WTF with Marc Maron Podcast - Episode 1441 - Anthony Ramos

Episode Date: June 5, 2023

Anthony Ramos was ready to give up on acting but seeing the musical In The Heights on Broadway gave him hope. Eventually he wound up playing the lead role in the film version of that very show. Anthony talks with Marc about his journey from housing projects to performing arts school to stage, film and the recording studio, with a baseball detour along the way. They also talk about making The Bad Guys, getting in on the ground floor of Hamilton, and Anthony’s foray into blockbusters with Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. Sign up here for WTF+ to get the full show archives and weekly bonus material! https://plus.acast.com/s/wtf-with-marc-maron-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You can get anything you need with Uber Eats. Well, almost almost anything. So no, you can't get snowballs on Uber Eats. But meatballs and mozzarella balls, yes, we can deliver that. Uber Eats. Get almost almost anything. Order now. Product availability may vary by region. See app for details. Death is in our air.

This year's most anticipated series, FX's Shogun, only on Disney+. We live and we die. We control nothing beyond that. An epic saga based on the global best-selling novel by James Clavel. To show your true heart is to risk your life. When I die here, you'll never leave Japan alive. FX's Shogun, a new original series, streaming February 27th, exclusively on Disney+. 18 plus subscription required.

T's and C's apply. Lock the gates! Alright, let's do this. How are you, what the fuckers? What the fuck buddies? What the fuck nicks? What the fuck wads? What's happening?

Somebody emailed me and requested what the fuck, Wads, which you'd think would be a no-brainer. I'm not sure exactly where it derives from. I don't know what the semantic history of fuckwad is, but why not? Why not? It's Monday. So why not make it a Monday for the what the fuckwads? How's it going, people? I'm Mark Maron. This is my podcast. Welcome to it. Anthony Ramos is on the show today. And we had a great chat, lively. And I don't know if you know exactly who he is, but I can tell you he's an actor and

musician. He got his big break in the original cast of Hamilton. He was the lead role in the film of In the Heights. He was in the bad guys with me. He played a piranha. He's released two solo albums of his own music. And now he's, he's in the new Transformers movie, Rise of the Beasts, and he just released his new single, Viano. So a lot going on. But it's a strange thing, as some of you realized when I did the Alex Borstein episode, that many of us who are in that cast, although we were all together at times on screen because it was animation, did not get a chance to really interact as characters or as people. Now, me and Anthony did a massive press junket in New York where we were going out on video usually to dozens and dozens of markets internationally and otherwise. And we had some big laughs, man, big laughs. But I never really got to know him. And this was a great opportunity to do that. And not only did we

kind of get to know each other, but we got some big laughs. So that's going to happen shortly. There are new cat mugs available from Brian Jones. And these new ones have a brand new design of Charlie Beans with art from our friend Dima. The new mugs are available today at noon Eastern at WTF mugs.co new mugs, new mugs. Now I want to clear a couple of things up. First of all, I would like to say that I will be doing shows in LA, some quite close together. It turns out I'm going to be at Largo on Thursday night, and I'm going to be at a dynasty typewriter on Saturday night. These are very different venues. Largo is a kind of medium-sized theater and a dynasty

typewriter is a small black box theater. And I assume there'll be very different shows. So that is June 8th, Thursday at Largo and June 10th, Saturday at Dynasty Typewriter. I know the Largo show is almost sold out. I don't think the Dynasty is. And oddly, the Dynasty one will probably be more interesting. The Dynasty one will probably be more interesting. I don't know if that's necessarily true, but with a smaller room, I tend to kind of move deeper and in a different direction because the audience is so close. So that's happening. You can go to WTFpod.com slash tour for links to tickets to both of those shows.

If you're in the Los Angeles area, I don't know what I'm doing. I know that I'm focusing on joke structure. I'm doing that thing that I do when I begin to do new material. Like I'm doing the comedy store a lot and I'm kind of like tinkering with these, these bits that are starting to form, but I seem to just be staying engaged on stage and enjoying getting the laughs on purpose without really losing my mind. Now, you know, I was talking to William Shatner and I was actually doing this on stage. I legitimately had this moment of not inspiration, but something came to me. The idea was, and I talked about it with Bill Shatner, was, and I talked about it with Bill Shatner, a suicide note that just says, why wait? And it turns out, maybe I got two people emailing this. And they always, you know, people who know

information that really most people don't know, including me, always, you know, they always frame it like, well, so-and-so famously did this. I'm like, famous to who? But that doesn't mean it's not important to know if something has happened before. But I just like how some people hang on to these groups get smaller and smaller of people that hang on to minutiae from days gone by. Because everything just gets lost in the undertow of content and garbage that we dump into our heads daily. But it's true. George Eastman, the guy who established the Eastman Kodak Company, he was 77 years old, and he was suffering from declining health and chronic pain of certain types. And his suicide note before he shot himself through the heart,

which is kind of a, that's a roll of the dice to hit that thing. Because it's on one side. I guess you can kind of get in the area. And I think that if you're going to be considering the shooting thing, I don't know. I always think head. But anyway, morbid thoughts aside, his suicide note read to my friends, my work is done. Why wait? GE. So it's no longer an original

thought. I can no longer say it on stage because it happened. And of course it happened. Why wouldn't it happen? It seemed like, uh, uh, you know, uh, an, an easy one. It seemed like parallel thinking was inevitable, but obviously kind of final on his part. But that question is still an interesting question, isn't it? Like the sort of work ethic of that. My work is done. Why wait? The idea of the inevitability of death and having some control over it is obviously something most people think about occasionally. If you're me, I think about it daily. It's part of my routine. It's part of

my pattern. It's one of the plates I spin. I need some new plates, man. But I often think about that and I guess that I need to share things around this, and maybe untethered from what, you know, might be their personal reality or the broader community at large, that suicidal ideation and actual suicide is prevalent. And I feel sometimes that I should share my own experience around this stuff because for me, and this is only speaking to certain people, and maybe it'll help, maybe it won't, I don't know, but for me, I operate at a certain frequency of anxiety that is high and subtle. I have a high level of anxiety. It's subtle because I just see it as the way I am. I don't see it as pathological.

I don't see it as a mental problem, but it is. The idea of suicide or the idea of non-existence or being, see like if you're really anxious, you're not going to be sleeping. So the idea of kind of eternal peace is something relieving to think about.

And it's not a depression thing. And it's not even that I don't want to live anymore. It's just someplace that my brain goes because of anxiety that I find comforting. But I'm saying to you that if you're not depressed or you think you might be, I would check in with your anxiety level. I think it's something kind of like kind of jacked up about your lizard brain that you might have things, you know, not in perspective. And the anxiety is overwhelming. So I'm just reaching out to those of you who think you might be in despair. Obviously, some of you are. Some of you are depressed. If you're having these kind of feelings where you just want relief and it is of the final type, check in with your anxiety levels, man. Okay?

That's all. The one thing I'm getting from the algorithm, and it's kind of profound to me, and I find it very moving, is that somehow or another I am in the loop of animal vids you know a lot of cat bits but these bits where humans interact with animals or different species interact with other animals really get me you know in terms of kind of these moments illustrating the seemingly true power of love. They really get me. And I can sit there and scroll through animals cuddling with other animals or human beings hugging monkeys. And just the sort of love that emanates in a very genuine way from animals without self-awareness is profound to me and it makes me wonder about my own capacity uh for it and and why i i i kind of you know shield myself from it in a lot of ways or not let it happen. I understand those things. I understand why that is

that, uh, I am guarded or, or not willing to, to let myself let go in the big love. But, but the more I watch these, these monkeys and cats and, you know, donkeys and dogs and, uh, ducklings and kittens and to, you know, just every type of, of animal having these moments that seem genuine, that all, when you look at it, all it could be described of is this sort of frequency, this currency, this reality of love among animals where I just kind of, I fucking cry. I cry. I cry watching people hug monkeys. I cry when a puppy is taken in by a mother cat along with her other kittens.

I just tear up. And that indicates something to me, folks. I better get straight with my ability to give and receive love before I check out. So if the question is, why wait? It's to get that. And time is running out, man. get that and uh time is running out man so i gotta turn off the panic get my anxiety in check and let myself love for fuck's sake god damn it okay look uh anthony ramos um is in transformers rise of the beasts opens in theaters this Friday, June 9th. Anthony's new single, Viano, is available wherever you get music and music videos.

And I don't know if I'm one to make any announcements or if they even exist, but it's looking good for a bad guy sequel. That's all I'm going to say. And right now, this is me. And also, be aware of when I might tilt into a slight Puerto Rican tone. I've got that thing that I do sometimes and I know it exists. Sometimes I know when it's happening, but a lot of times my enmeshment with a guest reveals itself through the way I'm talking.

So look out for that. Find the moment. This is me talking to Anthony Ramos. Uber Eats. Well, almost, almost anything. So no, you can't get an ice rink on Uber Eats. But iced tea, ice cream, or just plain old ice? Yes, we deliver those. Goal tenders, no. But chicken tenders, yes. Because those are groceries and we deliver those too. Along

with your favorite restaurant food, alcohol, and other everyday essentials. Order Uber Eats now. For alcohol, you must be legal drinking age. Please enjoy responsibly. Product availability varies by region. See app for details. Death is in our air. This year's most anticipated series,

FX's Shogun, only on Disney+. We live and we die. We control nothing beyond that. An epic saga based on the global best-selling novel by James Clavel. To show your true heart is to risk your life. When I die here, you'll never leave Japan alive. FX's Shogun.

A new original series streaming February 27th, exclusively on Disney+. 18 plus subscription required. T's and C's apply. so vegas do you enjoy that vegas yeah vegas vegas it's all right yeah i don't know man i don't know what to do with that i'm not i'm not that kind of guy it's okay yeah like i gambled a little bit in the airport today like i lost 45 you waited. You waited? It was a waste of fucking $45. I should have taken, yo, like I put $20 in the machine.

Yeah. And, and I like was up $11. I had, I won $31 and like 80 cents. I was like, oh, I'm crushing right now.

I should just take my 3180 and get the fuck out of here. And then next thing you know. It's gone. It's, it was gone. It was gone. That's the trick

quicker than I went it's hard to leave with money it's unbelievable I can't and I never I'm not the kind of guy like you know I have other addictions

but that losing money isn't one of them right yeah same I mean look I stopped at 45 I said this is I mean this is excessive

45 meanwhile there's a guy across town that just lost his house he lost yo yo I thought about that. Dude, people just sitting there all day.

They're just sitting there. I can't do it. Staring at the screen. I mean, it's like just pressing the button. I can't do it. I'm bad enough with the phone and I don't win anything. Right. I'm not gaining anything.

Bro, this is so random. You know what I thought about today, bro? What? I thought in the car ride here about when we did the fucking... The junket? The junket and we could not stop laughing.

So what's the movie Bad Guys about? Oh my god. It's about friendship. You tell them, Anthony. Don't judge a book by its cover. Uh, it's about friendship. Now to be like, you tell him Anthony, you go, you go what? Don't judge a book by its cover. Right. And then there was like another one. And then we just get into this groove with it.

It's so ridiculous. And then we would switch the answers. Yeah. Between you and me and Craig. Yeah. Yeah. Craig. Oh, he's funny.

Craig is hilarious. He has the most perfect haircut I've ever seen in my life. That fro? That fro is the most perfect. So clean. Perfect. The hairline is like. Yeah, he's funny as fuck. Craig is hilarious. He has the most perfect haircut I've ever seen in my life. That fro? That fro is the most perfect thing I've ever seen. So clean, perfect. The hairline is like. Yeah, it's perfect. Somebody painted that shit on.

I know. It's like totally retro perfect. Yeah. Yeah, I mean, it was good. I think people loved that movie. You were so funny. It was so funny. Thanks, man.

Everybody was so, I mean, you know, everybody was. Do you get feedback from kids? Sometimes. Did you hear about it? Every now and then i get a kid you know i get a kid's parent i have to tell tell the kid that's piranha yeah and then they're like what yeah yeah they don't look like a piranha you gotta do the voice for him right how many times you've been like yeah yeah just once just one time yeah because most of the time the

kids are just like i don't care he doesn't look like a fucking piranha. Yeah, they don't know. Just some guy. Sometimes they get impressed, though. You know what I mean? Yeah. So Vegas, though, what do you do when you're out there? You just sit at a panel?

You sit at a table? You sign things? You talk? They give you an award for what? They gave me an award. I don't fucking know, bro. I don't fucking know anyone. I just show up.

Did you have an award? Nah, nah. Dude, it's hilarious. All these award shows, man. All these award shows are the same. You show up and if you win anything, you go backstage and they're like, so we're actually going to take these from you and we're going to mail you your award. With your name on it.

Yeah, great. I'm never going to get this award. You'll get it and then what do you do with it? What do I do with this? Dude, my mom, I won a Grammy to get this one. You'll get it, and then what do you do with it? What do I do with this? Dude, my mom, I won a Grammy once in my life, and my mom- For Hamilton?

Yep. And my mom has it somewhere buried beneath the files of her life in some closet. In a box? In a bin. Bro, it's like,

I don't know. I have no idea where that thing is. You gave it to her, and she's proud, and then she's like, I don't know where to do it. Yeah, it's like i don't know i have no idea where that thing you gave it to her she's proud and then she's like i don't know where to do it yeah she's like yeah good job here let me bury this shit in the ground in the backyard of the projects in brooklyn dude i think you can get her out of the project can't you i i tried it don't want it ain't for lack of trying let me tell you why she just doesn't want she doesn't want to leave bro she's fucking she knows where her bodega is i she's done i promise you dude the conversations it gets to the point where like i was getting so frustrated yeah because she would like complain about some shit that's going on in the neighborhood and then i'm like you know you could you don't have to live there. Like, you're complaining about some shit that you literally do not have to go through.

Like, people have to go through this shit. And you did. When we grew up, you had to go through it. But you don't have to do this anymore. Like, this is a choice you're making. I'm making an offer to you. I'm like, I've made this offer to you, like, multiple times. And you still choose to.

You're just like, yeah, nah. Yeah. But listen to my complaint though. I need you to listen to my grievance. Well, I guess like, I don't, how old is she? My mom is 61. Wait, I mean, I don't know. Like I, I guess just as part of the life, you get used to a life, right?

Yeah. I mean, I, I don't, it's, it's odd. How many kids in your family? It's three of us. Yeah. Yeah. And she's dug in there, right? She's dug in.

That's her neighborhood. She's dug in. They all know her. Yeah. And she's, now she's the mother of a star. So she's got a little cachet. She's like the mayor. Shit.

I mean, look, hey man, you know, if you can make it make sense to me. Yeah. Sure. I mean, yeah. Yeah, dude. She's just like there. Yeah. I'm like, yo, like, yo, ma, just bounce. Like, what are you doing?

And she's got, you know, she's got her church. She's got her friends. She's got her vibe. You know, she knows where. Yeah. Yeah. She knows where to get her groceries. I get it.

Everything is. You know, I understand. Why shake it up? We're going to go put her in a nice place and then she's going going to invite her friends over, and they're going to be like, ooh. So, you know, too good for us now. Yeah. No, I mean, you know, we'll start slow. Like, I was like, yo, why don't you just get, like, a two-bedroom apartment somewhere else?

Yeah. Let's just start there. Anywhere else. Maybe in a neighborhood that's where you don't have to have these complaints and grievances, right? And, you know, she's like, no, I want to move to Florida, but I don't know when. And I'm like, you know what? Oh, she wants to go to Florida? I think so.

Where you are? Where I'm at, yeah. So where'd you grow up? I grew up in Brooklyn, in Bushwick. And she's still there? Still there, bro. In the same place? Same place.

Wow. Same place. Same place. Yeah. Anyway, so what does she do? She lives now. That's all she does. She doesn't do, I mean, I think she runs errands, a lot of errands.

I feel like every time I'm talking to her, she's running an errand. Yeah, I do that too. Sometimes if you're self-employed, it's kind of hard to figure out what the fuck to do what you do. You're like, well, maybe I'll go to that other supermarket. I wonder if they have it. Right. figure out what the fuck to do with your day so you're like well maybe i'll go to that other supermarket i wonder if they have it right bro i'm like yo what are you doing today like what errand could you possibly be running right now like yo i'm like yo ma she's like oh i gotta

i gotta drive your aunt to your aunt millie to the thing yeah i'm like she'm like, she's like, oh, I got to go to the credit union. I'm like, what the fuck are you still using the credit union for? Yo, like you can't pay a credit card online. What are we doing? But she's, you know, I love my mom. She's amazing. But, you know, she's, I think she's just like, she's trying to keep herself busy. It's kind of funny.

It's kind of a great idea for a movie. That is actually hilarious. Right. Please write it, Mark. Get some, like, produce it and just give me a small part. The mom that will not leave. The mom that won't leave. Even though you've offered her everything.

I feel like I've seen that as a side story. So what did she do when you were growing up? She was a medical biller. So she worked at a hospital, like for a hospital, like Jamaica Hospital. Then it was Long Island College Hospital. Right. And she was just. I know where Jamaica Hospital is, right off the highway, right?

Yep, yep, right off the highway. You see it when you're coming back from the airport. Right, that's exactly right. Yeah, and when I was a kid, I was so, I don't know what it was. I just knew that was the only hospital I knew. So, you know, I used to have asthma have asthma like bad asthma and if i had an asthma attack if i was getting an asthma attack mom we need to go to jamaica hospital we can't go anywhere we gotta go to jamaica she's like yo bro you're gonna die if we take you to jamaica like gotta go

down the street got a little closer yeah i mean but she still i mean she took me and we made it thank god you know how'd you kick the asthma? I just started playing sports and training and working out. So I didn't know that can go away. It just goes away? Childhood asthma? Yeah. I mean, fucking COVID brought it back a little bit.

Did it? Yeah. Oh, you got it? But I feel, I'm starting to feel better again. You had the COVID? Oh, yeah, bro. Bad? That shit. Did you have it early? Three or four times. Oh, really? Oh, yeah, bro. Bad? That shit, like. Did you have it early?

Three or four times. Oh, really? Oh, I was an OG COVID. OG COVIDer. The bad COVID. Yeah. Oh, I had the bad COVID. I think the shit hit me twice in like two months.

I mean, and they said it's not even possible, but I got sick bad, like almost the same. No, it was out here in LA. Oh, really? I was here in LA. Oh, yeah. Staying at a friend's place. I thought it was a flu. I mean, it could have been. I was here in L.A. Oh, yeah. Staying at a friend's place. I thought it was the flu.

I mean, it could have been. I could have gotten the flu one month and then the COVID the next. But you didn't get the New York COVID. That was particularly bad. I mean, I got every COVID you could think of, my brother. I promise you. I got the he's outside COVID. Somebody put a leash on this guy. Yeah.

Fucking, I got all the COVIDs, man. You know, like it was, but you know, I'm grateful that. You seem all right. Yeah, thank God. Yeah, it's so funny.

You know, I never feel great. So like I was saying on stage a couple of times, I'm like, I wouldn't even know if I had long COVID. I never feel good.

I wouldn't know. I always feel kind of shitty. So I don't know. Oh my gosh. But you would know. I don't want to make light of it. No, yeah. Some people got a problem.

It was horrible, man. It was bad, bro. It's a long time, dude. It was bad, bro. And now we're all just kind of moving on, but it's sort of like, that was like a time hole. Yeah. The fuck was happening, you know? Everything was terrifying.

Like, I just try to remember it. Like, I go to the gym sometimes. I just rejoined recently after COVID. And I'm in there. I'm like, this would have been life-threateningly scary just to come here. I'm still not going to go in the fucking sauna. I don't know what's in the sauna. Mysterious things happen in the sauna.

Yeah, yeah. I'm more worried about COVID because I can always say no to the other thing. Yeah, right, right, right, right, right. No thanks. I didn't know this happened at this sauna. No thanks, pal. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Because I can always say no to the other thing. Yeah, right, right, right, right, right. No thanks. I didn't know this happened at this sauna. No thanks, pal. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But I don't know.

Yeah, good luck with it. I'm going to go ahead and go. Let someone else come in. But it's great to see you. It's good to see you. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'll see you out there on the machines. We know.

I won't say anything. Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, it's cool, man. Don't worry about on the machines. Yeah. We know. I won't say anything. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Nah, it's cool, man. Don't worry about it, bro. So I got that. What did I get? A single? What?

A new single? Oh, I got a new single, yeah. Yeah, it's good, man. Thanks, man. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's good. It's a good groove. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

It's a little- It's pretty heavy. Oh, it's super heavy. You know, I've listened to it I'm trying to get into it I'm like oh shit he's like

this shit don't worry I got the party joint coming out next I just had to get this one out my system trauma had to get out

into fucking trauma breakups yeah that was crazy oh is that what happened yeah it was a breakup

and you know the song's called Villano and like people paint you as this villain or you feel like you're being villainized when you break up

with somebody yeah well you know and you know it was we just broke up just cause

we just broke up yeah you know and that was it and then you know I was out with a girl a couple weeks later couple weeks later

couple weeks you know fuck it yeah yeah fuck a girl a couple weeks later. A couple weeks later. A couple weeks, you know. You're like, fuck it. Yeah, fuck it. We're outside. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's Florida. Yeah, it's Florida.

No, it, yeah, no, it was in LA. Oh, it was? In LA. Yeah, so everything's happening in LA.

I stay away from LA. Yeah. Yeah. I stay away from Los Angeles. Unless I have to see you. Someone took a picture? Oh, it was horrible. Yeah, it was, yeah, it was terrible. And I'm like, yo, I have to see you. Someone took a picture? Oh, it was horrible. Yeah, it was terrible.

And I'm like, yo, I'm just trying to live my single life out here. I'm just trying to chill. How long were we with the other one? A minute. He said, how long were you with the other one? Yeah, it was a long time. It was like almost seven years. Oh, so two weeks later it was.

Oh, it was two weeks later. Yeah, super soon. I don't know why i thought i was like i said oh man i'm not that famous yeah i'm not because i'm not dude i'm like a c-list celebrity at best but i think i guess it was c-list enough yeah for someone to be like yo i recognize that latin guy yeah they got the c-list paparazzi out there they just see they just have their phones yeah They don't even have cameras. No, the stripper's over here, you know, popping it on the pole and also, you know, popping her finger on her camera or somebody.

She gave somebody the smoke signal. Like, oh, yo, I recognize this guy. Yeah. But you're not C-list now, are you? No. You know what? In my mind, bro, you know, it's funny, right? I'm like at this place where someone would be like, are you that guy?

Yeah. Or the best one is, yo, are you famous? And I'm like, well, if you had to ask that, I don't think I'm that famous. Yeah, that's always the good one. Yeah, yeah. Are you famous? Yeah, yeah. What's your name again?

What's your name? Yeah. You that guy from that, wait, you that guy, right? Yeah. I'm like, you know, I don't know if I'm that guy you tell me so that's the level of fame you're at

I am at you that guy yeah I used to do a bit about how I'm at the level of fame where like three guys could be

walking up to me right and one guy would be like holy shit Mark Maron I fucking love you man the other two like

I don't know who this guy is so then they gotta explain who I am to their friends while I'm standing there. That's the level. It's crazy, bro. It's like you just kind of like, I don't know. It's like that. You walk in that line.

You want to just chill. I had this conversation with a friend the other day, too. He said that his brother got super excited. His brother saw Mark Wahlberg out. I probably shouldn't have said that. It doesn't matter. Out in the world. There's nothing bad about Mark Wahlberg.

Telling people to pray? Yeah. Mark Merritt is a savage, ladies and gentlemen. He's a fucking savage. What's his little tagline? You know, get your prey on? Yeah, get your prey on. Come on, man.

We all got to get our prey on. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm working on it. Touch with the higher power. So you see him? Yeah, right. So his friend, so he sees him. His brother sees him.

Coming out of an elevator, his brother starts going crazy oh my gosh yeah and then a friend of my friend goes he said you know i was a little drunk you know i was like yo forget about why you want a picture with yo he's whack anyway and walks away and i'm like why would you what did mark walberg do to you like what did he do to you why would you why would you, first of all, doubly, you did like a, not just one moment that was whack, that you did that was whack, but two. Like, first of all, you threw salt on your brother's moment, right? Your brother's over here living his life. He's seeing one of his heroes or maybe, I don't know, but he's seeing somebody he looks up to. He's hype.

Let him be hype. And then number two, you call him a man, Mark Wahlberg, whack, he ain't even do nothing to you. What are you talking, he's just being Mark Wahlberg,

chilling, coming out the elevator, stunting. Yeah. And you know, what's going on inside of you? We had a whole debate at dinner. Yeah.

Shit was hilarious. Did he end up crying just saying he was jealous because he doesn't talk to his brother enough? Wow, that could be an underlying issue. That's super deep. Did he end up crying just saying he was jealous because he doesn't talk to his brother enough? Wow. That could be an underlying issue. That's super deep.

Wow. Shit. Do you go to therapy? I have in my life. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm just working the angles. Yeah. Do you know what I mean?

Yeah, yeah. What's that guy do? What's your friend do? He's a songwriter. He's amazing, too. Oh, yeah. He's fucking brilliant. Yeah, it's funny with artists, though. You know what I mean? Like, after a certain point, they're like, yeah, fuck that guy. You know? He's a songwriter. He's amazing, too. He's fucking brilliant. Yeah, it's funny with artists, though.

You know what I mean? Like, after a certain point, they're like, yeah, fuck that guy. You know? No matter what they did. You know what I mean? Yeah, he helped me write the song, too. Oh, he did? Yeah, he helped me write the song.

Yeah. We've been close friends for a long time. Hard to know what to do with Mark Wahlberg. I did a movie with him. I was briefly in Spencer Confidential. Yeah. Because he's intense, you know? And he's Mark Wahlberg.

Right. And I remember just sitting there know, and he's Mark Wahlberg. Right. And I remember just sitting there in the chairs once, him and me. And I'm like, is anyone going to talk? You know, and I didn't know what to say. So I was just sort of like, dude, do you like, do you eat almonds ever? Almonds? Did you say that to him? Yeah.

And he goes, yeah. I'm like, how much though? Like a day. Like, you know, because he's a healthy guy. He's like, you know, maybe a handful here and there. I'm like, oh, it's good. It's good. No, no.

I'm just asking. Because I've been thinking about my intake as well. Yeah, yeah. I'm thinking about getting ripped. And I'm just wondering how many almonds. All right. So you're growing up there. Yeah.

Are you the oldest? I am the middle child. Are the other two full of talent? They are full of talent. are yeah my sister is really smart she's beautiful she's um what'd she get her life going into um she you know she's kind of figuring it out a little bit yeah yeah i think um that's a little sister she's yeah a little sister i mean i mean we're almost the same age. She's we're 11 months apart So Wow, yeah, my mom's was quick to work Where's your dad at? You know, no dad's around Yeah, a couple years ago. I could have like, you know about that

But no, he's he's he's around spoke to him yesterday back in the picture or he was he out of the picture for a while He's back in he's back. Oh good. Yeah. He was he was in and out He was he was tiptoeing tiptoeing on the marble floor. My man was, he dipped the toe in into the pool, you know, come out,

right? He'd be like, oh, he'd be underwater. You're like, oh, that foot looks familiar. Yeah,

I think that's him. Yeah, yeah. But yeah, no, he's around now. He's in the city? He's, yep,

he lives up in, by Washington Heights. Yeah. And your older sibling? My brother, we work together. Oh, yeah? Yep. So we travel together.

He's in your entourage? He's in my entourage. He's your road manager? My road manager, confidant. That's good. He helps me with everything. And that works out? Yeah out yeah yeah he's solid yeah i mean sometimes you know right it's i mean i i'm sure you know i don't think he'll hate me for saying it but i'm sure i could get a way better assistant

but not someone you could trust not someone i could trust as much so i i i will i will ride this one out yeah why not man he's that's my guy yeah i trust him with with everything so when did like when you were a kid was it always about music um yeah man i love music man music um music was the first i think it was baseball music for me baseball that was your sport mostly baseball yeah like my, you know. I used to have this nickname called the franchise. So in the backyard, like in the projects we had, we all shared this one backyard that now they are building this massive condo, condominium building in this backyard surrounded by projects. I was like, wow. They're eventually just going to push them all out.

As soon as I saw that building going up, I was like, yo, so Ma, you still feel the same? Maybe eventually just move her into the building. Yeah, right. She wouldn't be on the same block. Right, yeah. Little upgrade. Same friend, same bodega. Oh my gosh, bro.

That's the plan. I'm going to move into this new building they're building in the fucking backyard we've been looked at for all of our lives. It's wild, though. It was just a lot. Yeah, man. And they took it. Yeah.

Is that part of, is that changing out there? I mean, is it happening? I mean, Bushwick is definitely in. That was like, yeah. The last one to go, though, right? Bushwick's the latest one. Yeah. The latest of the Mohegans to get took.

Is there still room to be taken? I mean, is there still more to be taken i mean is there still more of brooklyn for sure yeah sure i don't know brooklyn that all happened after i left new york i was in queens and there was a couple of people out in greenpoint you know living in you know like you know places that had machinery in him i got a little spot in greenpoint now you do yep yep it's nice on on a in a place where there was nothing. Oh, really? Nothing, bro. I mean, I look at these streets. No building?

There was no building. This is a new building. They built this in 2019. Yeah. And they just built a new one last year right next door. I'm just looking at all these buildings. I'm like, damn, none of this shit was here. Wow.

Nice? Yeah, it's nice. It's cool. Is there still Polish diners around? There are a couple. There are a few. You can still get a pierogi around the corner? Right. Yeah, it's nice. Is there still like Polish diners around? There are a couple. There are a few. You still get a pierogi around the corner? Right.

Yeah, yeah. And then you get the Eagle Company Coffee. Sure. You know, cafe. Yeah. That's just. Yeah. You know, they get all the fresh produce.

It's so wild, man. Compared to like, you know, what, like, I don't know, you're younger than me, but like growing up in New York, it's totally different, right? Oh, a hundred percent. I can't, New York it's totally different right? Oh 100%. I can't like it's so weird. Like I was in Astoria. I never thought

Astoria would change. Where'd you live in Astoria? I lived on like by 23rd Street. I lived two blocks away from the park from Astoria Park. Okay.

Like right by the bridge. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, this is me popping my liquid death. Yeah. I lived on 30 what did I live? 30th Avenue 37th Street like a block down from Steinway, the Egyptian part.

Right. Yeah. I lived, yeah, 23rd. It was like, I can't remember. It's not cool there now, is it? Yeah, bro. Astoria is popping. Really?

People love Astoria. I loved it when I lived there. I loved it too, but it was still Astoria. There was no hipsters around. It was just like, I'd get off the train at 2.30 in the morning and wonder why these families

were buying vegetables with their children at 2.30 in the morning. Yeah, it's still not really hipstery, but definitely people are moving there. You know,

a lot of people live in there. A lot of people who've done Broadway and shit like that. They got a place out there? Yeah. And I used to have a landlady named Lucille.

Shout out to Lucille. Yeah. I remember when I did my first role on Law & Order, Lucille saw the episode and she said, hey, I saw you on the TV. I would give her $500 in cash. Yeah. There was no checks and shit. It was straight cash.

Yeah. I was working at Bread's Bakery at the time. Yeah. Doing what? I was working at Bread's Bakery at the time. Yeah. Doing what? I was, I was just, I would register. No, definitely didn't make bread.

Okay. You can find me back there making bread. Fucking burning the bread back there. I'm inventing shit. I used to, I used to give samples of chocolate babka

out front too, you know. Chocolate babka. That's an art. Yeah. Oh yeah. The babka. Oh yeah, no. People are like, you know, it's like, how are we going to make a good babka? front, too. Oh, chocolate babka. That's an art. Yeah. Oh, yeah. The babka. Oh, yeah.

No, it's- People are like, you know, it's like, how are we going to make a good babka? It's beautiful. They used to use Nutella. Oh, yeah? Oh, this babka was crazy. Wow. Yeah, I used to bring it home.

Is it still there, that bakery? I think so, yeah. Yeah, on 15th Street or something. So what'd your landlady do? Did she raise your rent when she saw you on Law & Order? No, no, no, no, no. What she said was, she sees the episode, and then she goes, you know, I saw you on Law & Order. I said, yeah, yeah, yeah, you saw the episode.

She's like, you didn't say much. And I'm just looking at her with my $500 in my hand. That's worse than, are you somebody? Oh, it's horrible, bro. You didn't say much because you knew. You knew you didn't say much. Oh, of course. I was like, I'm over here,? Oh, it's horrible, bro. You didn't say much. Because you knew. You knew you didn't say much. Oh, of course. I was like, I'm over here.

Yeah, and it's horrible. I'm playing like a fucking rapist on this shit. And, you know, I'm just like, it's not bad enough I'm playing this role. And then, I mean, look, I'm grateful that they gave me the opportunity. Oh, my God. Yeah, it was, you know, but I said, okay, thanks, Miss Lucille. See you next month. So that was like your first or second TV thing.

It was like my second, yeah, it was like a guest star role. I was super hyped. You know, you get the guest star role. If you get two weeks on the show, you get that two weeks pay. It's kind of nice. You know, a couple months rent if your shit is at 500 a month. Yeah, yeah. I don't know.

Like, it's amazing the whole Law & Order franchise for New York actors. They all kind of go through. Oh, everybody's been through the ringer, man. That's like the wringer, man. You got, like, that's like the rite of passage. How many years until you can play a different character?

They actually offered me a different character like three years later. A different? I was like, is this not too soon? I guess not. What was that character?

I actually didn't take the role that time, but I can't remember. I feel like he might have been a lawyer or some shit. Yeah. When did you know that you you weren't gonna be a professional baseball player in high school uh i mean i just walked off the field bro i was 17 years old um i was playing summer ball we had finished the season it was my best season actually yet

yeah in school i i've had the highest batting average on the team i won like best comeback player in the year which meant yo, you sucked the year before and you actually, like, got good. Yeah. And, you know, or rather, you was on the bench the year before. Yeah. And, whoa, you played and it was actually good. Yeah.

And I was like, yeah, shit, you didn't give me a chance the year before. Yeah. But, you know, I finished the season in high school and then I'm playing summer ball for our coach's dad, rest in peace, Coach DeMarco, DeMarco Sr. But I was on the field. I'm playing outfield. And I'm just like, yo, this ain't it. Oh, really?

I was like, I don't think I'm going to make it to the major leagues. So I think I'm going to. This might be my last game. Did you start singing out there? I started singing. I said, Coach, do you have a wooden board? I have metal on the bottom of my cleats. I was thinking

about tap dancing out here for the team. I just want to get feedback. Who's up for... Anybody ever wanted to do musicals here? Anybody ever heard of the show Damn Yankees? Were you a fan of that? Yeah, I did that show. Oh, no. I wasn't a fan do musicals here? Anybody ever heard of the show Damn Yankees? Were you a fan of that?

Yeah, I did that show. Oh, no, I wasn't a fan of musicals, really. Like, I did musicals in high school. You did. But it was because it was a way to sing. Like, I auditioned for a thing called sing. Like, that's what, there was like this. In high school?

In high school. Was it art school? No, it was like a regular ass public public school bro but they but there was a thing in New York

called sing where all the grades would compete right so nine through twelve they do a 45 minute musical this was a musical for like popular

I guess in public schools yeah yeah they're always there shit died down I guess a little bit there was always a musical going on you may not have noticed it right right but they're always there the shit died down i guess a little bit and there was always a musical going on you may not have noticed it right but they're over there doing them for sure yeah for sure but uh in our school there weren't enough people who wanted to be a part of

yeah a part of sing so they basically uh so what they did was they were like yo we're gonna um combine the grades so i go, they're doing these announcements, come audition for Sing, come audition for Sing. And I'm like, what the fuck is Sing? I'm like, yo, I kind of want to sing, though. I mean, I haven't sang in a minute. It hasn't been a minute since I've, been a while since I've done my thing.

Junior high school, I had like a group, a trio of, it was me and two friends, Khalif and Lennox. Doing what? We used to sing Temptation songs at assemblies. Like an acapella trip? Or you had a band? No, damn,

was it acapella? I mean, we've done a couple acapella stunts. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But sometimes

we'd have a back and track and something we pulled off of YouTube or something, whatever. And, you know, I loved it,

man. It was fun and we would do these songs and Temptations helped me get a few jobs. Yeah. Hamilton on Broadway, Temptations helped loved it, man. It was fun. And we would do these songs. Temptations helped me get a few jobs. Yeah. Hamilton on Broadway.

Temptations helped me get that job. Yeah, yeah. Why? What did you sing? I sang Ain't Too Proud to Beg. Really? Yeah. To get Hamilton.

To get Hamilton. The Temptations helped me graduate high school. I sang Just My Imagination to one of my teachers, and she passed me. Wow. She literally said, I'll never say it again. Tell me it was a math class. It was a science class. It was, it was a science class. It was.

And, uh, basically I was like, she's like, yo, look, if you sing just my imagination right now, yeah,

I'll pass you because I was for sure. A thousand percent failing. Oh, it was a hundred percent. I was, I was going down. Yeah. Yeah.

And I was failing. If I failed that class class i wasn't graduating right so she did me an ultra solid so you it was just you and her in the room no no no there were there were other kids in there but the class was so loud at the in that moment of class she was like yo bro if you she wasn't even paying attention everybody she was literally just like trying to get me to sing just my imagination just my She was like, yo, if you sing this song right now, I'll pass you. And I said, it's day through my window. I just bust it out. I'll watch her as she passes by. And I was giving her the whole, I say to myself. Like, I was just putting it off her.

Did you spin? I didn't twirl. I didn't twirl. But I took the pencil and everything and used it as a mic and gave her the shoulder movements. You know how they used to do back in the day? Yeah, yeah, yeah. It worked, huh? It worked, bro.

That's crazy. God bless the New York City public school system. Thank God for public school. Shit. I don't think that would have worked in private school. No, no, you can't. You know, but science is hard, and she probably knew in her heart that it wasn't your future. Yeah.

She clearly believed in your singing. She must have seen you singing at an assembly or something. She said, this kid will not be an archaeologist. He's not going to help this guy out. Yeah, let me just get him through. So do you go, like after high school, do you go to some kind of arts program? I did. You know, so my journey from high school on was wild.

Like, I auditioned for that show. I thought it was a talent show. It ended up being a musical. Yeah. It was a musical. They gave me a lead role in it. And I was like, whoa, I don't think I can do this. That sounds crazy.

I can't memorize all those lines. I don't even do my homework. Y'all are bugging yeah teachers like you know who's a good friend of mine still sarah steinwise she's like yo no no you should you should really you should really do this like i think you should yeah you should uh she believed in you yeah yeah yeah she did this is from sing from sing the auditions yeah so i went and they gave me a lead part i decided to do it i loved it i was looked ridiculous with a burger King helmet on,

you know, with the crowns from Burger King's helmet. You know, the crowns that they used to have on seats. What play was that? What musical?

It was just called Love Conquers All, a show that the students wrote. Okay. And I went and I did the show. I loved it. I was,

I felt, I was wearing way too much makeup. Yeah. Just a bunch of that. Why a Burger King hat? I don't know. I think that's much makeup just a bunch of that why a burger king hat uh i don't know i think that's what was just i think that's what was available or did it just look like that it looked like that but but but yeah you know they made it yeah we didn't have access to the sure top of the line props departments yeah uh but uh but it was great

man and you felt that this is it i was was like, yo, I love this shit. So I was like, you know, let me do another one. So I did another one, called Back to the 80s at school. Was that all the 80s songs? A bunch of 80s songs. And you're dancing? I sang Never Gonna Give You Up by Rick Astley. Oh, good. Yeah.

But you're dancing and everything? I'm over here doing all, freestyling, doing all my own choreography on stage. Oh, good. I felt bad for the person running the spotlight because they're like, I don't know where the fuck this guy's going next because it wasn't rehearsed.

I just kept moving around and spinning on stage. Never gonna give you up. Another spin. Never gonna let you down. Trying to do a split. Yeah, yeah. I'm like, I'm bugging out.

Yeah, yeah. New jazz split. Selling it, man. James Brown or some shit. Yeah, getting big big applause I wouldn't say big but you know people appreciating

the effort appreciation applause at an appreciation level that kid's got energy yeah kid's got gusto he's gonna he's gonna go someplace

if he just stands still for a minute he's got enthusiasm so how does this so what happens after that so after that He's going to go someplace if he just stands still for a minute. He's got enthusiasm. So what happens after that? So after that senior year, I had gone to work out with a couple D3 schools. I wasn't going to play D1, but I was like, yo, maybe I can play D3 and get some money. Ball? Yeah, to play ball.

So I go, and I was working out with a couple schools and then um we didn't get my financial aid forms in in time so i you know we for you know fafsa in new york or i guess all over the states you gotta you gotta fill out these financial aid forms the government knows like what your family how much money your family's making and do do they give you money what your grades like so we didn't get those forms in in time. We didn't meet the deadline. So all my applications had gotten withdrawn. Every school was like, yo, you didn't get this form in in time. So we can't actually, we can't enroll you for this semester.

You got to wait. So I'm like, yo, damn, like, what am I going to do? So Sarah, same teacher, she gives me a pamphlet for the school called AMDA in New York, American Musical and Dramatic Academy, this conservatory. Yeah. It's like a school that you go to if you don't want to get it. Like, you can get a degree there, but it's, you know, most people just go for two years to just study the thing that they like. And then they just get out of there.

You get a certificate and a pat on the ass and then just like good luck in the world. And skills. You get skills. And you get skills. Yeah. It's like good luck in the world. And skills. You get skills.

And you get skills. Yeah. So she shows me this pamphlet. I want you to audition for this thing. I was like, all right, cool. I'll go. But at first, I didn't say cool. I mean, I was nervous because that was my first real audition for anything.

Yeah. But she's like, yo, don't worry. I'll help you with the music and stuff. And I'm like, all right, cool. So I go and sing This Is The Moment by Jekyll and Hyde. She helped me with the music and and stuff and yeah i'm like all right cool so i go and sing um this is the moment by jekyll and hyde she helped me with the song and stuff i'm over i got really into it taking my shirt off and shit yeah i'm over here crawling on the floor during the monologue yeah i did this uh this monologue uh by um this character named edgar he does this monologue and this shakespeare play yeah called King Lear. Yeah.

And, and I went and did that. Really? Yup. And, and, and my teacher, Miss Honvia Lett,

Miss H, she helped me with that one. She, she actually put me in the Shakespeare class, the honors class in, in my senior year,

even though my grades weren't honors. They weren't, they, like, I didn't have honors grades. Yeah. I had like a hard C, bro. Like, not a minus, not a plus, just like a solid. though my grades weren't honors they weren't they like i didn't have honors grades you know i had like a hard c bro like not a minus not a plus just like a solid the shit was in a bold letter c

that it wasn't moving and it's like not getting any better it was not gonna get any worse it was just solidified bro yeah nailed to this dude is average poor card yeah he's average he's average and um and uh but she still she put me in this class man she was like this is another teacher another teacher man you know i had they all knew they're like this guy this guy's gonna do something they stuck in shakespeare i can't even wrap my brain around shakespeare yeah i mean i'm still you know every i mean i couldn't i still don't watch a shakespearean show and leave like oh my gosh that was masterful. I still leave scratching my head.

But you got the language going. But I'm getting, yeah. There's a lot of it. Have you done Shakespeare since? I've not. I've not. I've auditioned for a movie, but I didn't get it. I was pretty sad about that, but it's okay.

I think I'll get one at some point. I mean, if you want to. Yeah, hopefully. Yeah, I mean, if someone will do some kind of hip Shakespeare of hip shakespeare business yeah yeah yeah let's try to make it cool right right but i am excited about i am excited about going um back to broadway i did sign on to uh i mean i'm probably not supposed to talk about it yeah fuck it i don't care so i'm gonna uh i signed on to do amadeus on broadway oh my god that's the best best. Yeah, to play Mozart. So we're looking for Salieri right now. So if Marc Maron wants to play Salieri,

you know, we could. I wonder how, could I handle the singing? There's no singing. It's a play, a straight play. Straight play, Salieri? I'm in. Come on, that's it. That's all it is, bro.

I could be the bitter, evil fuck that fucks with your head. Yeah, yeah. And I get you laughing. Yeah, yeah. Well, at least we'll have a good time. We'll have a good time um but that's how it happened man i kind of um yeah i like i just uh i just auditioned for that school i couldn't afford the uh the application fee she paid for the application fee she helped me with the essays because i was straight gonna give up bro i was

like i was like it was just too hard. A lot was going on in my life at the time. And, you know, just when you're a kid, everything feels so much more intense. I mean, it was difficult, you know, like it was hard being broke all the time. And, you know, dad's not around. I'm not living with my mom. Where were you living? I was kind of living.

I was, you know, my clothes were at my mom's house, but I was bouncing around from friends' houses. I just. But you're not fucked up. Yeah. No, I'm okay, man. Yeah. Thank God. Yeah.

I mean, you avoided that. You know, but I mean, like, you weren't, you know, getting in trouble. No, no, no. That's good. Because I was keeping myself busy in school, man. I was on a wrestling team. I was playing baseball. Okay, yeah.

I was, you know, doing theater. I even joined a production at this all-girls school they needed guys for doing and they were doing into the woods and and and i joined their their production like i was really trying to keep myself busy all the time i wasn't good academically but you know i said if i can just focus on something if i had if i had something to focus on then i can really you know, I'll have a shot. I'll have a chance to make something of myself. And you're really working it.

Yeah, and I was really, like, committed, man. Something snapped in me in senior year. I don't know what it was. It was just something, like, clicked for me. The first three years of high school, I was kind of just, like, going with the wind a little bit. And now I really focus. And I don't know. I think just something snapped for me.

Like, yo, bro, you know this high school thing is done. And you're going to have to go out into the world. And you're going to have to be an adult. Yeah. You know? Yeah. And you got to figure this shit out. Yeah.

You know? Nobody's going to hand you anything. So I think it was almost like that wake-up call. Like, yo, if you don't get your shit together, bro, you. Well, it enabled you to lock into the talent. You know? Like, you knew you could do this. And you knew you liked it.

I mean, that's a big thing to know that you're talented and then just be like, fuck, I'm not going to work this. Yeah. Yeah. Right.

And that was, that was really how it happened, man. Like, and it always started with music. Music was always the, you know, my first love,

but I didn't know how to be an artist. Right. But then I found my way into musical theater. I was like, oh shit, I can sing. And then you act too.

You got to act with it. All right, fuck it. I'll act. And then I loved acting. I was like, oh damn,, I can sing. And then you act, too? You got to act with this? All right, fuck it, I'll act. And then I loved acting. I was like, oh, damn, I love doing both of these things. It worked out. So that conservatory helped you?

It helped me a lot, man. And then the last piece of that story was I got into that school, but I couldn't afford it. So Sarah wrote a letter to the Jerry Seinfeld Scholarship Foundation. Jerry had a scholarship at the time. She wrote a letter like, yo, you got to meet this kid. He's got a solid, nailed in the ground C, average, bold letter. But I promise you, just meet him. And you went and met some people?

And I went and met. It was me and Kate Fenneman, who's a friend of mine still. She was with the foundation? She was running the foundation. Did they bring Jerry in to go like, hey? No, Jerry definitely, no. I got a funny story about that, too, that I'll tell you later about Jerry. An off-mic story?

Off-mic. I'm like this. Yo, no. But, no, but, you know, I sat there and I just told her my story. Like, yo, this is where I'm from. I grew up this way. And, um, you know, I grew up in, in, in a home, you know, in around a lot of violence and alcohol and drugs and shit was crazy.

But I was just like, look, my, my grades are not a reflection of who I am. Um, I just, I really need somebody. If somebody just gives me a shot, I won't let you down. Like, I just need, I just need a shot. I just need a chance. Yeah. And, you know, and she was like, I left, I left the meeting with her and, and, you know, we both got emotional and shit because I really shared a lot with her.

Yeah. And, you know, the school's calling me for a loan and something told me like, tell the guy, give you one more hour. Yeah. One more day yeah i didn't know what i was gonna do with a day yeah and then you know and and and all of a sudden he's like yeah yeah sure anything i'll give you another day and then next thing you know she kate calls a couple hours later she's like um so you know we heard uh we don't usually give

the scholarship out to people with your grades but we want to pay for your school for all four years wherever you want to go. Dude. That's the Jerry Seinfeld Foundation? Jerry Seinfeld Scholarship, yeah. Shout out to Jerry Seinfeld and his family. Yeah. You know,

and is it Carolyn? Carolyn Liebling is his sister. She was running at the time, you know, his sister, who's like, they don't look like twins, but they definitely look like siblings. Yeah.

And she's a sweet woman. And yeah, man, it was. So you went for four. I went, no, I just went for two years. I went for two years. I tried to do the degree online, you know, because I just wanted to start working, man. And they were like, yeah, you know, the way AMDA works is it's backwards. You do the conservatory.

And then if you continue on, you know, you do all the classes you would do in a regular program. Yeah. At the back half. The last two years, right, is when you start to get into your real trade or whatever it is. And the first couple of years in college is like math and English and all that shit. That's the way college is. Yeah. And I didn't want to do that shit. So I was like, yo, I'm just trying to go straight to the conservatory and get right into the thing that I like.

The catch is, though, if you go for two years only you don't get a degree right so i was like damn i really want a degree for what i mean i'm for who you know yeah fucking nobody cares about a degree in musical theater or movies they don't ask what college you went to yeah but i just wanted it for my life you know but accomplishment accomplishment yeah you know maybe one day i'll go back just for the hell of it to get it Maybe just get an honorary degree Just hang around long enough Can somebody give me Have I done

Am I doing They should have given you that At Comic Con Can someone give me Yeah I said yo Can I trade this award For a fucking degree

They gave me like This rising star award At CinemaCon yesterday Yeah And I was like Yo Now that I'm thinking about it I'm like

I'll trade in that award for a degree. Yeah, I think it's coming. I think you'll get an honorary degree. But I'm grateful for that award.

Thank you, NATO and all the people that gave me that shit and whoever got paid to give me that award. It's all promotion for the movie. Yeah,

it's nice for Transformers. Transformers, Rise of the Beasts, I don't think that movie is going to have a problem. Transformers what? Rise of the Beasts. You got a big

part of it yeah i'm the lead role man oh really it's unbelievable you're the guy i'm the guy i'm just like shia labeouf and then our guy mark walberg yeah he's in it too uh no he's not oh those they're not but but i am following those guys okay well hayley steinfeld was the lead of the bumblebee movie and um now i am the new transformers guy. Transformers guy. This is it, man. This is it. Is that? This is the big one. This is the big one.

Wow. I think so. Don't you? Maybe. Does this upgrade me from C to C plus? Yeah. Oh, no. It'll probably put you up to probably strong B plus, A minus.

Okay. A minus. B plus. B plus is great. B plus gets you reservations at restaurants. That's for sure. Yeah. And a lot more guys with cameras. B yeah and a lot more guys with cameras B Plus

a lot more guys with cameras yeah so wait so you just do the two year conservatory they let you do that that was it

I just did two years and then they're like yo if you want to keep going we've got a partnership with the new school here's a promo for AMDA too we got a partnership

with the new school in New York and you can continue on with your degree that way you can do that online or you can, you can continue on, um, with your degree that way. You can do that online or you can go to the campus. Or if you want to go to LA and do, and continue on in LA,

then you can go to our school here in LA where you, this is the only, this is the campus where you can continue, do the four year. Okay. Degree. So you were like, I was,

I, I just wanted to work, bro. I was like auditioning already and shit. And what was the first gig? My first gig out of school. I did, I did, you ever heard of the upfront press events yeah like they yeah so the upfronts for for like new shows yeah new show new shows and networks so so glee was having their upfront

press their upfronts yeah and they needed just like a bunch of singers to like perform yeah some shit yeah yeah right yeah just look like people who are going to be in Glee who are not going to be in Glee. Right. And I was one of those singers. I did that and then after that I went and I did Grease.

Grease was my first musical out of school though. Where was that? Where'd you do it? I did it in Beach Haven, New Jersey at Surflight Theater. I don't even know if Surflight Theater is around.

Yeah. So it's like a regional subscription theater summer stock like they do like 18 shows in one summer like yeah yeah those summer stock theaters they just pile it on you rehearse for like two days and then you just go yeah i mean how was that it was fun man it was it was crazy i got paid like 226 a week or some shit like that after taxes. They put you up? They put you up, yeah. They put you up in a house with a bunch of other people. Yeah. And, yeah,

it feels like the real world or some shit. Yeah, so everybody's trying to get the big thing. They're trying to get on Broadway. Everybody's talking. Yeah, you see this one's writing their musical

and this one's getting, you know. A lot of singing in the house. There was a lot of talented people in that cast, too. A lot of, you know, folks who were on Broadway, who's still on Broadway, who've written Broadway shows

and shit out of that cast. I made really good friends from that cast. Yeah. One whom is my friend Mark Summers. I just had him on. Oh, did you have Mark?

Yeah, he's my, that's my guy, bro. Is he? Yeah, I love him, man. He was in Grease with you? He was in Grease. He played Vince Fontaine. He's a character, that guy.

He is 100% a character. Yeah. Yeah. That's so funny. Yeah, man. And I went and I just did that, bro. I started auditioning and I had an agent. I got dropped by my agent.

Why? They just said they were downsizing. Oh, yeah? And you were out? No. Yeah. They were like, yeah, sorry. Oh, wow.

We've got to make space bet you they feel stupid now you know i don't know what they feel like i don't know where they are so they're good now what were you up against doing this stuff where did you feel like you're being typecast oh yeah a million percent bro like it was crazy it was it was tough because there weren't there weren't a lot of especially musicals specifically weren't a lot of shows specific to Latino actors. Right, of course, yeah. And then I think musicals, they were trying to get more integrated, but it was still very much like, there were a lot of white male leads and there were black male leads, too. But it was like not very many, not very many Latino male leads. I mean, it was like Raul Esparza and then Lin-Manuel because he wrote his own fucking show.

Yeah. Well, that's sort of what had to happen. Yeah. Like nobody was writing Lin a lead role. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? Yeah. He had to write that shit for himself.

Yeah. And I think it was, but it was his show that, you know, because I thought about quitting because I was like, yo, this shit is too hard, man. Like what part of it was but it was his show that you know because I thought about quitting because I was like yo this shit is too hard man like what part of it was too hard just the auditions

and being like I can't be in South Pacific I can't be in like ain't misbehaving I ain't gonna be in you know I'm not gonna be in

in Carousel it feels like they've opened that up more now now it's now for sure yeah like now I mean I don't, I'm excited about, you know.

But then it was still kind of like, you know, they're not going to cast. They only started doing that shit like in the last, I would say, five years. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know, where they really started to be like, oh, yeah, let's open it up. You know, let's cast it. It was good. You know, but it wasn't, they weren't really doing that shit for a while.

So you were frustrated? I was super frustrated, man. I was like, yo, like, you know, first three years of auditioning, I was like, yo, like, what the, what do I have to do? Well, did they tell you to act differently? I mean, I had, I mean, you know,

one of my teachers, and this was, you know, the teacher was just trying to help, but, you know, but of my teachers and this was, you know, the teacher was just trying to help but, you know, but I was, he was like, yo,

they were like, yo, maybe if you grow your hair out, you might be a little ethnically ambiguous, you know, people won't really

know your race and then you can audition for different roles. You can audition for white and maybe, you know, Arabic

and Latina. So many Arabic parts. Right. Good idea. You're right, I'm really missing out on want to go from Latino to Arabic, a lot more opportunity. Oh my gosh, bro.

Thanks for that advice. Thanks. Thanks. Oh, fuck. Yeah, let me see. Yeah, I'm sure I'll grow. I grew it out a little bit too. I was like, yeah, all right, cool.

Try it. Let me try it. Yeah, yeah. Those Arabic parts come rolling in. Yeah. Good job, man. You did the right thing. Yeah.

Yeah. I say, yeah, no, we cracked the code with this one. Oh, my gosh, bro. Oh, fuck. I was just like, wow. Yeah, this is what it comes down to. So what made you, like, how does Hamilton happen? What were you doing when?

Man, I was. Because you did a lot of work, but you were still frustrated. I did, I did. I mean, I'm out of school. It started to I did. I mean, I'm out of school. It started to pick up. I mean, there were a few years. I mean, I didn't. You were in TV, too? No, no, no.

The TV happened later on. This was just straight, like, singing gigs and theater. And, you know, I did, like, Grease. And then I got In the Heights, you know, my first production. I saw In the Heights on Broadway. And that was, like, the moment where i was like you know what man maybe maybe i maybe there is a place for me in this space you know yeah you know because and and at that time you know still i didn't know how to be a music artist you know i didn't know how to you know i didn't know how that was going to happen

for me so you know it was musical theater or nothing because i didn't have an agent as well so it was like yo the only thing you could really audition for because anybody who does it really knows anyone who you know is in the industry knows that like yo it's very hard to get seen for films yeah if you ain't got an agent I mean it's almost nearly impossible for sure yeah to get seen to get seen for the films that we watch in the movies and yeah yeah Netflix and shit yeah where'd you see in the heights I saw it on Broadway um I saw it on Broadway like right before it was going to close it was like Cor you see it in the Heights? I saw it on Broadway. I saw it on Broadway, like, right before it was going to close. It was like Corbin Bleu was in the cast, and I just found out that— Was it a hit yet, though?

It was—I mean, it was a hit. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It had already won the awards and things like that. People were hearing about it. So it was—it definitely already did all the good things it did for, you know, Lynn and all the guys, everybody involved in the show.

But you hadn't met any of those guys. I hadn't met any of those guys, bro. And at that time, I was auditioning for a tour. They were putting, they had a tour going out, a national tour, and I auditioned for it, and I didn't get it. I did like four rounds of auditions, and I think I i in the fourth round i did this dance call and then i and then i went and sang after and i cracked on the high note and i saw alex lacamoire the musical supervisor's face i could see his face like he did this like you know when people do the eye twitch they're

not trying to do it but it just happens naturally when they hear some shit that sounds off yeah or see some shit that's wild yeah it happened i saw his eyes shit just hit a little bit of a twitch and i was like oh that's it that's it that goes this one this one's uh this one's a no-go and then i don't know how you deal with that rejection yeah i didn't hear back from them for for a while and then eventually i had to accept that this one was uh this one wasn't gonna happen and what's the gig then what gigs were you taking um i mean i did like i did the christmas show at radio city oh yeah i was a singer there were like eight singers there you're on stage for like eight minutes yeah the entire show like like barely no time it's a nice gig to be honest like if you just want to chill the rockettes the rockettes yeah like you can sing well enough

yeah or if you can just sing and you can you can get on radio yeah you can get it getting ready i mean just chill like if you want a chill gig i mean it's not it's it's definitely military musical it's military school for musical theater yeah for sure like if your arm is an inch too high yeah like on the mic they're like anthony can you please your arm is one centimeter too high i mean i'm talking about like it's like that wow but if you can deal with that shit and have fun still yeah yeah yeah in the midst of that yeah militant process you it's a nice nice gig that was good and i did i did that you know i sang i sang bruno mars uh bruno mars song that that you know, between Bruno Mars and the temptations,

they, those, those two, they served you. They have served me well. Thank you guys. And then I, I didn't work for a little while. I worked at a place called scream gelato on the upper West side. I was doing that, you know, selling gelato and chilling and, you know, doing auditions. I was working the night shift. So I could audition in the morning. Yeah. Um, so I would close at, you know, you know one in the morning i was like who the fuck is getting gelato at one in the morning like what is happening here are they coming no they weren't coming like one customer in that last hour and i'm like yo what are we doing like what are we doing but they you know they kept it open late and you know we put the gelato away come back you know do the same shit. Yeah. And then I went and did Damn Yankees National Tour.

That was like my first national tour. We did 67 cities in three months. That's a big gig. It was. I mean, a big gift. Yeah. Yeah. It was pretty big. But I mean, it's like working your ass off.

Yeah. It was working. Definitely working your ass off. Like we were in a new city every day, almost every single day on this coach bus. You know, I had my position with my pillow already dialed in with the way I slept on the bus. Like bus call was at six in the morning every day, some shit. Travel like anywhere between six to, you know. Was there a good part?

No, I mean, it was one of the chorus guys. You know, I was just working hard to learn how to dance well enough so that I could be in a chorus. Because look, the thing about it was, was I wasn't really getting any lead roles. I wasn't even getting looked at for lead parts. So I said, look, if I can learn how to dance well enough, then I can get a chorus part. Then somebody may put me in the chorus. And that's kind of how that happened. The training.

I learned how to dance was doing, um, I would work at this dance studio, uh, in between my, my second and third semester of college in the city, um, for free in exchange for $3 classes. So I go work there and then I could get $3 classes. I worked one, two shifts a week or whatever. You get, you get with that, you get six classes. Yeah. You get a class per hour or some shit. And that helped? Helped, bro, because I would use it up. I would roll over to the next week. They'd be like, you know, your classes are rolling over. I'm like, yo, just fucking don't worry about it. Just give me another shift. I need to take this class today. Here's my $3. Like, come on, man.

What are we talking about? Right. You know what I'm saying? Yeah. And I was really, really going hard. I was really like, you know, I was taking and I was really really going hard I was really like you know I was taking hip hop I was taking tap

I would do ballet even though I hated that shit and jazz and you know theater dance you know all of that like I was taking

you know I was even popping there was this dude who this brolic dude I can't remember his name he was a popping teacher so I was taking popping class

and all of that just so that I could hopefully get good enough at dance this brolic dude, I can't remember his name. He was the popping teacher. So I was taking popping class. And all of that, just so that I could hopefully get good enough at dance, so that way I can get a chorus part. So that's how I got Damn Yankees. I went to the dance call. I didn't even go to the singing call. You know, when you audition for musicals,

there's like a singing call, and then there's a dance call. And I went, I was like, fuck it, I'm going to go with the dancers. I'm going to start that way. Because you knew you had to get that skill set in place. And I was like, yo, if I can get past that, and then I sing, and they'd be like, fuck it, I'm going to go with the dancers. I'm going to start that way. Because you knew you had to get that skill set in place. And I was like, yo, if I can get past that, and then I sing, and they'd be like, oh, this dude can sing too.

Yeah. You know what I'm saying? Maybe I give myself a chance to get a role. So that's kind of how that happened. And then I went on to do, I did a cruise ship. I did Saturday Night Fever, the musical on Royal Caribbean on a boat, bro. The boat was rocking. You're over here like this. Give me that night fever.

You're trying not to fall and shit. Really? Y'all crazy. Crazy. You see the sets. Anything that was hanging, you see the shit just rocking back and forth. You're like, yeah, we're in the middle of the fucking Mediterranean. Oh, man.

Boats rocking. How long was that? I'm over here trying to keep my balance on stage. How long was that? On top of this car. How long? Seven and a half months. I did that. Oh, my God. Yeah. That's like that? On top of this car. How long? Seven and a half months. I did that.

Oh, my God. That's like really paying your dues. Oh, crazy, bro. It was wild. And then that's when you auditioned for Hamilton? And then I came back from that gig. From Saturday Night Fever on the boat. From Saturday Night Fever on the boat.

Now, when you come back from that boat, do you think like, I'm done? Oh, man. I mean, you ever see the movies where somebody, they come off a boat and they just have one backpack. And you see them, you see it's like a wide shot and they're just staring out into the city and shit. You know, like their whole future's ahead of them. Like that's kind of how I was feeling. Like I was like, yo, bro, you need to get back out there. Everyone's forgotten about, everyone's forgotten you exist.

They already didn't know you existed. They doubly don't know you exist. So I was like, yo, let me just get out here and do some auditions. They already didn't know you existed. They doubly don't know you exist. So I was like, yo, let me just get out here and do some auditions. So I was going out there, doing some open calls, waking up early in the morning, anything I could get in for. Yeah. And I went, and they were doing the equivalent of the spring show. So this Christmas spectacular in New York, they were doing a spring show.

They needed some singers for that. They asked me to be a part of that. I was hyped. Thank God. I was like, yes, I have a job. Yeah. So I go. I'm doing this gig.

And next thing you know, I get, I'm like, you know, I just got back from this cruise ship. So I'm like, yo, again, I got to get out. I got to do these auditions. I go to an open audition. The open call is like you don't need an agent or nothing. You can just walk right in there. So I go audition for a musical that I was absolutely not right for. I go in.

I sing Ain't Too Proud to Beg from The Temptations. Thank God for The Temptations. Thank God for that song. Yeah. And I go. I sing that, and the casting director could not have seen further away from me, bro. I mean, I'm talking about like this dude was sitting at a table. Like, it was almost, you might as well put me at the edge of one corner of the room. Yeah.

Like, hey, can you just stand at the wall right there? Face the wall. Can you actually face the wall? Can you pick up the phone and call me and sing the song into the phone? From over there. It felt so far away and I sing the song and he's just like

I see him through his red glasses he's like okay good job I'm like okay thanks and I just leave and I go to rehearsal for Radio City

and I get an email we'd like you to audition for this thing called Hamilton's Mixtape so obviously I didn't get the other show but Hamilton's Mixtape I'm like whoa

what's Hamilton's Mixtape so I go I open the email and I'm looking at music and shit i don't know what i'm looking at and i see oh lin-manuel miranda oh this is a guy who wrote in the heights oh shit amazing the latino dude that i want to work with the one guy that might give me a job and i was like and then i see like oh these are the same guys that worked on in the heights a director you know obviously i knew the whole team because that's again, the one Latino show on Broadway. Right. So I'm like,

yo, maybe I can, yeah, maybe, maybe I can get a job with these guys. So, so, so I,

and I look at the dates and the dates line up like part, like exactly when this radio city show was supposed to happen. So I'm like automatically the doubt in your mind is like, Oh, how this, this can never work anyway. I, but, but I was like, you know what? I'm going to go anyway. I go in like oh how this this can never work anyway i but but i was like you know what i'm gonna go anyway i go in i do this audition casting director's like all right i sing bruno mars in that audition i see a grenade by bruno mars and

she goes you know looking at your schedule it doesn't i don't know how this is gonna work but she's like you're really right for this so i'm gonna just to just call you back. I was like, okay, cool. Sure. Because I felt the same. I don't know. I'm like, I don't know how this is going to work either. But I go, I come back, I do another audition. Then I do a dance audition.

And then I do the final audition for like the team. Yeah. I do this audition and I leave the, right before I leave the room, no, I leave the room and then Bethany, Bethany Knox was the cast. And she opens the door. She's like, hey, you know, we'll stay in touch. We're going to call you after this or something like that. I was like, okay, cool.

You can call me. We'll let you know or whatever. Right. So I go to rehearsal for Radio City. Were you getting yelled at? No, no, no. I was on time. It was great.

And I was doing this on the low. I was over here, you know. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And basically, we had tech rehearsals, so it was nice because we start at 1 p.m., you know, when you're working on the lights and the shit and you're not actually rehearsing the piece, it's easier that way. You know, they move the time to 1 o'clock, so you rehearse it from 1 to 10 as opposed to rehearsing from 10 to 6.

Right, okay. So I go to rehearsal and I just see a sign on the call sheet, like on the board where we're supposed to sign in. It's basically like, hey, guys, don't bother signing in. Everyone meet up in the large rehearsal hall. So I'm like, yo, what the fuck is going on? I'm like, yo, I think we fired. And all of a sudden, on cue, I'm like, yo, I think we fired, in my head.

And then a cast member comes running from the side of the stage, from the wings, and she's hysterically crying. She's going hard. Yeah. And almost like a cartoon. And she's like, you know, doing this run. And I'm like, oh, yeah, we definitely fired. Yeah. Oh, 100%.

Yeah. So we go up to the large rehearsal hall upstairs, 70 cast members, 77 or something like that. And they're just like, yeah, so the show's not ready. We think that we're going to postpone this and we'll revisit it next year. And all of a sudden, they was like, thank you guys for being a part of it. And yeah, see ya. Good luck. Yo, bro. I was like, yo, we Good luck. Yo, bro.

I was like, yo, we all dead ass just got fired. Yeah. Wow, they just laid off 77 of us right now. Cast members alone. That's not even including crew. Wow. So I was like, wow. So naturally, everyone went to the girls' dressing room

and we cleared out all the alcohol in the refrigerators at the time. And everybody's just partying and shit and then i go to the i get a call 212 number yes manhattan so i'm like if you're getting a 212 call you know you know something might be popping off yeah that's right it's local right yeah right and i mosey on over to the guy's dressing room pick up the call they're like hey we heard about heart and lights we want our we want you to be a part of hamilton's mixtape i was like yo thank you jesus christ lord above father god yeah i was like yo i mean i'm talking about i was like in on my knees and like thank you god and you should see it was crazy I mean, I was just so grateful. It felt a lot like when I got my scholarship.

It was like one of those moments, those life moments that happened again for me. And I was super grateful. And this happens. And I start rehearsals like maybe a few weeks later I started. And I wasn't getting paid a lot of money or anything like that. It was just a four-week. What was the first meeting with Lin like? Did you meet him? It was in rehearsal we met.

The first day of rehearsal when we all sat around and we just kind of went through the music. With the original cast? With the original cast. This was all of us, the original cast. This is when we all met. Because everybody basically moved to off

we all moved together off Broadway and then Broadway like nobody left like maybe like one or two people left yeah and

were and like my ex-girlfriend actually replaced a girl that that was gonna play the role yeah

and that girl decided to go do another show and they had to recast the role yeah and um that girl decided to go do um another show and they had to recast the role yeah um and that's how you met the girl that's how i met her yeah and then and then uh and that was when we went off broadway but that that workshop was basically almost everyone from that workshop went um went all went the distance with the show yeah i saw you in the show oh cool yeah i saw it was like yeah because i that's when i met lynn because he you know set me up he was a fan of this show right it was fun man yeah it was a good time man it was cool i mean like were you just fucking

like like when you met lynn were you like holy fuck uh were you cool i did yeah no when i met him i was like oh man he's so he's so you know, he, he was, uh, he's like a hero to me, you know? I was like, wow. Like, you're like that guy that really wrote the show that. But sweet guy, right? Yeah. He's dope. He's cool, man.

He's super sweet. Like, you know, he, he definitely, he's loyal, man. Like, you know, like if he has, if y'all got a connection, I mean, you know, he and I did, you know, we worked together for five years maybe or something like that. On Hamilton or within the eyes too? Just different things. Like we did. The movie.

We did Hamilton and we did like a short musical that he did based on a story that happened on NPR. Yeah. We did that. And then we came back and did Hamilton for 800 years, as long as we did it until the original cast left. And then a few years later, we did In the Heights. We did the movie. Yeah, it's great.

The movie's great. Thanks, man. How'd that go for you? It was great. It was fun. I had a good time. But isn't that wild, though? You saw that play, and you thought there's hope, and then you're doing the fucking movie?

Oh, yeah, bro. I mean, like 10 years thought, like, you know, there's hope. And then you're doing the fucking movie. Oh, yeah, bro. I mean, like, 10 years later, bro, it was 10 years exactly or something like that when I watched the show. And then now I'm, like, the lead actor in this show that, like, changed my life but in the movie. You know, like, this shit, you know, as much as the show was amazing, like, the reality is that more people will have seen the movie, you know, like. Sure, yeah. But the show gets done all the time, I imagine. And the show gets done all the time, you know, and, you know, it lives on. But it's just like, to be able to be a part of the movie version, bro, like, and play that part, you know, the part that, you know.

Gave you hope. Gave me hope, you know what I'm saying? Like really like, um, you know, gave me this, this, uh, extra kind of kick in the ass. Like, yo, like you, you'd be, it'd be a mistake for you to quit this. Yeah. It's yeah. Right. And it's just like, it's amazing, man. It's, um, it's, I'm happy for you because like you definitely, you know, paid your dues.

For sure. You know what i mean like you know the focus and the hustle was kind of it's crazy that you didn't you know waver even when you're scooping gelato i mean dude i was doing show i did i did a show with producing the past for weeks and wouldn't answer anybody's emails and i'm like i gotta pay my rent like dude like i didn't even take you know i got some job at a clothing store i didn't take that job because you fucking told me that you needed me to be a little more free for the show. And now you're not paying me.

And I'm like, yo, Lucille don't play. Lucille's like, Anthony, where's my rent? You know, like, I'm like, shit. Well, yeah, there was that moment on, what was it, when, you know, you went on stage. It was an awards show, I think, and you were on right before. It was at the Oscars, right? Maybe, yeah. Before Lynn. And then they were like, that guy's going you were on right before. It was at the Oscars, right? Maybe, yeah. Before Lynn,

and then they were not, that guy's going to be a star. Yeah. But there was this idea, wasn't it, that Lynn said that, and I think you kind of, you know,

live it, and we talked about it, around it, that he said that, you know, we've got to make our own, you've got to make your own Latin stars. You have to,

man. Like, you know, it's, it's, it's interesting, bro. Like that, and that's the thing, like, you know, it's interesting, bro. Like, and that's the thing.

Like, you know, I did, recently I worked with McDonald's. They did this thing called Spotlight Dorado, which was amazing. It had just only been around for one year. Yeah. Which goes to show this uphill battle we kind of been, at least Latino actors, have been on for a while. Like, that, you know, they finally, there are programs now like spotlight Dorado where they're McDonald's is like funding. They're like, yo, we'll, you know, we'll, a bunch of people submit your films and we'll pay for three people. Like, you know, we'll pick three finalists and we'll give them $75,000 each to

make a short film. And then the people will pick the winner. Right. And then that's, that's really how you, when, when, when people open in their checkbooks and they really give opportunity like that that's how you build that's how you start to build community that's how you start to build opportunity it's so crazy it's so hard because half the fucking world's latino bro it was you know it was like some statistic came out last year some shit and this happened with music too on spotlight goes to show bad bunny being the highest uh stream your artist on spotify for the last three years and shit like that but like you know latinos i think if they're not the the top movie goers yeah like the if they don't have the highest percentage yeah they are

almost yeah someone saw that and said well we can do it just this Transformers? I guess. Shit. If that's what happened, then God bless, you know? Yeah, man. But it's like, yo, like, yo, we go to the movies. We listen to music. Like, what are you doing? And you're going to be in the Transformers. You know? Yeah.

Yeah, man. But Transformers just feels amazing, man. I watched the second trailer yesterday, bro. It was insane. I mean, it's just like so crazy bro to what was the physicality that demands how'd you do it i mean i did most of my stunts yeah you know any like the the crazy car shit i couldn't i mean all the car shit i didn't do but but you know anything like jumping off or something or being lifted by you know getting on a harness and being lifted

30 feet in the air and getting dropped shit like that like I was like yo let's go yeah yeah like I did I'm so happy we did

all our own stunts and bad guys yeah like I didn't think I'd ever you know I mean I still got injuries from bad guys bro it's tough man

that car driving up and down those hills unbelievable bro I mean that whole time when we fell from that plane wasn't it then we fought from like a plane or a helicopter or something it was unbelievable yeah there's a lot going on in that movie yeah like every time i see it i'm like wow i remember the first time we all saw it we're like was that what we were

doing there's like so much going on pierre used to always try to like explain us what the fuck is going on i'll be like brother just tell me me what's going on with me and the wolf. Yeah. Where are we at? Yeah. I was like, yeah. That'll be fun. Hopefully we'll get to do more of that shit as a group.

I hope. I hope this next time we'll get together. Yeah, because I did stuff with Sam. We did that a few times because most of my scenes were with him. Right. So we were in person a few times. Yeah, you guys had some heartfelt moments. Yeah, yeah.

We had work on those things. Did you guys work on those scenes and really like go in on? Yeah, yeah. Yeah, because like, you know, some of that stuff,

and I think it paid off. For sure. You know, Sam was willing to come out, you know, and there were times where we'd be on Zoom, but like there was a couple times,

especially for the one on the bunk bed and shit, where the real heartfelt moments, we were doing it. That's a good scene, bro. That bunk bed scene, bro, where you kind of check him.

You're like, yo, you're like, I'm on whose side? You really, you know, I want to know what you're really doing over here, Wolf. I feel like you, you, you turning on us type. Yeah, we did that face to face.

We did that face to face. We recorded that shit. That shit was fire, bro. It was great. You guys killed that shit, bro. It was great. It was great. He's a great guy. I mean, he's, you know, he's fun to work with. But I was like, it was great you guys killed that shit it was great he's a great guy

I mean he's fun to work with but I was like it was one of those things you too probably it was so funny because like everyone else like Craig

Awkwafina everybody's just doing their own voice and I'm like why'd I make that choice I did like a heightened version of my voice I did like the club version

of my voice yeah right so me and you were yelling and everyone else was like how's it going I'm like they got the easy I was like I don't know why I did like a heightened version of my voice. I did like the club version of my voice. Yeah, right. So me and you were yelling, and everyone else was like, how's it going? I'm like, they got the easy, you know. I was like, I don't know why I did that. But I'm glad I did it, and yours was so fucking funny. And I, like any animation I do, it's some version of like, what's going on?

How we doing? You know, like it's some variation of a gravelly, cranky Jewish guy. Why is that the default? I don't know, man. It just feels like a cartoon. He's like, whoo-hoo-hoo, santo cielo.

Yeah, right. Here comes the popo. I could have just said, guys, here comes the popo. You could, but it wouldn't have hit. I don't know if it would have hit that. The thing was,

the reason we do it is because they showed us our character. They did. So those were the guys, that was our engagement with that. Yeah. We realized. The other guys aren't. You know, Wolf is just kind of casual.

Right. In the whole movie. And Craig's. Awkwafina's got a little bit of that. Oh, no. Awkwafina's got that manic thing. Yeah, she's great. She's amazing.

Yeah. She's awesome. Well, it was great talking to you, man. Yeah, dude. Thanks for having me, man. Yeah, it was fun. It was fun. So much fun. Got some good laughs. Yeah. Good luck with the Transformers. Yeah, dude. Thanks for having me, man. It was fun. So much fun.

Got some good laughs. Good luck with the Transformers. Yeah, everybody go see it June 9th. Transformers Rise of the Beasts. Yes. There you go. Fun, right? Big laughs.

I got them going. I like when I can make guys laugh. Women, guys, whoever. I guess it's kind of what I do. Again, if you weren't listening when I introduced him, his single Viano is out now, and Transformers Rise of the Beasts comes out this Friday, June 9th. And hang out for a minute, will you? Thank you. a special bonus podcast episode where I talked to an actual cannabis producer.

I wanted to know how a producer becomes licensed, how a cannabis company competes with big corporations, how a cannabis company markets its products in such a highly regulated category, and what the term dignified consumption actually means. I think you'll find the answers interesting and surprising. Hear it now on Under the Influence with Terry O'Reilly. This bonus episode is brought to you by the Ontario Cannabis Store

and ACAS Creative. It's a night for the whole family. Be a part of Kids Night when the Toronto Rock take on the Colorado Mammoth at a special 5 p.m. start time on Saturday, March 9th at First Ontario Centre in Hamilton. The first 5,000 fans in attendance will get a Dan Dawson bobblehead courtesy of Backley Construction. Punch your ticket to Kids Night on Saturday, March 9th at 5 p.m.

in Rock City at torontorock.com. All right, people. more Hamilton related conversation, you can check out my talk with Lin Manuel Miranda from 2016, which happened after I saw the show. And he said, Boomer lives to me from the stage. You know, I, I obviously, I, I saw Hamilton and I was very, uh, uh, I almost started crying. Not just because of the show, but you're walking off, you look right at me and say, Boomer lives.

Boomer lives, baby. I'm a big fan of the show. You're so sweet. Yeah. And it was, you know, you really look like yourself. And it's the logo of your podcast. So it's weird to see the logo of this podcast in the 10th row. But you knew exactly where i was yeah well i

it was you seated me it was like you knew the seats but no not that it was like spotting waldo i was just like oh shit that's the cover of that podcast i'm waldo you found the glasses that's episode 759 and it's available for free in whatever podcast app you're using right now you can get that episode in every single WTF episode without ads by subscribing to WTF Plus. Just click on the link in the episode description or go to WTFpod.com and click on WTF Plus. Let's slide it out. Thank you. Thank you. guitar solo Thank you. guitar solo ¶¶ boomer lives monkey and lafonda cat angels everywhere

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