Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome to the Spirited Actor Podcast with me
Speaker 1: Tracy Moore. I was a casting director for film and
Speaker 1: TV and commercials for over thirty years. I transitioned to
Speaker 1: a celebrity acting coach after I cast a film New
Speaker 1: Jersey Drive with executive producer Spike Lee and director Nick Domez.
Speaker 1: I auditioned every rapper from biggiees Balls to Tupac, and
Speaker 1: I realized that rappers and musical artists they needed help
Speaker 1: transitioning to acting. My clients consist of musical artists from
Speaker 1: Buster Rhymes to Eve, Missy Elliott, Angela Yee from The
Speaker 1: Breakfast Club, and Vanessa Simmons, to name a few. I
Speaker 1: also coach sports stars and host as well. I feel
Speaker 1: I have the best of both worlds. As a casting director,
Speaker 1: I know exactly what they're looking for, and as an
Speaker 1: acting coach, I can coach you to be remembered in
Speaker 1: that room. Now I know, I know actors want to
Speaker 1: get the job. I get that, but being remembered by
Speaker 1: casting director that is powerful. And now it's time for
Speaker 1: meditation of the day. It is not worth the while
Speaker 1: to let our imperfections disturb us. Always Henry Threau. Once
Speaker 1: you truly embrace the truth that we are a work
Speaker 1: in progress. Things will ease off, You'll relax a little more,
Speaker 1: and it'll take the pressure off of you. We are
Speaker 1: not perfect, and our imperfections really inspire us to be
Speaker 1: better people. We can always make a choice to be better,
Speaker 1: love more, judge less, and know that it's all going
Speaker 1: to work out for the.
Speaker 2: Best in the end.
Speaker 1: Today I will celebrate everything in my life. Before we
Speaker 1: get started, I'd like to remind everyone to look out
Speaker 1: for my new show, Inside the Black Box. I'll be
Speaker 1: co hosting with the great Joe Morton. We'll be on
Speaker 1: Crackle Network real soon. I'll keep you posted. Welcome to
Speaker 1: the Spirited Actor Podcast with me Tracy Moore. I am
Speaker 1: so thrilled to have our guest on today because I
Speaker 1: love when I get a chance to really have a
Speaker 1: conversation with a solid actor, and this guest is so
Speaker 1: solid for me, and I feel like the timing is
Speaker 1: impeccable because now the sun is coming out, we can photosynthesize,
Speaker 1: we can be smiling now and we're comors.
Speaker 2: Oh, this is perfect to bring him off.
Speaker 1: Ladies and gentlemen, please please put your hands together for
Speaker 1: actor extraordinaire, mister Rayon Lauren.
Speaker 3: Thank you so much, Tracy, thank you so much. Thank you.
Speaker 2: You're welcome. I'm excited for you to be here as well.
Speaker 1: When I was, excuse me, looking at the IMDb dot com,
Speaker 1: which I tell all actors they know where to go,
Speaker 1: so barbershop too, I coached Eve and when I read
Speaker 1: your credit, I was like he had to beat by.
Speaker 1: How were you but Barbershop one, I was on the
Speaker 1: whole set in winter Chicago.
Speaker 2: Barbershop two.
Speaker 1: I only needed to be there two weeks, so I
Speaker 1: don't you know, that's when I was there. But that
Speaker 1: was a common denominator between us.
Speaker 3: Oh, barbershop, barber shops. Fun, great cast, yes.
Speaker 2: Bigger though that the one you did was a huge cast.
Speaker 3: And I was able to actually be there with everybody.
Speaker 3: You know that that was the fun part. Everybody, you know,
Speaker 3: Quh Michael, like Nicki.
Speaker 4: Minaj, everybody when I was there, So that was cool
Speaker 4: to be amongst them, and nobody was Hollywood.
Speaker 3: Everybody was cool. You know, we feel like we're all
Speaker 3: you know, we're all.
Speaker 4: At that level, you know, And it was Yeah, we
Speaker 4: had so much fun, me especially me, JB and and
Speaker 4: Cedric would be making jokes.
Speaker 2: Cedric you yeah, let me tell you, Cedric, Cedric is crazy.
Speaker 5: We all know that.
Speaker 2: But Barbershop won during the takes, Like there was a
Speaker 2: scene where it was all of us.
Speaker 1: It was Eve, ice ice Q, Cedric, Michael Ely, Sean
Speaker 1: Patrick and we were all like.
Speaker 2: Just talking in the barbershop. And so when it was
Speaker 2: when ice Cube would speak, Cedric would lead.
Speaker 6: Because I had ears on the set, he would lead
Speaker 6: it to even be like you know better abuse.
Speaker 7: It was a crazy like yo e.
Speaker 1: Her biting a hole in her bottom lip like and
Speaker 1: then Tim would say cut and he would be like, Tedrick,
Speaker 1: I'm not playing with you.
Speaker 2: Taker. He was like, oh Whatgital, but I want to.
Speaker 1: We had the board, We have the the a D
Speaker 1: board right on the set and so he would walk
Speaker 1: over here. One day he tried to give us a
Speaker 1: lesson in architect like it was he just did the
Speaker 1: most random supit stuff, but he messed with it.
Speaker 2: It was so much fun.
Speaker 3: He's great energy on set energy yeah he does, he does.
Speaker 2: And we had night shoots.
Speaker 1: So I decided that I wanted to title this the
Speaker 1: Journey of an Actor because of like the credits that
Speaker 1: I've read. Specifically, I love seeing actors resume when they've
Speaker 1: done a lot of New York shows, and so that
Speaker 1: just tells me as a casting director that that the
Speaker 1: New York casting world is very familiar with you, and
Speaker 1: you know, because we talk among ourselves, we.
Speaker 2: Share people and all that others. So I just want
Speaker 2: to start at the beginning.
Speaker 1: Let's talk about your journey, like why did you choose
Speaker 1: acting or did acting choose you?
Speaker 3: Ah, that's that's that's a good. That's a good. Uh,
Speaker 3: that's good. I would say acting chose me.
Speaker 4: But I'm gonna tell you how growing up I would
Speaker 4: I would get, you know, different people that would say, hey,
Speaker 4: you know you have that look. You hit that you
Speaker 4: know people, you got that look. So one time I
Speaker 4: was I was bored. I wasn't working at the time.
Speaker 3: I was just going to school, and I was like,
Speaker 3: you know what, I'm hearing people say, you got this look?
Speaker 3: Let me let me go and take some headshots somewhere.
Speaker 4: So in New York Kings Pause, I went to King Swash, Yeah,
Speaker 4: at that little portrait place that they do pictures, and
Speaker 4: I looking at the news and say, you know, I've
Speaker 4: been in the game for a minute looking at that,
Speaker 4: and there was a casting that was looking for actors
Speaker 4: and models, and I was like, Okay, let me these
Speaker 4: pictures that I got from King Saws.
Speaker 3: Let me send it to him. I send it to him.
Speaker 3: They bring me in and say, hey, you know, you know,
Speaker 3: we love you, love your shots.
Speaker 4: We want to work with you. My very first audition
Speaker 4: was for ESPN commercial call Take the Field, and I
Speaker 4: booked it very first audition. So now I'm doing you know,
Speaker 4: now auditioning for auditioning and I'm doing model at the
Speaker 4: same time, both together, and I just.
Speaker 3: Acting was more rewarding.
Speaker 4: You know, you're sitting now, you learn the craft uh modeling,
Speaker 4: You're there for hours in your you get you know, honestly,
Speaker 4: you're bored.
Speaker 3: You did probably four hours doing.
Speaker 4: Nothing at least when you want set acting, you're there
Speaker 4: for four us. But you're studying your lines, you know.
Speaker 4: So I think that was more of a thing for me.
Speaker 4: Is just you know, an intellect. It's just really learning
Speaker 4: and really understanding what these characters about. I think that's
Speaker 4: what was the intriguing part of it. This one time
Speaker 4: earlier in my career, I was actually working with I
Speaker 4: forget the name, right now of just talking about it today.
Speaker 3: Uh, who's the Top Modeling again? What's his name?
Speaker 1: Black Top Model's month yestor's.
Speaker 3: Mother early in my career and.
Speaker 4: Yeah, yeah, she was like, Ray, I'm going to send
Speaker 4: you on these three auditions if you don't cut your
Speaker 4: beer because at the time I had a goatee and
Speaker 4: you know.
Speaker 3: Not do commercial modeling. They want yeah clean, And I
Speaker 3: was like, I don't want to cut it. I like
Speaker 3: how I looked at them.
Speaker 4: Anyway, she sent me the three audition I still ain't
Speaker 4: cut my beer. Yeah, at that time, you're not even
Speaker 4: as an actor, as a model, and you're just doing
Speaker 4: what you want to do. We work after that, but
Speaker 4: you know, it was going to show me the growth
Speaker 4: that I've done all these years about listening.
Speaker 3: You know, the people have been for a while, So
Speaker 3: that was how I got into acting.
Speaker 1: So you said something, And I want to point this
Speaker 1: out because I have been to coach Tyson. I've known
Speaker 1: Hillary for years, Beth Anne Hartisan and also Cynthia Bailey.
Speaker 1: And one of the things that I really appreciate love
Speaker 1: about models is that you guys don't have any words,
Speaker 1: but you have the ability to sell something.
Speaker 3: Yes, yes, So how can.
Speaker 1: We now translate because there's something about your physicality that
Speaker 1: I see in a poster.
Speaker 2: And like, I got to get this one. You know
Speaker 2: what I'm saying so and you're not saying so. For me,
Speaker 2: it's almost as if models really have their hands tied
Speaker 2: behind their backs right with the words.
Speaker 1: Because musical artists and like athletes and hosts that I
Speaker 1: helped transition, there's something that connects and they and they
Speaker 1: speak vocally. So I say, it's very powerful, you know,
Speaker 1: platform and foundation for you to be standing on because
Speaker 1: you were forced through your physical you know, animations and
Speaker 1: gestures to convey a message, which it sounds like you
Speaker 1: successfully did because ESPN is not.
Speaker 4: And then growing up watching ESPN, you know, to be
Speaker 4: able to do your your very first audition BOOKT is amazing.
Speaker 4: And going back to what you were saying about, you know,
Speaker 4: you know, portraying something without the words, but now with
Speaker 4: the acting, we both know now when we do have
Speaker 4: times where it's no lines, what are you doing inside
Speaker 4: to be able to give what this actor is feeling?
Speaker 4: I learn how if I'm doing modeling, what's your intent?
Speaker 2: What do you?
Speaker 4: Like? You said like you're trying to sell your selling
Speaker 4: this clothes. You know how you trying to without saying
Speaker 4: the words.
Speaker 3: So I think I help that.
Speaker 4: So now if I go, I've done modeling here and there,
Speaker 4: spread it out throughout my career, but you can go
Speaker 4: back to it now and bring what you learn into
Speaker 4: acting right to the modeling park.
Speaker 1: Oh my god, because like now I see you know
Speaker 1: especially like I agree, you do have a great look.
Speaker 2: It's very unique. It's for me. It's your odds. Your
Speaker 2: eyes really say a lot.
Speaker 1: And help me determine what type of characters that you know,
Speaker 1: I would be thinking.
Speaker 2: So when I look at your resume from you know,
Speaker 2: Blue Bloods to.
Speaker 4: You know.
Speaker 2: Lee Daniels Pien, Yes, unlike.
Speaker 1: The versatility there you know what I mean. So but
Speaker 1: this is what I love because Rayon, for real, like
Speaker 1: I've been doing this for a very very long time,
Speaker 1: I mean decades, and.
Speaker 3: I know you you're doing it.
Speaker 1: I know you know, and I appreciate you. Love that
Speaker 1: for y'all because I love actors. There is something about
Speaker 1: you and I want, like I get a chance to
Speaker 1: see you. This is an audio except for your dry
Speaker 1: and my kid love and stuff, but I get to
Speaker 1: really see and resonate with your energy. And I also
Speaker 1: feel like if I didn't see you, I would still
Speaker 1: resonate with your energy. You come from a place where
Speaker 1: you just don't appear to be jaded like most actors are.
Speaker 2: And it's not a bad thing.
Speaker 1: It's just that actors can There are people too, but
Speaker 1: they can quote unquote stress about some crazy stuff, right.
Speaker 2: And I come from live auditions.
Speaker 1: I come from when actors really had to sit by
Speaker 1: the phone and wait for somebody to call, or get
Speaker 1: an answer machine or get an answering service for ten
Speaker 1: dollars a month.
Speaker 2: That would answer for you. So you're not any of
Speaker 2: that or ooh, gotta make it.
Speaker 1: What grounds you because you booked your first job off
Speaker 1: of like and anybody that knows, like if you've ever
Speaker 1: seen Sears photos or pennies, you know the Christmas that's
Speaker 1: the photos he took you guys, ESPN.
Speaker 3: Gig, Yes for real And I didn't know, right, You're
Speaker 3: just like I know.
Speaker 2: Ignorance is bliss though, because it wasn't for to you.
Speaker 2: They were the best pictures you took.
Speaker 4: Exactly exactly and you and you stepping in the Tracey up.
Speaker 4: I'll come to accomplice all I want to go in.
Speaker 4: I'm about to be the best ever.
Speaker 3: You know, you just you just excited, but you see
Speaker 3: the growth throughout all. You see a hearted but you
Speaker 3: love it.
Speaker 4: Yes, yes, because it keeps using, you know, to get
Speaker 4: those yes. That's what yes are so important. When you
Speaker 4: get those yeses, do all the nose that you get.
Speaker 1: This is why I've always learned to trust my instinct.
Speaker 1: But more importantly, there's always a voice that speed before
Speaker 1: my thoughts. And I kept saying yesterday, Rayon is the
Speaker 1: journey of an actor, like but the journey of an
Speaker 1: actor that I would want to see not you know,
Speaker 1: oh there's no role out there for me? And why
Speaker 1: because it's easy for actors to go internal and beat
Speaker 1: up in here.
Speaker 2: But your light is like listen, I know.
Speaker 1: They said it's a white Polish dude, there's five seven,
Speaker 1: but maybe there's.
Speaker 2: Some wee can work out.
Speaker 3: Like you know, you're just you don't and you have
Speaker 3: to have that.
Speaker 1: It's really important actors that you are really listening to
Speaker 1: this because I think sometimes some time is wasted on
Speaker 1: continuing to internalize and beat yourself up, and you.
Speaker 2: Are creating that.
Speaker 3: So what is that.
Speaker 2: Routine or mantra, what is it that keeps you your
Speaker 2: light shining? What it is your life?
Speaker 4: I think that the first and foremost part is having faith, right,
Speaker 4: and you're believing God, and I think you know, learning
Speaker 4: and and and and just just being a man of
Speaker 4: God and just knowing, you know, I have the faith
Speaker 4: and the perseverance to get through this, and I know
Speaker 4: that I'm going to get to the top, you know,
Speaker 4: and that's what keeps me going right.
Speaker 3: And having your friends around you who are not.
Speaker 4: Yes men, you know, they'll tell you this wasn't a
Speaker 4: good auditional this, this wasn't the right choice. I think
Speaker 4: all of those helped my family, you know, my parents
Speaker 4: giving me the vote of confidence. I think all of that,
Speaker 4: all of that really really helped me, you know, coming
Speaker 4: up and like I was saying, you know, being naive
Speaker 4: when I came into game. You know, my very first
Speaker 4: year was offered a lead in this movie, right, feature film,
Speaker 4: and I turned it down because it wasn't paying.
Speaker 3: Naive, stop paying, I'm I'm not doing well.
Speaker 4: Man is if you're not paying, you can do this
Speaker 4: movie right in the past And eventually there was another
Speaker 4: role on this same movie, which was the iary of
Speaker 4: it where it was like, hey, you know because I
Speaker 4: danced to him.
Speaker 3: I'm Jamaican, so I know dance whole dancing. It was like, hey,
Speaker 3: like you know, I just come down and like dancing
Speaker 3: party said.
Speaker 4: I was like, it's nothing, you know, even though before
Speaker 4: like you turned down it not getting paid for the
Speaker 4: duration that you was gonna do it. But I was like,
Speaker 4: I left to dance. I'll come out, just have fun,
Speaker 4: simple and I think. So I go there and then
Speaker 4: they're like they see my.
Speaker 3: Energy and they're like, hey, you know, we want you
Speaker 3: to come.
Speaker 4: You know, we want to again give you a role
Speaker 4: and you know what I mean, and keep progressiing with
Speaker 4: just seeing me come on and just having my energy.
Speaker 3: Same thing. Stop paying. I'm not wasting my time doing
Speaker 3: something that's not paid.
Speaker 4: Now, you go a couple of years or maybe a
Speaker 4: couple of months later after that, and you realize that
Speaker 4: a lot of these projects that you take that you
Speaker 4: don't get paid, you're still learning in your craft, You're
Speaker 4: still building that that resume, You're still able to get
Speaker 4: your real Because I've made multiple reels where I've had
Speaker 4: the independent film reels until I started getting the network
Speaker 4: TV reels and the reels are mixed of you know,
Speaker 4: network tving and streaming services. So you know, I say
Speaker 4: that's to say I really had to learn this and
Speaker 4: learn kind of the hallway, you know, turning this. Who
Speaker 4: wants to turn on a lead role? You know it's
Speaker 4: not paying. You gotta you know, you gotta learn and
Speaker 4: figure it out. You got like a part time job,
Speaker 4: you know, do your part time job in between so
Speaker 4: you can you know, obviously pay bills. That was one
Speaker 4: of the things that I had to learn. Eight months
Speaker 4: into my career. I got a Nike commercial, Nike National,
Speaker 4: Nike com the the National Night commercial. Got eight months
Speaker 4: in and now I'm sack eligible. It was a friend
Speaker 4: of mine, the actually first movie with lines that I
Speaker 4: that I accepted. He told me, and I always remember this,
Speaker 4: He was like, ray On, don't join the union until you're.
Speaker 3: A must joint.
Speaker 4: And the reason why he said that was he was like,
Speaker 4: you now that you're eligible eight months into your career,
Speaker 4: you joining union, now you'll be doing nothing with extra work.
Speaker 4: And I had the vision that I want to be
Speaker 4: bigger than just doing extra work. That's the best advice.
Speaker 3: So it took.
Speaker 4: Yeah, time, I was everybody was wondering, Hey, how are
Speaker 4: you able to do network TV? I'm doing the blue Bloods,
Speaker 4: I'm doing the other projects, and they're like, how you
Speaker 4: doing this stuff and you're non union?
Speaker 3: I said, I ain't say much join. I was like
Speaker 3: I was doing.
Speaker 4: And I was able to you know, independent film and
Speaker 4: still able to do network TV. Tyler perry House still
Speaker 4: able to do all this stuff without having to be union.
Speaker 4: But that was the best advice to the gave me
Speaker 4: because I was still able to work my way through
Speaker 4: the independent films.
Speaker 3: Right to where I was now being.
Speaker 4: The principal role, to the supporting role, to the lead
Speaker 4: roles on his independent film. So I really like came
Speaker 4: from the bottom to the top. Even though my very
Speaker 4: first edition that I booked, even know offer that I had,
Speaker 4: or the leader of feature film, I still literally came
Speaker 4: from the bottom to the you know, now I'm not
Speaker 4: the top yet, but work.
Speaker 1: But I understand it's a process. But when you say
Speaker 1: eight months in like that's you know, we have to
Speaker 1: acknowledge that because that's very rare.
Speaker 2: It's very rare.
Speaker 4: You know.
Speaker 2: My my understanding and observation in.
Speaker 1: This business is that there are a lot of people
Speaker 1: who want to be an actor, but very few people
Speaker 1: who are actually talented and who will pursue the journey
Speaker 1: and have the stamina to stay on. But you said
Speaker 1: something really important, which is you have to love it.
Speaker 1: If you do not love this, then you know it's
Speaker 1: like when you're outside in the winter and your fakee call,
Speaker 1: that's it.
Speaker 2: Once your fe get call, that is it.
Speaker 3: You got to be really built for And now we'll
Speaker 3: get We'll get it. I'll tell you, like very important me.
Speaker 3: I got a story. We're gonna go.
Speaker 4: Okay, it's gonna it's not early my Chris pretty much,
Speaker 4: maybe maybe five six years ago, but one of the
Speaker 4: most defining moments of my career, and price of the
Speaker 4: defining moment is I booked All Eyes on Me right
Speaker 4: and I played trash.
Speaker 3: Everybody knows, yes, crazy, you know what.
Speaker 1: I have to say this because these are what I
Speaker 1: call God Ray crumbs. But I just reached out to
Speaker 1: Vinnie this morning, a really good friend of mine. Vinnie
Speaker 1: was the first person that I coached, and then Vinnie
Speaker 1: introduced me to s w V.
Speaker 2: And then I got to Violater tweet Twinkie, I mean
Speaker 2: Twinkie tweet Mitter Elliott, and then Buster.
Speaker 3: Wow, but for you to say that that's a beautiful Yeah.
Speaker 3: We follow each other. Now. I well, since I had
Speaker 3: booked the job, so I ended up All Eyes a nice,
Speaker 3: nice supporting role, now, you know. And I'm like, this
Speaker 3: is about to be on I'm in Ebony magazine.
Speaker 4: I'm in h At that time, I was I was
Speaker 4: doing I think I was doing Underground at the same
Speaker 4: time too.
Speaker 3: I'm not right before that, I did Underground.
Speaker 2: Listen, I've seen All Eyes on me.
Speaker 5: A lot of my friends are.
Speaker 2: In that story.
Speaker 3: Yeah.
Speaker 4: So so now I'm just coming off of Underground.
Speaker 3: Yeah, not coming off Underground.
Speaker 4: So now All Eyes and we got this nice supporting
Speaker 4: role playing a trench and I'm throughout the movie. And
Speaker 4: then what happens now, I I you know, I got
Speaker 4: my stylist with me, I got my sister with me.
Speaker 4: We get out, get out the cat like, and I'm
Speaker 4: gonna present it the right way, get out the cat like.
Speaker 4: And I see my agent at the time, She's like,
Speaker 4: bring on your star. I'm in my nice suit. I
Speaker 4: get on the red carpet. I'm owning the red car.
Speaker 3: I'm in the shade room at that time. Of matter
Speaker 3: of fact, Tracy I'm in during our whole period.
Speaker 4: I'm in GQ magazine for the best top ten Best
Speaker 4: Dressed Mail with Michael B.
Speaker 3: Jordan. Now I'm now looking like I'm going to be
Speaker 3: you know up there. Yeah. My dad is like, rayon,
Speaker 3: you know you're about to blow up. And I tell
Speaker 3: my dad, you know what, I don't think this is
Speaker 3: the moment. I just had a feeling. This wasn't a
Speaker 3: moment after everything that everybody was saying. I don't think
Speaker 3: this is the moment. I just had that feeling. Anyway,
Speaker 3: we get into We get into the theater and Russell
Speaker 3: Simmons asked to sit next to me right lee. Russell said, hey,
Speaker 3: you know because that see it open the aird for
Speaker 3: you of course.
Speaker 4: And I'm now my agency, like I said, my styles,
Speaker 4: my sister friends, and you know we you know, everybody
Speaker 4: in the cash you know, get up. We get up
Speaker 4: boom before the movie starts and we look at the
Speaker 4: movie and I'm in just two scenes with no lines.
Speaker 4: So I go from supporting with lines to nothing. You
Speaker 4: see me twice and I look like an extra Ooh
Speaker 4: so disappointed, so disappointed, But I wasn't angry.
Speaker 3: I've been in the business for so.
Speaker 4: Long, so I you know, and so the next day
Speaker 4: I wake up and I do a five minute video
Speaker 4: and I say, I'm glad God did this to me
Speaker 4: because I'm built for this, you know. And I'm like,
Speaker 4: you know, I know I'm gonna make the bounce back
Speaker 4: right now. Fast forward to five years later, be in Math.
Speaker 4: Was that boom that bounced back right So I didn't
Speaker 4: let it determin I was disappointed that it happened, yeah,
Speaker 4: but bounce back from it. And I wanted to make
Speaker 4: sure people knew. My story specifically with that is that
Speaker 4: that could really derail your career. You go from your
Speaker 4: ear everything hot the way you don't you don't see
Speaker 4: yourself at all, like so you know, and you know
Speaker 4: how many days you worked on that set exactly. People
Speaker 4: was like, well, you at least you got paid. No,
Speaker 4: I would I would have did that movie and not
Speaker 4: get paid. I would have been happy, you know, but
Speaker 4: to obviously keep my scenes and stuff like that.
Speaker 3: But yeah, that happened, and you know, I stayed, I
Speaker 3: had my chin up, and you know, now that's great story.
Speaker 1: Yeah story, because I think that you know, a lot
Speaker 1: of actors don't know that when you film, especially aspiring
Speaker 1: actors that and sometimes even I've worked with a couple
Speaker 1: of people like really, but you film out of sequence.
Speaker 2: So that's why it's so important for you to really
Speaker 2: know that whole script, to know that whole story.
Speaker 5: So you were on that.
Speaker 1: Set filming all of that stuff, but when you got
Speaker 1: to the edit room and they had to trim, and
Speaker 1: you didn't know. So that's why, audience, I just want
Speaker 1: the listeners to understand he had no concept, no clue
Speaker 1: unless he was in the editing room himself.
Speaker 2: And he saw And that happens a lot.
Speaker 4: Yeah, I would see the producers out and they'll, you know,
Speaker 4: buy me, and we have no conversation of what's about
Speaker 4: to happen. You know, they don't treat me any differently. Oh,
Speaker 4: cut yourself, you know what I mean. It's it's part
Speaker 4: of this right.
Speaker 1: But you know, once again, I mean rayon going back
Speaker 1: to the original. What you are built on the foundation
Speaker 1: that you created for yourself. Most people couldnot come back
Speaker 1: from that.
Speaker 2: Excuse me. I did a play.
Speaker 1: And it was manifested from class because it came from
Speaker 1: an exercise dream. Your biggest dream, don't get involved in editing.
Speaker 1: Doubting Nana just dream. If you don't dream, dream bit right.
Speaker 1: So this great situation came out of that for me.
Speaker 5: But the thing is is that.
Speaker 1: It's important to know who you are because noise and influences.
Speaker 1: The woman that was the lead in this play that
Speaker 1: Oprah Winfrey came to that I directed, and oprahray.
Speaker 2: Her she is no longer in the business. Oh no,
Speaker 2: And she's no longer in the business because that was
Speaker 2: her first play.
Speaker 3: Yeah.
Speaker 1: We were in a ninety nine sea theater, so you know,
Speaker 1: it was very it was a black box and it
Speaker 1: was very intimate, so you know, everybody saw her and
Speaker 1: like it just felt like Oprah was really and this
Speaker 1: was in the beginning of Oprah's career, you know as
Speaker 1: the Obrah and p Show, but it just felt like
Speaker 1: she was gonna take her under her wings.
Speaker 2: It was too much for her family. Her first play,
Speaker 2: and Oprah was talking about if you're going to be,
Speaker 2: you're going to.
Speaker 1: Be and she was.
Speaker 2: She was working for her family business. So her dad
Speaker 2: wasn't like.
Speaker 1: It was over, but still that nope, we got this business.
Speaker 1: And the fiance was like nope, because we had this plan.
Speaker 1: And when I tell you, ray On one of the
Speaker 1: most talent to people. And I always think what if?
Speaker 1: Because if anybody saw her, they would react the same
Speaker 1: way we did. So that's how I know she hasn't worked.
Speaker 1: You know, it's undeniable. So again, if there there's two
Speaker 1: things I want to address, one, I want to address
Speaker 1: the training and for you to talk about the importance
Speaker 1: of that to actors. And then just kind of segueing
Speaker 1: after that, like what is your process when you approach
Speaker 1: these memorable characters that you play?
Speaker 3: Yes, yes, yes, repeat the first one again.
Speaker 2: Now we're going so training, How important is training?
Speaker 3: Training is very important?
Speaker 4: And and and I can even just go back to recently,
Speaker 4: I've been training for a while, so it started just
Speaker 4: getting into acting one on one right.
Speaker 3: So now one of the coaches I studied with will
Speaker 3: helped me would be in Chik Chic from.
Speaker 2: That's My Guy Death Together.
Speaker 3: Oh yeah, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, I gotta tell
Speaker 3: them on the pock. So as soon as I was
Speaker 3: coming back for season two of.
Speaker 4: BMF and I saw how big of a jump this
Speaker 4: character went from season one to season two, I said, oh.
Speaker 3: No, I got I gotta get coaching for this.
Speaker 4: You already know, you know, uh, you know, sometimes you
Speaker 4: can go through maybe certain roles of coaching, but I
Speaker 4: think coach is important. So now pretty much the majority
Speaker 4: of my roles that I do coaching and me and
Speaker 4: Chic work with it, work together on it.
Speaker 3: And as soon as I got with Chic on this one,
Speaker 3: we got to it where.
Speaker 4: You know, he would challenge me with certain things, how
Speaker 4: do you feel, you know, when you're in this specific
Speaker 4: moment before?
Speaker 3: What are you thinking before you start this scene?
Speaker 4: So it's a lot of just different things that he
Speaker 4: would give me to think and him not giving me
Speaker 4: the answer, but for me to really really think about
Speaker 4: it and come up with the answer and portray that.
Speaker 3: But I would say, just try.
Speaker 4: I think it's just just important that you guys can
Speaker 4: see more things that we can see as a person
Speaker 4: in this actual role.
Speaker 3: Right, you can see something like, well did you think
Speaker 3: of that? You know?
Speaker 4: I think that's that's why it's so important, because we
Speaker 4: got a certain perspective of certain things when we study
Speaker 4: in these characters. But you've got to see something that's right,
Speaker 4: the little subliminal messages, you know what I mean? She
Speaker 4: will ask me, well, how would he walk right?
Speaker 3: How was you know?
Speaker 4: How what do you talk different, you know, with his
Speaker 4: hands move a little different. What do you do a
Speaker 4: little things in the windows like that? You know. So
Speaker 4: I think that's why the coaching just so much helps
Speaker 4: a lot, you know, and how to dissect doing monologues.
Speaker 3: I hated monologues, Tracy. I hated it. I really hated.
Speaker 3: I just just was boring, like you know, like a
Speaker 3: monologue of us, I want, I want to talk. Let's talk.
Speaker 5: Yeah you can.
Speaker 3: You can't with the monologue.
Speaker 4: You could, you know, by just listening, looking at the
Speaker 4: person and you're looking in their eyes right and getting
Speaker 4: your answer from their eyes right.
Speaker 2: And also like you create just as you sort of
Speaker 2: choreograph your movement. It's like what if the woman or.
Speaker 1: Person you were talking to got about of the chair,
Speaker 1: your eyes should follow them, you know. And then when
Speaker 1: actors ask a question, the only way we the audience
Speaker 1: know is like your reaction.
Speaker 2: So when you ask, give that space for the reaction.
Speaker 2: Let's see it so we know.
Speaker 1: You know, it's just really making an inclusive because as
Speaker 1: a castine director, oh my god, I used to do
Speaker 1: Actors Connection and it was like twenty eight to thirty
Speaker 1: monologues per session that I would do, right, and I
Speaker 1: would do like maybe two a month, but they all
Speaker 1: started with actors doing that breathing and all that, and
Speaker 1: I'm like, no, what happened before.
Speaker 3: You started this speech exactly? We need to do it right.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I understand what you're saying. Our time has flown
Speaker 1: by Rayon.
Speaker 2: Fun I'm having a blast, man. I'm taking this from
Speaker 2: me all day.
Speaker 1: After this, I just want to ask you, well, you
Speaker 1: know what, I'm gonna give you that space and class
Speaker 1: and session to give your last words, because I mean,
Speaker 1: you have been everything that I really wanted today in
Speaker 1: terms of the journey, and but from the perspective of
Speaker 1: just coming in loving it and not having that fear
Speaker 1: or concern of judgment, just being who you are in
Speaker 1: your own space. That's beautiful and that's why your career
Speaker 1: moves the way it is. That's why you go continue
Speaker 1: and when you.
Speaker 2: Are the red carpet now please no shortcut, Please.
Speaker 1: Open your door, say hold on waited the red.
Speaker 3: Car go ty.
Speaker 4: We need to get to which I want the listener
Speaker 4: to understand. It's even even outside.
Speaker 3: Of just the acting, the business part of it is
Speaker 3: so important.
Speaker 1: Okay, so we can we can extend another invitation and
Speaker 1: we'll do ray On Lewis Part two. How's that, Laurence
Speaker 1: Laurence Rayon Lawrence Part two The Business of Show Business?
Speaker 2: Because that is major. I'm glad that you want to
Speaker 2: come back.
Speaker 3: Yeah, okay, so cool.
Speaker 1: So Elsa is gonna come on and introduce you to
Speaker 1: the two actors that are going to ask you questions.
Speaker 2: So here we go.
Speaker 5: Yes, yes, thank you so much, Rayon. That was that
Speaker 5: was awesome. So today we have two of our spirited actors.
Speaker 5: We have missed Shemiah Lucas. Welcome, Shemiah. You can come
Speaker 5: on camera, Hey, Shamiah, and we have missed Ashley Creary.
Speaker 5: Welcome Ashley. You can come on camera as well.
Speaker 3: Yeah, actually, and she is.
Speaker 5: You can unmute Ashley and ask you a question.
Speaker 2: Hey, Rihanna, how are you yourself?
Speaker 7: I'm amazing?
Speaker 6: So I wanted to say that your perseverance and your
Speaker 6: faith is actually impressive. And I wanted to know when
Speaker 6: you were filming that role of Trash that you said
Speaker 6: you only had two scenes.
Speaker 3: At that moment that made it.
Speaker 6: You said at that moment that she knew that it
Speaker 6: wasn't your time. Yeah, was there any reason that you felt.
Speaker 3: That way I just I don't know. I just felt
Speaker 3: right before the movie, it just didn't feel like this
Speaker 3: was it. I just I just I don't know.
Speaker 4: Even though like everything else was happening, these magazines, the
Speaker 4: GQ and you know, everybody just hyped a bot, I
Speaker 4: just it was just inkland.
Speaker 3: I guess like I was just like this, this is
Speaker 3: not going to be.
Speaker 4: Yet, you know, being math right before it, I was like,
Speaker 4: this is gonna be it, This is gonna be the one,
Speaker 4: you know, and it.
Speaker 3: Was just it was just really a feeling. I like that.
Speaker 7: That's impressive.
Speaker 5: Thank you, Thank you, Ashley ast Media. What's your question?
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think you got the mule law.
Speaker 2: No, no, no, we don't hear you. It's weird.
Speaker 5: Mhmm okay, so we can we.
Speaker 3: Can she can't she type it?
Speaker 4: Or no?
Speaker 3: Not on zooms right, you can't, Like you.
Speaker 5: Want to type your question in the and Mea says,
Speaker 5: what is your dream role?
Speaker 3: Oh that's good.
Speaker 4: Well I got my degree in criminal justice. I wanted
Speaker 4: to be an FBI agent, So literally I just played
Speaker 4: my dream role. Actually, I just did this movie where
Speaker 4: I played a high profile detective, so that's definitely my
Speaker 4: dream role. Now it wasn't the dream project, not yet.
Speaker 4: It's an indie, but that was the dream role was
Speaker 4: to play a high end detective or a FBI agent.
Speaker 4: So that's that's my dream role. But I'm doing a
Speaker 4: big level. But I just did it on the you know,
Speaker 4: the small It was fun. It was fun doing it.
Speaker 4: I took a lot of pride in that. And you know,
Speaker 4: just to go back if we have a little bit
Speaker 4: of time, you know when when Tracy talks about whenever,
Speaker 4: like once you book that role or even the audition
Speaker 4: right now, because I've been in the game so long,
Speaker 4: you automatically start to think, Okay, how does this person think?
Speaker 1: Right?
Speaker 4: You know, so now you know, and I'm not saying
Speaker 4: everybody do this thing, but you know these cops, right,
Speaker 4: they like to go to the bar and have a beer.
Speaker 3: Like I don't drink beer at all.
Speaker 4: I started going to bar every night on set, drinking
Speaker 4: a beer after just to have the mental space.
Speaker 3: And this is what these guys do.
Speaker 4: They go to bed, they go to the bar and
Speaker 4: just hang out and just think about how the day process,
Speaker 4: how the day was, how many arrests they had, you know.
Speaker 3: So that's literally what I what I did so a
Speaker 3: lot of roles.
Speaker 4: I would automatically think about, Okay, how this guy feels,
Speaker 4: and I would just going to that moment, you know
Speaker 4: before I tell you this roll out that I'm doing
Speaker 4: right now. I'm playing a character in the seventies, this
Speaker 4: big gangsten Hall of Them, and I don't smoke cigars.
Speaker 4: He smoked cigars. I had to go on set and
Speaker 4: learn how to smoke a cigar, which I learned from
Speaker 4: BMF and I started smoking cigar one night just there,
Speaker 4: you know, in the moment, you know.
Speaker 2: So.
Speaker 4: Crazy, you just gotta love it, just wanting to really
Speaker 4: be these characters, really be in in in this space.
Speaker 4: And when we have time for second one, I'll tell
Speaker 4: you how the bm meth process was because that was different.
Speaker 2: Character. And you know, I'll write that down because I'm
Speaker 2: gonna ask you, Yeah, that.
Speaker 3: One was really that one was really deep.
Speaker 2: Wow.
Speaker 1: Oh, I mean, once again, thank you, thank you, Elsa,
Speaker 1: thank you Ashley and Shemiah, thank you so much.
Speaker 2: Rayon is staying with us, you guys, so you are
Speaker 2: blessed and I'm so grateful.
Speaker 1: When we come back, these two spirited actors are going
Speaker 1: to do class in session.
Speaker 2: When we come back on the Spirited Actor Podcast with
Speaker 2: me Tracy Moore.
Speaker 1: Welcome back to the Spirited Actor Podcast with me Tracy Moore,
Speaker 1: and you are still blessed. Rayon Lawrence is still with
Speaker 1: us and he's gonna be with us for class and session. Then,
Speaker 1: so we are going to have Elsa introduce our Spirited actors.
Speaker 2: We have two ladies here today, Elsa, who we are today?
Speaker 5: We have a brand new spirited actor. We have missus
Speaker 5: Ashley Prairie. Welcome Ashley, Hello, and returning as a Spirited actor.
Speaker 5: We have miss Shemia and Lucas. Welcome back, Shamiah Hi.
Speaker 5: So today's scene is Crazy Love, written by Ariel Bryce.
Speaker 5: Two friends Ryese and Carmen are out to lunch discussing life.
Speaker 2: Don't think I'm crazy?
Speaker 7: But what would you think if I started seeing Tad again?
Speaker 7: Are you crazy?
Speaker 2: I'm not really no.
Speaker 7: Look have you forgotten what he did to you last time?
Speaker 2: I haven't. But he's different now.
Speaker 7: He has a son.
Speaker 2: How old is the kid?
Speaker 1: Nine?
Speaker 7: But y'all broke up seven years ago.
Speaker 2: Common I don't need your judgment.
Speaker 7: I'm not judging you.
Speaker 6: I'm your friend, rees your friend that you came to
Speaker 6: because I have some type of common sense.
Speaker 7: I just I don't want to see the recent Ted
Speaker 7: saga kick up again. I remember what you went through.
Speaker 5: Yeah, it's not the same.
Speaker 7: Are you sure you can do this because this time
Speaker 7: around it's not just you and him. There's a child
Speaker 7: involved and a mother that you have a history with.
Speaker 7: She's not a factor. She messed away. You say that
Speaker 7: like you're relieved.
Speaker 2: You're judging me.
Speaker 7: How long ago?
Speaker 2: Seven months?
Speaker 5: Whoa was he with her?
Speaker 3: Ted?
Speaker 1: Mmm? Oh?
Speaker 5: And off?
Speaker 7: Are you sure he's over her? See on.
Speaker 2: Not walking away from me?
Speaker 7: You came to me.
Speaker 6: You came to me, and now you want to leave
Speaker 6: because you can't deal with the fact that I'm calling
Speaker 6: you out on your stuff.
Speaker 7: If you woke away, Now, what are you gonna do
Speaker 7: with him? What are you gonna do with him?
Speaker 6: When he gets upset but you one decides to tell
Speaker 6: you that you're not his mother, You're gonna leave.
Speaker 2: It's always the worst case scenarios with you.
Speaker 6: In this case, Yes, that boy vividly remembers his mother
Speaker 6: and actively misses her, and so does Ted. Their hearts
Speaker 6: are broken, slowly healing and gently being mended. Ted is
Speaker 6: still dealing with her. But when y'all were done. Y'all
Speaker 6: were done, and it wasn't because of you and what
Speaker 6: you're supposed to come in and make it all right.
Speaker 7: Okay, you're right. I'm sorry. I'm not trying to make
Speaker 7: decisions for you.
Speaker 2: I never would.
Speaker 7: I just want what's best for you.
Speaker 2: He's changed, I mean, just try to give him a chance.
Speaker 2: Here he comes now.
Speaker 4: D oh wow.
Speaker 1: Okay, all right, you tell you guys, Okay, Rayon, I'm
Speaker 1: gonna throw it to you and whatever constructive criticism, feedback,
Speaker 1: whatever you want to give them.
Speaker 3: Yeah. I like I like I like it. I like it.
Speaker 3: I like you guys.
Speaker 4: Stillness, it's sort of right. You said the name again.
Speaker 4: Sorry yeah, yeah, so sorry, Sami. Yeah, I just just
Speaker 4: the technically, I guess because of the location. I would
Speaker 4: just want to see a little bit more of you.
Speaker 4: That's that's really it. But I like how you was
Speaker 4: taking in everything that you were, the conversation that you
Speaker 4: were having. You guys were both listening and engaged. I
Speaker 4: like the prop using the prop use of the prop. Yeah,
Speaker 4: I definitely like like all that. You know, you guys
Speaker 4: were both listening. I like the emotional aspect of it. Yeah,
Speaker 4: good job.
Speaker 2: Wow, Wow, thank you, thank you Rayon for that.
Speaker 1: And I also want to say that one of the
Speaker 1: things that I would say, especially in this scene, Ashley,
Speaker 1: is just to explore other possibilities of being angry or
Speaker 1: being judgmental, you know, because you know the situation. And
Speaker 1: I feel like you're that person that she told you
Speaker 1: everything and tells you everything, so you reacting to different
Speaker 1: ways to how these things make you feel. Well, just
Speaker 1: because I get Tomia's character, but you give her so
Speaker 1: much when you know it's like, oh you're judging no,
Speaker 1: because you know everything, So it just gives more to
Speaker 1: play off, if that makes sense. Okay, Okay, I want
Speaker 1: everybody don't listen. Rayon is coming back, so don't get
Speaker 1: missed on me right but right now he got to go,
Speaker 1: So I want everybody to put their hands together for
Speaker 1: part one of mister Rayon Long.
Speaker 3: Thank you guys, Thank you kind sir, Thank you for
Speaker 3: having me, my pleasure. It's an honor.
Speaker 1: Oh well, you're coming back, so you and else are
Speaker 1: gonna work that out. And then when you talk to
Speaker 1: she say, Tracy said, that's how I addressed it.
Speaker 3: I'm gonna speak right now.
Speaker 2: When you do it, you're gonna.
Speaker 4: Be you to Tracy, I'm gonna speak to it right
Speaker 4: now for sure, all right, tell I.
Speaker 2: Know because we were supposed to be.
Speaker 1: But I just want to say thank you so much
Speaker 1: for really bringing to life the journey of an actor.
Speaker 1: And I'm so excited for part two you because that's
Speaker 1: really gonna I got funny.
Speaker 3: I got, I got so much more.
Speaker 2: All Right, Well, I'm just gonna say, get all your
Speaker 2: markets head go and you just go with it. I'll
Speaker 2: part two, I'll just be listening to.
Speaker 1: Okay, But ladies and gentlemen, what a great great man
Speaker 1: and great great actor, Rayon Lewis Lawrence.
Speaker 2: Why don't want to call you Lewis Rayon Lawrence? Everybody?
Speaker 1: And when we come back on the Spirited Actor Podcast
Speaker 1: with me Tracy Moore, I'm gonna give you loves.
Speaker 2: That's what I'm welcome to Kudo's Corner.
Speaker 1: Kudos Corner is where we celebrate spirited actors and we
Speaker 1: support them and their work.
Speaker 2: We love them and we just give them big hugs.
Speaker 1: And this week's Kudos Corner put the spotlight on spirited
Speaker 1: actor Miles Marrable. Miles has been a proud spirited actor
Speaker 1: since birth. Literally recently, he starred as Lieutenant Clark in
Speaker 1: the off Broadway play The Buffalo Hero of World War One,
Speaker 1: the Wayne Minor story, directed by Canthedo Robinson, who has
Speaker 1: been a guest here on the.
Speaker 2: Spirited Actor podcast with Me Tracy Moore. Miles has also.
Speaker 1: Made appearances in the first season of Wu Tang and
Speaker 1: American Saga, and the indie short RSVP, and my Crackle
Speaker 1: TV show Inside the black Box, where he is also
Speaker 1: instrumental in the writer's room, working with producers and head
Speaker 1: writer Spruce Henry. In addition to acting, Miles has put
Speaker 1: in great work on his rap career. His song Secure
Speaker 1: was recently featured in season three of the Bounced TV
Speaker 1: series Johnson. The song pre Check and Maple Leaves are
Speaker 1: two other available songs Kudos to Miles.
Speaker 2: Variable and now It's Time to Give Love.
Speaker 1: When I was sixteen years old in San Francisco, I
Speaker 1: didn't like the feeling of jealousy. My boyfriend started to
Speaker 1: like this other girl and that was the first time
Speaker 1: I felt it, and.
Speaker 2: It really hurt.
Speaker 1: I cried listen to sad songs. Then I started thinking
Speaker 1: about all the great things about me that she didn't
Speaker 1: have and I started feeling good about myself slowly and
Speaker 1: better and better, and then I realized she could never
Speaker 1: be meet it, and I was really cool. Love you
Speaker 1: more than anyone else and embraced your uniqueness because nobody
Speaker 1: can be you. Don't forget to look out for us.
Speaker 1: On our new show, Inside the Black Box. My co
Speaker 1: host will be Joe the Legend Morton. It's going to
Speaker 1: be The Spirited Actor Podcast on Steroids.
Speaker 2: We'll be streaming on the Crackle network. I'll keep you posted.
Speaker 1: Thank you for joining us on the Spirited Actor Podcast
Speaker 1: with me Tracy Moore. I look forward to our next
Speaker 1: Spirited Podcast.
Speaker 2: Thank you,