WEBVTT - KAREEM GRIMES - Salad Days & Stage Plays 0:00:13.200 --> 0:00:16.320 Hey, guys, welcome to another episode of Eating While Broke. 0:00:16.560 --> 0:00:18.960 I'm your host, Colleen Witt, and today we have very 0:00:19.000 --> 0:00:22.479 special guests, actor philanthropists. I can't believe I said it 0:00:22.480 --> 0:00:27.360 without messing up that words good actor philanthropists. Kareem Grimes 0:00:27.400 --> 0:00:28.840 is in the building. You may know him from the 0:00:28.880 --> 0:00:31.639 Vince Stables show All American. He goes all the way 0:00:31.680 --> 0:00:34.240 back the Boys in the Hood. But we currently watch 0:00:34.240 --> 0:00:35.240 you all television right now. 0:00:35.320 --> 0:00:39.360 Yes, indeed, thank you for having me. And this is exciting. 0:00:39.960 --> 0:00:42.560 We got all the things here. It's taking me back 0:00:42.640 --> 0:00:43.240 right now. 0:00:43.280 --> 0:00:44.880 So, yeah, what are. 0:00:44.760 --> 0:00:46.600 You gonna have? What are you gonna be cooking us 0:00:46.640 --> 0:00:47.120 for lunch? 0:00:47.280 --> 0:00:50.479 Oh? So one of my bugle males. 0:00:51.880 --> 0:00:55.960 Is we have a salad cutons, tomatoes, avocado, and I 0:00:56.000 --> 0:00:59.680 would usually do handseer salmon and you know, chop some 0:00:59.720 --> 0:01:02.320 board eggs in there and have a nice little salmon salad. 0:01:02.440 --> 0:01:05.679 Then I like that with a little bossamic vinagarette. 0:01:06.000 --> 0:01:10.040 That's pretty good. You guys got like you what I get? 0:01:10.120 --> 0:01:10.920 What I usually get. 0:01:11.160 --> 0:01:13.319 Yeah, And you know what, I tried to ridicule Michael 0:01:13.360 --> 0:01:14.479 back there because I. 0:01:14.360 --> 0:01:17.839 Was like, you got iceberg, We should have got spring mix. 0:01:18.040 --> 0:01:21.399 Yeah, I usually do spring mix. Yeah, and I was like, 0:01:22.520 --> 0:01:23.119 so you. 0:01:23.040 --> 0:01:24.640 Know, maybe maybe he ate Iceberg. 0:01:24.880 --> 0:01:27.360 Nah, Nah, I did spring mix. 0:01:27.480 --> 0:01:30.200 You're hilarious. And guys, just so you know, I did 0:01:30.200 --> 0:01:32.440 give Kareem a hard time. We went back and forth out. 0:01:32.800 --> 0:01:34.120 I was like, are you sure this is what you 0:01:34.280 --> 0:01:37.039 ate when you was broke? Do you understand the concept? 0:01:37.120 --> 0:01:39.440 He was like, yes, I do, and this is what 0:01:39.520 --> 0:01:41.479 I did. So why don't you go ahead and get 0:01:41.520 --> 0:01:42.680 started cooking up our meal? 0:01:42.760 --> 0:01:43.320 Yeah? For sure. 0:01:43.400 --> 0:01:47.200 The most important thing is, you know, because we're black, 0:01:47.720 --> 0:01:50.000 because we got a season, go ahead. 0:01:49.800 --> 0:01:51.240 Fish, you know what I'm saying. 0:01:51.280 --> 0:01:54.480 So I usually do a little Larry's and I'm pretty 0:01:54.480 --> 0:01:56.720 good with this, so I'm you know, I eyeball it. 0:01:56.960 --> 0:01:58.000 You know what I mean, not too much. 0:01:58.000 --> 0:01:58.640 That's how I am. 0:01:58.880 --> 0:02:02.000 That's that's what I'm doing. Four is really like seasoning, 0:02:02.560 --> 0:02:04.920 is that, you know what I mean. I'm not I 0:02:04.960 --> 0:02:07.200 don't go too overboard on the seasoning. 0:02:07.360 --> 0:02:08.080 So that's good. 0:02:08.720 --> 0:02:12.400 Yes, this is actually the first time that I'm actually 0:02:12.400 --> 0:02:15.520 doing an interview and I'm actually cooking, So. 0:02:17.000 --> 0:02:18.639 Tell me how easy it is. And when it's over, 0:02:19.000 --> 0:02:21.200 a lot of people don't like doing it. Well, they 0:02:21.360 --> 0:02:24.040 get excited and they'll pick like a complicated dish and 0:02:24.040 --> 0:02:26.480 they're like, oh my god, that's a lot harder. 0:02:26.040 --> 0:02:26.600 Than I thought. 0:02:26.760 --> 0:02:29.200 Yeah, yeah, yeah, I mean, you know, for me, it 0:02:29.320 --> 0:02:32.840 was just like I had to once you know, I 0:02:32.840 --> 0:02:35.000 got on my own and I had my own spot. 0:02:35.200 --> 0:02:37.720 That was just like the main thing, Like you had 0:02:37.720 --> 0:02:40.400 to you know, I couldn't survive off of just cereal, 0:02:40.919 --> 0:02:42.960 you know what I mean. For me, it was just 0:02:43.040 --> 0:02:46.440 like yo, and I was on my health journey, health kick, 0:02:46.560 --> 0:02:49.359 so it was just like koreem, you gotta be able. 0:02:49.120 --> 0:02:51.800 To cook something, yeah, you know what I mean. And 0:02:51.919 --> 0:02:53.160 for me, a. 0:02:53.280 --> 0:02:55.880 Salad is simple, you know what I mean, and then 0:02:56.000 --> 0:02:58.600 you can add the chicken or the fish. And I 0:02:58.639 --> 0:03:01.160 love creutons and avocas and tomatoes. 0:03:01.320 --> 0:03:06.000 I was like, goodness, I love Crewtons because when I. 0:03:06.040 --> 0:03:07.160 Order a salad, I'm always like. 0:03:07.160 --> 0:03:08.080 Remove the croutons. 0:03:08.200 --> 0:03:08.959 Oh my gosh. 0:03:09.120 --> 0:03:13.799 Crewtons are like that's that's that that adds on to 0:03:13.280 --> 0:03:16.280 to the salad, like for real, for real, Like that 0:03:17.080 --> 0:03:17.880 gives it that. 0:03:19.320 --> 0:03:21.560 Yeah, you know what I mean. So that's what it 0:03:21.600 --> 0:03:24.200 was for me, Like it's so hard and crunching, that's 0:03:24.240 --> 0:03:27.760 what you want, big, It's good. 0:03:28.040 --> 0:03:29.920 It's good to eat it the way you made it. 0:03:30.160 --> 0:03:32.040 And what are you seasoning your salmon. 0:03:31.760 --> 0:03:33.720 With a little garlic powder? 0:03:34.120 --> 0:03:38.000 And of course laryes gotta have that, Larry. 0:03:38.320 --> 0:03:39.800 You see we got less sodium on it. 0:03:40.040 --> 0:03:40.280 Yeah. 0:03:40.920 --> 0:03:42.160 Are you gonna add onion powder? 0:03:42.200 --> 0:03:43.720 No? Yeah, I'm gonna add a little bit of onion 0:03:43.720 --> 0:03:46.520 powder in there. And the reason why is because I 0:03:46.520 --> 0:03:49.240 saw my mom do it. So I was just like, 0:03:49.320 --> 0:03:51.480 you know, they had that onion powder in there to 0:03:51.520 --> 0:03:52.320 make it all good. 0:03:52.800 --> 0:03:53.000 Yeah. 0:03:53.040 --> 0:03:56.480 I feel like garlic powder and onion powder their kind 0:03:56.480 --> 0:03:58.400 of husband and wife Joe, Like. 0:03:58.360 --> 0:03:59.880 I can't do one with the other. 0:04:00.120 --> 0:04:01.160 Yeah, for sure. You know. 0:04:01.360 --> 0:04:04.080 It's like, but I do cut onions in the pan, 0:04:04.160 --> 0:04:06.720 I have to do garlic, and now as I get older, 0:04:06.720 --> 0:04:07.960 I have to add lemon. 0:04:07.760 --> 0:04:09.200 Zest to it. Yeah that's good. 0:04:09.640 --> 0:04:11.200 You know, there's. 0:04:11.000 --> 0:04:14.240 Nothing better than garlic, onion and lemons zest. 0:04:14.600 --> 0:04:15.960 Sure for sure. 0:04:16.279 --> 0:04:18.200 All right, So you're gonna pants here it with some 0:04:18.440 --> 0:04:19.240 what's that olive oil? 0:04:19.360 --> 0:04:20.159 Yeah? Olive oil. 0:04:20.320 --> 0:04:23.160 That's what I usually have, you know, just to kind 0:04:23.160 --> 0:04:26.400 of stay away from the butter. 0:04:27.200 --> 0:04:29.479 Yeah, I'm a butter fiend, but I'm learning then. I 0:04:29.520 --> 0:04:32.520 think that's where my belly fats coming from like I 0:04:32.560 --> 0:04:34.560 have a nice little layer of belly fat, and I'm 0:04:34.600 --> 0:04:36.520 pretty sure it's because I go through like a stick 0:04:36.560 --> 0:04:38.000 of butter meal, you know what I mean. 0:04:38.080 --> 0:04:40.440 So once again, like I said, this is a part 0:04:40.480 --> 0:04:43.200 of you know, really me being on my health kick 0:04:43.279 --> 0:04:46.720 and really just being conscious of, you know, what I'm eating. 0:04:47.240 --> 0:04:51.400 And also something that was affordable. You know what I mean. 0:04:51.600 --> 0:04:55.960 It's not expensive. I mean, now, salmon is hell expensive, 0:04:56.360 --> 0:04:58.000 you know what I mean. So for me, it was 0:04:58.120 --> 0:05:02.280 just like, all right, let's get something that can stretch too, a. 0:05:02.279 --> 0:05:05.440 Salad and stretch a salad. Get a bag of salad. 0:05:05.920 --> 0:05:07.640 But you gotta eat it, guys, because I'm one of 0:05:07.680 --> 0:05:09.880 those people I go on a salad streak and then 0:05:09.920 --> 0:05:11.320 I'll be throwing out a bunch of salad. 0:05:11.400 --> 0:05:13.679 Oh no, noa, noa, NOA. Let me tell you something. 0:05:13.680 --> 0:05:16.640 A salad can stretch if you, if you make it, 0:05:16.720 --> 0:05:17.240 do what it do. 0:05:17.320 --> 0:05:20.520 If you have a protein, whether it's fish, chicken, or 0:05:20.560 --> 0:05:24.039 whatever it is, you can always throw a salad and 0:05:24.080 --> 0:05:26.600 then boom, put your protein in there and you're good 0:05:26.680 --> 0:05:30.120 to go. So now you got your green, your leafy greens, 0:05:30.480 --> 0:05:34.240 your cruciferous cruciferous. 0:05:34.279 --> 0:05:36.159 No, the cruciferous. 0:05:36.160 --> 0:05:39.360 Oh, I didn't know that new words. 0:05:39.960 --> 0:05:41.760 You have your protein, so you know what I mean. 0:05:41.839 --> 0:05:44.479 So that's how you do that there, all right. 0:05:44.560 --> 0:05:47.839 So while you go ahead and sear this salmon, take 0:05:47.920 --> 0:05:50.800 me back to what was going on if you can, 0:05:51.240 --> 0:05:54.760 during the time where this was a staple more consistently 0:05:54.800 --> 0:05:55.520 in your life. 0:05:55.800 --> 0:05:55.960 Oh. 0:05:56.040 --> 0:05:57.359 Man, I was. 0:05:58.800 --> 0:06:04.240 Working as a brand ambassador, and I was auditioning, and 0:06:04.400 --> 0:06:07.799 I think at that time I probably had a couple 0:06:07.800 --> 0:06:10.320 of jobs going on. So I was a brand ambassador 0:06:10.680 --> 0:06:13.680 acting and then I had signed up with an agency 0:06:14.320 --> 0:06:17.480 that would, you know, send you jobs to go through, 0:06:17.560 --> 0:06:20.279 whether it may be for a day, a week, a 0:06:20.320 --> 0:06:22.760 couple of months, or a year. So for me, that 0:06:22.920 --> 0:06:25.040 kind of really kept me busy and I always had 0:06:25.080 --> 0:06:26.960 money coming in. That was the one thing is that 0:06:27.279 --> 0:06:31.440 I didn't want to be a struggling, broke actor, if 0:06:31.480 --> 0:06:33.000 that's the thing, you know what I mean. So I 0:06:33.040 --> 0:06:35.799 think that's why for me, I always had a job, 0:06:36.160 --> 0:06:38.920 even if I was on TV. You know, I took 0:06:38.920 --> 0:06:41.080 my ego out of it and said, hey man, you 0:06:41.120 --> 0:06:43.520 got to get the job. Bills don't take vacations. 0:06:43.760 --> 0:06:45.560 Yeah, you know what I mean. So for me, that's 0:06:45.600 --> 0:06:46.120 what it was. 0:06:46.200 --> 0:06:48.600 That's why I worked so much, because it was just like, 0:06:49.279 --> 0:06:52.040 you gotta have income coming in because being an actor, 0:06:52.600 --> 0:06:54.240 you know, you do a job, you may not get 0:06:54.279 --> 0:06:56.839 paid for two and a half weeks, three weeks, so 0:06:57.080 --> 0:06:58.640 in between that time, what you're gonna do? 0:06:58.800 --> 0:06:59.840 Yeah, you know what I mean. 0:07:00.120 --> 0:07:01.960 For me, that's how important it was for me to 0:07:02.080 --> 0:07:05.000 just always have a job, to always have some type 0:07:05.000 --> 0:07:05.800 of income. 0:07:05.440 --> 0:07:07.279 Coming And it sounds like you had multiple jobs. 0:07:07.440 --> 0:07:09.360 Oh I had. I had a lot of jobs. 0:07:09.440 --> 0:07:11.800 Now did you come from. I'm going to backtrack with you, 0:07:12.360 --> 0:07:15.800 because this sounds like this was while you were hustling 0:07:15.920 --> 0:07:18.640 as an adult right or after? 0:07:19.200 --> 0:07:19.480 Yeah? 0:07:19.560 --> 0:07:24.119 Yeah, I started in a game in nineteen eighty seven, 0:07:24.160 --> 0:07:25.440 eighty eight, you know what I mean. 0:07:25.440 --> 0:07:27.160 Boys in the Hill was my first film. 0:07:27.480 --> 0:07:29.119 You know, So how old were you done? 0:07:29.200 --> 0:07:32.000 Oh? Twelve, twelve, thirteen years old? You know what I mean? 0:07:32.160 --> 0:07:34.480 So you know, little kid, I'm living with my mom, 0:07:34.880 --> 0:07:35.400 you know what I mean. 0:07:35.480 --> 0:07:38.960 So that part, but as I got older and you know, 0:07:39.200 --> 0:07:42.440 went away to college and you know, still pursuing my 0:07:42.520 --> 0:07:45.520 career was just like, all right, you gotta be able 0:07:45.560 --> 0:07:47.520 to feel for yourself. Yeah, you know what I mean, 0:07:47.600 --> 0:07:49.720 and that's what it was. Just seeing my mom cook, 0:07:49.800 --> 0:07:52.480 seeing my grandmother cook. My dad was a cook as well. 0:07:52.760 --> 0:07:55.240 Did you come from two parent household? Single parent house? 0:07:55.400 --> 0:07:56.320 Yeah? I came from two. 0:07:56.520 --> 0:07:59.040 My dad and my mom split when I was younger, 0:08:00.120 --> 0:08:02.960 then got back together, had my sister, and then they 0:08:03.000 --> 0:08:08.240 split up again. But yeah, for the most part, yeah, 0:08:08.440 --> 0:08:10.680 you know what I mean, I had a relationship. My 0:08:11.120 --> 0:08:13.000 relationship with my dad was on and off. 0:08:13.480 --> 0:08:14.400 Okay, you know what I mean. 0:08:14.680 --> 0:08:17.760 He was on and off drugs, and you know, when 0:08:17.760 --> 0:08:21.680 he got hisself together, he had a store, I think 0:08:21.880 --> 0:08:26.280 fifty fourth and Broadway, So in between time, you know, 0:08:26.280 --> 0:08:29.520 I would go and harass him, always asking for money 0:08:30.160 --> 0:08:33.640 because he wasn't around as much. But yeah, that's but 0:08:33.880 --> 0:08:36.280 just him being in the household with me as a 0:08:36.280 --> 0:08:38.720 young man, as a kid, I saw my dad cook. 0:08:39.080 --> 0:08:39.320 You know. 0:08:39.440 --> 0:08:42.280 My dad was a bus driver. He worked for RTD. 0:08:42.600 --> 0:08:45.560 For those that don't know, that's what the metro bus is. 0:08:45.600 --> 0:08:46.440 That's an LA thing. 0:08:46.480 --> 0:08:49.320 The Richard T. Davis, the rough, tough and dirty, you 0:08:49.360 --> 0:08:49.840 know what I mean. 0:08:50.280 --> 0:08:53.199 And then I remember my dad worked at Church's Chicken. 0:08:53.760 --> 0:08:56.040 I think he worked off, but he worked at Church's Chicken. 0:08:56.360 --> 0:09:00.560 Which was on Librea going towards the end Wood because 0:09:00.600 --> 0:09:03.800 I remember my mom dropping them off at work and 0:09:04.720 --> 0:09:06.720 he was like, hold on and bought a whole big 0:09:06.760 --> 0:09:11.720 box chicken Church is Chicken for us to take back home. 0:09:11.880 --> 0:09:14.640 I'm so, you know, definitely seeing my dad cook, my 0:09:14.720 --> 0:09:18.800 dad for me, I always love breakfast food, you know 0:09:18.840 --> 0:09:21.320 what I'm saying, and that that was one of the 0:09:21.360 --> 0:09:24.160 meals that you know I cooked as well. But this 0:09:24.400 --> 0:09:29.080 right here, salmon salad was just it was it for me? 0:09:29.240 --> 0:09:32.120 Predominantly Did your parents cook healthy in your house? 0:09:32.480 --> 0:09:34.360 Not not necessarily, you know what I mean. 0:09:34.400 --> 0:09:38.440 It was the fried chicken, you know what I'm saying, 0:09:39.160 --> 0:09:39.960 the poor chops. 0:09:40.000 --> 0:09:42.120 When I was younger, my mom. 0:09:41.920 --> 0:09:46.840 Made keish, you know, chicken and waffles, bacon, eggs, the 0:09:46.880 --> 0:09:50.280 whole nine. But once again, you know, when you look 0:09:50.280 --> 0:09:56.120 at that generation, you know what I mean, I didn't 0:09:56.120 --> 0:10:00.440 get into I didn't get into no chilling or nothing 0:10:00.520 --> 0:10:03.520 like that. Yeah, you know that was what was cooked 0:10:03.559 --> 0:10:04.079 at the house. 0:10:04.240 --> 0:10:05.000 Yeah for sure. 0:10:05.360 --> 0:10:05.600 Yeah. 0:10:06.120 --> 0:10:09.120 So were they lower middle class, you'd say, vely? 0:10:09.360 --> 0:10:09.880 I would think so. 0:10:10.000 --> 0:10:12.839 My mom was a beautician and my dad, like I said, 0:10:12.960 --> 0:10:13.640 was a bus driver. 0:10:14.400 --> 0:10:14.960 You know what I mean. 0:10:15.200 --> 0:10:19.160 I can't remember. There's not a day that I don't 0:10:19.240 --> 0:10:19.839 remember that. 0:10:19.960 --> 0:10:21.920 You know. I always had a meal, Okay, you know 0:10:21.960 --> 0:10:23.880 what I'm saying. I didn't go to be hungry. Yeah, 0:10:24.080 --> 0:10:24.640 you know what I mean. 0:10:24.800 --> 0:10:27.480 So my story is a little bit different, you know 0:10:27.520 --> 0:10:29.880 what I mean, to where I did have a two 0:10:29.880 --> 0:10:33.320 parent home and then you know, my mom and dad separated, 0:10:33.640 --> 0:10:36.960 got back, had my sister, and then they totally separated. 0:10:37.040 --> 0:10:40.080 So for the majority, I was, you know, staying with 0:10:40.120 --> 0:10:42.680 my mom, Okay, you know what I mean. And my grandparents, 0:10:42.800 --> 0:10:45.800 my dad's grant, my dad's mother and father are really 0:10:45.880 --> 0:10:47.320 kind of stepped in and helped me. 0:10:47.360 --> 0:10:50.000 And then just my village, just my village for. 0:10:49.960 --> 0:10:53.640 Sure, and primarily La based. So whose idea was it 0:10:53.640 --> 0:10:56.400 to get you into acting at such a young age? 0:10:56.559 --> 0:10:56.960 It was me? 0:10:57.120 --> 0:11:00.640 Really, you know, I was the young kid that really, 0:11:01.360 --> 0:11:06.599 you know, was doing a lot of entertaining, you know 0:11:06.640 --> 0:11:08.960 what I'm saying. I was a kid that you know, 0:11:09.080 --> 0:11:11.040 you give me a couple of dollars, I pop lot. 0:11:11.559 --> 0:11:13.440 Okay, give m. 0:11:13.440 --> 0:11:15.640 Korea some money, He'll do it, you know what I mean. 0:11:15.720 --> 0:11:18.360 So that's that's what it was for me. And yeah, 0:11:18.559 --> 0:11:21.400 like literally that's that's what it was and seeing my 0:11:21.480 --> 0:11:24.679 friends on TV. I had a couple of friends who 0:11:24.720 --> 0:11:29.520 were on TV, and you know that was motivating as well, 0:11:30.160 --> 0:11:32.720 and you know, that's that's what it was for me, 0:11:32.800 --> 0:11:35.760 and my mom, and my mom and my village kind 0:11:35.760 --> 0:11:39.280 of really helped me and really got behind me and 0:11:39.320 --> 0:11:39.679 put me. 0:11:39.640 --> 0:11:42.440 In acting class. And our first acting class. 0:11:42.280 --> 0:11:47.200 Was Marla Gibbs, Marla Gibbs Memory Lane Acting Class, which 0:11:47.480 --> 0:11:50.280 a big shout out to Marla Gibbs and Angela Gibbs, 0:11:50.600 --> 0:11:52.240 which is Marla Gibbs' daughter. 0:11:52.720 --> 0:11:53.880 She had the acting class. 0:11:53.960 --> 0:11:56.560 And yeah, that was my first my first taste of 0:11:56.600 --> 0:11:58.200 it and I never looked back. 0:11:58.400 --> 0:12:01.280 And then how was it working on in the Hood 0:12:01.320 --> 0:12:02.439 as your first intro? 0:12:02.840 --> 0:12:06.000 My goodness, let me tell you how that went. So 0:12:06.160 --> 0:12:12.200 Boys in the Hood, that was I was a extra, okay, 0:12:13.040 --> 0:12:16.679 And at that time, my mom had some friends that 0:12:17.040 --> 0:12:20.600 were in the business who were hairdressers, and you know, 0:12:21.840 --> 0:12:24.840 she told my mom like, hey, there's this young kid 0:12:24.960 --> 0:12:29.360 from South Central who wrote this film, graduated from USC. 0:12:29.440 --> 0:12:32.280 They're looking for some young black kids who can skateboard 0:12:32.360 --> 0:12:32.880 and all that. 0:12:32.920 --> 0:12:34.600 And at that time that was me. 0:12:35.240 --> 0:12:37.160 I was a young kid that was in the skateboard 0:12:37.160 --> 0:12:40.200 and BMX biking the whole nine. So that's how I 0:12:40.240 --> 0:12:43.680 found myself on on the set of Boys in the 0:12:43.679 --> 0:12:49.560 Hood and we're talking about maybe two two weeks into shooting. 0:12:51.240 --> 0:12:55.240 John Singleton is like, he's like, yo, I wanna give 0:12:55.240 --> 0:12:59.959 you some lines, and you know that's that was the start. 0:13:00.280 --> 0:13:03.760 Now there are other young kids there. Yeah, he could 0:13:03.760 --> 0:13:06.120 have given he could have given any of any one 0:13:06.120 --> 0:13:08.040 of them lines, but he gave me line. 0:13:08.200 --> 0:13:10.280 Do you know why could he ever tell you? 0:13:10.280 --> 0:13:10.760 You know what? 0:13:14.679 --> 0:13:17.400 And John was a big mentor to me, you know what, 0:13:17.520 --> 0:13:23.520 I just no, I don't even think. Nah, that's a 0:13:23.520 --> 0:13:26.000 good question. I've never been asked that, like why he 0:13:26.080 --> 0:13:28.280 gave it to me? You know, I think it was 0:13:28.320 --> 0:13:28.960 just divine. 0:13:29.080 --> 0:13:31.720 Yeah, well I know because I know in your in 0:13:31.760 --> 0:13:34.240 your bio it said that he mentored you. So I 0:13:34.280 --> 0:13:36.640 was just wondering if, like you ever got to be 0:13:36.720 --> 0:13:37.360 like why me? 0:13:38.000 --> 0:13:42.040 Nah? It was just one of those things of man, 0:13:42.080 --> 0:13:45.680 that's really good. I've never I never asked him that. 0:13:46.120 --> 0:13:50.240 I just kind of figured, you know, it was just 0:13:51.679 --> 0:13:54.680 God's timing, you know what I mean, being at the 0:13:54.720 --> 0:13:59.680 right place at the right time, my path, me knowing 0:13:59.720 --> 0:14:01.760 what I wanted to do, at a very early age, 0:14:01.880 --> 0:14:03.840 and God was like, all right, cool. 0:14:04.400 --> 0:14:06.520 Let me go in and bless you. Yeah you know 0:14:06.559 --> 0:14:07.000 what I mean. 0:14:07.240 --> 0:14:10.360 And that was through John Singleton. So I owe a 0:14:10.440 --> 0:14:12.959 lot of it to John. And like I said, he 0:14:13.040 --> 0:14:15.040 was a big mentor to me and a big brother. 0:14:15.320 --> 0:14:21.080 And yeah, sure, now you're cooking the heck out of 0:14:21.080 --> 0:14:22.880 this so salmon, guys, smoky? 0:14:23.360 --> 0:14:28.239 Yeah, look it looks it looks like barbecue. 0:14:28.280 --> 0:14:29.720 See, yeah, you know what I mean. 0:14:29.880 --> 0:14:31.160 So I didn't see. 0:14:31.200 --> 0:14:33.000 So you guys know he went on the back of 0:14:33.000 --> 0:14:35.120 the salmon and hit it really heavy with some loes. 0:14:35.320 --> 0:14:38.440 Yeah he didn't on the back. No, I didn't go 0:14:38.560 --> 0:14:39.200 light on the back. 0:14:39.400 --> 0:14:40.960 You know it's smoking. 0:14:43.880 --> 0:14:45.240 Is this a smoky as this been? 0:14:45.480 --> 0:14:45.920 I think so? 0:14:46.240 --> 0:14:46.520 Really? 0:14:46.680 --> 0:14:46.880 Yeah. 0:14:47.600 --> 0:14:51.440 First, if a fire alarm, if the sprinklers. 0:14:50.880 --> 0:14:51.760 Go off, we're in trouble. 0:14:51.840 --> 0:14:55.360 Oh man, yeah, that'll be crazy. Maybe yeah, yeah, we'll 0:14:55.400 --> 0:14:56.000 turn it down. 0:14:56.840 --> 0:14:57.480 How about that. 0:14:57.800 --> 0:15:01.400 Yeah, that's the only thing with cooking on a studio, 0:15:01.520 --> 0:15:03.440 and there's no there's no what do you call it? 0:15:03.480 --> 0:15:04.520 The above oven? 0:15:05.000 --> 0:15:06.640 Even if we had it, we couldn't use it because 0:15:06.640 --> 0:15:09.359 of the audio. 0:15:07.400 --> 0:15:07.520 Right. 0:15:09.880 --> 0:15:11.160 Is that how it's supposed to look? 0:15:12.320 --> 0:15:12.560 Yes? 0:15:12.680 --> 0:15:15.800 Is that how it's supposed to. This looks like a barbecue. 0:15:15.840 --> 0:15:18.720 Look, we don't need Look, we don't eat nothing light 0:15:18.800 --> 0:15:19.680 pink around here. 0:15:19.880 --> 0:15:22.160 No, but that looks that looks like it's gonna be 0:15:22.240 --> 0:15:23.600 like dry. 0:15:24.000 --> 0:15:25.800 Nah, it's not gonna be dry, not at all. 0:15:26.280 --> 0:15:29.400 You can still see the look if I still push 0:15:29.440 --> 0:15:32.040 it in and see the little Oh, absolutely, it's gonna 0:15:32.080 --> 0:15:32.760 be nice as juice. 0:15:32.840 --> 0:15:35.040 Okay, Okay, we're gonna be here. 0:15:35.200 --> 0:15:36.120 Yeah, we're almost done. 0:15:36.160 --> 0:15:37.240 It's gonna be a great lunch. 0:15:37.320 --> 0:15:38.920 Yeah, were almost done. 0:15:40.800 --> 0:15:44.360 Okay, So you're doing Boys in the Hood. How does 0:15:44.400 --> 0:15:46.280 he become your mentor? John Singleton? 0:15:46.800 --> 0:15:49.920 You know, we he lived in the area, you know 0:15:49.960 --> 0:15:51.840 what I mean. So I would always see. 0:15:51.680 --> 0:15:53.760 Him, Okay, you knows. 0:15:53.960 --> 0:15:54.840 And how old was he then? 0:15:55.560 --> 0:15:57.200 John was probably late. 0:15:57.000 --> 0:15:59.600 Twenty okay, okay, so yeah. 0:15:59.200 --> 0:16:02.400 Yeah, yeah, middle to late twenty. Yeah, you know. So 0:16:02.800 --> 0:16:04.080 he shot a few movies. 0:16:04.160 --> 0:16:07.440 I think his next one was a Poetic Justice, which 0:16:07.440 --> 0:16:09.960 he shot, you know, in the neighborhood. 0:16:10.200 --> 0:16:13.320 So I would always go and see and be like, yo, 0:16:13.400 --> 0:16:15.080 John put me in the movie. Put me in the movie. 0:16:15.080 --> 0:16:17.400 He was like, Nah, you gotta finish school. You gotta 0:16:17.400 --> 0:16:18.960 finish school. You gotta finish school. 0:16:19.720 --> 0:16:21.720 So he was like, real deal, Holy Field. 0:16:21.520 --> 0:16:24.560 Ye like yeah, yeah, for sure, for sure, you know 0:16:24.560 --> 0:16:28.840 what I mean. He definitely stressed. He definitely stressed education 0:16:29.080 --> 0:16:29.480 for sure. 0:16:29.560 --> 0:16:30.520 Did you finish college? 0:16:30.720 --> 0:16:32.520 Yes, went to cal State LA. 0:16:32.960 --> 0:16:35.640 Studied broadcast journalism, film radio on television. 0:16:36.120 --> 0:16:37.200 And it's funny. 0:16:37.240 --> 0:16:41.960 Once I finished, my mom ran into John and she 0:16:42.120 --> 0:16:46.760 was like, yo, John, Kareem is you know, Kareem is 0:16:46.800 --> 0:16:50.200 a finishing up school and he was like, have him 0:16:50.280 --> 0:16:50.840 hit me up. 0:16:51.840 --> 0:16:56.720 And I go to his office which was in Lamert Park. 0:16:56.320 --> 0:16:59.960 And he's getting ready to shoot baby. 0:16:59.640 --> 0:17:01.120 Boy No way. 0:17:01.320 --> 0:17:06.520 Yeah, So you know, John is like, I'm gonna show 0:17:06.520 --> 0:17:08.760 you how to make a film from beginning to the end. 0:17:10.000 --> 0:17:14.640 And I was literally there when it was just an 0:17:14.680 --> 0:17:18.280 office and then it's like in my mind when you 0:17:18.600 --> 0:17:20.920 time lapse and you start seeing people come in. 0:17:21.280 --> 0:17:24.080 So it was like boom casting, you know what I'm saying. 0:17:24.520 --> 0:17:28.640 Then locations design the whole nine, so I was able 0:17:28.680 --> 0:17:31.320 to see an empty office fill up right before my eyes, 0:17:31.680 --> 0:17:37.119 and I touched every department within that film. Casting, you know, 0:17:37.200 --> 0:17:40.119 all doing a lot of the readings with Kim Harding, 0:17:40.600 --> 0:17:45.960 also recording the audition. So if you guys see ah Yeah. 0:17:46.080 --> 0:17:48.400 You see, if you see an audition, if you see 0:17:48.400 --> 0:17:51.480 an audition of Tyrese and Taraji and their screen test, 0:17:51.960 --> 0:17:55.800 that's me behind the camera. That's me behind the camera 0:17:56.240 --> 0:17:57.000 recording them. 0:17:57.680 --> 0:18:00.439 When you see their on set chemistry, worry, like, what 0:18:00.480 --> 0:18:04.200 did you think? Cause they're they're their dynamic played out 0:18:04.240 --> 0:18:06.000 very well, I mean Taraji's Yeah. 0:18:07.119 --> 0:18:09.399 But here's the deal. Me and Taraji worked together. 0:18:09.680 --> 0:18:15.359 Taraji played Taraji played my girlfriend in an episode of 0:18:15.640 --> 0:18:18.879 er Okay, you know what I mean. So you know, 0:18:19.040 --> 0:18:22.760 I'm I've known Taraji and to see her come in 0:18:22.840 --> 0:18:25.800 and get the role of Evett like I was there. 0:18:25.640 --> 0:18:26.800 When he gave her the role. 0:18:28.480 --> 0:18:32.240 I was in the room when he gave her for sure. 0:18:32.520 --> 0:18:33.640 For sure, you know what I mean. 0:18:33.720 --> 0:18:36.000 So for me, it was just like super dope because 0:18:36.520 --> 0:18:38.480 I felt like I got the role too, you know 0:18:38.480 --> 0:18:41.399 what I mean seeing her, because you know, like any actor, 0:18:42.040 --> 0:18:44.919 we you know, to get that opportunity for somebody to 0:18:45.000 --> 0:18:46.960 say yes to you and say hey, I believe in 0:18:47.000 --> 0:18:49.800 you and I want you for this role, that's that's 0:18:49.840 --> 0:18:51.320 the greatest feeling in the world. 0:18:51.440 --> 0:18:52.160 Yeah, you know what I mean. 0:18:52.240 --> 0:18:54.760 So I was there and you know, I was happy, 0:18:54.840 --> 0:18:57.439 and she was crying and the whole nine, and you know, 0:18:57.480 --> 0:18:59.480 it was super dope. And you know, that was the 0:18:59.520 --> 0:19:01.720 time that that you know, I was able to you know, 0:19:01.800 --> 0:19:04.360 befriend Tyrese and you know, me and him became really 0:19:04.400 --> 0:19:07.879 good friends during that process. And you know, John paired 0:19:07.920 --> 0:19:10.280 me with tyresee to you know, kind of help him 0:19:10.760 --> 0:19:13.119 with you know, his lines and is that nature? 0:19:13.160 --> 0:19:13.600 So it was. 0:19:13.600 --> 0:19:16.440 It was a dope moment. It was a great experience. 0:19:16.640 --> 0:19:19.800 I never forget it. It was just so much that 0:19:19.800 --> 0:19:22.159 that was going on, and I'm just grateful that I 0:19:22.200 --> 0:19:23.199 was able to be a part of it. 0:19:23.600 --> 0:19:25.639 After experiencing that, what made you want to stick with 0:19:25.760 --> 0:19:28.480 acting and not kind of the other attributes of what 0:19:28.560 --> 0:19:29.360 John does. 0:19:29.400 --> 0:19:31.960 No, because that was my whole thing. My whole thing 0:19:32.080 --> 0:19:34.159 was to be in front of the camera. Okay, to 0:19:34.200 --> 0:19:37.320 be an actor. I love performing. That was the thing 0:19:37.480 --> 0:19:39.480 that for me as a young kid being in the 0:19:39.560 --> 0:19:42.400 acting class to where that really opened me up and 0:19:42.440 --> 0:19:43.920 I was just like, yo, this is what I want 0:19:43.920 --> 0:19:46.360 to do, Like this is this is it? 0:19:46.960 --> 0:19:51.120 Do you think seeing how John formulated that whole set 0:19:51.240 --> 0:19:53.560 from beginning to end, do you think that helped you 0:19:54.000 --> 0:19:54.960 be a better actor? 0:19:55.840 --> 0:19:56.240 For sure? 0:19:56.560 --> 0:19:59.399 You know, what I mean, John employed, you know his people, 0:19:59.560 --> 0:20:00.240 you know what I mean. 0:20:00.440 --> 0:20:02.600 For me doing extra work. 0:20:02.680 --> 0:20:04.520 Up until I got to Boys in the Hood, there 0:20:04.520 --> 0:20:07.400 were maybe one or two black people on set. When 0:20:07.440 --> 0:20:09.320 I got to Boys in the Hood, it was it 0:20:09.359 --> 0:20:13.880 was Chocolate City. It was everybody from here to the drove, 0:20:14.600 --> 0:20:20.280 to the grips, to transportation, it was. It was diverse, 0:20:20.680 --> 0:20:22.320 you know what I mean. So for me, it was 0:20:22.400 --> 0:20:24.800 just like, yeah, this is and then learning. You know 0:20:24.840 --> 0:20:27.679 what I'm saying, I'm seeing a young Angela Bassett, a 0:20:27.760 --> 0:20:30.440 Lawrence Fishburn, you know what I mean. So as a kid, 0:20:30.520 --> 0:20:32.840 I'm just a student of the game. I'm just watching 0:20:33.240 --> 0:20:35.720 as they go through these takes and things that nature. So, 0:20:36.040 --> 0:20:37.879 you know, as a young kid being in this business 0:20:37.960 --> 0:20:41.080 coming up in the eighties, I had a lot of 0:20:41.400 --> 0:20:44.199 examples of the dudes and don'ts Yeah. 0:20:43.760 --> 0:20:45.400 Now where do you get the dudes in don't suf 0:20:45.440 --> 0:20:48.320 I'm gonna keep a job even if I'm a successful actor. 0:20:48.560 --> 0:20:50.880 Oh, that's just that's just r That's just reality. That's 0:20:50.880 --> 0:20:52.720 just life, you know what I mean. And I think 0:20:53.080 --> 0:20:58.159 you know, really the the the the strike kind of 0:20:58.200 --> 0:21:00.800 showed us a little bit about that, you know what I. 0:21:00.680 --> 0:21:02.240 Mean, you know what I mean. 0:21:02.320 --> 0:21:05.600 It really it really peeled the layers back to say, hey, 0:21:07.119 --> 0:21:07.879 you know what I'm saying. 0:21:08.000 --> 0:21:13.320 Listen, everybody is what's who you think is not? You 0:21:13.320 --> 0:21:13.760 know what I mean. 0:21:13.880 --> 0:21:17.560 So for me, it was always instilled in me to 0:21:17.640 --> 0:21:21.240 have some type of income coming in period. And I 0:21:21.359 --> 0:21:25.119 just I found out at a very early age, just 0:21:25.160 --> 0:21:28.719 from seeing my mom and dad work my grandfather, that 0:21:28.800 --> 0:21:29.480 you have to have a. 0:21:29.480 --> 0:21:30.560 Job, you know what I mean. 0:21:30.840 --> 0:21:34.359 And as an actor, you know, yeah, you may do good, 0:21:34.840 --> 0:21:37.360 you know, for a couple of weeks, a month or whatever, 0:21:37.760 --> 0:21:39.480 and then it may taper off. 0:21:39.600 --> 0:21:41.200 So what are you gonna do? Yeah, you know what 0:21:41.240 --> 0:21:41.520 I mean. 0:21:41.600 --> 0:21:48.040 So for me, it was always work until acting is 0:21:48.119 --> 0:21:51.760 your full time job, meaning that it's paying the bills 0:21:51.760 --> 0:21:53.240 and you don't have to work your job. 0:21:53.400 --> 0:21:54.960 Yeah, and you have to budget in order. 0:21:55.040 --> 0:21:56.920 Got a budget. You got a budget, you know what 0:21:56.960 --> 0:21:57.399 I'm saying. 0:21:57.440 --> 0:22:01.480 Now, For me, because I started off young doing this, 0:22:02.000 --> 0:22:03.240 you know, I have residuals. 0:22:03.440 --> 0:22:05.359 Yeah I was gonna say, you did you have a 0:22:05.400 --> 0:22:06.880 Coogan account or yeah? 0:22:06.960 --> 0:22:07.880 Yeah, I had all that. 0:22:07.960 --> 0:22:10.840 So for me, it was residuals coming in and you know, 0:22:11.200 --> 0:22:14.560 but still it was still how I was bought up. 0:22:14.600 --> 0:22:16.520 Is that you know, just because you got money don't 0:22:16.520 --> 0:22:18.120 mean you gotta go out there and spend it all, 0:22:18.240 --> 0:22:19.720 you know what I mean? So it was it was 0:22:19.760 --> 0:22:22.680 instilled in me to save your money for a rainy day. 0:22:22.840 --> 0:22:25.960 Yeah, and you know, uh, that's that's what it was 0:22:26.000 --> 0:22:26.240 for me. 0:22:26.440 --> 0:22:29.400 So part of the budgeting and you know what I'm saying, 0:22:29.440 --> 0:22:31.359 making sure I wasn't living above my means. 0:22:31.440 --> 0:22:33.520 Yes, Now, how do you not? How do you not 0:22:35.119 --> 0:22:38.320 to get smoke a cloud? 0:22:38.520 --> 0:22:47.120 You smell the aroma. It's the aroma. It's gonna be good. 0:22:47.240 --> 0:22:49.639 Guys, it's so smoky. If you can see this charcoal. 0:22:49.880 --> 0:22:51.120 Yeah, but if you see it. 0:22:51.320 --> 0:22:55.640 Charcoal salmon, Look at that, that's a charcoal. It looked 0:22:55.680 --> 0:22:57.800 like he was on a barbecue grill. It's so smoky 0:22:57.880 --> 0:22:59.680 up in here. I want to get this question out though. 0:22:59.720 --> 0:23:01.840 How you not? I remember when I first moved to 0:23:02.000 --> 0:23:04.760 LA I had seen Gary Coleman. He was like a 0:23:04.800 --> 0:23:08.879 security guard well over there. But I also saw him 0:23:08.880 --> 0:23:14.680 in Van Eys And you know, people, it's the smoke man. 0:23:15.200 --> 0:23:19.520 People can be so cruel, especially to actors and people 0:23:19.520 --> 0:23:21.199 that are in the public eye. I think there's just 0:23:21.400 --> 0:23:25.080 it's one thing to struggle with something personally in your 0:23:25.080 --> 0:23:25.600 own circle. 0:23:25.680 --> 0:23:27.040 It's another thing to do with publicly. 0:23:27.080 --> 0:23:28.880 And I think once you take on that actor hat 0:23:28.880 --> 0:23:32.840 and you're well known and you're famous and people, people 0:23:33.000 --> 0:23:35.560 literally can be cruel, like you know and talk smack. 0:23:35.680 --> 0:23:39.119 How do you deal with either a possibility of that 0:23:39.160 --> 0:23:42.159 reaction or your core friend group going like damn, you 0:23:42.200 --> 0:23:43.320 know and talking smack. 0:23:43.960 --> 0:23:48.000 You know what? I never that never really played a factor, 0:23:48.400 --> 0:23:48.960 you know what I mean? 0:23:49.080 --> 0:23:51.320 Like, like I said, I took my ego out a 0:23:51.359 --> 0:23:54.720 long time ago, so it was never a point of like, 0:23:56.920 --> 0:23:58.760 you know what I mean, Like I'm afraid to work 0:23:58.920 --> 0:24:01.040 like I've been on TV, you know what I mean, 0:24:01.119 --> 0:24:04.359 Like I just haven't had that. And I think a 0:24:04.359 --> 0:24:07.040 lot of it is because I just show up as myself, 0:24:07.320 --> 0:24:09.200 you know what I'm saying. I'm not just because I'm 0:24:09.240 --> 0:24:12.760 on TV. I didn't have this other personality of like, 0:24:12.840 --> 0:24:14.200 oh I'm bigger than you now. 0:24:14.280 --> 0:24:17.000 Yeah, you know what I mean. You know I've listened. 0:24:17.000 --> 0:24:20.840 My first job, besides acting, my first first job, I 0:24:20.880 --> 0:24:23.879 worked at Bowling Hills Theater. It was the first black 0:24:23.920 --> 0:24:27.200 owned theater which was on Lebrea in Coliseum. You know 0:24:27.240 --> 0:24:30.280 what I mean, so I learned the value of a dollar, 0:24:30.560 --> 0:24:33.400 you know what I mean, work wise, like yeah, nine 0:24:33.400 --> 0:24:36.680 to five. Then from there I worked at Hot Dog 0:24:36.720 --> 0:24:39.320 on a Stick, and then from hot Dog on a Stick, 0:24:39.400 --> 0:24:42.080 I worked at Lady foot Locker. Notice I said hot 0:24:42.119 --> 0:24:44.280 Dog on a Stick and Lady full Locker, two places 0:24:44.280 --> 0:24:50.000 that had beautiful women. Listen, if anybody knows that's from La. 0:24:50.160 --> 0:24:51.960 You can go to a Hot Dog on a Stick. 0:24:52.119 --> 0:24:54.800 They had some of the finest girls that worked there 0:24:54.840 --> 0:24:58.480 because they either went to Westchester, Saint Mary's Burners. 0:24:58.160 --> 0:24:59.359 Or whatever it is. 0:24:59.400 --> 0:25:02.280 They were there. And then Lady full Locker. What more 0:25:02.320 --> 0:25:02.920 can I say? 0:25:03.560 --> 0:25:04.080 You know what I mean? 0:25:04.160 --> 0:25:07.359 So I worked at those two places, and then I 0:25:07.400 --> 0:25:11.320 worked at Wells Fargo Bank. What did you I was 0:25:11.359 --> 0:25:13.600 a bank teller? Oh what Yeah, I was a bank teller. 0:25:13.600 --> 0:25:16.639 I worked at Wells Fargo Bank, which was in the 0:25:17.000 --> 0:25:17.760 Ladera Center. 0:25:18.240 --> 0:25:20.640 Now I'm just curious, did you Was there any takeaways 0:25:20.640 --> 0:25:22.560 from working at a bank that you learned about people 0:25:22.640 --> 0:25:23.760 just people watching. 0:25:25.800 --> 0:25:26.400 Me like a couple. 0:25:26.680 --> 0:25:27.480 I mean, there were. 0:25:27.359 --> 0:25:31.280 People there that were rude, that had a lot of money, Okay, 0:25:31.440 --> 0:25:32.919 you know what I mean, And it was just like 0:25:33.080 --> 0:25:37.200 for what you know, what I mean, Like entitled, Yeah. 0:25:37.160 --> 0:25:37.760 You know what I mean. 0:25:37.960 --> 0:25:40.760 And for me, that was a lesson that I learned, 0:25:40.840 --> 0:25:43.080 you know, to like listen just because you have a 0:25:43.119 --> 0:25:45.080 lot of money, you don't have to be entitled, and 0:25:45.640 --> 0:25:48.680 you know, boss people around you know what I mean. 0:25:48.800 --> 0:25:50.800 So it was a lot of lessons that I learned 0:25:50.800 --> 0:25:54.800 from each job. Just being on time, being a team player, 0:25:55.320 --> 0:25:57.840 you know, committing to a schedule and saying, yes, this 0:25:57.880 --> 0:26:00.480 is my schedule and I'm gonna commit to it, and. 0:26:00.480 --> 0:26:01.880 Just showing up you know what I'm saying. 0:26:01.920 --> 0:26:04.919 All these things helped me through my development as a 0:26:04.960 --> 0:26:08.640 young man, but also carried on into my professional career 0:26:08.640 --> 0:26:11.560 as an actor. So each job that I had, even 0:26:11.560 --> 0:26:13.560 though I didn't want to be there, I've learned a 0:26:13.640 --> 0:26:15.000 valuable lesson out of all of it. 0:26:15.480 --> 0:26:15.720 Yeah. 0:26:15.960 --> 0:26:20.000 Yeah, I've been around this industry on and off throughout. 0:26:20.560 --> 0:26:24.720 I always tell people that, and this is like something 0:26:24.760 --> 0:26:26.919 I told myself a long time ago. I felt like 0:26:27.040 --> 0:26:30.720 a list celebrities were the nicest, and I used to 0:26:30.720 --> 0:26:33.080 always feel like they were the nicest and that's why 0:26:33.119 --> 0:26:36.320 they got so far was because they were really nice. Yeah, 0:26:36.560 --> 0:26:39.640 some pretty terrible circumstances and not so great circumstances, whether 0:26:39.680 --> 0:26:42.119 they're tired or you're not. And that was like my 0:26:42.240 --> 0:26:45.320 observation working with an array of people, and I always 0:26:45.320 --> 0:26:47.840 felt like, man, I really think that the A list 0:26:47.920 --> 0:26:50.840 ones technically have a little bit more. 0:26:51.119 --> 0:26:56.600 Of that A listeners that were jackasses that were saying 0:26:56.920 --> 0:26:59.359 but you know, from me coming up, there were young 0:26:59.440 --> 0:27:01.879 kid kids, you know what I'm saying, who were just 0:27:01.960 --> 0:27:03.680 a terror, you know what I mean. 0:27:04.080 --> 0:27:06.520 And you know those were things that I was able 0:27:06.520 --> 0:27:08.600 to see visually and be like, Nope, I don't want 0:27:08.600 --> 0:27:10.440 to do that. Yeah, you know what I mean, And. 0:27:10.720 --> 0:27:12.880 That carried on to me, Like I said, these are 0:27:13.280 --> 0:27:17.399 lessons that I've learned, and for me, you know, that's 0:27:17.480 --> 0:27:20.960 I think a loss forgotten art is just simply being nice, 0:27:21.080 --> 0:27:23.320 you know what I'm saying, and why you're on set 0:27:23.400 --> 0:27:26.280 for me just you know, whether I'm number one on 0:27:26.320 --> 0:27:27.960 the call sheet or not, you know what I'm saying, 0:27:27.960 --> 0:27:30.040 but really just setting the tone of just being nice 0:27:30.040 --> 0:27:32.960 to people. You know, I've always said whether they're below 0:27:33.000 --> 0:27:35.040 the line or above the line, you know, from the 0:27:35.320 --> 0:27:39.119 from the PA to the caterer to craft services, you know, 0:27:39.280 --> 0:27:41.479 just be nice, you know. And I think when you 0:27:41.560 --> 0:27:44.399 set that tone. You know, it just makes everything a 0:27:44.440 --> 0:27:45.199 little bit easier. 0:27:45.240 --> 0:27:47.160 And you never know who, you know. 0:27:47.960 --> 0:27:49.639 Who's watching, who's related to right. 0:27:49.800 --> 0:27:51.320 Who's related to who? You know what I mean. 0:27:51.359 --> 0:27:54.720 I've seen I've seen people go from PA to you know, 0:27:55.119 --> 0:27:57.639 a writer, a PA to a producer, you know what 0:27:57.680 --> 0:28:00.480 I'm saying, director, So you just never know, you know 0:28:00.520 --> 0:28:04.200 what I mean. So I've seen it happen many of times. 0:28:04.480 --> 0:28:07.439 Yeah, all right, Well, what's the next step in this dish? Oh? 0:28:07.600 --> 0:28:09.760 So right now, we're gonna take the fish out and 0:28:09.960 --> 0:28:13.400 then we're gonna cut it and then start you know, plating. 0:28:14.040 --> 0:28:16.439 We gotta also crack these eggs, so we can go 0:28:16.440 --> 0:28:17.480 on and cut those eggs. 0:28:19.040 --> 0:28:20.600 I'll start cracking, yeah. 0:28:20.480 --> 0:28:23.840 For sure, for sure, for sure. So yeah we do that. 0:28:24.000 --> 0:28:29.080 I'll just okay boom, and then we'll cut the eggs up. 0:28:29.760 --> 0:28:32.240 Okay, have an extra knife out here. 0:28:34.520 --> 0:28:37.320 You're gonna look, you're gonna get that hit hit hit 0:28:37.400 --> 0:28:46.360 hit it with that ford Yeah yeah, yeah, absolutely, absolutely, okay, and. 0:28:46.240 --> 0:28:48.400 Then we'll put the salmon on here. 0:28:48.880 --> 0:28:51.120 Cut that up, so then we can just start putting 0:28:51.160 --> 0:28:54.760 the salad on there in our crewtons tomatoes and avocado, 0:28:55.000 --> 0:28:57.800 and then we'll top it off with the balsamic viniagarette. 0:28:58.480 --> 0:29:01.680 I'm gonna call because I feel like I need a 0:29:01.680 --> 0:29:04.120 cold little thing of water to soak these. 0:29:04.280 --> 0:29:09.480 Oh yeah, I was about to say, I'm gonna cut 0:29:09.560 --> 0:29:11.680 Yeah for sure, boom. 0:29:11.160 --> 0:29:14.960 So we'll do this while lie and we'll cut it. 0:29:16.720 --> 0:29:17.479 Where's the night has? 0:29:18.080 --> 0:29:18.360 Right here? 0:29:18.920 --> 0:29:19.800 Right here? Cool? 0:29:20.160 --> 0:29:21.360 I'm gonna use it when you're done. 0:29:21.560 --> 0:29:23.200 Yeah, yeah, way. 0:29:23.040 --> 0:29:24.640 Do you see the way I'm I'm peeling these? 0:29:25.480 --> 0:29:27.200 Come on? You know? 0:29:28.040 --> 0:29:32.320 So after the Baby Boy movement, what happens next? 0:29:32.920 --> 0:29:33.960 After Baby Boy? 0:29:34.400 --> 0:29:37.400 I ended up booking. I ended up booking. When I 0:29:37.440 --> 0:29:40.680 book I ended up booking the mc hammer story. Okay, 0:29:40.880 --> 0:29:44.800 so it's my Romney malcom as mc Hammer and I 0:29:44.920 --> 0:29:46.920 go to I go to Houston. I didn't even go 0:29:47.000 --> 0:29:50.520 to the Baby Boy premiere because I was in Houston 0:29:50.600 --> 0:29:54.120 shooting the mc hammer story. So I literally went from 0:29:54.160 --> 0:29:58.160 one job to the next, which was amazing. Now, on 0:29:58.320 --> 0:30:01.440 Baby Boy, I was John Cton's assistant. 0:30:00.960 --> 0:30:02.600 At first, That's what I was about to ask. 0:30:02.720 --> 0:30:05.680 Yeah, I was John Singleton's assistant at first, and then 0:30:06.560 --> 0:30:08.720 you know, from that point on, you know, he gave 0:30:08.760 --> 0:30:09.280 me a role. 0:30:09.560 --> 0:30:13.560 So I was do dirty, dirty on in Baby boy. 0:30:13.760 --> 0:30:16.640 So I was getting a check as an assistant and 0:30:16.720 --> 0:30:17.880 a check as an actor. 0:30:19.160 --> 0:30:20.120 That looks delicious. 0:30:20.160 --> 0:30:26.840 I'm sorry, Yeah, it's on now, Yeah, it's on. 0:30:26.920 --> 0:30:27.239 It's on. 0:30:27.840 --> 0:30:30.880 Look at he's like diced it up where it looks 0:30:30.920 --> 0:30:32.640 like it's gonna be Are you gonna blend it into 0:30:32.640 --> 0:30:33.080 the salad? 0:30:33.080 --> 0:30:33.160 Like? 0:30:33.200 --> 0:30:33.880 Maybe special? 0:30:34.040 --> 0:30:34.720 Absolutely? 0:30:35.040 --> 0:30:36.320 Let me see your knife. I want I want to 0:30:36.320 --> 0:30:36.800 do something. 0:30:36.880 --> 0:30:40.000 Yeah, you want to be legit? Yeah, So I'm gonna 0:30:40.000 --> 0:30:42.719 take these off, so I think we go ahead? Yeah yeah, 0:30:42.760 --> 0:30:44.680 so yeah, so. 0:30:44.960 --> 0:30:48.160 You know I was getting two checks as an assistant 0:30:48.360 --> 0:30:52.160 and as Yeah, as an assistant and as an actor. 0:30:52.240 --> 0:30:56.120 I yeah, It's always been in me. It's always been 0:30:56.120 --> 0:30:58.760 in me. And I think, like I said before, is 0:30:58.800 --> 0:31:01.600 that you know, with my jobs, I've always taken my 0:31:01.640 --> 0:31:04.760 ego out of it. So and I've actually used being 0:31:04.840 --> 0:31:07.800 on TV and film to my advantage because when I 0:31:07.880 --> 0:31:10.120 go in for the for the interview, they're looking at 0:31:10.120 --> 0:31:13.880 me like, man, you look familiar. And then somebody be like, oh, yeah, 0:31:14.080 --> 0:31:16.160 he's the guy on such and such, and they'd be like, man, 0:31:16.200 --> 0:31:19.120 what are you doing. I'm like, listen, I need a job, 0:31:19.520 --> 0:31:20.080 you know what I mean. 0:31:20.400 --> 0:31:22.360 So it actually helped me as well. 0:31:22.480 --> 0:31:25.160 And you know I always told them sometimes I had to, 0:31:25.320 --> 0:31:28.360 you know, use my acting skills when I had auditions. 0:31:28.360 --> 0:31:30.040 I had to leave on my lunch break. 0:31:30.080 --> 0:31:32.000 And you know, but I say, hey, listen, if you 0:31:32.080 --> 0:31:33.959 let me leave, I'll stay a little bit of extra, 0:31:34.360 --> 0:31:35.640 you know what I'm saying, to make up for the 0:31:35.680 --> 0:31:38.320 time that I had to leave from auditions. So you know, 0:31:39.320 --> 0:31:41.920 like I said, I've you know, I've used it to 0:31:42.000 --> 0:31:46.200 my advantage and it has it has gotten me several jobs. 0:31:46.280 --> 0:31:48.680 Yes, so we'll be hey, you know what, just so 0:31:48.720 --> 0:31:49.920 you know, I've never done this before. 0:31:50.080 --> 0:31:53.120 Really, Okay, you did again with the So this is 0:31:53.160 --> 0:31:57.240 what we'll do. So we'll do we'll do the sell 0:31:57.320 --> 0:32:01.760 it here, right, and this will be your plate, right, okay, 0:32:02.520 --> 0:32:05.240 this will be your plate. And we'll put a couple 0:32:05.320 --> 0:32:06.160 of dice. 0:32:06.080 --> 0:32:09.040 Eggs on here, right, okay, So. 0:32:09.120 --> 0:32:12.160 You can just put a couple up in there. 0:32:13.240 --> 0:32:18.640 Yeah, me too, Okay, and there, okay, there you good, yep, 0:32:18.680 --> 0:32:21.120 you sure, yep, alright, I wanna leave some. 0:32:21.120 --> 0:32:24.080 For you there it is there, it is. So then now. 0:32:25.440 --> 0:32:27.200 Put the avocados. 0:32:26.560 --> 0:32:27.480 Avocado in there here. 0:32:27.560 --> 0:32:29.280 I could do this, I could yeah, yeah, put the 0:32:29.320 --> 0:32:32.800 avocado and your tomatoes and I'll do mine. 0:32:34.920 --> 0:32:38.200 Yeah, this is perfect. Yeah. 0:32:38.320 --> 0:32:41.280 I I was told some of the other day my 0:32:41.400 --> 0:32:43.560 daughter got shot. Okay, I don't want to be that 0:32:43.600 --> 0:32:45.320 mom that always tells the mom stories about have to 0:32:45.320 --> 0:32:47.520 tell you this. And so the doctors are like, yeah, 0:32:47.560 --> 0:32:49.400 she's gonna take you for ice cream, and my daughter 0:32:49.520 --> 0:32:51.000 is like, I don't want ice cream. 0:32:51.520 --> 0:32:54.360 I want cor cor okay. 0:32:54.560 --> 0:32:58.520 And the next day I had offered her cereal and 0:32:58.560 --> 0:33:00.760 I was like, you want, you know, catching crunch or whatever, 0:33:00.840 --> 0:33:04.400 and she goes, no, I want. 0:33:06.960 --> 0:33:07.560 Something right. 0:33:08.600 --> 0:33:10.200 She wants the finder things in life. 0:33:10.880 --> 0:33:12.360 I want to do crew toons just like you. 0:33:12.840 --> 0:33:13.880 All right, there we go. 0:33:14.200 --> 0:33:16.200 Is there anything you look for in these creutons? 0:33:16.480 --> 0:33:17.080 Uh? You know what? 0:33:17.160 --> 0:33:22.240 I usually just get the regular regular regular crewtons butter 0:33:22.360 --> 0:33:23.400 or garlic or whatever. 0:33:24.160 --> 0:33:25.840 You know what I mean's just bread, right, Yeah, that's 0:33:25.880 --> 0:33:29.240 all it is, just a little bread. I'm telling you. 0:33:29.280 --> 0:33:32.320 It's gonna add that to it. Right. 0:33:33.520 --> 0:33:36.800 So now now look at that samon. That thing look amazing. 0:33:36.840 --> 0:33:40.360 I'm on now he bring that plate over, okay, hook 0:33:40.400 --> 0:33:42.880 it up. Boom. 0:33:42.920 --> 0:33:46.680 This looks legit. And you know what, I can see 0:33:46.680 --> 0:33:48.720 where the value would be with the crunch. Oh yeah, 0:33:48.720 --> 0:33:50.080 you mad. 0:33:50.280 --> 0:33:51.000 You see what I'm saying. 0:33:52.120 --> 0:33:58.960 Yeah, so good, come on now, crunch you outside just enough. 0:33:59.680 --> 0:34:02.880 You know, I'm really so excited to eat healthy you 0:34:02.960 --> 0:34:03.360 know what I mean. 0:34:03.440 --> 0:34:05.720 I'm real big on that. I don't like salty stuff. 0:34:05.800 --> 0:34:09.640 So and it's affordable, guys, This is like under probably 0:34:09.760 --> 0:34:12.400 under fifteen bucks. Yeah, and it's really healthy. 0:34:12.880 --> 0:34:15.759 Yeah. And you can look and you can and you 0:34:15.800 --> 0:34:17.320 can go ahead. And you know what I'm saying. 0:34:17.360 --> 0:34:19.880 They don't add cheese to it, though I don't need to. 0:34:20.880 --> 0:34:21.680 Looks beautiful. 0:34:21.680 --> 0:34:24.160 It looks Come on now, look all right. 0:34:24.280 --> 0:34:25.680 Let's see. Let me hook you up. Let me just 0:34:25.680 --> 0:34:26.879 make sure the mic is hooked up. 0:34:26.960 --> 0:34:27.319 All right? 0:34:27.520 --> 0:34:27.680 Here? 0:34:27.760 --> 0:34:29.280 Fix your chair? Is your chair comfortable? 0:34:29.360 --> 0:34:30.839 Yeah? Yeah, we did good. 0:34:31.120 --> 0:34:31.640 Here we go. 0:34:31.719 --> 0:34:33.200 All right, hold on, let me do a little prayer. 0:34:33.200 --> 0:34:34.560 Thank you for the food, but you see for the 0:34:34.640 --> 0:34:37.239 national Rabbi bodies blessing hands, prepare food and we. 0:34:37.160 --> 0:34:39.040 Pray, Amen, thank you Jesus. 0:34:39.440 --> 0:34:40.560 Letting him make it short pray. 0:34:40.719 --> 0:34:43.160 Indeed, a man short prayer. 0:34:45.520 --> 0:34:51.600 Mhm, career right, I'm not gonna lie. 0:34:51.600 --> 0:34:53.960 I was concerned because the crust on the salmon was 0:34:54.000 --> 0:34:56.399 like so like barbecuous. 0:34:57.480 --> 0:34:58.280 It is perfect. 0:34:58.560 --> 0:35:08.960 Yeah mm hmm season not too salty. The skin sets 0:35:09.000 --> 0:35:09.560 it off too. 0:35:09.640 --> 0:35:17.719 I gotta show you, right, yeah, cooreem Yeah, Okay, who 0:35:17.760 --> 0:35:18.759 you cooking for at home? 0:35:19.360 --> 0:35:23.480 You know? Listen who you cooking for at home? And 0:35:23.560 --> 0:35:25.440 here's the crazy thing. I'm not really a cook like 0:35:25.480 --> 0:35:28.360 that cause I'm so much on the go. 0:35:30.560 --> 0:35:33.960 I would not give up this dish ever, Right, this 0:35:34.000 --> 0:35:36.960 is amazing, right, I really like the way you cook 0:35:37.040 --> 0:35:37.480 the salmon. 0:35:38.560 --> 0:35:40.080 I never cooked the salmon. 0:35:39.760 --> 0:35:43.120 Like this, got too man pan ser. 0:35:44.400 --> 0:35:48.040 What you did really high heat? 0:35:49.880 --> 0:35:51.000 Don't take that long either. 0:35:51.680 --> 0:35:54.799 It didn't take that long. But the way you did 0:35:54.840 --> 0:35:56.360 the outside of the salmon. 0:35:57.800 --> 0:35:58.160 Nailed it. 0:35:58.600 --> 0:36:05.120 Yeah, stop avoiding the question who you cooking for at home? Hilarious, 0:36:06.239 --> 0:36:07.240 I'm cooking for the women. 0:36:08.280 --> 0:36:11.520 Listen, I cook. No, I'm not, I'm not. 0:36:11.600 --> 0:36:14.799 The thing is that I'm not really a cook, like 0:36:14.880 --> 0:36:17.560 I'm saying. You got me on here cooking. 0:36:19.239 --> 0:36:21.080 So you mean to tell me when was the last 0:36:21.120 --> 0:36:22.120 time you cook for yourself? 0:36:29.480 --> 0:36:29.839 Did they? 0:36:31.120 --> 0:36:31.640 What'd you make? 0:36:32.760 --> 0:36:34.000 I sam a salad? 0:36:35.000 --> 0:36:39.080 I mean, besides its meal? This is delicious. You gotta 0:36:39.080 --> 0:36:41.000 met you don't you want to eat this? 0:36:41.320 --> 0:36:41.560 You? Ever? 0:36:41.800 --> 0:36:43.600 Sometimes I do the interview and the food's really good, 0:36:43.719 --> 0:36:45.640 but like we needn't take a food break to just 0:36:45.800 --> 0:36:47.000 eat it's good. 0:36:47.080 --> 0:36:47.160 Right. 0:36:47.280 --> 0:36:50.600 Let me tell you something, man, this is it's very 0:36:50.680 --> 0:36:53.799 humbling that you are enjoying this salad as much as 0:36:53.800 --> 0:36:55.240 I am. 0:36:55.080 --> 0:36:56.040 I really is. 0:36:56.160 --> 0:37:00.080 Thank you and I And this is the thing you 0:37:00.080 --> 0:37:02.360 gotta remember, guys about trying new things, like sometimes you 0:37:02.400 --> 0:37:05.440 can have a bias like I was like, oh I 0:37:05.480 --> 0:37:08.520 hate kutons. I hate kutons, But trying it like this 0:37:09.560 --> 0:37:10.600 it makes sense. 0:37:12.880 --> 0:37:16.520 Absolutely. You knowee what I'm saying. 0:37:16.560 --> 0:37:20.680 Because you said it's smoky, I'm like, don't worry about it. 0:37:20.680 --> 0:37:22.200 It's gonna be all. It's gonna be right. 0:37:22.360 --> 0:37:25.400 Yeah, guys, I love that you added avocado and tomatoes 0:37:25.440 --> 0:37:30.280 and you made sure to add all these special ingredients 0:37:30.280 --> 0:37:33.719 because it makes it go from an affordable dish to 0:37:33.840 --> 0:37:35.720 like affordable but like fancy. 0:37:36.000 --> 0:37:37.440 Right man. 0:37:37.680 --> 0:37:40.600 You know this is like I said, if you are 0:37:40.680 --> 0:37:44.600 cooking for somebody, you give them a little bit of 0:37:44.800 --> 0:37:46.880 just not a plain salad, but it you know, it 0:37:46.920 --> 0:37:49.680 definitely elevates the experience. 0:37:51.239 --> 0:37:52.000 See this, You know that. 0:37:53.760 --> 0:37:57.120 Shouldn't be like all rape, you ain't never cooked for me. 0:37:57.560 --> 0:37:59.200 Some people are gonna be like, yep, I've had that 0:37:59.280 --> 0:38:07.080 salad before. I love it. 0:38:07.680 --> 0:38:09.640 That's all I wanted. I had to try like ten 0:38:09.680 --> 0:38:10.800 different ways. 0:38:11.040 --> 0:38:12.600 It's good, Okay, it's good. 0:38:13.960 --> 0:38:17.760 All right, career, Now let's get back into your story. Yeah, 0:38:18.400 --> 0:38:20.880 it'll be fully true. And during this whole story, I'm sorry. 0:38:21.200 --> 0:38:25.279 Good alright, after baby boy, yeah you do? What was 0:38:25.320 --> 0:38:28.319 the done imc hammer story? 0:38:28.480 --> 0:38:28.640 Yeah? 0:38:29.200 --> 0:38:31.160 Then from there what happens. 0:38:31.080 --> 0:38:35.319 Mc hammer story. That's when I made a lot of 0:38:35.320 --> 0:38:36.719 money and I blew it. 0:38:38.480 --> 0:38:42.920 I blew it. What just buying stuff? You know what 0:38:42.960 --> 0:38:45.080 I mean? Really didn't have nothing to show for it. 0:38:45.120 --> 0:38:47.360 Afterwards that happens. 0:38:47.680 --> 0:38:50.359 Yeah, but that was a lesson that I learned. And 0:38:50.480 --> 0:38:53.120 from that point on, I was just like, I'll never 0:38:53.840 --> 0:38:56.560 I'll never be in this situation again. But after the 0:38:56.680 --> 0:38:59.320 mc hammer story, you know, of course, you know, you 0:38:59.440 --> 0:39:03.319 work in those jobs, you know, until you get the 0:39:03.360 --> 0:39:03.960 next gig. 0:39:04.719 --> 0:39:05.680 Oh you went back to work. 0:39:05.760 --> 0:39:09.480 Yeah, I started doing a brand ambassador work. 0:39:09.600 --> 0:39:11.000 And what does that entail. 0:39:11.560 --> 0:39:12.760 Brand ambassador work? 0:39:13.120 --> 0:39:18.480 Is there's a product or yeah, there's a product, and 0:39:19.520 --> 0:39:23.640 you know you are hired to promote and talk about 0:39:23.640 --> 0:39:24.680 that product. 0:39:25.000 --> 0:39:27.759 You know, whether you're at a convention, whether you're at 0:39:27.960 --> 0:39:31.040 a like a store, a store, a grocery store. 0:39:31.680 --> 0:39:35.279 I wanna say, my first brand ambassador job was with 0:39:36.120 --> 0:39:39.480 Cisco UNI. And when I say, it was one of 0:39:39.520 --> 0:39:43.160 those jobs to where it was like, I can't believe 0:39:43.160 --> 0:39:44.319 I'm getting paid this much. 0:39:45.400 --> 0:39:47.120 So I was about to ask you, was it a 0:39:47.160 --> 0:39:48.120 l a little bit of bang? 0:39:48.320 --> 0:39:54.440 Listen? I was getting paid twenty five dollars an hour. Okay, 0:39:54.760 --> 0:39:55.680 this is maybe. 0:39:57.080 --> 0:40:01.240 Two thousand, two thousand, one, two thousand, yeah, two thousand 0:40:01.239 --> 0:40:05.040 and two three for one of those twenty five bucks 0:40:05.080 --> 0:40:07.000 an hour to sit in a room. 0:40:07.080 --> 0:40:07.279 Right. 0:40:08.840 --> 0:40:12.279 At that time, Cisco had a TV, a big T 0:40:12.360 --> 0:40:15.680 big screen TV with a camera, so you were able 0:40:15.760 --> 0:40:18.840 it was FaceTime before FaceTime, okay, so you were able 0:40:18.920 --> 0:40:24.239 to contact people with your UH with this camera on 0:40:24.239 --> 0:40:26.399 top of your TV and talk to 'em. So they 0:40:26.480 --> 0:40:31.160 had these set up in uh like four different malls Dallas, 0:40:32.160 --> 0:40:35.799 I think, a Minneapolis, the Mall of America, where else 0:40:35.840 --> 0:40:38.840 I think Atlanta or somewhere. And we were in a 0:40:38.920 --> 0:40:40.680 room they had I think it was four or five 0:40:40.719 --> 0:40:44.920 of us in each room, a couch and a TV. 0:40:45.160 --> 0:40:48.839 As just as I'm looking at this camera right, and 0:40:49.840 --> 0:40:52.080 people were in the mall and they had ambassadors over 0:40:52.080 --> 0:40:55.840 there to say, hey, try this out, and they would 0:40:55.880 --> 0:40:59.040 sit and see me and we would play games Tic 0:40:59.120 --> 0:41:01.080 Tac toe, hang man. 0:41:01.360 --> 0:41:02.440 And you were getting paid to do this. 0:41:02.880 --> 0:41:03.240 Listen. 0:41:03.320 --> 0:41:07.440 We were working eight hours a day and sometimes, you know, 0:41:07.640 --> 0:41:10.320 you may see four or five people within those eight hours. 0:41:11.080 --> 0:41:16.400 So I'm on a computer, I'm you know, I'm studying lines, auditions, 0:41:17.040 --> 0:41:19.959 the whole nine And it was just one of those 0:41:20.040 --> 0:41:22.720 jobs to where it was just like, I can't believe 0:41:22.840 --> 0:41:26.239 that I'm getting paid this much to sit down and 0:41:26.320 --> 0:41:29.240 talk to people randomly in in the malls. 0:41:29.880 --> 0:41:34.520 Now this is after MC hammer though, right, Yeah, So 0:41:34.560 --> 0:41:36.160 how long did the mc hammer money? 0:41:36.280 --> 0:41:37.680 The big check last year? 0:41:38.840 --> 0:41:41.360 It didn't last that long. It didn't last that long. 0:41:41.239 --> 0:41:44.640 Cause I was I was up at the galleria balling, 0:41:45.400 --> 0:41:49.359 you know what I'm saying, Gucci, Gucci glasses, you. 0:41:49.320 --> 0:41:50.720 Know what I mean, just buying stuff. 0:41:50.840 --> 0:41:53.160 And like I said, when I got back, it was 0:41:53.200 --> 0:41:55.439 like I didn't really have anything to show for it, yeah, 0:41:55.600 --> 0:41:57.560 you know what I mean. And it was just like, alright, 0:41:58.040 --> 0:41:59.800 can't l can't let this happen again. 0:42:00.440 --> 0:42:02.240 So when's your next big break? 0:42:02.280 --> 0:42:02.839 After that? 0:42:03.200 --> 0:42:03.719 Oh? Man? 0:42:03.760 --> 0:42:07.520 I think it was like a couple of maybe a 0:42:07.520 --> 0:42:10.000 couple of months to a year. You know, I book 0:42:10.040 --> 0:42:12.919 a TV show here and there, commercial here and there, 0:42:13.680 --> 0:42:15.600 and then you know, it was always back to work 0:42:15.600 --> 0:42:17.840 because it was my career was a slow grind. 0:42:17.880 --> 0:42:20.839 It was nothing consistent. Yeah, you know what I mean. 0:42:20.960 --> 0:42:23.000 So it was just like book a job, all right, 0:42:23.120 --> 0:42:24.920 back to work, book a job, back to work. 0:42:25.440 --> 0:42:27.640 And you start looking at that money is like bonus 0:42:27.680 --> 0:42:31.279 money instead of like like your acting money. Did you 0:42:31.280 --> 0:42:31.960 start looking at. 0:42:31.920 --> 0:42:32.480 It as like. 0:42:34.080 --> 0:42:38.080 The acting money was yes, like extra money. The acting 0:42:38.120 --> 0:42:40.759 money was big lump sum. Let me put that in 0:42:40.800 --> 0:42:44.640 the bank. Okay, let me work these nine. 0:42:44.400 --> 0:42:45.880 To fives to pay the bills. 0:42:45.960 --> 0:42:48.920 Yeah yeah, and then whatever I have left, let me 0:42:49.000 --> 0:42:52.960 stack that on top of the acting money, you know 0:42:53.000 --> 0:42:55.480 what I mean. Yeah, so you know, helping helping my 0:42:55.520 --> 0:42:58.719 mom out, you know, getting a car, paying insurance, you know, 0:42:58.800 --> 0:43:00.800 all that, all the grown up stuf, you know what 0:43:00.840 --> 0:43:04.200 I mean. But it was always the acting money sits 0:43:04.200 --> 0:43:04.880 in the bank. 0:43:05.160 --> 0:43:06.799 There's nine to five money is. 0:43:06.760 --> 0:43:09.080 To pay the bills, but also add on to what 0:43:09.400 --> 0:43:11.320 I stacked up from the acting exactly. 0:43:11.600 --> 0:43:17.040 Okay, so what's your next big gig that's more stable. 0:43:19.360 --> 0:43:19.879 From there? 0:43:20.280 --> 0:43:23.680 I think it was, Oh, it was either Shield and 0:43:23.760 --> 0:43:28.320 The Shield. I audition for that show seventeen times, audition 0:43:28.440 --> 0:43:31.440 for the Shield seventeen times, the seventeenth time, I end 0:43:31.560 --> 0:43:34.200 up getting it, and I end up doing three seasons. 0:43:34.320 --> 0:43:38.520 Now it's not consistent. I'm just a reoccurring Yeah, you 0:43:38.560 --> 0:43:40.239 know what I mean. You know, I'm able to. 0:43:41.360 --> 0:43:44.120 I don't get it. You're saying it's not consistent, but reoccurring. 0:43:44.280 --> 0:43:46.160 Yeah, so I wasn't a series regular. 0:43:46.520 --> 0:43:50.719 So out of they maybe had thirteen or twenty episodes, 0:43:50.760 --> 0:43:54.200 I maybe did you know, maybe two or three in 0:43:54.200 --> 0:43:57.240 that season, you know what I mean. So it wasn't, 0:43:57.280 --> 0:43:58.520 like I said, it wasn't consistent. 0:43:58.600 --> 0:44:01.359 Yeah, you know. So once it and I'm back on 0:44:01.360 --> 0:44:02.800 my grind, it really. 0:44:02.640 --> 0:44:05.160 Wasn't the the the big the big show that really 0:44:06.000 --> 0:44:07.640 did it for me was All American. 0:44:08.560 --> 0:44:10.279 All American was freaking huge, you. 0:44:10.200 --> 0:44:10.800 Know what I'm saying. 0:44:11.080 --> 0:44:14.120 And All American I ended up booking that and I 0:44:14.160 --> 0:44:16.640 was only supposed to do two episodes on All American? 0:44:17.440 --> 0:44:18.520 How did that evolve? 0:44:20.040 --> 0:44:20.560 They loved? 0:44:21.080 --> 0:44:25.560 So here's here here's a fun fact. The showrunner for 0:44:25.640 --> 0:44:29.799 All American NK and catch I did her first uh 0:44:29.920 --> 0:44:32.480 script that she wrote for television, which was a show called. 0:44:32.320 --> 0:44:36.600 Bones okay, and I remember that sh yeah okay. 0:44:36.560 --> 0:44:39.560 And that was her first script, and I played a 0:44:39.600 --> 0:44:42.319 young man from Sierra Leon who was a amputee who 0:44:42.400 --> 0:44:43.520 was accused. 0:44:43.040 --> 0:44:44.360 Of murdering his best friend. 0:44:45.160 --> 0:44:48.359 And on that show probably the most money I made 0:44:49.760 --> 0:44:54.960 as a guest star, okay, because the actors, the main actors, Brandon, 0:44:55.680 --> 0:44:56.680 they kept getting sick. 0:44:56.960 --> 0:44:59.359 Okay, it was flu season, Okay. 0:44:59.200 --> 0:45:02.840 So I think I that particular episode took almost like 0:45:02.880 --> 0:45:07.160 a month to make, when usually episodes take seven to 0:45:07.200 --> 0:45:07.680 eight days. 0:45:07.719 --> 0:45:09.839 Yeah, so that's probably the most money I made. 0:45:09.880 --> 0:45:12.600 But we were able to have a great relationship from 0:45:12.600 --> 0:45:17.399 there showing up doing the work and then you know, boom. 0:45:17.440 --> 0:45:19.880 And then also the show The Shield that auditioned for 0:45:19.960 --> 0:45:25.360 seventeen times. The Cold showrunner Jamie Turner was a story 0:45:25.480 --> 0:45:29.040 editor on that show, Okay, And we connected cause it 0:45:29.120 --> 0:45:31.640 wasn't like I said, it wasn't any wasn't I mean 0:45:31.680 --> 0:45:34.319 melenated people in those rooms got it. So me and 0:45:34.400 --> 0:45:37.960 him connected, and here you have those two individuals now 0:45:38.680 --> 0:45:40.040 on all American. 0:45:39.719 --> 0:45:41.000 Geez, you know what I mean? 0:45:41.280 --> 0:45:45.360 And I you know, I'm only supposed to do two episodes, 0:45:45.560 --> 0:45:49.080 and you know, n K the showrunner, which never happens, 0:45:49.080 --> 0:45:51.520 but because of the relationship, calls me. It is like, hey, 0:45:51.600 --> 0:45:55.080 I don't know if you got the season finale script, 0:45:55.360 --> 0:45:58.640 but you get shot, you know, and as an actor, 0:45:58.680 --> 0:46:01.919 you're like, okay, thank you for thank you for the opportunity. 0:46:02.000 --> 0:46:04.840 But she was like, hey, you don't die. We planning 0:46:04.840 --> 0:46:06.120 on keeping you around for a while. 0:46:06.280 --> 0:46:07.360 Holy cow. 0:46:07.480 --> 0:46:08.520 And did you smile? 0:46:09.239 --> 0:46:10.960 I mean yeah, it was just like, you know, hey, 0:46:11.000 --> 0:46:14.040 I have you know, I have another opportunity for work. Yeah, 0:46:14.080 --> 0:46:17.879 and you know, those words rang true. And I've been 0:46:17.920 --> 0:46:22.000 on that show for seven seasons incredible, and we just 0:46:22.000 --> 0:46:24.640 got a renewed for eighth, so we start back for 0:46:24.840 --> 0:46:28.879 season eight, uh pretty soon. So you know that by 0:46:28.960 --> 0:46:35.080 far consistent. And it wasn't until season three that I 0:46:35.160 --> 0:46:38.080 was able to let my jobs go. So working on 0:46:38.200 --> 0:46:42.479 All American, I was working three jobs. I was working 0:46:42.520 --> 0:46:46.200 with Google, I was working with this company called test Loop, 0:46:46.320 --> 0:46:50.160 and Samsung, which is crazy, all doing brand ambassador, doing 0:46:50.200 --> 0:46:56.880 brand ambassador work while on All American and and I 0:46:57.000 --> 0:47:01.920 was also moonlighting as a talent wrangler. 0:47:01.640 --> 0:47:03.920 For a Master Chef. 0:47:05.080 --> 0:47:05.879 Oh I love that show. 0:47:05.960 --> 0:47:08.279 Yeah okay, And so we shot it around here. So 0:47:08.560 --> 0:47:13.800 when I wasn't working on set. I was a talent 0:47:13.840 --> 0:47:16.040 wrangler for a master chef. So big shout out to 0:47:16.080 --> 0:47:18.799 Desi because she always gave me a job. 0:47:19.400 --> 0:47:22.440 And then did did your co stars also know that 0:47:22.480 --> 0:47:24.439 you were also hustling other jobs? 0:47:24.520 --> 0:47:25.040 Oh for sure? 0:47:25.560 --> 0:47:27.719 For sure, Like I wasn't afraid to talk about it, 0:47:27.960 --> 0:47:30.440 you know what I mean. But also tools me just 0:47:30.480 --> 0:47:34.439 in stealing wisdom on you know, instelling wisdom to them 0:47:34.480 --> 0:47:36.600 as well. Yeah, to let them know my journey. Yeah, 0:47:36.600 --> 0:47:38.759 you know what I mean. And so really I had 0:47:38.760 --> 0:47:42.000 four jobs. So I was working as a talent wrangler, 0:47:42.120 --> 0:47:45.960 and I was working graveyard, so I did overnights. So 0:47:46.000 --> 0:47:49.160 what it was is I would go to the hotel, yeah, 0:47:49.160 --> 0:47:52.440 where the contestants were six o'clock at night, and I 0:47:52.440 --> 0:47:56.560 would stay until six seven in the morning geez. 0:47:57.000 --> 0:47:58.480 So therefore I can. 0:47:58.320 --> 0:48:00.440 Be able to have the rest of my day to 0:48:00.480 --> 0:48:02.280 be able to audition or if I had. 0:48:02.200 --> 0:48:04.280 To do Brandon bassa work. 0:48:04.120 --> 0:48:06.160 I was able to do that in addition to shooting 0:48:06.520 --> 0:48:07.360 aditional shooting. 0:48:07.400 --> 0:48:09.839 Now, when you decide to pull the trigger on going 0:48:09.920 --> 0:48:14.320 one hundred percent acting season three, how does that feel 0:48:14.360 --> 0:48:16.080 and what makes you finally pull the trigger? 0:48:16.320 --> 0:48:18.160 Well, I it was always one hundred percent. 0:48:18.360 --> 0:48:23.160 It was just now, I mean they were they were saying, hey, 0:48:23.560 --> 0:48:26.160 we wanna be able to take your storyline and this 0:48:26.239 --> 0:48:27.040 is what we're going with. 0:48:27.239 --> 0:48:27.439 Yeah. 0:48:27.680 --> 0:48:30.600 So then it was just like, oh, okay, well now 0:48:30.760 --> 0:48:34.040 we're giving you a guaranteed six seven episodes. 0:48:34.120 --> 0:48:34.640 Yeah. 0:48:34.640 --> 0:48:37.280 So it was just like okay and more money. Cool. 0:48:37.760 --> 0:48:42.080 So now I was able to leave those jobs. But 0:48:42.320 --> 0:48:45.000 knowing me, because the hustle was always in me, so 0:48:45.680 --> 0:48:49.120 the shooting schedule, if I wasn't on the episode, I'd 0:48:49.160 --> 0:48:51.400 be like, yo, I'm available for X amount of days. 0:48:51.480 --> 0:48:51.840 Yeah. 0:48:51.880 --> 0:48:54.840 So it was always I always was working. Let's just 0:48:54.880 --> 0:48:56.400 put it like that. If it wasn't in front of 0:48:56.440 --> 0:48:58.399 the camera, I was working a regular nine to five 0:48:58.840 --> 0:48:59.359 you know what I mean. 0:49:00.280 --> 0:49:03.359 Now that you're stable, and what about the Vince Staple Show. 0:49:03.600 --> 0:49:11.240 Yeah, so the Vince Staple Show comes around season six six, 0:49:11.360 --> 0:49:14.600 season five or season six, Yeah, I get that, and 0:49:15.080 --> 0:49:18.800 you know, auditioned for it and I didn't get the apart, 0:49:18.920 --> 0:49:20.319 but they offered me a role. 0:49:20.480 --> 0:49:23.280 They said, hey, you mind playing the uncle, and I. 0:49:23.120 --> 0:49:26.600 Was just like absolutely yeah, And you know, find myself 0:49:26.640 --> 0:49:29.960 on set and you know the relationship I have with 0:49:30.040 --> 0:49:32.480 Vince goes back to a good friend of mine by 0:49:32.480 --> 0:49:35.360 the name of cal Mattick, a director who was directing 0:49:35.400 --> 0:49:38.160 a lot of Vince Staples videos. So that's how I 0:49:38.200 --> 0:49:41.120 was able to meet Vince Staples prior to being on 0:49:41.160 --> 0:49:44.319 the Vince Staple Show. Okay, so you know, we do 0:49:44.400 --> 0:49:47.440 The Vin Staple Show, and you know, I have some 0:49:47.520 --> 0:49:49.880 memorable lines cause they let me do my thing, and 0:49:50.600 --> 0:49:54.200 you know, that show does very well, and we get 0:49:54.239 --> 0:49:56.560 a second season, you know what I mean. So now 0:49:56.760 --> 0:49:59.560 I have two shows. Yeah, you know, so we just 0:49:59.600 --> 0:50:03.360 finished season two, So Vince Staples Show will be out soon, 0:50:03.520 --> 0:50:07.680 hopefully by fall. Yeah, and then I'll be shooting season 0:50:07.719 --> 0:50:09.000 eight of All American. 0:50:09.320 --> 0:50:10.280 Yeah. 0:50:10.320 --> 0:50:11.759 One of the things that I like is when I 0:50:11.800 --> 0:50:15.439 approached you, you're very approachable, you know, and I think 0:50:16.280 --> 0:50:18.160 as a woman, I think when you approach guys, you 0:50:18.160 --> 0:50:19.280 never know how it's gonna. 0:50:19.080 --> 0:50:21.280 Go, especially in this game hilarious. 0:50:21.440 --> 0:50:23.840 But one of the things that sticks out to me 0:50:23.880 --> 0:50:27.000 in this whole interview, which I personally struggle with, is ego. 0:50:27.760 --> 0:50:30.759 And I just don't know how you're able to it 0:50:30.840 --> 0:50:34.320 just seems like the entire your entire life, w ego 0:50:34.560 --> 0:50:37.840 was always checked absolutely. 0:50:37.239 --> 0:50:40.480 Do you know where that is rooted from. 0:50:40.719 --> 0:50:41.399 I think just. 0:50:43.080 --> 0:50:45.880 Like I said, I've had examples, you know, of just 0:50:45.920 --> 0:50:49.080 being in this business and how people are treated, you know, 0:50:49.760 --> 0:50:52.840 because you're on TV and you know things that nature 0:50:52.840 --> 0:50:55.279 and and just my regular jobs is just like you know, 0:50:56.280 --> 0:50:58.120 I put on my pants just like you. It's just 0:50:58.160 --> 0:51:00.520 so I just happen to be on TV, yeah, you know, 0:51:00.840 --> 0:51:03.000 and just raised and brought up to just treat people 0:51:03.040 --> 0:51:05.680 with respect and just simply being nice. Yeah, And I 0:51:05.680 --> 0:51:08.400 think that's just what carried me through, you know, my 0:51:08.440 --> 0:51:11.160 younger years and to my adult years and then you know, 0:51:11.239 --> 0:51:14.280 I think that helps career wise. 0:51:14.320 --> 0:51:16.560 Nobody wants to work with a asshole. Nope, you know 0:51:16.600 --> 0:51:18.760 what I mean. So for me, it's just it doesn't 0:51:18.760 --> 0:51:20.000 cost anything to be nice. 0:51:20.320 --> 0:51:20.760 Yeah. 0:51:21.120 --> 0:51:22.160 So that's just how it is. Man. 0:51:22.160 --> 0:51:25.439 I'm I'm blessed. I'm doing what I love. So when 0:51:25.520 --> 0:51:28.480 you are living in your purpose, why you gotta be angry, 0:51:28.600 --> 0:51:30.880 Why you gotta be a jackass? Why you gotta be 0:51:31.200 --> 0:51:34.520 uh you know, stuck up? Yeah, you're I I literally 0:51:34.800 --> 0:51:37.720 asked for this. I literally wrote on my vision board 0:51:37.760 --> 0:51:39.840 in two thousand thirteen that I wanted to be on 0:51:39.880 --> 0:51:43.280 a hit TV show. I wasn't specific, but I literally 0:51:43.360 --> 0:51:45.520 said I wanted to be on a hit TV show 0:51:45.840 --> 0:51:47.320 and it happened. 0:51:47.440 --> 0:51:48.040 It happened. 0:51:48.239 --> 0:51:51.400 So what do I need to be, you know, angry for? 0:51:51.560 --> 0:51:53.760 And I've went through the I've went through the process. 0:51:53.880 --> 0:51:54.920 I went through the grind. 0:51:55.120 --> 0:51:55.480 Yeah. 0:51:55.560 --> 0:51:58.600 So when you're when you worked jobs that you really 0:51:58.600 --> 0:52:01.680 didn't wanna be at. Yah, And and I'm visualizing being 0:52:01.719 --> 0:52:04.319 on set and doing what I love, and then once 0:52:04.360 --> 0:52:09.000 you get that opportunity, why God be angry. I'm grateful. 0:52:09.560 --> 0:52:13.440 I'm blessed, you know what I mean. So I'm excited, 0:52:13.800 --> 0:52:15.160 you know what I'm saying, just to be able to 0:52:15.160 --> 0:52:18.080 be in a place, in a space to do what 0:52:18.120 --> 0:52:20.359 I love, you know what I mean. So that's what 0:52:20.400 --> 0:52:22.600 it's always been for me. So that's one of my 0:52:22.640 --> 0:52:25.919 happiest places is really just you know, being on set 0:52:26.000 --> 0:52:26.600 doing what I love. 0:52:27.000 --> 0:52:28.560 Yeah, I love it. 0:52:29.200 --> 0:52:30.160 You cook amazingly. 0:52:30.560 --> 0:52:31.239 Oh thank you. 0:52:31.600 --> 0:52:36.040 My family, my family and friends will be like, yeah right, dude, 0:52:36.120 --> 0:52:36.720 don't cook. 0:52:37.040 --> 0:52:38.439 No, you cooked really good. 0:52:38.480 --> 0:52:40.759 And he told me a lesson about searing salmon in 0:52:40.800 --> 0:52:44.160 a pan high heat, not that long, not that long. 0:52:44.400 --> 0:52:45.759 Definitely have a smoke or mask on. 0:52:46.000 --> 0:52:51.040 Ye look usually have a stove with a fan. 0:52:51.800 --> 0:52:54.680 Yeah, so it wouldn't be as bad. But we're on 0:52:54.719 --> 0:52:57.399 a set, So thank you so much for coming by. 0:52:57.520 --> 0:52:59.880 Where can everybody keep up with everything Korean? 0:53:01.480 --> 0:53:11.279 You can say Korean grimes on all platforms Instagram, tik top, Facebook, Snapchat, 0:53:12.200 --> 0:53:15.520 spiel whatever it is all all Korean grimes. 0:53:16.120 --> 0:53:16.520 Talk to me. 0:53:16.600 --> 0:53:18.680 I talked back A A R E E M j 0:53:18.880 --> 0:53:22.320 R I M k R E E M g R 0:53:22.520 --> 0:53:23.439 I M E S. 0:53:24.239 --> 0:53:26.360 You're ready for season eight of All American? 0:53:26.560 --> 0:53:27.279 Yeah? 0:53:27.440 --> 0:53:29.919 Also season two of the Van Staples Show. 0:53:30.080 --> 0:53:34.399 Uncle Mike is back and this season two is funnier 0:53:34.440 --> 0:53:37.600 than season one. And yeah, just also have a short 0:53:37.640 --> 0:53:41.920 film called Soul of the City a Joy Brunson, amazing actress, 0:53:42.280 --> 0:53:46.960 Mark Prince, myself rector, a bio, Roger uh Roger Melvin. 0:53:47.120 --> 0:53:48.640 So that's it, you know what I mean? 0:53:48.760 --> 0:53:50.680 And then before we sign out, is there any piece 0:53:50.680 --> 0:53:52.840 of advice you give to anybody else out there in 0:53:52.840 --> 0:53:53.480 the game coming up? 0:53:53.560 --> 0:53:53.759 Yeah? 0:53:53.760 --> 0:53:57.040 For sure, I think you know, you gotta make daily deposits, 0:53:57.680 --> 0:54:00.680 you know, daily deposits and whatever that you whatever it 0:54:00.719 --> 0:54:02.840 is that you want to do in life. Once you 0:54:02.880 --> 0:54:05.600 make those daily deposits, you know your return will be 0:54:05.600 --> 0:54:08.560 great because each and every day you're doing something towards 0:54:08.880 --> 0:54:11.960 your goal of whatever it is in life. And you know, 0:54:12.120 --> 0:54:14.640 just being in the business, you know, enjoy the process, 0:54:15.320 --> 0:54:19.560 don't cheat it, treat it with respect, and just simply 0:54:19.560 --> 0:54:20.040 be nice. 0:54:21.080 --> 0:54:23.279 Yeah, it simply be nice. 0:54:24.160 --> 0:54:26.759 And guys, don't forget you can eat healthy while being broke. 0:54:26.960 --> 0:54:34.399 Absolutely no, there's no excuses. 0:54:34.600 --> 0:54:36.719 All right, guys, Thanks for tuning in. Peace out 0:54:41.840 --> 0:54:45.080 For more eating while broke from iHeartRadio and The Black Effect, 0:54:45.239 --> 0:54:48.759 Visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you listen 0:54:48.840 --> 0:54:50.000 to your favorite shows.