The Highwire with Del Bigtree - DREA DE MATTEO: ULTRA FREE

Episode Date: May 6, 2024

Emmy award winning actress, Drea de Matteo, shares how she became an unemployable actress in Hollywood over her vaccination status, being an outsider in the predominantly woke industry, and the unconventional ways she has kept her career alive. She also discusses her new clothing line, Ultra Free, that celebrates freedom.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-highwire-with-del-bigtree--3620606/support.

There's a hero we're gonna talk to today, and here she is. And the Emmy goes to Dreia de Mateo. Please welcome Dreya DeMateo! Drea de Mateo's playing the iconic Adrono La Serva and the soprano. Almost got killed, Christopher. Christopher! Oh my God! When I went in for the audition, I didn't know it was a mafia drama.

I thought it was about opera singers. Why don't you just forget about working and be with me? Oh yeah. And be one of those wives like a Carmel and Soprano. You're so well known for your Emmy-winning role as Adriana and the Sopranos. Do people still come up to you and quote your lines? Um, yes, they do. If it would have been Christopher alone in a car with a woman, I would have killed him.

People come up to me all the time. You know, when you're on TV, people think that they're best friends with you. If I were a movie star, people would leave me alone, never talk to me. They'd be intimidated, especially with these big, mean eyes. with these big, mean eyebrows all the time. I want to marry you. Got your ring and everything. Don't listen to a maid.

He's been jerking you around for three years. You're wasting your whole youth. This is the first Emmy nomination and win for Trey to Mateo who plays Adriana on the Sopranos. There are so many people that are responsible for this. But if I even try to thank any of them right now, I might puke, choke, cry or die. You've already seen me do that,

so I'm just going to say thank you and go have 10 drinks. Now she's starring in this season's highest rated news. sitcom Joey. What a tramp. That's a mirror, Gina. Damn it, that is me. Had you done a sitcom before? No, I still don't know what I'm doing, but I'm trying.

I'm not used to seeing myself not getting strangled. When I did Sons, that was another situation where there was no role written. Oh, wow. They asked me to do the pilot as a favor. It's going to be different this time. This time I have my baby to live for. When FX heard that they got me to do it, they were like, Well, would she stay?

And they asked me if I'd stay, and I said, of course I'll stay. But is there a role? I mean, what are you going to do with me? I just died. They brought her back to life. I think Wendy's power lies in the fact that she's Abel's mom. She's not a manipulator. She's not there to get over on anybody.

She's not going to betray people. There's a line. I can't believe they did this. But they've done this on a couple of shows. Be careful. Or all Adriana you. It's a good reference. doing the one thing I swore I'd never do,

saying yes to a reality show. What's the meeting behind the name? I mean, obviously, you're a mom. I guess that much. Yes, I'm a mom. And my house is sort of like a commune for gypsies and crazies. So everybody always says that my house is either The Vortex, which I guess would not be the better name for the show

with kids running around, the vortex. So it's kind of the mothership. Yeah, and we're kind of out there in space a little bit. Today on the motherfucking mothership, I am going to be cracking the whip on my musician boyfriend to finish some songs that he's been working on. There's no filters. I don't even know if you'll understand half of what I'm saying, because I'm sure it's just... That's enough reason to watch it. That's enough reason to watch it. It's my Supermom Award. If I have a fucking heart attack today, only please take care of my kids?

The only way for me to work right now is an independent film because I haven't complied to all the rules that it takes to work in TV these days. The censorship is astounding to me. I cannot believe the censorship that's happening in the world right now. No one is paying attention. I lost everything because I held out. I consumed information as much as I could about what was going on. It didn't sit right with me. I felt like the whole thing was, it was just all very suspect.

What would you say to your audience? Always follow the truth. Well, it's my honor and pleasure to be joined right now by Drea de Mateo. what an honor it is to have you on the high wire. Thanks for joining us. I am so excited. I don't think you understand that for the last three years, I was just religiously on the high wire watching and listening to everything you were saying

because there was no getting me to pay attention to mainstream media at that point. Wow, that's amazing. Well, it's probably, I mean, look, I don't know how you made it out there in Los Angeles. We had just run, you know, I moved my whole studio out of there and just before COVID happened. But I just had a sense. California was losing its mind. I spent my career working in Paramount Studios there on CBS Talks for the Doctors. But so many of my friends, I mean, what a difficult time to be in Hollywood.

First of all, did you have friends that, like, at least were aligned with you as you went through this process? No. I don't think that even one of my friends was aligned with me. I was very quiet about it, especially once, you know, everybody was lining up to get vaccinated. But I was surprised that they cared that I wasn't. My friends didn't really say much about it, but I remember my brother was like, you know, I really think that you need to protect your family. And I was just like, wow, we're going to play that card, like not protecting my children. I thought I was protecting my children by doing the research before I, you know, they tell you when you're a kid, you're going to follow your friends and jump off a bridge. Right. I need to research this, you know, I need to understand

things a little better. Man, people were real condescending at that time and everybody was a scientist and I had doctors in my family. And there was just such a, it was so arrogant. It wasn't even, and I was humble about my decision of what I wasn't arrogant about it. Everybody had this arrogance about them. And I was like, but based on what? It was such a wild mental flip. Yeah. Especially for like, you know, we consider ourselves like hippies and liberals and all that. Where did all my, where did all my liberal friends go? Yeah. I was like, you're tyrants now. Yeah, it was really a, it was, it was, it was, it was really a trip. I mean, so much of it, you know, yoga studios that were not allowing you in if you hadn't been vaccinated. You know, just like, how does this fit into AER Veda and all of, you

mean, all of this hippie, like I was the same way, I was raised, I'm a hippie kid, you know, I was raised by hippies. We were the ones that, you know, ate organic food and, you know, had these crazy diets. None of the kids in my school could understand. And, you know, And certainly were vitamins before pharma. And then it just sort of this whole thing shifted. And, you know, when we think about, what's so funny about imagining you go through it is because, you know, you tend to play these really intense balls out characters that have no problem stating, you know, who they are, where they're at. You know, when you're in Hollywood, as you were saying, you were like very quiet about it. Is that more your nature?

Is it, I mean, do you sort of show us something different in film than when you walk down the street? Or was it just a situation that had you keeping it on the lowdown? I mean, I'm generally a really shy, shy person. I, even like the character I played on Sopranos actually was a victim. She might have had her moments, you know, of like cursing it, Christopher or whatever. But she was a super victim. I felt like, I felt super, I didn't feel like a victim during the pandemic. I felt, I mean, look, you mentioned vitamins.

I'm jumping around here. But when I realized that they were going to get rid of like things that I lived by, like NAC or there was just all this talk of, you know, in Canada too, just getting rid of all of these supplements. Yeah. Now I'm like, wait a minute. Now I really need to understand this further. This is way beyond anything that we're hearing in the mainstream media.

It just, and then when the mandates happened, I was petrified of losing everything. I was petrified of losing my home, my bank account, everything, because I was hearing all of this sort of the rumblings of you don't comply, you die, basically. And I don't mean by the actual virus. I mean, by your government, kind of, I mean, listening to all of the propaganda and our own president talking about it, the winter of death, you know, all of that sort of stuff. I just started really following the money, I guess, moving anything. And then once you see all the connections and all of the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the veins. the arteries and you just kind of can't unsee it.

And it was hard to talk to anybody in Hollywood about any of that. I don't really know anybody in Hollywood, to be honest with you, I've never really been a part of my own industry anyhow. So it wasn't a loss for me, but what was a huge loss was not, was not having my potential to earn. And the mandate stopped that in its tracks, my agent dropped me. And it just was, you know, I'm already a 50, actor in my 50s. It's also not the easiest place to be. But I always maintained and was able to take care of my family.

I never cared about being a part of the industry and being like a big time actor. I just wanted to do my job, make as much money as I need to raise my children, so I'm a single mom, and then goodbye. That was complex. So I never saved. I never saved money. Right. The minute it hits, I'm like, holy, so it was not just that. And it was the strikes. And I'm like, all of this. And it was all the same shareholders for the streamers and the mandates and the vaccines and the medicinals and the medicine they want us to take as opposed to the medicine that I preferred to take. And those things were under scrutiny and under attack by other actors. Like, I can't believe there were actors coming out on vitamins.

and, you know, drugs like Ivermectin. Yeah. That was rough, man. And it's just, yeah, I don't know. Like me, you're probably a Neil Young fan. I mean, and then you just have like, keep on rocking the free world, just turned into like the, you know,

the biggest, most uptight censor anybody that speaks out. I mean, that blew my mind. You felt you're living a cartoon. I am sitting next, first of all, behind me, you can't see it. There's Crosby stills Nash and Young. And then right next to me is this insane picture that I love of Neil Young and his piano, and I have it covered with a picture of myself now. He, I can't let, I won't listen to his music. I, you know, and I'm not, I don't like to judge people and I don't like to make assumptions and, and just spew any kind of

hatred about anything ever. I always want to understand where somebody's coming from before or they make a statement or a choice, but I felt as though, well, maybe he did have, maybe he was very informed. I really just, I could not believe that he would do that. And I also couldn't believe that he would do that while the trucker's convoy and Canada's happening. And he's a Canadian. And this is your chance, man. Do what you used to do. Fight for the working class.

Fight for your people. Yeah. And you don't step out? I mean, I was at that mandate rally in California. I think you were there. Yeah, defeat the mandates, sure. Someone came up to me there, an actor who was a Screen Actress Guild, and I didn't want to be seen.

I couldn't believe I was even going. I was so nervous to even be out, but I had to go. I felt that I had to be there, and I've never stepped out for anything. And some actress recognized me, and I broke down crying. I was so moved by what was happening and at the same time so appalled that nobody was there and that nobody cared. But everybody would be fine going in the streets and destroying neighborhoods, but we won't come here and peacefully protest. This whole concept of inclusivity that was dead, all of a sudden just completely dead. It didn't, you don't know how they promote, it's the hypocrisy behind all of it.

And all I cared about at that time were the frontline workers that were, you know, heroes. And then all of a sudden there were zeros. Yeah. And I was like, I'll be able to sell my house and I'll be able to support myself if I sell my home. But I was like, what are these people going to do? You know? Right. So, yeah, now all we care about is that four-letter,

word freedom that if you mention it on Instagram or YouTube, you're going to have a possible flag just for saying that word. That's a weird something. It really is a weird time. I mean, you were being offered work, but they were, how did it work? Were they just saying you had to be vaccinated if you're going to take this job? Like how did? Yeah, I got offered a few things during that time and, you know, my agent would say, but you're not vaccinated. And I, you know, one time my, my daughter was listening and I said to her, no, I am, just don't worry, go ahead and get the job. And I'm thinking, I'm about to have nothing left because I took a forbearance. I did all of the things the government told us to do at that time.

I believed everything. And then I got thrown into foreclosure after I called the mortgage company over and over again. And they were like, no, you're not going into foreclosure. Those are just silly letters. Don't worry about it. It's all you're going to be fine. We're telling you you're fine. And don't worry about it.

And then before I knew it, the house was one day before I started to realize that it was real. And I had to hire a lawyer. We had no money left. My mom was dying at the time. I had to deal with that. There was just so much happening at once. And I wouldn't bring her to a hospital because I knew they were just going to put her on a ventilator and goodbye. So we kept her home.

And I took care of her until she passed here in my arms. but I was never canceled. I just said no. My daughter heard that I said, yeah, yeah, yeah, just go get me that job. She looked at me and she's like, are you going to use vaccine cord? Because we got a couple of them to go to dinner.

Yeah. To take a piece of dinner so they would feel like normal human beings, but don't get me wrong. We went out for dinner or even I took them to the theater so they could feel normal. I felt like, We all felt like we were the most evil people in the world. We felt like we were hurting everybody.

And just by lying, because we don't lie here, I mean, at all. And my daughter was like, you've taught us to live by this certain code. And I was like, well, guys, I think I'm going to have to start teaching you guys how to not tell the truth at this point. Because I don't know what this government's coming to. And I can't believe that we're going to have to be on the hustle just to get by. Like we never had to do that. We always lived a really honest lifestyle. So that was hard.

That's hard. That was a hard mental twist with the kids, you know. But she asked me not to do it. She said, don't do it. And I said, I'm not going to do it. I was like, you're not going to go. Because they were separating the kids at school, you know. She close contact and they put her in a, she couldn't go to school if she was near someone who had COVID.

And the kids who weren't vaccinated had to be masks the whole time in the LAUSD. Finally, my kids asked to be taken out of the L-A-U-S-D. My daughter was seventh grade and my son was in third grade. And now they're big kids and they have their own political views without me, even touching them. And I can't believe that they're just not following the LA code of insanity. Well, because they watched you. I mean, I think the most important thing we do is parents is represent.

We can say all we want. But I've been saying on this show, you know, your kids are watching it. They're watching how you're handling this. They're watching if you're going to try to comply your way out of authoritarianism. And, you know, but your kids were at that similar to mine. They were old enough to know what was going on. And I found myself having the same conversations. And I would sit with my wife, Lee, and say, I feel like we have to teach them that there actually is a time and a place where it's okay to lie.

That, you know, and we didn't know how bad it was going to get. I mean, I was thinking about that. What if someone kicks in the door? What if we were racing through an airport? We're trying to get out. And I just need you to know, there are moments. I may ask you to say things that aren't true, which is, I think for you, I mean, my life is based on truth and transparency. But, you know, how far is this go?

How far does it go the next time? I mean, if there's another pandemic, if they, you know, these people are out of their minds. And I think the hardest thing about the industry you're in is the fact that it's the heart of it. It's the propaganda machine, you know, even watching how many times they were putting get your vaccine inside. of a show or make it about a vaccine, you know, that it was just like in this programming that was going on and to watch that happening to art, it's really just defiling the most beautiful part of life. That's why we are artists. How many actors out there? I mean, were there a bunch that were like, I'm not getting it, but, you know, we're using sort of fake vaccine cards to get

by? I mean, I don't know too many actors, which is crazy. I really don't. The ones that I met that I worked with in between the man like before the mandates happened I could already tell that there were a lot you'd be surprised how many people were over the BS and they were moving out of state but then there's a whole other you know I think the I think the majority they're going to stay quiet I haven't really seen any other actor speak out about it only a couple, only a few, maybe maybe a handful. Yeah. Which I think is, I didn't anticipate speaking out ever because I'm such, I've always been

private and I've never, you know, I just don't, I'm just not a social, like, I was never social media, just none of it. I just was always kind of anonymous and just blended into the walls, you know. But when I, I think I made that crazy move where I had to start. an only fan's page to save my house, which is something I did. I was like, I never did social media really. I never posted a selfie, so I'm going to go post some selfies over here. We're actually really starting a podcast on only fans.

That was the truth. Politics. And that, I was going to put it behind a pay wall and start talking all kinds of crap about what I thought was happening. And I put a picture up to place hold and the page went, the page went kind of viral. And I was like, oh my God. So I just need to keep putting pictures up because I can save my house right now. So I did that.

And when I did that, I had to mitigate it in the press. And when I did that, it came out that I hadn't gone vaccinated. And that was kind of the storm that started the whole thing. And I was like, you know what? I know this sounds so crazy. But when I started the OnlyFans thing, I was like, I have to get comfortable being uncomfortable because everything has become very uncomfortable. So I have to do things that I never thought I would ever do to save everybody here.

And one of them was posting selfies of myself, which really that's what my page is like a fan page, you know? Yeah. And then I had to talk to the press. And I was always very uncomfortable doing that. So I started getting very comfortable, being uncomfortable, talking about this stuff. And now I feel like it's all I'm talking about. And, you know, of course, then that's when I started a clothing line called Ultra Free, because I know I can't sustain the only fans thing.

And I figure, let me move into something that's important. And I didn't really care if we sold any T-shirt. I cared that I would have the opportunity to continue talking about what's been going on. Because I think that so many of my friends and so much of society is so focused on a lot of these social issues right now. that are not really important in comparison to what's happening behind them. And the socialist issues are dividing everybody, including my friends. They want to talk about abortion all day and they want to talk about race and they want to talk about sex. And I'm like, guys, who cares?

You're not even going to have the freedom to talk about these things at some point if you don't focus on what's really happening. And I think it starts with this pandemic for us right now, the people that have, you know, Once you see a world that gets shut down, the entire world is shut down. How do you not ask questions about that? And that's where I'm at with Ultra Free is our whole thing is left and right come together. There is no left. There is no right. Forget about your pronouns.

Forget about your labels. All of that stuff. We're one. Like we are, we the people. They can't divide us anymore. They're just going to try to conquer us that way. And there's so many really evil things going on that no one's really aware of. And we need to get back to being ultra-free.

And that starts by shaking hands with your neighbor and agreeing to disagree on who the president should be or whatever it is, but that we need to stand together for when bigger things come at us. Well, when you look at things like, I mean, you know, the WHO treat or this idea that the next pandemic, They can just somehow think that they can affect the sovereignty of the nation. There's a lot of double speak and wordsmithing. Oh, it doesn't really mean that. But is that the type of thing that concerns you? You know, when you see, to me, it's the outside authorities, international authorities,

actually dictating ideas that we see here inside of the United States of America. I mean, when I think of freedom, I think America's like, yeah, we do this our way. We don't take our marching orders from anyone else in the world, yet it just feels like more and more. It's becoming acceptable. Joe Biden, you know, in his presidency, or even when he was running, you know, the whole great reset stuff and build back better. These were slogans by globalist groups, not American politicians. No. I think the Who treaty actually was, for me, it was like the tipping point.

When I started to learn about that, Ultra Free kind of was born out of that too, because I was like, I don't know how, I know a lot of people that are tuning into you are people that know that you're going to deliver this kind of information. But my friends, my liberal friends in New York who are still reading the New York Times, they're not going to tune in. But I don't know how to turn people around. I feel like, okay, so I show up as this total liberal hippie, which is what I am, you know, you try to convince people that certain Breitbart or any of these people, they were once the same way, you know, they started out the same way we did. And then all of a sudden they woke up and something clicked and they were like, wait a minute, there's so much going on here that's not okay.

even with our own American amazing government, not amazing government, I'm sorry, I love American people, but right now the government's been totally hijacked. And when we talk about that treaty, it's like I try to explain it to my friends. And it's like, no one wants to know. They don't want to know until danger is on their doorstep.

Right. A lot of people with that treaty are like, well, I'll comply. You know, I got vaccinated already. I'm going to continue to do that. And it's not just that. I don't think they understand that the treaty spans so many things and that you're giving up sovereignty of, I mean, that's why I sort of feel like a lot of the state sovereignty right now is super important. But I don't think that a lot of my friends would understand that. Yeah.

I don't know if the state sovereignty is going to make a difference once you give up that control to unelected officials like that with the WHO treaty. I really hope that treaty never really get signed off on but I don't know I think we're in such a poly crisis right now that there's so many things happening at once that no one knows where to focus I think that's by design

you know by these guys who are behind Joe Biden I don't even know if I don't think that Joe Biden does anything really but you tell that to your friends they're like tempted He's a wild hat.

I'm like, no. No. Has it changed? Has the energy, I mean, because there's one thing to be quietly going through and saying, I'm not going to comply to the way you're seeing it. And we are through COVID, but are you getting pushback? Is it weird walking down the street? Is it weird going into jobs now that you're sort of very public?

Has that changed? Has it made your life any more difficult? Or is it the same or better? How has that been affecting your life? My life's totally different now. I don't know. I'm not in. I was never really in Hollywood.

I would take my jobs as I needed them. So I'm definitely completely out now. I have no agent. I, you know, I don't really speak to anybody within the industry at all. I don't, there's no jobs. I don't think anybody who would want to deal with me if they think I'm such a rebel. They might think I'm difficult on set, which I'm not.

But I'm actually, I've been doing this. I've been promoting ultra free. And like I said, if we sell some t-shirts great, and if we don't, fine as long as we reach a few people that might have, you know, maybe some people who are still afraid to speak out, maybe they will, whether they have a platform or not. if I can share a tiny bit of wisdom with somebody

about all of the research that people like you and myself, I'm not like you, you, I mean, I remember when I was going through the whole T-DAP thing with my son. Oh, yeah. And I found your episode. And I was like, thank God, I'm not crazy. I thought I was crazy because my kids have,

they're over-vaccinated. My kids are over-vaccinated because they, between New York and LA. And sometimes I'd be like, Did I get that act? Did I get it here? It's not on the card. And so, yeah, I was never like some psycho-antivaxer. I didn't like vaccines, but my ex-1 is vaccinated,

and it was easier to just do it. And I didn't really think much of it. I just did them all really late in life. Like I vaccinated then when they were like 10. But he's- So you're one of these people that COVID really pushed you into a different perspective on vaccines in general are you now like looking at them all and saying you know i'm not so sure about that no i mean my godchild was just born and you're you don't do not put anything in that

baby's body especially now knowing that they are trying to use the same technology as the particular they just knew that that that was not for me at that time without learning about it first. I mean, the same way you get three opinions before going into surgery, you know, I want to know more. That's all. I still don't feel like I know enough. I wish more people were interested in not in trying to know more when they felt like they didn't know enough without just doing stuff blindly, you know? Yeah, well, I think that that's what's changing. And I think there's hope. I mean, I really am hopeful that, you know, 30% of the country didn't get the vaccine under a really powerful propaganda assault.

I think the fact that, you know, 90% of people that are now due for their boosters aren't getting it. You know, at least there's some question about whether I should be listening to these people anymore. And I think every day that someone like you steps up and starts speaking, you know, you're right. I mean, I think it's a handful of people. Rob Schneider has been very outspoken, a couple of people like that, few and far between for sure. You're out there much louder than they are, but there is this sense that a lot of, not a lot, a minority of very talented, powerful actors are saying, I'm not sure I buy this whole woke thing. Can we have another way that we make films and that we can look at other scripts and maybe tell a different story? It seems like there's going to be a revolution a bit inside of media and art. I don't know how successful it will be, but those are the things that happen when people like you, step out and start speaking out. Does anyone come up to you, actress saying,

man, I wish I could do it. I wish I was brave, or did they sit there quietly? I think that some of the ex-actresses out there, some girls that have like Samara Armstrong, Chiva Rose, girls like that will send me messages like, you know, right on, right on, but they were out there way before me. So every time they give me a right on,

I'm like, man, I'm just following you guys. I just got thrown to the wolves with that only fans page. I said to my kids when we were doing the only fans thing, I was like, you know, this is nothing. What's about to happen if I continue talking about what we just went through, that's going to be something. Like, mommy's more exposed talking about freedom than I am in a, you know, in underwear on Only fans.

Right. It's crazy. But, you know, it's porn and politics. politics, man. That's my life now. I joke around about it. I do this talk about porn politics, even though it's not form. But anyway. It's amazing the journeys we find ourselves on. When, you know, so tell me just, just ultra free. How do we buy the t-shirts? How do we, how do we get to the, you know, the clothing line that you're doing?

Ultrafree.com. Okay. Ultrafree's one word. It looks, oh. Oh, we got the website right there. Ultra-Free is an anti-bullsh, underground, hands-on, family-operated company focused on the streetwear and artist's integrity. Your voice could make the difference, use it wisely, become a member of the Ultra-Free militia today. I love it. That's Robbie. That's all my boyfriend. He does all the designs. Oh, yeah.

Ultra-free is about being, it says, it's, I can't even stand up, that's all. But anyhow, it's, you know, he's a rock and rollers. drummer and a rock band, this band, All Them Witches and UVWAs, and it's about making freedom cool again. Now, if you talk about freedom, everyone's like, oh, I'm sorry, you're a white nationalist. It's like, no, we are the generation of being free and being cool and getting back to some form of innocence. And everybody's so savage right now. And there is, innocence has been completely lost. And I do think that if we can get back to, at least being friends and understanding each other and to stop

torturing each other, especially the people that are claiming peace and harmony. And then they're the very ones being judgmental and not having any compassion. I love your line that you've said a while ago about weaponizing compassion. Yeah. And I feel like all of the social issues and most of all the mandates, you know, all of that. It's, everything's weaponized now. Everything.

I mean, if you, just talking about something as innocent as being free, that that becomes somehow a racist comment is, I don't understand that thinking. It's, it's indoctrination. It's mind control. It's bizarre. Yeah. And I think people to put their, their power and love.

and loving each other, and not all of this government approval validation all day long. I think the validation has to come from each other, you know. I agree. There are so many actors out there that I know. They come up to me. They watch the show. I'll say, will you poss? Is there any way we could get you public?

Could I put you with a group of other actors and the terror inside of them? And it's something I've tried to understand, I guess, because, technically, I mean, there's a talent to acting, but it's such a popularity contest. It's just designed on, are you popular to the public or not? And if you're on the wrong side of that, then you never work again. It's a very, I can see it in their eyes.

It's terrifying this idea of speaking out because I will never work again, and I don't know what else I would do. So to meet people like you, those, I don't think people really recognize how different it is to meet an actor or someone that that has stepped out the way you have. It's a, it's a massive statement of courage.

And, uh, you really are rare. And it's just fantastic to be talking to you. And I think, I think it'll be awesome for all of your friends that are maybe, maybe quietly watching you to see the success that I believe you'll have out of this. I mean, I will say many, many of our mutual friends are now, have all moved to Texas because they've just had it, uh, with the Los Angeles. but everyone's doing really well. Everybody that speaks their truth. It's one of the things I really want. I try to get through to people as I speak on stages. They'll come up. You're so brave. I wouldn't know

how to, you know, speak my truth like that. I was like, I don't know how you don't. You're going to die a cancer. It's going to eat the you inside out. And frankly, this idea is like, well, thank you for your sacrifice. It's not a sacrifice to be able to speak your mind, to speak your truth and be a walking, living human being. And I think most importantly, what you've said is what are our children? I mean, the future of this planet depends on children that are not just going to comply and roll over. Then we have let go of the American dream. We killed it. Our generation could potentially be responsible for having just let the American dream disappear, or we're going to stand up and fight for it. I think it's that's the question right now at hand.

Yeah, I think also the way a lot of kids are being raised these days is it's just not what we, it's not how we've raised. Yeah. I really appreciate what you just said because that it wasn't easy to come out and start talking about this stuff. But I will say that I really feel like I feel supported by, I feel supported by God. that sounds probably a little bit too. So do I. My friends and stuff, but I have faith that I,

that I'm supposed to do this right now. I don't know, I don't know what else to do at this point. I feel like I'm, I got pushed into it because like I said, I'm a very shy, nervous person and I would never speak publicly. I couldn't speak on a stage.

I can hide behind a character. I can't even play a character who speaks on a stage, actually, like who's publicly speaking. But the fact that I'm, doing this and I don't have any nerves when I'm doing it anymore is weird and it doesn't feel like it's me it feels like some other person has taken over and um I don't know how to explain it really but I was listening to was it Brett Weinstein yeah yeah I loved him during the first couple of years of the pandemic like really I was really paying attention to him

closely and he said something about the people that have held out are here for this really important time and I and I feel for all the actors that want to speak out I feel so much more comfortable and proud to be aligned with you I was paying attention to you during the pandemic I was paying attention to a handful of other people and I found solace and to me you were my hero. Like you were one of the heroes out there. So right back at you, but people like you, you know, I feel like I'm, I feel like I'm in the right place. Do I feel worthy?

Maybe not, but I do feel like I'm on the right path to doing the right thing and not being quiet. I've always hated actors who talk about politics. Hated it. I thought it was the stupidest thing ever. I love Team America, watching them make fun of, you know, all the actors talking about politics. Yeah.

And here I am now. Whant, whant, whey, whey. I don't feel like I'm an actor anymore. So. Well, that's what happens when they get you out of your job and you have nothing left to do, but stay home and research things. Or it's what happens, I think, when you find you are sort of given a divine purpose. And I think that, you know,

that part of what you're saying, I say the same thing. And so many people that I meet that are finding themselves doing things they never would have dreamed. Find a courage you can't explain. It comes from something bigger than yourself. And I hope that many, many, many more people just heard what you said there in our audience, our friends in, you know, around Hollywood and all across the country and all across the world.

We're needed now. There's something really big going on. We're only vessels for a... you know, for God, for greater intelligence, for the future, for our children. And so welcome, welcome to the family. I mean, it's, it's great to have you and just nothing but blessings come in your way. I know it. And it really is so exciting to watch you going through this journey. So, and I want to thank you for taking the time to join us here and just be so open and honest and know that there's so many people supporting you. And keep up the great work, Drea.

All right. Thank you, you too, man.