Speaker 1: Ladies and gentlemen, Welcome back to the Less Bureau Podcast.
Speaker 1: I'm so excited because my dear friend Navia Robinson is here. Guys,
Speaker 1: I'm so excited to be here, my dear friend Sammy
Speaker 1: here obviously because it's your podcast. Really, this has been
Speaker 1: so long overdue. Yes, it totally has. We've been talking
Speaker 1: about this for ages, and I'm so glad to finally
Speaker 1: be here. I was thinking about it and I met
Speaker 1: you in that sounds correct, And at that time I
Speaker 1: had just come back from the UK and I was
Speaker 1: filming a show and I am pretty certain I was
Speaker 1: speaking to you. And what was a British? Were British?
Speaker 1: I was convince she was British. Guys. We were all like,
Speaker 1: I was my first big shoe and I worked with
Speaker 1: three Dio Disney and it was at the Sacks fifth Avenue,
Speaker 1: like rand opening, and I met Navia because we were
Speaker 1: we were the only kids there, yes, that were like interviewing,
Speaker 1: and then she was like British and my mom was
Speaker 1: there and my brother is there, and I remember us
Speaker 1: leaping be like what was her accent? Is she British?
Speaker 1: So funny to me. I remember quite a few things
Speaker 1: from that night. Well, first of all, I want to say,
Speaker 1: I don't understand why I was talking in a British
Speaker 1: accent because I played an American character on that show.
Speaker 1: But I was also at a very impressionable age, and
Speaker 1: so I guess I just soaked up that accent. I
Speaker 1: probably liked it a lot, because you know, I was
Speaker 1: like loving it. Doesn't love a British accent, beautiful accent.
Speaker 1: And I'm sure my castmates were like this, go on, Um,
Speaker 1: I was there for three months, okay, but an impressionable age, Yes, exactly,
Speaker 1: thank you so much. I'm helping you, trying to help me. Yeah.
Speaker 1: We also saw we bonded over seeing Neil Patrick. We
Speaker 1: were like, we're freaking out because yes, I just remember
Speaker 1: bonding over. I mean already. It was quite a strange
Speaker 1: circumstance because it's a very novel experience. We were at
Speaker 1: Sax Fifth Avenue working there for like the window unveiling.
Speaker 1: It was special and we were still they shut it
Speaker 1: down the store that day, and we were so young
Speaker 1: and it was so overwhelming and surrounded by adults too.
Speaker 1: Of course, I was so scared because here you were,
Speaker 1: you know, you're you're an actress. You've been on TV.
Speaker 1: I this was coming up on my since my first
Speaker 1: real year like working with them, and I hadn't done
Speaker 1: anything like that before. You must have made quite the impression.
Speaker 1: This is you're one, you're two. If this was your
Speaker 1: year one, yeah, wow, and you're already that's incredible. I
Speaker 1: was just like, I still have stage fright in a way,
Speaker 1: and particularly at that age. I think when I started,
Speaker 1: I was like five or six years old, so I
Speaker 1: had no fears and no insecurities. Yeah, you don't think
Speaker 1: about it. And then at eleven and then probably until
Speaker 1: like fifteen, I was just a mess. Do you still
Speaker 1: have stage right when you act? Yeah, a little bit.
Speaker 1: I'm getting rid of it because I think you literally
Speaker 1: have to in order to you know, be vulnerable or
Speaker 1: like unfold in front of the camera. You have to
Speaker 1: like try to get rid of that anxiety. But as
Speaker 1: you get older and you develop more in securities and
Speaker 1: like whatever in your teenage years, it's it gets harder.
Speaker 1: I think being filmed during your teenagers while you're going
Speaker 1: through puberty is an experience that so few know. But
Speaker 1: the few people that I know, such as yourself, have
Speaker 1: gone through it. It seems like it's been a whirlwind.
Speaker 1: You're so good at this. I need to answer the question,
Speaker 1: but I can't help. But um, well, yes, it's so weird,
Speaker 1: and maybe not want to watch the show I was
Speaker 1: a part of for that period of adolescence. But I
Speaker 1: think now literally every single person is going through it,
Speaker 1: maybe in a you know, just in a different way.
Speaker 1: We all have social media now, and kids have Snapchat
Speaker 1: and they'll broadcast that to their friends, and maybe it's
Speaker 1: inescapable for them too. So I feel for everyone. I
Speaker 1: think we're all going this really. I mean, in today's times,
Speaker 1: it's just we're so exposed. What was it like growing
Speaker 1: up having so many eyes on you and the pressures
Speaker 1: of social media? With that, I know you're barely on
Speaker 1: social media. If we love, we stand, but you know what,
Speaker 1: mental health is a priority and I get that. So
Speaker 1: what was that like? Because I remember, for a minute,
Speaker 1: they're in like and you were really active and you
Speaker 1: were I remember I ran into her. I remember I
Speaker 1: ran into Navia at Beauty Content was before we became
Speaker 1: like friends, and I remember she was just I was
Speaker 1: seeing her just always posting and just on the ground.
Speaker 1: I was like, how does this girl? Um? I love you.
Speaker 1: I feel like that was a different person. It's hard
Speaker 1: to even I mean, that's what you are at thirteen
Speaker 1: or whatever. You're just kind of like a sponge soaking
Speaker 1: up your environment, what's arounding, what other people are doing.
Speaker 1: And so that really doesn't feel like me as much
Speaker 1: as it feels like a character that was like an
Speaker 1: amalgamation of the people around me. So that's kind of
Speaker 1: my answer on that. I don't know how I was doing,
Speaker 1: and I don't. I just don't think I had the
Speaker 1: self awareness at the time to like really be introspective.
Speaker 1: You know, maybe at that time I should have been like,
Speaker 1: you know, you're learning. Yeah, you've always been so mature
Speaker 1: and I am always so just in awe of how
Speaker 1: like we are very similar in that where I think
Speaker 1: we're a lot older than our age and have always been.
Speaker 1: And I think it's just it's a struggle for people,
Speaker 1: especially making friends with people are age. I think that's
Speaker 1: one of the reasons why we connected, because it's hard
Speaker 1: to it's hard to find people that have the same
Speaker 1: drive or don't want to focus on the same things
Speaker 1: like social media. I mean, yeah, and gosh, that's a
Speaker 1: good point. I think that is why we connected, and
Speaker 1: you've always been so good at managing social media and
Speaker 1: being I know it's really I mean, from my perspective
Speaker 1: at least like being on it um for an appropriate
Speaker 1: amount of time. But also I don't know, it just
Speaker 1: seems like you're well balanced and you just traveled to Europe.
Speaker 1: Can I say that you just traveled to Europe by yourself?
Speaker 1: I mean that's like a testament to who you are,
Speaker 1: not just drive, but your own you know, esteem and
Speaker 1: confidence within yourself. And I'm really inspired by it. Thank
Speaker 1: you so much? Did you enjoy yourself? So it was
Speaker 1: up and down. Solo travel is not easy, but I
Speaker 1: wanted to prove to myself that I could do it
Speaker 1: because I was just we're just overcoming anxiety. That's just
Speaker 1: the goal, you know. I've been thinking of my life
Speaker 1: is like three months increments and I'm like, Okay, who
Speaker 1: am I going to be in the next three months?
Speaker 1: And how can I grow to that person? That's good.
Speaker 1: That makes me anxious thinking about it, But that's good.
Speaker 1: But I mean does that help you? That helps manager?
Speaker 1: And it helps manage my anxiety because if I think
Speaker 1: of everything over a year, Oh, but then when I
Speaker 1: think of little increments, and for me, so travel with
Speaker 1: something I've really wanted to do, but more so I
Speaker 1: saw someone some friends do it, and I was really
Speaker 1: inspired by them, and I just was prepared. I well
Speaker 1: researched my area before I went. But I spent like
Speaker 1: six days in Paris by myself. Wow, oh, I have
Speaker 1: so many questions. What are your questions? I just, um,
Speaker 1: did you meet anybody while you were there? No? I
Speaker 1: was by myself. Did you you said it was up
Speaker 1: and down? What was that? What did that tradectory look like?
Speaker 1: First day? You were up and then maybe? So here's
Speaker 1: my here's okay. So basically I the flight was fine.
Speaker 1: I get to Paris. My phone isn't working, and I'm like,
Speaker 1: oh it was. And for those who don't know me,
Speaker 1: I'm an anxious person and this was just testing my anxiety.
Speaker 1: So I my phone wasn't working, I couldn't text. I
Speaker 1: logged into the WiFi of airport and then finally allowed
Speaker 1: me to log on, but I still couldn't reach. I
Speaker 1: got a car before because I knew I wouldn't be
Speaker 1: able to read the airports because it was all in French, right,
Speaker 1: So I was very cautious of that, and then so
Speaker 1: I couldn't find my driver. I eventually found him, smart
Speaker 1: by the way he didn't. It was It was weird
Speaker 1: because I was told that my driver that I that
Speaker 1: I got um had a flat tire, and so this
Speaker 1: driver was going to bring me that driver. But this
Speaker 1: driver didn't do that, and so in my mind, I'm like, oh,
Speaker 1: my goodness, I'm just in a car with this person.
Speaker 1: No I am in France. If you're me, I'm thinking
Speaker 1: that this is I'm thinking I'm being Yeah, i think
Speaker 1: I'm being kidnapped. I'm thinking all the worst things, like
Speaker 1: phone isn't working, it's a hundred and five degrees when
Speaker 1: I land, and that it was during like the heat wave.
Speaker 1: So did it get better better from there? Not much
Speaker 1: better from there, I think. So. I have always been
Speaker 1: very aware of like the mind to body connection and
Speaker 1: how like your mental health, your anxiety, how it can
Speaker 1: manifest in your bodies physically. But it was so aggressive,
Speaker 1: it was hard to take control, and because no one
Speaker 1: else was there, no one can help me snap out
Speaker 1: of my own mind. So it was a challenge in
Speaker 1: that respect, but I pushed through it and it was
Speaker 1: really good. I made my own perfume in Paris. I mean,
Speaker 1: there's no other place in which you should make right now,
Speaker 1: but you can't spell it war off. Yeah, perfumes don't
Speaker 1: wear on me at all. Yeah, exactly, that's what I mean.
Speaker 1: So fast, so fast, I don't know. Yeah, I put
Speaker 1: someone like two minutes ago. I went to the Liful Tower.
Speaker 1: I went. Everything there was like all my meals. It
Speaker 1: sounds very romantic. It was very romantic, but so inexpensive. Well,
Speaker 1: I'm going, you're gonna I want to go to Europe.
Speaker 1: Wanted we should go. We should get a group who Oh,
Speaker 1: I literally have a friend's in Paris right now. I'm
Speaker 1: not going to say their name because they like to
Speaker 1: be like, you know, down down, and that would be
Speaker 1: so fun. So you're moving to Atlanta for six months
Speaker 1: next week, Sammy, I am so happy to see you.
Speaker 1: It really is, like obviously, it's a pleasure to see
Speaker 1: your friend who you love and trust and get tough
Speaker 1: great conversations with. So I I am busy, but I
Speaker 1: think I'm kind of like in for opinion for a pound.
Speaker 1: If I'm busy, I don't mind being even busier if
Speaker 1: the new ends. Absolutely, I know, because if you're already
Speaker 1: in it, you're like, yeah, also, you're not like a
Speaker 1: thing on the to do list. I'm happy to see you.
Speaker 1: I'm feeling a lot of things about I'm from Atlanta,
Speaker 1: so it's going to be going back. I'm going back,
Speaker 1: and I really I think in the past year, I
Speaker 1: found my place in l A and found my friends
Speaker 1: and kind of falling in love with it in a
Speaker 1: way I didn't think I would. I was like, l A,
Speaker 1: you know that's so, you know, we became we probably
Speaker 1: became friends this time last year, yeah, August, yeah, or July,
Speaker 1: probably July. We met in um catch up lunch, and
Speaker 1: I feel like knowing each other for years, and we
Speaker 1: actually became friends. We talked about shows, yeah exactly. We Yeah,
Speaker 1: we've been acquaintances, like really warm acquaintances, acquaint acquaintances, acquaintances,
Speaker 1: and then we actually became friends. Like a year ago,
Speaker 1: we were in such a different place. We were, Yeah
Speaker 1: you were in college. Well yeah, yeah, in college, in
Speaker 1: college going to school. But honestly, something that's really genuinely
Speaker 1: like motivates me and inspires me. It is like how
Speaker 1: much you're still motivated by school and determined like it
Speaker 1: pushes me to be like, you got this, that's really sweet.
Speaker 1: First of all, your commitment to both maintaining your career
Speaker 1: and also, you know, pursuing an academic career has really
Speaker 1: been inspiring to me. Um, but also just the fact
Speaker 1: that you are very thoughtful about your future. So whatever
Speaker 1: that means, it might not mean completely you know what. Ever,
Speaker 1: it means you're just super thoughtful about it. And I
Speaker 1: think I really want to adapt that to my life.
Speaker 1: So I am currently on the route, you know, attending
Speaker 1: a four year but at the same time, I'm like,
Speaker 1: I like your totally. I like your fluidity that you've
Speaker 1: embraced in your life and managing it, and I think
Speaker 1: I want to apply that to my It's because I
Speaker 1: I've been learning there is a gray area, and I've
Speaker 1: been and I struggle with that. I'm like the other
Speaker 1: you know, there's this whole gray area. So I'm just
Speaker 1: taking it semester by semester and seeing what life happens.
Speaker 1: Because also, like, school is always there and I know that,
Speaker 1: and I'm learning a lot while there. But on the
Speaker 1: other hand, if an opportunity would present itself, it's always
Speaker 1: it's always there as a backup. Totally. I think that's
Speaker 1: a perfect way to put it. I mean, you have
Speaker 1: to live your life, and life is unpredictable, and to
Speaker 1: think that we can plan it outstep by stuff, it's
Speaker 1: just unreasonable. I am guilty of it, but I'm trying
Speaker 1: to step How does your go ahead? Sorry, no, it's
Speaker 1: just it's hard. How does your anxiety manifest? Oh? My,
Speaker 1: so many different ways? Socially, academically, Okay, what else is there? Generally?
Speaker 1: Um like, generally it's alwa, It's just it's always there
Speaker 1: in some type of way. I also have O c D,
Speaker 1: which makes it it's just like they feed off each
Speaker 1: other and it's just not it's not it. I've just
Speaker 1: been coming to terms with the fact that I may
Speaker 1: be an anxious person. I really deny. I mean, this
Speaker 1: is not diagnosed, and I don't know for sure if
Speaker 1: I am. But I think I'm realizing that anxiety has
Speaker 1: a lot of different definitions or off in a lot
Speaker 1: of different ways, and I think I'm I'm super guarded
Speaker 1: and sometimes and I think maybe that's just a form
Speaker 1: of being anxious or like, definitely have a lot of
Speaker 1: career academic anxiety. I find myself very much living in
Speaker 1: the future or living in daydreams to try to like
Speaker 1: cope with my fear about the present. Oh same, is that?
Speaker 1: What that is? Do you do the same thing? I
Speaker 1: do that too. It's it's really hard, especially I think
Speaker 1: the times that we've lived in for the past two
Speaker 1: and a half years, we've been daydreaming for like the
Speaker 1: next thing to get out of where we're at. And
Speaker 1: I feel like we're finally started at this point where
Speaker 1: it's like we should be also be enjoying where we are,
Speaker 1: but it's so difficult. Is that how your anxiety manifest
Speaker 1: would you say? I think so? I think I'm yeah,
Speaker 1: I think I'm also just super sensitive to like over stimulation,
Speaker 1: which is kind of inevitable right now. Like you are
Speaker 1: a young person who's grown up in the age of
Speaker 1: the Internet and social media, you have so much coming
Speaker 1: at you all the time, even if you try to
Speaker 1: mitigate it, like I'm barely on Instagram, but still like
Speaker 1: if I you know, being an actor, particularly entertainment should
Speaker 1: be recreational, but it's also it's all I know exactly.
Speaker 1: It's studying. When you listen to a podcast, it's it's studying. No,
Speaker 1: I love podcast. My dad sorry, study, and I'm like, no,
Speaker 1: I'm just listening. Try. It's hard, but it's hard, and
Speaker 1: it's hard not to like watch something or see a movie,
Speaker 1: which I love doing. But at the same time, that's
Speaker 1: my career. So I get anxiously like, gosh, why am
Speaker 1: I not doing something like this? How can I do
Speaker 1: something like this? I like that my brain just feels
Speaker 1: like it's always on, and I think a lot of
Speaker 1: people experience the same thing. So I don't know what
Speaker 1: to call it. Is it like, is that anxiety or
Speaker 1: what is that? I think it manifests in so many
Speaker 1: different ways. But when you know how a sausage gets made,
Speaker 1: you know the process, it's so natural for that to
Speaker 1: be Like, I wonder what they did about this totally.
Speaker 1: I like the idea, though, like you can't explain art
Speaker 1: down to a science. It's not meant to be. It's
Speaker 1: not it's it's not math, it's not you know. It's
Speaker 1: like I think, I I've been actually considering what I
Speaker 1: want to study. I'm at a crossroads. I've always said
Speaker 1: I wanted to like definitely pursue something, you know, social
Speaker 1: science and sociology, cultural loss of apology, yes, something like that.
Speaker 1: But that I don't. I mean, I do really love
Speaker 1: movies and I want to get behind the scenes of
Speaker 1: it one day, And so should I be pursuing that.
Speaker 1: I'm like, you can do both. Yeah, there are some
Speaker 1: curriculums or some programs for sure. Major double major major, minor. Yeah,
Speaker 1: I guess that's probably the answer. But at the same time,
Speaker 1: major and like film and then minor in psychology. That's
Speaker 1: probably the route that I'm going to go. I could
Speaker 1: could you see that from that's pretty badass? Okay, we
Speaker 1: have to take a quick break, but when we come back,
Speaker 1: I want to talk about other aspects of the industry
Speaker 1: might be interested in partaking in, and some existential life questions.
Speaker 1: We'll be right back and we're back. I could see
Speaker 1: you doing some producing and directing in the future too,
Speaker 1: I think that is. I mean, i'd like the idea
Speaker 1: of control. Oh, same, I love the idea of it too.
Speaker 1: It's so and I've just been Yeah, I've been an actress,
Speaker 1: just kind of reading the lines I've been given. Um,
Speaker 1: I do more than that. I would probably should't be
Speaker 1: that reductive, but in essence, I've just been performing other
Speaker 1: people's dreams and writings Since I was six, and I'm like, Okay,
Speaker 1: I think maybe I want to I want to do
Speaker 1: my own things. Yes, what was that entail? Um? I
Speaker 1: definitely like the idea of writing. I've always loved writing.
Speaker 1: Did I not tell you to do this? Like a
Speaker 1: year ago? Na, I believe we had this exact conversation.
Speaker 1: I would be like, yeah, you were really even really
Speaker 1: good at like writing or doing something. I'm sure you
Speaker 1: did because truthfully, and you're gonna deny this, you're always
Speaker 1: a few steps ahead of not just me, but just
Speaker 1: I feel like you're a very much a big picture
Speaker 1: thinker and maybe when some people aren't ready for it.
Speaker 1: I remember having this conversation. I was like, I feel
Speaker 1: like we've had this conversation before. Um, probably definitely just
Speaker 1: coming around too late, and I'm definitely coming around to it.
Speaker 1: I think it. I had like an epiphany probably like
Speaker 1: winter of last year, and I was like, oh, you know,
Speaker 1: I don't have to wait. When we went to the
Speaker 1: team books summit, Oh my gosh. Maybe around that side.
Speaker 1: That was fun. That was the day. It was a
Speaker 1: long day. That was that was a super long day.
Speaker 1: But I think you've had it changed. My god. We
Speaker 1: were at We went to the Team Books summit together
Speaker 1: and it was in December, and I chose to wear
Speaker 1: a dress, a sun dress I should wear, thank you,
Speaker 1: but very not warm, um and true. So we went
Speaker 1: across the street at one point when there was like
Speaker 1: no speakers or anything, and Urban Outfitters was having a
Speaker 1: pretty good thing and I was like, let me get
Speaker 1: some pants and sure, and remember boots. I did get
Speaker 1: a pair of boots and I love them, wear them.
Speaker 1: I haven't the summer, but they are in storage for
Speaker 1: my in my dorm room and we're going to whip
Speaker 1: him out this year and we're just gonna rock them good. Oh.
Speaker 1: I can't wait to see them again. Those are I
Speaker 1: think one of my favorite pair of boots I bought.
Speaker 1: It's not the best when you want to posibly buy
Speaker 1: something and it ends up being like a staple. That
Speaker 1: was crazy. That was great, But that was a real friendship.
Speaker 1: That was a real friendship moment right there. I speaking
Speaker 1: of the team folks on of this is like shifting
Speaker 1: gears a little bit. But how do you feel about
Speaker 1: this generation and the pressure of all of beings like
Speaker 1: civically or um like politically engaged? Because I trust me
Speaker 1: I mean, I've always been that way, just instinctualists talk
Speaker 1: with you about this. I love this. So I feel
Speaker 1: like it's really hard to be our age and I
Speaker 1: feel like for me and I know it's different for everybody,
Speaker 1: the way I feel less helpless is when I do something.
Speaker 1: And for me, that's also staying educated, that figuring out
Speaker 1: how I can connect with elected officials. That's how I
Speaker 1: can educate myself more on just our country and the
Speaker 1: history and the way it treats people and how what
Speaker 1: can I do personally? And so I think it's great
Speaker 1: when other people get involved because I think that we're
Speaker 1: the generation that when we come together in large amounts,
Speaker 1: like we've seen what it can do. But I also
Speaker 1: understand that some people that doesn't interest them and they
Speaker 1: just want to be a kid. And I feel like
Speaker 1: we shouldn't force anyone to do to be active if
Speaker 1: it's just personally how I feel I am making an
Speaker 1: impact or can do something in this crazy fucking no.
Speaker 1: I I agree. I think that, um that is totally
Speaker 1: like how I feel less helpless, Like I I feel
Speaker 1: physically like I have to. At the same time, I
Speaker 1: really get frustrated by the rhetoric that comes from older
Speaker 1: generations that's sort of in line with like gen Z
Speaker 1: is gonna save us, like it's our responsibility, Like we
Speaker 1: need help, we need help. I think every individual should
Speaker 1: be engaged some way, and sometimes it's can be so
Speaker 1: small within your own community. But I mean there is
Speaker 1: so much pressure when people have said, multiple people have
Speaker 1: said to me, you know you're gonna be the one
Speaker 1: to fix us, Like why Donna the generation? I'm like me,
Speaker 1: little me. I still haven't gotten my permit um neither
Speaker 1: have I. That's right, you told me about that. I know.
Speaker 1: I still I'm nervous to take you a second time.
Speaker 1: But my brother told me to just suck it up,
Speaker 1: just do it. I'm like, if you fail, I fail,
Speaker 1: you got it exactly. You can always do it again.
Speaker 1: Here's a question. Are you more afraid of failure or success?
Speaker 1: I'm thinking about this yesterday. Tell you my answer a
Speaker 1: good question. Yeah, okay, So I think I'm more afraid
Speaker 1: to succeed than to fail, because I feel like if
Speaker 1: I'm failing, you're only failing if you don't get back up.
Speaker 1: But I feel like if you succeed, then I'd be
Speaker 1: worried of how much there is to lose. Let's just
Speaker 1: got deep. But no, Sammy, that's like such a good question,
Speaker 1: Like I'm going to start asking other people that and
Speaker 1: then giving you credit. Question. Um, I am totally just
Speaker 1: so afraid of failure, so I think it will be
Speaker 1: disingenuous for me to say anything else. However, I've never
Speaker 1: considered fully being fearful of success. I even bringing it
Speaker 1: back to the team, folks, I'm at I am terrified
Speaker 1: of the amount of attention some people receive we talked
Speaker 1: about and that you might receive as so. Prime example,
Speaker 1: Olivia Rodrigo really just cool personal round performed there, and
Speaker 1: just seeing the amount of people who were invested in her,
Speaker 1: in her performance, when she was wearing and everything made
Speaker 1: me and I'm not even uncomfortable. There were people like
Speaker 1: I want to see what she's wearing, and I want
Speaker 1: these grown me. These were grown men older than her, older,
Speaker 1: way older. And I told and I remember, it was
Speaker 1: just dis concerning how many people cared so much about
Speaker 1: her personal life. And I think that's a real issue
Speaker 1: that's happening. And we see this like you shouldn't put
Speaker 1: anybody on a pedestal. It's dehumanizing to do that to anybody,
Speaker 1: Like what people don't get these are just teenage Yes,
Speaker 1: even if you could be praising them. I think praising
Speaker 1: somebody excessively and like you know whatever, what's we're braiding
Speaker 1: them excessively is totally coming from the same place. Yes,
Speaker 1: And I saw that happen with her, and I was
Speaker 1: just like, gosh, I feel for her because ultimately she's
Speaker 1: just a human being like we all are. And in
Speaker 1: that way, I'm totally fearful of success that like that
Speaker 1: version of it, that concentrated and people know everything about
Speaker 1: caring about you, being invested in your life and your decisions.
Speaker 1: That is terrifying to me. But it also comes aloud privilege.
Speaker 1: You know, it is interesting, but so many people our
Speaker 1: age want that. It's interesting just seeing how many people
Speaker 1: want their goal. Their end goal is faint, but not
Speaker 1: what they're doing or their journey. And I want this,
Speaker 1: But I think that's particular. I mean, maybe it happens
Speaker 1: started and maybe like if I could guess, like nineties,
Speaker 1: early two thousands, you had to ntview, you had just
Speaker 1: more um kind of intimate entertainment about celebrities lives. So
Speaker 1: maybe that sort of craze started then of like people
Speaker 1: wanting not just to be an actress or wanting to
Speaker 1: be famous. So maybe that's where it started. But I
Speaker 1: think it's even more intense now within this generation, and
Speaker 1: I think that's bad. I think some of the people
Speaker 1: that started are like the Paris Hilton and the Kim
Speaker 1: Kardashian where though I think they've become incredible like business
Speaker 1: women and great things, at the time, they became famous
Speaker 1: for not doing that, for just they became famous for
Speaker 1: being famous. And I think that's where the craze started totally,
Speaker 1: and it's even more intense now and and to some degree,
Speaker 1: I get it. You want to be important. It hurts
Speaker 1: to be alive and feel I imagine it would hurt
Speaker 1: to be alive and feel like you hadn't left Mark
Speaker 1: and I totally. I mean in speaking of you know,
Speaker 1: if you're failure, that's where it comes from. For me,
Speaker 1: it's like I want to make the most out of
Speaker 1: this life, like I've got to do something with the
Speaker 1: time I have. And so I think it's maybe those
Speaker 1: people who strive for fame where we just have the
Speaker 1: same fear, which is a failure and wanting to be important.
Speaker 1: So I get it, but I saw compensating for something. Yeah, totally,
Speaker 1: I get it. But I think we all needed like
Speaker 1: shifter our values. And I say this, you know to
Speaker 1: myself as well too, not success or whatever. People's definitely
Speaker 1: enough that is, but just um pride within oneself and
Speaker 1: the actions that you're taking. I've been defining success lately
Speaker 1: as contentness, being happy with that and not about the numbers,
Speaker 1: because as soon as I go down that, why do
Speaker 1: I not grow down? Well? Comparison, Oh sammy, do you
Speaker 1: do the same thing? Just like comparing I comparison. I
Speaker 1: don't look at numbers for the podcast. If one person
Speaker 1: is listening, that's all I care about. Yeah, yeah, I
Speaker 1: think that you're totally right. I mean, I'm just so
Speaker 1: bad when it comes to comparing and like but just
Speaker 1: afected by the outside world. Yes, it's do it all
Speaker 1: the time. And I think have you noticed that when
Speaker 1: I'm when I'm on at least when I'm on social media,
Speaker 1: I do it less. And that's why I am like, Wow,
Speaker 1: social media is great to not be honest, yes, no, exactly,
Speaker 1: Like that's why for most of the time I have
Speaker 1: Instagram to lead it off my phone I'm not like
Speaker 1: an angel, though I totally redownload and like, go check
Speaker 1: somebody's story. But otherwise I like to keep it off
Speaker 1: because if I'm not reminded of um, it's not even
Speaker 1: particular people, it's just the world at large, I can
Speaker 1: focus on myself and what I want to accomplish my
Speaker 1: own self esteem. But it's incredibly difficult. So I guess
Speaker 1: I would just encourage everybody to do what they can
Speaker 1: to too. Detach a little bit. And I will say
Speaker 1: that was one of the really good things about so
Speaker 1: Will Travel for me is it gave me a lot
Speaker 1: of time to think and thinking like where do I
Speaker 1: want to go? What do I want it? What are
Speaker 1: my intentions? What do I hope to put out right?
Speaker 1: You know, you sort of have to force yourself to
Speaker 1: be with yourself exactly, And I wish I would have
Speaker 1: done that earlier. Wherever you go, there you are. Yeah.
Speaker 1: And when I first heard that, it terrified the ship
Speaker 1: out of me because I was like, Buck, I should
Speaker 1: probably really learned to like being with myself if I'm
Speaker 1: stuck with myself. So that's what the journey is. It's
Speaker 1: so funny you say that, Gosh, that's Quotes like that
Speaker 1: are bringing more and more too as I get older.
Speaker 1: Just like the quintessential stuff you heard when you were younger,
Speaker 1: whatever the meaning now yeah, I know exactly, just like
Speaker 1: treat yourself the way you want to be treated. Just
Speaker 1: all this stuff. It's like, oh wow, it's so hard. True,
Speaker 1: it's incredibly hard. Um, but it's all ringing, very true. Yeah,
Speaker 1: wherever you go, there you are. So you have to
Speaker 1: focus your energy and resources in your time, not scrolling
Speaker 1: through your feed I get the instinct, but instead focusing
Speaker 1: it on yourself and how you can be a better person.
Speaker 1: And I just realized you could swear on the pod.
Speaker 1: Yeah you can't, And I think that's great. Yeah, anytime
Speaker 1: we have to take one more quick break, but when
Speaker 1: we come back, I'm gonna talk more about your love
Speaker 1: of acting and your new amazing role in Gotham Nights.
Speaker 1: We'll be right back and we're back. One of the
Speaker 1: things that I'm curious about is there a struggle with
Speaker 1: being an actor. You're going to someone else's mind and
Speaker 1: you're drawing another character and creating another person essentially, but
Speaker 1: when you're also working on yourself, is that every difficult
Speaker 1: when you're working on someone else. Um, that's such a
Speaker 1: good question, Sam, you're so good. Um, yes, and no
Speaker 1: to So to be honest that my work thus far
Speaker 1: has been pretty simple, and that when you were young,
Speaker 1: you're usually cast because of your essence and not because
Speaker 1: you're being asked to play some sort of like transformative character.
Speaker 1: So I really haven't had that experience of having to
Speaker 1: do like some deep psychological work. I'm excited for it
Speaker 1: and look forward to that, but I haven't had that yet.
Speaker 1: Going into this new job that I'm doing, it will
Speaker 1: be different. I think I'll have to do more character work,
Speaker 1: and I am and I'm excited about that. But I
Speaker 1: think you kind of find yourself through characters. Maybe I
Speaker 1: don't think they're entirely separate. Um, I think you kind
Speaker 1: of you can just kind of unravel and unfold. And
Speaker 1: I think that's why I gravitate towards acting. I think
Speaker 1: I've always felt conflicted about who I am, and that's
Speaker 1: partly because of age, but it's also because, as I said,
Speaker 1: I think I'm I don't know if impressionable as the word,
Speaker 1: but I really soaked up my environment and so when
Speaker 1: I was younger, it was my four brothers and just
Speaker 1: kind of becoming them and reflecting their personalities. Um and
Speaker 1: so I've always felt like I don't know exactly who
Speaker 1: I am, And maybe that's why I like acting, because
Speaker 1: I can like no exactly and for once that becomes
Speaker 1: a benefit and not something I just like about myself.
Speaker 1: The idea that I can be a ton of people,
Speaker 1: or that I hold a bunch of perspectives in my
Speaker 1: mind is actually a benefit to me in acting. So
Speaker 1: for me, I feel like it's just pulling from like
Speaker 1: all the all the little parts with me right now.
Speaker 1: That's that's so beautiful. That's also like a working theory.
Speaker 1: But you know what, like that's life. And be easy
Speaker 1: on yourself because you are still a teenager. Of course
Speaker 1: you're you're about to not be soon. Know just airs
Speaker 1: I'll be twenty What I didn't I was hesitant to
Speaker 1: bring it up. But I feel like you're so ready
Speaker 1: for twenty. I feel like when I first met you,
Speaker 1: you were already like settling down. I've always ready to
Speaker 1: have always been ready to not be a team ajan.
Speaker 1: As soon as it started, I was like, Nah, this
Speaker 1: isn't for me. So I'm hoping twenties is great. Oh,
Speaker 1: I think it will be. I mean, that's all you
Speaker 1: hear from people that either actually and then thirties are thriving.
Speaker 1: My parents are like their thirties for their favorite decade.
Speaker 1: And that's an extreme comfort to me because it's like
Speaker 1: your twenties both more money exactly, more money resources and
Speaker 1: you know yourself exactly. I like that, Sammy. I can't wait.
Speaker 1: I wonder what's going to be like, Oh, I think
Speaker 1: it'll be great. I think we'll be like just having
Speaker 1: these same conversations, except maybe with a little more wisdom
Speaker 1: and perspective. M I love that. I want to talk
Speaker 1: about your show real quick because I am so proud
Speaker 1: of you. You were I mean, god, I really just
Speaker 1: love you and I'm great for you because you were
Speaker 1: there for me. There was a year of unemployment and
Speaker 1: you were there, of course to believe in me and
Speaker 1: really um encourage me to kind of take my life
Speaker 1: into my own hands. And it's great that I am
Speaker 1: just now picking up on that, like like what's happened?
Speaker 1: Like what's happened? So Gotham Knights. I saw the trailer.
Speaker 1: I haven't even watched the whole thing because I can't why, Um,
Speaker 1: I've used this word a lot of this episode to
Speaker 1: excuse me, but yeah, it makes me anxious. You know what.
Speaker 1: I was like, I did not expect the twist and turns.
Speaker 1: I'm so, I'm really I'm very excited to watch it
Speaker 1: because I was like, oh, ship, didn't expect that. It
Speaker 1: was just the trailer. I really, God, I hope you
Speaker 1: like it. You know, it's hard, like there's so much pressure,
Speaker 1: especially within like the DC comic book community, and um,
Speaker 1: especially with me. I'm kind of hesitant to speak about this,
Speaker 1: but like, I'm playing a character that's adapted from the
Speaker 1: comics from the comic books called Kerry Kelly who was
Speaker 1: depicted white m h in the comics, and I'm not,
Speaker 1: um really yeah, I don't know. Did you know that? Um? So,
Speaker 1: it's just been hard because like the first thing when
Speaker 1: I was researching my character after I found out I
Speaker 1: got the role, the first thing that shows up, because
Speaker 1: Deadline had already done like press release that this news
Speaker 1: was out there on YouTube, was some random video from
Speaker 1: like this old guy Gotham Knights will be a woke disaster.
Speaker 1: My face on the thumbnail. Great, that's a reminder of
Speaker 1: like that's still where we are. That I can just
Speaker 1: be born um and have a particular pigment and whatever
Speaker 1: particular ethnic makeup, and I am representative of Awoke Disaster.
Speaker 1: But that doesn't make any sense to me because it's bullshit.
Speaker 1: But also, like your talent will just show that's all
Speaker 1: you can do. All you can do is do your best,
Speaker 1: thanks and be what you think this character is. I
Speaker 1: think that's the direction we want to move into. Right
Speaker 1: where where people are being I mean speaking, yeah, I
Speaker 1: mean right. It's just like, why does it matter about
Speaker 1: the essence of somebody? You know, why does it matter?
Speaker 1: Don't worry whoever made that video? And who's all the
Speaker 1: people who are disappointed in casting a lot of other
Speaker 1: like white people on the show. So it's and I
Speaker 1: promise they're there. You've got your representation, I promise, I
Speaker 1: promise use enough representation for everyone. Trust me, Mr Gotha
Speaker 1: Niese will be Awoke Disaster. I get the desire to
Speaker 1: have representation, but you have it. It's there in the show.
Speaker 1: You have it, you know what you know? Brown and yeah,
Speaker 1: brown people can have maybe. I mean I don't like
Speaker 1: to put myself on that pedestal, but but I think
Speaker 1: everybody deserves obviously to be represented. I mean, that's what
Speaker 1: we want out of entertainment. So just relax, people have
Speaker 1: their time see it, you can be it, yes exactly,
Speaker 1: and think of the impact that that can have on
Speaker 1: people that will see you on the screen. I yeah,
Speaker 1: And that makes me again, makes me anxious and I
Speaker 1: and I don't want to put myself on that pedestal.
Speaker 1: I I feel like we're in a time where there
Speaker 1: are so many great examples of people of color represented
Speaker 1: with them film and TV to look at, and so
Speaker 1: um yeah I I, um yeah, Well, I know you
Speaker 1: don't think yourself. I think you're who cares like what
Speaker 1: your skin color is. I think you're just an incredibly
Speaker 1: talented person. And I am so excited for this next
Speaker 1: chapter and see what it's gonna just unravel for you,
Speaker 1: because y'all were all is about to see nab A Robbins.
Speaker 1: Get ready hopefully they like her. I don't know. I was,
Speaker 1: you know, I've never been very like caught into trailers,
Speaker 1: and that trailer was really good. Yeah. That means I
Speaker 1: highly recommend you watch it. Oh, I I'm you know,
Speaker 1: I'm a fan of the show. Like I read the
Speaker 1: first the pilot. Um, and got treated before I took
Speaker 1: the role whatever, and I was a fan of it.
Speaker 1: I was like, oh gosh, they did Natalie James, um Chad,
Speaker 1: these writers, they just did a good job. It's fun.
Speaker 1: It's it's really fun. In the second episode I just
Speaker 1: read it, It's really fun, and I'm just like, oh, God, like, yeah,
Speaker 1: I'm excited to be a part of something that I
Speaker 1: considered pretty kid gas and um. I have so many
Speaker 1: ambitions as an actress and and this is one of them,
Speaker 1: and I'm excited I get to fulfill this at such
Speaker 1: a young age. So thank you for being supportive of it.
Speaker 1: Of course, all I want is my friend's approval. I
Speaker 1: really mean it. I probably I will always be here
Speaker 1: to support always, thank you all, always speak here to
Speaker 1: support you. I'm a fan of yours and grateful for you.
Speaker 1: I love you. You're just really an inspiration to me.
Speaker 1: I hope you don't take that as sachurin. And I
Speaker 1: can't wait to see where you go next. I can't
Speaker 1: wait to be in our thirties together reflecting on reflecting, Yeah, exactly,
Speaker 1: And I can't wait to see what this will look
Speaker 1: like for you the next six months, hopefully I'll get
Speaker 1: to visit you in Atlanta. Yes please, we'll FaceTime also
Speaker 1: and just catch up and think it knows for FaceTime,
Speaker 1: thanking us for FaceTime. And we can't let six months
Speaker 1: go back. We can't. Oh, I'm sad this conversation's ending.
Speaker 1: I'll do it again. We'll do it again. And just
Speaker 1: thank you for just taking the time with everything you
Speaker 1: have going on in your life. And I appreciate you
Speaker 1: just always being there for me and be having you
Speaker 1: as a friend and very grateful. It's a lovely way
Speaker 1: to spend it. Thank you so much, Sai.