The Kristian Harloff Show - Penguin star RHENZY FELIZ on working with Colin Farrell, Runaways + possibly playing MILES MORALES!
Episode Date: October 30, 2024The Penguin is one of the hottest shows on television and arguably one of the best things DC has done. Colin Farrell is obviously catching tons of accolades for his performance as Oz but it is his co-...stars who are also stealing the show. Rhenzy Feliz who plays Vic is Oz's right hand man. Kristian chats with Rhenzy about getting the role, working with Colin, fearing the news when Gunn and Sarah took over the DCU. We discuss the opportunity of playing Miles Morales in the future? Life, baseball, The Runaways and more on this episode of The Kristian Harloff show. #spidermanb#DC #dcu #marvel #milesmorales #live action #interview #penguin #hbo OUR SPONSORS: VILLA: Try VIIA! https://bit.ly/viiakristianharloff and use code KRISTIAN! BILT: Earn points by paying rent right now when you go to http://www.joinbilt.com/BIGTHING HELLO TUSHY It's time to ditch toilet paper and finally feel shower-fresh with Hello TUSHY! For a limited time, our listeners get 10% off their first bidet order when you use code BIGTHING at checkout. That's 10% off your first bidet order at http://www.HelloTUSHY.com with promo code BIGTHING
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And then the James Gunn stuff happens.
And then James Gunn's Saffron.
So at that point, were you nervous?
Yep.
Okay.
Sure was.
Because we were in New York.
I mean, we were getting ready to shoot.
And then that kind of comes out.
And I'm like, yeah, I got in the part and I think I was going to, you know, I think
this is going to be awesome, career-wise and stuff.
And also just like personally get to come shoot this with Colin.
Oh, my God, what a moment in my life is going to be.
and then yeah there's this entire uphaul of the DC world
and he must have been like fuck
and I was like what's going on everybody
I'm pretty excited here too
and even before we even started rolling
I was raving to my guest about not only his performance
but the show in general if you're watching the penguin
you're going to know my next guest
Renzi Felice plays Victor on the penguin
what's up dude
what's going on pleasure to be here
pleasure to have you man and I was telling you that
yeah this show is this show special
oh man it's special you got
to know that. It's an interesting one because you're inside of it, you know. And so it's hard to like,
it's hard to, it's hard to know if what you're feeling is accurate. I knew when I was reading it
and we were making it that it was like one of the coolest things I've ever done in my entire life.
But you're also so concerned and worried about how people are going to receive it and are you going
to do a good job. And so much your focus is on that. And then when finally you got to see the episodes
once we're done, I started looking at them and I started getting excited because I was like, man,
you have an image of what it's going to be in your mind when you're reading it.
Sure.
And then you see it and in some cases it even surpassed my expectations.
Like a lot of stuff that I didn't get to see, a lot of the Kristen stuff, all of the
Oz scenes that I wasn't around for, I was like, and a lot of special effects and the
way they were edited in the music, all that you don't get to, you don't get a sense of
what that's going to be on set.
Seeing it on the, on the, you know, when we got the kind of the episodes, I was like,
this is pretty cool.
Now are people going to actually use Tune and watch?
And thankfully people have been liking it so far.
So start with that, right?
So you get, so episode one, you're obviously nervous because you want people to appreciate it the way that you appreciate it.
You want the ratings too good.
You want everybody to be happy that's paying for the show and all that stuff too.
And it comes out and the ratings explode.
They love it.
So you're just, you're able to rest or is it no, now we've got to do better on week two?
It's, there's relief for sure because I think I knew that if we, if people tune in for that first episode, the way it, the way it kind of kind of hooks you in a good way.
you know where you fall in love with this Oz guy and you kind of you kind of fall into this
world of like okay is he going to be able to pull this thing off that he wants to pull off so
bad and so I think there's a there was a relief for sure of like okay wow people really tuned in
people really watched now they've got to come back for episode two and then when three comes along
you get to learn a little bit more about victor and then when four and five come along then you're
really rocking and you get to learn about borat Sophia yeah and then we set with five we set up the
rest of the season and so it's like it's all roller coaster ride yeah yeah definitely so I'm letting
people know right now that you're probably going to run into some spoilers here because there's a lot of
things I want to talk to Renzi about, especially you just mentioned episode three. Ties in a lot to
the Batman and they don't shy away. Obviously, it's a continuation of the Batman. It's furthering along
what's going to happen in the Batman too. So let's talk Matt Reeves a little bit. Like how involved
is he with you? Do you meet with him when you're auditioning for this thing? Is he in the room? How
involved is he in this process? You know, it's interesting. I think you get a sense that he,
I never met him while shooting the show once. Really? Yeah, not once. But I always had a sense
that he was very involved. Okay. You would always kind of hear back on notes or you would hear
certain things. And it was always a sense that whatever was going on on set was a direct
conversation that either happened or is going to happen with Matt. Okay. And so I always felt the
presence there, even though I didn't get maybe see him face to face. I always knew that his
presence was definitely involved. And then, and then I learned even more afterwards once we were done
shooting the show, just how much he had to do with it. Started talking to people because I would show
a proposed stuff, like ADR and things like that. And that's when I really learned how much
involvement he kind of had in the entire thing. You know, just creative decisions. So many things going on
where it's like, you know, he had a say for sure. Makes sense too, because Colin's a producer on the show,
Yeah. So you would assume that they're talking all the time and he's got some stuff
to in and he relays it to you also, right? Right. It was never like Matt told me to tell you this,
but it was like, this is the direction we're going and blah, blah, blah, and these kind of things.
And so I would feel it. There was always that presence I'd feel. And it's also afterwards,
I would feel like this creatively. I feel like it was very important. I mean, it's his universe
that we're kind of establishing in so many different ways we're establishing his world that he's
creating. And it also needs to tie directly in, like you said, to the Batman too. Right.
So so much of it has to do with what he plans to do in the future,
not only with how he wants to establish is the Batman one
and kind of the surrounding areas,
but also what he's going to be able to do in Batman too.
So it was all very much related.
Yeah, because you get to that beginning scene
and you establish really who Victor is,
because you set up one where this relationship,
okay, Oz might kill him, doesn't, brings him on,
is pretty much just like using them as a pawn.
Great scene with you guys in that first episode
where you don't know if Oz,
like what kind of character they're really going to make him?
Is he going to kill this kid?
Because I didn't know watching it.
I was like, because I didn't,
I try to not go through the credits and say like how many episodes is going to.
Smart, which is the best way to watch the show.
Yeah, so I didn't know.
And I'm like, I said, I think I said what I was watching
and I'm like, this guy is too good of an actor
for them to take him off in episode.
And I'm like,
that's nice.
I was just saying, I watching it going, like, there's too much of a dynamic here.
Right.
Okay.
Yeah.
But I still, they did a good enough job for me to go, holy shit, they might take this guy out because of the tone that they're setting.
But they establish it.
They start getting more into this stuff.
And I think before we even dive into getting to a spot where they give Victor his backstory in three, when this is pitched to you, when the relationship between Oz is pitch you, because you're hearing it, everybody's hearing it.
This is like the sopranos of the.
DC Universe.
I get Sopranos meets Breaking Bad.
Because now where you guys are as characters, you don't get any more Walt and Jesse.
Are you pitched like this is a Sopranos type show?
Is Breaking Bad ever brought up to you in a certain area?
Or is like, no, this is our thing.
If people want to compare it, let them do it.
Yeah, I honestly never once was that brought up.
Even like I'm getting a lot of Batman Robin dynamics.
I'm hearing a lot of doing interviews.
Like anti.
Yeah, yeah, exactly.
An upside twisted version of it.
But none of that is really, you know, even,
so weird to me that I never even crossed my mind
because sopranos are such an easy one to compare it to
because it very much lives in that world
and he even has a similar, you know, silhouette
and has a similar, you know, you could,
so they come from a similar world
and they're in similar, you know, environments.
And even then, it never dawned on me
that this is like Sopranos, Oscar,
that this is, or that this is...
Breaking bad?
Yeah, Breaking Bad. I just, I guess I was so locked in on what they were to each other.
Sure.
How Victor is around Oz, where Victor's from, kind of how that's influenced who he is, the stutter and all that.
So everything going into my specific character with all the specific character.
And only now that we're looking at the show as a whole and talking about the show so much, do I start to see like glimpses of Sopranos?
I start to see things like Breaking Bad.
I start to see things like Batman and Robin or, you know, like a version of that.
And so I think it took a little bit of like stepping out of it to kind of see the bigger picture.
Sure, because the reason I thought, I mean, obviously with the mob ties and all that,
Supranos is the first one.
The reason breaking bad, and because of the dynamic that the two of them have, and then when Vic goes to see,
he's got a shot to get on that train, or the bus, rather.
He's got a shot to get on the bus.
He doesn't get on it.
And he goes back, and now he gets into it, because not only does he run,
over one of the one of the dudes he then all in beating the shit out of people in the next one he's
broke back if you will you know so that's why i think that came out there but talk to me a little bit
about that about how do you where do you go in order to because he's got such an innocence to him
even though he's got his his family's gone so you understand why he's kind of on the run living by
himself trying running with the wrong crew but there's an innocence to him there's a goodness to him
and that kind of goes away.
Why does he decide to go with Oz in that moment and not get on the bus?
Oh, man, it's a tough one.
I think it's something that I thought about for a long time,
and it's like, there's like nine, ten different answers,
all mixed into finally making the decision.
I think some of the bigger ones are like,
I mean, the easiest one, the easy go-to is, is money.
So that'll be always in the background.
I can actually make money this way.
And when you don't have any, when you're stealing rims and selling them for a few bucks,
and you only have a dollar in your wallet, and when you meet them,
money's a big deal, and he's getting $1,000 a week from Oz.
So that's like the very simplest probably answer to give.
Now, there's so many other things going on with him having just lost his family
and seeing Oz as kind of someone who's taking him, kind of under his, no pun intended,
to kind of taking him under his wing.
And so there's something that feels good about that.
He also feels like Oz kind of likes him, and there's something nice about having someone around you that kind of, you know, wants you around.
I think he looks up to Oz in a certain way.
I think he thinks Oz is very capable, and I think he, and Oz is also very confident, and Oz likes the sound of his own voice, and he'll talk a lot.
And that's something that Victor, I think, has struggled with a lot of his life.
So to be around this guy that maybe is kind of a little bit mean to other people or, you know,
incredibly violent those other people, but he's not to me.
I think there's that kind of, you know,
it's always like you see a bully or something,
but the bully's nice to you.
You feel like, I don't know, you feel kind of picked.
You feel kind of special.
I think Victor feel kind of special around Oz.
And then there's this idea of like the life is,
there's like an allure to this sort of lifestyle
that has always been a little bit distant to him
and maybe a little bit scary to him,
but now he's on the inside.
Right.
So that's different.
And then there's this other thing also going on
where you want to be a part of something.
Yeah.
My God, all my life, like, what am I going to do with the rest of my life?
I'm looking at a road of nothing, which is kind of what Oz tells him in the bathroom scene
where he's like, and I think that is playing in Victor's mind.
What do you want?
I'm giving you money, a place to stay, clothes, like I'm giving you a life, I'm giving you something to live for,
and you want to go do what?
Keep stealing.
Like, what's your life going to be if you're not with me?
What's the end game?
Right.
What are you doing?
And he tells them, they don't give awards for dying in the project.
Like, if that's where you want to go, if that's where your life is headed, then go,
do what you already got it good luck i wish you the best and it's like i don't want that for my life i do
want more just a week ago i was telling my dad how why aren't we more ambitious why don't we getting like
you know why don't we try for a little bit more now here's my opportunity i'm going to let it go
fuck this is the one chance i can i curse in this is the one chance i have to kind of do something
and be a part of something all these things are circulating in his brain and then of course there's
graciela who he loves and who he sees as a part of his life and a part of his past and like
almost a personification of like his family and the goodness in him.
And he has to decide, do I want this mediocre somewhat life is the way he's looking at it,
simple life?
Or do I want something more exciting?
Do I want something more than that?
What do I want?
And I think ultimately he goes, I want.
And I think, you know what's interesting is I think most times, like let's say there's
an infinite alternate universes where Victorized to make the decision.
I think most times he does get all.
on that bus. I think most times he makes
this, and you know what, this is too much for me.
It overwhelms him and he goes.
I think we're following the journey on what
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rent payments today. You mentioned that conversation that he has with Oz in the bathroom.
And that was another moment where I'm like, A, is Oz really going to let him go?
And he does.
And it's like, and it's what you just said.
It's the fact that I gave the guy an opportunity.
And I almost feel like Oz is talking to himself in a certain aspect, too.
Because there's something inside of Oz where he's, you see him snap at the wrong moments, right?
Because if anybody says anything to him, you know, looks down on him.
That's when he snaps and that stuff where he is capable, it goes out the window.
And he kind of shoots himself in the foot a lot of times and he's got to cover up a lot of your shit, like whether he's
killing the falcon, whether he's doing all these things.
And you see it, and it is also the brilliance of what Colin Farrell is just doing as
this character.
And I love, and as a New York guy, you probably notice this too.
And it's obviously on purpose.
There's 87 different types of accents in this.
And like, there's like this old-timey Gotham accent that Colin and his mom have.
That's why it's brilliant.
It's not just like, well, Colin's doing one thing and everybody's doing something else.
Right.
No.
That's a certain part.
Like that's where you'll see if you go to Staten Island
It's a little deeper than if you go to Brooklyn.
And I love that in the same way that you look at what Kristen Miliani, who's in New Jersey, girl, you know, you look at what she's doing.
But you just see this and the way that that is happening, the way that this is just developed.
And Gotham is like this character.
But talk to me about Colin Farrell, man, like working with him, meeting him for the first time.
You had seen the Batman already at that point?
So were you like everybody else?
Like, that's not Colin Farrell.
Yeah, especially when I first saw it.
I mean, I remember being like, just geeking out with my friends when we first saw him in the makeup, like, without me being a part of the project.
Just him in the makeup and the Batman and I was like in awe of what was going on.
And then I went into the film and I again was like, there is no effing way that this guy pulled this off.
This is insanely good.
I mean, just such a character and such a departure from who he is as a human being.
And so I remember me and my friends would even rewind and replay that introductory scene
was just a slow pushing on Oz on the staircase in the Batman when you first meet him.
He's got like a little mini monologue where he introduces himself, hi, I'm Oz, there's that whole thing.
And I would replay that over and over and over again because it was blowing my mind.
Before you even were on audition.
Before there was even an audition had to come to the door.
Before I mean of the project existed over and over again because it was blowing my mind how good.
how much skill it felt like it took to get through that monologue
because I could see I always kind of dissect things
whenever I'm watching, not when I watch him for the first time
but when I watch him for like the second or third and fourth time
I'll pick apart the writing and I'll go how as an actor
what choices were made to get to this kind of performance
and so to me kind of jumping through
what he needs to jump through in that little in that little space
as an actor felt like a little bit of a stretch like it felt like a little bit
of a leap it's like he's got to get through a couple different
kind of beats to get to where he gets to in the end
and he did it so damn well
that I was so taken aback
that I watched and watched and watched and watched again
when the audition finally comes in
I'm like holy shit
I'm gonna get to
if I get a call back whatever
I'm gonna get to actually read with this guy
and like chemistry with with Kong
like that's as I was thinking about that far
and then of course if I get the role
then I get to work with him and do the whole thing
but I thought how awesome it's gonna be
to get to do this scene that they gave me
which by the way is the bathroom scene
oh is that's what you audition with
Oh, that's cool.
Or he's holding, putting a gun to my head and that whole thing.
But that's tough, though, because you had to get to so many, like, different places to get there with their journey.
So you just have to kind of put it together in your head of what happened reading up to it.
I mean, essentially what they wanted to see was the first scene that I have is me, honestly,
it's the scene that they ended up cutting from the show.
There were two scenes for the audition.
One of the other than I'm cutting.
One of them was just me talking to Graciela at a restaurant about my family and about how I've been trying.
trying to find my sister, but I couldn't,
and that whole thing happening.
Ended up cutting it, but that was more just to get a sense
of who Victor was, right, when Oz is not around.
And then they wanted to get a sense,
can the kid play this incredibly heightened fear?
Can we gain a sense that Oz is powerful
in the eyes of this kid?
And so then that was kind of what that second scene
was about, I think, in the audition.
And so just in my, I just wanted to see Colin do it.
I was like, what a monologue he has about,
You think you are nothing, you are you are, you think you're nothing, you are nothing.
Until the day you die.
If you don't want this life, they get the fuck out of you, whatever he says.
You know, that whole monologue.
I was, I just want to see him do it, and I get to see it in person.
It'll be so cool.
And so it was, it was incredible.
Once I got the few callbacks and then I got to meet Colin and do the audition.
That was insanely cool.
And I got to, I think I'm one of the only people in the world that got to see Colin do the Oz without the face on.
I was going to say, yeah.
Because he obviously isn't going to have the prosthetics on for the camera street.
And so I got to see.
to see him just do it.
And that's what I was most curious about.
It's like, how the hell is he doing this?
Does he need to do it without having the...
Right, right.
Like, how is it possible if that's actually him?
Right.
And I got to see it.
It is him, I promise.
And so it was really cool.
And then I got to meet him on set, of course,
and then that whole thing happened.
And there was kind of a moment where you have to decide,
because I am such a fan of it,
of his performance,
and I'm such a fan of the movie as well.
There's a moment where you kind of got to decide,
and I remember making the decision
to, like, put all of that.
that in a closet somewhere and you got to focus because otherwise you're going to kind of get lost
in being in awe.
Right.
And you're on camera and you got to have all these different feelings.
And sometimes you're proud.
Sometimes you're scared.
Sometimes you're terrified.
Sometimes you're, you know, giddy.
It's like all these different emotions you got to feel in the face of something that you
admire so much.
Right.
But you got to put all that out the window if you want to try and do a decent job.
Well, of course.
And I'm sure that with him doing that and as good as he is, too, that it probably makes it a little
easier for you too because you're in the middle of that scene.
And yes, you can be in all of this great performance and everything he's doing.
But, I mean, when it goes, he's Oz, your Vic.
Yeah, exactly.
Let's roll.
Yeah.
You know, so it makes total sense to me and seeing how invested he is.
And knowing that his performance was talked about so much in that movie,
and it was a great kind of David Fincher type of film that Matt Reeves was doing,
you know, that kind of story where you felt those vibes from it.
And then they announced that the show was going to happen.
There was another show that was going to happen,
but it doesn't happen.
And then the James Gunn stuff happens.
And then James Guns Saffron.
So at that point, were you nervous?
Yep.
Okay.
Sure was.
Because we were in New York.
I mean, we were getting ready to shoot.
And then that kind of comes out.
And I'm like, yeah, I got in the part and I think I was going to, you know, I think
this is going to be awesome, career-wise and stuff.
And also just like personally get to come shoot this with Colin.
Oh, my God, what a moment in my life is going to be.
And then, yeah, this is this entire uphaul.
of the DC world.
And I was like, do not tell me.
And I had also just lost out on something just prior to that.
Can you say what it was?
Probably not.
Okay.
But there was a, and then, so there was something that I had just lost out on.
Okay.
It didn't end up going, actually.
They ended up just making a pilot,
so it ended up being better that way.
But it was for a Disney Plus show.
Okay.
And then before that, I had gotten this other show that was going to go on Peacock
that I was really excited about.
It was like a baseball thing.
Okay.
I play baseball most of my life and I didn't get 10.
The Yankees guy?
Yeah, for sure.
So we're here.
And I'm trying to get tickets to this world series, but it's fucking impossible.
I'm trying to figure it out.
And so I was, well, now I'm on the Yankees.
I forgot what was I saying.
We were going with James Gunn.
That's right.
And I was hoping, oh, with James Gun, yeah.
Yeah, so you hear that it was going down and you're about to start shooting and you hear this
announcement happen that they're taking over.
And then I hear the announcement and it's all very.
scary and
I ended up getting the call
hey I think we're good to go
it's going to be fine
we're going to continue on
with our show
it'll just live kind of
in the different
yeah
you know but I think
they're calling it
elseworlds or something
yeah yeah
and so it ended up being
fine in the end
but still that's nervous
and then there's
then you what's funny
is because you see all the stuff
that goes down
with a joke or two
and the rumors are that
the rumors
I don't know if they're true
enough but the fact that
they try to give Todd Phillips
notes he didn't want
the nose James Gunn tried to give notes
didn't they want to do
test screenings
and didn't look like
Todd Phillips wanted anything
to do with James Gunn. The opposite of that, it looked like James Gunn and Matt Reeves have been
talking about a lot of different things. And there is also rumors, again, that David Zazlov wants
Patinson to be the DCU Batman, which I don't think that will happen because I don't think
that fits in the world that Matt Reeves is doing realistic. But if it did, do you think that there's a
world where the world you're playing in right now, that that could fit into this DCU?
from what I've seen
just of stills
from the Superman movie
that James Gun just directed
I don't see how it works
I agree
I think they're completely different kind of projects
both I'm sure
I haven't seen the Superman movie
I don't know what it's about but I'm sure it looks like
I'm a big fan James Gunn
I thought what he did with the Suicide Squad was
fucking incredible
awesome I loved that but I went on a few times
in theaters because I was such a big fan
So do I think that who are Matt Brees is created and James Gunn thing is created?
Do I think that they can live in the same world?
I don't think so.
Okay.
But courageous things have happened.
You've gotten this question already.
I saw you on an interview and even if it is true, you're not going to tell me when it comes to the Batman,
you were asked point blank if the Batman's going to be in it.
You said no.
To me, I feel like that could be one of those notes that you get if anybody asked you about the Batman.
You say no.
You say no.
Which makes it in the same way that you, I don't know if you remember when J.J. Abrams
was asked about con in Star Trek.
He's like, yeah, no, no, no,
Benad de Combrich is not con.
And then sure is how it was con.
He's not in season one.
I'll tell you what.
Would you be so confident,
so you're saying he's not in season one by the back?
Right.
Would you be so confident as to say,
okay, if he is,
if the Yankees make the playoffs next year,
you've got to get us both tickets.
I think that if he is in season one, you're saying?
He's in season one.
If he's in season one, let me know.
You got my email.
All right.
All right.
That's fair.
That's fair.
No, and kidding.
It's kidding aside.
And I also don't, what I'm hoping, I'm hoping you survive season one.
I have no idea.
I think, I think that you do.
That being said, let's dive into, let's dive into episode three because this is going to put us onto that road.
If there's more opportunity to do season two or if you're looking for something new,
season three, season three, shows into Vick's past, shows you his.
Episode three.
Episode three, what I see, season three?
Yeah, yeah.
Episode three,
Yes, sorry.
Episode three, dives into Vick's past,
sees his family,
and that alone goes,
oh, that really shows where this guy is.
He's starting to go into the wrong path.
As you find out later on in another episode,
he talks about his dad,
and his dad was a cook and, like, do all the stuff.
And you really dive into that dynamic.
So when you see that shit go down with the Riddler and all this stuff,
oh, man, it's like, it was devastating.
So first of all, tell me about that scene, meeting your family, establishing that relationship with them, you know, to say, okay, this is what really is this guy's all about here.
Right.
Take me through that opening scene real quick.
Yeah, no, that was mostly just about, you know, seeing a different side of Victor.
I mean, up until then, he's just incredibly afraid and walking on eggshills the entire time.
And so I think one of the things we wanted to focus on the most was how comfortable he is and what a loving family he's got, you know, that they're very comfortable with each other, that they're,
laughing and having a good time
and just kind of a very different world
from the one we've seen Victor in thus far.
And so that was kind of the objective
was show him in a different light.
I think even the way they shot it was different.
It was like much warmer inside the house
and kind of you could feel there was
a real family dynamic
and real love to this family.
Another thing, I think one of the glimpses you get
is you kind of get to see a little bit
of Victor's ambition.
He's kind of trying to tell his dad
like take advantage of the fact that, you know,
doing a little extra work, get paid for it.
And I think you kind of get a glimpse in a Victor
where that's in him as well.
So it kind of leads to the decision that he makes later of staying
is because he does want more out of life.
And he does that.
Don't you want more out of life than this little apartment
or whatever we got?
It's like, don't you want things?
So you get a glimpse into his brain into there
and into why he might make a decision later.
This wanting, this wanting of things and money
and better lifestyle and whatever it is.
And also then you get to see, you know,
just how he kind of leaves things with his family, which isn't great,
which kind of leaves him in a painful spot, you know.
And it's something that he thinks about a lot,
something that me and Craig and Lauren talked about even when we had our meetings
before we started shooting about just how I kind of wanted her to bring it even darker than it was.
I'm glad that they kind of pulled me out of it a little bit because I was like,
I don't know if we ever see Victor smile ever, you know, he's just...
Yeah, well, yeah, I'd like in the series.
Just because, and that was something I was towing with.
It was something that we were talking about out loud.
Kind of like the kids going through so much
Just a week ago we lost his family
And it's lost his family
Like you don't even have the closure of knowing if they died
You're just kind of 99% shorter died
But you don't, it's not like, hey here's the body, we found them
There's, no, it's chaos everywhere
You just kind of assume
And so I think that it's really brutal
It's going through that
And he's not in a happy place
And so I was kind of, you know, just as an actor
They're like, you know, we really got to, fucking,
and cut, you know, split the veins open.
This kid's going through pain.
And they were like, well, let's not go all the way.
It's just not go too dark.
I was like, all right, yeah, you're fine, you're right, right.
So there's moments where he's kind of gotten a smile.
I think, honestly, one of the first times you get to see him really smile was at the end of five.
When they're kind of find this, I don't want to spoil it for anyone else in
it, but I guess it's out.
Yeah, it's okay.
Spoilett.
Episode five, they find, like, the underground trolley station.
That's the best.
It was like, it reminded me of like, it reminded me of Batman Returns.
Right, when, yeah, with the cave.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
And so there's this kind of excitement to what they're about to go on.
Like, oh, my God, we really found a spot.
And I think there's good moments of it.
That's the first time you get to see him, like, actually have a smile.
Because he's just going through so much with the pain of what he lost in episode three.
Well, the pain of what he lost prior to episode one, but that we get to see in episode three.
And so those were all very, that was a fun day, getting to shoot with the family and getting to see that with Victor.
and then all the rooftop stuff was a painful day.
Painful in the fact, emotionally or just?
Yeah, emotionally and like, you know, we had to do it a few times.
And so just like, yeah, just like kind of an exhausting kind of having to go somewhere kind of dark day.
Yeah, it was tough.
That was, I mean, I did a reaction to that on my channel and I was literally, I think I had my hands in my head going, fuck.
Because it was like that moment was just so tough.
You understood it.
You get right.
away, oh, that's why he's in the place that he's in. That's why he's kind of now on the run and probably
dealing with so much pain and dealing with so much guilt and all this. But this is where I want to
go with this. Because during that reaction, as I was watching that scene, I know you've worked with
Marvel before. Dude, I said, this is the guy that should be playing Miles Morales.
right away from when I saw that
I said this is the guy
that dynamic
my question went that though
is because the runaways is part of the MCU
there are other people who've done it
multi-rolls inside of it
in the MCU and stuff too
is that something that you would even be able to do
with the contract that you have now
because that look that movie is
potentially three four
they said they were going to bring Miles Morales in live action
They said that we're going to do that.
How familiar with Miles Morales?
Is that something you think that you would want to do?
Have you heard that comparison after this episode three?
I've heard the comparison ever since I saw the animation that they made.
Oh, wow.
Since the movie came out.
I remember watching it on the screen and going, holy shit, that.
And I looked over at my friend, the first time we saw him on screen,
the very first shot of Miles Morales in the animated movie.
It's into the Spider-Vers of the first one, right?
Yes.
Yeah.
I look over to my friend and he's already looking at me like dude what the
like it looks so much like you yeah and so that was a really cool moment because that
doesn't happen very often but that was cool for me and then and then yeah I think at
that point I was like 19 18 years old and I was like oh please let's go make this
movie that would be awesome and now I'm getting older and I'm like I don't know if
they're gonna want a 20-something year old playing Miles Morales I know I play younger and I
I look younger.
I'm to play 17 on the show.
But then you think about three movies down the line.
Am I going to look even older four years from now?
I think about those things because I would, so they answer the question, I would love to get to play something like that.
I think it's an incredible character.
And I've been such a massive fan of Spider-Man my entire, since I saw the Toby McGuire movie.
So I was a kid, you know.
I had Spider-Man sheets and, you know, toy, why do I want to say toy figures?
What are they called?
Action figures.
Action figures.
All my life growing up.
And so it would be an incredibly exciting thing to get to do.
I don't know if they're by the time that they comes around and they finally do it, have I aged out of it.
I think you said it, though.
I think that the good news for you is that you play younger.
I mean, you could still make that work.
Plus that we don't know where they're going to put it.
That's the thing.
Whatever the story is, if they want them to be some 15-year-old kid, it's going to be tough.
Yeah.
If they're cool with them being some college-aged kid,
then that would be fantastic.
I think the benefit that you have there is that because the Spider-verse animation films are so popular,
it's not like one of these things.
Sometimes there's animation films or things that they've done,
and it's like, well, nobody really knows the origin story to this kid,
so we probably have to do it in live action to the origin.
Those are very popular movies that in the same way you don't have to do another Peter Parker origin story.
You could do Miles Morales.
He's either he's in it or it's like right as he's supposed to,
or he makes an appearance, whatever it might be.
but is there, do you think that it would be a conflict because of the runaways?
I don't think so.
No?
From what I've heard, and like, not that there's been conversations with people who are making the films,
but there's been like, I know people higher up in the Marvel, obviously I've worked in the
Marvel show.
I don't think there would be an issue with that.
Okay.
And what about the runaways when you were doing this?
So that was three seasons?
Yeah.
So was there any talk about doing more with those characters?
Because that started in 2017.
There's aired in 2017.
So that was like in the height of when Marvel was like crushing.
Right.
So was there any talk of like, you know, hey, let's do some stuff with them in potentially movies, other things was ever talking about?
I never heard any talk about it myself.
Maybe there was conversations about it up above, but I don't think so.
But I'd never heard anything about movies and stuff like that.
Okay.
So obviously you're a big comic book movie and fan of those things too.
what's after well season let's let's hope that you survive season one and season
they're talking about season two already of the penguin they're talking about it but it's really
it's a limited series like there isn't um it's meant to be just the one yeah and then lead
into batman two and then whatever happens afterwards happens afterwards but um i think that it was
the show's been so successful that maybe possibly potentially they uh i think the people and
power would love there to be more
Now, if there will be more, I have no idea.
Well, they said, because if you're reading up on all the news,
your thing, I'm sure you, there were two sides to this emotionally when you saw
Colin Farrell's comments where he's just like, look, this makeup is exhausting.
It's really hard.
I don't know if I saw it every day.
I'm sure you did.
And he's like, I don't know if I can do it again.
This probably does like, oh, please don't say that.
And then also like, I get it, right?
Totally get it.
I mean, I was there every day with him.
It's a brutal thing to go.
Like, I think he never, he's the guy and a guy that will never complain, but I see the buckets of sweat that pouring out of his body every single day.
He'll take off a jacket that Oz is wearing, and his back will be drenched in sweat.
I mean, it's encasing, there's so much heat that's just being captured, that stays within that suit.
So there's nowhere for it to go.
I would see him in between takes runoff to the tent.
They had like a little igloo for him.
It was funny because it's like a penguin, but he had like a little igloo form of like a cold.
that was like funneling cold air into this tent
that he would just go sit in for 20 minutes
and then come back out and shoot more of the scene
because it was, it's so hot.
So I totally get that he did,
and he'd have to show up sometimes at two in the morning.
Because we all show up like at whatever,
5 a.m. to start shooting.
We have our 15, 16 hour days.
We shoot from like 5 a.m. to 9, whatever it is, you know what I mean?
And so, but he,
because I have to be there at 5,
he's got a 3-hour makeup job,
he needs to be there at 2 a.m.
to start, just to get the day started.
It's like, how do you,
get any sleep if you have to be at work too.
Probably helps him be more miserable as a character too.
Sure, yeah, yeah, I'm sure.
I'm sure he'd rather act miserable than be miserable the entire time.
True.
But I think that I could see that it was pretty grueling after a while.
And by the end, I could tell that he kind of was excited to be acting on his next project
without all the heat.
And then where it's limited at the moment.
So that means then if there's nothing kind of guaranteed that it's shooting,
that you're out there kind of, okay, well, then if that's the case, what's next, you know,
looking for the things you mentioned, I know things beforehand, but again, you're in with Disney,
you're in with those guys, you're obviously have a good relationship now, Warner Brothers.
Are there things that you're looking at?
Or is it you want to focus on some films just in case, you know, the season two comes back around,
you're available, like, what are you looking at right now?
I'm looking at just like trying to be a part of anything that's like, I've always felt this way.
There's not necessarily a role that I'm after anything.
I like being a part of high quality,
like just really good productions period
whether that's a movie,
whether it's a limited series,
whether it's a TV show,
whether it's whatever genre kind of movie.
I don't really, I really don't care
as long as it's good.
I want to be a part of something that's good.
It could be a rom-com,
it could be a horror movie,
can be an action movie,
as long as it's done in a way
that's like original and new
and like exciting.
That's what I'm really after.
And I think ultimately,
I think in my brain,
whenever I started,
I always wanted to do movies
because that was the coolest thing
to me. All the people that I admired the most were in movies. But the landscape is changing so much now that
so many people that I admire are in TV shows. They're in limited series. Like, they're all over
the place. And so I just want to chase the best stories. I want to have the most fun on set. I want
to chase the most exciting characters. I want to work. I think this is the most exciting thing to
me. I want to work with the best creatives that I can. So like getting to work with Matt Reeves
and what companies doing and Craig Zobel and and with, um, and with, um, uh, um, a little, um, um,
Lauren Lefron, who's our showrunner and creator, writer.
I think getting to work with Colin,
getting to work with Kristen, getting him work with Dedy,
getting work with Michael Kelly, all these different people,
Clancy Brown, all these different people.
All these different people are so awesome to get to work with people
who are so good at what they do.
Helen Huang, our costume designer,
Kalina, our production designer.
Like, so many people do such a incredible job
that it's so awesome to get to go to set
and know that you're working with the best people
in the industry at their respective jobs.
So it's like,
I want to keep going on sets where that feels like that's true.
I did a movie a few years back called The Tender Bar on Amazon and George Clooney
directed it in and Ben Affleck.
And it was such an awesome thing because, again, I'm in the same production designer
that was on Penguin that was on that.
And so it's like you just get a sense and it was one of the first times that I got a sense
like, wow, everyone here at every position is a tier, S tier at what they do.
You know what I mean?
They are the best of the best at their job.
So now it's up to us to come in and not fuck it up, you know what I mean?
Everyone's doing their thing.
That's what I'm chasing.
I'm chasing just being around, created, surrounded by people who are the best of what they do.
Great attitude to have it, for sure.
And then go back to Tender Bar then because it's, as you mentioned, there were connections to obviously this show.
And you seem like a very personal person, conversations, respectful of the business.
That's got to help tremendously on set with, because the business is about as much connections as it is talent.
I mean, it really is.
And so when you're on there, you're on set, you're talking to people, you're meeting people like George Clooney, Affleck.
So do those connections ultimately get you in the door to the audition?
For this thing?
For this?
I don't think so.
No.
I think that if it ever came down to it, I think that those things help.
Yes.
Like, once you get close on something, then they start making calls.
Like, hey, is this kid any good?
Hey, is this kid an ass on set?
Right.
Then they'll start asking stuff like that.
And then hopefully they say nice things about you.
they say bad things, whatever they say, can help or hurt you.
I think that I had gotten really close with George on that set,
and so he was very kind at all times.
And any time I needed help, he's always been able to tell me,
hey, if you ever need me, let me know, like, I'll make a call or whatever.
So that's really nice of them.
But we haven't needed it thus far, thankfully.
I don't know if there's been conversations with him that people have called about me,
like, hey, is this kid an asshole or not?
I have no idea if those conversations have happened.
I know that I haven't reached out asking him to reach out yet.
But if I ever got close enough on something that I really, really wanted, I would.
I would use the, like, to feel like a, yeah, that would use a Cludey card.
You have that card ready to go.
And then do you ever argue with Affleck about the Red Sox?
Never brought it up.
I never brought it up.
He was number one on that said.
I didn't want to ruffle any feathers.
Totally.
Totally makes sense.
Yeah.
Especially after the year they're having.
Well, I was talking to you beforehand when, before we started shooting and we're talking
about how we have similar journeys as far as traveling and stuff too.
Like you were, but you were, you're born in New York.
You're born in the Bronx.
Yeah.
How long did you live here for?
First five years in my life.
Okay.
Right before I started like kindergarten, moved to Florida.
So you went to Florida?
Oh, that's hilarious.
I really do have this similar because I went from New York to Florida to Los Angeles.
Same.
That's exactly right.
That's what I came back.
No way.
Where in Florida did you go?
So I originally went to St. Pete.
Okay, yeah.
And then I went to school in Tallahassee.
Okay.
Well, I was in Orlando.
You were in Orlando.
Okay.
But I visited St.
St. Pete once.
They got a good Salvador Dali Museum out there.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
So that's, so I was there.
I was there for a bit that I came back
That I went from Tallahassee to L.A.
Was there 25 years?
Then I just moved back four months ago.
Wow.
So, and then you moved back for the show.
Yeah, I did Florida for 10 years, L.A. for 10 years.
And then when I was 25, I think is when I booked the show.
And I did the show in New York, loved New York, decided,
what's waiting for me back in L.A.?
Let me just stay back here in New York for a bit.
And it's been about a year and a half now.
Yeah.
Since that happened.
And you're like that.
I'm loving it. It's great. You have to go to the games.
Yeah, yeah. I've been to a few Yankee games.
That's awesome. So I'm so excited for this season.
I cannot wait.
It's also crazy that the year that I, like, shoot, four months later, come back into playing
LA in the...
Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly.
Which is crazy, too. And I don't know, I used to...
Did you ever go to the Dodgers games?
Yeah, I went to a few.
I liked the atmosphere.
There's the one, I will say this about Dodgers fans, that they are the most engaged in
their team and it doesn't feel like it's like, oh, well, it's the cool thing to do.
Like, Dodger fans are Dodger fans.
Right, right, right.
They're real fans.
Yeah.
Lakers fans not so much.
Right.
It's like, it's like who's in the front, oh, who's trying to get a publicity shot in the
front row?
Sure, sure, sure, sure.
But, no, Dodger fans are legit.
They're there.
They're there.
They love them.
Yeah, they do.
And it's fun.
And I feel like Yankee fans, they, they've got a passionate base as well.
Oh, yeah.
I mean, obnoxiously so, so says everybody else.
I think it's just, I think it's just appropriate.
but I cannot wait.
I'm hoping, God, that we can pull this off
at the World Series.
Me too.
So you played ball in college?
No, I didn't go to college.
Oh, you didn't go.
You went straight from high school.
Okay, right into the business.
Yeah, right.
I started my senior year.
I started acting my senior year at high school.
Okay, so you discovered it.
So you were playing sports and then decided?
Yeah, I was playing sports, freshman and junior and sophomore year of high school.
And then that's around the time you got to start deciding what you want to do in college.
Yeah.
Like what college you want to go to?
and what college you go to,
depends on what major you want,
and what major depends on what job you want.
So you got to start figuring out what job you want.
You knew your high school.
I didn't know, but I knew it was going to be baseball.
I just didn't...
This is in Orlando, by the way.
The sophomore year was in L.A.
Oh, sophomore year was in L.A.
was in Florida.
Oh, wow.
That's a transition.
Yeah.
Okay, so I thought you moved to L.A. for...
Not at all.
Oh, you went with...
You were for family stuff.
Yeah, my family just wanted to move to L.A.
So I said, yeah, sure, let's go.
Sweet.
So we'll continue on this journey,
but when it comes to...
to so was your mom in or your dad in business in the industry yeah no I don't
I don't know a single person wanted to go to L.A yeah my mom and my stepdad they had
visited my step that had an opportunity to get a job here they didn't end up getting
the job but they liked when they visited they liked it so much they were like well let's move
here it's awesome we love Santa Monica let's move to Santa Monica so they just moved out here
moved to L.A. sorry and and they asked me like do you want to do you want to do you want to
do we do this you want to come yeah I was like
Let's go.
I ain't shit in Florida.
Let's go to L.A.
Okay.
So you do that.
And so you were playing ball in Florida.
Yeah.
Which makes a lot of sense because Florida's super sports-oriented.
Yeah.
Is that, was there any interest in acting when you were in Florida or you discovered it once you moved to L.A.?
The only interest in acting was like this sort of background voice in my head that would have wanted to do it if it weren't so socially ostracizing to do it.
Yeah.
So I just felt like I can't.
But I didn't.
I never gave it much thought.
Like it answered my brain one time when we were reading Romeo and Juliet in like my English class.
And I was like, man, this is fucking fun.
Anyways, done.
Moved on from it, never thought about it again.
I'd heard about some play.
The teacher actually came up to me.
My youngest teacher in Florida came up to me and said, you know, you're really good.
You should like think about joining the play.
And that was the last time I thought about it.
I was like, ah, nah, it was just ruin all my friendships and everything.
Like I actually want to do it.
So I never thought about it again.
Get to L.A.
and joined the baseball team again.
And make friends, make friends, make friends.
Again, it would be super scary to your sports guy to start doing theaters, school plays, and
musicals, and, you know, it would have been weird.
But what I realized in LA, that it was slightly less weird than it was in Florida.
Right.
So that gave me kind of the confidence to go, okay, it's not as bad.
I'm getting old.
I've got to pick something.
I've always wanted to try acting.
Let me give it a shot.
I end up, that ends up being a whole journey that takes months and months and months and
decide to drop out of baseball and to then audition for the show.
school play ended up doing that yeah in love with it what is your what's your family think of this
decision my mom is super supportive yeah and into the idea my dad thought it was a bit insane right
because well and because you've been playing ball or you're like what position did you play I played
second base and also I've been getting much better around that time I finally started um like
really practicing and I I gained I was I'm super like late bloomer so I was super skinny um
so skinny. I was like a hundred and twenty something pounds in high school.
It wasn't, I don't think it was in the cards for me to play ball.
But I think I'd grown to like 130.
I started, I started to gain a little bit of weight.
Fast?
I was quick, yeah, I was quick.
And so that was good, but I just don't think, I don't think he got, he saw the vision.
To be fair to him, it was a crazy idea.
I don't have any friends in the industry.
It kind of came out of nowhere.
It kind of came out of nowhere.
I had no friends.
I had no family.
There was no proof.
I had talent to be an actor.
I just had kind of decided over those like six, seven months of me deciding that I had really
fallen in love with that.
I started taking some classes.
I started doing things like that and watching movies and just really dissecting them and
starting to learn monologues and just so I kind of fell in love with acting.
And I was like, I want to do this thing forever if I can, if they'll let me.
And so I decided to drop out.
He wasn't the happiest.
He thought it was like very odd and weird and like not smart.
Yeah.
So now he's okay with it.
Now he loves it.
He's a big fan, yeah.
It ended up working out.
To be fair, I think he was just afraid that I was making a silly decision.
But my mom was all for it.
She was a believer from the jump.
That's great.
She just wanted me to something that I loved.
And then she could see how much I loved this thing.
That's the thing he couldn't see it either.
He was in Florida, you know, I was in L.A.
And so I got to joining the play, and I really just dove in.
It was an obsession.
It still kind of is, but it, like, ebbs and flows.
At the point, it was my, it was everything to me was acting,
and all I would do was I would take lessons.
I would join competitions.
I would get my friends over, and we would read movies,
and we would, like, just read the screenplays, and we would read plays,
and I would join classes outside of school, inside of school,
the school plays, competitions.
Like, anything that I could do to be around it, I was doing it.
And finally, it got to the point where I was able to get an agent,
and then you start working, and then a year later, I had runways.
A year later, it was quick.
Wow, so that's like, I mean, so would you say, though, that, because I remember when, so a friend of mom, I was supposed to go to, I think it was Jamongi Junkin or something.
And so I worked for the WWE for a little bit in like a writing capacity and I was able to see like the, just like the work ethic that those performers have to do because they're performing every day.
And they're doing it, they're moving their, whether it's a house show, whatever it might be.
So remember I couldn't go to the Jammany Junkett.
So I had asked a friend of mine to cover it and he got an interview with Dwayne, Johnson.
And so I had said to him, one of the things I want you to ask him when you go is the work ethic that you took from being a wrestler and that constant, the drills, everything you have to do.
Did that help you with, you know, doing all the movies you're doing the consistent schedule, you're booking things left and right and you have to do it?
I asked the same question to you.
when it comes to baseball because the drills and getting out there and doing that,
does, and then as you say when you switch over and you go, I'm all in, I'm moving.
I'm like, is it that same mentality?
Definitely.
I think it takes a lot of energy and it takes a lot of, honestly, you've got to care so much
in order to do as much, was what it takes to be successful in the thing, I think.
And I think that I also bring a certain, like, competitiveness.
I'm pretty competitive person.
and I bring, I think I bring that.
And a lot of people, you know, I've talked to a lot of different artists,
and they all, you know, competition.
No, it's not a competitive thing, it's not a competitive thing.
And in a massive way, they're right.
It's not all competitive.
But I do view it as that.
I think it helps me push harder whenever I think of it.
But of course it's competitive.
You're going for a role and you're going to that.
There's only one of us can get it.
Right.
So I see it that way, and I think a lot of people go, you know,
what's meant to be is meant to be, and whatever is yours.
And I can, and I hear that argument.
I get it.
I think if,
If I work harder and I push harder, that I'm more likely to get the role.
Yeah.
And it doesn't mean that because I worked harder I'm getting it.
Some people, someone can work harder than me and I'll get it.
And I could work hard on someone and not get it.
Right.
It doesn't mean that, you know, that's the end-all, be-all is who works the hardest.
Whereas in sports, honestly, in sports, it's not that either.
It's works hardest plus the natural given talent.
You know, you get someone who's got the got given talent and works the hardest.
They're going to be the best in the world.
Sure.
You get someone who works the hardest and has to, you know, whatever.
You get whatever.
I understand what I'm saying.
100%.
I think that.
I think that I bring some of that into it.
And definitely when I first started acting,
honestly, it was less about me bringing in the work ethic
that I had playing sports.
It was more me having such an immense passion for it.
It didn't feel like work at all.
I would go to the library, rent 10 movies,
be done with them in two days.
And I was the time of my,
all I wanted to do was that.
I would print out 100-page scripts
and take it to my friend's house
and we would do the movie.
And it wasn't because I felt like
I got to work hard to be.
good because I wanted to. So it was just yes, yes we did a lot of stuff and we did a lot of
work and I think I did more than what any of my peers were doing, but it felt it was that I want
I wanted to do it. So you were taking that though that fun into the audition with you. It must
have been right? Yeah. So you go to runaways audition and you're so is it like okay this is
just the start of it if I get it great I'm just having fun or it's like no I want this.
I really wanted it bad. I wanted every role that I was going out.
for badly. I wanted to work. I wanted to get into it. I wanted to start my career.
I wanted to be done with the audition phase. I wanted to get to the point where, you know,
I'm being nominated for Oscar. That was my mindset. When I was like 17, 18, I was like,
I needed to hurry up so that by time I want to be the youngest nominated ever of all time.
Like, I was doing that kind of thing and didn't happen, but, but I think that that kind of
shooting for the stars, but then you land on the moon kind of thing is also true. I was just,
I wanted it all and I still want a lot. Don't get me wrong, but I think I'm a little bit more
realistic about it now than I was opposed to what I used to be, which is,
I think good at the beginning you shouldn't, you shouldn't worry about being too realistic.
You know, you should have lofty dreams and lofty goals.
I still have them to this day to be honest.
Power of youth, my friend.
Yeah, yeah, it's awesome.
And I loved it.
And I love that time.
But I think that now it's just a little bit more realistic about, you know, what's possible and the timeline and the politics of them all.
Sure.
And all these things.
Well, it's interesting that you say that too, because, I mean, even the people that I've talked to myself, of course, and going to,
back into that competition conversation, but also if it's meant to happen. I happen to agree
with both philosophies, right? Because I think if you go into it with the mentality of, I want
this, I want this, oh, it's got to beat this person for it. But if you don't get it to say, okay,
that wasn't supposed to happen. I'm supposed to get something else is accurate because if you
then start to look at things, you can be in the world. And this isn't just like for the
additions or jobs. This is life, right? Like the worst thing in the world that happens to you,
you're in the shittiest spot. Eventually, you will get into a spot where you're going to, you're
going to have a good day. And that might be the best day you ever had. But you had to have those
chain of events to get you back there. So if you're in one thing and it's like, okay, I missed out
on this audition. Like, let's say, so was runaway supposed to go three seasons? Was that it? Or was
just they said, it's run its course? Um, it's run its course. Right. Yeah. So at that time,
you're probably like, that sucks, right? Oh, no, not necessarily. Not necessarily. Okay. But I,
but I get your point. You get my point. Because then it leads into the paying.
But that might have, because maybe at that time when it does, you're like, okay, now I did three seasons, I want to do some more stuff now.
Yeah, yeah, I think it was kind of the mentality.
I was super proud to be on that show and I'm happy with it and happy with the experience and everything I learned on it.
But I think that a couple things had come up that I wasn't able to do while shooting the show because of scheduling stuff.
Got it.
So I had auditioned for stuff and not been able to do them, stuff that might have changed my career a bit.
Didn't get to do them.
That sucked a little bit.
And then, and then, you know, three seasons in, I'm like, okay, I want to, you know, as an actor, you want to try different things.
You want to do new things and you want to try something different.
And so, yeah, getting that opportunity after the show was done.
That's when I got, right when the show was done, COVID hit, so then we have to wait until that was done.
And then, after that, again, they were getting tender bar and Encanto and then different things.
Thank God you brought that up because my daughters would kill me if I didn't in Conto because it's like, and that movie, to me, like, what a really sweet.
movie that was where they didn't need a traditional villain.
Yeah.
Like the way that they, so when that came up, did you know that one was going to be as big as it was or as as special as it was?
Again, you kind of, you don't know any of these things when it's happening.
I mean, it's so hard to gauge it.
I think I remember going in for the first recording session that I went in for and both
the directors kind of went through with me what the movie was.
Yeah.
And what they were trying to make.
And I get, and I got chills throughout my body.
thinking about when they were telling me the story of what they wanted to tell.
I was like, wow, this is going to be special.
This is going to be incredible.
And I was really excited about it.
And then I knew I had to sing in it as well.
And Lynn gets on the call.
And we hadn't, this is one, this wasn't the recording session yet for that.
But he was just telling me, hey, I just finished writing your verse.
Or I wrote you the verse.
I think you're going to love it.
It's pretty awesome.
Can't wait.
You know, talk soon.
And so I had already knew Lynn from something else that I had this before prior.
Something that I got really close to doing.
But again, the runaways.
You got to give me.
one of these things. You gotta give me one after. I'll ask you. I'm gonna ask you after.
Yeah, I'll tell you after. And so I think that when I heard the song, we don't talk about
Bruno, I thought I loved it. I was a big fan of it. And I remember playing it even just for fun
in my car, just like Lynn's version of it, in my car throughout, you know, I knew I was driving.
The one to practice just to get it in my head, but also I just liked the song. The movie comes
out and it doesn't really do anything. It comes out on the theaters. Nothing really happens.
It's not until it comes out on Disney Plus in December when it blows up.
And I remember where I was when I got the notification that we were like on the Billboard Hot 100 number one or whatever.
I was like, yo, we're number five, I think.
And the next week or the next day we were on number one.
And then the next week we're still number one.
And another number one.
I was like, this is getting insane.
People were reaching out and it was super nice that time.
But it was, yeah, you can't gauge it.
You don't know that it's going to be this massive thing.
But it's cool when it is.
Yeah, and you keep those connections going.
And as I said, are there, is there something that you've,
can talk about because this is something I I always enjoy hearing it when you when you're so far
attached or detached from it now is there a role that you can talk about that you got close to
that you were like okay oh I thought I had it was that was the one one of the ones that you can
discuss you see I think once I get to a point in my career where it's everything's so awesome
and cool and everything's great then I can come back and talk about these things because now
the reason I don't want it the only reason I don't bring it up is because
The people who did get them.
And then it's like, it becomes this thing of like, oh, because some of them are scheduling
reasons why I didn't do the movie.
Oh, was I the second?
They don't know.
And I was the second choice.
That's fair.
And now they feel bad.
You know, I don't want them to hear this and go, oh, I didn't even want.
So I don't know.
That's okay.
You don't know what to do it.
Yeah, yeah.
That's totally, well, as you said, once, you're going to have a very long career, my man.
So like once, we'll do this again.
Yes.
And then it'll be, it'll be years before, years after.
And then, yeah, it'll be so far removed.
Nobody would have cared more.
I'll get you to do it.
Last thing I want to ask you before I let you out of here is that we've mentioned Colin.
We mentioned, I mean, the great Clancy Brown, who was one of my, when I had my interview show on Collider, he was my first guest on that show.
Wow.
Dude, what a, what a legend.
Yeah.
He's just so great.
But you get to work with those people.
Kristen Milliani, what she's doing right now.
Wow.
Does she scare the shit on you once they call action?
I was, I was so as excited.
as I was to work with Colin, I heard about Kristen being cast,
and I had known her from Palm Springs, and I was like, interesting.
Wow, okay, so she's going to play Sophia, because I'd read the character Sophia.
And I was like, how is she going to do this?
It's so interesting.
And we set down for the table read, and we do the first two episodes of the table read.
And I am shocked.
I am in all.
I'm like, this is so fucking good what she's doing.
It's so nuanced, and it's so grounded, and I love what she was doing.
She was doing like a small little accent.
I was like, this is so much cool than I could have.
thought she's murdering this thing and then I would show up to set even when I
wasn't shooting just to watch her scenes sometimes because I thought it was just
what she was doing was so incredible I was such a fan anytime my friends would
ask me my mom my dad my friends they would be like how's this shooting in Collins
I'd say it's incredible it's amazing the one that's gonna surprise you is Kristen
Kristen is doing fucking incredible on this show and you're gonna love it I would bring
it up all the time now getting to see kind of the fervor around her character
and her and her performance it's awesome but she is so good
the show but so much about I don't get to see so much of it is I'm not there for you get to watch
a couple scenes together and that's it so it's like yeah it's cool it's cool getting to watch it now
even as a fan congratulations again on the show so it's phenomenal I can't wait to see where it goes
I do hope that you survive I really do I want to see it what happens but even though I'm sure
like you said it gives you some opportunities to do some more cool shit but once you do
we're in the same area man so yeah we'll get in here we'll do it again thank you so much for
joining me thank you
