The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz - MoCo Insider: Anthony Ramos

Episode Date: June 9, 2023

Transformers: Rise of the Beast is set to be one of the summer's biggest blockbusters. We have the man at the helm as the lead in the film...Anthony Ramos. He joins us to talk about his career. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You know, I felt like it was a guy showing me like, yo, this is where you're supposed to be. And in those moments, especially when I got that scholarship, I was like, I had to take the baseball thing. It's, that's a dub. I'm done. Before they get in your business, be in charge of your business.

Only because it's your business, your business, business. Handle all in your business, value value only your business. You say you're mine and your business, my business. Anthony Ramos. Is it Ramos or is it Ramos? I've said both, but he knows now I got nothing but love for him. The actor, the singer, the songwriter, and the star of the new movie, Transformers, Rise of the Beachy guys. It's Al Jun 9th the new movie Transformers rise to the beach, you guys.

It's out June 9th, but I don't even want this to feel like a promo because I was gonna watch it anyway. Like, I already watched the shows. I already watched the Transformers. That's why I'm like, dude, you are a part of an iconic franchise. It's crazy and the type of representation that was in this film is lit.

Shout out to Dominique doing her thing. I'm excited because not only is Anthony Raymo's like, he's killing it, but it was kind of dope to hear him talking. He just laid back. He's dope. You can see exactly what I mean. Check it out. We have actors, singer, songwriter, and star of the new movie Transformers, rides of the beast out June 9th. Anthony Raimels, welcome to the show.

I'm trying to tell you you're cooking. Thanks for having me. No, I'm hype. Let's go. I'm telling you so we're fans in this house. So my son watches Hamilton faithfully. My wife is a Dominican from New York. So come on now.

You just know she loved in the Heights. So we're excited to get going though. But honestly, I'm always excited because like you, you look mad, how old are you? You look mad, young, because you're, I'm always saying that because you're rolling right now. Is that a thing in Hollywood? Don't ask it. But I'm just saying you're rolling and you've been a part of like major projects, now transformers. So what even gets you excited about a role? Is it the script who's starring in it, the franchise? Because you've had some amazing roles so far in your career.

Yeah, now I'm 31. Wow. I'm excited. I'm pumped about, it's the role. The story is always for me the most important thing. It's like, what are we saying? What is the potential of what we can say? Sometimes, I'll do a movie and the script is not,

I won't look for like a finished, complete story. Like I don't want to be like, oh my gosh, the best script I have read is there enough here where we can improve this, you know, where we can turn this? Because it's also like, if you have a collaborative director, you know, I've been a part of movies where the script looked like

one thing when we started, but it, you know, it looked like a different thing when we finished. And I think that almost on everything I've ever done. So that's normal, like that you just get a script. And then what happens like the day of the set, like do you deliver it different? And they're like, oh, I like that. Or like how does that come about where it changes?

Well, we were hurt sometimes. Sometimes I'll be like, you know, when we're in rehearsal, we like, you know what, maybe if we do it this way, him saying, or maybe if I say this, may I say these lines this way, this might be better, or sometimes we'll be on set, and I'm like, yo, this line's not really hitting, man. And I'll be thinking about thinking about it,

and we're like, you know what? What if we cut this line here, we put this one here, and then I'll just say something this right here instead of what's written. And then directly be like, okay, yeah, dope. That's crazy. I mean, you basically directed a little bit too, and I know that's kind of like how the maturation happens.

I was talking to Michael B. Jordan. He was like, look, I already do it with my part. So when Cree three happened, I felt like I could step into that role. So is that kind of the maturation of actors where you just start to do that yourself? Yeah, I mean, when you, you know, you work, you start working on enough scripts, you start to, and you also, also like life, right? You start to realize that, you know, when you're having a conversation with someone, you know, most of the time we're paying attention to the, whatever the meat of the conversation

is, right? Whatever the... How do you just get straight to the point? Right. You know, and it's basically like, you only got an hour and 50 minutes, hour and a half to hour and 50 minutes in a movie to tell this story. There's no time to dance around what you're trying to say or trying to find your way to what you're trying to say.

That's what rehearsals for, right? You dance around what you're trying to say and trying to find your way to what you're trying to say. That's what rehearsals for, right? You dance around what you're trying to say until you figure out what you wanna say and then you just say that. You cut everything else around it. That's getting in the way of you just getting straight to the point. You know what I'm saying?

Like, because you got to get to the point. Every scene, you got to get to the point. We're straight to it. I mean, that makes sense because it's even like right now. Look, I got 24 minutes, I'ma get right to it with you in a sense of how I'm gonna get right to it. And you have us, like, you act along like mega stars and even another star, Dominique Fishback is who on fire right now coming off a swarm. That went crazy. So what was it like filming Transformers then you're cutting up the scenes and you're talking

about rehearsal. What's it like almost doing that dance alongside another star like Dominique Fishback? Well, I mean when you work with someone like that, you know, Dom's always thinking about everything like you got to see her notes like she makes me feel like a Like a failure at life. I'm like, you know, like you just look at her notes. The way she breaks down scripts You know like we just have two different ways of working. You know, I'm very like, especially a lot of my ideas will come in rehearsal or they'll come in like, you know, sometimes when I'm reading a script by myself,

the ideas won't come as quickly as when I'm reading it out loud with the cast made or whether we're doing it on set and I'll be like, oh, shit, you know what, we actually don't even need those three lines. Because if I'm going to walk right here already or if I'm holding this card in my hand, we don't have to tell people what the organization I work for if I'm holding a card and you can just do a, we could just literally do an insert of you shooting the card in my hand, come, cut back to my face or cut back to her face, boom, the audience knows exactly who I work for.

So we can cut that line or cut those three lines, explaining them who I work for. We just get right to it. The ideas will come when, you know, sort of like for me, like when we're in it, when we're in the mix, you know, a lot faster. You know, I still get the ideas when I'm reading a script, but you know, but for like for Dom, she's so academic. I mean, she was

a valedictorian in school in high school. Like she's so, no, Dom is like brilliant. Wow. And the way she breaks down scripts, you know, a lot like who I'm working with right now, Daisy Edgar Jones reminds me of Dom and that way. Like me and Daisy were going over her scene the other day rehearsing together. And it was just she and I, and we were talking to this gentleman, Kevin, who's actually, you know, meteorologist here and working with us in Oklahoma on this movie to make sure that we get all the facts right.

Everything we're saying is correct, scientifically correct. And I'm talking about you. This guy was saying she's on the phone and she was writing at us lightning speed pace. I was like, you're all over. Everything. Is she doing everything? Everything, y'all.

And I told her I said, today's the going way we're together. I was like, yo, I just want to let you know that. I was in awe of your artistry and brilliance the other day. I just wanted to say that I allowed to. That's hilarious. But you know, when you work with actors like that, you know, it makes the job a lot easier and more exciting too, because you know,

you know that you in it with, you know, someone who's bringing just as good, if not better ideas is you. Best facts, that's facts. It reminds me of sports. Like where you, you got a teammate that's like, you see them holding up the squad. You like, all right, let me get in my bag and start to figure out how I can help. And you mentioned, mentioned Daisy Edgar Jones. You also blend powers and you're upcoming Twister sequel. And I saw that fans, like when they see y'all filming, fans is taking photos oh my god I saw Anthony Rae-Mos at the

cafe. So what is that like when you're filming a movie like are people like watching the whole scenes are they recording like cuz he has recognized you. They stay all day. Some will stay all day like there were these two women that sat at the cafe across street the whole day. We shot for 13 hours and they were there all 13. What? And then what happens if they're filming like spoiler alarms like what's going on? I mean, you know, security will go across the street be like, okay, you know, stop recording and shit. But I mean, they can't, you know, you really don't know what's going on unless

you can hear what's happening. They can't really you know we were shooting in this coffee shop Yeah, literally just videos of two people sitting in the coffee shop shooting something But you don't know what they Out there dedicated like she was sweet though, you know, she's like yeah Okay, ask me come across street take a picture, you know, take a video for a daughter and stuff You know people people are usually really nice. You know, I'm saying me to come across street, take a picture, take a video for a daughter and stuff. People are usually really nice, you know what I'm saying? They just fans and movies, you know, fans of the work.

So it's, you know, it's sweet, man, it's nice. I mean, the fans are really, I mean, because sports entertainment, we're a sports entertainment podcast, so we like cover both sides, because I feel like they're so synonymous. Like I played in the WNBA 11 years, but now that I'm on the other side,

I can see that it's synonymous. And even like we got to hit up the Hamilton fans because you're iconic for that. Like I mean, I'm a huge fan of Hamilton. But do fans ever come up to you and start singing your bars? Like my name is Philip. I am a poet.

No. It's hot. No, yo, it's like, No, it happens less now. But for sure, the first three years after I left the show, probably from 2017 to about 2020, but I think the pandemic, the movie coming out kind of gave it a resurgence. So I think it kind of died down the last year, actually.

So with the movie, get gay people that extra battery in the back. They were like, now, now, now that, then that started happening a little more, but, but not, it don't really happen that much, but, but, but it's cool. It's cool to know that, you know, a lot of people were moved by that, by that show, you know. Definitely. Definitely. And, okay, I told you, like, we're sportsorsan entertainment. And I gotta ask because I found out that since you are an athlete too, you were on track to play NCAA men's baseball, like that. Yeah, it was D3 though, wasn't I not gonna go on with him be like,

not crazy, y'all, I was D1, old state, old country, like, you know, I'm like, nah. So you was gonna go D3, okay, let's even say D3, because like, look, I got to son right now that people want a scholarship in general, like you say in D3. Okay, let's even say D3 because, look, I got to zone right now that people want a scholarship in general. Like you say in D3, but D3 is D3. Everybody ain't getting D3, but what made you choose?

Like, I know it wasn't the top level of baseball, but was it just the passion that you had more for the entertainment space or was it just like, you thought, man, I can go farther in entertainment? That's where I'm rolling. No, no. I mean, honestly, what happened was the two schools I was considering every application got withdrawn because I didn't get my financial aid form

in and time, the FAFSA sheet, the form you got to fill out for how much financial aid you're gonna get or how much you qualify for. So because I didn't get that form in, we were going through a lot at the time and we missed the deadline. And basically acting was like, it was almost like this one school was the last resort.

I was just talking to, I had a meeting about the start telling the story, like I almost went to the Navy, and the recruiters were calling the house and sh**. My mom kept hanging up, like he doesn't live here, you know, like that, you know, like, mom was like, no, right? Yeah, yeah, true. Like, and you know, my high school theater teacher, you know, I started theater when I was 16 because I did, there was a, I thought it was a talent show ended up being a musical, I was like, oh, she's like, well, you know, we'd love to still have you. I'm like, I

don't know. I don't really act like that. She was like, you should try it. So I did. And I loved it. So I just kept doing it in my junior and senior year. And this teacher, like, you know, she gave me the pamphlet to this school in New York called Handa. It's two year school. You study musical theater or acting.

I study musical theater there. She helped me write the essays for the application. She paid for the application. She sent it out. She helped me with the audition material the application. She paid for the application. She sent it out. She helped me with the audition material along with another teacher named Miss H. She was home via letter. It was my Shakespeare teacher at the time of school. You know, I couldn't afford to school. Then Sarah, the director, she wrote a letter to Jerry Seinfeld's college foundation at the time. And I just told them my story. And they were like, you know, I was just like, look, I need a chance,

you know, I was just going to get a chance on me and then basically, you know, I left. My grades weren't that good, but they called me a couple days later, like, yo, you know, we decided to give you the scholarship for any school you want to go through for four years and it was crazy. Like I got into Amda, couldn't afford it.

You know, so it was, all this stuff was happening, you know, back to back, these like miracles happening for me consecutively. It was like a blessing. And it was like life kept showing me that. I felt like it was God showing me like, yo, this is where you're supposed to be. And I think in those moments, especially when I got that scholarship, I was like, I had to think

the baseball thing is that's a dub. By the scholarship, I was like, I had to think the baseball thing is, that's a dub, by the way I'm done. You posted the other day that you took a DNA genealogy test and found that you were the great, your great grandfather was a king. So listen, you talk about ordering your steps. I mean, you are the descendant of a king. Like there were nine, I think nine kings

and then once they tried in the Canary Islands Before the the islands were taking my the Spanish and my group 16th Remove the great grandfather was one of the nine kings. I couldn't believe it Like I was like It's like the doctor Henry Gates is sitting in front me like how does it feel knowing that you are the descendant of a king in the frame, like, how does it feel knowing that you are the descendant of a king? I was like, what? How do you even answer that? Also was hilarious as well when we started the interview.

You know, he started that show finding your roots. It was only for like African American actors or anybody of, you know, African descent, things like that, right? And then in the third season, kind of opened it up to people of all races, but he made me laugh when he said, before we started, he's like, oh, I'm about to blow your mind, young man. He said, I'm about to tell you how black you are.

No. And I started cracking up. So what was he mean? And like, what do he mean in specific with that? No, they do percentages of like, I'm 40% white Spanish, then 34% African, like my family's blood, traces back to Congo and Ghana and Nigeria,

like all throughout Africa. And then 17% indigenous, some being from the Guangzhou people, the Guangzhou from the Canary Islands and then some Dainos From Puerto Rico the native people in Puerto Rico. So it was just crazy like finding out All the you know like my great great grandmother was like this African woman named Rosalía who in African slave trade for whatever reason the Spanish people kept their documents, in America, in the North America, specifically in the United States, all these people who were brought from Africa,

their documents were thrown away, it was almost like they didn't exist, right? But for whatever reason, the Spanish kept all the documents. So it was like not only was my great grandmother a slave to this gentleman in Puerto Rico, that's how my whole family got to buy Yamon. I can talk about this all day. It was crazy.

This dude was blowing my mind. But isn't it crazy though? Because I'm listening like you tell in a story. I'm like, okay, it's all day and what? But that's, it's crazy to know your heritage like that was really crazy. But then it's also crazy to see like Your great great grandfather probably won't be surprised looking at you sitting right here is what I mean

I'm just being real. It's like when you start to learn things It's sometimes it just makes things make sense and so I'm just saying like I feel like you had that moment Because you just said like it was like my life was telling me something God was telling me something then I'm like Shoot you found out you were said like it was like my life was telling me something God was telling me something then I'm like shoot you found out you were dissing another king like come on right right unbelievable so it also makes me think about too like I talked about your singers songwriter and you have all kinds of different things going on you have a new song that came out Vijana literally means villain in Spanish and it has a reggae tone vibe.

So what's the story behind the song, the inspiration to your music like you're multi-faceted? You know, I wrote this song, I wrote this song a year ago or something like that. It was a while back. I wrote this song, but it was fresh off of, you know, I had a break up and you know, everybody thought it was because of one thing and it wasn't. And you know, I hadn was because of one thing and it wasn't and you know I hadn't said anything about it and I was just like you know the only place I'm gonna talk about this is in my music and how this feels and the transition of of what it feels like coming out of

this relationship and how I felt all the way through to how I feel now you know that the project is not finished I mean the first two songs come out. One comes out in June, the other one comes out in July. But, you know, it was basically this journey of like that initial feeling and then people's opinions about you. And then what you think about yourself, all the way through to now, where I'm at now, you know, and the work that it still takes for me to, um, you know, heal from that process and for me to find myself after, you know, having a crazy experience like the one I had, it was a pretty intense time in my life. So I think now these songs are just how I feel about how I felt. I don't feel how I felt when I wrote Viano,

I don't feel that way anymore, but in that moment, that's how I felt about myself or that's how it was crazy. And then, but I'm super excited to finally get these songs out because then start to write new ones about where I'm at now. And that's what I was gonna say, because right now you're doing Twister. And is there something that, like, if it happens in your life,

do you like, man, I got to get the pin. I got to write this moment out. Even if you're busy on another project, like, do you make sure that you write out your emotion in the moment? Do you get what I'm saying? Because right now, you don't feel the same way you felt when you wrote the song.

But you wrote it in that emotion. So you got the raw. we got the exact energy. Do you have to do that live or can you go back and tap into that energy? It just to put, like for example, right? Viano I wrote months almost maybe a year after the breakup happened, so I had to tap back into that feeling. Got you.

Maybe like it was months after, you know? But it was like I was sitting in the studio and I was like, yo, I still have a rating about this specific feeling that I had, you know? And then I got into both and the juice started flowing, you know, and then I'm really spating. Now I had a whole different second verse that was even more raw and it was a little bit,

but I felt like the second verse was wasn't really getting to the point of what I wanted to say in the song so I rewrote that second verse twice actually and finally we got one that that got again like we said straight to the point like the other two second verses were like 16 bars then this was just eight and I feel like this one is way more succinct to the point than the other two That were written that were actually wraps. They weren't even so I was saying way more So you almost made it a little lighter to make sure that it you know like so what like what did you change when you went straight to it from

16 to eight what changed in that and that Transformation 16 to eight you said you got right to it. It was almost like I was saying before right dancing around the point. I was dancing around it. You know you can find clever lyrics to say that that sound cool you know the dancing around the point but the point was is that like this is what y'all said I was and this is so I know I am. Got you. You know and how do I say that and you know what let's shorten this verse and just say that shit in eight bars the same amount of time

It took us to do the first verse. Let's do the second verse with the same amount of bars and just get to get to the point And we did I just start flowing and just came out You know, and I changed that verse recently a few months ago, you know Because I just kept bumping up against this second verse and I was like, this is hard, but it's not. It doesn't feel like what I want to say in this song, it doesn't feel like what I'm trying to say, the message I'm trying to get out in this track, you know what I'm saying. And, you know, finally, I think, you know, we landed on it, you know. Man, no, I can just, you basically got to put your emotions in a song and then even show the world your emotions. So I can understand how like getting that right could be a meticulous task.

We are excited about the new movies that's about to come out. Transformers rise at the beast out on June 9th, Anthony Ramosman. I appreciate you coming through. This is a home for you. You're always welcome here. I appreciate you man coming through the moco.

No, thank you. Thanks for having me. This is super fun. You're always welcome here. I appreciate you man coming through the moco. No, thank you. Thanks for having me. This is just super fun. You're all appreciated. So on top of everything else that Anthony Ray Moose is doing, there's Vigiano that just, it's already out now, but I love when I see people doing the most. You know, we always have things where we say,

like we got an episode coming up called about moms doing the most, but I think doing the most, some people call it like a bad thing. Some people can say, oh man, you be doing the most. But I kind of think doing the most is a good thing. And so doing the most like means like you can be multi-talented. You can be an athlete that's turned actor that also sings a little bit by the way like,

shoot, we doing the most right now. We doing the most with child. We give y'all a show every single week. Doing the most. You know how hard it is to put on a show every single week? Come on down, don't know somebody got to feel me and we'll see y'all next week because it's a generational thing.