WEBVTT - More Than an Actor: Marcus Callender on Writing, Producing & Being a True Creative | Part 2 0:00:02.320 --> 0:00:04.720 I'm a homegirl that knows a little bit about everything 0:00:04.800 --> 0:00:05.640 and everybody. 0:00:06.519 --> 0:00:07.600 You don't know if you don't lie about that. 0:00:07.680 --> 0:00:15.480 Right, All right, y'all, we're gonna get back into part two. 0:00:15.880 --> 0:00:16.919 I'm Laura the Rosa. 0:00:17.280 --> 0:00:19.840 This is the Latest with Laura Rosa, which is your 0:00:19.880 --> 0:00:23.520 daily dig on all things pop culture, entertainment, news, and 0:00:23.640 --> 0:00:26.560 all of the conversations that shake the room. We've been 0:00:26.600 --> 0:00:31.160 having a conversation with creator, storyteller, actor, director and writer 0:00:31.720 --> 0:00:35.479 Marcus Callender. He played Oliver Power Grant or you may 0:00:35.520 --> 0:00:38.599 remember him if you've watched Ghost Power Book two. He 0:00:38.600 --> 0:00:42.280 played real Ray. Y'all, remember we lost Raina, Baby Raina 0:00:42.479 --> 0:00:44.879 because of ray Y. Now tap in as we get 0:00:44.880 --> 0:00:47.680 into the final part of our conversation about how he. 0:00:47.840 --> 0:00:50.080 Stuck it out good, bad, ugly. 0:00:50.680 --> 0:00:52.559 They say the power actors don't get more jobs, but 0:00:52.600 --> 0:00:55.800 he stuck it out and now he is bringing Spades 0:00:55.880 --> 0:00:58.480 to play to life on stage here in New York, 0:00:58.840 --> 0:01:01.000 and you guys get an exclusive listen of what the 0:01:01.040 --> 0:01:04.800 inspiration was. So talk to us about why Spades, Like, 0:01:04.840 --> 0:01:07.600 I know you said you walked into a place one 0:01:07.600 --> 0:01:09.160 time in LA and people were playing space check. I 0:01:09.160 --> 0:01:12.440 gotta get back to it, but originally like why write 0:01:12.440 --> 0:01:15.280 a play about space? Like why is that? This is 0:01:15.319 --> 0:01:18.040 like your passion project? And also tell us about us, 0:01:18.319 --> 0:01:20.920 you know, briefly, what what is the story? What is 0:01:20.920 --> 0:01:21.720 the log line of the play? 0:01:22.560 --> 0:01:25.560 Okay, before I tell you that, here's another thing too 0:01:25.640 --> 0:01:29.559 for people to know. When I was putting that reading 0:01:29.560 --> 0:01:31.840 together last year, my agent drop. 0:01:34.480 --> 0:01:35.840 That, also, how does it? So? 0:01:35.920 --> 0:01:37.560 What happened when you say they robbed you? 0:01:37.640 --> 0:01:37.960 Like? How? 0:01:38.080 --> 0:01:41.399 Because I'll be watching my money like I mean, but 0:01:41.520 --> 0:01:44.040 I'm also I mean, I'm not a regular series on 0:01:44.080 --> 0:01:46.959 a network show or a streaming platform show, so my 0:01:47.080 --> 0:01:50.680 checks maybe not like yours, but I be no, I'm 0:01:50.680 --> 0:01:52.280 in all of it, Like, yo, what's up? 0:01:52.680 --> 0:01:55.200 So while I'm while I was getting ready to put 0:01:55.200 --> 0:01:58.960 this reading together, I woke up from a nap and 0:01:59.040 --> 0:02:01.280 my agent calls me. I'm thinking I booked something, because 0:02:01.280 --> 0:02:04.040 that's the only time they call you. She's like, yeah, 0:02:04.680 --> 0:02:06.480 you know, Unfortunately, we're gonna have to let you go 0:02:07.160 --> 0:02:09.440 because due to the writers strike, a lot of things 0:02:09.440 --> 0:02:12.880 were cut Agired. 0:02:11.840 --> 0:02:13.359 Agents are being fired there. 0:02:13.440 --> 0:02:15.680 You know, the rosters are getting smaller, and I was 0:02:15.680 --> 0:02:19.120 with a big agency, so I knew it was going 0:02:19.200 --> 0:02:19.480 to happen. 0:02:19.480 --> 0:02:21.000 I was like, if I don't book something. 0:02:20.760 --> 0:02:23.280 They probably gonna drop me, which is really fucked up 0:02:23.320 --> 0:02:26.120 because I just did three seasons of a show where. 0:02:26.040 --> 0:02:27.040 Y'all getting that money. 0:02:27.200 --> 0:02:30.000 Yeah, y'all so quick to drive me, you know, because 0:02:30.240 --> 0:02:32.040 I'm not working off of a writer strike. 0:02:32.680 --> 0:02:33.440 That's crazy. 0:02:33.720 --> 0:02:35.720 But at the same time, I didn't even I didn't 0:02:35.760 --> 0:02:39.799 even react crazy. I didn't ask questions. I just said, okay, cool, 0:02:40.040 --> 0:02:43.880 because I knew it was all a part of the plan, 0:02:44.160 --> 0:02:46.720 all a part of Guy's plan. Because I knew that 0:02:46.720 --> 0:02:49.640 that had to be cleared away in order for me 0:02:49.720 --> 0:02:52.120 to really dive in because now I don't have an agent. 0:02:52.600 --> 0:02:54.680 Now I don't have any reps, so I'm not auditioning 0:02:54.760 --> 0:02:58.640 for anything. So I have no choice but to focus. 0:02:58.320 --> 0:02:59.360 On this, right. 0:02:59.600 --> 0:03:01.880 So it was it was a blessing in disguise, you 0:03:01.880 --> 0:03:04.240 know what I mean. But it was also my first 0:03:04.240 --> 0:03:06.200 time not having reps. 0:03:06.280 --> 0:03:07.280 Well, you said they robbed you? 0:03:07.320 --> 0:03:08.880 What, like what the no? 0:03:08.880 --> 0:03:09.000 No? 0:03:08.880 --> 0:03:09.120 No? No? 0:03:09.360 --> 0:03:09.880 The drop? 0:03:10.080 --> 0:03:12.320 Oh dropped You said they rob no no? What did 0:03:12.320 --> 0:03:15.520 they take? Like, we're with them? Okay, they dropped you? 0:03:15.560 --> 0:03:18.520 Okay, I mean yes, but I also feel like too, 0:03:19.080 --> 0:03:22.760 and this is just like twenty twenty five, Lauren speaking, 0:03:22.960 --> 0:03:26.680 I feel like unless your agent is like moving mountains 0:03:26.680 --> 0:03:29.400 for you, you can kind of low key figured the 0:03:29.400 --> 0:03:31.720 shit out with a good manager, G lawyer honestly just 0:03:31.760 --> 0:03:35.640 good lawyer, a manager if they really whit you with you. 0:03:35.760 --> 0:03:37.680 But I don't think you need like that's where I'm 0:03:37.680 --> 0:03:40.280 at right now too, us like talent that is. 0:03:40.280 --> 0:03:42.440 Learning to build a team. 0:03:42.880 --> 0:03:44.400 I'm like, I don't need all these people, all these 0:03:44.400 --> 0:03:48.320 noises and all these decisions and blah blah blahlah like splits. No, 0:03:48.560 --> 0:03:51.440 Like I just need one to two good people. That's like, yo, 0:03:51.480 --> 0:03:53.080 we out where we gotta be, what we gotta do. 0:03:53.200 --> 0:03:56.440 Like so it was a blessing in disguise, and I 0:03:56.480 --> 0:04:00.600 think the world and the industry changed. Where agent, you know, 0:04:00.640 --> 0:04:03.600 for you as a playwriter and creator and also talent 0:04:03.680 --> 0:04:05.720 would be amazing. We want to speak that into existence, 0:04:05.720 --> 0:04:07.200 but you could do. 0:04:07.120 --> 0:04:10.160 It without exactly but because I think what it not, 0:04:10.320 --> 0:04:12.560 I think I know what it allowed me to do 0:04:12.720 --> 0:04:16.080 was like really tap into all of these talents that 0:04:16.160 --> 0:04:18.880 I have because I don't consider myself just an actor. 0:04:19.279 --> 0:04:20.960 When people ask me what I do, I tell I'm 0:04:20.960 --> 0:04:23.800 a storyteller. Whether that's acting, directing. 0:04:23.440 --> 0:04:26.200 And writing, you know. So it allowed me to like 0:04:26.279 --> 0:04:28.800 really dive into that and really own. 0:04:28.600 --> 0:04:30.560 It, you know what I mean, Because for a long 0:04:30.600 --> 0:04:33.120 time it was like yeah, right, but you know, but 0:04:33.480 --> 0:04:35.320 now I'm owning it, you know what I'm saying. No, 0:04:35.440 --> 0:04:38.600 I'm a playwright, I'm a writer, I'm a director, I'm 0:04:38.640 --> 0:04:40.880 a producer, and I'm an actor. I do all of 0:04:40.920 --> 0:04:42.719 these things and I think I do it pretty well. 0:04:43.000 --> 0:04:45.680 So it's like a multi a multi hyphen it as 0:04:45.720 --> 0:04:46.280 they call it. 0:04:46.680 --> 0:04:48.200 So it gave me. 0:04:48.160 --> 0:04:51.040 All this time to dive in, and I fucking I 0:04:51.440 --> 0:04:53.760 committed to it, you know what I mean. I put 0:04:53.800 --> 0:04:57.200 all my money into it because I know, you know, 0:04:57.480 --> 0:05:00.200 for me, I'm like sitting on this story because it's 0:05:00.560 --> 0:05:04.320 bigger than the play. So let's get into that. 0:05:04.440 --> 0:05:07.360 Yes, So what inspired me to write this play. 0:05:07.400 --> 0:05:09.160 I was learning how to play Space at the time 0:05:09.160 --> 0:05:12.640 with some friends and what I thought was interesting was 0:05:12.720 --> 0:05:15.640 I was like, Yo, I feel like watching the game 0:05:15.920 --> 0:05:18.480 is more interesting than the game because. 0:05:18.200 --> 0:05:20.800 It's just so much drama. It's all this other shit. 0:05:20.839 --> 0:05:22.480 I said, Yo, this would be a dope. 0:05:22.240 --> 0:05:25.159 Play in anybody house and anybody you know what's crazy? 0:05:25.200 --> 0:05:29.480 I was before I left TMZ. We were piloting a 0:05:29.480 --> 0:05:33.320 podcast for me, and now Nick Cannon has me playing spades. 0:05:33.800 --> 0:05:36.000 But I said to them, I'm like, we should do it, 0:05:36.040 --> 0:05:39.200 like let's just sit down and play space with people. Yeah, 0:05:39.520 --> 0:05:41.560 I mean, of course they didn't really understand it. And 0:05:41.600 --> 0:05:43.400 my co host shout out to Tawanna. She's still there 0:05:43.400 --> 0:05:45.680 at TMZ. She don't know how to play spades. I 0:05:45.680 --> 0:05:47.120 don't think she got to beat because she's never been 0:05:47.120 --> 0:05:50.360 at the spades table. But so when I the name 0:05:50.400 --> 0:05:52.160 of your play grabbed me. But also when I saw 0:05:52.240 --> 0:05:55.120 Nick Cannon doing we playing spades to sit down in conversation, 0:05:55.200 --> 0:05:58.279 I'm like, this is like Genians for any black person 0:05:58.320 --> 0:06:00.560 to live off of or thrive off off, because it 0:06:00.600 --> 0:06:02.880 is entertaining just watching and hearing. 0:06:02.560 --> 0:06:05.760 The game exactly. So I'm like, Yo, this will make 0:06:05.800 --> 0:06:08.359 a dope play. And I knew that, you know, I 0:06:08.480 --> 0:06:10.680 was at the time. I was starting to dab in 0:06:10.800 --> 0:06:12.680 writing and stuff like that. So I was like, yo, 0:06:12.760 --> 0:06:15.000 let me start writing this. And as I said, it 0:06:15.120 --> 0:06:17.280 just kind of poured out of me. The characters, because 0:06:17.320 --> 0:06:19.000 all of the characters in the player are based off 0:06:19.040 --> 0:06:19.800 of people that I know. 0:06:20.480 --> 0:06:23.719 So let's talk about the story, So give us the 0:06:24.320 --> 0:06:25.159 It's very simple. 0:06:25.279 --> 0:06:27.680 Yes, it's about a group of friends that get together 0:06:27.720 --> 0:06:31.040 on a Friday night in Harlem to play some spades. 0:06:31.680 --> 0:06:34.800 But on this particular Friday, things go a little left, 0:06:35.640 --> 0:06:38.200 as they typically go in a space game. You got 0:06:38.200 --> 0:06:41.040 the liquor flowing, you got the we going, Things kind 0:06:41.040 --> 0:06:44.400 of go a little left. The main character, we got 0:06:44.440 --> 0:06:47.720 Gil Who's house. They're at Corey and Andre. These are 0:06:48.400 --> 0:06:50.760 the core. This is the core friend group. But then 0:06:50.839 --> 0:06:54.640 Gil invites a new friend to come play who can't play, 0:06:55.480 --> 0:06:58.160 and she kind of stirs the pot a little bit. 0:06:59.000 --> 0:07:01.840 The girl is the girl. 0:07:01.839 --> 0:07:04.000 Okay, So the first time I came to see the 0:07:04.000 --> 0:07:06.039 play in Dumbo House, I thought that she was Gael 0:07:06.080 --> 0:07:07.480 Bean it was Gil. 0:07:08.320 --> 0:07:11.800 Oh, so it was Gail. Gil was okay, all right? 0:07:11.840 --> 0:07:14.280 Because then when I came in Harlem, I'm like, wait, 0:07:14.320 --> 0:07:15.119 that wasn't Gail. 0:07:15.200 --> 0:07:17.560 Am I tripping? But because they look they resemble each other. 0:07:18.280 --> 0:07:21.200 Actually, okay, so thanks for answering that for me, because 0:07:21.200 --> 0:07:23.120 I thought I was tripping. I'm like, yo, I had 0:07:23.240 --> 0:07:26.280 just interviewed Gail for BT Talks, and I'm like, I 0:07:26.320 --> 0:07:26.760 know Gail. 0:07:26.840 --> 0:07:29.400 I've been watching her. And then I come and I'm like. 0:07:29.840 --> 0:07:33.040 You tribab Me interviewed her while she was in rehearsal I. 0:07:33.040 --> 0:07:36.160 Did, which was so crazy. Yeah, which was so crazy 0:07:36.200 --> 0:07:37.640 because I didn't I didn't know. 0:07:38.080 --> 0:07:38.800 I came to the. 0:07:38.720 --> 0:07:41.239 Play because Taylor shout out to Taylor made it, who 0:07:41.400 --> 0:07:43.440 is our one of the producers here on the podcast 0:07:43.480 --> 0:07:44.800 for the latest with Long the Roads, which is how 0:07:44.840 --> 0:07:47.760 we met. She just was like, Yo, my friend has 0:07:47.760 --> 0:07:50.320 this play? Come with me? And then and I told 0:07:50.360 --> 0:07:53.119 her yes because I love plays. And then I didn't 0:07:53.160 --> 0:07:55.480 make it to that. She was like still just go, 0:07:55.600 --> 0:07:57.240 like just pull up and I was like, okay, cool. 0:07:57.520 --> 0:07:59.040 So I came and when I got there and I 0:07:59.040 --> 0:08:01.760 saw Gail, I was like, oh shoot. But then when 0:08:01.800 --> 0:08:03.560 I came to the second time, I'm like, did I 0:08:03.600 --> 0:08:04.360 not seek. 0:08:06.000 --> 0:08:08.600 No. Yeah, Gail is doing a play right now in LA. 0:08:09.120 --> 0:08:11.800 But I had her for that reading, which was which 0:08:11.840 --> 0:08:14.040 was great because she came in last minute. 0:08:15.120 --> 0:08:16.440 She came in last minute out. 0:08:16.440 --> 0:08:17.640 She was reading from the script. 0:08:18.120 --> 0:08:22.200 Yeah, okay, so that was another stage reading. And that's 0:08:22.240 --> 0:08:25.560 another thing too. I'm realizing through this process, like there's 0:08:25.600 --> 0:08:29.000 a lot of like theater things that some people don't 0:08:29.040 --> 0:08:33.520 know about, especially in our communities particularly, And you know, 0:08:33.600 --> 0:08:35.960 that's kind of a part of why I'm doing what 0:08:36.000 --> 0:08:40.320 I'm doing, because I feel like theater is becoming a 0:08:40.360 --> 0:08:44.680 lost art form in our community particularly. I feel like 0:08:44.720 --> 0:08:47.840 everybody wants to be on TV, everybody wants you know, 0:08:47.920 --> 0:08:50.559 the social media stuff. But it's like, yo, let's take 0:08:50.600 --> 0:08:52.360 it back to the stage. Let's take it back to 0:08:52.480 --> 0:08:56.480 the purest form, you know what I mean. Like, for me, 0:08:56.559 --> 0:08:59.720 all my favorite actors coming up a theater act. 0:09:00.080 --> 0:09:03.160 And I think people too don't understand that, like stage 0:09:03.360 --> 0:09:06.679 live anything, theater plays, that's where you get instinct from. 0:09:06.480 --> 0:09:09.120 That's where you get your instant That's where you learn 0:09:09.200 --> 0:09:12.360 how to act on stage. But not only is it 0:09:12.360 --> 0:09:14.960 getting lost in our community, but I think a part 0:09:14.960 --> 0:09:19.520 of that has to do with the material that's being produced. 0:09:19.480 --> 0:09:20.080 You know what I mean. 0:09:20.160 --> 0:09:23.679 I feel like not enough of us are being inspired 0:09:23.720 --> 0:09:25.599 to say, like, hey, I'm gonna write a play. 0:09:26.400 --> 0:09:26.600 You know. 0:09:26.679 --> 0:09:28.439 Everyone's like, yeah, you know, I wrote this movie, I 0:09:28.559 --> 0:09:31.079 wrote the screenplay, but very rarely are you here, No, 0:09:31.160 --> 0:09:33.160 I wrote this play, you know what I'm saying. 0:09:33.640 --> 0:09:35.600 And to me, you know, I'm gonna be real. 0:09:35.679 --> 0:09:37.800 I feel like a lot of plays right now I'm 0:09:37.800 --> 0:09:42.000 going to the theater. Everything fucking sucks. I'm like falling asleep, you. 0:09:41.920 --> 0:09:42.400 Know what i mean. 0:09:42.440 --> 0:09:45.480 I'm sitting here for two hours and what you know 0:09:45.520 --> 0:09:46.880 what I mean? I want to I want to have 0:09:46.920 --> 0:09:49.240 an experience, you know what I mean. That's the whole 0:09:49.240 --> 0:09:53.160 point of theater. That was what made it different going 0:09:53.200 --> 0:09:55.160 to go see a play as supposed to going to 0:09:55.200 --> 0:09:57.480 see a movie, because you knew you were gonna get. 0:09:57.360 --> 0:09:59.640 An experience in experience, remember when people. 0:09:59.400 --> 0:10:02.480 Were excited to see the actor spit on stage, like yo, 0:10:02.559 --> 0:10:04.719 Like I could see the actors spit and like yo, 0:10:04.760 --> 0:10:07.199 they they really in it, you know what I'm saying. 0:10:07.520 --> 0:10:09.079 So for me, I was like, yo, I want to 0:10:09.120 --> 0:10:12.440 I want to bring that essence back. So that's a 0:10:12.480 --> 0:10:14.160 part of what I'm doing with the play. I mean, 0:10:14.480 --> 0:10:17.160 you were there, like the audience is right there, you 0:10:17.160 --> 0:10:17.640 know what I mean? 0:10:17.880 --> 0:10:20.079 Because our actors played to the audience too, like when 0:10:20.120 --> 0:10:22.960 they're toast when they chairs which, to be honest with you, 0:10:23.080 --> 0:10:25.680 if you are at a family get together and space 0:10:25.800 --> 0:10:28.280 is going down and they get a little crazy, everybody 0:10:28.360 --> 0:10:30.440 joining in, everybody they talking about the renigga and they 0:10:30.520 --> 0:10:32.240 talking about that. You know what I'm saying, so it 0:10:32.520 --> 0:10:36.280 felt like that like family get together environment, which was. 0:10:36.280 --> 0:10:44.720 Great question for you. 0:10:44.840 --> 0:10:47.600 So you say every character in the play reminds you 0:10:47.720 --> 0:10:50.440 of someone or based off of someone that you know. 0:10:50.559 --> 0:10:50.679 Right. 0:10:51.120 --> 0:10:55.120 I thought it was interesting because Spain is very synonymous almost. 0:10:55.160 --> 0:10:56.319 I mean, I don't know if white people the white 0:10:56.320 --> 0:10:57.679 people play Spades. Sophie. 0:10:58.080 --> 0:10:59.679 I've met one white person. 0:11:00.320 --> 0:11:09.320 Okay, you know what space is, Okay, I've never I 0:11:09.400 --> 0:11:11.440 just thought about this right now and forming this question. 0:11:11.520 --> 0:11:13.880 I've never even heard the white person even talk about space. 0:11:15.960 --> 0:11:20.319 Never heard of space in your life? Okay. 0:11:20.360 --> 0:11:30.319 She just left at Landa Okay, Okay, yes, so it's 0:11:30.320 --> 0:11:32.920 oh girl, dang, we gotta bring Sophie to the play. 0:11:33.440 --> 0:11:35.240 It would freak her out. Okay. 0:11:35.360 --> 0:11:39.160 So okay, So Spades is it's it's a black thing. 0:11:39.679 --> 0:11:42.200 The lead character Guild that you talked about is a 0:11:42.240 --> 0:11:45.240 gay man in the play. I thought that that was 0:11:46.160 --> 0:11:48.680 as a creator and a person that writes. I was like, 0:11:48.800 --> 0:11:50.040 I don't know, because I didn't make it to the 0:11:50.120 --> 0:11:51.280 end of the play. I was like, I don't know 0:11:51.280 --> 0:11:53.520 if he did this on purpose, but that instantly drew 0:11:53.559 --> 0:11:57.439 me in because I was wondering what role or what 0:11:57.480 --> 0:11:59.760 conversations do you want people to leave the play having 0:11:59.800 --> 0:12:04.000 becau because our community sometimes shies away from anybody in 0:12:04.240 --> 0:12:08.040 any type of community that sexuality wise, they don't accept. 0:12:08.360 --> 0:12:10.560 So a gay male as the lead of the play, 0:12:10.880 --> 0:12:14.000 he's very openly gay the first not to get the 0:12:14.000 --> 0:12:16.760 story away, but he's dibbling and dabbling into you know, 0:12:16.840 --> 0:12:20.440 the DL conversation right off writ off the rint and 0:12:20.480 --> 0:12:27.040 I'm okay, I didn't get to that part. 0:12:27.240 --> 0:12:29.160 Oh yea yea yea yeah, yeah, yeah, yah yaha. 0:12:28.920 --> 0:12:31.120 Oh okay. So but see even with that, I did 0:12:31.200 --> 0:12:31.720 see that part. 0:12:32.160 --> 0:12:34.480 I didn't think that because so in the play basically, 0:12:34.559 --> 0:12:37.240 for those who didn't hear the off came off camera 0:12:37.320 --> 0:12:39.600 voice in the play, there's a point where he's talking 0:12:39.640 --> 0:12:40.959 about his homegirl's mom. 0:12:41.640 --> 0:12:43.760 But my gay guy friends will compliment you. 0:12:43.880 --> 0:12:44.360 Up and down. 0:12:44.440 --> 0:12:46.719 They don't want you though, but they the gay men 0:12:46.880 --> 0:12:51.199 are you know they're not. There's so much personality and 0:12:51.320 --> 0:12:54.240 characteristic there that those compliments. In the way he was 0:12:54.240 --> 0:12:56.280 talking about her mother, I just thought it was her 0:12:56.360 --> 0:12:58.360 homeboy just complimenting her mom because she's fine. 0:12:58.440 --> 0:13:01.199 I mean, the nuance of that character is that like, 0:13:01.440 --> 0:13:04.120 yes he is gay, but like he doesn't consider himself 0:13:04.200 --> 0:13:07.000 that to him, he just likes what he likes, you 0:13:07.040 --> 0:13:07.520 know what I mean. 0:13:07.840 --> 0:13:09.480 It just happens to be men all the time. 0:13:09.640 --> 0:13:11.679 Yeah, but he just likes what he likes. So for him, 0:13:11.720 --> 0:13:14.120 it's like I could pull whoever the fuck I want 0:13:14.160 --> 0:13:14.960 to pull, right, you know. 0:13:15.000 --> 0:13:15.480 What I'm saying. 0:13:15.880 --> 0:13:19.560 So that's what also gives his character that that nuance 0:13:19.760 --> 0:13:22.880 and you know, that kind of special energy, and it 0:13:23.040 --> 0:13:25.920 makes his character more specific and not so general, you 0:13:26.120 --> 0:13:26.559 know what I mean. 0:13:27.120 --> 0:13:31.520 Because Yeah, and he's a very strong likes person like you. 0:13:33.720 --> 0:13:36.480 He resonates very well, like you feel like you know him, 0:13:36.559 --> 0:13:39.559 you have a friend like him as a straight man. 0:13:39.840 --> 0:13:43.120 Writing for his part though, because that was another thing too, 0:13:43.200 --> 0:13:46.520 I'm sitting there and I'm like, you know this, I'm like, 0:13:46.880 --> 0:13:49.920 hold on, wait, I didn't know your sexual preference at 0:13:49.920 --> 0:13:52.480 the time, and talking to you right now, I still 0:13:52.520 --> 0:13:56.160 don't know fully all of your sexual per Okay. 0:13:56.400 --> 0:13:57.280 Thanks for clearing that up. 0:13:57.679 --> 0:13:59.959 But yeah, now I'm sitting here and I'm thinking, I'm like, 0:14:00.559 --> 0:14:03.760 as a writer, nailing that character the way that you 0:14:03.840 --> 0:14:05.679 did as far as like what you wrote for him 0:14:06.320 --> 0:14:09.080 was so on point as well too, and that. 0:14:09.240 --> 0:14:11.679 Character is based off of one of my best friends 0:14:11.800 --> 0:14:15.160 to this day. So you know, this is somebody I 0:14:15.480 --> 0:14:18.439 hung out with. So the characters in the player about 0:14:18.440 --> 0:14:21.440 twenty three years old, rush out of college, you know, 0:14:21.760 --> 0:14:24.560 trying to figure it out. So during that time in 0:14:24.680 --> 0:14:26.920 my life, you know, him and I will hang out 0:14:27.240 --> 0:14:30.760 pretty much every day Aaron Harlem. The play where the 0:14:30.880 --> 0:14:33.600 play takes place is five blocks from the theater gotch, 0:14:33.920 --> 0:14:35.440 so we would. 0:14:35.720 --> 0:14:39.080 Hang out all the time and just you know, all 0:14:39.200 --> 0:14:40.440 kinds of shit that went down. 0:14:40.560 --> 0:14:43.440 And he's just an interesting person. He actually lives in 0:14:43.600 --> 0:14:47.960 London now, so but yeah, he's just this interesting person 0:14:48.040 --> 0:14:50.160 to me, like Gay or I. He was just interesting 0:14:50.560 --> 0:14:54.120 and I just and his philosophies were interesting. So, you know, 0:14:54.520 --> 0:14:56.760 to write, I was able to write that character because 0:14:56.760 --> 0:14:58.880 I've just spent so much time with him, and I 0:14:59.000 --> 0:14:59.400 was able to. 0:14:59.640 --> 0:15:02.040 Find why was it important for you to make him 0:15:02.200 --> 0:15:06.160 the main Like he is the glue to the whole spade. 0:15:06.280 --> 0:15:08.400 I consider that like the ring master, like when you 0:15:08.480 --> 0:15:10.920 got a circus. Yeah, I consider him the ring master. 0:15:11.240 --> 0:15:13.240 Because I just think I think I think he's just 0:15:13.480 --> 0:15:15.760 I think he's interesting, you know what I'm saying. I 0:15:15.880 --> 0:15:20.880 think he and I feel like you know, he may 0:15:21.000 --> 0:15:23.960 make some people uncomfortable, which I like, but that's what 0:15:24.080 --> 0:15:25.280 we want when we go to the theater. 0:15:25.440 --> 0:15:26.600 We want to feel something. 0:15:26.680 --> 0:15:29.200 But that's why I thought it was genius. That's literally 0:15:29.280 --> 0:15:29.840 why I'm like. 0:15:31.800 --> 0:15:34.480 When people see the first the first thing that happens 0:15:34.520 --> 0:15:36.080 in the play throws people. 0:15:35.880 --> 0:15:40.320 Off, like, yes, he is very much okay, living his 0:15:40.520 --> 0:15:41.160 best life. 0:15:41.240 --> 0:15:43.440 You know what I'm saying, He is and and but 0:15:43.800 --> 0:15:45.840 and but That's what I'm saying by because the first 0:15:45.880 --> 0:15:48.640 I swear, the first thing I thought of is like, ooh, 0:15:48.760 --> 0:15:50.360 the auntie is gonna have a field day with this 0:15:50.440 --> 0:15:52.320 one when they come, because they love to play spades. 0:15:52.520 --> 0:15:56.080 But certain conversations you just not having with your aunties 0:15:56.080 --> 0:15:59.360 and uncles if you are black male. Honestly, not even 0:15:59.400 --> 0:16:02.720 just a male. I have female cousins who are also 0:16:02.960 --> 0:16:05.280 gay that have had a hard time to explain any 0:16:05.280 --> 0:16:06.480 things to our family exactly. 0:16:06.480 --> 0:16:07.080 You know what I'm saying. 0:16:07.320 --> 0:16:10.440 And I think the beautiful thing about his character is 0:16:10.520 --> 0:16:13.960 that I honestly feel like it for people to come 0:16:14.040 --> 0:16:16.800 see it who aren't used to like maybe hanging out 0:16:16.840 --> 0:16:19.200 with people in that crowd or whatever, I think it 0:16:19.600 --> 0:16:22.640 kind of gives them a different perspective that could be 0:16:22.880 --> 0:16:23.720 or what that could look like. 0:16:23.920 --> 0:16:27.120 Because his character's hilarious. He's fucking hilarious, you know. 0:16:27.120 --> 0:16:27.480 What I mean. 0:16:28.000 --> 0:16:31.000 So to have that and then to have the character Corey, 0:16:31.200 --> 0:16:33.360 who you know, is a best friend of his. They 0:16:33.400 --> 0:16:36.320 grew up in DC together, so they have that rapport, 0:16:36.640 --> 0:16:38.280 and you got Andre, Andre is. 0:16:38.640 --> 0:16:42.640 You know, is God blessing. Andre is one of the 0:16:42.760 --> 0:16:43.800 characters in the play, y'all. 0:16:43.840 --> 0:16:46.280 I was sitting there and I'm like, I'm so glad 0:16:46.400 --> 0:16:49.400 that I met people like Andre when I was sixteen 0:16:49.600 --> 0:16:51.960 and not at thirty three, because he is just out here, 0:16:52.120 --> 0:16:53.720 just doing whatever comes his way. 0:16:54.080 --> 0:16:55.600 So Andre is based off of me. 0:16:56.000 --> 0:16:58.960 Oh god, lord, you got yourself together there. 0:16:59.360 --> 0:17:01.480 Yeah, this is my younger days. Okay, this is me 0:17:01.640 --> 0:17:04.159 or my younger days. But yeah, the character is based 0:17:04.200 --> 0:17:08.119 off of me, you know, yeah, the characters based off 0:17:08.160 --> 0:17:10.080 of me. The character Corey is based off of an 0:17:10.520 --> 0:17:13.960 X of mine, a couple of exes of mine, kind. 0:17:13.840 --> 0:17:14.280 Of in one. 0:17:15.200 --> 0:17:17.800 The character net for Titty, who's the friend that comes 0:17:17.840 --> 0:17:20.600 in and stirs the possion, is based off of somebody who. 0:17:20.520 --> 0:17:21.200 I used to date. 0:17:21.800 --> 0:17:22.520 Is the situation. 0:17:23.160 --> 0:17:24.639 I can't I don't even know how to ask this? 0:17:25.359 --> 0:17:29.000 How are the situations based off of real situations too? 0:17:29.400 --> 0:17:34.720 Yes? I really in the play? Yeah, virginity thing, we 0:17:34.840 --> 0:17:36.520 can take that out. You take that out. I don't 0:17:36.520 --> 0:17:37.360 want to give away. 0:17:37.119 --> 0:17:39.040 To I can't get we can't. Y'all gotta go see 0:17:39.080 --> 0:17:39.400 the play. 0:17:39.480 --> 0:17:41.800 So, knowing that this is all based off of like 0:17:42.000 --> 0:17:44.480 real life things, I mean, it felt real, but it 0:17:45.240 --> 0:17:48.480 adds to it. Have any of these people seen the play, 0:17:48.600 --> 0:17:50.280 like the people that you've based it off of. Have 0:17:50.400 --> 0:17:54.359 they seen the play? And reactions? Especially the ex girlfriends? 0:17:55.119 --> 0:17:57.680