WEBVTT - Aleks Paunovic 0:00:00.240 --> 0:00:02.679 I felt like, either I'm going to find out now 0:00:03.080 --> 0:00:06.600 or I'm not going to find out. But it's I 0:00:06.680 --> 0:00:09.799 call it the American Idol audition where they go but 0:00:09.840 --> 0:00:14.360 my mom says, I'm really good, you know that type 0:00:14.360 --> 0:00:16.639 of vibe, and I'm like, am I that guy? Like 0:00:16.720 --> 0:00:25.320 if no one's telling me or I don't know? Hi, 0:00:26.079 --> 0:00:30.080 my name is Alex Panovic and I am legend with 0:00:30.720 --> 0:00:38.920 the legend. Hi. 0:00:39.040 --> 0:00:42.720 Everybody, welcome. I'm so happy to have you join me 0:00:42.880 --> 0:00:46.239 here in the land of Off the Beat. This is 0:00:46.280 --> 0:00:51.400 your host, Brian Baumgartner, my guest today. Well, let's just 0:00:51.440 --> 0:00:54.280 say he could totally beat you up and he could 0:00:54.360 --> 0:00:58.320 beat me up as well, but he's a supremely nice guy, 0:00:58.400 --> 0:01:01.360 so don't worry. I think that we're all safe. Yes, 0:01:01.880 --> 0:01:07.720 my guest Alex Ponovic, who you know for his fantastic 0:01:08.120 --> 0:01:12.040 acting career, but also he is a former amateur boxing 0:01:12.160 --> 0:01:16.319 champion and he comes from a long, long line of 0:01:16.480 --> 0:01:22.080 champion fighters, so don't cross him or anyone in his family. 0:01:23.000 --> 0:01:26.399 You may have seen him in Van Helsing, fou Bar, 0:01:27.000 --> 0:01:31.520 Zero Tolerance, Snow Piercer, and of course, my friend Dwight's 0:01:31.800 --> 0:01:36.760 favorite show, Battlestar Galactica. Did I mention that Alex is 0:01:36.760 --> 0:01:40.640 also in a heavy metal band? Yeah, so he really 0:01:40.680 --> 0:01:44.000 would be Dwight's favorite. Now that I've gotten to know him, 0:01:44.040 --> 0:01:47.600 guess what, He's becoming one of my favorite as well. 0:01:47.680 --> 0:01:55.040 Here he is, the powerful, the talented, the badass Alex Ponovic. 0:01:58.320 --> 0:02:06.520 Bubbolin, squeak, I love it, Bubble and squeak, Bubble and squeaker. 0:02:06.600 --> 0:02:10.880 Cook get every moleft over from the night before. 0:02:21.120 --> 0:02:24.680 What's up, Alex? Hey man, how are you. 0:02:25.080 --> 0:02:26.440 I'm doing great? How are you? 0:02:27.080 --> 0:02:29.920 Oh you know, I can't complain, No one would care anyway, 0:02:30.120 --> 0:02:32.400 So why why do that? 0:02:33.040 --> 0:02:35.760 Listen? You probably don't remember, but I met you with 0:02:35.919 --> 0:02:38.280 Caroline Ray at the Sutton in Vancouver. 0:02:39.000 --> 0:02:46.160 Oh yes, yeah, yeah, I do remember. Yeah, that has 0:02:46.240 --> 0:02:48.120 been a really long time ago. 0:02:48.320 --> 0:02:51.919 Yeah that that that was easily three four, maybe four 0:02:52.000 --> 0:02:52.440 years ago. 0:02:53.680 --> 0:02:56.280 Oh I think it may even go back further than that. 0:02:56.440 --> 0:02:57.519 It could it could. 0:02:58.040 --> 0:02:59.639 Well, how's it good to see you again? 0:03:00.160 --> 0:03:02.760 Man, Good to see you. I'm I'm stoked to talk 0:03:02.800 --> 0:03:05.360 to you. This is uh, this is exciting. I've been 0:03:05.360 --> 0:03:06.560 a fan of yours for a while. 0:03:06.560 --> 0:03:11.040 My man, Oh well, that's too kind. I am fascinated 0:03:12.040 --> 0:03:14.880 by your history and your life as well. I mean 0:03:15.600 --> 0:03:18.880 it is worth noting you're showing the guns here today 0:03:19.120 --> 0:03:25.080 early uh early early in the morning. I understand you 0:03:25.080 --> 0:03:29.600 your grandfather, your dad, your uncle. That's right, we're all 0:03:29.680 --> 0:03:32.920 boxers and you you dabbled in it a little bit 0:03:32.960 --> 0:03:33.840 as well, right. 0:03:34.040 --> 0:03:37.720 Yeah, I did. Uh well. I I've always had it 0:03:37.760 --> 0:03:41.920 in my life because of my family being such boxers, 0:03:41.920 --> 0:03:44.520 so growing up and getting in front of the TV 0:03:44.680 --> 0:03:49.119 to watch old Ali or actually live Ali fights at 0:03:49.240 --> 0:03:53.119 ABC where it would be like Saturday afternoon, those were 0:03:53.120 --> 0:03:56.440 the best, and and so I developed this, you know, 0:03:56.560 --> 0:04:00.280 love for boxing, but also just being around me so 0:04:00.400 --> 0:04:03.920 much and how much it's helped me outside of the 0:04:04.000 --> 0:04:07.200 ring is something that I've kind of carried with me 0:04:07.280 --> 0:04:12.080 through my whole life and not realizing that, not realizing 0:04:12.080 --> 0:04:13.360 that it would help me so much. 0:04:14.480 --> 0:04:16.440 Was there a time that you thought that was that 0:04:16.480 --> 0:04:18.240 you were going to join the family business, that you 0:04:18.240 --> 0:04:20.000 were going to do it, or did you just dabble? 0:04:20.200 --> 0:04:23.640 There was a I dabbled. I mean I didn't have 0:04:23.720 --> 0:04:27.719 a great relationship with my dad even though I love boxing, 0:04:28.120 --> 0:04:31.200 So if I did boxing, that means we would have 0:04:31.279 --> 0:04:35.839 to hang out together, which unbeknownst to me, was the 0:04:35.880 --> 0:04:40.200 reason why I got into playing music in bands, because 0:04:40.240 --> 0:04:43.240 that was something he wasn't interested in, and I was like, Oh, 0:04:43.560 --> 0:04:45.560 here's something I can do where he's not going to 0:04:45.600 --> 0:04:49.000 be on me. But the love of boxing was something 0:04:49.040 --> 0:04:52.240 that would was always there. So as time went on, 0:04:52.960 --> 0:04:55.080 I dabbled. When I would play in my band, I 0:04:55.080 --> 0:04:58.400 would kind of take off the boxing gyms and do 0:04:58.520 --> 0:05:01.000 it without the band knowing, because they gave me a 0:05:01.000 --> 0:05:03.160 little lecture saying, if you break your hand then we 0:05:03.200 --> 0:05:07.160 can't play anymore. So we can't get you. We can't 0:05:07.200 --> 0:05:09.279 get your hands, I'll bust it up. So I wou'd 0:05:09.320 --> 0:05:11.400 sneak out just because I loved it so much. And 0:05:11.440 --> 0:05:14.719 then later in life, I just wanted to reconnect with 0:05:14.800 --> 0:05:17.440 my dad and I just said, Hey, I'm going to 0:05:17.440 --> 0:05:20.360 this boxing gym. I kind of snuck them in and 0:05:20.400 --> 0:05:22.560 told the guys at the gym to say I've never 0:05:22.600 --> 0:05:25.080 been here because I wanted him to get out and 0:05:25.200 --> 0:05:27.159 just kind of feel it, because I think he would 0:05:27.160 --> 0:05:30.280 have been offended if I went boxing without him, right, 0:05:30.400 --> 0:05:34.880 And so we introduced him and myself to the gym 0:05:35.520 --> 0:05:38.599 and he ended up being there for over twenty five 0:05:38.680 --> 0:05:41.560 years training kids and helping out other kids, and it 0:05:41.680 --> 0:05:46.200 made us grow fond closer to each other. Our bond 0:05:46.320 --> 0:05:49.960 was tighter, and I saw more compassion from the man, 0:05:50.120 --> 0:05:52.799 and that was something that was cool. So I start. 0:05:53.360 --> 0:05:56.520 I competed late, even though I boxed my whole life. 0:05:56.560 --> 0:05:59.600 And when you're in a super heavyweight division in boxing, 0:06:00.040 --> 0:06:02.839 it's usually ex football or hockey players that can't do 0:06:02.920 --> 0:06:05.120 those sports anymore and want to go into something to 0:06:05.160 --> 0:06:08.719 be competitive, which makes sense. But I was lucky that 0:06:08.760 --> 0:06:11.000 I had the skill that I grew up with, so 0:06:11.880 --> 0:06:14.200 I didn't have to make weight, which was a great 0:06:14.279 --> 0:06:17.000 thing because I didn't have to put on the sweatsuits 0:06:17.040 --> 0:06:19.840 because anything two hundred and two pounds and up was 0:06:19.880 --> 0:06:23.880 super heavyweight and then and so competing was fun and 0:06:23.920 --> 0:06:26.760 I enjoyed it, and I went because I grew up 0:06:26.800 --> 0:06:30.440 in Canada. I went for provincials in four provinces, and 0:06:30.720 --> 0:06:33.200 on my way to the PanAm Games, I did the 0:06:33.240 --> 0:06:38.240 pre Pan American Tournament. But it was one of those 0:06:38.240 --> 0:06:42.520 things where the band was so important to me, and 0:06:42.760 --> 0:06:46.800 entertaining and creating music that was something that was I 0:06:46.880 --> 0:06:49.680 just felt like that called more of a passion and 0:06:49.720 --> 0:06:53.760 then going into acting, but the boxings would always kept 0:06:53.800 --> 0:06:55.960 me ground. It always gave me a piece of home. 0:06:56.480 --> 0:06:59.839 Wherever I went, it just felt comfortable in my skin 0:07:00.080 --> 0:07:02.039 and it felt confident for me. 0:07:02.600 --> 0:07:06.359 Right. Well, you mentioned getting into music in part because 0:07:06.560 --> 0:07:10.280 your dad was not How did you get in there? 0:07:10.520 --> 0:07:12.760 I mean, having an interest is one thing, but actually 0:07:13.480 --> 0:07:16.280 you know, like getting in there and doing it and 0:07:16.400 --> 0:07:19.520 ending up touring and having some success. What was that 0:07:19.640 --> 0:07:20.640 journey for you? 0:07:21.000 --> 0:07:24.840 Well, it was interesting. I'm a yes guy, and even 0:07:24.920 --> 0:07:27.040 before I knew I was a yes guy, I was 0:07:27.080 --> 0:07:29.560 a yes guy. I'd like trying different things. I like 0:07:29.640 --> 0:07:32.960 doing different things, and anytime anybody asked me to be 0:07:33.040 --> 0:07:36.680 involved in something, I'm that kind of personality that's going, 0:07:37.000 --> 0:07:41.200 let's do it. And so I would after school go 0:07:41.280 --> 0:07:45.520 watch my friends rehearse, okay, And so we would go 0:07:45.880 --> 0:07:49.040 to our buddy Tony's house or our buddy Trevor's house, 0:07:49.480 --> 0:07:52.520 and everyone will get together and we start playing old 0:07:52.600 --> 0:07:55.680 metal songs and Judas priest and I our maiden, and 0:07:55.720 --> 0:07:58.400 I would just watch. I was just the dude, just watching, 0:07:58.560 --> 0:08:03.320 enjoying it, okay. And then one day I was watching 0:08:03.400 --> 0:08:05.720 the band rehearse for the talent show for high school, 0:08:05.960 --> 0:08:10.640 and the bass player ended up quitting, and it was like, well, 0:08:10.720 --> 0:08:12.520 why don't we just get Alex to do it? Why 0:08:12.520 --> 0:08:13.480 don't you just get out. 0:08:13.320 --> 0:08:13.720 To do it? 0:08:14.240 --> 0:08:17.080 And then they're literally show like fit Alex, just put 0:08:17.120 --> 0:08:20.560 your finger here and hit the hit the top string 0:08:20.920 --> 0:08:23.200 as hard as you can. And I and I was 0:08:23.240 --> 0:08:25.480 an air bander, so that's how I really loved it. 0:08:25.760 --> 0:08:30.040 We had like airband competitions. So I love performing, okay, 0:08:30.560 --> 0:08:35.000 and so like within forty eight to seven, forty eight 0:08:35.080 --> 0:08:37.719 to yeah, about forty eight hours, I was on a 0:08:37.800 --> 0:08:41.560 stage in high schools playing and then I realized I 0:08:41.600 --> 0:08:44.600 got super nervous, so I turned the volume down on 0:08:44.640 --> 0:08:48.520 my base and pretended, like pretended there was something wrong 0:08:48.559 --> 0:08:51.400 with the monitor. And so I just airbanded through that 0:08:51.480 --> 0:08:54.920 whole like three songs set that we did at the 0:08:54.960 --> 0:08:58.400 talent show, and then I just got started learning after it. 0:08:58.440 --> 0:09:00.440 And I've never kind of I've never said I was 0:09:00.440 --> 0:09:02.640 a great bass player. I was a solid bass player, 0:09:02.640 --> 0:09:04.920 and I love being in the pocket, I love being 0:09:04.920 --> 0:09:07.920 with the drummer. But I was more of an entertainer. 0:09:08.000 --> 0:09:10.920 That was the thing that got me. I wanted people 0:09:10.960 --> 0:09:13.920 to watch the band and and if they weren't watching, 0:09:13.960 --> 0:09:16.120 I would jump off the stage and jump on their 0:09:16.160 --> 0:09:19.280 table and play bass so they would watch the band. 0:09:19.440 --> 0:09:22.440 And I was very lucky to have amazing musicians in 0:09:22.480 --> 0:09:25.920 the band. That kind of basically helped carry me. And 0:09:25.960 --> 0:09:29.240 I was very much a team player, so I loved 0:09:29.280 --> 0:09:30.920 the idea of keeping the band together. 0:09:31.760 --> 0:09:35.199 Well, that leads into my next question. So your earliest 0:09:35.440 --> 0:09:39.000 like performance it was this, but you you had a 0:09:40.080 --> 0:09:43.160 you were naturally gifted in this way, but you weren't 0:09:43.480 --> 0:09:45.199 were you doing theater or anything else. 0:09:46.480 --> 0:09:50.200 The only thing I did was to be able to 0:09:50.240 --> 0:09:53.240 graduate from my high school. They gave me two credits 0:09:53.280 --> 0:09:56.120 to be in the school play and that's that was 0:09:56.160 --> 0:09:58.400 the only that was the only thing that I did. 0:09:58.400 --> 0:10:01.760 We did Joseph and his Tech The Colored dream Coat, okay, 0:10:02.040 --> 0:10:05.040 and that was the first introduction into anything like that. 0:10:05.160 --> 0:10:09.200 And it's crazy because I still remember Joseph Sma though 0:10:09.240 --> 0:10:12.439 she was quite my favorite wife, like, I still remember 0:10:12.520 --> 0:10:16.800 that stuff. But that was my introduction to being on stage. 0:10:17.520 --> 0:10:20.320 So how I transferred over into acting was I was 0:10:20.360 --> 0:10:22.640 again playing with my band, I'm on stage and a 0:10:22.679 --> 0:10:26.320 casting director asked if I would audition for a film, 0:10:26.360 --> 0:10:28.040 and again I just said, yes. 0:10:28.400 --> 0:10:31.839 Now was this about Was this about your performing on stage? 0:10:31.880 --> 0:10:34.240 Was it about your look? Like did they ever share 0:10:34.320 --> 0:10:36.840 that with you? Like how do you get from A 0:10:37.000 --> 0:10:37.600 to B? There? 0:10:38.360 --> 0:10:41.760 I think it was my look. I had long, long 0:10:41.880 --> 0:10:44.760 hair and I'm six foot five. Yeah, and you know, 0:10:44.920 --> 0:10:47.160 and the casting director had a few drinks and we 0:10:47.360 --> 0:10:50.440 talked afterwards and she was like, you know, why don't 0:10:50.440 --> 0:10:53.240 you come in and audition for this? I was like, Okay, sure. 0:10:53.280 --> 0:10:56.000 And the craziest thing is I remember going to the audition, 0:10:56.640 --> 0:10:59.480 but my brain is totally music. This was just something 0:10:59.520 --> 0:11:02.880 fun to do. And there was like six dudes my 0:11:03.080 --> 0:11:06.000 size saying the same line over and over again. Built 0:11:06.040 --> 0:11:08.920 for comfort, built for comfort, different ways, and I'm going, 0:11:09.720 --> 0:11:13.560 these guys look ridiculous, this is hilarious. Unbeknownst to me, 0:11:13.600 --> 0:11:17.800 I'd be doing the same thing years later. But then 0:11:17.960 --> 0:11:20.920 when I got into the audition, I just had fun. 0:11:21.520 --> 0:11:23.640 I didn't have any nerves. I it was just a 0:11:23.679 --> 0:11:28.160 thing and I really bonded with the director, who coincidentally, 0:11:28.400 --> 0:11:31.920 years later, I was on a show in Canada called 0:11:32.040 --> 0:11:35.000 Arctic Air and he directed one of the episodes and 0:11:35.000 --> 0:11:38.040 I'm talking, I'm talking like over ten years later. I'm like, 0:11:38.360 --> 0:11:40.400 this is this the same guy? And so I had 0:11:40.440 --> 0:11:42.280 to look it up. I'm like, this is the guy 0:11:42.320 --> 0:11:44.600 that got me in my very first gig. 0:11:44.880 --> 0:11:45.320 Wow. 0:11:45.600 --> 0:11:48.360 And I reminded him of it and we just laughed 0:11:48.360 --> 0:11:50.360 our heads off after and he goes, the only reason 0:11:50.400 --> 0:11:52.600 why I cast you is because you were You were 0:11:52.640 --> 0:11:55.080 just fun. You were like making me laugh and you 0:11:55.240 --> 0:11:58.160 just had this one line. But dude, this one line 0:11:58.559 --> 0:12:02.080 going back to my first thing. So it was with 0:12:02.880 --> 0:12:08.120 Roddy McDowell, Ed Asner, Jennifer Tillery, John Crier, all before 0:12:08.600 --> 0:12:10.360 John Cryer had his had his hit. 0:12:10.480 --> 0:12:14.320 What film was this? It was was this Heads? 0:12:14.720 --> 0:12:18.480 Yes? Yes, it was Heads? It was Heads? And uh yeah, 0:12:18.520 --> 0:12:22.680 you played butler exactly. And I remember going to make 0:12:22.760 --> 0:12:26.800 up and they started putting these these scratches on my face. 0:12:27.280 --> 0:12:29.400 I'm like, I wonder what that is. And this the 0:12:29.480 --> 0:12:32.400 only scene that I have lines in is when John 0:12:32.440 --> 0:12:36.040 Cryer is a detective. He comes in Roddy McDowell, I'm 0:12:36.080 --> 0:12:40.359 his butler, and and he's he has these beautiful greyhound 0:12:40.440 --> 0:12:44.680 dogs And as he's talking to John Cryer, he's he's mentioning, 0:12:45.080 --> 0:12:47.800 aren't these dogs beautiful? They're built for speed, They're built 0:12:47.840 --> 0:12:50.920 for comfort. Isn't that right, Roderick? And he says that 0:12:51.200 --> 0:12:55.520 my name is Roderick, and the line back is, yes, 0:12:56.040 --> 0:12:58.640 they're built for comfort. And then he wanted me to 0:12:58.640 --> 0:13:01.040 touch the scars and I'm like, I don't, I don't 0:13:01.120 --> 0:13:04.480 understand what that means. Oh, it's it's insinuated. You have 0:13:04.559 --> 0:13:08.120 sex with these greyhound dogs. I went, what are you 0:13:08.240 --> 0:13:10.199 kidding me? I just signed on to this that I'm 0:13:10.200 --> 0:13:13.480 gonna be screwed greyhound dogs. And then I swore, I 0:13:13.520 --> 0:13:16.080 swore I have to keep acting because I don't want 0:13:16.120 --> 0:13:19.120 to be known as just the dude that screwed greyhound dogs. 0:13:19.480 --> 0:13:22.839 I have to get something else on my resume. But 0:13:23.840 --> 0:13:27.160 after that, I just started getting I was fortunate to 0:13:27.200 --> 0:13:30.640 get in the stunt community in Winnipeg, and Winnipeg at 0:13:30.679 --> 0:13:34.520 that time had had one stunt team, which was a family, 0:13:34.679 --> 0:13:38.040 the Schemes. And he saw how big I was and 0:13:38.080 --> 0:13:40.240 he basically said, we have no big guys on our 0:13:40.240 --> 0:13:43.120 stunt team. Do you want to just kind of work? 0:13:43.200 --> 0:13:45.800 And I was all over it again. I said yes, 0:13:46.160 --> 0:13:48.800 but it was such it was such a move for me. 0:13:48.920 --> 0:13:52.400 I knew I loved the idea of acting. I wasn't 0:13:52.520 --> 0:13:56.000 crazy about the idea of stunts, but I saw how 0:13:56.000 --> 0:13:59.199 that got me in to basically every movie because they 0:13:59.200 --> 0:14:01.680 always needed stuff. And then it would be like, Okay, 0:14:01.920 --> 0:14:03.640 can you do a little acting because we need this 0:14:03.720 --> 0:14:06.480 bouncer to to throw some punches after he kind of 0:14:06.679 --> 0:14:10.280 scolds this guy. And and so that I started getting 0:14:10.320 --> 0:14:13.040 into the acting bit of it. And and but the 0:14:13.080 --> 0:14:16.360 stunt community, those stunt guys are just next level. And 0:14:16.400 --> 0:14:19.560 for me, it wasn't what I wanted to tell stories. 0:14:19.960 --> 0:14:24.320 So I just started working in film and Winnipeg, and 0:14:24.360 --> 0:14:26.760 I would be playing in my band in front of 0:14:26.800 --> 0:14:29.360 like three hundred people, having a blast, being a king, 0:14:29.760 --> 0:14:32.760 people looking up at me where I'm playing bass, and 0:14:32.800 --> 0:14:35.480 then right when we were done at two am, it 0:14:35.800 --> 0:14:40.680 transferred right into helping Rick on set and I would 0:14:40.720 --> 0:14:44.080 just be the gopher getting coffee, moving Max. Don't talk 0:14:44.120 --> 0:14:47.240 to actors, just stay in this corner. So I went 0:14:47.280 --> 0:14:50.480 from like this massive ego kind of high to them 0:14:50.720 --> 0:14:53.240 just being in in that in that place where I'm 0:14:53.880 --> 0:14:56.800 not anything right, you know what you know? So it 0:14:56.840 --> 0:14:59.560 was it was it was a it was an ego check, 0:14:59.600 --> 0:15:02.720 but there was my brain was unbeknownst to me, my 0:15:02.760 --> 0:15:05.880 brain was in this. I want to keep at this 0:15:06.000 --> 0:15:08.040 and learn as much as I can so I can 0:15:08.080 --> 0:15:11.520 get to that next level and just really hopefully enjoy 0:15:12.120 --> 0:15:14.440 this thing that I just started falling in love with. 0:15:16.000 --> 0:15:20.240 So I heard that in two thousand and one, Yeah, 0:15:20.280 --> 0:15:23.360 you were coming to Los Angeles. Yeah, And then the 0:15:23.400 --> 0:15:26.080 borders tightened after nine eleven. Tell me a little bit 0:15:26.080 --> 0:15:26.480 about that. 0:15:27.600 --> 0:15:30.480 So I was playing in my band and then it 0:15:30.560 --> 0:15:33.520 was one of it was the time where the band dissolved. 0:15:33.520 --> 0:15:35.600 It was like we were we were done to me. 0:15:36.160 --> 0:15:38.760 To me, it was really tough because I had the 0:15:38.800 --> 0:15:41.880 blinders on and we were all high school boys and 0:15:41.920 --> 0:15:46.400 we toured for over ten years, and then everyone just 0:15:46.440 --> 0:15:48.640 started kind of separating and I had the blinders on. 0:15:48.760 --> 0:15:51.160 Then it all opened up and the acting things. I 0:15:51.200 --> 0:15:54.000 really started getting serious about that. And one of my 0:15:54.040 --> 0:15:58.200 best friends rest in peace, who passed his name was Scully, 0:15:58.320 --> 0:16:01.240 one of the most creative guys I've ever met to 0:16:01.280 --> 0:16:06.560 this day. And he moved to Vancouver and I'm in Winnipeg, 0:16:06.800 --> 0:16:09.880 and then I just started. I jumped in on a 0:16:09.880 --> 0:16:11.920 cover band because I didn't want a tour anymore, and 0:16:12.000 --> 0:16:14.600 I started I went to the National Institute of Broadcasts 0:16:14.600 --> 0:16:18.080 because I wanted to learn everything behind the camera, because 0:16:18.120 --> 0:16:20.520 if I didn't make it in front of the camera, 0:16:20.800 --> 0:16:22.800 I wanted to know what was going on behind so 0:16:22.880 --> 0:16:24.080 maybe I can find. 0:16:23.880 --> 0:16:25.280 A place there. 0:16:25.640 --> 0:16:29.160 So I learned about camera work and editing, and in 0:16:29.200 --> 0:16:33.200 that time and again the yes happens. I got approached 0:16:33.680 --> 0:16:39.200 to do a show called Destinations Manitoba, which was on 0:16:39.360 --> 0:16:43.120 ABC affiliates. So we would get the ABC affiliates so 0:16:43.200 --> 0:16:47.160 the American audience would see what Winnipeg has to offer. 0:16:47.280 --> 0:16:50.200 So it would be we would air in North Dakota, 0:16:50.760 --> 0:16:54.960 or we would air in Seattle for Vancouver. When we 0:16:55.000 --> 0:16:59.040 did Destinations and so Destinations Manitoba was basically, you know, 0:16:59.160 --> 0:17:01.640 it was twenty one years to go into a bar, 0:17:01.800 --> 0:17:04.720 it was eighteen and wanna pey. So it was about 0:17:04.760 --> 0:17:08.159 getting everyone over to the bars, to the restaurants, to 0:17:08.200 --> 0:17:12.800 the hotels. So we sold half an hour advertising space 0:17:12.840 --> 0:17:16.360 and we would sell them in fifteen seconds, thirty seconds 0:17:16.359 --> 0:17:23.840 and minute chunks to hotels, restaurants and condos or establishments, 0:17:24.000 --> 0:17:26.800 and we made it look like a TV show. So 0:17:26.840 --> 0:17:29.480 we would go into all these places and I ended 0:17:29.560 --> 0:17:33.199 up being a co host director and editor. So I 0:17:33.240 --> 0:17:36.840 would come home from playing in the band and put 0:17:36.920 --> 0:17:41.320 in about We probably had about nine hours of footage 0:17:41.320 --> 0:17:44.280 for a thirty minute show, and I would put the 0:17:44.440 --> 0:17:46.879 because we could didn't have the money, we had VHS, 0:17:46.920 --> 0:17:49.480 so I would put everything on a VHS in the 0:17:49.520 --> 0:17:51.800 studio and then I would do the time, write the 0:17:51.880 --> 0:17:54.320 time codes of what I think the scenes would be 0:17:54.760 --> 0:17:57.240 till like five o'clock in the morning. Then I would 0:17:57.240 --> 0:17:59.360 sleep play at night and then do the same thing. 0:18:00.080 --> 0:18:03.320 So kind of was getting my feet wet and everything 0:18:03.440 --> 0:18:07.840 doing this show with a producer that got me in 0:18:07.920 --> 0:18:10.680 on it, Shelley, and so I was really enjoying that, 0:18:10.800 --> 0:18:13.320 and I was enjoying being part of the stunt community 0:18:13.320 --> 0:18:16.160 and going to auditions. And then I decided to make 0:18:16.160 --> 0:18:18.080 the move to LA But I'm going to stop in 0:18:18.200 --> 0:18:22.120 Vancouver and see my boy Scully and hang out with him. 0:18:22.160 --> 0:18:25.119 We were doing a writing project and so I was 0:18:25.160 --> 0:18:28.399 going to be there and basically live with him and 0:18:28.480 --> 0:18:31.840 his roommate for a little while. And it was only 0:18:31.880 --> 0:18:34.879 a two bedroom, so I had no money. There was 0:18:34.920 --> 0:18:36.480 at the point where I had no money, so I'm 0:18:36.480 --> 0:18:40.840 sleeping on their floor. My rent was like cleaning the house, 0:18:41.000 --> 0:18:44.640 scrubbing the toilets, doing the dishes. That's what I was doing, 0:18:45.520 --> 0:18:48.679 and then on my way to go to Los Angeles, 0:18:48.920 --> 0:18:52.080 and then nine to eleven happened. So like if I 0:18:52.080 --> 0:18:55.359 would have went when I landed in Vancouver, stayed about 0:18:55.400 --> 0:18:57.480 a month and then went to LA it would have 0:18:57.520 --> 0:19:00.520 been easier. But I stayed for about six months, writing, 0:19:00.720 --> 0:19:03.439 enjoying it, ready to make my move, and then nine 0:19:03.480 --> 0:19:06.960 to eleven happened, which kept me in Vancouver, which personally, 0:19:07.040 --> 0:19:09.480 I think is a blessing because I got to work. 0:19:09.560 --> 0:19:12.040 A lot more, a lot, a lot more. 0:19:12.119 --> 0:19:14.680 Yeah, there was there was so much more opportunity here 0:19:14.720 --> 0:19:17.879 I felt for me and especially starting the being in 0:19:17.920 --> 0:19:20.800 the game late. So yeah, so that's how that's how 0:19:20.800 --> 0:19:22.080 that transition happened. 0:19:22.320 --> 0:19:26.720 Yeah, in those early two thousands, you did a lot 0:19:26.760 --> 0:19:32.000 of guest star TV roles, some film short films Stargate, 0:19:32.560 --> 0:19:38.040 sc One, Supernatural for you, you know you're getting into 0:19:38.119 --> 0:19:40.159 the business. It sounds like you've done a lot of 0:19:40.240 --> 0:19:44.120 work in terms of training and learning behind the scenes 0:19:44.200 --> 0:19:48.199 and then destination men Man Toba. You learned a lot 0:19:48.320 --> 0:19:55.080 about basically producing. What experiences did you learn from or 0:19:55.119 --> 0:19:58.000 what did you learn from those early experiences on sets 0:19:58.080 --> 0:20:02.159 on these shows, working with and for so many different people. 0:20:03.320 --> 0:20:07.239 Oh what a great question. I feel like I was 0:20:07.280 --> 0:20:09.600 just talking to a friend about this. So I feel 0:20:09.600 --> 0:20:12.280 like the band prepared me without me knowing. I was 0:20:12.359 --> 0:20:16.320 prepared because I would. I fell in love with the 0:20:16.400 --> 0:20:19.240 hustle when the switch happened. It took me a while 0:20:19.280 --> 0:20:21.560 to learn it, but I realized, oh wait a second, 0:20:21.640 --> 0:20:24.080 acting is exactly what I was doing since I was 0:20:24.119 --> 0:20:28.640 fifteen years old, over here and networking. So the idea 0:20:28.680 --> 0:20:33.760 of learning how to talk to people, being in events, 0:20:34.960 --> 0:20:39.040 knowing how to listen to people, and picking the energy 0:20:39.119 --> 0:20:42.639 up from people around me. So perfect example is working 0:20:42.640 --> 0:20:47.040 on Supernatural super Nervous my first time, and Jensen and 0:20:47.160 --> 0:20:51.199 Jared are the most amazing hosts on their show. Like 0:20:51.280 --> 0:20:53.439 they know they come into the makeup trailer, they know 0:20:53.520 --> 0:20:56.159 your name, they welcome you in, and all of a 0:20:56.200 --> 0:21:00.359 sudden you have this opening that goes, this is awesome 0:21:00.400 --> 0:21:02.920 and I want to impress these guys. These guys are great. 0:21:03.240 --> 0:21:06.439 So it gives you the creative outlet to be free. 0:21:07.000 --> 0:21:09.600 And then I've had experiences working on a show where 0:21:10.119 --> 0:21:14.720 the leads weren't as accommodating and right, and you're like 0:21:15.080 --> 0:21:17.240 you're like the new kid at school and everyone's not 0:21:17.359 --> 0:21:20.679 quite sure of you, and so you literally close in 0:21:20.720 --> 0:21:22.480 a bit because you just don't want to screw up. 0:21:23.119 --> 0:21:26.560 And so what I what I saw was Okay, I 0:21:26.560 --> 0:21:28.560 can find a place in this industry because I feel 0:21:28.600 --> 0:21:31.720 like I'm like those guys. I love the team and 0:21:31.760 --> 0:21:35.040 getting people together again. The band helped getting people to 0:21:35.080 --> 0:21:38.480 come and see us, and just the communication aspect of it. 0:21:38.520 --> 0:21:41.840 I think the bottom line was I really enjoyed the 0:21:42.600 --> 0:21:45.600 hustle and the communication of being with people and then 0:21:46.000 --> 0:21:49.760 the learning. Because Larry Moss was one of my guys 0:21:49.840 --> 0:21:52.400 that I studied with that spoke to me in that way. 0:21:52.440 --> 0:21:56.440 There was other acting coaches where the language wasn't the same. 0:21:56.520 --> 0:21:58.480 I didn't and I didn't know if it was me 0:21:58.680 --> 0:22:00.440 or if it was them because I was so new 0:22:00.880 --> 0:22:04.760 to really studying acting. And when I worked with Larry, 0:22:04.840 --> 0:22:07.159 I went, oh my god, Okay, this this is me. 0:22:07.359 --> 0:22:09.520 This is this is the guy that speaks to me 0:22:09.560 --> 0:22:13.840 in you know, script analysis, emotionality. So I think it 0:22:14.040 --> 0:22:17.359 just it was communication that led me to the right spots. 0:22:17.840 --> 0:22:20.200 So I think that's what I learned learned the most 0:22:20.240 --> 0:22:20.639 about it. 0:22:20.880 --> 0:22:41.520 Yeah, that's cool. A couple of months ago, I talked 0:22:41.560 --> 0:22:46.480 to an old co star of yours, Tricia Helfer. 0:22:46.760 --> 0:22:48.320 Oh my god, I love Tricia. 0:22:48.760 --> 0:22:54.520 Battlestar Galactica one of your first recurring roles. Were you 0:22:54.560 --> 0:22:58.800 a fan of the show before, like the original? Well 0:22:59.040 --> 0:23:01.160 or but yeah, yeah, well. 0:23:01.320 --> 0:23:05.960 So the original obviously and then the history. So I 0:23:06.000 --> 0:23:10.920 did a film called, an amazing film called wish Master four. 0:23:12.080 --> 0:23:14.280 Wish Master four, right, and. 0:23:14.680 --> 0:23:18.000 There was two dudes on it, Victor Webster and Michael Trucco, 0:23:18.680 --> 0:23:21.960 and we became fast friends. And that was when I 0:23:22.000 --> 0:23:24.080 was living in Winnipeg. And then they were like, Alex, 0:23:24.119 --> 0:23:26.200 you got to come to LA just come to visit. 0:23:26.280 --> 0:23:28.439 And I hung out with them and to this day 0:23:28.560 --> 0:23:32.200 they're my best friends. And I remember Michael Truco saying, 0:23:33.000 --> 0:23:35.480 oh my god, I just got this amazing audition for 0:23:35.680 --> 0:23:39.280 Battlestar galact and we were talking about it, and I go, 0:23:39.400 --> 0:23:41.880 Battlestar really goes yeah, yeah, yeah, but it's not the Battlestar. 0:23:42.000 --> 0:23:42.360 You think. 0:23:42.400 --> 0:23:45.520 It's a totally different thing. And so I remember him 0:23:46.160 --> 0:23:48.440 like being so stoked going out for that, and then 0:23:48.560 --> 0:23:51.480 later on I remember him being so disappointed that he 0:23:51.520 --> 0:23:55.920 didn't get the lead, and unbeknownst to me, I'm back 0:23:55.960 --> 0:24:00.080 in Vancouver and now Battlestar's shooting in Vancouver, so a 0:24:00.119 --> 0:24:02.200 bunch of people were going out for it. And one 0:24:02.240 --> 0:24:05.680 of my best friends right now, Tomo Pennicit who played 0:24:05.840 --> 0:24:09.120 Heilo on the show. He said he got it, and 0:24:09.280 --> 0:24:12.439 so Eddie Almos is coming to town. My buddy Tomo 0:24:12.480 --> 0:24:15.680 would invite me to the to the hangouts and stuff, 0:24:16.000 --> 0:24:18.840 so I got to know them really well. Michael Rymer, 0:24:19.200 --> 0:24:22.040 who I got to know extremely well and quickly, was 0:24:22.119 --> 0:24:25.840 because of Tomo. And then there was a boxing episode 0:24:26.240 --> 0:24:29.399 that they had and Toma was like, listen, like, if 0:24:29.480 --> 0:24:32.520 you want any if you want somebody to learn boxing, 0:24:32.560 --> 0:24:34.520 you got to learn, get it from Alex, Like Alex 0:24:34.600 --> 0:24:37.280 is great, and he pitched me and pitched me, and 0:24:37.400 --> 0:24:41.920 Rymer said, okay, so now I'm teaching boxing to Eddie 0:24:42.000 --> 0:24:45.840 Almos and Jamie Bamber and Tomo and Aaron Douglas. And 0:24:46.480 --> 0:24:49.280 then I got really in that circle. And then it 0:24:49.400 --> 0:24:53.439 was basically, let's get Alex's role on the show. So 0:24:53.520 --> 0:24:58.120 it just again worked from relationships and communication. That's how 0:24:58.119 --> 0:25:00.000 I got to be on the show, and I honestly, 0:25:00.000 --> 0:25:03.199 I don't even think I would. My chops weren't that 0:25:03.359 --> 0:25:06.200 great at that point at that time, and they were 0:25:06.359 --> 0:25:09.119 just really great dudes to kind of offer me something 0:25:09.200 --> 0:25:12.320 like that. After we kind of made this great episode 0:25:12.480 --> 0:25:16.000 of the boxing episode and Battlestar, and then Michael Trucco 0:25:16.080 --> 0:25:19.600 comes back into the picture and he plays Anders. Dude, 0:25:19.600 --> 0:25:22.400 this is blowing my mind because I've never talked about 0:25:22.400 --> 0:25:24.840 it like this. So Trucco comes back and we're like 0:25:25.119 --> 0:25:28.119 Truco's in Vancouver doing Battlestar. I get to introduce some 0:25:28.200 --> 0:25:31.720 of the tomo so all that kind of works wickedly. 0:25:31.800 --> 0:25:34.000 And at that time, the guy that I came to 0:25:34.040 --> 0:25:37.240 live with, Scully, who I told you was very creative, 0:25:37.320 --> 0:25:43.320 who passed away. They needed a tattoo design for Anders 0:25:43.600 --> 0:25:47.800 and Katie Sakow's character and when they put their arms together, 0:25:47.920 --> 0:25:51.240 it connects to make one thing. And my buddy Scully 0:25:51.359 --> 0:25:52.600 designed that tattoo. 0:25:53.000 --> 0:25:57.680 Geez, you're like the central ingredient to the entire operation 0:25:57.880 --> 0:26:00.520 there at battle start, it was. 0:26:00.640 --> 0:26:04.639 It was mind blowing and I just loved. I just loved. 0:26:04.920 --> 0:26:07.480 I never even put all that together until right now. 0:26:07.520 --> 0:26:10.040 The way we just spoke about it. So yeah, so 0:26:10.080 --> 0:26:12.639 that's how I basically got my gig on Battlestar. I 0:26:12.680 --> 0:26:15.120 was just great people like giving me a shot. 0:26:15.440 --> 0:26:21.280 That's awesome. Uh, you did a film Personal Effects with 0:26:21.359 --> 0:26:26.080 Mischelle Pfeiffer, Ashton Koocher and my old pal Kathy Bates. 0:26:26.600 --> 0:26:31.240 You've said before that this was a really formative role 0:26:31.920 --> 0:26:35.239 for you. What was significant about that role or that 0:26:35.359 --> 0:26:36.280 experience for you. 0:26:37.320 --> 0:26:41.240 As I was auditioning, you know, and I'm six foot five, 0:26:41.320 --> 0:26:45.119 I'm you know, two fifty to sixty, so I was 0:26:45.280 --> 0:26:49.199 just getting big guy rolls, you know, bouncer number one, 0:26:48.840 --> 0:26:52.360 thug number three, you know, And I knew I had 0:26:52.400 --> 0:26:54.040 to cut my teeth to get in there to people 0:26:54.080 --> 0:26:56.200 to see me. And I loved I loved the audition 0:26:56.320 --> 0:26:58.720 process because I get to show a little bit of 0:26:58.720 --> 0:27:01.320 my personality when you walk into the room. Then you 0:27:01.359 --> 0:27:05.280 do the work. And this was one of the I 0:27:05.280 --> 0:27:08.000 think this was my third time working with Larry Moss, 0:27:08.040 --> 0:27:11.480 and I was doing of Mice and Men and obviously 0:27:11.480 --> 0:27:13.439 played yes. 0:27:13.280 --> 0:27:18.399 Right and Shockery as well. 0:27:18.640 --> 0:27:23.119 Shocker right right, you get it, you get it, and 0:27:23.200 --> 0:27:28.600 it's such an amazing character. So just getting the physicality 0:27:28.640 --> 0:27:32.000 and the voice and and really working with Larry on 0:27:32.040 --> 0:27:34.879 it for I think it was it was like a 0:27:34.920 --> 0:27:38.199 seven or eight day intensive and it just kind of 0:27:38.240 --> 0:27:41.479 emptied me, but I just it emptied me but filled 0:27:41.520 --> 0:27:44.480 me with so much more right and and I just 0:27:44.840 --> 0:27:47.040 came and it was in Los Angeles and I was 0:27:47.200 --> 0:27:50.119 came back to Vancouver and this role came up of 0:27:50.440 --> 0:27:54.280 a mentally challenged person that was accused of killing Asten 0:27:54.320 --> 0:27:58.000 Kutcher's sister in this film, and I'm like, oh my God, 0:27:58.119 --> 0:28:01.520 like reading the sides and I really that this character 0:28:01.800 --> 0:28:04.359 is exactly like everything that I'm doing with the Lenny 0:28:04.440 --> 0:28:08.120 character is this character. The only difference is this character 0:28:08.800 --> 0:28:12.919 and personal effects has a conscience Lenny. Lenny was pretty 0:28:12.960 --> 0:28:16.800 much just open and not knowing what was wrong or 0:28:16.800 --> 0:28:19.760 what was right. But this character had a conscience. So 0:28:19.800 --> 0:28:23.280 I kind of worked with that. And I remember asking 0:28:23.320 --> 0:28:25.639 my agent, I'm like, I would love to go in 0:28:25.720 --> 0:28:28.280 for this, and it was they're just seeing the A 0:28:28.400 --> 0:28:31.480 listers right now, and I wasn't. I wasn't on that 0:28:31.640 --> 0:28:34.679 list in Vancouver. And then in Vancouver it was, Oh, 0:28:34.720 --> 0:28:37.560 they're seeing now, they're seeing other people. Just get me 0:28:37.600 --> 0:28:39.720 in the room. I wasn't in the room on that one. 0:28:40.080 --> 0:28:43.400 And then finally it was their last casting session, they 0:28:43.440 --> 0:28:46.560 snuck me in Friday five pm. I was the last 0:28:46.560 --> 0:28:50.400 guy in there and I'm getting ready and it was 0:28:50.480 --> 0:28:54.000 one of those things where I felt like either I'm 0:28:54.000 --> 0:28:56.479 going to find out now or or I'm not going 0:28:56.560 --> 0:28:59.400 to find out. But it's it's I call it the 0:29:00.280 --> 0:29:03.000 Idol audition where they go but my mom says, I'm 0:29:03.040 --> 0:29:07.160 really good, you know that that type of vibe, and 0:29:07.640 --> 0:29:09.840 I'm like, am I that guy? Like if no one's 0:29:09.880 --> 0:29:13.600 telling me or I don't know, but I remember looking 0:29:13.640 --> 0:29:16.320 in the mirror and just trying. I had my outfit 0:29:16.360 --> 0:29:18.479 that I was for the audition on and just like 0:29:18.840 --> 0:29:20.760 you did the work, just go in there and just 0:29:20.800 --> 0:29:23.920 do it. So then I started the audition. Was an 0:29:24.000 --> 0:29:28.360 extremely emotional audition and I did it with the casting 0:29:28.440 --> 0:29:32.240 director candaell Zinga I'll never forget, and it was everybody 0:29:32.320 --> 0:29:35.280 was in the room, I think six people, and then 0:29:35.320 --> 0:29:38.600 we did the first scene and then you know the 0:29:38.640 --> 0:29:42.120 move where they go thanks for coming in, we don't 0:29:42.120 --> 0:29:44.520 need the second theme scene. Thanks, And I knew that 0:29:44.600 --> 0:29:47.600 would I was hoping that wouldn't happen if it did happen. 0:29:47.680 --> 0:29:49.800 Don't let it crush me, just kind of like just 0:29:49.880 --> 0:29:53.040 fight through it. But then he start he finished the 0:29:53.040 --> 0:29:56.600 first audition. We finished the first audition. He goes, Alex is, okay, okay, 0:29:56.640 --> 0:29:58.760 now let's just sit down on this one. Let's not 0:29:58.840 --> 0:30:01.000 stand up. And I just want you to do the 0:30:01.000 --> 0:30:04.640 same thing with Candae as you're both sitting there and 0:30:04.720 --> 0:30:09.160 just be grounded. And in that moment, I already started 0:30:09.200 --> 0:30:12.080 to get more emotional because I feel like he saw me, 0:30:12.560 --> 0:30:14.840 he saw something more than the big guy just the 0:30:14.880 --> 0:30:19.200 big guy. Yeah, And when the emotions started to come, 0:30:21.160 --> 0:30:25.320 it just overwhelmed me. And then I had the dialogue 0:30:25.640 --> 0:30:30.160 behind it. But unbeknownst to everyone in the room, the 0:30:30.240 --> 0:30:34.160 emotionality was that happy cry that that you know, it 0:30:34.240 --> 0:30:36.240 was the happy cry that I was doing that I'm 0:30:36.240 --> 0:30:39.200 being seen that I'm actually working. But in the script 0:30:39.360 --> 0:30:44.400 it's he's devastating. So I was even in my head going, 0:30:44.880 --> 0:30:46.800 I can't I can't believe this is happen. As I'm 0:30:46.840 --> 0:30:49.800 saying the lines, my brain is going, this is exactly 0:30:49.800 --> 0:30:52.000 what I wanted, this is exactly how I wanted this 0:30:52.080 --> 0:30:55.280 to go. And I'm bawling and it's not going down 0:30:55.320 --> 0:30:59.240 my face and my tears are everywhere. The casting director's bawling, 0:31:00.160 --> 0:31:04.360 everyone got emotion. I remember leaving that audition. It wasn't 0:31:04.400 --> 0:31:07.600 about getting the roles. It was just going, I know 0:31:07.720 --> 0:31:10.880 I can do this, I can affect people. And then 0:31:11.120 --> 0:31:14.840 I got the role and me and Tomo went out 0:31:14.880 --> 0:31:17.640 for an amazing steak dinner. And then I got up 0:31:17.640 --> 0:31:19.960 in the morning and i'ment like on ten, I go 0:31:20.080 --> 0:31:23.320 for a workout. I come back and I realize, Okay, 0:31:24.000 --> 0:31:26.280 I'm too strong for this role. I don't want to 0:31:26.280 --> 0:31:30.560 be this strong. So I immediately just stopped working out, 0:31:31.320 --> 0:31:34.280 ate ice cream and cake. I would have like a 0:31:34.400 --> 0:31:37.320 muscle mass shake at three o'clock in the morning, and 0:31:37.400 --> 0:31:40.040 I just let myself go. I got up to about 0:31:40.280 --> 0:31:44.680 about three hundred pounds in about six weeks, way too fast, 0:31:45.520 --> 0:31:47.760 way too fast, and I put on way quick, so 0:31:47.840 --> 0:31:50.640 way too fast and definitely not done by a nutritionist. 0:31:50.760 --> 0:31:54.000 I just went for it, and I just wanted to 0:31:54.200 --> 0:31:58.440 feel not strong. And I remember like friends coming up 0:31:58.480 --> 0:32:01.920 to me, You're like, are you okay? And some friends, 0:32:02.240 --> 0:32:05.080 some friends wouldn't even talk to me, going like he 0:32:05.240 --> 0:32:10.160 totally let himself go. Type live and the happiest I 0:32:10.240 --> 0:32:13.560 was was when I was working on the movie, but 0:32:13.680 --> 0:32:16.120 it was one of the saddest times of my life 0:32:16.160 --> 0:32:19.800 because my joints hurt, my mood was terrible. I just 0:32:19.800 --> 0:32:24.280 just felt gross, except when I was on camp, and 0:32:24.400 --> 0:32:27.720 that to me was one of those pivotal moments of 0:32:28.280 --> 0:32:30.600 I think it was just being seen. And then when 0:32:30.640 --> 0:32:33.920 we finally shot the scene that was in the audition 0:32:34.320 --> 0:32:37.320 where it was the pinnacle of the emotion and the 0:32:37.360 --> 0:32:40.240 camera was set up, everyone was getting ready because it 0:32:40.320 --> 0:32:43.840 was constant rain, so it was no rain towers because 0:32:43.960 --> 0:32:47.360 Vancouver was just raining like crazy, so we shot everything 0:32:47.360 --> 0:32:49.000 in the rain, and then I had to go into 0:32:49.080 --> 0:32:51.480 a tent and change to dry close to do the 0:32:51.520 --> 0:32:55.000 scene again. But every time I will be in this 0:32:55.080 --> 0:32:58.120 position where I'm crying and saying that I didn't hurt her, 0:32:58.200 --> 0:33:00.680 and Ashton Kutcher's got a gun to my head and 0:33:01.280 --> 0:33:05.080 people are off camera crying at what they're seeing. But 0:33:05.320 --> 0:33:08.240 I would go, Okay, okay, getting changed, let's do another one. 0:33:08.240 --> 0:33:10.920 I'm ready to go, like I could easily break out 0:33:10.960 --> 0:33:12.880 of it because I was having so much fucking fun. 0:33:13.280 --> 0:33:15.800 It was just so it was so beautiful to me 0:33:15.800 --> 0:33:19.040 because I've never been in that position to perform like that, 0:33:19.280 --> 0:33:20.960 and that was the first time it allowed me. 0:33:21.080 --> 0:33:24.760 Yeah. Oh that's awesome. I love it. 0:33:25.560 --> 0:33:28.440 Yeah, man, I got I got really, really lucky with 0:33:28.520 --> 0:33:30.200 some cool experiences. 0:33:30.240 --> 0:33:38.280 For sure. You eventually played Julius in Van Helsing five years. 0:33:39.200 --> 0:33:44.640 That was your longest running show to that point, right, Yeah. 0:33:44.720 --> 0:33:47.800 I always enjoyed talking to people about when you have 0:33:47.920 --> 0:33:52.840 a multi year experience playing a character. How was that 0:33:53.120 --> 0:33:56.000 for you. Did you enjoy the process of the character 0:33:56.080 --> 0:33:59.440 building and evolving and changing over that time? 0:34:00.760 --> 0:34:05.440 It was. Honestly, I consider Van Housing to be one 0:34:05.440 --> 0:34:09.720 of my most favorite experiences because I started that show. 0:34:11.000 --> 0:34:15.280 I mean, dude, it was heavy. The audition was heavy. 0:34:15.719 --> 0:34:20.160 Because i'll condense it, I won't get into the huge story. 0:34:20.160 --> 0:34:23.319 But I had a friend pass away and I found him. 0:34:23.520 --> 0:34:26.400 I was the one that found him. And it was 0:34:27.440 --> 0:34:33.359 two days before the audition, and after I found him, 0:34:33.520 --> 0:34:36.759 and you know, police, police were were called, and the 0:34:36.760 --> 0:34:39.719 whole thing happened, and it kind of hits you in 0:34:39.760 --> 0:34:43.600 such a way that the shock you're in shock, and 0:34:43.760 --> 0:34:50.560 I remember not feeling emotional about it, and then on 0:34:50.640 --> 0:34:52.719 my way to the audient, like I'm still going to 0:34:52.800 --> 0:34:55.080 do the audition type thing on my way to the audition, 0:34:56.120 --> 0:35:00.799 and the audition was for another character where he he's emotional, 0:35:01.480 --> 0:35:04.239 basically sending one of the other dudes out into the 0:35:04.280 --> 0:35:09.440 apocalypse type thing, not sending him. I'm behind the characters 0:35:09.480 --> 0:35:13.719 behind a cell and one of his he kind of 0:35:13.760 --> 0:35:15.600 mentors this kid and he goes, I'm going to go 0:35:15.640 --> 0:35:18.480 out there and so you can be safe. It was 0:35:18.560 --> 0:35:24.840 just emotional scene. And now I'm driving to the audition 0:35:25.239 --> 0:35:28.719 and now I'm feeling the emotion of the loss and 0:35:28.800 --> 0:35:30.920 I had to stop in front. I called one of 0:35:30.920 --> 0:35:35.279 my best friends, John Cassini, and I said, I don't 0:35:35.320 --> 0:35:37.160 know what's happening. I think it just hit me now. 0:35:37.200 --> 0:35:38.640 And he was the one that said, you were in 0:35:38.719 --> 0:35:42.000 shock and now you're settling into the loss. And I 0:35:42.040 --> 0:35:44.400 was like, I can't go in there. I can't go 0:35:44.480 --> 0:35:47.640 in there. I just felt so frazzled, and he goes, 0:35:47.680 --> 0:35:50.319 this is why we do it. Tell your story, this 0:35:50.360 --> 0:35:53.239 is why we do it. And I just took a 0:35:53.280 --> 0:35:56.920 deep breath and I waited probably five minutes after my 0:35:57.000 --> 0:36:00.279 audition time, crossing my fingers hopefully I can and I 0:36:00.280 --> 0:36:02.239 don't want to sit there and wait I just want 0:36:02.280 --> 0:36:05.399 to go in and luckily, but when I went in 0:36:06.239 --> 0:36:08.920 and they were like, oh, Alex, you're you're up next 0:36:08.960 --> 0:36:11.280 to You're ready to go, and I just I didn't 0:36:11.280 --> 0:36:15.000 even say anything. I just walked towards the door and 0:36:15.040 --> 0:36:19.239 the scene started. And it was the first time I 0:36:19.280 --> 0:36:24.000 sobbed after the loss, and I couldn't I couldn't stop sobbing, 0:36:24.239 --> 0:36:28.279 and the audition like it went on longer than it 0:36:28.320 --> 0:36:32.040 should have. And when I felt like I was done, 0:36:32.960 --> 0:36:35.600 it felt weird to stand there and get a response, 0:36:35.600 --> 0:36:38.640 so I just walked out and I didn't say a word. 0:36:38.680 --> 0:36:40.879 I just walked out, went into my. 0:36:40.960 --> 0:36:51.920 Car, like I get emotional now, huh weird. Went to 0:36:51.960 --> 0:36:57.080 the car for another ten minutes and just sobbed. And 0:36:57.120 --> 0:36:59.480 I'm trying to hide because I don't want to start driving. 0:37:00.600 --> 0:37:04.279 And I see after my audition, the producers all came 0:37:04.320 --> 0:37:11.240 out and everyone took a different position outside by themselves, 0:37:11.920 --> 0:37:15.560 and I didn't realize it until later that they they 0:37:15.760 --> 0:37:17.440 when I walked out, they were. 0:37:19.640 --> 0:37:22.120 I can't believe this has hit me right now, man. Wow. 0:37:25.680 --> 0:37:28.319 So then and Neil Abute was in the room who 0:37:28.360 --> 0:37:33.680 I was a fan of, and Simon Barry who's gone 0:37:33.719 --> 0:37:37.840 on to do amazing things with Continuum and Warrior None. 0:37:38.120 --> 0:37:41.520 And they wrote the role of Julius for me. So 0:37:42.000 --> 0:37:45.080 them writing that role was more like, I like this 0:37:45.160 --> 0:37:47.040 guy and I want him around set. That's what it 0:37:47.080 --> 0:37:50.759 felt like. And he did a great job. Again, they 0:37:50.800 --> 0:37:53.719 knew nothing of what I was going through, so they 0:37:53.760 --> 0:37:58.279 wrote this really badass vampire named Julius, and it was 0:37:58.320 --> 0:38:01.439 so much fun. I love those badass roles because it's 0:38:01.480 --> 0:38:03.799 nothing like me in real life, so I get to 0:38:03.800 --> 0:38:08.399 really express that and I have a lot of fun 0:38:08.480 --> 0:38:10.960 with it. But when we would yell cut, I'm like, 0:38:11.520 --> 0:38:14.120 I just again the team, I just love being around people, 0:38:14.160 --> 0:38:18.320 and they got to see see me and they understood 0:38:18.320 --> 0:38:21.799 my boxing background and I'm a mama's boy, so they 0:38:21.840 --> 0:38:23.799 would always bug me about being a mama's boy. And 0:38:23.840 --> 0:38:26.520 then sure enough, that shit was just written into the 0:38:26.560 --> 0:38:29.839 show where you know, we're going to turn Alex from 0:38:29.920 --> 0:38:34.960 vampire Julius to human Julius. And so with being human Julius, 0:38:35.080 --> 0:38:38.120 the way the story was, when you get turned, you 0:38:38.239 --> 0:38:41.480 remember all the terrible things you did as a vampire, 0:38:42.080 --> 0:38:45.000 and so it was a retribution for me, and that 0:38:45.560 --> 0:38:49.440 them showing the human side of Julius and my origin 0:38:49.560 --> 0:38:52.840 story where I was a boxer, and then Dimitri would 0:38:52.880 --> 0:38:55.800 basically go, this guy's got some guts and some grit. 0:38:55.840 --> 0:38:58.680 I want to turn him and he can be my warrior, 0:38:58.760 --> 0:39:02.160 my minion warrior. And so that's why it meant so 0:39:02.280 --> 0:39:04.200 much to me, is how I got it and then 0:39:04.280 --> 0:39:08.920 them seeing who I was off camera and incorporating all 0:39:08.960 --> 0:39:13.680 those things into the character, which just gave me, just 0:39:13.719 --> 0:39:16.280 gave me so much joy because that that they wrote 0:39:16.280 --> 0:39:19.520 for me in such a beautiful way. It was my favorite, favorite, 0:39:19.560 --> 0:39:21.560 favorite role that I did. 0:39:22.000 --> 0:39:43.799 It's special. Yeah, it's very special. Yeah, I do know 0:39:44.920 --> 0:39:48.799 or read Anthony Hopkins was a big hero for you 0:39:48.880 --> 0:39:51.400 and you got the opportunity to work with him. How 0:39:51.600 --> 0:39:54.760 how was that special? Was it worth it? 0:39:54.360 --> 0:39:57.360 It was insane, man, it was so it was so 0:39:57.600 --> 0:39:57.920 worth it. 0:39:58.040 --> 0:40:01.000 There was His Instagram is a must the way you 0:40:01.120 --> 0:40:04.400 have to like it's the everyone Fine, I've never said 0:40:04.400 --> 0:40:06.840 that on this on this program, but you have to 0:40:06.880 --> 0:40:08.839 follow Anthony Hopkins on Instagram. 0:40:08.960 --> 0:40:12.800 Yes, yes, it's a muss. And I got lucky into 0:40:12.840 --> 0:40:16.319 a little glimpse of it before Instagram when we were 0:40:16.360 --> 0:40:20.640 working together. And again, I'm super nervous, like I'm here here, 0:40:21.040 --> 0:40:23.760 he's the man, and I got a scene with the man. 0:40:24.200 --> 0:40:27.680 And I love fangirling. I'm just a big fan of 0:40:27.719 --> 0:40:31.520 fangirling because the people that really affect me or I 0:40:31.520 --> 0:40:34.840 think are great, I get excited about. But now here's 0:40:34.880 --> 0:40:37.080 Hopkins and I'm like and I'm fangirling, and I'm like, 0:40:37.200 --> 0:40:40.520 don't don't fangirl, don't be that guy. You're you're here 0:40:40.560 --> 0:40:43.839 for for a job, like get your shit together type thing, 0:40:44.440 --> 0:40:47.280 so I'll never forget. We're in this like very cold 0:40:47.320 --> 0:40:52.680 warehouse and they I'm about to meet him, and I 0:40:52.719 --> 0:40:57.319 hear the ad Tony's traveling. I'm like, okay, Tony, they're 0:40:57.360 --> 0:41:03.200 calling to and so I'm looking at the door and 0:41:03.239 --> 0:41:06.480 I see the door open, and I got nervous and 0:41:06.520 --> 0:41:10.799 I didn't want to see him watching me see him 0:41:10.880 --> 0:41:14.880 type thing. So I turned my back then and I'm like, 0:41:14.960 --> 0:41:19.560 play play cool, don't fang girl. And it was literally 0:41:19.920 --> 0:41:22.920 they come up to me, Alex, this is Tony. You 0:41:22.920 --> 0:41:25.680 guys are working together. And I literally turned around and 0:41:25.719 --> 0:41:28.160 just kind of went, what's suck? And I turned back 0:41:28.200 --> 0:41:33.759 around and I caught myself being like too cool, and 0:41:33.800 --> 0:41:36.960 I went I'm so sorry. I just I'm a big fan. 0:41:37.040 --> 0:41:39.319 I'm just trying not to go crazy there. And he 0:41:39.400 --> 0:41:43.400 starts laughing and that kind of broke the ice. But 0:41:43.440 --> 0:41:45.000 I didn't mean it for it to break. I just 0:41:45.040 --> 0:41:46.560 didn't mean it for it to go that way. I 0:41:46.560 --> 0:41:49.480 wanted to be a little cooler. But then but then 0:41:49.520 --> 0:41:52.080 we just started talking and he saw how big I was. 0:41:52.120 --> 0:41:54.080 He goes, what was your sport? I said, boxing was 0:41:54.080 --> 0:41:56.520 my sport, and he talked about when he used to box, 0:41:57.000 --> 0:42:00.720 and then and then he started spitting old old fighters 0:42:00.760 --> 0:42:04.360 that and I'm a historian, so you know Henry Armstrong. 0:42:04.440 --> 0:42:06.480 He was spitting those kind of dudes and and I 0:42:06.520 --> 0:42:08.560 would say, oh, yeah, yeah. And so we're really kind 0:42:08.560 --> 0:42:12.800 of bonding, and in my peripheral I see everyone waiting 0:42:12.920 --> 0:42:16.680 to get up to go let's go worse. Yeah, and 0:42:16.719 --> 0:42:19.040 I'm like, please don't stop this. This is this is 0:42:19.080 --> 0:42:23.000 the most amazing thing. So finally it's time to go work. 0:42:23.920 --> 0:42:28.280 And now we're walking towards the set and Tony goes, uh, 0:42:28.360 --> 0:42:30.919 are you okay just like improving? We just haven't. Let's 0:42:30.960 --> 0:42:32.440 just have fun, see where we can get with it. 0:42:32.520 --> 0:42:36.560 I'm like, yes, that's that's amazing. So we started improving 0:42:36.600 --> 0:42:38.800 and having so much fun. And we did the scene 0:42:39.200 --> 0:42:41.719 and the director yell's cut and Tony runs back in 0:42:42.080 --> 0:42:43.719 and he goes, that was great. Make sure you say 0:42:43.760 --> 0:42:46.239 that line because like, because that improv line, because it 0:42:46.239 --> 0:42:49.520 makes me really bring up my gun quicker. And I said, 0:42:49.520 --> 0:42:51.719 you got to say that other thing, so it makes 0:42:51.719 --> 0:42:54.279 me say that thing. He goes, okay, okay, yeah. So 0:42:54.400 --> 0:42:56.880 now we're just jamming, like and I can't believe it. 0:42:56.960 --> 0:42:59.200 I like, this is what I was doing in acting class, right, 0:42:59.280 --> 0:43:01.480 and here I am with the greatest one in the world, 0:43:02.320 --> 0:43:04.440 and and we're doing it. And we're just having a 0:43:04.480 --> 0:43:07.839 blast over and over again and sitting and talking while 0:43:07.880 --> 0:43:10.719 they're doing changes and and and Tony just kind of 0:43:10.760 --> 0:43:13.840 goes alex ox. It gives me his phone, put your 0:43:13.920 --> 0:43:15.640 number in my phone. I want to talk to you 0:43:16.000 --> 0:43:19.160 after too, And I'm like, I don't care if you 0:43:19.239 --> 0:43:21.280 ever my brain. I don't think if you ever text 0:43:21.320 --> 0:43:25.200 me again. My number is in your phone. And I 0:43:26.880 --> 0:43:30.440 get back to the hotel on Cloud nine, like it 0:43:30.480 --> 0:43:34.640 was such an amazing experience, and I get the message 0:43:34.640 --> 0:43:37.600 from Anthony, so great working with you today. Let's let's 0:43:37.600 --> 0:43:42.399 have fun tomorrow. And I get this message and I'm like, uh, speechless. 0:43:43.440 --> 0:43:46.480 The next day we're doing doing something, and then I 0:43:46.480 --> 0:43:49.239 feel a little bit more comfortable talking to him, and 0:43:49.280 --> 0:43:54.200 I basically was gesturing like Tony, what, like what what 0:43:54.440 --> 0:43:57.200 secret can you give with the work that you do. 0:43:58.120 --> 0:44:00.680 I got into it late. I really didn't take acting 0:44:00.719 --> 0:44:03.120 seriously tell us in my mid thirties. I really didn't 0:44:03.120 --> 0:44:06.400 start working till I was in my forties, and I 0:44:06.600 --> 0:44:09.200 was just a sponge. And I was like, is there 0:44:09.239 --> 0:44:12.520 anything different that you do because the work that you've 0:44:12.560 --> 0:44:14.920 done and I'm doing this and he just puts his 0:44:15.000 --> 0:44:18.120 hand on my knee and he goes, Alex, you'll never 0:44:18.160 --> 0:44:23.960 get there. I was like, what, that's your advice? 0:44:24.080 --> 0:44:24.479 Like what? 0:44:25.600 --> 0:44:29.359 And then and Betty, Betty, Betty said the most profound thing. 0:44:29.480 --> 0:44:32.520 He goes, you're gesturing like I'm up here. What we 0:44:32.600 --> 0:44:35.799 did yesterday was right here. So if you're doing that, 0:44:36.080 --> 0:44:38.680 you're always gonna hit your head at the bottom of 0:44:38.719 --> 0:44:41.959 it because you put me somewhere that that I didn't 0:44:42.000 --> 0:44:44.640 put myself there. You put me there. So no matter 0:44:44.680 --> 0:44:46.920 what you do, you're always going to be like this. 0:44:47.680 --> 0:44:51.120 And so what we did yesterday, that's what that's what 0:44:51.160 --> 0:44:55.240 we do. Just be free. And that was the best 0:44:55.280 --> 0:44:59.600 advice that I got and not limiting myself. I put 0:44:59.640 --> 0:45:01.680 these lim citations on myself that I didn't even know 0:45:01.760 --> 0:45:04.040 I was doing, but it was just the gesture and 0:45:04.080 --> 0:45:06.680 what my ideas were. And he caught it right away, 0:45:07.200 --> 0:45:08.799 and he says, if once you get rid of that, 0:45:08.960 --> 0:45:11.440 the world is open, the sky is blue, like, go 0:45:11.600 --> 0:45:11.960 for it. 0:45:12.120 --> 0:45:13.520 And I was just like, so great. 0:45:13.840 --> 0:45:15.920 And then I think it was like a few weeks 0:45:16.000 --> 0:45:18.839 later he's in well after the film. He's inviting me, 0:45:19.000 --> 0:45:21.040 when you're in Los Angeles, come we'll go have lunch 0:45:21.080 --> 0:45:23.000 at my favorite spot. And I'm like, oh my god. 0:45:23.440 --> 0:45:25.239 And then he goes to London. This is the best. 0:45:25.280 --> 0:45:28.520 And when I was talking about Instagram, I just got this. 0:45:28.640 --> 0:45:30.800 It was like three o'clock in the morning. He obviously 0:45:30.800 --> 0:45:33.400 couldn't sleep, he was in London. All I see is 0:45:33.440 --> 0:45:38.719 the light from the computer screen like this, like just 0:45:38.760 --> 0:45:42.239 from head head to just above chess, no shirt on 0:45:42.680 --> 0:45:46.360 three o'clock in the morning, and he's doing Marlon Brando impressions. 0:45:48.120 --> 0:45:51.000 Doesn't say hi, doesn't say bye, he just does a 0:45:51.080 --> 0:45:53.880 Marlon Brando impression. And that was it, and I'm like, 0:45:54.040 --> 0:45:57.000 this is hilarious, and then he would just be doing 0:45:57.000 --> 0:46:01.160 these little impressions back and forth, like I cannot believe 0:46:01.200 --> 0:46:04.239 I have this gold on my phone of this dude 0:46:04.719 --> 0:46:09.000 like my guy right, like hilarious and funny. And even 0:46:09.000 --> 0:46:11.839 when we were working together, we just finished the scene 0:46:11.920 --> 0:46:14.520 walking and then we're walking back and he just says 0:46:14.520 --> 0:46:17.080 to me, goes, I want to do comedy. I don't 0:46:17.120 --> 0:46:19.560 know why anybody doesn't hire me for comedy. And I 0:46:19.600 --> 0:46:22.839 was like, gratity, Hopkins, you can do whatever you want. 0:46:22.960 --> 0:46:25.200 What do you mean knowing we'll hire you from comedy. 0:46:25.760 --> 0:46:31.000 So that that experience was like, I share that experience 0:46:31.040 --> 0:46:33.840 all the time because it just not only did I 0:46:33.880 --> 0:46:35.440 get to work with one of the greatest, but I 0:46:35.560 --> 0:46:39.280 learned a lot about myself just hanging out with him. Yeah. 0:46:39.440 --> 0:46:44.560 Well, we got to talk about snow Piercer last final 0:46:44.640 --> 0:46:48.719 season after multiple delays. When did you film the last 0:46:48.719 --> 0:46:49.960 season last scene? 0:46:50.480 --> 0:46:51.760 I think it was two and a half. 0:46:51.719 --> 0:46:54.640 Years ago, Good lord, two. 0:46:54.520 --> 0:46:56.319 And a half years ago. Then we were told we 0:46:56.320 --> 0:46:59.160 weren't gonna there, weren't gonna Eric because of their switching 0:46:59.160 --> 0:47:03.160 their programming, and we were like, oh man, there was 0:47:03.239 --> 0:47:05.359 such great work that was done and now no one's 0:47:05.400 --> 0:47:08.920 going to see it. And thankfully AMC came into the 0:47:08.960 --> 0:47:12.040 picture and picked it up. And people are loving, loving 0:47:12.040 --> 0:47:14.520 these episodes. And it's so great because I'm watching it 0:47:15.080 --> 0:47:18.799 forgetting what the hell happened. I don't remember anything, so 0:47:18.920 --> 0:47:21.680 it's brand new to me. I get super excited when 0:47:21.680 --> 0:47:24.279 I see myself pop up. I'm like, oh, oh, okay, yeah, 0:47:24.320 --> 0:47:27.239 I remember I'm in this one. And so, yeah, it 0:47:27.320 --> 0:47:27.680 was great. 0:47:27.920 --> 0:47:34.280 Your parents were immigrants from the former Yugoslavia. Yeah, settled 0:47:34.400 --> 0:47:40.800 in Canada. Did you speak Serbian at home as a child. 0:47:41.400 --> 0:47:43.760 Not a lot of Serbian at home because my parents 0:47:43.800 --> 0:47:49.840 were they wanted to stay away from the immigrant criticism. Okay, 0:47:49.880 --> 0:47:52.640 so they really wanted to learn the language. So it 0:47:52.719 --> 0:47:54.880 was all about speaking English at home. And we had 0:47:55.239 --> 0:47:57.799 a little bit of Serbian obviously going on, and my 0:47:57.880 --> 0:48:01.239 parents would speak Serbian together, but we we were told like, 0:48:01.600 --> 0:48:04.719 you you're you're gonna teach us English when you come 0:48:04.719 --> 0:48:07.799 from school type thing. So so it was one of those. 0:48:07.840 --> 0:48:10.680 But so I'm not very I'm not as fluent as 0:48:10.719 --> 0:48:12.960 I want to be in it, but I understand a 0:48:13.000 --> 0:48:15.759 lot and I can say a lot. But to have 0:48:15.840 --> 0:48:21.000 a free flowing conversation. It's struggling. Yeah, but I do. 0:48:21.360 --> 0:48:23.040 I do improv a lot in Serbian. 0:48:23.120 --> 0:48:27.960 Yeah, okay, yeah. So the role obviously of Baki and 0:48:28.040 --> 0:48:31.120 snow piercers, you actually get to speak Serbian. Did that 0:48:31.200 --> 0:48:34.200 come from you? Was this arika that came from you? 0:48:34.600 --> 0:48:37.840 Dude? So when I went to the audition, the character's 0:48:37.880 --> 0:48:43.360 name was Harold Kowalski. Okay, and I remember I was like, 0:48:43.400 --> 0:48:45.800 you know what, I don't think anyone in the room 0:48:46.080 --> 0:48:49.080 is going to know Polish. So I'm just going to 0:48:49.120 --> 0:48:52.680 improv in Serbian in little spots. So I'm doing the 0:48:52.719 --> 0:48:54.600 dialogue and then I would just say little things to 0:48:54.640 --> 0:48:57.239 myself in Serbian. And so I went for a few 0:48:57.280 --> 0:49:00.640 auditions and then I got told I got the role. 0:49:00.680 --> 0:49:02.719 And so that's when I said, okay, just so you 0:49:02.800 --> 0:49:06.160 know that improv stuff that I It was great because 0:49:06.160 --> 0:49:08.760 I was like, I would love to talk to Graham Mason, 0:49:09.000 --> 0:49:13.440 who was the executive producer. Fantastic, fantastic man. And so 0:49:13.719 --> 0:49:15.719 I got to have this conversation of saying just so 0:49:15.760 --> 0:49:18.520 you know, like I improved in Serbian, it wasn't Polish. 0:49:18.719 --> 0:49:21.400 Now if him being Polish is integral to the whole story. 0:49:22.040 --> 0:49:24.440 I'll leave that out. I'll even learn some Polish improv 0:49:24.480 --> 0:49:26.640 here and there, but just so you know, but if 0:49:26.680 --> 0:49:29.520 we can change him in Serbian, then that would be 0:49:29.560 --> 0:49:33.320 pretty cool. And he thought about it and he went, okay, okay, 0:49:33.360 --> 0:49:36.480 he goes, but I like the name Harold because you 0:49:36.520 --> 0:49:39.440 don't look like a Harold. I like the idea of 0:49:39.520 --> 0:49:43.960 how unassuming that name is, right, And I said, and. 0:49:44.680 --> 0:49:46.520 It's the first thing I thought too, by the way, 0:49:46.600 --> 0:49:49.640 so anyway, go ahead, yeah, yeah. 0:49:49.840 --> 0:49:54.200 Right, And so then I thought, my brother's name is Boyan. 0:49:54.760 --> 0:49:58.239 So I said, well, what about Boyan? And he just 0:49:58.320 --> 0:50:00.200 delayed a little bit, and I said, but you know, 0:50:00.280 --> 0:50:03.280 his nickname is Buokie. He goes, Oh, I like Booky, 0:50:04.160 --> 0:50:07.280 and he goes, I went to college with a guy 0:50:07.520 --> 0:50:12.240 named Boskovic. And I went, Graham, come on, my job 0:50:12.360 --> 0:50:16.040 is a breachman. Breachman Bulky Boskovich. How that's a great name. 0:50:16.360 --> 0:50:20.279 He goes, let's do it. So that's so I got 0:50:20.320 --> 0:50:22.680 to get my heritage in there and a tribute to 0:50:22.719 --> 0:50:25.080 my brother. And one of the first scenes that we 0:50:25.200 --> 0:50:29.239 shot in the first first season, there's this big train 0:50:29.360 --> 0:50:32.360 car filled with people celebrating and they're all chanting buckye 0:50:32.360 --> 0:50:36.960 Bucky Bookie, and I was just like overwhelmed that I 0:50:37.000 --> 0:50:39.839 couldn't wait for my brother to see that episode here 0:50:40.160 --> 0:50:42.560 here his nickname being said, Yeah, it's pretty great. 0:50:43.080 --> 0:50:47.040 Were you ready for it to be done? Did you 0:50:47.160 --> 0:50:50.080 know that this that it was done? But when you finished, 0:50:50.160 --> 0:50:51.440 you knew final season? 0:50:52.000 --> 0:50:55.040 Yeah? That was the cool part is they got they 0:50:55.160 --> 0:50:57.879 let us shoot a final season knowing that we could 0:50:57.880 --> 0:51:01.560 wrap it up okay, So that that I would love 0:51:01.600 --> 0:51:07.120 to have gone more seasons. Da v Diggs, Mickey Sumner, 0:51:07.840 --> 0:51:12.839 like Michael Maalley. Great cast, great cast, and I would 0:51:12.920 --> 0:51:14.680 love for it to have gone more because I felt 0:51:14.680 --> 0:51:17.680 like I developed a really cool character that they wrote 0:51:17.719 --> 0:51:22.240 for and were writing more for. And then in season 0:51:22.280 --> 0:51:26.200 three into season four, I was shooting Hawkeye in Atlanta, 0:51:26.280 --> 0:51:31.279 so we I basically was dead after in season three 0:51:31.280 --> 0:51:34.360 because I couldn't really be there, so they quote unquote 0:51:34.440 --> 0:51:38.239 killed me. But because of COVID and the delay, we 0:51:38.280 --> 0:51:40.600 got to finish Hawkeye and I got back in time 0:51:40.760 --> 0:51:42.560 and I just said, I knew there was a couple 0:51:42.600 --> 0:51:45.680 episodes left. I called him up and I just said, hey, man, 0:51:45.760 --> 0:51:47.839 just so you know I'm back, I don't know if 0:51:48.239 --> 0:51:50.759 I don't know, if there's something to do, And so 0:51:50.800 --> 0:51:53.479 they found a way to sneak me into season three, 0:51:53.640 --> 0:51:57.520 to get into season four, and I was just so 0:51:57.560 --> 0:52:00.279 grateful and just and if you don't ask, you're not 0:52:00.320 --> 0:52:02.160 going to know. So it was one of those things 0:52:02.160 --> 0:52:04.160 for me where I got really lucky to get back 0:52:04.160 --> 0:52:06.840 on the show that I really really loved and hated 0:52:06.920 --> 0:52:09.920 not being a part of when I was shooting Hawka. 0:52:10.120 --> 0:52:18.320 The show examines a lot of themes ecological issues, clash issues, 0:52:18.360 --> 0:52:23.680 social issues, social justice issues. Is that an important part 0:52:23.800 --> 0:52:26.600 of the show for you on top of the story. 0:52:26.719 --> 0:52:31.280 Is that something that is important that those messages are there? 0:52:32.400 --> 0:52:35.400 I think so. I thought the writing was so great 0:52:35.440 --> 0:52:39.400 on the show and just the subversive nature it almost had. 0:52:39.680 --> 0:52:41.920 And that's one of the things I loved about Battlestar. 0:52:42.040 --> 0:52:45.800 They hid the messages within the story, and I felt 0:52:45.960 --> 0:52:48.560 that's what was happening a lot with snow Piercer, that 0:52:48.600 --> 0:52:53.240 they were really you know, sustainability and the climate change 0:52:53.280 --> 0:52:57.440 and the classes and how no one's different than the 0:52:57.520 --> 0:53:01.200 other person and then taking yourself back. That was one 0:53:01.239 --> 0:53:03.719 of the biggest things for me, is like You're not 0:53:03.760 --> 0:53:05.600 going to put me in a box. I know what 0:53:05.719 --> 0:53:07.640 I can be, and I'm going to fight for what 0:53:07.719 --> 0:53:10.920 I am. All those things really kind of spoke to me. 0:53:11.280 --> 0:53:14.880 All those things just have it mattered. And you know, 0:53:14.920 --> 0:53:17.520 I love doing whatever project it is. But when you 0:53:17.560 --> 0:53:20.520 know that there's a through line of a message that 0:53:20.600 --> 0:53:23.040 every episode is really kind of getting to its core, 0:53:23.920 --> 0:53:25.680 those are the things that definitely speak to me. And 0:53:25.719 --> 0:53:28.239 I really really enjoyed that part of the show. 0:53:28.600 --> 0:53:31.720 Well, I know the fans are very excited to see 0:53:31.880 --> 0:53:35.440 how it all wraps up for you and everybody else 0:53:36.160 --> 0:53:40.759 there on snow Piercer. I'm told that you are the 0:53:40.800 --> 0:53:47.720 co founder of a newly launched legend water. Oh drinking 0:53:47.760 --> 0:53:53.439 it right there, hailing from the Rocky Mountains, Oh Canada. Well, 0:53:53.600 --> 0:53:57.400 and what's cool about it? Which again I mean I 0:53:57.480 --> 0:54:00.360 wasn't leading you with your answer, and folks, we didn't 0:54:00.360 --> 0:54:04.839 plan it. But one, the water is trying to get 0:54:04.960 --> 0:54:09.440 rid of single plastic use bottles. But two also shine 0:54:09.480 --> 0:54:14.080 a light on mental health issues and eradicate the stigma 0:54:14.200 --> 0:54:18.040 surrounding mental health. In fact, every single can has a 0:54:18.080 --> 0:54:20.560 QR code. Tell me about this. 0:54:21.200 --> 0:54:24.279 So yeah, so the QR code leads you to our site, 0:54:24.320 --> 0:54:27.520 but it also leads you to a suicide crisis hotline, 0:54:28.120 --> 0:54:31.400 and because we're in Canada, it leads you to a 0:54:31.440 --> 0:54:35.320 rehab facility in each province in Canada. And we're building 0:54:35.640 --> 0:54:39.160 right now. We're really building to do some charity events 0:54:39.239 --> 0:54:43.279 and we're putting portions of sales towards events that we 0:54:43.320 --> 0:54:46.719 can do. And again, I want to get rid of 0:54:46.719 --> 0:54:50.080 that stigma. In my generation, it was a weakness to 0:54:50.080 --> 0:54:53.360 talk about it, like if you're struggling. I love the 0:54:53.400 --> 0:54:56.439 fact that I want to be able to and that's 0:54:56.440 --> 0:54:58.880 why we design the can the way it is so 0:54:58.920 --> 0:55:03.120 it feels and not only sustainability, and get rid of 0:55:03.160 --> 0:55:06.439 single plastic use because again, as you know you work 0:55:06.520 --> 0:55:10.280 on set, it's just plastic bottles, plastic bottles, plastic bottles. 0:55:10.320 --> 0:55:13.640 And the big thing that I just wanted to just 0:55:14.320 --> 0:55:16.919 kind of introduce it as much as I can, and 0:55:17.480 --> 0:55:20.360 any can that gets used as one less plastic bottle 0:55:20.400 --> 0:55:22.839 being used. So that's that was the big thing. And 0:55:22.880 --> 0:55:25.279 then we really kind of dipped in because everybody in 0:55:25.360 --> 0:55:28.239 the company, and you know, a lot of people that 0:55:28.320 --> 0:55:30.439 I talked to every day have not only gone through 0:55:30.480 --> 0:55:35.120 something themselves, but have friends and family that they've either 0:55:35.239 --> 0:55:38.759 lost or is really struggling. And if one person hits 0:55:38.760 --> 0:55:41.400 that QR code on a moment where they need to 0:55:42.400 --> 0:55:46.359 just need to talk to somebody, the job is done. 0:55:46.640 --> 0:55:49.000 So that that to me is that that's what really 0:55:49.040 --> 0:55:52.800 really speaks to me. And you know, I I just 0:55:52.880 --> 0:55:55.359 dropped off a cases last week to Owen Wilson because 0:55:55.360 --> 0:55:58.360 he's all about sustainability and he was so kind and 0:55:58.400 --> 0:56:01.040 we have pictures together with the can we worked together 0:56:01.680 --> 0:56:03.960 on I spy years ago. I didn't even think he 0:56:04.000 --> 0:56:06.480 would remember me, and then it just worked out to 0:56:06.520 --> 0:56:09.520 a point where you know, he he I don't think 0:56:09.560 --> 0:56:13.040 he understands the impact he has on people. And for 0:56:13.160 --> 0:56:17.239 him to do something like this for us was such 0:56:17.239 --> 0:56:21.440 a huge boost to our to our brand of getting 0:56:21.480 --> 0:56:24.160 the message out there, the big message getting rid of 0:56:24.200 --> 0:56:27.440 single plastic use and just getting people getting rid of 0:56:27.480 --> 0:56:29.960 the stigma and just getting people talking when they want 0:56:29.960 --> 0:56:30.279 to talk. 0:56:31.560 --> 0:56:32.280 Yeah, that's great. 0:56:32.360 --> 0:56:35.400 And the cool thing is that in the beginning of 0:56:35.440 --> 0:56:38.560 twenty twenty five, we're going to have the first resealable can, 0:56:39.239 --> 0:56:42.040 so we're going to be able to close it back up. Yeah, 0:56:42.040 --> 0:56:45.480 We're we're we'll have it in twenty twenty five. It's 0:56:45.520 --> 0:56:47.680 a little hash hush. I can't talk about who, who's 0:56:47.760 --> 0:56:51.319 who's partnering with us. But that's so exciting because on set, 0:56:51.440 --> 0:56:53.719 you know you're in a post apocalyptic world. You want 0:56:53.760 --> 0:56:56.120 to you want to be able to not have particles 0:56:56.160 --> 0:56:58.560 of the set drop right in. So I get the 0:56:58.600 --> 0:57:01.960 idea of why can aren't popular on set, and hopefully 0:57:01.960 --> 0:57:04.759 that will turn it around where you know the resealable 0:57:04.840 --> 0:57:06.680 can will be something that people will use. 0:57:07.200 --> 0:57:10.680 You're a fascinating guy. I mean, I mean, that's the 0:57:11.320 --> 0:57:14.840 sum total is that? Are you? Are you into manga. 0:57:16.440 --> 0:57:20.680 A little? Only when I did the The I did 0:57:20.720 --> 0:57:22.040 a series in Japan. 0:57:22.640 --> 0:57:26.600 Yes, you did see the Silence Service. I was like, wait, 0:57:26.800 --> 0:57:30.720 what is it? He's a boxer. It's I mean, honest 0:57:30.720 --> 0:57:33.160 to god, it's like, you're Dwight Truth. You're like a 0:57:33.200 --> 0:57:40.400 boxer into Japanese manga. You've got a huge heart. But 0:57:42.080 --> 0:57:44.760 my god, I've compared. 0:57:44.400 --> 0:57:45.520 To him, and that's great. 0:57:45.600 --> 0:57:49.880 I love well love it. It's just it's all about contradictions. 0:57:50.120 --> 0:57:52.160 That's what it is for me. That's what and that's 0:57:52.400 --> 0:57:56.000 by the way, by the way, that's what makes fascinating people. 0:57:56.440 --> 0:58:00.240 That's it. That's the thing right there. Yeah, yeah, I 0:58:00.240 --> 0:58:03.240 mean that's what I love about exploring characters. That's what 0:58:03.280 --> 0:58:06.160 I love about talking to people like you on this 0:58:06.280 --> 0:58:09.720 program here. It's fascinating to me. I love it. I 0:58:09.760 --> 0:58:13.920 love what you're doing. I think cannot wish you. I 0:58:14.160 --> 0:58:18.560 wish you all the best success ever. Even though your 0:58:18.600 --> 0:58:21.560 timelines are very it was definitely more like ten years 0:58:21.600 --> 0:58:27.920 ago in the in the bar and slut in place 0:58:28.040 --> 0:58:29.120 there in Vancouver. 0:58:29.440 --> 0:58:32.200 That's right, with Caroline Ray. 0:58:33.000 --> 0:58:38.400 That's right. Yeah, no, I remember. It's great to see 0:58:38.440 --> 0:58:44.200 you again. Thank you. Come back anytime and h and 0:58:44.320 --> 0:58:47.040 next time we'll have some new manga for you. 0:58:47.520 --> 0:58:50.560 I love it. I'm in I'll come back anytime to 0:58:50.640 --> 0:58:51.440 talk to you, my friend. 0:58:51.480 --> 0:59:07.360 All right, cheers Alex. Alex, that was so great, and 0:59:07.400 --> 0:59:10.919 I want to thank you for being so open. Your 0:59:10.920 --> 0:59:15.680 ability to well to go there during this conversation is 0:59:16.440 --> 0:59:20.919 touching and refreshing and yes, makes me like you even more. 0:59:21.000 --> 0:59:23.800 I'm going to be rooting for you, my pal. Thanks 0:59:23.800 --> 0:59:27.640 for coming and talking to me. Catch Alex in the 0:59:27.680 --> 0:59:33.440 final season of snow Piercer, airing now on AMC, and 0:59:34.120 --> 0:59:37.520 don't Forget to come back here next week for more fun. 0:59:38.120 --> 0:59:43.640 We have an Oscar winner in the house from this year. 0:59:44.400 --> 0:59:57.360 Who could it be? Come back and find out. Off 0:59:57.400 --> 1:00:01.320 the Bead is hosted and executive produced by me Brian Baumgartner, 1:00:01.520 --> 1:00:05.720 alongside our executive producer Lang Lee. Our senior producer is 1:00:05.760 --> 1:00:10.320 Diego Tapia. Our producers are Emily Carr and seth Olanski, 1:00:10.520 --> 1:00:14.560 and our talent producer is Ryan Papa Zachary. Our theme 1:00:14.680 --> 1:00:17.520 song Bubble and Squeak, performed by the one and only 1:00:17.960 --> 1:00:18.720 Creed Breton