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Speaker 1: I felt like, either I'm going to find out now

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Speaker 1: or I'm not going to find out. But it's I

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Speaker 1: call it the American Idol audition where they go but

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Speaker 1: my mom says, I'm really good, you know that type

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Speaker 1: of vibe, and I'm like, am I that guy? Like

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Speaker 1: if no one's telling me or I don't know? Hi,

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Speaker 1: my name is Alex Panovic and I am legend with

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Speaker 1: the legend. Hi.

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Speaker 2: Everybody, welcome. I'm so happy to have you join me

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Speaker 2: here in the land of Off the Beat. This is

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Speaker 2: your host, Brian Baumgartner, my guest today. Well, let's just

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Speaker 2: say he could totally beat you up and he could

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Speaker 2: beat me up as well, but he's a supremely nice guy,

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Speaker 2: so don't worry. I think that we're all safe. Yes,

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Speaker 2: my guest Alex Ponovic, who you know for his fantastic

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Speaker 2: acting career, but also he is a former amateur boxing

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Speaker 2: champion and he comes from a long, long line of

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Speaker 2: champion fighters, so don't cross him or anyone in his family.

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Speaker 2: You may have seen him in Van Helsing, fou Bar,

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Speaker 2: Zero Tolerance, Snow Piercer, and of course, my friend Dwight's

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Speaker 2: favorite show, Battlestar Galactica. Did I mention that Alex is

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Speaker 2: also in a heavy metal band? Yeah, so he really

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Speaker 2: would be Dwight's favorite. Now that I've gotten to know him,

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Speaker 2: guess what, He's becoming one of my favorite as well.

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Speaker 2: Here he is, the powerful, the talented, the badass Alex Ponovic.

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Speaker 3: Bubbolin, squeak, I love it, Bubble and squeak, Bubble and squeaker.

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Speaker 3: Cook get every moleft over from the night before.

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Speaker 2: What's up, Alex? Hey man, how are you.

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Speaker 1: I'm doing great? How are you?

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Speaker 2: Oh you know, I can't complain, No one would care anyway,

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Speaker 2: So why why do that?

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Speaker 1: Listen? You probably don't remember, but I met you with

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Speaker 1: Caroline Ray at the Sutton in Vancouver.

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Speaker 2: Oh yes, yeah, yeah, I do remember. Yeah, that has

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Speaker 2: been a really long time ago.

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Speaker 1: Yeah that that that was easily three four, maybe four

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Speaker 1: years ago.

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Speaker 2: Oh I think it may even go back further than that.

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Speaker 1: It could it could.

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Speaker 2: Well, how's it good to see you again?

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Speaker 1: Man, Good to see you. I'm I'm stoked to talk

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Speaker 1: to you. This is uh, this is exciting. I've been

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Speaker 1: a fan of yours for a while.

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Speaker 2: My man, Oh well, that's too kind. I am fascinated

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Speaker 2: by your history and your life as well. I mean

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Speaker 2: it is worth noting you're showing the guns here today

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Speaker 2: early uh early early in the morning. I understand you

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Speaker 2: your grandfather, your dad, your uncle. That's right, we're all

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Speaker 2: boxers and you you dabbled in it a little bit

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Speaker 2: as well, right.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I did. Uh well. I I've always had it

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Speaker 1: in my life because of my family being such boxers,

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Speaker 1: so growing up and getting in front of the TV

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Speaker 1: to watch old Ali or actually live Ali fights at

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Speaker 1: ABC where it would be like Saturday afternoon, those were

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Speaker 1: the best, and and so I developed this, you know,

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Speaker 1: love for boxing, but also just being around me so

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Speaker 1: much and how much it's helped me outside of the

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Speaker 1: ring is something that I've kind of carried with me

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Speaker 1: through my whole life and not realizing that, not realizing

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Speaker 1: that it would help me so much.

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Speaker 2: Was there a time that you thought that was that

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Speaker 2: you were going to join the family business, that you

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Speaker 2: were going to do it, or did you just dabble?

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Speaker 1: There was a I dabbled. I mean I didn't have

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Speaker 1: a great relationship with my dad even though I love boxing,

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Speaker 1: So if I did boxing, that means we would have

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Speaker 1: to hang out together, which unbeknownst to me, was the

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Speaker 1: reason why I got into playing music in bands, because

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Speaker 1: that was something he wasn't interested in, and I was like, Oh,

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Speaker 1: here's something I can do where he's not going to

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Speaker 1: be on me. But the love of boxing was something

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Speaker 1: that would was always there. So as time went on,

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Speaker 1: I dabbled. When I would play in my band, I

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Speaker 1: would kind of take off the boxing gyms and do

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Speaker 1: it without the band knowing, because they gave me a

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Speaker 1: little lecture saying, if you break your hand then we

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Speaker 1: can't play anymore. So we can't get you. We can't

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Speaker 1: get your hands, I'll bust it up. So I wou'd

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Speaker 1: sneak out just because I loved it so much. And

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Speaker 1: then later in life, I just wanted to reconnect with

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Speaker 1: my dad and I just said, Hey, I'm going to

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Speaker 1: this boxing gym. I kind of snuck them in and

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Speaker 1: told the guys at the gym to say I've never

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Speaker 1: been here because I wanted him to get out and

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Speaker 1: just kind of feel it, because I think he would

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Speaker 1: have been offended if I went boxing without him, right,

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Speaker 1: And so we introduced him and myself to the gym

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Speaker 1: and he ended up being there for over twenty five

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Speaker 1: years training kids and helping out other kids, and it

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Speaker 1: made us grow fond closer to each other. Our bond

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Speaker 1: was tighter, and I saw more compassion from the man,

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Speaker 1: and that was something that was cool. So I start.

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Speaker 1: I competed late, even though I boxed my whole life.

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Speaker 1: And when you're in a super heavyweight division in boxing,

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Speaker 1: it's usually ex football or hockey players that can't do

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Speaker 1: those sports anymore and want to go into something to

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Speaker 1: be competitive, which makes sense. But I was lucky that

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Speaker 1: I had the skill that I grew up with, so

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Speaker 1: I didn't have to make weight, which was a great

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Speaker 1: thing because I didn't have to put on the sweatsuits

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Speaker 1: because anything two hundred and two pounds and up was

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Speaker 1: super heavyweight and then and so competing was fun and

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Speaker 1: I enjoyed it, and I went because I grew up

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Speaker 1: in Canada. I went for provincials in four provinces, and

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Speaker 1: on my way to the PanAm Games, I did the

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Speaker 1: pre Pan American Tournament. But it was one of those

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Speaker 1: things where the band was so important to me, and

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Speaker 1: entertaining and creating music that was something that was I

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Speaker 1: just felt like that called more of a passion and

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Speaker 1: then going into acting, but the boxings would always kept

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Speaker 1: me ground. It always gave me a piece of home.

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Speaker 1: Wherever I went, it just felt comfortable in my skin

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Speaker 1: and it felt confident for me.

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Speaker 2: Right. Well, you mentioned getting into music in part because

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Speaker 2: your dad was not How did you get in there?

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Speaker 2: I mean, having an interest is one thing, but actually

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Speaker 2: you know, like getting in there and doing it and

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Speaker 2: ending up touring and having some success. What was that

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Speaker 2: journey for you?

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Speaker 1: Well, it was interesting. I'm a yes guy, and even

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Speaker 1: before I knew I was a yes guy, I was

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Speaker 1: a yes guy. I'd like trying different things. I like

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Speaker 1: doing different things, and anytime anybody asked me to be

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Speaker 1: involved in something, I'm that kind of personality that's going,

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Speaker 1: let's do it. And so I would after school go

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Speaker 1: watch my friends rehearse, okay, And so we would go

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Speaker 1: to our buddy Tony's house or our buddy Trevor's house,

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Speaker 1: and everyone will get together and we start playing old

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Speaker 1: metal songs and Judas priest and I our maiden, and

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Speaker 1: I would just watch. I was just the dude, just watching,

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Speaker 1: enjoying it, okay. And then one day I was watching

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Speaker 1: the band rehearse for the talent show for high school,

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Speaker 1: and the bass player ended up quitting, and it was like, well,

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Speaker 1: why don't we just get Alex to do it? Why

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Speaker 1: don't you just get out.

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Speaker 2: To do it?

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Speaker 1: And then they're literally show like fit Alex, just put

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Speaker 1: your finger here and hit the hit the top string

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Speaker 1: as hard as you can. And I and I was

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Speaker 1: an air bander, so that's how I really loved it.

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Speaker 1: We had like airband competitions. So I love performing, okay,

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Speaker 1: and so like within forty eight to seven, forty eight

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Speaker 1: to yeah, about forty eight hours, I was on a

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Speaker 1: stage in high schools playing and then I realized I

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Speaker 1: got super nervous, so I turned the volume down on

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Speaker 1: my base and pretended, like pretended there was something wrong

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Speaker 1: with the monitor. And so I just airbanded through that

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Speaker 1: whole like three songs set that we did at the

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Speaker 1: talent show, and then I just got started learning after it.

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Speaker 1: And I've never kind of I've never said I was

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Speaker 1: a great bass player. I was a solid bass player,

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Speaker 1: and I love being in the pocket, I love being

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Speaker 1: with the drummer. But I was more of an entertainer.

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Speaker 1: That was the thing that got me. I wanted people

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Speaker 1: to watch the band and and if they weren't watching,

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Speaker 1: I would jump off the stage and jump on their

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Speaker 1: table and play bass so they would watch the band.

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Speaker 1: And I was very lucky to have amazing musicians in

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Speaker 1: the band. That kind of basically helped carry me. And

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Speaker 1: I was very much a team player, so I loved

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Speaker 1: the idea of keeping the band together.

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Speaker 2: Well, that leads into my next question. So your earliest

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Speaker 2: like performance it was this, but you you had a

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Speaker 2: you were naturally gifted in this way, but you weren't

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Speaker 2: were you doing theater or anything else.

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Speaker 1: The only thing I did was to be able to

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Speaker 1: graduate from my high school. They gave me two credits

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Speaker 1: to be in the school play and that's that was

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Speaker 1: the only that was the only thing that I did.

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Speaker 1: We did Joseph and his Tech The Colored dream Coat, okay,

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Speaker 1: and that was the first introduction into anything like that.

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Speaker 1: And it's crazy because I still remember Joseph Sma though

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Speaker 1: she was quite my favorite wife, like, I still remember

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Speaker 1: that stuff. But that was my introduction to being on stage.

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Speaker 1: So how I transferred over into acting was I was

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Speaker 1: again playing with my band, I'm on stage and a

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Speaker 1: casting director asked if I would audition for a film,

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Speaker 1: and again I just said, yes.

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Speaker 2: Now was this about Was this about your performing on stage?

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Speaker 2: Was it about your look? Like did they ever share

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Speaker 2: that with you? Like how do you get from A

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Speaker 2: to B? There?

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Speaker 1: I think it was my look. I had long, long

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Speaker 1: hair and I'm six foot five. Yeah, and you know,

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Speaker 1: and the casting director had a few drinks and we

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Speaker 1: talked afterwards and she was like, you know, why don't

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Speaker 1: you come in and audition for this? I was like, Okay, sure.

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Speaker 1: And the craziest thing is I remember going to the audition,

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Speaker 1: but my brain is totally music. This was just something

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Speaker 1: fun to do. And there was like six dudes my

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Speaker 1: size saying the same line over and over again. Built

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Speaker 1: for comfort, built for comfort, different ways, and I'm going,

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Speaker 1: these guys look ridiculous, this is hilarious. Unbeknownst to me,

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Speaker 1: I'd be doing the same thing years later. But then

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Speaker 1: when I got into the audition, I just had fun.

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Speaker 1: I didn't have any nerves. I it was just a

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Speaker 1: thing and I really bonded with the director, who coincidentally,

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Speaker 1: years later, I was on a show in Canada called

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Speaker 1: Arctic Air and he directed one of the episodes and

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Speaker 1: I'm talking, I'm talking like over ten years later. I'm like,

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Speaker 1: this is this the same guy? And so I had

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Speaker 1: to look it up. I'm like, this is the guy

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Speaker 1: that got me in my very first gig.

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Speaker 2: Wow.

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Speaker 1: And I reminded him of it and we just laughed

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Speaker 1: our heads off after and he goes, the only reason

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Speaker 1: why I cast you is because you were You were

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Speaker 1: just fun. You were like making me laugh and you

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Speaker 1: just had this one line. But dude, this one line

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Speaker 1: going back to my first thing. So it was with

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Speaker 1: Roddy McDowell, Ed Asner, Jennifer Tillery, John Crier, all before

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Speaker 1: John Cryer had his had his hit.

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Speaker 2: What film was this? It was was this Heads?

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Speaker 1: Yes? Yes, it was Heads? It was Heads? And uh yeah,

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Speaker 1: you played butler exactly. And I remember going to make

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Speaker 1: up and they started putting these these scratches on my face.

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Speaker 1: I'm like, I wonder what that is. And this the

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Speaker 1: only scene that I have lines in is when John

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Speaker 1: Cryer is a detective. He comes in Roddy McDowell, I'm

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Speaker 1: his butler, and and he's he has these beautiful greyhound

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Speaker 1: dogs And as he's talking to John Cryer, he's he's mentioning,

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Speaker 1: aren't these dogs beautiful? They're built for speed, They're built

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Speaker 1: for comfort. Isn't that right, Roderick? And he says that

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Speaker 1: my name is Roderick, and the line back is, yes,

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Speaker 1: they're built for comfort. And then he wanted me to

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Speaker 1: touch the scars and I'm like, I don't, I don't

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Speaker 1: understand what that means. Oh, it's it's insinuated. You have

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Speaker 1: sex with these greyhound dogs. I went, what are you

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Speaker 1: kidding me? I just signed on to this that I'm

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Speaker 1: gonna be screwed greyhound dogs. And then I swore, I

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Speaker 1: swore I have to keep acting because I don't want

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Speaker 1: to be known as just the dude that screwed greyhound dogs.

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Speaker 1: I have to get something else on my resume. But

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Speaker 1: after that, I just started getting I was fortunate to

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Speaker 1: get in the stunt community in Winnipeg, and Winnipeg at

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Speaker 1: that time had had one stunt team, which was a family,

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Speaker 1: the Schemes. And he saw how big I was and

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Speaker 1: he basically said, we have no big guys on our

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Speaker 1: stunt team. Do you want to just kind of work?

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Speaker 1: And I was all over it again. I said yes,

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Speaker 1: but it was such it was such a move for me.

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Speaker 1: I knew I loved the idea of acting. I wasn't

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Speaker 1: crazy about the idea of stunts, but I saw how

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Speaker 1: that got me in to basically every movie because they

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Speaker 1: always needed stuff. And then it would be like, Okay,

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Speaker 1: can you do a little acting because we need this

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Speaker 1: bouncer to to throw some punches after he kind of

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Speaker 1: scolds this guy. And and so that I started getting

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Speaker 1: into the acting bit of it. And and but the

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Speaker 1: stunt community, those stunt guys are just next level. And

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Speaker 1: for me, it wasn't what I wanted to tell stories.

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Speaker 1: So I just started working in film and Winnipeg, and

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Speaker 1: I would be playing in my band in front of

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Speaker 1: like three hundred people, having a blast, being a king,

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Speaker 1: people looking up at me where I'm playing bass, and

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Speaker 1: then right when we were done at two am, it

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Speaker 1: transferred right into helping Rick on set and I would

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Speaker 1: just be the gopher getting coffee, moving Max. Don't talk

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Speaker 1: to actors, just stay in this corner. So I went

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Speaker 1: from like this massive ego kind of high to them

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Speaker 1: just being in in that in that place where I'm

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Speaker 1: not anything right, you know what you know? So it

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Speaker 1: was it was it was a it was an ego check,

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Speaker 1: but there was my brain was unbeknownst to me, my

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Speaker 1: brain was in this. I want to keep at this

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Speaker 1: and learn as much as I can so I can

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Speaker 1: get to that next level and just really hopefully enjoy

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Speaker 1: this thing that I just started falling in love with.

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Speaker 2: So I heard that in two thousand and one, Yeah,

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Speaker 2: you were coming to Los Angeles. Yeah, And then the

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Speaker 2: borders tightened after nine eleven. Tell me a little bit

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Speaker 2: about that.

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Speaker 1: So I was playing in my band and then it

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Speaker 1: was one of it was the time where the band dissolved.

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Speaker 1: It was like we were we were done to me.

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Speaker 1: To me, it was really tough because I had the

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Speaker 1: blinders on and we were all high school boys and

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Speaker 1: we toured for over ten years, and then everyone just

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Speaker 1: started kind of separating and I had the blinders on.

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Speaker 1: Then it all opened up and the acting things. I

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Speaker 1: really started getting serious about that. And one of my

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Speaker 1: best friends rest in peace, who passed his name was Scully,

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Speaker 1: one of the most creative guys I've ever met to

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Speaker 1: this day. And he moved to Vancouver and I'm in Winnipeg,

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Speaker 1: and then I just started. I jumped in on a

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Speaker 1: cover band because I didn't want a tour anymore, and

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Speaker 1: I started I went to the National Institute of Broadcasts

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Speaker 1: because I wanted to learn everything behind the camera, because

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Speaker 1: if I didn't make it in front of the camera,

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Speaker 1: I wanted to know what was going on behind so

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Speaker 1: maybe I can find.

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Speaker 2: A place there.

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Speaker 1: So I learned about camera work and editing, and in

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Speaker 1: that time and again the yes happens. I got approached

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Speaker 1: to do a show called Destinations Manitoba, which was on

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Speaker 1: ABC affiliates. So we would get the ABC affiliates so

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Speaker 1: the American audience would see what Winnipeg has to offer.

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Speaker 1: So it would be we would air in North Dakota,

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Speaker 1: or we would air in Seattle for Vancouver. When we

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Speaker 1: did Destinations and so Destinations Manitoba was basically, you know,

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Speaker 1: it was twenty one years to go into a bar,

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Speaker 1: it was eighteen and wanna pey. So it was about

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Speaker 1: getting everyone over to the bars, to the restaurants, to

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Speaker 1: the hotels. So we sold half an hour advertising space

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Speaker 1: and we would sell them in fifteen seconds, thirty seconds

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Speaker 1: and minute chunks to hotels, restaurants and condos or establishments,

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Speaker 1: and we made it look like a TV show. So

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Speaker 1: we would go into all these places and I ended

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Speaker 1: up being a co host director and editor. So I

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Speaker 1: would come home from playing in the band and put

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Speaker 1: in about We probably had about nine hours of footage

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Speaker 1: for a thirty minute show, and I would put the

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Speaker 1: because we could didn't have the money, we had VHS,

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Speaker 1: so I would put everything on a VHS in the

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Speaker 1: studio and then I would do the time, write the

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Speaker 1: time codes of what I think the scenes would be

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Speaker 1: till like five o'clock in the morning. Then I would

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Speaker 1: sleep play at night and then do the same thing.

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Speaker 1: So kind of was getting my feet wet and everything

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Speaker 1: doing this show with a producer that got me in

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Speaker 1: on it, Shelley, and so I was really enjoying that,

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Speaker 1: and I was enjoying being part of the stunt community

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Speaker 1: and going to auditions. And then I decided to make

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Speaker 1: the move to LA But I'm going to stop in

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Speaker 1: Vancouver and see my boy Scully and hang out with him.

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Speaker 1: We were doing a writing project and so I was

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Speaker 1: going to be there and basically live with him and

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Speaker 1: his roommate for a little while. And it was only

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Speaker 1: a two bedroom, so I had no money. There was

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Speaker 1: at the point where I had no money, so I'm

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Speaker 1: sleeping on their floor. My rent was like cleaning the house,

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Speaker 1: scrubbing the toilets, doing the dishes. That's what I was doing,

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Speaker 1: and then on my way to go to Los Angeles,

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Speaker 1: and then nine to eleven happened. So like if I

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Speaker 1: would have went when I landed in Vancouver, stayed about

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Speaker 1: a month and then went to LA it would have

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Speaker 1: been easier. But I stayed for about six months, writing,

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Speaker 1: enjoying it, ready to make my move, and then nine

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Speaker 1: to eleven happened, which kept me in Vancouver, which personally,

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Speaker 1: I think is a blessing because I got to work.

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Speaker 2: A lot more, a lot, a lot more.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, there was there was so much more opportunity here

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Speaker 1: I felt for me and especially starting the being in

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Speaker 1: the game late. So yeah, so that's how that's how

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Speaker 1: that transition happened.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, in those early two thousands, you did a lot

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Speaker 2: of guest star TV roles, some film short films Stargate,

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Speaker 2: sc One, Supernatural for you, you know you're getting into

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Speaker 2: the business. It sounds like you've done a lot of

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Speaker 2: work in terms of training and learning behind the scenes

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Speaker 2: and then destination men Man Toba. You learned a lot

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Speaker 2: about basically producing. What experiences did you learn from or

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Speaker 2: what did you learn from those early experiences on sets

355
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Speaker 2: on these shows, working with and for so many different people.

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Speaker 1: Oh what a great question. I feel like I was

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Speaker 1: just talking to a friend about this. So I feel

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Speaker 1: like the band prepared me without me knowing. I was

359
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Speaker 1: prepared because I would. I fell in love with the

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Speaker 1: hustle when the switch happened. It took me a while

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Speaker 1: to learn it, but I realized, oh wait a second,

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Speaker 1: acting is exactly what I was doing since I was

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Speaker 1: fifteen years old, over here and networking. So the idea

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Speaker 1: of learning how to talk to people, being in events,

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Speaker 1: knowing how to listen to people, and picking the energy

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Speaker 1: up from people around me. So perfect example is working

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Speaker 1: on Supernatural super Nervous my first time, and Jensen and

368
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Speaker 1: Jared are the most amazing hosts on their show. Like

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Speaker 1: they know they come into the makeup trailer, they know

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Speaker 1: your name, they welcome you in, and all of a

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Speaker 1: sudden you have this opening that goes, this is awesome

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Speaker 1: and I want to impress these guys. These guys are great.

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Speaker 1: So it gives you the creative outlet to be free.

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Speaker 1: And then I've had experiences working on a show where

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Speaker 1: the leads weren't as accommodating and right, and you're like

376
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Speaker 1: you're like the new kid at school and everyone's not

377
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Speaker 1: quite sure of you, and so you literally close in

378
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Speaker 1: a bit because you just don't want to screw up.

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Speaker 1: And so what I what I saw was Okay, I

380
00:21:26,560 --> 00:21:28,560
Speaker 1: can find a place in this industry because I feel

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Speaker 1: like I'm like those guys. I love the team and

382
00:21:31,760 --> 00:21:35,040
Speaker 1: getting people together again. The band helped getting people to

383
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Speaker 1: come and see us, and just the communication aspect of it.

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Speaker 1: I think the bottom line was I really enjoyed the

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Speaker 1: hustle and the communication of being with people and then

386
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Speaker 1: the learning. Because Larry Moss was one of my guys

387
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Speaker 1: that I studied with that spoke to me in that way.

388
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Speaker 1: There was other acting coaches where the language wasn't the same.

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Speaker 1: I didn't and I didn't know if it was me

390
00:21:58,680 --> 00:22:00,440
Speaker 1: or if it was them because I was so new

391
00:22:00,880 --> 00:22:04,760
Speaker 1: to really studying acting. And when I worked with Larry,

392
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Speaker 1: I went, oh my god, Okay, this this is me.

393
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Speaker 1: This is this is the guy that speaks to me

394
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Speaker 1: in you know, script analysis, emotionality. So I think it

395
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Speaker 1: just it was communication that led me to the right spots.

396
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Speaker 1: So I think that's what I learned learned the most

397
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Speaker 1: about it.

398
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Speaker 2: Yeah, that's cool. A couple of months ago, I talked

399
00:22:41,560 --> 00:22:46,480
Speaker 2: to an old co star of yours, Tricia Helfer.

400
00:22:46,760 --> 00:22:48,320
Speaker 1: Oh my god, I love Tricia.

401
00:22:48,760 --> 00:22:54,520
Speaker 2: Battlestar Galactica one of your first recurring roles. Were you

402
00:22:54,560 --> 00:22:58,800
Speaker 2: a fan of the show before, like the original? Well

403
00:22:59,040 --> 00:23:01,160
Speaker 2: or but yeah, yeah, well.

404
00:23:01,320 --> 00:23:05,960
Speaker 1: So the original obviously and then the history. So I

405
00:23:06,000 --> 00:23:10,920
Speaker 1: did a film called, an amazing film called wish Master four.

406
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Speaker 2: Wish Master four, right, and.

407
00:23:14,680 --> 00:23:18,000
Speaker 1: There was two dudes on it, Victor Webster and Michael Trucco,

408
00:23:18,680 --> 00:23:21,960
Speaker 1: and we became fast friends. And that was when I

409
00:23:22,000 --> 00:23:24,080
Speaker 1: was living in Winnipeg. And then they were like, Alex,

410
00:23:24,119 --> 00:23:26,200
Speaker 1: you got to come to LA just come to visit.

411
00:23:26,280 --> 00:23:28,439
Speaker 1: And I hung out with them and to this day

412
00:23:28,560 --> 00:23:32,200
Speaker 1: they're my best friends. And I remember Michael Truco saying,

413
00:23:33,000 --> 00:23:35,480
Speaker 1: oh my god, I just got this amazing audition for

414
00:23:35,680 --> 00:23:39,280
Speaker 1: Battlestar galact and we were talking about it, and I go,

415
00:23:39,400 --> 00:23:41,880
Speaker 1: Battlestar really goes yeah, yeah, yeah, but it's not the Battlestar.

416
00:23:42,000 --> 00:23:42,360
Speaker 2: You think.

417
00:23:42,400 --> 00:23:45,520
Speaker 1: It's a totally different thing. And so I remember him

418
00:23:46,160 --> 00:23:48,440
Speaker 1: like being so stoked going out for that, and then

419
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Speaker 1: later on I remember him being so disappointed that he

420
00:23:51,520 --> 00:23:55,920
Speaker 1: didn't get the lead, and unbeknownst to me, I'm back

421
00:23:55,960 --> 00:24:00,080
Speaker 1: in Vancouver and now Battlestar's shooting in Vancouver, so a

422
00:24:00,119 --> 00:24:02,200
Speaker 1: bunch of people were going out for it. And one

423
00:24:02,240 --> 00:24:05,680
Speaker 1: of my best friends right now, Tomo Pennicit who played

424
00:24:05,840 --> 00:24:09,120
Speaker 1: Heilo on the show. He said he got it, and

425
00:24:09,280 --> 00:24:12,439
Speaker 1: so Eddie Almos is coming to town. My buddy Tomo

426
00:24:12,480 --> 00:24:15,680
Speaker 1: would invite me to the to the hangouts and stuff,

427
00:24:16,000 --> 00:24:18,840
Speaker 1: so I got to know them really well. Michael Rymer,

428
00:24:19,200 --> 00:24:22,040
Speaker 1: who I got to know extremely well and quickly, was

429
00:24:22,119 --> 00:24:25,840
Speaker 1: because of Tomo. And then there was a boxing episode

430
00:24:26,240 --> 00:24:29,399
Speaker 1: that they had and Toma was like, listen, like, if

431
00:24:29,480 --> 00:24:32,520
Speaker 1: you want any if you want somebody to learn boxing,

432
00:24:32,560 --> 00:24:34,520
Speaker 1: you got to learn, get it from Alex, Like Alex

433
00:24:34,600 --> 00:24:37,280
Speaker 1: is great, and he pitched me and pitched me, and

434
00:24:37,400 --> 00:24:41,920
Speaker 1: Rymer said, okay, so now I'm teaching boxing to Eddie

435
00:24:42,000 --> 00:24:45,840
Speaker 1: Almos and Jamie Bamber and Tomo and Aaron Douglas. And

436
00:24:46,480 --> 00:24:49,280
Speaker 1: then I got really in that circle. And then it

437
00:24:49,400 --> 00:24:53,439
Speaker 1: was basically, let's get Alex's role on the show. So

438
00:24:53,520 --> 00:24:58,120
Speaker 1: it just again worked from relationships and communication. That's how

439
00:24:58,119 --> 00:25:00,000
Speaker 1: I got to be on the show, and I honestly,

440
00:25:00,000 --> 00:25:03,199
Speaker 1: I don't even think I would. My chops weren't that

441
00:25:03,359 --> 00:25:06,200
Speaker 1: great at that point at that time, and they were

442
00:25:06,359 --> 00:25:09,119
Speaker 1: just really great dudes to kind of offer me something

443
00:25:09,200 --> 00:25:12,320
Speaker 1: like that. After we kind of made this great episode

444
00:25:12,480 --> 00:25:16,000
Speaker 1: of the boxing episode and Battlestar, and then Michael Trucco

445
00:25:16,080 --> 00:25:19,600
Speaker 1: comes back into the picture and he plays Anders. Dude,

446
00:25:19,600 --> 00:25:22,400
Speaker 1: this is blowing my mind because I've never talked about

447
00:25:22,400 --> 00:25:24,840
Speaker 1: it like this. So Trucco comes back and we're like

448
00:25:25,119 --> 00:25:28,119
Speaker 1: Truco's in Vancouver doing Battlestar. I get to introduce some

449
00:25:28,200 --> 00:25:31,720
Speaker 1: of the tomo so all that kind of works wickedly.

450
00:25:31,800 --> 00:25:34,000
Speaker 1: And at that time, the guy that I came to

451
00:25:34,040 --> 00:25:37,240
Speaker 1: live with, Scully, who I told you was very creative,

452
00:25:37,320 --> 00:25:43,320
Speaker 1: who passed away. They needed a tattoo design for Anders

453
00:25:43,600 --> 00:25:47,800
Speaker 1: and Katie Sakow's character and when they put their arms together,

454
00:25:47,920 --> 00:25:51,240
Speaker 1: it connects to make one thing. And my buddy Scully

455
00:25:51,359 --> 00:25:52,600
Speaker 1: designed that tattoo.

456
00:25:53,000 --> 00:25:57,680
Speaker 2: Geez, you're like the central ingredient to the entire operation

457
00:25:57,880 --> 00:26:00,520
Speaker 2: there at battle start, it was.

458
00:26:00,640 --> 00:26:04,639
Speaker 1: It was mind blowing and I just loved. I just loved.

459
00:26:04,920 --> 00:26:07,480
Speaker 1: I never even put all that together until right now.

460
00:26:07,520 --> 00:26:10,040
Speaker 1: The way we just spoke about it. So yeah, so

461
00:26:10,080 --> 00:26:12,639
Speaker 1: that's how I basically got my gig on Battlestar. I

462
00:26:12,680 --> 00:26:15,120
Speaker 1: was just great people like giving me a shot.

463
00:26:15,440 --> 00:26:21,280
Speaker 2: That's awesome. Uh, you did a film Personal Effects with

464
00:26:21,359 --> 00:26:26,080
Speaker 2: Mischelle Pfeiffer, Ashton Koocher and my old pal Kathy Bates.

465
00:26:26,600 --> 00:26:31,240
Speaker 2: You've said before that this was a really formative role

466
00:26:31,920 --> 00:26:35,239
Speaker 2: for you. What was significant about that role or that

467
00:26:35,359 --> 00:26:36,280
Speaker 2: experience for you.

468
00:26:37,320 --> 00:26:41,240
Speaker 1: As I was auditioning, you know, and I'm six foot five,

469
00:26:41,320 --> 00:26:45,119
Speaker 1: I'm you know, two fifty to sixty, so I was

470
00:26:45,280 --> 00:26:49,199
Speaker 1: just getting big guy rolls, you know, bouncer number one,

471
00:26:48,840 --> 00:26:52,360
Speaker 1: thug number three, you know, And I knew I had

472
00:26:52,400 --> 00:26:54,040
Speaker 1: to cut my teeth to get in there to people

473
00:26:54,080 --> 00:26:56,200
Speaker 1: to see me. And I loved I loved the audition

474
00:26:56,320 --> 00:26:58,720
Speaker 1: process because I get to show a little bit of

475
00:26:58,720 --> 00:27:01,320
Speaker 1: my personality when you walk into the room. Then you

476
00:27:01,359 --> 00:27:05,280
Speaker 1: do the work. And this was one of the I

477
00:27:05,280 --> 00:27:08,000
Speaker 1: think this was my third time working with Larry Moss,

478
00:27:08,040 --> 00:27:11,480
Speaker 1: and I was doing of Mice and Men and obviously

479
00:27:11,480 --> 00:27:13,439
Speaker 1: played yes.

480
00:27:13,280 --> 00:27:18,399
Speaker 2: Right and Shockery as well.

481
00:27:18,640 --> 00:27:23,119
Speaker 1: Shocker right right, you get it, you get it, and

482
00:27:23,200 --> 00:27:28,600
Speaker 1: it's such an amazing character. So just getting the physicality

483
00:27:28,640 --> 00:27:32,000
Speaker 1: and the voice and and really working with Larry on

484
00:27:32,040 --> 00:27:34,879
Speaker 1: it for I think it was it was like a

485
00:27:34,920 --> 00:27:38,199
Speaker 1: seven or eight day intensive and it just kind of

486
00:27:38,240 --> 00:27:41,479
Speaker 1: emptied me, but I just it emptied me but filled

487
00:27:41,520 --> 00:27:44,480
Speaker 1: me with so much more right and and I just

488
00:27:44,840 --> 00:27:47,040
Speaker 1: came and it was in Los Angeles and I was

489
00:27:47,200 --> 00:27:50,119
Speaker 1: came back to Vancouver and this role came up of

490
00:27:50,440 --> 00:27:54,280
Speaker 1: a mentally challenged person that was accused of killing Asten

491
00:27:54,320 --> 00:27:58,000
Speaker 1: Kutcher's sister in this film, and I'm like, oh my God,

492
00:27:58,119 --> 00:28:01,520
Speaker 1: like reading the sides and I really that this character

493
00:28:01,800 --> 00:28:04,359
Speaker 1: is exactly like everything that I'm doing with the Lenny

494
00:28:04,440 --> 00:28:08,120
Speaker 1: character is this character. The only difference is this character

495
00:28:08,800 --> 00:28:12,919
Speaker 1: and personal effects has a conscience Lenny. Lenny was pretty

496
00:28:12,960 --> 00:28:16,800
Speaker 1: much just open and not knowing what was wrong or

497
00:28:16,800 --> 00:28:19,760
Speaker 1: what was right. But this character had a conscience. So

498
00:28:19,800 --> 00:28:23,280
Speaker 1: I kind of worked with that. And I remember asking

499
00:28:23,320 --> 00:28:25,639
Speaker 1: my agent, I'm like, I would love to go in

500
00:28:25,720 --> 00:28:28,280
Speaker 1: for this, and it was they're just seeing the A

501
00:28:28,400 --> 00:28:31,480
Speaker 1: listers right now, and I wasn't. I wasn't on that

502
00:28:31,640 --> 00:28:34,679
Speaker 1: list in Vancouver. And then in Vancouver it was, Oh,

503
00:28:34,720 --> 00:28:37,560
Speaker 1: they're seeing now, they're seeing other people. Just get me

504
00:28:37,600 --> 00:28:39,720
Speaker 1: in the room. I wasn't in the room on that one.

505
00:28:40,080 --> 00:28:43,400
Speaker 1: And then finally it was their last casting session, they

506
00:28:43,440 --> 00:28:46,560
Speaker 1: snuck me in Friday five pm. I was the last

507
00:28:46,560 --> 00:28:50,400
Speaker 1: guy in there and I'm getting ready and it was

508
00:28:50,480 --> 00:28:54,000
Speaker 1: one of those things where I felt like either I'm

509
00:28:54,000 --> 00:28:56,479
Speaker 1: going to find out now or or I'm not going

510
00:28:56,560 --> 00:28:59,400
Speaker 1: to find out. But it's it's I call it the

511
00:29:00,280 --> 00:29:03,000
Speaker 1: Idol audition where they go but my mom says, I'm

512
00:29:03,040 --> 00:29:07,160
Speaker 1: really good, you know that that type of vibe, and

513
00:29:07,640 --> 00:29:09,840
Speaker 1: I'm like, am I that guy? Like if no one's

514
00:29:09,880 --> 00:29:13,600
Speaker 1: telling me or I don't know, but I remember looking

515
00:29:13,640 --> 00:29:16,320
Speaker 1: in the mirror and just trying. I had my outfit

516
00:29:16,360 --> 00:29:18,479
Speaker 1: that I was for the audition on and just like

517
00:29:18,840 --> 00:29:20,760
Speaker 1: you did the work, just go in there and just

518
00:29:20,800 --> 00:29:23,920
Speaker 1: do it. So then I started the audition. Was an

519
00:29:24,000 --> 00:29:28,360
Speaker 1: extremely emotional audition and I did it with the casting

520
00:29:28,440 --> 00:29:32,240
Speaker 1: director candaell Zinga I'll never forget, and it was everybody

521
00:29:32,320 --> 00:29:35,280
Speaker 1: was in the room, I think six people, and then

522
00:29:35,320 --> 00:29:38,600
Speaker 1: we did the first scene and then you know the

523
00:29:38,640 --> 00:29:42,120
Speaker 1: move where they go thanks for coming in, we don't

524
00:29:42,120 --> 00:29:44,520
Speaker 1: need the second theme scene. Thanks, And I knew that

525
00:29:44,600 --> 00:29:47,600
Speaker 1: would I was hoping that wouldn't happen if it did happen.

526
00:29:47,680 --> 00:29:49,800
Speaker 1: Don't let it crush me, just kind of like just

527
00:29:49,880 --> 00:29:53,040
Speaker 1: fight through it. But then he start he finished the

528
00:29:53,040 --> 00:29:56,600
Speaker 1: first audition. We finished the first audition. He goes, Alex is, okay, okay,

529
00:29:56,640 --> 00:29:58,760
Speaker 1: now let's just sit down on this one. Let's not

530
00:29:58,840 --> 00:30:01,000
Speaker 1: stand up. And I just want you to do the

531
00:30:01,000 --> 00:30:04,640
Speaker 1: same thing with Candae as you're both sitting there and

532
00:30:04,720 --> 00:30:09,160
Speaker 1: just be grounded. And in that moment, I already started

533
00:30:09,200 --> 00:30:12,080
Speaker 1: to get more emotional because I feel like he saw me,

534
00:30:12,560 --> 00:30:14,840
Speaker 1: he saw something more than the big guy just the

535
00:30:14,880 --> 00:30:19,200
Speaker 1: big guy. Yeah, And when the emotions started to come,

536
00:30:21,160 --> 00:30:25,320
Speaker 1: it just overwhelmed me. And then I had the dialogue

537
00:30:25,640 --> 00:30:30,160
Speaker 1: behind it. But unbeknownst to everyone in the room, the

538
00:30:30,240 --> 00:30:34,160
Speaker 1: emotionality was that happy cry that that you know, it

539
00:30:34,240 --> 00:30:36,240
Speaker 1: was the happy cry that I was doing that I'm

540
00:30:36,240 --> 00:30:39,200
Speaker 1: being seen that I'm actually working. But in the script

541
00:30:39,360 --> 00:30:44,400
Speaker 1: it's he's devastating. So I was even in my head going,

542
00:30:44,880 --> 00:30:46,800
Speaker 1: I can't I can't believe this is happen. As I'm

543
00:30:46,840 --> 00:30:49,800
Speaker 1: saying the lines, my brain is going, this is exactly

544
00:30:49,800 --> 00:30:52,000
Speaker 1: what I wanted, this is exactly how I wanted this

545
00:30:52,080 --> 00:30:55,280
Speaker 1: to go. And I'm bawling and it's not going down

546
00:30:55,320 --> 00:30:59,240
Speaker 1: my face and my tears are everywhere. The casting director's bawling,

547
00:31:00,160 --> 00:31:04,360
Speaker 1: everyone got emotion. I remember leaving that audition. It wasn't

548
00:31:04,400 --> 00:31:07,600
Speaker 1: about getting the roles. It was just going, I know

549
00:31:07,720 --> 00:31:10,880
Speaker 1: I can do this, I can affect people. And then

550
00:31:11,120 --> 00:31:14,840
Speaker 1: I got the role and me and Tomo went out

551
00:31:14,880 --> 00:31:17,640
Speaker 1: for an amazing steak dinner. And then I got up

552
00:31:17,640 --> 00:31:19,960
Speaker 1: in the morning and i'ment like on ten, I go

553
00:31:20,080 --> 00:31:23,320
Speaker 1: for a workout. I come back and I realize, Okay,

554
00:31:24,000 --> 00:31:26,280
Speaker 1: I'm too strong for this role. I don't want to

555
00:31:26,280 --> 00:31:30,560
Speaker 1: be this strong. So I immediately just stopped working out,

556
00:31:31,320 --> 00:31:34,280
Speaker 1: ate ice cream and cake. I would have like a

557
00:31:34,400 --> 00:31:37,320
Speaker 1: muscle mass shake at three o'clock in the morning, and

558
00:31:37,400 --> 00:31:40,040
Speaker 1: I just let myself go. I got up to about

559
00:31:40,280 --> 00:31:44,680
Speaker 1: about three hundred pounds in about six weeks, way too fast,

560
00:31:45,520 --> 00:31:47,760
Speaker 1: way too fast, and I put on way quick, so

561
00:31:47,840 --> 00:31:50,640
Speaker 1: way too fast and definitely not done by a nutritionist.

562
00:31:50,760 --> 00:31:54,000
Speaker 1: I just went for it, and I just wanted to

563
00:31:54,200 --> 00:31:58,440
Speaker 1: feel not strong. And I remember like friends coming up

564
00:31:58,480 --> 00:32:01,920
Speaker 1: to me, You're like, are you okay? And some friends,

565
00:32:02,240 --> 00:32:05,080
Speaker 1: some friends wouldn't even talk to me, going like he

566
00:32:05,240 --> 00:32:10,160
Speaker 1: totally let himself go. Type live and the happiest I

567
00:32:10,240 --> 00:32:13,560
Speaker 1: was was when I was working on the movie, but

568
00:32:13,680 --> 00:32:16,120
Speaker 1: it was one of the saddest times of my life

569
00:32:16,160 --> 00:32:19,800
Speaker 1: because my joints hurt, my mood was terrible. I just

570
00:32:19,800 --> 00:32:24,280
Speaker 1: just felt gross, except when I was on camp, and

571
00:32:24,400 --> 00:32:27,720
Speaker 1: that to me was one of those pivotal moments of

572
00:32:28,280 --> 00:32:30,600
Speaker 1: I think it was just being seen. And then when

573
00:32:30,640 --> 00:32:33,920
Speaker 1: we finally shot the scene that was in the audition

574
00:32:34,320 --> 00:32:37,320
Speaker 1: where it was the pinnacle of the emotion and the

575
00:32:37,360 --> 00:32:40,240
Speaker 1: camera was set up, everyone was getting ready because it

576
00:32:40,320 --> 00:32:43,840
Speaker 1: was constant rain, so it was no rain towers because

577
00:32:43,960 --> 00:32:47,360
Speaker 1: Vancouver was just raining like crazy, so we shot everything

578
00:32:47,360 --> 00:32:49,000
Speaker 1: in the rain, and then I had to go into

579
00:32:49,080 --> 00:32:51,480
Speaker 1: a tent and change to dry close to do the

580
00:32:51,520 --> 00:32:55,000
Speaker 1: scene again. But every time I will be in this

581
00:32:55,080 --> 00:32:58,120
Speaker 1: position where I'm crying and saying that I didn't hurt her,

582
00:32:58,200 --> 00:33:00,680
Speaker 1: and Ashton Kutcher's got a gun to my head and

583
00:33:01,280 --> 00:33:05,080
Speaker 1: people are off camera crying at what they're seeing. But

584
00:33:05,320 --> 00:33:08,240
Speaker 1: I would go, Okay, okay, getting changed, let's do another one.

585
00:33:08,240 --> 00:33:10,920
Speaker 1: I'm ready to go, like I could easily break out

586
00:33:10,960 --> 00:33:12,880
Speaker 1: of it because I was having so much fucking fun.

587
00:33:13,280 --> 00:33:15,800
Speaker 1: It was just so it was so beautiful to me

588
00:33:15,800 --> 00:33:19,040
Speaker 1: because I've never been in that position to perform like that,

589
00:33:19,280 --> 00:33:20,960
Speaker 1: and that was the first time it allowed me.

590
00:33:21,080 --> 00:33:24,760
Speaker 2: Yeah. Oh that's awesome. I love it.

591
00:33:25,560 --> 00:33:28,440
Speaker 1: Yeah, man, I got I got really, really lucky with

592
00:33:28,520 --> 00:33:30,200
Speaker 1: some cool experiences.

593
00:33:30,240 --> 00:33:38,280
Speaker 2: For sure. You eventually played Julius in Van Helsing five years.

594
00:33:39,200 --> 00:33:44,640
Speaker 2: That was your longest running show to that point, right, Yeah.

595
00:33:44,720 --> 00:33:47,800
Speaker 2: I always enjoyed talking to people about when you have

596
00:33:47,920 --> 00:33:52,840
Speaker 2: a multi year experience playing a character. How was that

597
00:33:53,120 --> 00:33:56,000
Speaker 2: for you. Did you enjoy the process of the character

598
00:33:56,080 --> 00:33:59,440
Speaker 2: building and evolving and changing over that time?

599
00:34:00,760 --> 00:34:05,440
Speaker 1: It was. Honestly, I consider Van Housing to be one

600
00:34:05,440 --> 00:34:09,720
Speaker 1: of my most favorite experiences because I started that show.

601
00:34:11,000 --> 00:34:15,280
Speaker 1: I mean, dude, it was heavy. The audition was heavy.

602
00:34:15,719 --> 00:34:20,160
Speaker 1: Because i'll condense it, I won't get into the huge story.

603
00:34:20,160 --> 00:34:23,319
Speaker 1: But I had a friend pass away and I found him.

604
00:34:23,520 --> 00:34:26,400
Speaker 1: I was the one that found him. And it was

605
00:34:27,440 --> 00:34:33,359
Speaker 1: two days before the audition, and after I found him,

606
00:34:33,520 --> 00:34:36,759
Speaker 1: and you know, police, police were were called, and the

607
00:34:36,760 --> 00:34:39,719
Speaker 1: whole thing happened, and it kind of hits you in

608
00:34:39,760 --> 00:34:43,600
Speaker 1: such a way that the shock you're in shock, and

609
00:34:43,760 --> 00:34:50,560
Speaker 1: I remember not feeling emotional about it, and then on

610
00:34:50,640 --> 00:34:52,719
Speaker 1: my way to the audient, like I'm still going to

611
00:34:52,800 --> 00:34:55,080
Speaker 1: do the audition type thing on my way to the audition,

612
00:34:56,120 --> 00:35:00,799
Speaker 1: and the audition was for another character where he he's emotional,

613
00:35:01,480 --> 00:35:04,239
Speaker 1: basically sending one of the other dudes out into the

614
00:35:04,280 --> 00:35:09,440
Speaker 1: apocalypse type thing, not sending him. I'm behind the characters

615
00:35:09,480 --> 00:35:13,719
Speaker 1: behind a cell and one of his he kind of

616
00:35:13,760 --> 00:35:15,600
Speaker 1: mentors this kid and he goes, I'm going to go

617
00:35:15,640 --> 00:35:18,480
Speaker 1: out there and so you can be safe. It was

618
00:35:18,560 --> 00:35:24,840
Speaker 1: just emotional scene. And now I'm driving to the audition

619
00:35:25,239 --> 00:35:28,719
Speaker 1: and now I'm feeling the emotion of the loss and

620
00:35:28,800 --> 00:35:30,920
Speaker 1: I had to stop in front. I called one of

621
00:35:30,920 --> 00:35:35,279
Speaker 1: my best friends, John Cassini, and I said, I don't

622
00:35:35,320 --> 00:35:37,160
Speaker 1: know what's happening. I think it just hit me now.

623
00:35:37,200 --> 00:35:38,640
Speaker 1: And he was the one that said, you were in

624
00:35:38,719 --> 00:35:42,000
Speaker 1: shock and now you're settling into the loss. And I

625
00:35:42,040 --> 00:35:44,400
Speaker 1: was like, I can't go in there. I can't go

626
00:35:44,480 --> 00:35:47,640
Speaker 1: in there. I just felt so frazzled, and he goes,

627
00:35:47,680 --> 00:35:50,319
Speaker 1: this is why we do it. Tell your story, this

628
00:35:50,360 --> 00:35:53,239
Speaker 1: is why we do it. And I just took a

629
00:35:53,280 --> 00:35:56,920
Speaker 1: deep breath and I waited probably five minutes after my

630
00:35:57,000 --> 00:36:00,279
Speaker 1: audition time, crossing my fingers hopefully I can and I

631
00:36:00,280 --> 00:36:02,239
Speaker 1: don't want to sit there and wait I just want

632
00:36:02,280 --> 00:36:05,399
Speaker 1: to go in and luckily, but when I went in

633
00:36:06,239 --> 00:36:08,920
Speaker 1: and they were like, oh, Alex, you're you're up next

634
00:36:08,960 --> 00:36:11,280
Speaker 1: to You're ready to go, and I just I didn't

635
00:36:11,280 --> 00:36:15,000
Speaker 1: even say anything. I just walked towards the door and

636
00:36:15,040 --> 00:36:19,239
Speaker 1: the scene started. And it was the first time I

637
00:36:19,280 --> 00:36:24,000
Speaker 1: sobbed after the loss, and I couldn't I couldn't stop sobbing,

638
00:36:24,239 --> 00:36:28,279
Speaker 1: and the audition like it went on longer than it

639
00:36:28,320 --> 00:36:32,040
Speaker 1: should have. And when I felt like I was done,

640
00:36:32,960 --> 00:36:35,600
Speaker 1: it felt weird to stand there and get a response,

641
00:36:35,600 --> 00:36:38,640
Speaker 1: so I just walked out and I didn't say a word.

642
00:36:38,680 --> 00:36:40,879
Speaker 1: I just walked out, went into my.

643
00:36:40,960 --> 00:36:51,920
Speaker 4: Car, like I get emotional now, huh weird. Went to

644
00:36:51,960 --> 00:36:57,080
Speaker 4: the car for another ten minutes and just sobbed. And

645
00:36:57,120 --> 00:36:59,480
Speaker 4: I'm trying to hide because I don't want to start driving.

646
00:37:00,600 --> 00:37:04,279
Speaker 4: And I see after my audition, the producers all came

647
00:37:04,320 --> 00:37:11,240
Speaker 4: out and everyone took a different position outside by themselves,

648
00:37:11,920 --> 00:37:15,560
Speaker 4: and I didn't realize it until later that they they

649
00:37:15,760 --> 00:37:17,440
Speaker 4: when I walked out, they were.

650
00:37:19,640 --> 00:37:22,120
Speaker 1: I can't believe this has hit me right now, man. Wow.

651
00:37:25,680 --> 00:37:28,319
Speaker 1: So then and Neil Abute was in the room who

652
00:37:28,360 --> 00:37:33,680
Speaker 1: I was a fan of, and Simon Barry who's gone

653
00:37:33,719 --> 00:37:37,840
Speaker 1: on to do amazing things with Continuum and Warrior None.

654
00:37:38,120 --> 00:37:41,520
Speaker 1: And they wrote the role of Julius for me. So

655
00:37:42,000 --> 00:37:45,080
Speaker 1: them writing that role was more like, I like this

656
00:37:45,160 --> 00:37:47,040
Speaker 1: guy and I want him around set. That's what it

657
00:37:47,080 --> 00:37:50,759
Speaker 1: felt like. And he did a great job. Again, they

658
00:37:50,800 --> 00:37:53,719
Speaker 1: knew nothing of what I was going through, so they

659
00:37:53,760 --> 00:37:58,279
Speaker 1: wrote this really badass vampire named Julius, and it was

660
00:37:58,320 --> 00:38:01,439
Speaker 1: so much fun. I love those badass roles because it's

661
00:38:01,480 --> 00:38:03,799
Speaker 1: nothing like me in real life, so I get to

662
00:38:03,800 --> 00:38:08,399
Speaker 1: really express that and I have a lot of fun

663
00:38:08,480 --> 00:38:10,960
Speaker 1: with it. But when we would yell cut, I'm like,

664
00:38:11,520 --> 00:38:14,120
Speaker 1: I just again the team, I just love being around people,

665
00:38:14,160 --> 00:38:18,320
Speaker 1: and they got to see see me and they understood

666
00:38:18,320 --> 00:38:21,799
Speaker 1: my boxing background and I'm a mama's boy, so they

667
00:38:21,840 --> 00:38:23,799
Speaker 1: would always bug me about being a mama's boy. And

668
00:38:23,840 --> 00:38:26,520
Speaker 1: then sure enough, that shit was just written into the

669
00:38:26,560 --> 00:38:29,839
Speaker 1: show where you know, we're going to turn Alex from

670
00:38:29,920 --> 00:38:34,960
Speaker 1: vampire Julius to human Julius. And so with being human Julius,

671
00:38:35,080 --> 00:38:38,120
Speaker 1: the way the story was, when you get turned, you

672
00:38:38,239 --> 00:38:41,480
Speaker 1: remember all the terrible things you did as a vampire,

673
00:38:42,080 --> 00:38:45,000
Speaker 1: and so it was a retribution for me, and that

674
00:38:45,560 --> 00:38:49,440
Speaker 1: them showing the human side of Julius and my origin

675
00:38:49,560 --> 00:38:52,840
Speaker 1: story where I was a boxer, and then Dimitri would

676
00:38:52,880 --> 00:38:55,800
Speaker 1: basically go, this guy's got some guts and some grit.

677
00:38:55,840 --> 00:38:58,680
Speaker 1: I want to turn him and he can be my warrior,

678
00:38:58,760 --> 00:39:02,160
Speaker 1: my minion warrior. And so that's why it meant so

679
00:39:02,280 --> 00:39:04,200
Speaker 1: much to me, is how I got it and then

680
00:39:04,280 --> 00:39:08,920
Speaker 1: them seeing who I was off camera and incorporating all

681
00:39:08,960 --> 00:39:13,680
Speaker 1: those things into the character, which just gave me, just

682
00:39:13,719 --> 00:39:16,280
Speaker 1: gave me so much joy because that that they wrote

683
00:39:16,280 --> 00:39:19,520
Speaker 1: for me in such a beautiful way. It was my favorite, favorite,

684
00:39:19,560 --> 00:39:21,560
Speaker 1: favorite role that I did.

685
00:39:22,000 --> 00:39:43,799
Speaker 2: It's special. Yeah, it's very special. Yeah, I do know

686
00:39:44,920 --> 00:39:48,799
Speaker 2: or read Anthony Hopkins was a big hero for you

687
00:39:48,880 --> 00:39:51,400
Speaker 2: and you got the opportunity to work with him. How

688
00:39:51,600 --> 00:39:54,760
Speaker 2: how was that special? Was it worth it?

689
00:39:54,360 --> 00:39:57,360
Speaker 1: It was insane, man, it was so it was so

690
00:39:57,600 --> 00:39:57,920
Speaker 1: worth it.

691
00:39:58,040 --> 00:40:01,000
Speaker 2: There was His Instagram is a must the way you

692
00:40:01,120 --> 00:40:04,400
Speaker 2: have to like it's the everyone Fine, I've never said

693
00:40:04,400 --> 00:40:06,840
Speaker 2: that on this on this program, but you have to

694
00:40:06,880 --> 00:40:08,839
Speaker 2: follow Anthony Hopkins on Instagram.

695
00:40:08,960 --> 00:40:12,800
Speaker 1: Yes, yes, it's a muss. And I got lucky into

696
00:40:12,840 --> 00:40:16,319
Speaker 1: a little glimpse of it before Instagram when we were

697
00:40:16,360 --> 00:40:20,640
Speaker 1: working together. And again, I'm super nervous, like I'm here here,

698
00:40:21,040 --> 00:40:23,760
Speaker 1: he's the man, and I got a scene with the man.

699
00:40:24,200 --> 00:40:27,680
Speaker 1: And I love fangirling. I'm just a big fan of

700
00:40:27,719 --> 00:40:31,520
Speaker 1: fangirling because the people that really affect me or I

701
00:40:31,520 --> 00:40:34,840
Speaker 1: think are great, I get excited about. But now here's

702
00:40:34,880 --> 00:40:37,080
Speaker 1: Hopkins and I'm like and I'm fangirling, and I'm like,

703
00:40:37,200 --> 00:40:40,520
Speaker 1: don't don't fangirl, don't be that guy. You're you're here

704
00:40:40,560 --> 00:40:43,839
Speaker 1: for for a job, like get your shit together type thing,

705
00:40:44,440 --> 00:40:47,280
Speaker 1: so I'll never forget. We're in this like very cold

706
00:40:47,320 --> 00:40:52,680
Speaker 1: warehouse and they I'm about to meet him, and I

707
00:40:52,719 --> 00:40:57,319
Speaker 1: hear the ad Tony's traveling. I'm like, okay, Tony, they're

708
00:40:57,360 --> 00:41:03,200
Speaker 1: calling to and so I'm looking at the door and

709
00:41:03,239 --> 00:41:06,480
Speaker 1: I see the door open, and I got nervous and

710
00:41:06,520 --> 00:41:10,799
Speaker 1: I didn't want to see him watching me see him

711
00:41:10,880 --> 00:41:14,880
Speaker 1: type thing. So I turned my back then and I'm like,

712
00:41:14,960 --> 00:41:19,560
Speaker 1: play play cool, don't fang girl. And it was literally

713
00:41:19,920 --> 00:41:22,920
Speaker 1: they come up to me, Alex, this is Tony. You

714
00:41:22,920 --> 00:41:25,680
Speaker 1: guys are working together. And I literally turned around and

715
00:41:25,719 --> 00:41:28,160
Speaker 1: just kind of went, what's suck? And I turned back

716
00:41:28,200 --> 00:41:33,759
Speaker 1: around and I caught myself being like too cool, and

717
00:41:33,800 --> 00:41:36,960
Speaker 1: I went I'm so sorry. I just I'm a big fan.

718
00:41:37,040 --> 00:41:39,319
Speaker 1: I'm just trying not to go crazy there. And he

719
00:41:39,400 --> 00:41:43,400
Speaker 1: starts laughing and that kind of broke the ice. But

720
00:41:43,440 --> 00:41:45,000
Speaker 1: I didn't mean it for it to break. I just

721
00:41:45,040 --> 00:41:46,560
Speaker 1: didn't mean it for it to go that way. I

722
00:41:46,560 --> 00:41:49,480
Speaker 1: wanted to be a little cooler. But then but then

723
00:41:49,520 --> 00:41:52,080
Speaker 1: we just started talking and he saw how big I was.

724
00:41:52,120 --> 00:41:54,080
Speaker 1: He goes, what was your sport? I said, boxing was

725
00:41:54,080 --> 00:41:56,520
Speaker 1: my sport, and he talked about when he used to box,

726
00:41:57,000 --> 00:42:00,720
Speaker 1: and then and then he started spitting old old fighters

727
00:42:00,760 --> 00:42:04,360
Speaker 1: that and I'm a historian, so you know Henry Armstrong.

728
00:42:04,440 --> 00:42:06,480
Speaker 1: He was spitting those kind of dudes and and I

729
00:42:06,520 --> 00:42:08,560
Speaker 1: would say, oh, yeah, yeah. And so we're really kind

730
00:42:08,560 --> 00:42:12,800
Speaker 1: of bonding, and in my peripheral I see everyone waiting

731
00:42:12,920 --> 00:42:16,680
Speaker 1: to get up to go let's go worse. Yeah, and

732
00:42:16,719 --> 00:42:19,040
Speaker 1: I'm like, please don't stop this. This is this is

733
00:42:19,080 --> 00:42:23,000
Speaker 1: the most amazing thing. So finally it's time to go work.

734
00:42:23,920 --> 00:42:28,280
Speaker 1: And now we're walking towards the set and Tony goes, uh,

735
00:42:28,360 --> 00:42:30,919
Speaker 1: are you okay just like improving? We just haven't. Let's

736
00:42:30,960 --> 00:42:32,440
Speaker 1: just have fun, see where we can get with it.

737
00:42:32,520 --> 00:42:36,560
Speaker 1: I'm like, yes, that's that's amazing. So we started improving

738
00:42:36,600 --> 00:42:38,800
Speaker 1: and having so much fun. And we did the scene

739
00:42:39,200 --> 00:42:41,719
Speaker 1: and the director yell's cut and Tony runs back in

740
00:42:42,080 --> 00:42:43,719
Speaker 1: and he goes, that was great. Make sure you say

741
00:42:43,760 --> 00:42:46,239
Speaker 1: that line because like, because that improv line, because it

742
00:42:46,239 --> 00:42:49,520
Speaker 1: makes me really bring up my gun quicker. And I said,

743
00:42:49,520 --> 00:42:51,719
Speaker 1: you got to say that other thing, so it makes

744
00:42:51,719 --> 00:42:54,279
Speaker 1: me say that thing. He goes, okay, okay, yeah. So

745
00:42:54,400 --> 00:42:56,880
Speaker 1: now we're just jamming, like and I can't believe it.

746
00:42:56,960 --> 00:42:59,200
Speaker 1: I like, this is what I was doing in acting class, right,

747
00:42:59,280 --> 00:43:01,480
Speaker 1: and here I am with the greatest one in the world,

748
00:43:02,320 --> 00:43:04,440
Speaker 1: and and we're doing it. And we're just having a

749
00:43:04,480 --> 00:43:07,839
Speaker 1: blast over and over again and sitting and talking while

750
00:43:07,880 --> 00:43:10,719
Speaker 1: they're doing changes and and and Tony just kind of

751
00:43:10,760 --> 00:43:13,840
Speaker 1: goes alex ox. It gives me his phone, put your

752
00:43:13,920 --> 00:43:15,640
Speaker 1: number in my phone. I want to talk to you

753
00:43:16,000 --> 00:43:19,160
Speaker 1: after too, And I'm like, I don't care if you

754
00:43:19,239 --> 00:43:21,280
Speaker 1: ever my brain. I don't think if you ever text

755
00:43:21,320 --> 00:43:25,200
Speaker 1: me again. My number is in your phone. And I

756
00:43:26,880 --> 00:43:30,440
Speaker 1: get back to the hotel on Cloud nine, like it

757
00:43:30,480 --> 00:43:34,640
Speaker 1: was such an amazing experience, and I get the message

758
00:43:34,640 --> 00:43:37,600
Speaker 1: from Anthony, so great working with you today. Let's let's

759
00:43:37,600 --> 00:43:42,399
Speaker 1: have fun tomorrow. And I get this message and I'm like, uh, speechless.

760
00:43:43,440 --> 00:43:46,480
Speaker 1: The next day we're doing doing something, and then I

761
00:43:46,480 --> 00:43:49,239
Speaker 1: feel a little bit more comfortable talking to him, and

762
00:43:49,280 --> 00:43:54,200
Speaker 1: I basically was gesturing like Tony, what, like what what

763
00:43:54,440 --> 00:43:57,200
Speaker 1: secret can you give with the work that you do.

764
00:43:58,120 --> 00:44:00,680
Speaker 1: I got into it late. I really didn't take acting

765
00:44:00,719 --> 00:44:03,120
Speaker 1: seriously tell us in my mid thirties. I really didn't

766
00:44:03,120 --> 00:44:06,400
Speaker 1: start working till I was in my forties, and I

767
00:44:06,600 --> 00:44:09,200
Speaker 1: was just a sponge. And I was like, is there

768
00:44:09,239 --> 00:44:12,520
Speaker 1: anything different that you do because the work that you've

769
00:44:12,560 --> 00:44:14,920
Speaker 1: done and I'm doing this and he just puts his

770
00:44:15,000 --> 00:44:18,120
Speaker 1: hand on my knee and he goes, Alex, you'll never

771
00:44:18,160 --> 00:44:23,960
Speaker 1: get there. I was like, what, that's your advice?

772
00:44:24,080 --> 00:44:24,479
Speaker 2: Like what?

773
00:44:25,600 --> 00:44:29,359
Speaker 1: And then and Betty, Betty, Betty said the most profound thing.

774
00:44:29,480 --> 00:44:32,520
Speaker 1: He goes, you're gesturing like I'm up here. What we

775
00:44:32,600 --> 00:44:35,799
Speaker 1: did yesterday was right here. So if you're doing that,

776
00:44:36,080 --> 00:44:38,680
Speaker 1: you're always gonna hit your head at the bottom of

777
00:44:38,719 --> 00:44:41,959
Speaker 1: it because you put me somewhere that that I didn't

778
00:44:42,000 --> 00:44:44,640
Speaker 1: put myself there. You put me there. So no matter

779
00:44:44,680 --> 00:44:46,920
Speaker 1: what you do, you're always going to be like this.

780
00:44:47,680 --> 00:44:51,120
Speaker 1: And so what we did yesterday, that's what that's what

781
00:44:51,160 --> 00:44:55,240
Speaker 1: we do. Just be free. And that was the best

782
00:44:55,280 --> 00:44:59,600
Speaker 1: advice that I got and not limiting myself. I put

783
00:44:59,640 --> 00:45:01,680
Speaker 1: these lim citations on myself that I didn't even know

784
00:45:01,760 --> 00:45:04,040
Speaker 1: I was doing, but it was just the gesture and

785
00:45:04,080 --> 00:45:06,680
Speaker 1: what my ideas were. And he caught it right away,

786
00:45:07,200 --> 00:45:08,799
Speaker 1: and he says, if once you get rid of that,

787
00:45:08,960 --> 00:45:11,440
Speaker 1: the world is open, the sky is blue, like, go

788
00:45:11,600 --> 00:45:11,960
Speaker 1: for it.

789
00:45:12,120 --> 00:45:13,520
Speaker 2: And I was just like, so great.

790
00:45:13,840 --> 00:45:15,920
Speaker 1: And then I think it was like a few weeks

791
00:45:16,000 --> 00:45:18,839
Speaker 1: later he's in well after the film. He's inviting me,

792
00:45:19,000 --> 00:45:21,040
Speaker 1: when you're in Los Angeles, come we'll go have lunch

793
00:45:21,080 --> 00:45:23,000
Speaker 1: at my favorite spot. And I'm like, oh my god.

794
00:45:23,440 --> 00:45:25,239
Speaker 1: And then he goes to London. This is the best.

795
00:45:25,280 --> 00:45:28,520
Speaker 1: And when I was talking about Instagram, I just got this.

796
00:45:28,640 --> 00:45:30,800
Speaker 1: It was like three o'clock in the morning. He obviously

797
00:45:30,800 --> 00:45:33,400
Speaker 1: couldn't sleep, he was in London. All I see is

798
00:45:33,440 --> 00:45:38,719
Speaker 1: the light from the computer screen like this, like just

799
00:45:38,760 --> 00:45:42,239
Speaker 1: from head head to just above chess, no shirt on

800
00:45:42,680 --> 00:45:46,360
Speaker 1: three o'clock in the morning, and he's doing Marlon Brando impressions.

801
00:45:48,120 --> 00:45:51,000
Speaker 1: Doesn't say hi, doesn't say bye, he just does a

802
00:45:51,080 --> 00:45:53,880
Speaker 1: Marlon Brando impression. And that was it, and I'm like,

803
00:45:54,040 --> 00:45:57,000
Speaker 1: this is hilarious, and then he would just be doing

804
00:45:57,000 --> 00:46:01,160
Speaker 1: these little impressions back and forth, like I cannot believe

805
00:46:01,200 --> 00:46:04,239
Speaker 1: I have this gold on my phone of this dude

806
00:46:04,719 --> 00:46:09,000
Speaker 1: like my guy right, like hilarious and funny. And even

807
00:46:09,000 --> 00:46:11,839
Speaker 1: when we were working together, we just finished the scene

808
00:46:11,920 --> 00:46:14,520
Speaker 1: walking and then we're walking back and he just says

809
00:46:14,520 --> 00:46:17,080
Speaker 1: to me, goes, I want to do comedy. I don't

810
00:46:17,120 --> 00:46:19,560
Speaker 1: know why anybody doesn't hire me for comedy. And I

811
00:46:19,600 --> 00:46:22,839
Speaker 1: was like, gratity, Hopkins, you can do whatever you want.

812
00:46:22,960 --> 00:46:25,200
Speaker 1: What do you mean knowing we'll hire you from comedy.

813
00:46:25,760 --> 00:46:31,000
Speaker 1: So that that experience was like, I share that experience

814
00:46:31,040 --> 00:46:33,840
Speaker 1: all the time because it just not only did I

815
00:46:33,880 --> 00:46:35,440
Speaker 1: get to work with one of the greatest, but I

816
00:46:35,560 --> 00:46:39,280
Speaker 1: learned a lot about myself just hanging out with him. Yeah.

817
00:46:39,440 --> 00:46:44,560
Speaker 2: Well, we got to talk about snow Piercer last final

818
00:46:44,640 --> 00:46:48,719
Speaker 2: season after multiple delays. When did you film the last

819
00:46:48,719 --> 00:46:49,960
Speaker 2: season last scene?

820
00:46:50,480 --> 00:46:51,760
Speaker 1: I think it was two and a half.

821
00:46:51,719 --> 00:46:54,640
Speaker 2: Years ago, Good lord, two.

822
00:46:54,520 --> 00:46:56,319
Speaker 1: And a half years ago. Then we were told we

823
00:46:56,320 --> 00:46:59,160
Speaker 1: weren't gonna there, weren't gonna Eric because of their switching

824
00:46:59,160 --> 00:47:03,160
Speaker 1: their programming, and we were like, oh man, there was

825
00:47:03,239 --> 00:47:05,359
Speaker 1: such great work that was done and now no one's

826
00:47:05,400 --> 00:47:08,920
Speaker 1: going to see it. And thankfully AMC came into the

827
00:47:08,960 --> 00:47:12,040
Speaker 1: picture and picked it up. And people are loving, loving

828
00:47:12,040 --> 00:47:14,520
Speaker 1: these episodes. And it's so great because I'm watching it

829
00:47:15,080 --> 00:47:18,799
Speaker 1: forgetting what the hell happened. I don't remember anything, so

830
00:47:18,920 --> 00:47:21,680
Speaker 1: it's brand new to me. I get super excited when

831
00:47:21,680 --> 00:47:24,279
Speaker 1: I see myself pop up. I'm like, oh, oh, okay, yeah,

832
00:47:24,320 --> 00:47:27,239
Speaker 1: I remember I'm in this one. And so, yeah, it

833
00:47:27,320 --> 00:47:27,680
Speaker 1: was great.

834
00:47:27,920 --> 00:47:34,280
Speaker 2: Your parents were immigrants from the former Yugoslavia. Yeah, settled

835
00:47:34,400 --> 00:47:40,800
Speaker 2: in Canada. Did you speak Serbian at home as a child.

836
00:47:41,400 --> 00:47:43,760
Speaker 1: Not a lot of Serbian at home because my parents

837
00:47:43,800 --> 00:47:49,840
Speaker 1: were they wanted to stay away from the immigrant criticism. Okay,

838
00:47:49,880 --> 00:47:52,640
Speaker 1: so they really wanted to learn the language. So it

839
00:47:52,719 --> 00:47:54,880
Speaker 1: was all about speaking English at home. And we had

840
00:47:55,239 --> 00:47:57,799
Speaker 1: a little bit of Serbian obviously going on, and my

841
00:47:57,880 --> 00:48:01,239
Speaker 1: parents would speak Serbian together, but we we were told like,

842
00:48:01,600 --> 00:48:04,719
Speaker 1: you you're you're gonna teach us English when you come

843
00:48:04,719 --> 00:48:07,799
Speaker 1: from school type thing. So so it was one of those.

844
00:48:07,840 --> 00:48:10,680
Speaker 1: But so I'm not very I'm not as fluent as

845
00:48:10,719 --> 00:48:12,960
Speaker 1: I want to be in it, but I understand a

846
00:48:13,000 --> 00:48:15,759
Speaker 1: lot and I can say a lot. But to have

847
00:48:15,840 --> 00:48:21,000
Speaker 1: a free flowing conversation. It's struggling. Yeah, but I do.

848
00:48:21,360 --> 00:48:23,040
Speaker 1: I do improv a lot in Serbian.

849
00:48:23,120 --> 00:48:27,960
Speaker 2: Yeah, okay, yeah. So the role obviously of Baki and

850
00:48:28,040 --> 00:48:31,120
Speaker 2: snow piercers, you actually get to speak Serbian. Did that

851
00:48:31,200 --> 00:48:34,200
Speaker 2: come from you? Was this arika that came from you?

852
00:48:34,600 --> 00:48:37,840
Speaker 1: Dude? So when I went to the audition, the character's

853
00:48:37,880 --> 00:48:43,360
Speaker 1: name was Harold Kowalski. Okay, and I remember I was like,

854
00:48:43,400 --> 00:48:45,800
Speaker 1: you know what, I don't think anyone in the room

855
00:48:46,080 --> 00:48:49,080
Speaker 1: is going to know Polish. So I'm just going to

856
00:48:49,120 --> 00:48:52,680
Speaker 1: improv in Serbian in little spots. So I'm doing the

857
00:48:52,719 --> 00:48:54,600
Speaker 1: dialogue and then I would just say little things to

858
00:48:54,640 --> 00:48:57,239
Speaker 1: myself in Serbian. And so I went for a few

859
00:48:57,280 --> 00:49:00,640
Speaker 1: auditions and then I got told I got the role.

860
00:49:00,680 --> 00:49:02,719
Speaker 1: And so that's when I said, okay, just so you

861
00:49:02,800 --> 00:49:06,160
Speaker 1: know that improv stuff that I It was great because

862
00:49:06,160 --> 00:49:08,760
Speaker 1: I was like, I would love to talk to Graham Mason,

863
00:49:09,000 --> 00:49:13,440
Speaker 1: who was the executive producer. Fantastic, fantastic man. And so

864
00:49:13,719 --> 00:49:15,719
Speaker 1: I got to have this conversation of saying just so

865
00:49:15,760 --> 00:49:18,520
Speaker 1: you know, like I improved in Serbian, it wasn't Polish.

866
00:49:18,719 --> 00:49:21,400
Speaker 1: Now if him being Polish is integral to the whole story.

867
00:49:22,040 --> 00:49:24,440
Speaker 1: I'll leave that out. I'll even learn some Polish improv

868
00:49:24,480 --> 00:49:26,640
Speaker 1: here and there, but just so you know, but if

869
00:49:26,680 --> 00:49:29,520
Speaker 1: we can change him in Serbian, then that would be

870
00:49:29,560 --> 00:49:33,320
Speaker 1: pretty cool. And he thought about it and he went, okay, okay,

871
00:49:33,360 --> 00:49:36,480
Speaker 1: he goes, but I like the name Harold because you

872
00:49:36,520 --> 00:49:39,440
Speaker 1: don't look like a Harold. I like the idea of

873
00:49:39,520 --> 00:49:43,960
Speaker 1: how unassuming that name is, right, And I said, and.

874
00:49:44,680 --> 00:49:46,520
Speaker 2: It's the first thing I thought too, by the way,

875
00:49:46,600 --> 00:49:49,640
Speaker 2: so anyway, go ahead, yeah, yeah.

876
00:49:49,840 --> 00:49:54,200
Speaker 1: Right, And so then I thought, my brother's name is Boyan.

877
00:49:54,760 --> 00:49:58,239
Speaker 1: So I said, well, what about Boyan? And he just

878
00:49:58,320 --> 00:50:00,200
Speaker 1: delayed a little bit, and I said, but you know,

879
00:50:00,280 --> 00:50:03,280
Speaker 1: his nickname is Buokie. He goes, Oh, I like Booky,

880
00:50:04,160 --> 00:50:07,280
Speaker 1: and he goes, I went to college with a guy

881
00:50:07,520 --> 00:50:12,240
Speaker 1: named Boskovic. And I went, Graham, come on, my job

882
00:50:12,360 --> 00:50:16,040
Speaker 1: is a breachman. Breachman Bulky Boskovich. How that's a great name.

883
00:50:16,360 --> 00:50:20,279
Speaker 1: He goes, let's do it. So that's so I got

884
00:50:20,320 --> 00:50:22,680
Speaker 1: to get my heritage in there and a tribute to

885
00:50:22,719 --> 00:50:25,080
Speaker 1: my brother. And one of the first scenes that we

886
00:50:25,200 --> 00:50:29,239
Speaker 1: shot in the first first season, there's this big train

887
00:50:29,360 --> 00:50:32,360
Speaker 1: car filled with people celebrating and they're all chanting buckye

888
00:50:32,360 --> 00:50:36,960
Speaker 1: Bucky Bookie, and I was just like overwhelmed that I

889
00:50:37,000 --> 00:50:39,839
Speaker 1: couldn't wait for my brother to see that episode here

890
00:50:40,160 --> 00:50:42,560
Speaker 1: here his nickname being said, Yeah, it's pretty great.

891
00:50:43,080 --> 00:50:47,040
Speaker 2: Were you ready for it to be done? Did you

892
00:50:47,160 --> 00:50:50,080
Speaker 2: know that this that it was done? But when you finished,

893
00:50:50,160 --> 00:50:51,440
Speaker 2: you knew final season?

894
00:50:52,000 --> 00:50:55,040
Speaker 1: Yeah? That was the cool part is they got they

895
00:50:55,160 --> 00:50:57,879
Speaker 1: let us shoot a final season knowing that we could

896
00:50:57,880 --> 00:51:01,560
Speaker 1: wrap it up okay, So that that I would love

897
00:51:01,600 --> 00:51:07,120
Speaker 1: to have gone more seasons. Da v Diggs, Mickey Sumner,

898
00:51:07,840 --> 00:51:12,839
Speaker 1: like Michael Maalley. Great cast, great cast, and I would

899
00:51:12,920 --> 00:51:14,680
Speaker 1: love for it to have gone more because I felt

900
00:51:14,680 --> 00:51:17,680
Speaker 1: like I developed a really cool character that they wrote

901
00:51:17,719 --> 00:51:22,240
Speaker 1: for and were writing more for. And then in season

902
00:51:22,280 --> 00:51:26,200
Speaker 1: three into season four, I was shooting Hawkeye in Atlanta,

903
00:51:26,280 --> 00:51:31,279
Speaker 1: so we I basically was dead after in season three

904
00:51:31,280 --> 00:51:34,360
Speaker 1: because I couldn't really be there, so they quote unquote

905
00:51:34,440 --> 00:51:38,239
Speaker 1: killed me. But because of COVID and the delay, we

906
00:51:38,280 --> 00:51:40,600
Speaker 1: got to finish Hawkeye and I got back in time

907
00:51:40,760 --> 00:51:42,560
Speaker 1: and I just said, I knew there was a couple

908
00:51:42,600 --> 00:51:45,680
Speaker 1: episodes left. I called him up and I just said, hey, man,

909
00:51:45,760 --> 00:51:47,839
Speaker 1: just so you know I'm back, I don't know if

910
00:51:48,239 --> 00:51:50,759
Speaker 1: I don't know, if there's something to do, And so

911
00:51:50,800 --> 00:51:53,479
Speaker 1: they found a way to sneak me into season three,

912
00:51:53,640 --> 00:51:57,520
Speaker 1: to get into season four, and I was just so

913
00:51:57,560 --> 00:52:00,279
Speaker 1: grateful and just and if you don't ask, you're not

914
00:52:00,320 --> 00:52:02,160
Speaker 1: going to know. So it was one of those things

915
00:52:02,160 --> 00:52:04,160
Speaker 1: for me where I got really lucky to get back

916
00:52:04,160 --> 00:52:06,840
Speaker 1: on the show that I really really loved and hated

917
00:52:06,920 --> 00:52:09,920
Speaker 1: not being a part of when I was shooting Hawka.

918
00:52:10,120 --> 00:52:18,320
Speaker 2: The show examines a lot of themes ecological issues, clash issues,

919
00:52:18,360 --> 00:52:23,680
Speaker 2: social issues, social justice issues. Is that an important part

920
00:52:23,800 --> 00:52:26,600
Speaker 2: of the show for you on top of the story.

921
00:52:26,719 --> 00:52:31,280
Speaker 2: Is that something that is important that those messages are there?

922
00:52:32,400 --> 00:52:35,400
Speaker 1: I think so. I thought the writing was so great

923
00:52:35,440 --> 00:52:39,400
Speaker 1: on the show and just the subversive nature it almost had.

924
00:52:39,680 --> 00:52:41,920
Speaker 1: And that's one of the things I loved about Battlestar.

925
00:52:42,040 --> 00:52:45,800
Speaker 1: They hid the messages within the story, and I felt

926
00:52:45,960 --> 00:52:48,560
Speaker 1: that's what was happening a lot with snow Piercer, that

927
00:52:48,600 --> 00:52:53,240
Speaker 1: they were really you know, sustainability and the climate change

928
00:52:53,280 --> 00:52:57,440
Speaker 1: and the classes and how no one's different than the

929
00:52:57,520 --> 00:53:01,200
Speaker 1: other person and then taking yourself back. That was one

930
00:53:01,239 --> 00:53:03,719
Speaker 1: of the biggest things for me, is like You're not

931
00:53:03,760 --> 00:53:05,600
Speaker 1: going to put me in a box. I know what

932
00:53:05,719 --> 00:53:07,640
Speaker 1: I can be, and I'm going to fight for what

933
00:53:07,719 --> 00:53:10,920
Speaker 1: I am. All those things really kind of spoke to me.

934
00:53:11,280 --> 00:53:14,880
Speaker 1: All those things just have it mattered. And you know,

935
00:53:14,920 --> 00:53:17,520
Speaker 1: I love doing whatever project it is. But when you

936
00:53:17,560 --> 00:53:20,520
Speaker 1: know that there's a through line of a message that

937
00:53:20,600 --> 00:53:23,040
Speaker 1: every episode is really kind of getting to its core,

938
00:53:23,920 --> 00:53:25,680
Speaker 1: those are the things that definitely speak to me. And

939
00:53:25,719 --> 00:53:28,239
Speaker 1: I really really enjoyed that part of the show.

940
00:53:28,600 --> 00:53:31,720
Speaker 2: Well, I know the fans are very excited to see

941
00:53:31,880 --> 00:53:35,440
Speaker 2: how it all wraps up for you and everybody else

942
00:53:36,160 --> 00:53:40,759
Speaker 2: there on snow Piercer. I'm told that you are the

943
00:53:40,800 --> 00:53:47,720
Speaker 2: co founder of a newly launched legend water. Oh drinking

944
00:53:47,760 --> 00:53:53,439
Speaker 2: it right there, hailing from the Rocky Mountains, Oh Canada. Well,

945
00:53:53,600 --> 00:53:57,400
Speaker 2: and what's cool about it? Which again I mean I

946
00:53:57,480 --> 00:54:00,360
Speaker 2: wasn't leading you with your answer, and folks, we didn't

947
00:54:00,360 --> 00:54:04,839
Speaker 2: plan it. But one, the water is trying to get

948
00:54:04,960 --> 00:54:09,440
Speaker 2: rid of single plastic use bottles. But two also shine

949
00:54:09,480 --> 00:54:14,080
Speaker 2: a light on mental health issues and eradicate the stigma

950
00:54:14,200 --> 00:54:18,040
Speaker 2: surrounding mental health. In fact, every single can has a

951
00:54:18,080 --> 00:54:20,560
Speaker 2: QR code. Tell me about this.

952
00:54:21,200 --> 00:54:24,279
Speaker 1: So yeah, so the QR code leads you to our site,

953
00:54:24,320 --> 00:54:27,520
Speaker 1: but it also leads you to a suicide crisis hotline,

954
00:54:28,120 --> 00:54:31,400
Speaker 1: and because we're in Canada, it leads you to a

955
00:54:31,440 --> 00:54:35,320
Speaker 1: rehab facility in each province in Canada. And we're building

956
00:54:35,640 --> 00:54:39,160
Speaker 1: right now. We're really building to do some charity events

957
00:54:39,239 --> 00:54:43,279
Speaker 1: and we're putting portions of sales towards events that we

958
00:54:43,320 --> 00:54:46,719
Speaker 1: can do. And again, I want to get rid of

959
00:54:46,719 --> 00:54:50,080
Speaker 1: that stigma. In my generation, it was a weakness to

960
00:54:50,080 --> 00:54:53,360
Speaker 1: talk about it, like if you're struggling. I love the

961
00:54:53,400 --> 00:54:56,439
Speaker 1: fact that I want to be able to and that's

962
00:54:56,440 --> 00:54:58,880
Speaker 1: why we design the can the way it is so

963
00:54:58,920 --> 00:55:03,120
Speaker 1: it feels and not only sustainability, and get rid of

964
00:55:03,160 --> 00:55:06,439
Speaker 1: single plastic use because again, as you know you work

965
00:55:06,520 --> 00:55:10,280
Speaker 1: on set, it's just plastic bottles, plastic bottles, plastic bottles.

966
00:55:10,320 --> 00:55:13,640
Speaker 1: And the big thing that I just wanted to just

967
00:55:14,320 --> 00:55:16,919
Speaker 1: kind of introduce it as much as I can, and

968
00:55:17,480 --> 00:55:20,360
Speaker 1: any can that gets used as one less plastic bottle

969
00:55:20,400 --> 00:55:22,839
Speaker 1: being used. So that's that was the big thing. And

970
00:55:22,880 --> 00:55:25,279
Speaker 1: then we really kind of dipped in because everybody in

971
00:55:25,360 --> 00:55:28,239
Speaker 1: the company, and you know, a lot of people that

972
00:55:28,320 --> 00:55:30,439
Speaker 1: I talked to every day have not only gone through

973
00:55:30,480 --> 00:55:35,120
Speaker 1: something themselves, but have friends and family that they've either

974
00:55:35,239 --> 00:55:38,759
Speaker 1: lost or is really struggling. And if one person hits

975
00:55:38,760 --> 00:55:41,400
Speaker 1: that QR code on a moment where they need to

976
00:55:42,400 --> 00:55:46,359
Speaker 1: just need to talk to somebody, the job is done.

977
00:55:46,640 --> 00:55:49,000
Speaker 1: So that that to me is that that's what really

978
00:55:49,040 --> 00:55:52,800
Speaker 1: really speaks to me. And you know, I I just

979
00:55:52,880 --> 00:55:55,359
Speaker 1: dropped off a cases last week to Owen Wilson because

980
00:55:55,360 --> 00:55:58,360
Speaker 1: he's all about sustainability and he was so kind and

981
00:55:58,400 --> 00:56:01,040
Speaker 1: we have pictures together with the can we worked together

982
00:56:01,680 --> 00:56:03,960
Speaker 1: on I spy years ago. I didn't even think he

983
00:56:04,000 --> 00:56:06,480
Speaker 1: would remember me, and then it just worked out to

984
00:56:06,520 --> 00:56:09,520
Speaker 1: a point where you know, he he I don't think

985
00:56:09,560 --> 00:56:13,040
Speaker 1: he understands the impact he has on people. And for

986
00:56:13,160 --> 00:56:17,239
Speaker 1: him to do something like this for us was such

987
00:56:17,239 --> 00:56:21,440
Speaker 1: a huge boost to our to our brand of getting

988
00:56:21,480 --> 00:56:24,160
Speaker 1: the message out there, the big message getting rid of

989
00:56:24,200 --> 00:56:27,440
Speaker 1: single plastic use and just getting people getting rid of

990
00:56:27,480 --> 00:56:29,960
Speaker 1: the stigma and just getting people talking when they want

991
00:56:29,960 --> 00:56:30,279
Speaker 1: to talk.

992
00:56:31,560 --> 00:56:32,280
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's great.

993
00:56:32,360 --> 00:56:35,400
Speaker 1: And the cool thing is that in the beginning of

994
00:56:35,440 --> 00:56:38,560
Speaker 1: twenty twenty five, we're going to have the first resealable can,

995
00:56:39,239 --> 00:56:42,040
Speaker 1: so we're going to be able to close it back up. Yeah,

996
00:56:42,040 --> 00:56:45,480
Speaker 1: We're we're we'll have it in twenty twenty five. It's

997
00:56:45,520 --> 00:56:47,680
Speaker 1: a little hash hush. I can't talk about who, who's

998
00:56:47,760 --> 00:56:51,319
Speaker 1: who's partnering with us. But that's so exciting because on set,

999
00:56:51,440 --> 00:56:53,719
Speaker 1: you know you're in a post apocalyptic world. You want

1000
00:56:53,760 --> 00:56:56,120
Speaker 1: to you want to be able to not have particles

1001
00:56:56,160 --> 00:56:58,560
Speaker 1: of the set drop right in. So I get the

1002
00:56:58,600 --> 00:57:01,960
Speaker 1: idea of why can aren't popular on set, and hopefully

1003
00:57:01,960 --> 00:57:04,759
Speaker 1: that will turn it around where you know the resealable

1004
00:57:04,840 --> 00:57:06,680
Speaker 1: can will be something that people will use.

1005
00:57:07,200 --> 00:57:10,680
Speaker 2: You're a fascinating guy. I mean, I mean, that's the

1006
00:57:11,320 --> 00:57:14,840
Speaker 2: sum total is that? Are you? Are you into manga.

1007
00:57:16,440 --> 00:57:20,680
Speaker 1: A little? Only when I did the The I did

1008
00:57:20,720 --> 00:57:22,040
Speaker 1: a series in Japan.

1009
00:57:22,640 --> 00:57:26,600
Speaker 2: Yes, you did see the Silence Service. I was like, wait,

1010
00:57:26,800 --> 00:57:30,720
Speaker 2: what is it? He's a boxer. It's I mean, honest

1011
00:57:30,720 --> 00:57:33,160
Speaker 2: to god, it's like, you're Dwight Truth. You're like a

1012
00:57:33,200 --> 00:57:40,400
Speaker 2: boxer into Japanese manga. You've got a huge heart. But

1013
00:57:42,080 --> 00:57:44,760
Speaker 2: my god, I've compared.

1014
00:57:44,400 --> 00:57:45,520
Speaker 1: To him, and that's great.

1015
00:57:45,600 --> 00:57:49,880
Speaker 2: I love well love it. It's just it's all about contradictions.

1016
00:57:50,120 --> 00:57:52,160
Speaker 2: That's what it is for me. That's what and that's

1017
00:57:52,400 --> 00:57:56,000
Speaker 2: by the way, by the way, that's what makes fascinating people.

1018
00:57:56,440 --> 00:58:00,240
Speaker 2: That's it. That's the thing right there. Yeah, yeah, I

1019
00:58:00,240 --> 00:58:03,240
Speaker 2: mean that's what I love about exploring characters. That's what

1020
00:58:03,280 --> 00:58:06,160
Speaker 2: I love about talking to people like you on this

1021
00:58:06,280 --> 00:58:09,720
Speaker 2: program here. It's fascinating to me. I love it. I

1022
00:58:09,760 --> 00:58:13,920
Speaker 2: love what you're doing. I think cannot wish you. I

1023
00:58:14,160 --> 00:58:18,560
Speaker 2: wish you all the best success ever. Even though your

1024
00:58:18,600 --> 00:58:21,560
Speaker 2: timelines are very it was definitely more like ten years

1025
00:58:21,600 --> 00:58:27,920
Speaker 2: ago in the in the bar and slut in place

1026
00:58:28,040 --> 00:58:29,120
Speaker 2: there in Vancouver.

1027
00:58:29,440 --> 00:58:32,200
Speaker 1: That's right, with Caroline Ray.

1028
00:58:33,000 --> 00:58:38,400
Speaker 2: That's right. Yeah, no, I remember. It's great to see

1029
00:58:38,440 --> 00:58:44,200
Speaker 2: you again. Thank you. Come back anytime and h and

1030
00:58:44,320 --> 00:58:47,040
Speaker 2: next time we'll have some new manga for you.

1031
00:58:47,520 --> 00:58:50,560
Speaker 1: I love it. I'm in I'll come back anytime to

1032
00:58:50,640 --> 00:58:51,440
Speaker 1: talk to you, my friend.

1033
00:58:51,480 --> 00:59:07,360
Speaker 2: All right, cheers Alex. Alex, that was so great, and

1034
00:59:07,400 --> 00:59:10,919
Speaker 2: I want to thank you for being so open. Your

1035
00:59:10,920 --> 00:59:15,680
Speaker 2: ability to well to go there during this conversation is

1036
00:59:16,440 --> 00:59:20,919
Speaker 2: touching and refreshing and yes, makes me like you even more.

1037
00:59:21,000 --> 00:59:23,800
Speaker 2: I'm going to be rooting for you, my pal. Thanks

1038
00:59:23,800 --> 00:59:27,640
Speaker 2: for coming and talking to me. Catch Alex in the

1039
00:59:27,680 --> 00:59:33,440
Speaker 2: final season of snow Piercer, airing now on AMC, and

1040
00:59:34,120 --> 00:59:37,520
Speaker 2: don't Forget to come back here next week for more fun.

1041
00:59:38,120 --> 00:59:43,640
Speaker 2: We have an Oscar winner in the house from this year.

1042
00:59:44,400 --> 00:59:57,360
Speaker 2: Who could it be? Come back and find out. Off

1043
00:59:57,400 --> 01:00:01,320
Speaker 2: the Bead is hosted and executive produced by me Brian Baumgartner,

1044
01:00:01,520 --> 01:00:05,720
Speaker 2: alongside our executive producer Lang Lee. Our senior producer is

1045
01:00:05,760 --> 01:00:10,320
Speaker 2: Diego Tapia. Our producers are Emily Carr and seth Olanski,

1046
01:00:10,520 --> 01:00:14,560
Speaker 2: and our talent producer is Ryan Papa Zachary. Our theme

1047
01:00:14,680 --> 01:00:17,520
Speaker 2: song Bubble and Squeak, performed by the one and only

1048
01:00:17,960 --> 01:00:18,720
Speaker 2: Creed Breton