The Reel Rejects - YouTuber Insecurities & Mental Health Struggles You Don't Know About (Brandon Davis & Greg Alba)

Episode Date: July 20, 2025

Didn't anticipate we'd get this open. In this episode of Diary of a Reel Reject, Greg Alba sits down with entertainment journalist and podcaster Brandon Davis (formerly of ComicBook.com) to explore the truth behind Brandon’s career, mental health, and the unexpected friendship that formed between them. From body dysmorphia and family struggles to Hollywood burnout and career pivots, Brandon opens up like never before. – How Greg & Brandon Finally Connected (Social Anxiety, Traitors Game) – The Exit from ComicBook.com & Career Reinvention – Body Image, Depression & Wrestling Dreams – Favorite Films (Interstellar, Guardians Vol. 2, Lost) – Family, Divorce, and Movies That Got Us Through It – Tony Stark, Nova, and Comic Book Icons That Inspired Us – Success, Therapy, and Defining Purpose in a Messy Industry Whether you're a Marvel or DC fan, a wrestling junkie, or just someone navigating life and identity in a digital age, this episode offers honesty, humor, and healing. Follow Brandon Davis:    / @brandondavisbd   Intense Suspense by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... Support The Channel By Getting Some REEL REJECTS Apparel! https://www.rejectnationshop.com/ Follow Us On Socials:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reelrejects/  Tik-Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@reelrejects?lang=en Twitter: https://x.com/reelrejects Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheReelRejects/ Music Used In Ad:  Hat the Jazz by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Happy Alley by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... POWERED BY @GFUEL Visit https://gfuel.ly/3wD5Ygo and use code REJECTNATION for 20% off select tubs!! Head Editor: https://www.instagram.com/praperhq/?hl=en Co-Editor: Greg Alba Co-Editor: John Humphrey Music In Video: Airport Lounge - Disco Ultralounge by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Ask Us A QUESTION On CAMEO: https://www.cameo.com/thereelrejects Follow TheReelRejects On FACEBOOK, TWITTER, & INSTAGRAM:  FB:  https://www.facebook.com/TheReelRejects/ INSTAGRAM:  https://www.instagram.com/reelrejects/ TWITTER:  https://twitter.com/thereelrejects Follow GREG ON INSTAGRAM & TWITTER: INSTAGRAM:  https://www.instagram.com/thegregalba/ TWITTER:  https://twitter.com/thegregalba Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

No Frills delivers. Get groceries delivered to your door from No Frills with PC Express. Shop online and get $15 in PC Optimum Points on your first five orders. Shop now at NoFrills.ca. I saw your transformation photo you posted yesterday or the day before. I don't even know what day it is, but good stuff. Thanks, man. That's not easy, as you know. Yeah, the fitness instructor He posted and invited me to collab and I was like it's not the six-pack

I still still look overweight I definitely have body dysmorphia. I a hundred percent. Oh a thousand percent thousand percent yeah that's that's so funny are we recording what a great oh my god what a natural thing catching us in the middle of a conversation Brandon that's kind of podcast not manufactured at all what good a diary of a real reject we haven't done one of these in a while I got Brandon Davis with us today. My God, this, okay, I want to give a little bit of a backstory here, little segues into what we were just talking about too. Brandon and I, we finally admitted to each other.

Almost one week from today. Here's tomorrow would be one week from today where we're at a party. And I just blurted out like honestly man I thought you didn't like me for the longest time because no joke we would be at so many Events where we would walk past each other we'd be in different groups And we just wouldn't say hi to each other for some reason and I was strongly I had so much judgment about you,

which is funny because before we were talking, you were saying how you feel like people don't like you or something like that a lot of times. I have that feeling a lot of times too that people just kind of judge me when I, they probably don't, they probably do, but I make the assumption they do. And as you were talking, I was thinking,

maybe people might think this would brand him because like You're a tall good-looking guy who's built so you have kind of the traditional This guy might think he's alpha personality thing. I'm trying to think of what I was thinking when I would feel insecure about saying Hi to you. Well for me, it's like if I'm at an event, and it's somebody who I either know of or have met before, and they don't say hi to me, sometimes I overthink it,

and I won't say hi, and they're probably thinking the same thing I am, but I'm just like, if you don't wanna say hi, I don't wanna intrude and make you feel like, oh, this guy wants to talk to me. I don't know, I overthink the situation. I'm like, well, if that person doesn't wanna talk to me. I don't know, I'm just like, I overthink the situation. I'm like, well, if that person doesn't want to talk to me, and I'm catching the vibe that they don't want to talk to me, I don't want to go ruin their night by even fucking saying hi.

And I was like, no, the person is going to forget as soon as I walk away probably. I don't know, I overthink it because I just like, we're all at work, I just want to not bother people. Do you think that's a common thing? I did think, I was like, bro, Greg hates me. I was like, I don't know why. I remember having a conversation with my friends. I was like, why is Greg not like me? Because I remember what I said hi to somebody who was like by you. And I think like we were right next to each other. And I think it was like Dr. Strange or something. There was a moment where I was like, that guy doesn't like me. No, and then we had and then we had this conversation. And guess what he did right after that?

No, before actually that it was before this. Oh, actually, that's true. That was you killed me. No. And then we had this conversation and guess what he did right after that? No, before actually that. Oh actually that's true, that was, you killed me. Okay, so we were at a friend's birthday gathering and he was doing a riff on the show, like he does the game Traders. Yeah, I've never watched Traders. I've never watched Traders either and some people play the tactic of how they're going to play the game Traders based off the show and I'm like, I'm not based off the show and I'm like I'm not going off the show. I've never played the game. So I don't know but do you know how to explain how this game works? So yes, he It's a our friend Marshall Marshall. He has 25. I think it's 25 26 people over

Three of them we all will go into a room one at a time and the person running the game that night tells you if you're Faithful, you're a trader Three people get told they're a traitor. You have to keep that a secret. The traitor's gotta try to figure out who's a traitor with me. Faithful gotta figure out who's faithful, who's traitor. And then the first round, everybody puts a blindfold on, sits around his pool. Everybody puts a blindfold on and then the three traders take their blindfold off and they point at somebody they wanna kill. You fucking pointed at me But and I flew in from Nashville yeah all the way to Burbank just to Hours before yeah, that's for Marshall's birthday, and I was the first one out of a game that takes four hours But I'm not I'm not kidding I because I can't see without my glasses that well

And there's two there's three there was three of us and they were pointing in your direction that well and there's two there's three there was three of us and they were pointing in your direction kylind but i did not know they were pointing at you and it was my first time i was honestly like i don't want to botch you like yes get your thing out of here i just said whoever you're pointing at because i have to i have to be cool and then they voted you out and i was filled with the most amount of like i have only I just started Dude, I was such a baby about it too though. Like I mean I was genuinely like annoyed I was like I fucking came here just for the first one out. It's like care to win But also now I got a watch for four hours, but it was Wendy Wendy led the charge when he did lead the charge because the other right we didn't know what we were really doing

She knew what she was doing I heard she was spelling my name she knew what she was doing and we were just I heard she was spelling my name but then that led to her getting out because the people around her heard her moving and they were the faithfuls and they were like I heard movement and it sounded like it was coming from Wendy and she ended up dying like fifth she got voted out by the faithful oh yeah I got caught I got caught that was fun I mean those Marshall puts on it like that is such a cool thing It's a lot of work. He puts into it too. Yeah, and I loved watching it. I love Marshall. I He's probably the only like big publicist. I know that I would consider a friend a couple

Yeah, he's he's he's he's been one of the biggest advocates for me, too He's been an ally for my career and I don't work with him much nowadays at Netflix Mm-hmm. I would if he called I always would it's got that reputation, you know And I that's what you just said is why does he Marshall Weinbaum for you guys who don't know? He's was mainly at the Disney publicist who was overseeing everything for Disney now Disney has like it's all these publicist, but he was the main Disney publicist who was overseeing everything for Disney. Now Disney has like all these publicists, but he was the main Disney publicist and he was the first one to really have a conversation with us take a chance because we were just looked as like YouTubers and he started seeing that we could

be a lot more than that. He said he believed in the YouTube community as well and that was unusual. He won publicist of the year and I think for a reason that dude never wasn't working and paying attention No, he knows more about me than I know about me. He pays attention to everybody works with he knows what he's gonna get What you're gonna get and it's a level of detail that I've not seen from anyone else And there's a lot of publicists who I love working with but Marshall and everybody know like all the other publicists from other studios, too They know him because he works. Yeah like that much people at WBM getting a note to Larissa I really love a lot. So this lines over there this uh, oh, yeah

so this this segment will be often frame it as is we talk movies shows and celebrities and how they might have like emotionally impacted or shaped us in some way is what we like to talk about. And to give a little bit of context with Brandon, I was excited that you were coming on because I've watched you for years, even when I thought you hated me. What? I was just gonna watch your stuff

because you were getting like the biggest interviews. I watch you watch stuff. I had no choice but to watch. I'm like, oh, well, the exclusives are coming from this guy who was, you were part of comicbook.com yes and it means comicbook.com it's like to have that domain is a big thing for our industry yeah and you're no longer with them you're doing your own thing you have your own outlets and you're also into wrestling you're a wrestler now too you're doing a lot but you're still so

like you literally today at the time of this film you're coming from the Superman junket you just interviewed like you're doing a lot of what a lot of us want to do you know interview James Gunn the cast of Superman and stuff so I thought it would be fun to actually get to know you on a little bit more of a personal level and of course not off-camera only on camera. Why talk off camera when we can share our secrets with the world? We could monetize this, Brad. Isn't that the lens we have to look at everything through when you do this now? But we talked a lot.

To wrap up the thing we were talking about earlier is, of course, the one time, with all the body dysmorphia things that we were talking about, when we finally spoke, we bumped into each other in LA Fitness in the bathroom. Yeah. And it was like, oh, I'm seeing, hey, and then we just ended up talking for like a half hour. I don't even remember when, that was a while, it was like last year. I think it was. Late last year, I think. Late last year or the beginning of this year, sometime. Yeah, it was definitely before I started my weight loss journey. Yeah, it was definitely late last year, it must have been. And yeah, we, I was like, we we're getting there's a part of my brain

As we were talking like we're getting along. This is really weird. Oh my god. Has he always like But say like I was like, yeah, that's cool, maybe we're friends now hopefully Where are you finding that a lot more people in what we do are becoming more interested in fitness or is it more of our Circle that we run into because like we were outside of me you koi talking and we're both like nerdy movie guys Who would love to work out? I think fitness is people are always kind of tangentially aware of it if they're not interested in it But it's also one of those things that like a lot of people Probably scoff at if you try to talk about it Like if they're not interested in it people probably it's also one of those things that a lot of people probably scoff at if you try to talk about it. If they're not interested in it, people probably

feel like you're trying to impose fitness upon them. And I'm an advocate for, I think everybody should work out and do it if you want to do it. No, you don't have to. I don't judge you whether you do or don't. I don't care. But I do think I am passionate. I used to be really skinny, really, really skinny. My grandma called me Gumby. I was so scrawny. And now I think it's like a... I also look at myself and I still think I'm skinny. I think I'm skinny fat, if I'm honest with you. I look at myself and I'm like, my arms are small and my stomach is not the way I want it to look. And I'm also in wrestling locker rooms comparing myself to those guys. Some of them are juiced up up some of them are just super fit like natural

and i'm always like i'm like that and then i look at myself and then i hear people like i'm not dumb like i listen to people i know people are like dude you work out your arms are big i'm not i i understand that part but i also look at myself and i'm like i'm no you see i don't see yeah i all i see is flaws me too like you were you were telling me about the uh posted the i lost like a bunch of weight this you're like 45 pounds dude that transformation is awesome You see you say that and and my first thought was but it's not the six-pack People post a photo that's what I usually associate with is like seeing the ripped body and like I can protrude some of that in good lighting

Um, that's and that's what I tell myself too. Like I took a picture with a trainer Uh trainer a friend who actually I brought to superman. Josh. You might have met him. Um, but we like flexed And I looked at it and I was like dude my arm looks huge in that picture. That's crazy lighting and he was just like bro That's you and I was like, oh cool Yeah, no, it's not and then a second later it went in one ear and's you. And I was like, oh, cool, I got it. Cool, yeah, I got it. No, it's not. And then a second later, it went in one ear

and out the other. And I was like, back to like, oh, I gotta try harder. Yeah, it's a weird thing, especially in this weird world that we live in. Is there a movie character or a TV show character where you felt like an aspirational goal to like work out more? Like for me, it was, I remember when I was young,

this is such a cliche answer, but when I saw Rocky, I did start working, I started doing pushups because of Rocky, I started running because of Rocky. It got me actually into that. Some people will say like Captain America's body and whatever, and that actually never quite did it. I don't know what it was, it didn't inspire me, it didn't feel attainable or something. Do you have one?

I, you know, one of the first, the one that came to mind was Stephen Amell as Arrow. Oh, good pick. I remember thinking about the Salmon Ladder thing he was doing and being like really impressed with his physique because I never wanted to look like The Rock or Arnold or like a bodybuilder. I love like, like I think Logan Paul is the perfect build. And what he's doing in WWE is remarkable. But I think his physique is like if I could have any body man, I think that guy's got a fucking like he just, but I think Stephen Amell was pretty close that in 2012 ish when you know,

back when Arrow was pretty early on. And that definitely got me in the gym. That's right. About the time I started being interested in fitness to like, when I was halfway through college, I started working out and me in the gym. That's right, about the time I started being interested in fitness too. When I was halfway through college, I started working out and getting in the gym multiple days a week and taking it seriously and learning what the fuck it even was. So that was definitely what came to mind. But then you have movies like Pain and Gain too,

but that's not natural. You can't attain that. You can't do that on your own, unless it's your job. I associate you as a guy, it's really easy for people to just look at you in the comic book movie world. Yeah. What is your, do you have favorite movies that are not comic book related? My favorite movie of all time is Interstellar. Interstellar really? Why Interstellar? Man I'm a fucking baby for like love stories and emotion and family. I think when I see something on screen that I wanna feel,

that's what I end up, I think, resonating with the most because my family history is kind of rough. My mom has had my back, I love my mom to death. My parents went to war in their divorce when I was a kid. And at the time when you're a kid, you're like, you really know? But then when you grow up, you're like, wow, that kinda fucked me up a little bit. So now looking back, it's like, you know,

the moment where he's seeing that he's missing his kid's life and all that, like that whole concept, and it's also just, I'm a sci-fi sucker, but the concepts of family and the way that like, he is trying to be there for his kids, he's trying to save the world for them, but at the expense of missing their lives. Like I, and just also what no one does with that movie.

It's not a mountain, it's a wave. Like just the visual, like the whole thing, I think Interstellar is just, but any movie that makes me feel, it's like Superman, the end of Superman hit me. I won't say anything, I don't know when this is going, but. Definitely now after But there's a family element in Superman that really read Guardians of the Galaxy volume 2 man like the yondu stuff

Dude that hit home cuz I also Kind of see a little like I don't know. I don't as probably sounds pompous or egotistical I'm also always afraid to be perceived that way, but pompous and egotistical and I'm also always afraid to be perceived that way but I see a lot of myself in Starlord. Okay. Like also in my career dude it's this is a fake it till you make a job for me if I'm being real like ever the Instagram is a highlight. I'll ironic thing you said fake it till you make it if I'm being real. Yeah but like dude Instagram looks like it's all a highlight reel I don't show you when I don't get the junket. I don't show you when the interview goes poor. Well, I do.

I guess I don't really edit things out. But Star-Lord is a guy who's constantly trying to tell you, hey, I belong here. And I feel like I identify with that to some extent. And I was also kind of raised by somebody who wasn't my dad. And that moment, but also wasn't, in that moment where Yondu's like, you know, I might not be your father, but I am your daddy,

or whatever the line was. I was like, fuck that. So those kind of, and Interstellar feels like it has that kind of emotion packed into it, and it's just, I'm a Nolan fan through and through. So the parental stuff is the one that gets most to your emotional trigger points. What movies are the ones that make you cry the most?

You have like the scenes that make you cry the most. I mean, I imagine there's stuff in what you just listed, but is there something that like, whenever you see this for some that make you cry the most. I mean, I imagine there's stuff in what you just listed, but is there something that like, whenever you see this for some reason, you cry? That first scene in Guardians, maybe I just have James Gunn on the brain because I just came from Superman, but that first scene in Guardians hits me

with his mom with cancer. In movies, a scene that's guaranteed to make me cry. I mean, there's a few. I can't believe I'm blanking. I haven't slept enough lately There's a scene in like friends that gets me every time when when Ross gets like stood up for prom and that flashback That I know what you're talking. That's my favorite show of all time. Dude that I was not cool in high school. Yeah, and I Was kind of Ross. Hmm, and that seemed kind of Ross hmm and that seemed to see it oh my god I prefer John Krasinski the Office has made me, the end of The Office roughed me up too, man.

The final episode? Yeah, oh my God. Anything that sort of becomes like a flashback of people's lives, I wish I had footage of my whole life to watch back, because I think that, like seeing my younger self and like getting that perspective of the progression of your life and like the emotion that went into any movie that does that

I'll try I'll keep thinking about it because I feel like this is such a non-answer But uh, well listen, I want to touch on that friend scene. You're talking. Okay, so For people who don't know I know exactly what you're talking about. You're my lobster how it ends is There's this flashback moment where they're watching a videotape where Rachel is supposed to be going to prom And her boyfriend isn't showing up. Ross has always been into her david schwimmer and the parents are like you should take her So he gets all ready gets the flowers and then when he's about to finally go take her Uh, he sees she's taking off and he's just left there standing alone and the whole past couple episodes Rachel's been rejecting him because of some stupid mistake that he made

and episodes Rachel's been rejecting him because of some stupid mistake that he made and I cry at a different moment in that same episode I cry when they kiss and when she finally goes up to hell I fuck is kidding I am so lately I've been such an easy sucker for the moment where it happens yeah I'm a sucker for watching to get torn apart yeah I think I noticed acts of love tend to get to me weirdly That's why superman like was fucking me up Because there's so much about being kind and and acts of love and that's what really Sometimes there's like loss in movies that will get to me But normally it's an act of love but so but for you is it the moment where ross is standing there by himself When he has that moment of like getting left behind Yeah, it's like, I feel like people probably

will listen to me say this and think it's bullshit or it's ironic because it's not numb to me what my career has allowed me to accomplish, but that is a feeling I've had so many times in my life, professionally and personally, of I'm not good enough. I'm not good enough for this work opportunity. I'm not good enough for this person. And I get seeing it there, and I saw that many many years ago too when like I hadn't gone to therapy

and worked on those things. So it's like that I remember watching that for the first time. I'm just feeling that sucks. Yeah. That's that's a pretty honest answer though. I like hearing that. I've noticed more men are at least maybe it's just from attract. I believe in like you like like attracts like I believe in that So I have been I'm like, oh are men more emotionally open or am I just attracting more men into my life who are? More emotionally open. Yeah, I think we're getting more comfortable you you wouldn't have called me here five years ago talking like this There's no way. Yeah, probably that's the internet and every once in a while. I'll throw a tweet out now That's like pretty authentic like guys, this is a shit week. I'm kind of spent.

But I think also, authenticity's cool. Yeah. It's also, I mean, I'd be lying if I said, I want people to know me and then believe in what we're doing and maybe they'll get behind it too, when they see that this is really what I'm doing. It's like, I don't know. Part of me wants to disappear from social media.

Part of me loves having people to talk to on social media and part of it is like social media is a tool that we have to use to some extent. Yeah, I don't know. But I think the authenticity of the vulnerability era is kind of upon us more than ever. The vulnerability era is an interesting one because I'm constantly wondering, there's a line between vulnerability and broadcasting your emotions. Yeah

It's hard to find very true like I'll find too that I've been much more open on camera and John and I have been shooting a very different podcast we haven't aired and We had a confrontation that we had to do and I was like, oh, this would be good to do on camera. And then I was like, no, wait, if I'm, then I'm broadcasting. Yeah, but that's like I said, like we look at it, when you're doing this job or any version of this job, you're looking at everything, whether you mean to or not,

through a lens of, well, is it content? Yeah. And then sometimes you gotta be like, no, fuck, no, take the lenses off. It is life. It doesn't have to be content. Cause sometimes the confrontation on camera is easier than when there's no camera.

Yeah, yeah, that's true. Then that's real vulnerability, where you just have to be with yourselves. It can be more uncomfortable. Cause then you kind of have a safety net of an audience or something and a bit of a presentation. But when you're by yourself, it's like it's hard a lot of the time.

It was just strange, strange time. You talk about your mom a lot. That's one thing I've noticed in our conversations is you bring her up and I haven't really inquired about her. And you mentioned the divorce. Are you much more distant from your dad then? I haven't talked to him in a while. I actually thought about doing the This is terrible

Everything's content Seen the trend where it's like bros call their bros to say good night. No. Oh, there's like this Twitter or a tik-tok Instagram real trend where somebody will film a guy and he gets on the phone with his friend who's a guy and they just call him and say, what's up bro? I'm just calling to say goodnight. And you just record what they say on speaker phone

just to get the funny reaction. And I was like, man, what if I called my dad just to say goodnight? I mean, I haven't talked, I genuinely haven't talked to him and I couldn't tell you when the last time was. Some amount of years, not like a decade, but I don't know, genuinely haven't talked to him and I couldn't tell you when the last time was some some amount of Years not like a decade, but some I don't know. We're just not close Is there traits that you've gotten from your dad that you? What traits from your dad do you do you appreciate and are there traits you're trying to undo?

I'm tall He's tall I mean yeah, definitely I think early on in my life, I think that it just like... There was an avoidance to me. I would just bullshit people to avoid a problem. And that causes a problem later. And I'm glad I don't... I worked that shit out. And that's definitely... I mean, he was worse than that. There was a lot of lessons of what not to do too. And I got that from both my parents too. And I got lessons on what to do in some instances.

I think we all, it's interesting when you grow up and you're like, well, you think your parents are these people who have it all figured out and they have these choices that are all calculated. Then you're like, they were just doing it for the first time too. They're figuring it out as they go, when you grow up and you get that perspective.

That is kind of the cycle I'm noticing, especially in the therapy world we live in now, the introspection is, we grow up, then we reach an age, we realize we're messed up, we blame our parents, and then eventually we're like, oh, but they're human too. Yeah, exactly. That's where I'm at now. It's like, oh, yeah, I definitely blamed my parents for too long.

And like, and of course, there's still stuff I'm constantly on doing from both of my my parents. But yeah, I would I totally know what you're talking about. Is there is there a person or is there a character from a movie to give me an image or show that reminds you of your dad the most? Oh, reminds me of my. John Locke's dad in Lost. Oh, I can't quite, what specifically about that? Is it a physicality or an actual relationship? Oh, I feel like I don't wanna sit here

and sound like I'm like, shit talking to my dad here. Maybe he's watching, I don't fucking know. I see a lot of myself in John Locke. That's my favorite character in anything ever. And I see a lot of myself in a lot of the characters in Lost, I think, because, and that's what I like about the show, is all those characters have flaws, and then those end up being the things I identify

with with those characters. But John Locke is like this hopeless but hopeful guy who gives people so many chances. And when I was younger, I did that a lot. I did that, I've done that when I'm older too, but especially when I was a kid, I didn't know any better. I'd give people a lot of chances and he gives his dad a lot of chances.

And this is not what happened in my life, but this is what happened in Lost. And I can draw the comparisons based on like, what I know happened while my parents were going through all their legal shit and all that. Like John gives his dad another chance, his dad shows up as like the hero. John, I'm gonna do all this for you, we're gonna do this, we're gonna do that, we're gonna go fishing, we're gonna have a relationship. And then you find out

his dad conned him just because he needed a kidney. And then throws him out a window, because John won't let it go. He's like, Dad, you couldn't possibly do this to me. And his dad has literally throws him out of a skyscraper building, spoiler alert, that's how John Locke ends up in the wheelchair that he's in when the plane crashes. And that's not at all what happened in my life, but it is kind of, I can make the metaphor for like things I've experienced for that,

where it's like, hey, I'm gonna give you another chance, but you fucked me over again, I'm gonna give you another chance, you fucking used me to do this other thing. So, you know, and then that results in the shit I told. Like, I became an avoiding person where I would just do anything to avoid a problem, but then that creates a problem later. So it's like, I don't know, you grow up, you learn,

you see what other mistakes people, other people made, and then you see mistakes you've made as a result, and you just gotta learn from all that. Is John Locke the character you would say you identify the most with? Yeah, I think so. Sad, sad, and I don't like that either because I think he's a sad character.

And I think I'm often a sad person, to be honest. Like I have trouble with a lot of shit. Like I think I wrestle with depression, it's undiagnosed. I've never seen somebody for it. But I see so much of myself in that character and how he wants to do great things and matter. He just wants to fucking matter. And life just shits on him.

And I, again, I feel like this is so silly coming from me because I live the life of a fucking contest winner for the most part. I know that. Warner Brothers has me here for Superman. People would pay $100 thousand dollars for the weekend I Had here this week working. Mm-hmm, but I go into that interview and I'm like I want to have the best fucking interview I wanted it like and it's never gonna be good enough for me

It's never gonna be good enough for me It could get the most views of everyone at the junket every comment could be like this was great The one that says fuck this guy is gonna be the one that sticks with me. And then, I don't know, I think that, like John, when he crashed on that island, I'm waiting for my crash on the island, basically. Because that's when his life flipped upside down and he found meaning on that island. He could walk again, of course, but he just wants

to earn people's respect just like, really, he's not Lex Luthor trying to take people's respect demand it He's like a guy who wants to do it, right? And couldn't before and now like when the island happens he finds himself and still has a fucking tragic ending I hate the way that character story ends, but I think that's the character. I identify with the most I wanted to be Tony Stark. I was John Locke Well, I mean if any comments like I the character when I wanted to be Tony Stark. I was John Locke. I am John Locke. Well, I mean, if it's any confidence, the character when I was growing up, just I want to make it I don't want you to feel alone here. The character for sure identified with the most with on a lighter side was Chandler from Friends using humor to block but the first drama

character that I ever identified with was actually Dexter from the show Dexter. Wow why? The first episode. How many people did? That's such an interesting pick. It was the first episode when I was young I I would I had never heard someone say this. It was just an adjective I had applied to myself, which is I feel empty. And that was the first character I heard say that, I feel empty. And I mean, sure, it was like the caveats of like, but this is a serial killer, you know, like All that shit, but I really clicked with that and that's when I felt weirdly seen as it and I was like

oh this must be why a lot of people probably love this character because they see the humanity in him and The irony of like I want to do acting I want to do these things and that's kind of why I'm obsessed with what I Do because like when I was young I? I want to do these things and that's kind of why I'm obsessed with what I do because like when I was young I Remember there was this for I didn't we only had cable for one month and there was this channel that I don't know It still exists. It was called the monster channel. They would run 24 hours a day uncensored horror movies and I was like 12 years old I'd watch it but I had this thing in me that was saying be a man. Don't look away. Don't don't react don't just watch.

And it was hard. And now what I see, what I do for a living now, it's like so counterproductive. It's actually the opposite because I, when I, in my early 20s, around, a little before my dad died, I started going, I wanna be able to understand my feelings and show and express them.

And so that's like a really big why in my life I think it's a Not just show my feelings but help encourage people to feel their feelings, too So having a conversation like this is is a really big one. So I'm fascinated by what you're saying right now Yeah, I think this is awesome. And I what that's a that's so interesting that you see that through a character like that and I mean Yeah, that's great. I did not expect Dexter to be the guy you have like in in the limited time we finally became friends I did not expect Dexter to be the guy. I don't think anyone expects John Locke from you. Dude I have a tattoo my first tattoo I have seven tattoos now the first tattoo I ever got is right here on my ribs it says don't ever tell me what

I can't do and not just because I want to accomplish things, I don't like feeling limited. It's because in that scene is, I have felt that so many times professionally and personally, it's him in a wheelchair trying to go on this walkabout in Sydney, and he's flown to Australia, and the tour guide tells him, you can't come on this walkabout. And he's just like, I've been planning for this for years, just put me on the bus, I can do this no you can't don't ever tell me what I can't do and he doesn't get on the bus and that sends him to the island where his life he finds his meaning but uh it's interesting because then the same time you have Jack Shepherd who's the other main character who endlessly wants to

fix things I feel a lot of that my life too I just lost this I could this we could do an hour about why I love Lost and the characters of Lost. So were you bullied in school? I'm not sure. I'm trying to understand the impression you're telling me about your time in school. I wasn't the cool kid. I mean, I also went to high school in a town. I was from Howell, New Jersey. Very, you know, okay, normal town. I went to high school in Colts Neell, New Jersey. Very, you know, okay, normal town. I went to high school in Coltsneck, New Jersey.

Coltsneck is the richest town in New Jersey. Kids from Howell are not rich. We're not, you know, well, there was times where we didn't pay the electric bill, but I got an Xbox for Christmas, so like, you know, it's a little bit of, but Coltsneck, the kids are driving cars nicer than the teachers. And you know, if you're the one, it's a little bit of, but, Colts neck, the kids are driving cars nicer than the teachers.

And you know, if you're the one kid who's a senior who's still riding the bus, you're a fucking loser. And I was made to feel that, because I didn't have a car in high school. Like, we couldn't afford it. We couldn't do it. So it was like, and it's also, as a kid, you're making it more than it even is, I think.

But that's the sort of stuff that stuck with me. Dude, I drive a fucking, I got the car that Tony Stark drives in Avengers Endgame. So what kind of complex did that put in me? It just explains itself. So it's a lease, I didn't buy it, but I can't afford to buy it. But it's like, I have these moments where it's like,

bro, this is lit, and I love the car, but sometimes I have these reality check moments where it's like, bro, you're paying $700 a month on this lease for like for what like, you know, who are you trying to prove to now and It's comfortable car though. So I don't know. It's like those sort of things are the I'm at the age now I'm starting to think about stuff that way Tony Stark influence me like that I guess and So that that just ties right back to being in high school. I notice sometimes when you're talking about, when you're like revealing how you're feeling or thinking, you're kind of putting this diffusing of some other thing

that someone else might say about like, no, but I know I got this life, I got this life. Is that influenced by social media interaction or is that how you've always thought? Where you feel like you have to explain this thing. I just feel like I am very lucky to do what I do for a living. It's not lost on me and I think that- Do you feel like you're not allowed to be depressed though? I think people wouldn't want to hear from me that I'm not happy. Why is that? Because they'd be like, bro I work at fucking Starbucks. How are you not happy?

I've worked at Starbucks, I know it sucks. Some people love working there. I hated it. My demeanor might seem like I don't know what you're talking about. I 100% know what you're talking about. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But it seems like there's this line where, yes, where people will say that, but then you get a Robin Williams situation.

Yeah, we don't need to get that. I'm on Open Book, to be honest with you. I'm on Open Book, to be honest with you. People will say that but then you get a Robin Williams situation Yeah, we don't need to get that I'm an open book to be honest with you, but I've had my scares of that kind of shit and I'm nowhere near that Honestly, not just saying I'm good. But I have I've had my moments where I've been like Pretty close to feeling shit. Okay. I don't want to do this anymore. Take the exit ramp. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah but I mean, yeah, I have some really good friends and Therapy It's good. It's good stuff. I mean I don't talk about too often

But yeah, I've been I've been in the psych ward for like the 72 hour holds and stuff and it didn't hit me until It was weird. I was actually it was it was running. I was the channel is actually Already at like 200 300 thousand subs. So it was like from the outside people I'm doing great yeah, but then I did harm myself and When I was back in the hospital and never like revealed at the time and I was back in the hospital, I never like revealed at the time, and when I was back in the hospital, it hit me on the cheesiest thought, which is, oh, but if I die,

I won't be able to see everyone's reaction. So you're saying if something happens to you, you want reaction videos? Yeah, that's where we are. That's the cry for help though, that I was like, oh, it's... I don't really want to die, but I don't quite know how to just say I need help. Oh, I have... I... this is real...

This is... trigger warning, I guess, that this is a heavy topic. I never deleted it just because I've never deleted a draft. I literally have a note drafted in Twitter that I wrote when I was like, this is it, I'm out. And I was watching Guardians of the Galaxy and I wrote it on my phone. And then I obviously never published it,

but I was like, I'm gonna publish this, and I'll schedule it, and I'm out. But I'm really fucking glad I didn't do that. And maybe us talking about this and people hearing this would be like, oh, it helps somebody. Because I have some really good friends who have helped me and they don't even know, to this day, don't even know some of the ways they've helped me.

Yeah, it's interesting to come out of that and be like, okay, there's a lot here, there's a lot of good stuff still. Well, I think that's the thing with our society, right, is that all the emphasis is put on success financially, career-wise, and if you're doing well there, then you have no reason to be sad or something like that. Because that's where we often, I think we do a transference of our depression and sadness

onto jobs and career. Of course it can be an effect, it can be a circumstantial effect, but there are people who do work at a McDonald's or a Starbucks who are happy. There are people who are not driven by needing the validation like we do. And people who are driven like us

often are stuck in the rat race of it's never enough. It's never good. That light at the end of the tunnel is always gonna stay exactly as far away as it is right now. What is success? Do you have a definition of success? Uh, I mean, it used to be money and subscribers and all that stuff, and now it's changed.

I just want to be... I've definitely shifted into more, I want to be happy outside of work. I want to be less time on my phone. I think I'm a few years away from getting off the internet entirely, just for peace of mind, because I don't think it's a healthy place to be. And people yell at me all the time, and it's like I shouldn't care. But that was 100 characters, and that tweet I just read about somebody

who I've never met and doesn't actually know a thing about me, like yeah, fucking, why does that get, I don't know. But for me, I want to like, find a person, find a, get a nice place to live, feel like you have a person in your life who is a teammate, every problem, it's not you versus each other, it's you versus the problem.

And then have financial stability, have experiences, have, you know, I love the reason I do this really, more than even getting to talk to David Cornswett, it's to travel to LA and see my friends. To, you know, go to Star Wars Celebration in Tokyo with my friends. I like the traveling and the people in the industry, like on our side of the industry. It's awesome to talk to David Cornswett. It's awesome to be in the same room as Hayden Christensen. But like, for me, it's like seeing you, Kevin McCarthy, Jake Hamilton, Chris Van Vliet, Ash Cross,

and Maude Garrett, Perry Nemeroff, Joe Dekkelmeyer. There's so many awesome koi. There's so many awesome people in this industry that I love spending time with. I have way more friends when I show up to an event for work than when I'm at home. So I want to have that sort of security, financial security, friends, a person that we handle life with,

and to me that's wealth and that's success, and you're comfortable with where you are. You don't feel, I think for the rest of my life I'm gonna have a motor that I need to accomplish things, but I would like to be able to take the foot off the gas a little bit and put some of that gas into life outside of it, which wrestling has kind of scratched that edge for me.

It sounds like you're valuing connection more than anything else. Yeah, yeah, I do, I love people. Yeah, we talked about this a little bit at Marshall's party. Like I have, I've read like communication books, listen to audio, so I'm pretty good at communicating and knowing how to socialize at events, but it's definitely like game on for me.

And it seems like for you, you're a little more natural. You don't really get social anxiety. I don't, no, unless it's like a situation where I think somebody doesn't want me in a room, that really gets to me and I try to avoid that and make it. I'm like, you know what, okay, the room's yours. Unless it's someone I really have a problem with. And fuck you, I'm taking the room.

But I'm very much not that. I can't think of an instance where I've done that in our space. But I don't even remember what I was gonna say. Some of that social anxiety. Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. No, I mean, I'll show up to marshals and my biggest social anxiety is saying nice to meet you

if I've met you before. I fucking hate hurting somebody's feelings if I've done that and I do it sometimes and I'm guilty of it. I hate being that person. I hate being that person. And people will call you on it too. It's like, I deserve that. We've met.

You go to these events and you meet so many people and I'm bad with remembering names to faces sometimes. I need to see people a couple times or follow them on social media so I can register, and every once in a while I'll do that, and that's the worst thing I could've done today. I'm the worst person that's ever happened. Are you an only child?

I have an older sister, she's in Texas. Are you not close with her? Well, we talk, I wouldn't say we're super close, but she's cool, yeah. But you stick with your mom, to give me a visual of your mom, what, is there, a lot of these questions questions that sound similar, but it helps me out Movie or character movie or TV show character or dynamic that reminds me reminds you of your mom. Oh Man that's a good movie characters like my mom. There's a there's a movie called the what's that Seth Rogen and Barbra Streisand movie?

I never saw that but I know you're talking That kind of reminded me of my mom, because my mom will just go do whatever with me if I suggested it, and she literally can do it. She will. And that movie's funny how they have this dynamic where she's super comfortable talking about stuff, and Seth Rogen's like, she says something.

I think they're talking about STDs or something in this movie. And she's like, well, why didn't you tell me? And Seth Rogen goes, my penis could literally grow an eyeball And I wouldn't tell you and I'm like yeah I feel that way if I'm I'm I would talk about anything with me But there's just shit that I'm not gonna bring up to you That's that one came to mind also probably because we watched that movie together, so that is a memory I have with her I

Bet I'm shitty at answering these questions. You said a memory with her. What did you watch with, well first, when did your parents split? How old were you? 10, 11 I think. Like elementary school, fourth grade. Okay, so before that, would you guys watch any shows or movies together?

I watched Lost with my mom. Most of Lost with my mom. We was like Wednesday nights, I was like that, and then we'd go right into Grey's Anatomy afterwards. Mostly just get American Idol and stuff like that. Watched a lot of TV with her. And then we'd go to the movies. We would get there was a this like, Wow, these are like unlocking memories. I don't even there in Hamilton, New Jersey, there was a movie theater that we would go to pretty often. And we'd watch whatever was out. We would

just go to the movies often. For the most most part that was like an actual bonding experience like would you guys do the whole thing like popcorn drinks the whole thing oh yeah yeah I mean we would probably smuggle candy in cuz like we were we weren't paying movie prices for some of that stuff but also yeah we get popcorn and all that we're also big like Six Flags people yeah yeah so Six Flags great adventure season pass we put miles on that thing. Your mom sounds like the shit. Oh, my mom's great, dude. She sounds like actually really cool.

Dude, my mom, she would go to war for me, and she's also just, like she's gone through, she's been treated for breast cancer twice, gone through chemo twice, she's had heart surgery. Like she has had health issues that people just like, one will take them out. And she's just overcome so much stuff. And still to this day, I will drive up to OVW

for a wrestling match with her and my friends in the car and she will talk more than anyone just because she's having a good time. And she hates that I wrestle. And she'll still be like, just having a, and she texts me the next day after that, Brandon, I had so much fun yesterday with your friends. Thank you so much for bringing me

I'm like yeah she's got an unbelievably good energy if I was going through the shit my mom has gone through I'd be fucking miserable but and I'm you know I'm sure maybe she has her mask like I wear too sometimes I don't mean I know my mom I'm sure you know we've talked about stuff that she's not happy all the time like I like I just pitch her to be but she Is a good energy all the fucking time for everyone when she can be she sounds like a good like foundational parent to have like a good Rock. Yeah. Oh, yeah. I mean, I I know I could I could anything could happen. I call my mom She's she's gonna help she lives with you now, too. I accept money

I'm on my own with that. But yeah, she's been living in my house, in my spare room for two years this month. She moved in after she had heart surgery. And it was like, hey, let's get you back on your feet, save you some money. She's healthy, that's all that matters. She sounds like a super sweetheart.

You bring her up so often that I was like, this guy has a clearly a Good relationship. Oh, yeah, we never mentioned his dad. So you must have Yeah, no, my mom is a sweetheart dude I yeah, and I would go to war for her if I ever had to I don't think she'd ever create a situation where I would Have to but I would if she did or if she was in one you said 33 and single But you also mentioned the beginning of our talk that like,

love stories really get to you. What are some of these love stories you're talking about? Like romantic movies, romantic comedies, or shows? I love Forgetting Sarah Marshall. That's a great movie. But I mean, yeah, I'm a sucker for just like, no time to die hit me because he finally fell in love and then he Died, you know, it's like

Yeah, the what are some of the best love stories man, I mean Just your personal ones, yeah, I mean like like Love actually is great because I mean Andrew Lincoln's kind of a creep in that movie, but it's like, I've also been the person who's like, you know, you really like somebody you can't have. Uh, I would never show up to their door when they're getting married with no cards. Yeah. To my best friend's girl, but you know, it, that's a good, that's a good romantic film that I really enjoy. Um, God, I'm just shitting the bed on these That's a good romantic film that I really enjoy. God, I'm just shitting the bed on these questions. I'm blanking on all these answers.

You're actually not. Your self-talk is really interesting coming out of it. Hearing your self-talk is really interesting because you definitely come down harder on yourself than what's actually happening. Oh, yeah. Like, I just know I'm gonna leave here and I'm gonna be like, oh, there's

this obvious character who reminds me of my mom. There's this obvious rom-com I love that I didn't name. It's not like I send you pre-planned questions in advance. There's no reason for you to. I would have been reading them in the Uber over here. That's how I live my life now. Like, I don't even, like, I thought I was flying out of LAX today.

I'm going out of Burbank. I thought I was coming up here, going back to LAX, but I'm like, oh shit, oh that saves me an hour. Let's go, yeah. I looked at it this morning. What airport am I flying out of today? I'm doing it, that's part of the problem with doing it all myself now.

Like I'm making less money and I'm doing way more work, but it's getting done one day at a time. How are you feeling about having to keep up the optics of how things are going in your life? Because I see that you're doing the interview, so everything looks like it's back to normal for you and you're doing wonderful, but then it seems like you're actually not.

It's, Instagram is LinkedIn to me. It really, I post authentically as I can, but it's also, I know every publicist is looking at this Hmm, I know marketing teams people who might pay me for a brand deal are looking at this Instagram is the new LinkedIn in my opinion In this industry, I don't use LinkedIn. I haven't used LinkedIn since they made me make one when I was in college But I think you know optics are you know on on social media it's really important to me. Hmm not afraid to admit it. It's it's uh every once in a while I'll throw a story up it's like having a shit time right now but uh for the most part I got a lot of good stuff to post that I'm very lucky to. It's not back to normal like there's there's a lot of stuff that doesn't work out.

I'm insanely ahead of the curve and lucky for the junkets I'm getting, the interviews I'm getting, but I get told no a lot. It's also... I think if I come out and say, well, the studio told me no or this actor told me no, then the studios take that shit to heart. You can't say that for whatever reason. I don't know why. It's like, I'm not saying something bad about you. You just didn't give me this junket. I told people, hey, I wanted to do interviews. They told me no. That's not negative towards your movie, in my opinion. But now it's like I would rather just some things are just like, okay, well, I guess there's some things I can't share because somebody might get mad at me for it. But yeah, sometimes I get told no. A lot of times I get told no for interviews and stuff.

Well, I lumped you into the comic book movie world of course because of comicbook.com and The comic are you? Still into like comic books at all in the way how you once were most the time now when I read comics It's to prepare for something that's coming out I understand I asked like I struggle to sit still and read because my mind is always going like I need to be productive right now I need to be doing something. I need to be fidgeting with something or even just playing a video game Which I allow myself to do like maybe I don't know a few minutes a day at this point if that I used to play a lot more for tonight in rocket League when I had a steady salary now not really but

Like I really enjoy comics I genuinely struggle to sit still and flip pages I love going to the comic book store like I love looking at the covers and flip pages. I love going to the comic book store. Like I love looking at the covers and looking at the art and seeing the moments and seeing the characters and everything. And I just now, I read All-Star Superman, I've read it before but I read it on the plane here

and I left it on the plane like an idiot. But it's like I reread the book before I watched Superman. So for the most part now my comic reading is, I'll get home this week and I'm gonna start reading Fantastic Four books again. And then after that I'll probably go read some Wonder Man stuff or you know whatever is in the pipeline. And every once in a while I'll pick up a book that's new, but it's been a while since I've picked up a new book and just went to town just to read it. I understand the feeling. It's weird even with like ones with visuals I have the same struggle where I'm like, oh shit I just like read three pages and I have no idea what I was thinking

Do you read do you read books? Do you read comics though? Yeah, I read actually read what I use the apps though like Yeah, oh my god, it's like well, I think what I'm looking at the actual book now It's like there's so much imagery that it helps me focus on On what to look at and how to pay it. The isolation of it actually helps my brain out. Yeah, I read a lot of comics, especially leading into Superman. And, you know, what we're talking about with social media, I texted Koi this a couple hours after we saw Superman was

it's the it's the first time I've seen a movie where it made me contemplate leaving social media, because, leaving Twitter specifically, because I found myself so much of the time in the movie when I was laughing or having fun, I would immediately think, oh, people online are gonna hate this, oh, people online are gonna, and it started interrupting my enjoyment process, and then I immediately was like when the

movie was done I don't want to talk to him because I want anyone like we're viewing the movie to my face and telling me what they didn't like to sound smart or whatever and then it's like Twitter especially is something that will be like so mean and ruin the thing that really gave me an emotional experience do you find you have similar struggles with the enjoyment at all with movies and stuff because of how social media has done this? Dude, that's those goggles we tell you, that lens.

Absolutely. I drafted a tweet this morning that I didn't send because I was like, I don't want somebody at WB to think I'm complaining about Superman or something or implying a reaction before I'm allowed to. But it was like, can't wait for Superman discourse. If I love it, I'm a James Gunn shill. If I hate it, I'm a Marvel shill.

If I'm somewhere in between, I probably should die anyway. And it's like, that's just what, but the thing is, the majority of responses aren't that. But it's impossible not to think of what your perception, the perception of your perception. I don't know why. We're just people, I guess. I don't know. Maybe our brains were not meant for social media. I wake up in the morning and if I open Twitter, I see a plane fall out of the sky, somebody gets shot, and then there's like a naked person. All in the first five seconds, my eyes have been open like what now go

about your day yeah now good now go have like you know I mean I open Instagram it's much more peaceful it's things that's more curated things I want to see Twitter has gone I would leave Twitter if I didn't need Twitter I it's like I have 340,000 followers on Twitter I generate probably 8 to 15 million impressions a month and that is an asset to get me these interviews, to make myself appealing. And also the studios care less about Twitter than ever before.

So like it's losing its draw. It's losing its value to me too. And that sucks. Like Twitter used to be fun. Yeah. Like during COVID, Twitter was a lot of fun, man. Yeah. To go and watch movies with people and stuff.

Very obvious moment in time when someone took over that the whole environment on Twitter totally changed. Such a cesspool. Yeah. It is such a cesspool. There's still a lot of positivity, but it's so easy for the negativity to take over. This is what I'm finding more often is like, we're people in a field where we give our opinions

and it's always if you will be like, you shouldn't listen to negative comments, you shouldn't listen to haters. Like my wife, Olivia, she's incredible at being unaffected by other people's opinions, it's phenomenal. But it also determines our opportunity sometimes. It can, yeah. Yeah.

But same time, it's like I haven't really met too many people actually in this arena who are not affected. It's actually hard for me to... I don't know anybody who isn't actually affected, and yet we're expected to be like thick-skinned about everything, but then that can affect your ability to be honest with your emotions when you're blocking how you feel to be thick-skinned.

And it's this weird process that people expect out of you. Like I've noticed how the rise tends to be like this. You, you start doing videos or whatever. You start getting popular, you start getting attention, and then you start getting hate and then that starts influencing how you present yourself on camera and how you talk about things. And then people start criticizing you for how you're doing that. Because of that, I don't know who people want movie reactions from at this point.

If you do an interview, they don't want to hear it from you. If you travel to watch the movie and the studio pays for it, they don't want to hear it from you. If you got paid to go to the movie, they don't want to hear it from you. If you did literally anything other than fucking watch the movie on your own, and even then it's probably a problem because then you're not even valid enough for your opinion to count, I guess. Like I'm just imagining what they'd say and I could understand like yeah, obviously you get paid by the studio to have an opinion That's one third to to Promote a movie. That's one thing. I've never been paid to have an opinion ever

I've got paid by studios to promote things like I did a D And then I actually when I was still working at the site I said hey Max wants me to promote the Suicide Squad. I think it was the Suicide Squad. I don't think I should write reviews anymore. Is that okay? Yeah, I never wrote another review. I never wrote another movie review.

At least I don't think so. And it's not, I'm on Rotten Tomatoes. Actually, somebody tried to do a gotcha on me today because I said, I'm not a critic. I don't know what you expect from me. I like to like stuff. And if I don't like it, I say it, and then I move on. And then somebody saw that and fucking screenshotted

my Rotten Tomatoes profile, which has been inactive since 2021. And I was like, what are you, why am I arguing with you? Why do I care what this person's? But that's why I liked in Superman, when he's, I thought it was one of the most relatable things when he is saying, I don't read that stuff online and then you Actually see no he actually does read this stuff all I didn't he actually does get affected

I've had days ruined over shit people say about me online like I'll read it Sunday morning and Sunday's done Yeah, I'm done for the day. It's weird because I hate to admit it cuz then the fuckers who listen into this are probably like Hahaha, yeah, it's working. We can do it it again I'll ruin his fucking Tuesday, too. Yeah It's a weird thing because I get it. There's like a lot of positive comments I will come in but whenever I read the negative it it's it's I feel like man after all this time It's still get even if it's like the same shit. I've heard for a whole time. I've been doing this. It somehow still does Do a weird number on me where I have to like go through a whole process To not be affected by it or or like to be fine again for the day. Yeah, I know what you mean

It's a hard time. Every once in a while though, I was a pretty good one though. Really? You little shit that was it You're in the wrestling world Wrestling world I do a lot of the wrestling stuff I know you that you seem to light up so much when you talk about wrestling Were you into wrestling your whole life as a kid you watched it and everything? I grew up in the attitude era. My mom hated it. Wow the attitude big time man the rock Austin It's crazy now. I'll snow is there and now I wrestle for Al Snow at OVW. Like he's a friend I could text him right now

It's insane. Well he probably wouldn't say we're friends. He claims to not like anybody who wrestles there because he does what's best for business all the time. But dude, I just grew up a huge wrestling fan. My mom would ask me, what do you want to be when you grow up? I'd say a wrestler. You can't be a wrestler. What else do you want to be? A wrestler. That was all I wanted to do. You wanted that more than the movie stuff. Oh, movie stuff didn't come up until high school, college. And even that like the one I'm when I like, I stopped watching WWE in high school, as a lot of people do, you grow up, you're like, oh, it's, it's fake, I'm not watching it. And then I got back into it. Five, six years ago, watching it again, it got good again, Roman Reigns and all the stuff they've been doing has been really the storylines they've had since Vince McMahon left WWE especially have been pretty fantastic.

And finally, you know, in 2023, I had a friend who was like, you can Connor Casey, who used to work in comic book with me was like, dude, I train wrestling out in Hendersonville. It's like 30 minutes outside Nashville. He's like, you want to come train like try wrestling? And I was like, yeah, sure, okay. And I walked in and he's like, there's probably gonna be a bunch of egos in here, macho guys, whatever. And it's like, where you walk in, hey, man, fit... It's like, there's a... People in movies will... This will be such news to them. People in wrestling, it's like, that's such a known thing. And I learned this because I watched YouTube videos

about wrestling experiences before I started booking matches. When you walk into a wrestling event, it is like protocol, unspoken protocol to shake every single person in the room's hand. Like there is a, it's just a, it's a carny business, but it's a respect business. And if people don't like you in wrestling, you're not gonna get booked.

If you're not respectful to people in wrestling, you're not gonna get booked. You could be the best wrestler if you're a dick and you cause problems in the locker room, you're not gonna get booked. Obviously there will be exceptions to that, but it is like a shockingly to me, based on not knowing that before I started,

inclusive and welcoming environment that it doesn't get credit for. And of course there are exceptions to that as in any environment. But for the most part, dude, it is like, we all challenge each other and you're only as good as the guy across from you. Like, I'm only as good as you make me look.

And that's like, you're only as good as I make you look. We're in this together, pal. You know, even if we don't like each other, there's no, I haven't even wrestled anybody that I would say I don't like you. I'll say it on a microphone if we're on TV. Fucking hate everybody here. But backstage, dude, I vibe with those guys, man.

It's cool, and girls. I mean, that's the performance sport of it. Like they say with actors, like yeah, it's your scene partner. Yeah, it's what it is. It's really what it is. It's a dramatized stunt show where it's a fucking thrill. Yeah, dramatized stunt show.

Oh my God, that's the perfect encap. I'm, again, Olivia, she grew up on wrestling. She's obsessed with wrestling. I did not, but when we took a trip to New York, I ended up watching the whole Vince McMahon documentary. That guy's. But it taught me so much about wrestling and the part I did not expect.

I thought I wanted to watch like, ooh, the evil of Vince McMahon, but then I found myself going, oh, I get why wrestling's so popular. I get it now. It's like, and as a fan in the crowd, you're in on it. You know what I mean? Like, you're getting worked, but you're also... It's like going to medieval times.

You're in on it with them. You're cheering for the good guy. You're booing the bad guy. And they still find ways to surprise you. And whether you're caring about whether it's part of the script or you're invested whether you're invested in Seth Rollins the wrestler or Colby the human being You're you're you care about both sometimes too Like that's what the thrill of it is for I think for fans and then you get to see some fun like

This dude brawn breaker just speared pen to out of the air the other day and it went viral because the lady in the front row could not believe what she saw. And when you go wrestle, I'm not in WWE, but we wrestle in Louisville, there's kids in the crowd who, you're a fucking superhero to that kid. Like they get to go home and be like, I want to be a wrestler. I want to like it. It's, I don't know, it's, it is the most fulfilling and challenging thing I've ever done. What's your favorite? Wrestling movie or wrestling related movie, you know, it's a good movie fighting with my family That's a good one. It's pew. Yeah, and it's a pretty decent look at that's like the rest Yeah, the Rock is in it and a short in a small role It's a pretty decent look at what trying to come up in wrestling. I mean the The Wrestler is a pretty damn good movie. What'd you think about Iron Claw?

Oh, fucking movie's heavy, man. But that's what wrestling used to be like. It's much safer now than it was when those guys were doing it, when the Von Erics were doing it. But that is what it was like. And part of me wishes I started wrestling 15 years ago when I was 20. But if I could.

It's weird to start at your 30s. Even better, we started at our 30s. But it was less safe... Even 13 years ago, it was less safe. There's banned moves now. Somebody asked me to take this move called an Alabama Slam once, which 13 years ago, I probably... Let's go. It's a move where they hold you by your ankles, you're hanging that way, your head is to the back of their calf, and they flip forward, and they launch you, and you go catapult onto your back, and inevitably, you're gonna smack your head because you're falling this way, you're gonna get launched, you're not just

falling, you're getting thrown. And I was like, brother, I'm not fucking taking an Alabama slam. And I think a guy thought I was new, thought I would just take this move, and he would look cool. No. It's also what people are cool when you say no Yeah, I've never had somebody get mad at me for saying no to not want to do something cuz I don't think it was safe It hurts, but it's safe. So What we started talking about? very beginning with body dysmorphia You're shirtless when you're wrestling. Yeah, is it difficult for do you find an insecurity when you're shirtless wrestling?

Yeah, absolutely. Yeah interest is that common wrestling shirt on this entire year until two weeks ago And I the gear I had designed I wanted a tank top So I could keep the shirt on and then a vest over the tank top and the the person who made my gear only made The vest which is you like it would just get ruined if I wrestle in it so I had to take it off and I like I watched a video myself the other day trying to learn a move called a lion saw you take a couple steps you jump on the middle rope you do a backflip and I looked at myself in the video I was like fuck I look like shit and then I like my friends like no you look fine but in the wrestling world I know by comparison

to what I'm supposed to look like, I'm not there. I'm definitely not there. And that annoys the shit out of me. Was the body dysmorphia when you were a kid too? I think it was accurate. I don't think it was dysmorphia. I think I was skinny as hell and I got made fun of for being skinny.

I had the opposite. I was like overweight. It's such an interesting thing, because I imagine it's a similar experience, but just the different sides of the same coin, where people are making fun of you. I would imagine being overweight gets it worse than being skinny.

Well, I've been thinking a lot about this weirdly, is when I meet people who struggle to gain weight, there's often the, if I'm hearing that I say it too of like oh well good for you You know like easy problem. I wish I had that problem Yeah, then I'm like this must be such an isolating problem for people like in with this struggle like of course I would prefer that rather than lose But they don't know what it's like to have the opposite end and so they often left to feel alone because people are usually to have the opposite end, and so they're often left to feel alone because people are usually responding to them with like, that's not a real problem, you know, when it is a problem.

Yeah, I mean, I was in high school, I'm 6'3", like 215 right now. I was like 165, like 170. Same sense, still 6'3". So I was like 40% less weight I guess. But I mean I still think, yeah like you said, when you're skinny you maybe don't get taken seriously. When you're like, I wish I could gain weight. I also didn't even realize I wish I could gain weight. I was just like, why are you guys being dicks? I didn't even think I looked bad or stupid. I still to this day, I can't get, no matter how much chest I do, I cannot grow these boobies dude. I can't get the pecs popping. You're gonna have the Tom Cruise problem, dude I am I and somebody called me a bird chest in college and nobody's ever said it to me again But that's still what I think of I have a fucking burge. It's just I have this flat

I cannot no matter I can bench like probably 285 Wow You wouldn't guess. Is that coming from chest strength or arm strength? That's chest and arm. I mean, I don't know. I guess it's probably my try. I have not missed an arm day, not a single week in like 10 years.

So it's probably a lot of work. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I've missed a couple chest days, but I try, I really, chest and arms are the two things I've hit the most more than anything else. Just to try to get, yeah, Those are my favorite to work out. Yeah Yeah, no I skipped it today

People are like we signed up for movies this is this is the thing I think this is the part where people stopped watching They're like I don't want to hear about fucking food I mean, I'm I feel like I'm gonna try something a little bit different. No, I know, I'm just messing. We're like internet people, and they're like, hey, we're going for the movie stuff. And I think it's cool to show this different side.

I love getting an opportunity to talk like this. I think it's great. I'm having a lot of fun. It's refreshing for me too, honestly. Like as much as, it was very mutually beneficial. Like the exchange, like, oh, I'm feeling a catharsis being in front of me. Have you been on this side of it yet has anybody done this interview for you I Know not quite yet. No, not yet one day. We're gonna. I want to swear

I want to sit in your seat. I don't want to hear all about your life. I love to do that I mean, I'm pretty I I feel like I could be a pretty honest guy. I watch my boundaries about certain things because my my brother is this a similar thing to what I do. And I feel like there's just certain things that we, like I allude to a lot more about certain stuff. But when it comes to just me, I don't mind talking about anything. I just gotta sort of watch what I'm saying.

But yeah, when talking about the stuff as a kid reminded me of like, when I was a kid I couldn't take my shirt off at a pool party. That was what I couldn't do. You're talking about not taking your shirt off for wrestling That's the metaphor I made I was wrestling with a vest on and I said I'm the fat kid in the pool with a shirt on Yeah, that's what I felt. That's who I was. I was like, oh, I don't want to take my shirt off and in junior high before I'd started junior high. I did did not know concept of how to lose weight or anything so I tried this weird experiment I don't know if I've ever told this I just weird thing where I like I taped my chest down and I taped my thighs because I was like sitting on

the toilet and I thought my thighs were so fat that I I thought I could like I don't know elastic it to tightness and then of course when I took it off the next day I didn't ejection But yeah, that's how like and of course that's still carried on so when people see this stuff about but even as I've been losing weight I now I'm like, oh, I feel this pressure not maintaining. It's the same way with success It's like oh when you're not successful with financial stuff or career It's about I'm not there and you're trying to pursue it then when you have it There's this giant fear that you're gonna lose it at any moment, you know, yeah

That's the thing I'm making less money this year than I would have if I you know had the same job I did last year, but I'm definitely happier. That's good. It's really good. Damn It's it's more obviously money. It's more stressful. I literally hate opening the Bank of America app like I avoid it but uh I'm happier just day to day. I'm happier. That's good, man I've been loving this conversation. There's some quick things. I do want to there's questions I want to make sure I get to all right I used to open with this question, but I found it just started making people I don't know if maybe this is too weird of a question, but i'm like, okay

I'm gonna just bring it in now Who was your celebrity crush growing up and why why was it this growing up? Yeah Who can you recall like that was my celebrity crush? What came to mind was Lita a wrestler? Okay. I had such a crush on Lita. What was it about her? She was so hot and she was such a badass and she she used to wear this little thong that came up over the jeans. And I was like, when that was my introduction to I think just shit that was sexualized. WWE back then was pretty,

women were not treated the way they are now. They weren't given the respect they deserved. Lita was a hell of a wrestler too. She was a badass. But I remember that's who came to mind. I was like, oh, I had such a crush on Lita. I thought she was so hot and so cool. She was just like punk rock.

She was just like, or metal, she was metal. And I thought she was so cool. But I think, who was the first actress I had a crush on? Well, let's stick with Lita for a second. Okay. When you were, because you talked about her personality, do you find that even as you've gotten older or in your

teen years or whatever were you drawn to women like her? Because you also talk about your mom being like a badass independent spirit and I'm like I'm kind of seeing somewhat of a linkage here of like the kind of woman you admire. You know no I think I've I think of the people I've seriously dated i've only probably dated one i could compare to lita and being like just a badass who's like and i've dated some really cool people like and no that's not to say that like no no he's badass or anything but there i think i've only did one person who i would say is like this badass trailblazer type person who yeah would even make that comparison too.

And what in the in the romantic to give you again just try to illustrate this question when I was young I saw the movie Carrie. Oh god yeah. And it did a number on me where I it created the man crisis in me where like oh what I'm in high school if I know a girl like her, that's the kind of girl I'm gonna go for. Like I had that thing, which my wife is nothing like, but like growing up, I had the rescue complexity, you know, like drawn to those kind of women.

Did you ever have something of a connection with a female character like that where you're like, oh, I want to find a woman like that or something hmm and I don't and none none that are coming to mind I thought of Kate from Lost but she I never really I just thought of Angelina was really cool and very attractive but Kate was definitely a problem. I mean I always loved like I was 16 when Iron Man came out and I loved how Pepper Potts kind of was this unattainable thing for Tony but they had this kind of love for each other and was beautiful and would also keep him in his place. Like the way that she would be the one who'd be like...

Like there's a scene in the Avengers one where he doesn't want to do the homework that Phil Coulson's telling him to and she says, if you do this and she goes... And his face is like... That is like... She's motivated, she's independent as hell, she's so... She doesn't need Tony. She can run Stark Industries. And I always thought Pepper was really, really like just hot for how put together she is I mean you keep listing women who are these qualities If I'm gonna like if I'm gonna be in a like if I'm gonna actually be in a relationship with somebody I really need somebody who's doing who's I'm so obsessed

with work and I'm trying to remove myself from that, but I'm go, go, go. I like to be... And that's even with my friends, that's just relationships. I like to be with people who are down to pick up and go on a day's notice, we're going to London tomorrow, because that's the job for me. Or we're going to Rome or Australia, whatever. But also, like, can do that and can push me to do the same thing. Sometimes I'll get pushed and I'll be like, I don't like being pushed. But I definitely don't like a pushover, if that makes sense. I like to be challenged. I really like to be challenged. And I also will challenge. So, yeah, maybe, maybe it is, maybe I'm learning about myself here, I don't know.

I feel like I'm learning about what kind of women you like. It's making more sense to me right now. Now, completely different pendulum swing here. What kind of horror do you fear the most? Horror? In horror movies and stuff. What actually really, well, let's start with something.

Like what's a horror movie that truly scares you? Or did? The Strangers. That's the scariest movie I've ever seen, in my opinion. Supernatural stuff doesn't really mess with me. Used to when I was a kid, but the movies that are real, that can happen, mess me up.

The Strangers is freaky to me because that is so realistic and the moment at the end where they're just like because you were home and they stab real slowly. That's like the scariest thing ever. The thought of being helpless. That is freaky to me. That freaks me out. What was like the earliest memory you have of a horror movie that really affected you? I remember seeing clips from Saw when it was on HBO in my house one time and being messed up by that.

I think The Ring was before that. Like The Ring freaked me out, The Exorcist. I remember just the trailer for The Ring scaring me. I think I was in like fifth grade, I don't know. Were you ever haunted? I would have a thing, I saw The Grudge and I had a thing for like a few weeks where I, at night, I would just keep, feel like I'm gonna see I had a thing for like a few weeks right at night

I would just keep feel like I'm gonna see the grudge thing and it's scare me in my own I went to an event for insidious thing. It was chapter 3. Okay, they Also, horror is not my go-to genre. I don't like getting scared but uh, I went to this insidious chapter 3 event It was outside the JW Marriott They did this whole fucking activation where you'd walk through the thing this trailer and then They'd fucking follow you down the RV that was made to look like a Scene from the movie and then they'd sit you down in a chair and they put a VR headset on you That would be the same room you were just in but now it's VR and there was a red door in front of you

And it opened and it was so fucking scary and like that night I went to bed and I woke up in the middle of the night Oh really? Wow. I woke up yelling and I was like holy shit did people just hear me yelling I cannot believe I just woke up yelling. Fucked me up. Fucking scary. That scared the shit out of me. I don't know why I don't even know what I didn't remember the movie to be Honest city is chapter 3. It's like what eight seven eight years ago Yeah, but it fucked me up wasn't the movie it was the experience that they provide the whole thing the whole thing Oh god, wow, okay. Okay fresh game freshness And you and he was just yelling woke up paralyzed yelling who is your favorite action movie character?

favorite action movie character favorite action movie character I mean james bond is awesome. I love bond. Is there an iteration I grew up on pierce brosnan. So like I go to him, but I think daniel craig's a better bond than he was Um, he also just got better movies, I think yeah, but i'm a big pierce brosnan bond guy like die another day I remember seeing that being so excited to see that movie theaters John wick I mean another broken character that I adore. I think he's the character men like us want to be Like we I also feel like I'm just gonna be sad and cool I've like generated this sob story feeling that just is whatever operates in the back of my head that makes me

Feel like sadness because I got no my life is decent I don't know why I feel bummed out so often But like I don't learn this duality of circumstance versus how you actually feel though. Yeah Yeah, yeah, I definitely think that's that's a perfect way to put it You know, he's lost his wife. He's lost his dog You know and then Then he goes on this rampage and is never gonna feel whole again And but he's cool as shit, right? He's that's a thing like he can actually be depressed but fucking cool like Wow

Normally, you can't be both Like that's why I'd like Tony Stark you could say what you want about him Like he's a billionaire playboy genius philanthropist But like that dude is trying to fill a void because his dad loved Captain America more Yeah, you know he's always like he wouldn't be Who he is and this womanizer and this inventor and all this shit if he wasn't motivated by some kind of void At least I don't think so. I don't get the impression your dad was a very nurturing individual No, it sounds like a kind of a kind of help provide that void for you.

Fucking Howard Stark! Trying to be the best man you can be to fill this void. Oh my god, yeah. So, and then, oh my god, okay, I have to ask then. You did mention Tony Stark. Who is your favorite comic book movie character or comic book character? I mean, Tony Stark is my favorite on-screen comic book hero ever. Okay, and it's it's for Iron Man is my go-to in comics It's Nova Nova is like I like him because he's just

Refuses to quit like I love the banter he has with the world mind I love how he's this fish out of water on Xandar and then gets the powers and all that stuff I think Rich Rider is just a really cool character. It's also like I like liking a different character that's different. But I think I cannot wait till they do Nova in the MCU. I think Ryan Gosling would have been a really good cast for that, but I think it's going to be a while till we see him. I also think his power set visual would be comparable to Captain Marvel. And so I don't think they're going to put those two together anytime soon. And what is it about Tony Stark where you,

you sound like you're inspired by this guy in some way. Is there an element of a- Well look at his arc dude. Like come on man, he started as like, like in high school I was the guy who just like thought, okay if I can get people to like me, if I had money, or if I can like have girls, whatever. Like that's what makes you cool, right?

That's not what makes you fucking cool. Like maybe in some circles it is it's not uh and then he he starts out as that and then like he finds fulfillment in family he has a kid and then he's like you know what there is things bigger than me there's things way and i used to be a person who thought i was like i was the main character my wrestling gimmick is the main character i call myself the main character because to me that's such a heel gimmick which like would be the bad guy gimmick in wrestling. If a Hollywood guy comes in and that's a wrestling world thinks of me as a Hollywood guy and calls himself the main character like this guy's all ego and if they ever let me get a microphone and explain why I call

myself the main character at LVW it's because I have spent the past 10 years telling everyone else's story Which has provided me with the best fucking experiences ever But I get more fulfillment out of doing this for myself and being the main character in this story And that's why I'm wrestling is because there I get to be the main character of my story and not some not telling someone Else's and the irony of it is wrestling is all telling the other guy's story That's all except when you're on a microphone talking about yourself you're always telling the other guy's story and tony was like this character he was the main character of the mcu started out as a douchey guy who like as a 16 year old i was like i want to be that guy then you're like no

i'm growing up and then i kind of grew up with him i think and then he had a family in infinity war and endgame and then he was like there's things bigger than me here. I think he's just fucking awesome. He's just cool. He's just fun to watch. I think it's a perfect encapsulation, a perfect spot to end it on, especially with the main character stuff. The irony of a main character is often like lead, supporting, but the irony of a main character is they have to know how to support the supporting. That's true. Yeah, very true.

And so like the fact that you're observant and aware of that as the main character. Sometimes I wish I was less aware of things. Maybe it'd be more peaceful. That's the thing about the mindset, right? You can make you more aware, but then it can cause anxiety and paranoia. But dude, I had a blast. I hope you had fun. I know you had to take an Uber over here on this trip. Are you going to make your flight? Yeah, I'll be had a blast I hope you had fun. I know you had to take a uber over here in this trip

Yeah, make your flight Yeah, I'll be good. I'm probably I have I left stuff at one. I'm gonna put yeah. Yeah, I'll be good alright man Well, dude. Thank you so much. We'll take a photo to promote this Dude, I genuinely thank you for having me. This was awesome. Yeah, you enjoy. I hope you did I always feel the pressure someone has to have that's more on I always feel the pressure someone has to have that's where I'm like Like if the YouTube thing doesn't work out which I think it is maybe you have a career in therapy Yeah, this is guy I this was really cool. Thank you awesome, man. Thank you brother alright guys We'll see you guys soon fall Brandon Davis on Brandon Davis some outlets and Brandon Davis and Brandon Davis and Brandon Davis and Brandon Davis and Brandon

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