God looking on the line I'm 50 I mean I could play 41 with makeup wouldn't you say Ryan
Starting point is 00:34:17 I would I have more gray hairs than you yeah I don't get a lot of gray hairs I don't work enough you can play 35 man I wish no what I'm telling you are you looking it up
Starting point is 00:34:29 yeah he's actually looking up to see you how old I'm telling you, I'll be 50. Dude, that's fucking. Yeah, I know, man. It's pretty crazy. Hey, you've been doing this like you said since you were a kid.
Starting point is 00:34:44 You've been doing it. Did your mother and father want you to act? Is it something that they've supported? Or is it something that they're like, you're not doing this? It was actually the latter. Yeah, I, my mom actually used to be an actress and she was in Friday the 13th, part eight. Get out. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:35:02 I, uh, claim to fame and she's really talented and she, you know, I, she, I really wouldn't be here without her. Like, she was, I told my parents that this is what I wanted to do when I was about nine. And they were like, um, no, there's no way we're going to, there's no way we're going to do this. You're insane. But how I took it was that they believed I could do it and that's why they were scared. You know, like, like, what if he gets success early and what if this happens? you look at all these young kids who've had success, and they get so messed up by it.
Starting point is 00:35:38 But fortunately, you know, I ended up stealing my mom's phone, calling her old agent, asking for a meeting. You called her old agent and asked for a meeting. Yeah, because I knew her name. So I called her and I asked for a meeting. How old are you at this point? How old?
Starting point is 00:35:53 At that point, I was probably like 12 when I ended up doing it. No, I was probably nine, actually. You were nine. You call your mom's agent and say, I want to be in Friday the 13th, part nine. Now, what do you say? What do you say to this agent? And I'm like, hey, my name's Alexander.
Starting point is 00:36:06 And I want to be an actor. And I know you used to represent my mom and like, give me a shot. Won't wait you down. And then she was like, fine. I guess I'll give this, you know, this kid a shot. And I went out for my first audition ever. And I booked it. And it was a Harry Potter toy commercial called the Slime Chamber.
Starting point is 00:36:26 And to date, it's the best payday ever because they gave me a toy. and like I I I and obviously like what a way to start and and then of course I realized shortly after just how hard this was going to be and then over the years I got very lucky like I was never really catapult I was always just constantly working but never catapulted into something that I couldn't really handle at the time um wow which I'm grateful for that's guts man that's guts as a little nine year old calling mama's agent yeah you know that's hilarious And then, I mean, so you started getting some success right after that, right? It just from there, you kind of took off and started doing these movies, right? These little movies. Yeah, like I started doing like TV, like movies of the week and commercials and all that. And then I booked my first big gig that, you know, was like really did change my life,
Starting point is 00:37:19 which was called The Secret of the Darkest Rising. And I was 13 years old. And I had a casting director in Vancouver really, really vouched for me. Fox Studios flew me out. I did like 16 auditions for this part. It was insane. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Did you come on.
Starting point is 00:37:34 Seriously, you did 16 auditions? I shit you not. It was, it was, because I was so green and I was such a kid, like, they liked me a lot, but they didn't know if I could do it. And I was up against, like, the kids who I would realize I would be up against for the next 10 years for stuff. You know, it was always the same group of people. and he'd book one job and I booked the other. And it was like, but that movie was supposed to be like Harry Potter.
Starting point is 00:38:07 That's what they had thought about it. Like, this will be the next Harry Potter. It was obviously it was a big bomb for the studio, but it was an amazing experience. After I booked the role within a week, my mom and I were off to Romania, and we shot there for three and a half months. And, you know, all along the way, she had, you know, at times when I didn't believe of myself, she always believed in me. And I really wouldn't have this career without my mom.
Starting point is 00:38:30 She really was my saving grace because she knew how badly I wanted to do it. And she supported me the whole way. I saw a picture on your Instagram of you and your mother. I think it was at an airport or something. Yeah. Yeah. That's kind of why this is like at the top of my mind because it was her birthday a couple of days ago. It was her birthday?
Starting point is 00:38:48 Yeah. She's probably my age. Mom? She's older than you. Don't worry. Are you sure? yeah i don't know i mean seriously i'm 50 here you could probably be my son you could oh my god shit you're almost my son at one point no i'm kidding um no that's that's insane
Starting point is 00:39:11 so you're you have this bond with your mom she just pushed you through it someone who really tried to discourage you in a way to not be in this because she knew how hard it was and the whole business how dirty it can be and you were motivated and you decided to do it and then she was right there with you during the whole thing. Yeah, without, without a doubt, oh, it's funny, Michael Mallee's calling me right now from heels. Michael Mallee created heels, correct? Yes. Tell him you're doing an interview with Michael Rosenbaum. He put a song in the second episode of Heels, one of our songs from my album. Are you serious? Yeah, you can hear it in the background. It's kind of background music, but it's from my band Sunspin. It's actually a scene
Starting point is 00:39:49 with Michael Malley at a table in a restaurant and what is it called summertime neighbors playing in the background I was I was pumped I was like thanks dude I didn't know I didn't know it's I think you I think you appreciate it hopefully I don't know it's it's not for everybody but it's for some and you have the band Sunspin and you just go Alexander Ludwig right yeah that's that's do you get weird when you hear your music or you like hearing it um I mean around other people do you get kind of like nervous because I I mean, this, look, it's, it's so country. It sounds like it could be on the radio right now.
Starting point is 00:40:23 I mean, it should be on the radio. It sounds like something everybody in Indiana where I grew up would be listening to on the radio right now. WGBF. Yeah. I really, really appreciate that. It's, yeah, like, I'm like, I think I'm just that way. I think I've realized that, you know, I'm just that way with everything. And I think maybe a lot of artists are.
Starting point is 00:40:43 It's just like, like, you always feel like you can be better. You can do better. You can do better. so it's hard it's hard sometimes to sit back and just appreciate what you have done right what do you what do you what do you think when you listen to that right now what's the first thing that goes through your mind when i listen to that just there i was like oh yeah that that does sound pretty good all right there you go yeah so i appreciate it like you were also like pumping up my tires that it's um but you know like that that that how that all happened is just like truth truth how how why was that I realized that I've been writing music my whole life and I realized that I had this real short window of time to pursue it if I wanted to wrap and I finished Vikings and I was like you know what I'm going to take a shot at this so I started hopping on planes going to Nashville I had no direction whatsoever and I just started meeting whoever I could writing with whoever I could and I told them the same thing which was that you know this is not a vanity project for me like this is really my life and I want to do this as long as I can't so I'm not expecting a record deal I'm not expecting anything I just want to keep coming back and um one
Starting point is 00:41:59 you know about a year into me taking these plane these trips to Nashville this this band came up to me um in the airport and said that they were big fans of lone survivor and they're like what are you doing going to Nashville and I was like well when I wasn't shooting Vikings on the weekend. I was in the studio recording it a demo. And, you know, country music has always held a really close place in my heart. And I'm trying to figure it out. And I was like, you guys are obviously a band. Who do you play for it? And they go, uh, Jason on the name. Now, Jason is like one of the biggest country areas. Oh, yeah. And somebody who I grew up listening to and who I love. And it was since become a really close friend. Wow. I ended up sitting behind,
Starting point is 00:42:44 Behind the band, behind Tully in specific, who's like, Jason, he produces with Jason, he also plays bass for him. And I sit right behind him on the plane, and we talked the entire way. So it was really a fluke. And by the end of it, we ended up working together. And then BMG caught on who signed Jason. And we got a meeting and signed the record deal. And from my understanding, we're going to drop the album this year, which will be great.
Starting point is 00:43:13 Is the album done? Is the album done? The album's done. I mean, I always want to keep, you know, me. Like, I just, I always want to keep making it better. So it's never done until it's done. But, yeah, we've got more than enough songs for the album. Does he sing on the album? No, no.
Starting point is 00:43:30 Jason doesn't, but I mean, I, I mean, I would love to do something with Jason. Yeah. But you kind of said, has anybody ever told you you kind of have a little, there's a little Kenny Chesney in there? Yeah. Have you heard that? Yeah, I mean, I get that a lot. And that's obviously the greatest compliment ever.
Starting point is 00:43:48 Of course. I grew up listening to Kenny and I love him so much. And randomly, I ended up in the same kind of, everybody in Nashville knows each other. So, you know, I started writing with a lot of the guys that wrote a lot of Kenny songs as well. And, you know, I'm a huge, massive fan of him. So that's, I mean, that's just nothing but a compliment. And if I can be 10% as great as he is, I'll be happy. So you're really going after it.
Starting point is 00:44:18 You want to continue doing the acting as hard as you can, and you want to have a music career. That's what I said to the president of the label. I just said, man, like, I'm here for the long haul. I'm not going anywhere. And I love this. So I believe that now is a very interesting time. More than ever, people can do both if they can manage their time properly.
Starting point is 00:44:41 and I'm fortunate to be in a place right now with my career where I have a little bit more say into what my schedule looks like. Don't get me wrong with once Corsese called me up tomorrow, it's a different story, but for the most part, you know, we have a pretty good idea of what the year will look like, which means that I can be like, okay,
Starting point is 00:45:02 this is what I'm doing heels, this is when I'm going on tour, and then this is what I'm doing X, Y, or Z. So, you know, they were, they're on board, And, you know, it's, it's naive to think that it will happen any quicker than my acting. Like, it's going to take years and years and years. But it's okay because I love doing it. All you need is one hit song, someone to support you, someone there to plug that song.
Starting point is 00:45:24 Three minutes, change your life. Three minutes change your life. That should be a song. Write a song called Three Minutes will change your life. Yeah, exactly. It sounds like me in the bedroom. My, uh, my dad's a lot longer than I am. Trust me.
Starting point is 00:45:37 Ryan didn't like it. Or maybe you did. No, it was really good. It was relatable. I think it's relatable to everybody except porn stars. Did they put any songs of yours and heels? No, they haven't, but there's one that we wrote that I love called Rough Around the edges that I want to put in Heels season two.
Starting point is 00:45:57 Mike's all about it. We're trying to find a spot for it. So what it makes sense. We're going to have fun of period for sure. Inside of You is brought to you by Patreon. That's P-A-T-R-E-O-N. And guys, Patreon, these people give back to the podcast, and it's an amazing community, and I message them after they join. And I love this.
Starting point is 00:46:20 And if you're a patron, thank you. If you're joining, thank you. Folks, if you enjoy the podcast, you love talking about episodes. You want to stay involved with the inside of your community. I highly suggest that you check out what we're doing on our Patreon. It's quickly turning one of the coolest things I've been a part of over the last year for sure if you want to get early access to episode content. Check out the Patreon. If you want to interact with other fans of the show.
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Starting point is 00:47:03 They really make this podcast possible. I love them. To get more involved in the community today, head over to patreon. com slash inside of you. That's P-A-T-R-E-O-N, Patreon.com slash inside of you, and I will see you there soon. T-D Bank knows that running a small business is a journey, from startup to growing and managing your business. That's why they have a dedicated small business advice hub on their website to provide tips and insights on business banking to entrepreneurs, no matter the stage of business you're in. Visit t-d.com slash small business advice to find out more.
Starting point is 00:47:39 or to match with a TD small business banking account manager. Ever wonder how dark the world can really get? Well, we dive into the twisted, the terrifying, and the true stories behind some of the world's most chilling crimes. Hi, I'm Ben. And I'm Nicole. Together we host Wicked and Grimm, a true crime podcast that unpacks real-life horrors, one case at a time.
Starting point is 00:48:02 With deep research, dark storytelling, and the occasional drink to take the edge off, we're here to explore the wicked. reveal the grim we are wicked and grim follow and listen on your favorite podcast platform did you're so open you know in 2019 you disclosed the whole bunch of stuff like personal like you were you know you went through depression anxiety which a lot of people in this show talk about like zach levi has come out with you know his mental well-being and and stephen emel has come on and talked about it i mean is that something that you're comfortable talking about like you know dealing with depression and anxiety and
Starting point is 00:48:37 substance abuse and all that shit or is it something you get no absolutely it's funny actually my mom when I signed them to do heels my mom called me and was like hey like I didn't realize that Stephen has been open about some of this stuff that's crazy and then we bonded over that you know um like I basically went through like a really really rough time and I mean it was bad It wasn't like, you know, like it starts off just like, you know, you're hanging out with friends and everything's fine. And then you realize that there's something like inside of you that's, you know, that you're kind of just trying to hide. And I ended up, long story short, like, I ended up checking myself into rehab for like 50 days in Arizona. And I just was like, I'm going to lose my career or even worse my life if I don't put this together.
Starting point is 00:49:31 and like I want to be a good father and a good husband and a good friend and I'll be none of those if I don't get myself in check. So that was an incredible experience and one of the greatest experiences in my life. And yeah, man, it's been it's been a hell of a journey and it's really crazy to be on the other side of it. I mean, it's never done. But having people reach out now that are my friends or people I look up to for help. and you realize just how wide this is.
Starting point is 00:50:05 I mean, you know, I lost a friend to addiction six days ago. Wow. So, yeah, it's like, you know, it was heartbreaking, man. He was 22 years old and such a good kid. And it's just like there's no reason why that shouldn't have been me. And because you were that bad. Oh, yeah. Yeah, like I would go missing for days.
Starting point is 00:50:31 And, like, it was, you know, I just think I had a lot of demons I had to really, the hardest part is, like, I think you medicate with whatever you have and whether it's drugs or alcohol. And suddenly when you get sober, it's a really scary period in your life because what was your higher power, for lack of a better word, what you would turn to whenever you were feeling, you know, down or out? it's not there anymore and now you got to actually like deal with these issues so there's no magic i always saw people who are like struggling with addiction there's no magic pill like you have to
Starting point is 00:51:11 really want this like you have to really want a better life but there is a better life you know i've been sober for almost four years and and it's it's um it's remarkable how much the universe can reward you in ways you've never expected when you finally decide to love yourself yeah that's the hardest thing in the world. I've talked about it before is loving yourself. It sounds so cliche and like, you got to love yourself before you can love someone else. But, you know, it's, it's fucking true. It's true. And it's hard to love yourself. I mean, it's, it seems like, of course you should love yourself. Everybody loves themselves. But like, really answering that in front of a mirror when you're alone is a different story. And I've been,
Starting point is 00:51:52 I've struggled with that. I, you know, I don't know, you know, I definitely have my demons and insecurities and thoughts of like you know they're going to find you out you're not really that good you're not really that you know and not being so hard on myself so lately i've lately i say the last couple of years i went to a treatment center too but it wasn't it wasn't for substance abuse it was just i felt like completely lost completely just lost and my friends were all surprised when i said i'm going someplace for three weeks and i just need to clear my head and they're like, ugh, because I'm always the guy who organizes sports and activities for everybody and has people over the house. And they're like, what? And I was like, yeah, I just got to do this for me. And it was
Starting point is 00:52:33 amazing going there because it was cathartic as the word, because you go there and I felt like nothing could help me. And then you start to talk to people who you feel like really care about you and you start to let out these emotions that you never thought you had, that you never thought things from the past affected you. And it's kind of like clean and shopping. And it's kind of like clean and It's like, hey, man, I got to take care of my body. It's like, you know, mental health and therapy is just as important as working out and all these other things. They go hand in hand in a lot of ways. And so I get it, not loving yourself.
Starting point is 00:53:06 That's a, did you learn in those 50 days to love yourself? I learned, like, tools. I think that, like, I think that loving yourself is so much deeper. It's definitely something like it's an active, you know, every day, you know, with its own its own struggles and some days are easier than others you know but um i certainly realized what the issues uh that were that were kind of influencing this uh this feeling i had about myself were and and how and and what i could do to kind of start addressing you know and um like like you talked about being the guy who you know that what you did is like the hardest thing like
Starting point is 00:53:51 that is the hardest thing like to leave for even three weeks like that like most people never give themselves that you know that's that is a like that is so brave to just be like look I have an I have an issue and I'm again this is what I always say to people that are stuck in it is like you it is not your fault that you are an addict or that something happened to you or that you were beaten or that you know whatever happened to you as a kid happened but it is your fault if you do nothing about it because your life is entirely your responsibility and that's essentially what it is in rehab is it's just you learn to take responsibility for your own life and for the person that you are and the person you want to be and um you know i i always say like i wish
Starting point is 00:54:38 everybody could experience a version of it because you realize like i was in i was in there with homeless people who had just come off the streets um with nothing and that were coming off meth to billionaires who had invented world changing technologies and it was like it did not matter who you were or what you did everybody had the same issue and everybody we all bonded over the fact that we were trying to get better and that was that was a really really special time wow well I commend you for for opening up and talking about it because oh it's you know it's it's something that I love hearing stories and it just if anything is going to help somebody else out there.
Starting point is 00:55:18 They're like, how, that's why I like talking about it. It's like, I remember like, part of what really helped me get through it too is like, I started like doing some deep digging into like, is, am I alone here? Like is there,
Starting point is 00:55:30 are there other, and then I started realizing, oh my God, like he's sober. He's so weird. He's so weird. He's sober. I'm like,
Starting point is 00:55:36 shit. Like, like I got nothing to hide. Like, I'd rather just live my truth and, you know. What is it, what is it you do now?
Starting point is 00:55:44 Like, in terms of like, if you're anxious or you feel that feeling coming on and you're like, you feel that feeling. think about that it's almost like withdrawing from cigarettes you know i know what's going on you're like i just need a cigarette i just need one i just need you let it and all of a sudden it will pass that will pass is that what happens those feelings just slowly pass and you you you distract yourself with something healthy yeah for sure i mean a lot of it is like they always in a
Starting point is 00:56:05 they always talk about like halt it's like you hungry angry lonely tired thirsty like checking with all those first and it's so true like so many so much so much so much of the time and like I want to drink or whatever like it's one of those and then um it's just really like meditation is is really important it's something I need to like sobriety is truly like a game of it's an early man's game it's a game of just like being accountable and being like okay I'm going to meditate today I'm going to work out I'm going to eat healthy so I'm not doing those things is when I feel myself getting into trouble and COVID was a really really tough time for a lot of people, you know, obviously, especially people I knew who were struggling
Starting point is 00:56:49 with addiction because there was your community you kind of lost, you know, it's like that idea of like going to meetings and doing all that. So I really thought for a lot of people through that. But yeah, for me, it's just, it's just every day, it's, it's, it's a new day, it's a beautiful day and it's comes with its own challenges, you know, but we're just lucky to be here. you're more apt to say, yeah, kind of like myself a little more than I used to. I mean, is that safe to say? Without a doubt. Oh, my God.
Starting point is 00:57:21 Man, like, I'm a better husband, brother, you know, friend. It's like, it's night and day. I'm still the same guy. And I just think that so much of my identity was, I was never, I was never an asshole. Like, I was always nice to people. But I think so much of my identity came from taking care of others, whether it was hosting everybody at a party or being the guy, right?
Starting point is 00:57:45 Like that was the thing. And then you, then I realized, man, this is like serving everyone but me. And like, I'm not, like, this is all ego driven. It's not, this is not how I want my life to be. Like, I want to grow as a human being, not just stay here, you know?
Starting point is 00:58:01 Yeah, you're absolutely right. Sometimes you got to, the most important thing is you take care of you. If you can't take care of anybody else until you take care of yourself. That's for sure. All right, this is the call shit talking with Alexander Ludwig and these are these are fast if you want
Starting point is 00:58:17 or you can answer them any way you want but these are from my patrons these are people who follow the podcast give back to the podcast so they had some questions for you and you could just you know spit them out Abel F if you could create a spinoff of a character you did not played in your career what
Starting point is 00:58:33 who did play in my career I guess so yeah that's it what would it be and what would that pilot look like and it would be it would be about beer and I was said for sure because there's so much to that character that we didn't get to respond on Vikings I wish we did a whole season in Africa
Starting point is 00:58:52 because he went to we filmed the Morocco for like a week but that there's a whole season there that could have been just Vikings in Africa which I think is so fascinating and you shaved your head too pardon you shaved your head for Vikings
Starting point is 00:59:09 didn't you? I mean Not many people shaved their head. I shaved my head for Smallville. You shaved your head for Vikings. Yeah, that's true. We got that in common. Yeah, we got that in common. You know, it's crazy, man, too.
Starting point is 00:59:19 Like, I, I, just the world is so good. I'm sure you've had these experiences, too. But one thing I love with this industry, like, I grew up, like, watching Smallville. Like, I grew up watching you. No, I did. And it's like, it's so crazy now to be like, man, like, we know each other. It's just, it's so funny how small this industry becomes. Yeah, I agree.
Starting point is 00:59:39 Joey L. How intense. Was it learning the fighting scenes on Vikings? It, you know, the learning them wasn't as hard as, like, doing them because when you're, like, it's more like learning a dance in choreography, but we had, like, some of the fight scenes, we had more extras than they had on Braveheart. And, like, literally, I'll never forget, one of my favorite experiences, like, we were, you know, I was leading the charge in this one hour and maybe probably had, like, 600 people. and then on the other side there were like 600 people and like 50 something horses
Starting point is 01:00:14 and we had to run into each other and like I felt like do you remember that scene in Bowfinger when they're like yeah like hey man like run run over the freeway
Starting point is 01:00:27 like they're all paid they're all paid stunt actors you'll be fine I was like so like are we just supposed to dodge these horses like yeah like awesome let's go And literally, like, you have these horses within, like, five feet of you, galloping past you as you clash into another group of people.
Starting point is 01:00:48 Like, shit like that, I'm just like, what is my life right now? That sounds dangerous as shit. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Michelle Kay, what is up with you in the number seven? Oh, good, good question. I don't know. I was born on May 7th.
Starting point is 01:01:08 pounds and seven ounces born seven minutes to seven which i think is pretty cool wow my my birthday seven 11 so i'm always about seven and 11 so i understand it i understand little lisa what has been your favorite scene you've done with stephen a melon heels was it that one scene you're telling me about where you guys go balls out yeah that that just from like just from a personal perspective that was probably it was just such a such a great bonding experience for us and what was that at the end of season one? The last episode? There's only one season, so.
Starting point is 01:01:41 Yeah. Exactly. Jesus. All right. Betsy, D, loved everything you've been in from Hunger Games
Starting point is 01:01:46 to Vikings to national champions. You're amazing. However, your music is also fantastic. Loved, let me be your whiskey. We'll be hearing more from you soon. Now,
Starting point is 01:01:55 you've sort of answered that, but it sounds like we're going to hear a lot more from you. And thank you. Yeah, thank you so much. It just makes me so happy that people are loving it.
Starting point is 01:02:04 I, yeah, I, I, I'm not positive, but I'm almost, but I'm pretty certain that we're releasing the album next year. Again, at one point, it becomes the label's call. So I'm just waiting to hear exactly when. Right. Isn't it crazy to say I have a label? Isn't that cool? Dude, it's surreal, surreal. And have you played live a lot or are you going to start playing?
Starting point is 01:02:26 Yeah, no, I played, I played a show in Nashville a couple months ago. I opened up for Easton Corbin in Georgia and Douglas just to get my feet wet and just you know Are you nervous as shit? The Easton Corbin one was more nervous It was like a thousand people
Starting point is 01:02:44 And like I, it was like my first time playing With my guitar So that was a little bit more nerve wracking But the one that I played Nashville Was just a freaking blast And Jason played after too So that was awesome You wear cowboy boots?
Starting point is 01:02:58 I wear my boots I don't know if I wouldn't call them I would just say boots I would say that they're like straight-up cowboy boots, but they're the boots. I like it. Lisa H., what's it like working with Dwayne the Rock Johnson? I met him once. He was really sweet, but nice or scary or intense?
Starting point is 01:03:13 What is it? No, amazing. That's another example of somebody who is just a consummate professional and just a really, really good human being. I mean, Dwayne, when I did bad boys, I emailed him and I just asked, like, what he does when he works out, because they ask me to put on a stupid amount of weight so quickly. and he sent me a whole workout plan you know he's that like the guy is one of the busiest people on the planet and it's like you don't have to do that
Starting point is 01:03:40 so he's an amazing amazing guy that's awesome David H last question whose mentorship have you gotten the most from so far the first people that come to mind for me are Travis Filmo and Gustav's scars guard I'd say Gustav a lot in my life
Starting point is 01:03:58 he's a brother to me and he's also sober and he's just such a special human. And then Travis is also one of my best friends, but he introduced me to my now acting coach, Yvonne. And he's just been a really, really big part of my life as well. Last question. I know I said last question, but I know you just told Michael Rosenbaum on your podcast
Starting point is 01:04:24 that everyone was really cool that you've worked with. But really, Rob Schneider and grownups, are you sure? I actually, I never met Rob because I was in the second one. And maybe he, I don't even remember if he was in the second one. But I never, I've never met him before. Really?
Starting point is 01:04:45 I'll say you, Sandler is one of the best people. Did he give you the Sandler yell? Run way from the love of God. Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah. And he actually, he actually called me a couple months ago to congratulate me on the music. know talk about another awesome dude awesome dude he's he's amazing good dude yeah sandler Jennifer Lawrence man that used to be my biggest crush ever did you crush on her were you
Starting point is 01:05:11 like totally enamored by her that's a no that's a no you weren't you were busy working yeah like I I loved her like she was so great but like Jen and I only ever worked for like 10 days together because a lot of our scenes weren't together until the end but she She was such a sweetheart and so talented and so funny, right? So funny. It's just so great. But I wouldn't say that we made it to that stage of, you know, friendship where, you know, I just felt like we didn't even know each other that well, you know.
Starting point is 01:05:49 Towards the end, we definitely became a little closer. But, like, we really didn't work together that much. Gotcha. So last but not least, what's coming up? You got the music coming up. You got Heal, Season 2 coming. up that you're going to be filming anything else if scheduling permits i'm going to be going to spain uh to shoot a uh a guy richie film uh with uh jillan ho and i i is really called cool it's
Starting point is 01:06:15 called the interpreter um so i'll be going to do that which i'm really really excited about wow did you have to audition for it i just got an offer no i read i read for that did you have my 16 auditions no no just one really just one audition that was it you nailed it are you really good at memorizing lines and all that shit? I mean, good enough. Like, I think I've done it enough that I don't play too much. Like, I just, I always believe in preparation. It's like, if I prepared enough, by the time we end up doing it, it's like, I just,
Starting point is 01:06:47 I can just let it go and not really worry about anything. Have you met? Yeah. And I think that's taking me that stuff personally, you know, like, for me, like, I'm never there to get a job. I'm there to give a performance. Nice. and I think that that just
Starting point is 01:07:00 that mentality is certainly well I'm also stealing that from Brian Grayson he wrote that in his book and it's a fucking genius quote Wow well dude this has been great I hope you had a good time
Starting point is 01:07:13 dude I did man it's so good so good talking to you yeah this is great it was really great hopefully we can get together sometime I told Stephen get me apart on heels I want to you know come down and wrestle you guys I would love that for sure
Starting point is 01:07:25 I mean I would imagine that they're going to build that They're going to build that show out. Yeah. That's going to be exciting season two because they put a lot of money and a lot of promotion into that. You worked with Pete Siegel. I love Pete. Pete still owes me a role. He promised his wife's my dentist and great dentist to be a dentist.
Starting point is 01:07:48 Yeah. I heard that. I see she's telling me that. Like, Pete, I don't even live in L.A. Like, I would totally go see your mind. She's beautiful and she's awesome. She's been my dentist forever. And she's like a mom to me.
Starting point is 01:08:00 She's really awesome, awesome. I went to call him with his daughter, and she's amazing. So I can only imagine that her mom is awesome. Good family, good family. All right, dude, well, all my love. I wish you the best. I'm excited for you. I'm going to keep listening to the music.
Starting point is 01:08:14 And thanks for allowing me to be inside of you, man. Thanks for being inside of me. Come back inside anytime. Anytime. You got it. All right, buddy. See you, brother. See, man.
Starting point is 01:08:25 I mean, you can't really knock. the guy, didn't you? I mean, he's gorgeous. He's got a fantastic body. He can act. He can play music. You can't hate the guy. He's got a lot of pluses. As far as dudes go. He's doing all right. He's doing all right. And I wish him the best. Thank you for being on the podcast, buddy. And yeah, he was easy to talk to. He's just a genuine guy. I really feel like I'm talking to a dude, just a regular guy who just wants to chat. And there's not any, you know, preconceived or you know this is the bullshit that people can carry and kind of present so i appreciate that uh also if you want to join patreon the people who are helping the podcast go to patreon
Starting point is 01:09:09 dot com slash inside of you i love you patrons i'm going to read your names off the top patrons get their names read off at the end of each show i appreciate it but join patreon patreon dot com slash inside you i'll write you a message right after go to the inside of you online store for great merch and the sunspin.com store for band merch and zooms if you want to zoom with me. I'm also on the cameo. I do the cameo. I do the cameo. You do the cameo.
Starting point is 01:09:35 Everybody's doing it. I mean, everybody's doing it. Why can't I do it? Good fun. Yeah. Did you have a good week, though? Yeah. An okay week.
Starting point is 01:09:47 Yeah. Are you working a lot? Yeah, working a lot. Do you like it? Yeah, I mean, I have things to look forward to. I got a soccer league going and I got... Doesn't that help so much?
Starting point is 01:09:58 Oh, that's great. It really takes something like it's a release. I'm playing ice hockey a little bit now. I was always a big sports person growing up and just to have them available to you. I like being a part of team and then it's exercise and it's...
Starting point is 01:10:12 We were shut down for a while with this pandemic and now at least we could do some things that we love to do and I didn't realize how much I appreciated them until now. You're like, oh my God. just, you know, hanging out with your buds and playing something competitive and just for an hour and a half and sweating it out.
Starting point is 01:10:31 Team sports are a blessing because you get the physical activity and the hangout, in one go. And one go. You've got to start softball again. Yes. What's a good day for you? Saturdays or Sundays. Saturdays. Okay.
Starting point is 01:10:42 I'll remember that. Let's read the top patrons. These are the top patrons they give the most back to the podcast. I really appreciate them. And here we go. Nancy D, Leah Uh, F S.
Starting point is 01:10:55 Correct. Sorry, Leah. Nailed it. Sarah V. Little. Lisa. You. Kiko. Jill.
Starting point is 01:11:02 Brian. D. H. Correct. Nico. P. Robert. Smigel.
Starting point is 01:11:07 No. Robert. W. No. B. Correct. And now, Jason. W.
Starting point is 01:11:14 Correct. Kristen. K. Amelia. O. Allison. L. R.
Starting point is 01:11:19 C. Joshua. D. C. C. J. P. Jennifer. Stacey. L. Jen. B. S. Jemal. F. Correct. Janelle. B. Roger. Rabbit. S. Correct. Kimberly E. Mike E. Eldon Supremo. 99 more Ramirez Santiago M. Chad. Chad. W. Leanne. B. Correct. Jimundo. Janine R. Maya P. Maddie S. Belinda N. Chris H. Dave H. Spider-Man. Chase. Sheila. G.
Starting point is 01:11:51 Brad. D. Ray. Ray. H. Correct. Tabitha. T. Tom. N. Lilliana. M. N. A. Michelle. Okay. Correct. Mundo. Talia M. Betsy. I called you out on this last one. You didn't get it right. Betsy. D. Correct. You got it. Chad L. Rochelle. Marion, Meg K, Trav, L, Dan, N, Big Stevie W, Angel, M, Rian, C, Corey K, Super Sam, Coleman, G, Dev Nexon, Michelle A, Jeremy, C, Cody R, Gabbinator, David C, John B, Brandy D, Yvore, Camille S, the C, Joey. Pants. Joey M. All right. Hi, Joey M, Willie F, Christina E, Adelaide, N, Omar, I, Lena, N, E, Eugene, and Leah, Chris P, Corey, Patricia, Heather L, Jake B. Got a few left here. try to remember these James B think James Brown
Starting point is 01:12:53 Bobbitt Bobbitt Like Lorena Bob it Pull it Ed Huh Ed?
Starting point is 01:13:02 Asner Ed A Ed A A A A A A boy A ball F Joshua B Because he's cool
Starting point is 01:13:11 Tony G Sean R Megan T Mel S Orlando C Annie John B Caroline R
Starting point is 01:13:17 Darren B Rob E We love you all thanks patrons i appreciate it thanks for spending um an hour with us um ryan and i really appreciate that i do yeah thanks for allowing me to be inside of you all of you and until next time from the hollywood hills in california i'm michael rosenbarian obriand tales that's dan we love you guys and uh thanks thanks for tuning in i really means a lot to me go uh get people to subscribe will you and most importantly, be good to yourself.
Starting point is 01:13:52 Be good to yourself. What do you say? I said get vaccinated. Just be good to yourself. We'll see you next week. Football season is here. Oh, man. Believe has the podcast to enhance your football experience.
Starting point is 01:14:12 From the pros. One of the most interesting quarterback rooms to college. Michigan is set at 8. and a half wins to fantasy if you feel that way why didn't you trade them become a better fan and listen to the football podcasts from believe just search believe that's bL-e-a-v podcast follow and listen on your favorite platform

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