Speaker 1: Hey, guys, welcome to another episode of Eating While Broke.
Speaker 1: I'm your host, Coleen Wit and today we have a
Speaker 1: very special guest actor, you like, the actor Mike Merrill's
Speaker 1: in the building.
Speaker 2: What what up?
Speaker 1: Though, He's going all the way down to his roots
Speaker 1: forget that. What do they call it when you have
Speaker 1: the voice training again?
Speaker 2: Vocal vocal? Yeah?
Speaker 1: I thought it was like, what do they call it
Speaker 1: when you have to speak? Not etiquette? That's not it.
Speaker 2: That's not the word I'm looking No, no at all
Speaker 2: that you actually is, right?
Speaker 1: Is it?
Speaker 2: Like?
Speaker 1: Okay? Yeah?
Speaker 2: Yeah? Etiquette etquette? Yeah?
Speaker 1: Right, So we got Mike Merrill in the building. What
Speaker 1: are you going to have me eating today?
Speaker 2: So we're going to be eating a omelet with spinach,
Speaker 2: ox corella, cheese and ions, and then on the side
Speaker 2: we're gonna have some turkey bacon.
Speaker 1: All right. So right now, guys, it is noon, so
Speaker 1: we can call this AKA brunch. This is a broke bunch.
Speaker 2: Yeah yeah, so you was when you was broke? Yeah,
Speaker 2: because back then you gotta think eggs one as much
Speaker 2: as it is. You know what I'm saying. Spinach, you
Speaker 2: can get that great value bag about two three dollars
Speaker 2: back there. Then the turkey bacon I got it was
Speaker 2: it wasn't as much back then as well onions, you know,
Speaker 2: that's like, yeah, that's not a dollar.
Speaker 1: Before we started shooting, you shared some other dishes that
Speaker 1: you used to really eat when you was broke. I'm
Speaker 1: definitely curious. Can you give me a fast snippet into
Speaker 1: that light.
Speaker 2: Yeah, So I think the broken meal that I've had,
Speaker 2: it's broke as a word.
Speaker 1: It is, yeah, broke word brokes. It's not brocus.
Speaker 2: It's a word today, the broken meal. That's the Detroit
Speaker 2: of me. You always make a word. So yeah. The
Speaker 2: most struggling meal that I've had was it's too peanut
Speaker 2: butter and jelly crackers. Okay you never heard of that.
Speaker 1: No, but I say it is that the white crackers,
Speaker 1: you know, the white you gotta do the yeah, yeah,
Speaker 1: you know yeah.
Speaker 2: And the other one was bob Evans biscuits sandwiches, the
Speaker 2: breakfast sanwiches. Yeah, so it come in the box at Walmart.
Speaker 2: You know. Now, you I was standing in Atlanta at
Speaker 2: this point, and I was trying my best not to
Speaker 2: go back to Detroit, you know, so that it put
Speaker 2: me in a position where I had to live on
Speaker 2: my car, you know. But I'm like, I can't start over.
Speaker 2: I gotta keep pushing.
Speaker 1: And what city were you in? L A? You were
Speaker 1: in Atlanta and you were damn that ain't even that.
Speaker 2: Wasn't even the struggle, you know what I mean, like
Speaker 2: come here and okay, I get it here.
Speaker 1: Here, you're out here.
Speaker 2: You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1: Affordable, Yeah, yeah, and you were struggling eating, but yeah,
Speaker 1: so what you go in a one where you were like,
Speaker 1: I got three dollars. What's the best I could do
Speaker 1: to manage just three dollars?
Speaker 2: So I used to get those breakfast sandwiches they already
Speaker 2: pre made and everything, and I knew it wasn't healthy,
Speaker 2: but I had to do what I had to do.
Speaker 2: I would get those sandwiches, go to sevent eleven, heat
Speaker 2: it up in the morning, and then go up to
Speaker 2: La Fitness and work out. That's why I take my
Speaker 2: showers and stuff like that. Yeah, I had it all
Speaker 2: planned out. What's crazy is when I.
Speaker 1: Was I love hearing this and then watching you on straw.
Speaker 1: Oh yeah, you know what I'm saying, Like, I love Straw.
Speaker 1: You was over there relating to the whole script.
Speaker 2: I was on my last straw. I'm for real, man,
Speaker 2: it was, it was, it was. It was a time, man.
Speaker 2: I got to say, I was most mentally free at
Speaker 2: that time that I've ever been in my life because
Speaker 2: I ain't have to worry about no bills or nothing
Speaker 2: like that. All I had to worry about was my
Speaker 2: car note at that time. And then you had a car,
Speaker 2: not I had a car, And it's crazy how I
Speaker 2: ended up getting that car. I had a car before that,
Speaker 2: and it didn't it didn't pass the mission. Since I'm like,
Speaker 2: come on, lord, you know I ain't got no money
Speaker 2: for another car. And I can't ground around here dirty
Speaker 2: because then they're gonna take it, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 2: So I'm like, yo, I gotta do what I gotta do.
Speaker 2: I call my granny. I'm like, Granny, I need some help,
Speaker 2: and she just helped me with that car, and she like,
Speaker 2: what you need by mine? Need you to pray for me?
Speaker 2: And I'm like, I'm about to take my car in
Speaker 2: to get a note. And I hate notes. Like now
Speaker 2: I had a car. Not I had to get a
Speaker 2: car note, okay, but the car I had I didn't
Speaker 2: have a car. Note, my granny helped me with that car.
Speaker 1: Yeah, so did you call her the second time?
Speaker 2: Call her again? I needed my granny again. My granny
Speaker 2: is my angel.
Speaker 1: Clearly was like super Granny.
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, she did them super prayers too, and they were.
Speaker 1: Calling her for prayers or were you calling her for
Speaker 1: yeah yeah, hell yeah, okay okay. So yeah, well every
Speaker 1: time you had to make a movie, he was like yes.
Speaker 2: Okay, because I didn't. So the thing was, I didn't
Speaker 2: know how to pray. I didn't know how to pray.
Speaker 2: Even when she would tell me certain things to say,
Speaker 2: I still couldn't put my words together to just pray. Like,
Speaker 2: I didn't know how to talk to God. So I
Speaker 2: had to figure out a way to get in connection
Speaker 2: with God like I felt him. I just didn't know
Speaker 2: how to talk to him. I talked to him through
Speaker 2: my actions and I listened to him.
Speaker 1: How would you talk to him through your actions?
Speaker 2: I would just do what he says, or I would
Speaker 2: do something and then he was like uh uh. I
Speaker 2: was like all right, you know what I'm saying, Like
Speaker 2: you would do something and he'll send a sign like yeah,
Speaker 2: don't do that. Yeah, So we would speak. I had
Speaker 2: a connection. I always had a connection with God, and
Speaker 2: I would speak to him through actions, and I learned
Speaker 2: how to actually hear his voice through my granny. Man.
Speaker 2: My granny would tell me like certain things like he
Speaker 2: would do or not let happen for you to bide
Speaker 2: to you know, what he wants you to do, because
Speaker 2: he already have the steps ordered for you. Okay, yeah, yeah,
Speaker 2: So I had to follow in that path. And this
Speaker 2: is conscious feeling. I always tell people this is conscious
Speaker 2: feeling that I get this gut feeling in this God.
Speaker 2: And you know, he'll tell me, Hey, so none of that,
Speaker 2: that's good, that's good, that's that's just sick. That's just nervousness.
Speaker 2: But that's good. They'll go ahead. You can do that.
Speaker 2: You can do that. But yeah, man, car situation right
Speaker 2: back to that. So yeah, the car situation. I had
Speaker 2: to end up getting a car note. Man, So I
Speaker 2: only had to worry at that time when I was
Speaker 2: letting on my car, I only had to worry about
Speaker 2: my car note. In my phone bill.
Speaker 1: Okay, how much was it?
Speaker 2: No?
Speaker 1: Like three hundred was it the least?
Speaker 2: No?
Speaker 1: Did you have good credit?
Speaker 2: I did it to buy Damn? My credit was messed up.
Speaker 1: Your credit was hope, hopefully you refinanced after a year.
Speaker 1: I don't know how good your financial Oh.
Speaker 2: You own it.
Speaker 1: You do the seven year payment plan. I love Awes
Speaker 1: bought a car and I was like, so you bought it,
Speaker 1: how how long was the payment? She gets She gets
Speaker 1: really mad because I'm all about financial literacy and like
Speaker 1: you better not have gone over four years. She'd be like,
Speaker 1: I did the longest plan.
Speaker 2: I think I got that car in twenty nineteen.
Speaker 1: Okay, was it brand new?
Speaker 2: Now? I had like twenty three thousand miles on.
Speaker 1: That's basically Brandon, that's basically yeah.
Speaker 2: So they had like twenty three thousand miles on it,
Speaker 2: and I wish, I guess I could put it up
Speaker 2: here on Yeah, it had like twenty three thousand miles
Speaker 2: on it.
Speaker 1: And.
Speaker 2: I just knew that I needed it, so I had
Speaker 2: to do it. Yeah, you know, Carvana. Shout out to Carvana.
Speaker 2: They made it so easy, like, hey, you can pay
Speaker 2: what you want type of thing you want almost almost
Speaker 2: almost like they made it affordable. Ok. Yeah, they go
Speaker 2: based off of your and they get your prow and
Speaker 2: stuff like that. Yeah, and they helped me out at
Speaker 2: that time I was very great. Take good. Yeah, I'm
Speaker 2: gonna need another, like three more eggs.
Speaker 1: For you, three more eggs for me? You do it
Speaker 1: that much?
Speaker 2: I got, I got muscles to feed.
Speaker 1: Okay, hold up, I got this. We got eggs in here.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I got muscles to feed. This is recovery right here.
Speaker 1: Just just notice though these eggs are.
Speaker 2: White eggs, Guys, white brown eggs costs more, right, And
Speaker 2: that's what I eat. Now, by the grace of God,
Speaker 2: you said, yeah, two more for you? Do you do
Speaker 2: you eat? How? How do you? How do you eat? How?
Speaker 1: Full sized person? Like a full sized person that's like
Speaker 1: from New York, not l A.
Speaker 2: Okay, so you probably want three?
Speaker 1: No? Two?
Speaker 2: All right too?
Speaker 1: Sorry, I don't have muscles to feed.
Speaker 2: Everybody got muscles to feed.
Speaker 1: I got. I'm working on it though. Like after I
Speaker 1: have I'm gonna I'm gonna get into the gem and
Speaker 1: and start saying no to sugar.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I got to Sugar is the worst for the body.
Speaker 2: The worst, I'm telling you right now is the worst.
Speaker 2: It's the worst. It's that's that's what whole cancer and
Speaker 2: the body and stuff like that, that's what causes cancer,
Speaker 2: causes mucus. You know I eat accord it to my
Speaker 2: blood type.
Speaker 1: How'd you get that test done? Did you get it done?
Speaker 2: The Vitamin Lady in Atlanta, she is a herbalist. And
Speaker 2: that's my camera right all right, bet because I keep
Speaker 2: put that she's the Vitamin Lady in Atlanta. She will
Speaker 2: do a blood test. She will prick your finger and
Speaker 2: then put it on this chart. And you know, it
Speaker 2: got like four circles and it's like a b a
Speaker 2: b oh, and it'll it'll tell like whatever blood clocks like,
Speaker 2: it'll like whatever one showed up for the blood clocks.
Speaker 2: That's the one that you know what you can't eat,
Speaker 2: what your blood type is. And then she'll test. She'll
Speaker 2: give you this chart, this food chart. No, she'll give
Speaker 2: you a food chart to show you everything to stay
Speaker 2: away from, like to avoid and everything that benefits your body.
Speaker 2: And I need that lady, Yeah.
Speaker 1: And anything can we get it? Can we get?
Speaker 2: Well? I would say it's a worth the trip. It's
Speaker 2: worth a trip. It's worth the trip.
Speaker 1: So after you listen to what you can and can't eat,
Speaker 1: did you feel the difference immediately?
Speaker 2: Yeah? So, so what she do is she'll give you
Speaker 2: the rundown about your body, certain things that you would
Speaker 2: feel like, you know, like she would tell me, like,
Speaker 2: I'm I'm a positive so you would feel these like
Speaker 2: like little prickly things at the at the tip of
Speaker 2: my fingers. She said that anxiety and me being like
Speaker 2: nervous to things and stuff like that. I'm so a
Speaker 2: we operate as an artist. Oh yeah, so we have
Speaker 2: to look at things from an artist perspective and not
Speaker 2: as something that is a challenge, you know, because we
Speaker 2: look at it as a challenge that new emotions start
Speaker 2: going and you're like, oh, you can get in our
Speaker 2: own way. Yeah. So now I've learned to turn it
Speaker 2: into excitement and bring it down.
Speaker 1: Okay, So if you get if you get the little
Speaker 1: spidy senses.
Speaker 2: Yeah, and it's it's so crazy. My mom is apositans
Speaker 2: she would feel the same. It's like, oh, that's where
Speaker 2: that comes from.
Speaker 1: Wow.
Speaker 2: Yeah, So now what calms me is Luther is one
Speaker 2: of my favorite Okay, Oh yeah, Luther Boy, I love you,
Speaker 2: Luth the boy tell you I'm a nineties baby Detroit, Detroit.
Speaker 2: Say you're gonna be in love with me? He was,
Speaker 2: I don't know, go ahead and singing still in love,
Speaker 2: Still in love?
Speaker 1: Okay, you want to sing a little bit that got that? Okay,
Speaker 1: So go ahead and just take me back to what
Speaker 1: exactly was going on. At least during the Spinach Omelet season.
Speaker 2: So this is when I had got my first got
Speaker 2: my apartment. So I was living in my car, like
Speaker 2: I told you, and I was doing than uber, right,
Speaker 2: And I would wake up in my car every day
Speaker 2: and do lifting Uber and cash out immediately to do
Speaker 2: my you know, because you have to pay application fees
Speaker 2: and stuff like that. So I was I was danging
Speaker 2: my credit.
Speaker 1: To you had to pay application fees for what the
Speaker 1: apartments for apartments, yeah, so I was going to apartment, apartment, apartment,
Speaker 1: you know credit.
Speaker 2: Yeah. So I was just trying everywhere. Yeah. So it
Speaker 2: was just like dang in me, man, And I'm like,
Speaker 2: I had to pay these application fees to do the
Speaker 2: application possibly for them just to tell me no and.
Speaker 1: Stuff like that to get a roommate situation, you know what.
Speaker 2: They weren't doing that like that in Atlanta at least
Speaker 2: I didn't know. Yeah, And yeah, I just didn't really
Speaker 2: know anybody that was really doing that like now here
Speaker 2: for sure, Just so you.
Speaker 1: Know, I've never seen someone make an omeline like this before.
Speaker 2: No, I don't want you to a little wait.
Speaker 1: Look, I don't want I don't want you to question yourself.
Speaker 1: You can tell. He was like, wait, am I doing
Speaker 1: this wrong? It's been a while.
Speaker 2: I was tripping a little bit. But also I haven't
Speaker 2: clicked on that electric still in a while. So I
Speaker 2: turned it down.
Speaker 1: Lois, do you want me to tell you why? I
Speaker 1: thought maybe it was different, because I think, yeah, I
Speaker 1: think usually people make the egg part and then they
Speaker 1: add the stuff later.
Speaker 2: So see, that's crazy. I took it back to the back.
Speaker 2: Then I used to put the cheese in here already
Speaker 2: because I'm like, I don't want to just in the inside.
Speaker 2: I went all around.
Speaker 1: Okay, I've never seen it. I'm excited.
Speaker 2: So that's that's where I went with it. That's wow, Okay,
Speaker 2: I usually wait.
Speaker 1: Oh you know what, dang, I forgot to record this part. Boom, Okay,
Speaker 1: we lie. I don't remember where we left off, all right,
Speaker 1: so you just for your listeners. He sees in the
Speaker 1: egg and a bowl, whipped it up with some monster
Speaker 1: added to it, a little thrown off because usually I
Speaker 1: see people do the egg directly into the pan and
Speaker 1: then add the ingredients. I'm not a huge omelet person,
Speaker 1: so I'm hoping I learned something here and I like
Speaker 1: it and I love spinach, so I need.
Speaker 2: That on deck. Okay, I'm gonna take this too. Okay, boom.
Speaker 1: But we were at part You got really excited because
Speaker 1: I guess you're making an old school classic omelet.
Speaker 2: Yeah, because that's the way I used to do it.
Speaker 2: So it kind of took me back. See I'm still
Speaker 2: connected to.
Speaker 1: Exactly. That's good. So you're your apartment hunting, you're uber
Speaker 1: and lifting. Yeah, I'm guessing at some point someone accepts
Speaker 1: this application.
Speaker 2: Yeah. So yeah, it was Riverside. It was a Riverside
Speaker 2: Parkway apartments.
Speaker 1: Okay, Yeah, you're really giving all these brands all is love? Okay, Yeah,
Speaker 1: I guess they looked out for you.
Speaker 2: They did. It got me off the street, you know.
Speaker 1: They were like, where do you currently live? You're like
Speaker 1: in my car.
Speaker 2: I ain't tell them none of that.
Speaker 1: What'd you tell them?
Speaker 2: I ain't telling them. No, I'm just trying to get
Speaker 2: an apartment.
Speaker 1: Because don't you have to put like your address and
Speaker 1: stuff for them to respond?
Speaker 2: Yeah, they looked out my mom put put her name
Speaker 2: down for me, so I have my ways, you know,
Speaker 2: but yeah, they approved me. I was paying like seven
Speaker 2: something a month. You hear that. That's good, great, seven
Speaker 2: something a month. Come on, now, okay, where are you
Speaker 2: paying that at?
Speaker 1: Nowhere? And you're and you're still ubering and lifting, but
Speaker 1: you know, you know one hundred percent you're going into
Speaker 1: acting at this time.
Speaker 2: Yeah. Yeah, So I hadn't booked my first one yet.
Speaker 2: When I got the apartment, the light's on it. I
Speaker 2: ain't have enough to have the lights on yet, you
Speaker 2: know what I'm saying. So I had to thug it
Speaker 2: out a little bit. The air mattress.
Speaker 1: Okay, but how are you light an apartment at night?
Speaker 1: Were you like, it doesn't matter I'm ubering at night
Speaker 1: or something?
Speaker 2: Well, yeah, you know I was working, so.
Speaker 1: Oh but I'm saying, what did you use in place
Speaker 1: of light? Flashlights?
Speaker 2: Wells and stuff like that. So then my mom helped me.
Speaker 2: She didn't even know she helped me, but she helped
Speaker 2: me with some bread, and on top of that, I
Speaker 2: had the money from lifting ruber.
Speaker 1: So how does she not know she helped you?
Speaker 2: Because I didn't want her to know everything that's going on,
Speaker 2: because my mama is like or protective mom, and she'll
Speaker 2: come in, well, Mike, how are you gonna how are
Speaker 2: you gonna do? You know what I'm saying? So what
Speaker 2: about your builds and this and that? And I'm like,
Speaker 2: I don't want her to panic and have to you know,
Speaker 2: think that she I'm good, Ma.
Speaker 1: So how did she end up lending you money without
Speaker 1: knowing that something was going on?
Speaker 3: I wasn't telling her I need some money. I just
Speaker 3: needed to look out for me, okay, because she can
Speaker 3: get nosed. My mom can get nosy. Okay, yeah, she
Speaker 3: can get nosy. So I didn't want her to know everything.
Speaker 1: She was like, Mom, can you shoot me two hundred today?
Speaker 2: That right was near that Friday? And I'm like, you know,
Speaker 2: if you can tell me something, then you know, look
Speaker 2: out for me.
Speaker 1: Okay. But he and she did it.
Speaker 2: Yeah, Okay, my mama could do She would do anything
Speaker 2: she can for me. Are you no. I'm a middle child,
Speaker 2: so my mom actually on my mom's side, it is
Speaker 2: me and my brother. I'm the oldest, and then my
Speaker 2: dad's side is my sister. We had I had two sisters,
Speaker 2: one passed away and then she's older than us. Okay,
Speaker 2: so that makes me the middle okay, okay.
Speaker 1: Yeah, and then your parents still married.
Speaker 2: No, no, well, my my dad is currently still in prison.
Speaker 2: He's been in prison since ninety nine, you know, and
Speaker 2: it's like one of my my missions to get him
Speaker 2: out or whatever.
Speaker 1: And was it like a wrong full conviction type thing, KNDA,
Speaker 1: cause you said your mission to get him out. So
Speaker 1: it just makes me feel like, you know, the justice
Speaker 1: system could have possibly did something wrong or am.
Speaker 2: I Well no, he he you know, he did his crime.
Speaker 2: But you know, it's been twenty five years now, jeez,
Speaker 2: that's a long time. It's ninety nine nine, twenty years.
Speaker 1: Yeah, it is longer than that. It's like twenty six years.
Speaker 2: Twenty six years. So it's you know, it's time. You know,
Speaker 2: I want to get my dad out. I want to
Speaker 2: spend my life with him. Now I'm feeling like I'm
Speaker 2: getting to a point where you know, I can get
Speaker 2: that have that type of leverage to get him out. Yeah,
Speaker 2: you know, possibly. Yeah, I'll just pray on it.
Speaker 1: But do you do you visit him? Like how often
Speaker 1: are you talking to him? Like how active is he
Speaker 1: in your lifetime? Yesterday Okay, so you talk like on
Speaker 1: the regular every day.
Speaker 2: Yeah, we talk in the regular. We talk almost every
Speaker 2: week now. Sometimes we take you know, free breaks and
Speaker 2: stuff like that.
Speaker 1: Is your mom still committed to that?
Speaker 2: No? Okay, no, so yeah, no, no.
Speaker 1: No, but she encourages the relationship.
Speaker 2: Oh yeah for sure.
Speaker 1: Okay, cool.
Speaker 2: Sure they're like best budd still.
Speaker 1: You know there's still best budds.
Speaker 2: Okay, okay, they have a good relationship, all right.
Speaker 1: So but basically you're brought up with single parent household.
Speaker 2: Yep, single mom. Okay, like straw.
Speaker 1: Okay, you know when you read the script from the movie,
Speaker 1: were you did you see relatability in it?
Speaker 2: You want to know what's crazy? I wasn't even thinking
Speaker 2: like that. I didn't even think like that until actually
Speaker 2: seen it. Like yeah, because I was thinking for work
Speaker 2: purposes at that time when I was reading the script
Speaker 2: and stuff, because I'm on the law enforcement side, So
Speaker 2: I wasn't thinking like that. But when I actually watched
Speaker 2: the movie, I'm like, oh, it's gonna touch a lot.
Speaker 1: Of I couldn't wait for it. I ain't gonna lie.
Speaker 1: I was count on the days for that movie to drop.
Speaker 1: I was like, single mom, Yes, how was the hardest
Speaker 1: job in the world. I don't think I would they
Speaker 1: did more you know stuff around it. But yeah, I
Speaker 1: thought that movie was incredible and for everyone that hasn't
Speaker 1: seen at the ending on that movie was literally like
Speaker 1: what the freak? There was one part though, I was
Speaker 1: thinking in the shower. Yes, I do all my thinking
Speaker 1: in the shower. It's really weird.
Speaker 2: Yeah no, no, no, wait did you hear No?
Speaker 1: No, I swear to God that.
Speaker 2: Every look I decompressed in the shower, I let it
Speaker 2: run on my neck and I just I just sit there,
Speaker 2: just like this, bro, and I let I let I
Speaker 2: think through the day. I pray in the shower. I
Speaker 2: think about my sister in the shower. Why, you know,
Speaker 2: loved ones and stuff. I don't know why my most
Speaker 2: vulnerable space in the shower. Yes, I don't.
Speaker 1: I've never met anyone that didn't. I don't. Usually don't
Speaker 1: even tell people because I think they probably kind of weird.
Speaker 1: I do all my thinking, processing thoughts, everything goes through
Speaker 1: the shower. No other place gets my mind going in
Speaker 1: the shower. But I was thinking about this one scene
Speaker 1: in straw There was a scene we'll circle back, but
Speaker 1: there was one scene that didn't fit in the movie
Speaker 1: where I was like, hm, why did they leave that.
Speaker 1: I'm trying to think I'll circle back to it, but
Speaker 1: I remember, I'll probably later take a show like this
Speaker 1: is the scene I was talking about. But there was
Speaker 1: one scene in the movie where I remember going, wait
Speaker 1: a minute, that scene didn't make it. Oh the scene
Speaker 1: where Taraji is in the school and some of they
Speaker 1: take the kid, which I kind of got like, you know, kid,
Speaker 1: where her head was at in the end, not trying
Speaker 1: to destroy the movie because I'm not going to destroy
Speaker 1: it for y'all, but the lady hands are a card.
Speaker 1: Remember she stressed out in the school. Lady hands are
Speaker 1: a card and says call me and they take the kid.
Speaker 1: I mean, there was parts that I thought later like,
Speaker 1: of course the kid. They must have known the kid
Speaker 1: had passed. I don't want to destroy it. I'm destroying it.
Speaker 1: There was that one seam where I was like, okay,
Speaker 1: but then I thought later like there was no one
Speaker 1: contacted said where is the kid during the whole thing,
Speaker 1: And I was like, oh that you all must have
Speaker 1: known in the police department from jump that the.
Speaker 2: Baby had passed, right They all, yeah.
Speaker 1: So, but when did the bank teller know the bank
Speaker 1: the bank manager. No, I'm ruining, poor Katie, Katie, ignore
Speaker 1: your ignore essus sitting here recording the whole thing. Check
Speaker 1: it sound. I'm not going to spoil it for her.
Speaker 1: But yeah, there was that one scene that I was
Speaker 1: a little confused about because in the school they gave
Speaker 1: her the card and I was like, hmm, mental health.
Speaker 1: But then when they did the playback, they didn't have
Speaker 1: the lady in the hallway.
Speaker 2: Yeah, no they didn't.
Speaker 1: They had the school principal in the hallway. I got
Speaker 1: photographics and my photographics. Maybe are you are you messing
Speaker 1: with me right now?
Speaker 2: I can't tell that.
Speaker 1: I'm like, you should know, you tell me, Okay, okay, okay,
Speaker 1: But yeah, I thought that movie was incredible. I think
Speaker 1: everybody y'all did your thing. Y'all did y'all thing.
Speaker 2: Man, that thing. I'm so I am on cloud now
Speaker 2: with this thing right now. I want to.
Speaker 1: I want to, I want to. I want to, so
Speaker 1: just so you know, I know we're getting all over
Speaker 1: the place. You're very fun to hang out with. I
Speaker 1: don't know if it's like the destroying you. You're very
Speaker 1: very fun.
Speaker 2: Is genuine and authentic energy.
Speaker 1: Exactly the thing I wanted to. I want to end
Speaker 1: at Tyler, at Tyler Perry, So I need to I
Speaker 1: want to. I don't. I don't at Straw, I don't.
Speaker 1: I want to get all the in between without skipping
Speaker 1: to it. But I want to spend some time on Straw.
Speaker 1: But I want to know. Okay, your mom lends you
Speaker 1: this money, you're thugging it out, you're acting, what are
Speaker 1: you doing?
Speaker 2: Like?
Speaker 1: So?
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, so we was there before that moment. Actually
Speaker 2: I have So I have booked my first TV.
Speaker 1: Regular, first TV appearance, TV Parents are Regular, Okay.
Speaker 2: From my first booking. Yeah yeah, so I had booked
Speaker 2: the Bobby Brown Story, Okay, Okay, And man, when I
Speaker 2: tell you, I was going to set every day even
Speaker 2: if I didn't have to work, going to say every
Speaker 2: day and eat hilarious. That's that's that's during it yep. Okay, yeah, okay.
Speaker 2: I was still because I'm like, now I can get ahead.
Speaker 2: You see what I'm saying, because I booked it. So
Speaker 2: now I'm gonna have that money coming in. I'm doing
Speaker 2: this to get this.
Speaker 1: All for that money to get to you.
Speaker 2: It was like three weeks I think, like three weeks
Speaker 2: and then from then on I was like, yo, I
Speaker 2: got to stay on top of it.
Speaker 1: Now, did you? You saved you? You at that point
Speaker 1: you're financially literate, kind of like right a little.
Speaker 2: Bit, yeah, I want I want.
Speaker 1: Too bad yourself.
Speaker 2: I was pacing myself. Yeah. One thing I know how
Speaker 2: to do is budget. My mama taught me very well
Speaker 2: out to budget.
Speaker 1: Good. I like that.
Speaker 2: I love that coming from a place of poverty. Who
Speaker 2: you know how the budget?
Speaker 1: Maybe what part of Detroit are you from? Can you
Speaker 1: wrap your Detroit?
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, Frank Fred the East line on the east
Speaker 2: side of Detroit. Okay, but yes, And for the people
Speaker 2: that don't know exactly where that is is like like
Speaker 2: by warning charmers. So when I say warming and charmers
Speaker 2: and they're aware of Detroit, then they know what I'm
Speaker 2: talking about.
Speaker 1: Okay, okay? And then at what at what point we're
Speaker 1: gonna backcheck a little bit. At what point did you
Speaker 1: realize that you had to do acting to the point
Speaker 1: where you're gonna be homeless in Atlanta?
Speaker 3: Oh?
Speaker 2: Man, this is this is is great? This is great?
Speaker 2: What's crazy? Ist? So the first time I wanted to
Speaker 2: try to act was So I seen Freshmans Bell there.
Speaker 2: That was one of my favorite TV shows back then, right,
Speaker 2: So huh, who didn't love that show? Oh, that was
Speaker 2: one of my favorite shows. So I was watching the
Speaker 2: episode where his dad didn't want him right and and
Speaker 2: you know, I just told you about my dad. So
Speaker 2: that was the first time I had cried from TV.
Speaker 2: Oh okay, that was my first time. Look at that.
Speaker 1: That looks great. That looks magical.
Speaker 2: Come on, now, get your man that can cook exactly.
Speaker 1: Let me tell you something. Men out there that is
Speaker 1: a man that can cook or like do his own laundry,
Speaker 1: And I like when a man was raised with a
Speaker 1: mom that was like, you still got to learn these
Speaker 1: like traits because if you have a family, you're gonna
Speaker 1: need to fill in.
Speaker 2: You still need to know how to cook. Now, yeah,
Speaker 2: that's just like.
Speaker 1: You got silent on the laundry part. Though I do
Speaker 1: my own laundry too, Okay.
Speaker 2: I'm good with that. I actually don't even use dragon sheets.
Speaker 2: I used wool wool balls. Wool balls. Put wool balls
Speaker 2: and you can get on Amazon. You gotta so you
Speaker 2: get this on Amazon and you can put like essential
Speaker 2: oils in it. Do it in there. With your clothes, clothes.
Speaker 2: You never have to buy dry sheets again. Boom, it's
Speaker 2: gonna take all the static and everything out your clothes,
Speaker 2: and your clothes can be found like peppermint oil or
Speaker 2: something like that.
Speaker 1: No way, yeah here first heard it.
Speaker 2: Here heard your mama. No, I want to thank me
Speaker 2: like like.
Speaker 1: That's like my favorite speech of all time. Yeah, okay,
Speaker 1: all right, all right, yeah I want mine made exactly
Speaker 1: like yours, though, like with a little monzarella and everything.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I wanna do it. We're gonna do it.
Speaker 1: The struggle with way okay, So sorry to derail. When
Speaker 1: did you so you're you're crying during the Fresh principal
Speaker 1: air episode.
Speaker 2: Yeah, so it touched me, you know, because I'm not
Speaker 2: going through exactly what he's going through.
Speaker 1: But you missed your dad.
Speaker 2: Yeah, made me think about my dad.
Speaker 1: Yeah, you don't. You're gonna pad it dry or whatever.
Speaker 2: Avocado oil.
Speaker 1: So that's okay, Okay, why didn't test my blood type?
Speaker 2: You know? Yeah it's okay, you cat that smells good.
Speaker 2: You know.
Speaker 1: I forgot to stop the camera, but it's okay. The
Speaker 1: little overhead.
Speaker 2: Can Yeah, we're good. We gotta make yours too.
Speaker 1: Yeah, did Stoppers is still.
Speaker 2: Still yes, you're still going, We're good.
Speaker 1: Okay.
Speaker 2: So, yeah, I seen that episode and it touched me,
Speaker 2: you know. So I'm like I was crying or whatnot.
Speaker 2: And it's so crazy. My mama sometimes don't even remembering that.
Speaker 2: She she and she was talking. She was like, you know,
Speaker 2: it's not real. They acting, Mike. It was so crazy.
Speaker 2: It's certain things that like.
Speaker 1: Why are you going so far away? Why are you going?
Speaker 2: The season right here? So like, yeah, where are you going?
Speaker 1: Did I say something about the person?
Speaker 2: Nah? Good?
Speaker 1: So so she's trying to convince you, like baby, it's okay.
Speaker 2: She's like, well no, she was just letting me know, like,
Speaker 2: you know, it's not real and it's you know, it's
Speaker 2: just acting or whatever. And to me, like me, I'm
Speaker 2: crying alone. I'm crying in my room about it. You know.
Speaker 2: It just made me think about my dad and I'm
Speaker 2: just like, yeah, I miss my dad and I feel
Speaker 2: you will you know what I'm saying. Because he hit
Speaker 2: he hit that one moment. He's like yeah, man, oh.
Speaker 1: That was terrible. Oh I love that you you just
Speaker 1: acted it out though, just now too.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 1: Man.
Speaker 2: So I'm like, all right, I want to take a
Speaker 2: shot at.
Speaker 1: Acting from that point on. How old were you?
Speaker 2: I was, I was twenty two, twenty three.
Speaker 1: Why did I think you were like twelve doing this?
Speaker 1: You were twenty you were okay, okay.
Speaker 2: Twenty two to twenty three, And I'm like, all right,
Speaker 2: let's try to take a shot at this. You know,
Speaker 2: everybody always say, hey, you have a great smile, You're
Speaker 2: going to be a model one day or guys, And
Speaker 2: I'm like, all right, well, it's fine, thank you.
Speaker 1: I'm very ship that I love me instead of teens. Know,
Speaker 1: if people are like, yo, I met this guy like
Speaker 1: I was his teeth.
Speaker 2: Like, so yeah, I'm like, well, and that's something I
Speaker 2: always was in the back of my mind too, Like,
Speaker 2: you know, people tell me all the time I have
Speaker 2: a great smile and stuff. I'm and I have nothing
Speaker 2: to use it for, but just the smiler people make
Speaker 2: their day. That's a good thing, right. But yeah, I mean, yeah,
Speaker 2: of course. But I was just to be thinking about
Speaker 2: how going to capitalize off this? Yeah, So then.
Speaker 1: Were you toying with any other ideas in the back
Speaker 1: of your head where you starting to wonder, like, hey,
Speaker 1: what it is? What am I going to be? Is
Speaker 1: that kind of what also sprought it up.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I definitely went through that realm trying to see
Speaker 2: what I want to do with my life. But yeah,
Speaker 2: and you told people?
Speaker 1: Did you tell people right away? Did you tell your mom?
Speaker 1: Who did you tell about? Like, Hey, I think this
Speaker 1: is what I want to do.
Speaker 2: Oh well no, I just hit the ground right. I'm
Speaker 2: just trying to do it by myself.
Speaker 1: You know, ye're twenty three. But now you're in Detroit
Speaker 1: trying to do it right. You know, you had to leave.
Speaker 2: So that's the thing. Detroit have a lot of scams.
Speaker 2: Detroit have a lot of scams out there. It's no
Speaker 2: real agency in Detroit. It's no real agency in Detroit.
Speaker 2: They will, boy, they will take your money. You don't
Speaker 2: supposed to pay an agent to get your jobs. You're
Speaker 2: supposed to get jobs. I mean, they supposed to work
Speaker 2: for you.
Speaker 1: And then they take a commission. Yeah, so you was
Speaker 1: paying them up front.
Speaker 2: Yeah, we was paying them up front for extra extra work. Bro.
Speaker 2: It was so crazy. It was so crazy.
Speaker 1: Every time you showed up, they was like, look at him.
Speaker 1: Here he go handing us his money.
Speaker 2: You know what I'm saying. We're doing monologues and stuff
Speaker 2: in front of them for no reason.
Speaker 1: That's funny.
Speaker 2: Yeah. So I got discouraged because it was like costing
Speaker 2: too much, hundreds of dollars. I ain't got.
Speaker 1: Stuff like that, and you're doing the extra work.
Speaker 2: Yeah, they were just like sign up for eestion work
Speaker 2: and I'm like, Yo, this ain't ain't it you know,
Speaker 2: so I'll just forget it. I got discouraged and stop.
Speaker 2: So then my mom she used to look out for
Speaker 2: a friend, you know, her friend Jay McClain and Detroit
Speaker 2: used to tell her, Hey, to keep you this play
Speaker 2: for me, and my mom would do a favor, just
Speaker 2: do it out of the love, you know. She didn't
Speaker 2: want to take it serious and nothing. She's like, yeah,
Speaker 2: I do it? Why not? So then I was studying
Speaker 2: with her.
Speaker 1: Every night, right with your mom?
Speaker 2: Okay, I was studying with her every night.
Speaker 1: Before we get into how great your mom's performances, we
Speaker 1: gotta eat.
Speaker 2: Yeah, okay, so this is great.
Speaker 1: We're gonna pray. I like that.
Speaker 2: Okay, God, thank you for this fool we'd rather receive.
Speaker 2: Let it be nurishment to her body and images as
Speaker 2: we pray. Amen, there we go. Now you don't touch that.
Speaker 1: I want to.
Speaker 2: I want to try it that prayer.
Speaker 1: I want to see the middle. Okay, looks good. You know,
Speaker 1: look at that, guys, I feel bad for yours because
Speaker 1: mine has like the beautiful stretchy cheek, and I feel
Speaker 1: like yours was sitting.
Speaker 2: No, we're good. It's gonna be good regardless.
Speaker 1: Okay, look at his confidence. Are you hungry? That's the question.
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, so I do minds like this sometimes too.
Speaker 2: I don't know why. It's like, you know, you come
Speaker 2: in and you just you able to just you know,
Speaker 2: take a piece and bite into it. I don't know.
Speaker 2: So I'm wanted them people. I have to have my
Speaker 2: food prepared before I actually eat.
Speaker 1: What do you mean prepared?
Speaker 2: Like ad you little my stuff and all of that.
Speaker 1: Yeah, but you didn't even try to see what if
Speaker 1: your seasoning was perfect?
Speaker 2: Well, I already know it is. I've been I've been
Speaker 2: down and through that.
Speaker 1: Alright, I'm gonna rate this just so you know, a
Speaker 1: part of me feels like because you add the mansa
Speaker 1: like like a feta or some different type of cheese.
Speaker 1: But I don't know why you chose man.
Speaker 2: Then I used to do my mozarella.
Speaker 1: Oh back then, So what's upgraded. Since then, what do
Speaker 1: you usually put?
Speaker 2: I do vegan cheese. I don't even do cheese at all.
Speaker 1: Oh, oh, so you're really cheating today, I'm really cheating.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm doing it for you.
Speaker 1: Okay, them, you put it on your whole thing? Wait?
Speaker 1: How does yours look so perfect?
Speaker 2: And mine looks like a five year old prepit prep it?
Speaker 2: But I have a perfection.
Speaker 1: I don't want to watch my Wait, y'all don't because
Speaker 1: mine looks like a little.
Speaker 2: Kyd first bite. You see how that looks?
Speaker 1: Oh?
Speaker 2: Yeah, you see what I'm saying.
Speaker 1: Yeah, you cut your it's perfectly Okay, I'm trying to
Speaker 1: get a good piece right here middle mm.
Speaker 2: Hmmm mm hmm mm hmmm mm hmmm mmm mm hmm.
Speaker 1: I get the onions.
Speaker 2: Now you see the onions.
Speaker 1: I got the onions.
Speaker 2: Now you see what I'm talking about?
Speaker 1: All right, I see it.
Speaker 2: You know you don't cook the you don't burn them.
Speaker 1: You want to know something that I did not get
Speaker 1: the onions before. I totally get it in the mozzarella.
Speaker 1: Really great.
Speaker 2: Really, hey, let them know, let them know I'm like
Speaker 2: that for real.
Speaker 1: You don't even need the sauce on this.
Speaker 2: Really it's just an addition.
Speaker 1: Let me tell you something. You killed this omelet. I
Speaker 1: absolutely love it. Great job you're feeling yourself right now.
Speaker 2: I appreciate it.
Speaker 1: I would buy this.
Speaker 2: Now, that's what I'm talking about. Yo. You know what.
Speaker 2: I hate taking bacon on my hands. Hmmm, I hate
Speaker 2: taking bacon on my hands.
Speaker 1: You should, you know what. I'm thoroughly impressed with this omelet.
Speaker 1: Like I think I'm gonna start making omelets after this.
Speaker 1: So you know what, you gotta do it the way
Speaker 1: he did it, with the mozarella cheese mixed into the
Speaker 1: act and he's take the spinach on.
Speaker 2: The side because it's not a whole. It's not like
Speaker 2: a whole glob that just hit you. You know, it's
Speaker 2: mixed in there already, so you know it's the taste
Speaker 2: and flavor is already marinated in it.
Speaker 1: Do you usually use a white onion?
Speaker 2: Red onion? Now?
Speaker 1: Why is thatson? I just like red onions, you know
Speaker 1: this white onion? Yeah, it tastes great though.
Speaker 2: Yeah, they're more sweeter the white white well not the
Speaker 2: yellow onions.
Speaker 1: I'm sorry, but why did you choose in the red one? Now?
Speaker 2: It's a it's a better it has more benefits. I
Speaker 2: can't think of it right now.
Speaker 1: You in this health conscious man.
Speaker 2: Oh no, it has more benefits eating the red onon.
Speaker 2: I can't remember right now, but at the time out
Speaker 2: of can't recommend ten out of ten.
Speaker 1: If you call me tomorrow for this week, you'll be like,
Speaker 1: how many times did you have a much? Would be
Speaker 1: like probably four different times. You know, when a dish
Speaker 1: is this good, I will go home and totally emulate it.
Speaker 1: And you don't need the sauce on this one. That's
Speaker 1: how good you did seasoning.
Speaker 2: I appreciate that.
Speaker 1: Have y'all heard that everything texture, from the onions to
Speaker 1: the spinach, to the mozarella to the seasoning. You killed it.
Speaker 1: Don't need sauce some so also it was good, but
Speaker 1: you didn't need it.
Speaker 2: I know this nice edition.
Speaker 1: You know you did a really great job. Okay, so
Speaker 1: take your last bite because I'm gonna start asking you
Speaker 1: about this. Mama's acting.
Speaker 2: All right, it was good, bro, I.
Speaker 1: Did not know you cooked like that, you know, but
Speaker 1: I'm gonna go home emulate, take all credit like you
Speaker 1: never existed. That's the way you gotta do it.
Speaker 2: This is actually my first meal, so that's why I'm like,
Speaker 2: you was.
Speaker 1: Like, let's get there. I'm hungry.
Speaker 2: I'm like, I'm gonna eat there.
Speaker 1: What were you thinking when they were like, hey you
Speaker 1: need to you know, do you want to do this
Speaker 1: show eating while broke where you come in and cook
Speaker 1: where you're like, oh, I'm about to be the shift.
Speaker 2: I'm open I'm open book. I'm open book.
Speaker 1: But were you excited cooking?
Speaker 2: I thought you was gonna cook with me? Oh? Yeah,
Speaker 2: you know how they usually like cook with him?
Speaker 1: What don't mean like you'd be like showing on the show.
Speaker 2: Yeah, like you showed me or something like that.
Speaker 1: You know what. Yeah? No, you know, I'm not good
Speaker 1: at multitasking. Like if you sent me a text and
Speaker 1: you were having a conversation, if someone was having a conversation,
Speaker 1: I'd be like, hold on, I can't do both. I'm
Speaker 1: like one focus. That's it.
Speaker 2: Let's see. I got you.
Speaker 1: Okay, So go ahead down this turkey baking. He's hungry, guys,
Speaker 1: We're gonna give him a second.
Speaker 2: Katie will edit this part last.
Speaker 1: I'm only saving mine for pictures because I know he's
Speaker 1: starving and he's gonna need to take some pictures later. Okay,
Speaker 1: So going to your mommy's monologue. She kills it as
Speaker 1: an actress.
Speaker 2: I was so inspired she she killed that monologue and
Speaker 2: she did it totally different than when we rehearsed.
Speaker 1: So I was just like, I haven't memorized too.
Speaker 2: Yeah. I was listening to her, so it was like,
Speaker 2: you know, I knew the monologue too, but.
Speaker 1: I love that you guys had this moment together too.
Speaker 2: Yeah. Yeah, and this is.
Speaker 1: This is while you're pursuing acting, she.
Speaker 2: Gets this No, no, I remember I quit.
Speaker 1: Oh no, I didn't have that part. You quit after
Speaker 1: all the run around.
Speaker 2: Yeah, so I had got discouraged and I'm like, yeah,
Speaker 2: I'm not doing this no more. It's just too much.
Speaker 2: I've seen her in the stage play. I asked her
Speaker 2: her director right after, I mean, you know, the person
Speaker 2: over it. Right after the stage play was over, I said,
Speaker 2: can I be in your next stage play? And she
Speaker 2: was like yeah, And from there on I just didn't stop.
Speaker 1: Do you look at how God worked though that kind
Speaker 1: of and your mom steps up for this role that
Speaker 1: she doesn't even really want.
Speaker 2: She's just like, yeah, she's just doing it for fun.
Speaker 2: You know.
Speaker 1: Now, did that also spark anything in her to be
Speaker 1: like I kind of want to do this or no.
Speaker 2: She was like, hell, she got her corporate job, you know,
Speaker 2: working for the other state. It's like, I'm good with that, okay. Yeah,
Speaker 2: but me, I kind of I took a liking to
Speaker 2: it after that first one. I'm like, I see how
Speaker 2: the crowd respond, and I'm like.
Speaker 1: I love this type of energy.
Speaker 2: Like this, then you can open up to the crowd
Speaker 2: while you're doing your you know, if you like know
Speaker 2: your lines and stuff, you can like talk to the
Speaker 2: crowd a little bit, you know, with you know, in
Speaker 2: the midst of the story. But yeah, I had book
Speaker 2: my first le role in the stage play.
Speaker 1: Right after that, okay, and.
Speaker 2: It was the love that I received. I'm like, I
Speaker 2: gotta keep going.
Speaker 1: Wow.
Speaker 2: So and Detroit, you know, everybody box themselves in Detroit?
Speaker 1: What does that mean?
Speaker 2: So, like now it's a it's a lot of actors
Speaker 2: and Detroit that are two B stars and they do
Speaker 2: a lot of two B movies and stuff like that.
Speaker 2: But they don't have agents.
Speaker 1: They don't have so there's really no agents over there. No,
Speaker 1: Because when you said that, I was like, that's a
Speaker 1: bold statement. Okay, So there's no agents.
Speaker 2: There's no agents nothing like that over there, and they
Speaker 2: all do two B movies and stuff. So the thing
Speaker 2: is that they wanted to really take it serious. You
Speaker 2: have to go outside of Detroit, Chicago, Atlanta, New York, LA.
Speaker 2: You this, and yeah. I peeked it early, very early,
Speaker 2: and I'm like, I feel like I'm starting to get
Speaker 2: boxed in and I don't want most in the stage plays.
Speaker 2: I'm like, Okay, this is a pattern, this is a cycle.
Speaker 2: I don't want to get called in the cycle. Let
Speaker 2: me do a networking trip Atlanta networking?
Speaker 1: Yeah, what is the what? How? What is that even encompassed?
Speaker 2: I visited these cities to see how you know.
Speaker 1: Yeah, and you you labeled it a networking trip.
Speaker 2: Yep, okay, Atlanta, New York, Chicago.
Speaker 1: Okay, you went to all these cities. Yeah, how are
Speaker 1: you paying for it?
Speaker 2: I was just paying for whatever I had at the time.
Speaker 2: What the jobs?
Speaker 1: Are you working?
Speaker 2: Jobs? Or I was actually going with this modeling group. Okay, yeah, yeah,
Speaker 2: I was going with the modeling group, and I would
Speaker 2: just branch off and do my own thing when we're
Speaker 2: not doing like shows and stuff. Atlanta was the most responsive,
Speaker 2: so I'm like, I'm moving to Atlanta.
Speaker 1: Okay, after you did, yeah.
Speaker 2: The networking trip. So I'm like, yeah, I'm moving to Atlanta.
Speaker 1: Atlanta feels you told your mom you were doing you
Speaker 1: were going to these cities to like check them out.
Speaker 2: Well, like I said, I was with modeling.
Speaker 1: Yeah, so that's how you were able. So you were
Speaker 1: leveraging it. So I got it, got it.
Speaker 2: Ye.
Speaker 1: So you're you're doing this and then you call back
Speaker 1: home and you say or you go back home and
Speaker 1: you're like, okay, Atlanta is it?
Speaker 2: Yep? That's just like how I did move in here.
Speaker 1: Okay, uh huh.
Speaker 2: So I had moved to Atlanta, and I know I
Speaker 2: needed some money to you know, because I ain't gonna
Speaker 2: get a job right away. So I did this show
Speaker 2: called Last Squad Standing on Oxygen Network and as a
Speaker 2: game show, you know, three cities that comes and you know,
Speaker 2: they do mental and physical challenges for one hundred thousand dollars.
Speaker 2: And while I was there, I was getting paid, you know,
Speaker 2: and I was there for like two months, made it
Speaker 2: all the way to the end. I actually won. I
Speaker 2: don't care. I actually won.
Speaker 1: You won?
Speaker 2: Yeah, And they didn't it ain't they didn't give it
Speaker 2: to me. Wait, yeah, they didn't They didn't give me
Speaker 2: one hundred thousand dollars.
Speaker 1: Was it a pilot? Well, how did they not give
Speaker 1: you one hundred thousand?
Speaker 2: Well, you sign things that say if yes, it's not fair.
Speaker 1: If you you signed, yeah, you signed something you.
Speaker 2: Say if this is not fair, you can't do anything.
Speaker 1: That's like in the that's.
Speaker 2: In the contract. Yeah, I mean the game show and
Speaker 2: all that stuff is done. Now Oxygen is all about
Speaker 2: reenacting shows and stuff now matter.
Speaker 1: So, but you you won. They didn't get the money.
Speaker 2: And they gave it to the other team. Yeah, they
Speaker 2: made the other team seem like they won, but everybody
Speaker 2: on the show knew that I won.
Speaker 1: Wait, what like re edited and everything?
Speaker 2: Yeah, they re edited. It's just like certain parts of
Speaker 2: certain times you will be talking and you're saying one thing,
Speaker 2: they'll take another part of another moment that you had
Speaker 2: and and piece it together. Damn, Like that was that's
Speaker 2: what you were saying. Ain't it crazy? That's how the
Speaker 2: reality shows and stuff goes after that, say that like, yeah,
Speaker 2: it's just crazy. I want I want to look my
Speaker 2: last quad. Then la standing Okay, yeah, so I did
Speaker 2: that to generate money so I was able to Sorry,
Speaker 2: about that. I was able to you know, maneuver and
Speaker 2: network and stuff like that. After I was done with that,
Speaker 2: I had booked my first web series, which was a
Speaker 2: Sidekick side Chick web series and Who's that as macarthy
Speaker 2: McCarthy Yeah, and ended up being popular. So that was
Speaker 2: my first booking. And then I'm like, all right, I
Speaker 2: need to give me an agent.
Speaker 1: I was about to ask, so when do you start
Speaker 1: getting an age?
Speaker 2: I started searching around for an agent as soon as
Speaker 2: I got back.
Speaker 1: And what does that entail? You're cold calling or sit again?
Speaker 1: What does it entail when you're searching for an agent?
Speaker 2: So you go to like networking events and stuff like that,
Speaker 2: and you kind of like, you know, workshops, and you
Speaker 2: kind of get the logist of how everything goes because
Speaker 2: sometimes you'll see like casting directors, agents and stuff that
Speaker 2: shows up and I'm like, okay. So I had started
Speaker 2: going to those type of events to reach out. And
Speaker 2: then also I was just googling agents agencies and I
Speaker 2: had got my first agency, so not with that one,
Speaker 2: but I got with another agency after that, and that's
Speaker 2: how I got my first booking, which was Bobby Brown's story.
Speaker 1: Okay, that's a huge deal. Yeah, and you're telling your
Speaker 1: mom you keep who's this person that you're keeping updates
Speaker 1: and on the regular with all.
Speaker 2: These god my mom? Well god yeah?
Speaker 1: Is it only in case emergency?
Speaker 2: Yeah? My granny, my mom? Those are my two hearts.
Speaker 1: They're like on your text religious Okay, got it. Yeah,
Speaker 1: So you're booking this, you end up booking a serious regular.
Speaker 1: Is everything consistent?
Speaker 2: Well, it wasn't serious regular, No, but later.
Speaker 1: On you do book a serious regular, don't you.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 1: Yeah, while you're booking. Now, I'm going to fast track
Speaker 1: you during this period where you're booking. Is there any
Speaker 1: gaps or is there any bit of an anxiety of
Speaker 1: whether you will book another?
Speaker 2: I never had the more. I used to watch people
Speaker 2: and what they go through, and I was just I
Speaker 2: never made myself worried. I told myself that, well, God
Speaker 2: told me this, when you do it, when you go
Speaker 2: on this journey, don't worry, just do it, take risks,
Speaker 2: have that faith and just take that step, you know.
Speaker 2: So I tried my best not to worry about anything.
Speaker 2: I didn't connect. No, I didn't marry, like auditions and
Speaker 2: stuff like that, because when you do that, you put
Speaker 2: your your mind fuck yourself, you know what I'm saying,
Speaker 2: and that you can you can fall in a rabbit hole, okay.
Speaker 2: And I didn't want to do that because that's how
Speaker 2: you get depressed. And you know, I just didn't want
Speaker 2: to do that to myself because I used to watch
Speaker 2: other actors that used to do that and used to
Speaker 2: get pissed off and really yeah, very irritated and intimidated
Speaker 2: of other people and comparing themselves to it's like a
Speaker 2: rabbit hole and it's like, you know, it's a tornado
Speaker 2: full of this discouragement. And I didn't want to do
Speaker 2: that to myself. I don't want to chew myself better
Speaker 2: than that. So I'm like, God, got me, you know
Speaker 2: what I'm saying. If I don't get something, that just
Speaker 2: means that it ain't for me.
Speaker 1: Got it?
Speaker 2: And I literally every every time I do an audition
Speaker 2: or anything like that, if I didn't book it, it
Speaker 2: wasn't for me, oh okay, Or if things doesn't happen
Speaker 2: a way that I want them to. It's just like
Speaker 2: when my team, my managers, my team will tell y'all,
Speaker 2: I don't worry about nothing, or if something work, they
Speaker 2: no but else inacceptable. It could that shouldn't have been
Speaker 2: that way. I'm super school, you know, so you know
Speaker 2: that's how I am.
Speaker 1: I would be the person on the other end of
Speaker 1: the call like what they did? What we gotta address this?
Speaker 2: Right? Yeah? No, I'll be like, you know, oh yeah
Speaker 2: that was crazy. Yeah, that was crazy. I mean, but
Speaker 2: you know it's whatever, Okay.
Speaker 1: I like that. I like that attitude though. Yeah, but
Speaker 1: now what period was a gap that was like most
Speaker 1: notable to you? In between bookings?
Speaker 2: So I get a gap every year, really all actors do.
Speaker 2: I'm pretty sure.
Speaker 1: How long is the gap?
Speaker 2: It buries?
Speaker 1: Okay, but what was the longest one?
Speaker 2: That? Ten months?
Speaker 1: Ten months? And then at this point your financial literacy budget? Ye,
Speaker 1: you're mad? Now, like this is your budget? You don't
Speaker 1: go over it?
Speaker 2: Now, I know how to you know cap? I have
Speaker 2: a cap and I'm like, no, I know, this is
Speaker 2: everything that I have to This is the amount I
Speaker 2: have to pay for the whole year for rent, This
Speaker 2: is the amount I have to pay the whole year
Speaker 2: for my phone bill, you know, so forth, So I
Speaker 2: know how much I have to have to be able
Speaker 2: to survive.
Speaker 1: You know, Now, do you put yourself on payroll or
Speaker 1: like do you have a corporation and you put yourself
Speaker 1: on payroll. I tell everybody to do that. By the way,
Speaker 1: you can leverage more that way.
Speaker 2: Especially because her taxes come. Oh boy, we'll win, win
Speaker 2: and win a chicken dinner. So you're like an escort escort.
Speaker 1: Yeah, okay, you know your stuff.
Speaker 2: And that's the thing too. I learned that the business
Speaker 2: behind acting before actually wanted to book and how because no,
Speaker 2: how did I do it?
Speaker 1: Yeah?
Speaker 2: So I would just literally be asking people like how
Speaker 2: does this work?
Speaker 1: How does that work?
Speaker 2: You know, and and and you know, going through this journey,
Speaker 2: I always wanted I was focusing on the money. So
Speaker 2: I was wanting to make sure I'm not getting played
Speaker 2: because you know.
Speaker 1: Well you also went through a little bit of trauma
Speaker 1: with Detroit, right because you got played. Oh yeah, so
Speaker 1: do you think that kind.
Speaker 2: Of Yeah, we just don't play about money any trait. Yeah, hey,
Speaker 2: they know, we just don't play about our money in
Speaker 2: the tray. So that's that. And I think the trait
Speaker 2: for that, because I think the trait, I think de
Speaker 2: trait for a lot of a lot of how I
Speaker 2: am it built the tough skin that I needed for
Speaker 2: this industry and built the I don't give a you
Speaker 2: know what I'm saying mentality, It built the the like
Speaker 2: if we don't know anything, we know numbers. That's that's
Speaker 2: us in the trade. If we don't know anything, we
Speaker 2: know numbers and we know what so much playing with us.
Speaker 2: Don't play with us, don't play with our money. You
Speaker 2: see what I'm saying.
Speaker 1: It's gonna be so you know, yeah, don't with us.
Speaker 2: Don't play with our money. We don't play about that,
Speaker 2: and we don't play about our loved ones. So yeah,
Speaker 2: so I wanted to know how how is my coins
Speaker 2: going to go? You know? So even like how I
Speaker 2: learned the system in Atlanta. Oh, y'all give the crumbs
Speaker 2: to Atlanta actors? Okay, cool? What they going? They got
Speaker 2: going over there in LA. But they got going to
Speaker 2: New York. Okay, that was where the big bucks are.
Speaker 1: It's crazy that you say that they give the crumbs
Speaker 1: to the Atlanta actors for sure, when now see we're
Speaker 1: Incent closer. Tyler Perry's there, and Tyler Perry's known for
Speaker 1: paying He came in.
Speaker 2: And changed the game when I was there, he he.
Speaker 1: He was he there yet?
Speaker 2: Or no, what's Tyler there? Yet. Yeah. Absolutely, but I
Speaker 2: didn't know about it at that time, you know what
Speaker 2: I'm saying, And it's now more than noticeable than any
Speaker 2: thing now because he built like he got. He made
Speaker 2: so many millionaires. Yeah damn yeah, he made people millionaires
Speaker 2: and I know I'm next.
Speaker 1: I would love to be in that squad. I was
Speaker 1: telling my crew, go to be to get in that circle.
Speaker 1: Good for life almost right.
Speaker 2: Honestly, that's the man that if he give you his word, okay,
Speaker 2: I like that, he's gonna stand on it ten tolls
Speaker 2: down and you're probably gonna get more than what you expected.
Speaker 2: That's how he is. That man is a very genuine
Speaker 2: and authentic guy like everybody. It's some people that be
Speaker 2: like scared of him or intimidated because he's a billionaire
Speaker 2: and stuff like that. Yeah, that man is a huge
Speaker 2: teddy bear. You heard I said, Tyler, He's a huge
Speaker 2: teddy bear. But he wanted to be treated like a human, like,
Speaker 2: you know, forget my money and what all this this
Speaker 2: power and the stuff that you think I have and
Speaker 2: all of that. That man is still humble. Okay, I
Speaker 2: like that, Like he'll be like, man, do you see this,
Speaker 2: Like look at this bro, like, I don't take this
Speaker 2: for granted, Like this, I just thank God so much
Speaker 2: because just years ago I was homeless. That's how he talked, like, look,
Speaker 2: I'm bro like shout.
Speaker 1: Out by the way, email Tyler, Hey, we shout our shot.
Speaker 1: But I think his team sent me back an email
Speaker 1: like not, I think this scheduling. We should try again.
Speaker 1: We should try again.
Speaker 2: He got a lot going one billionaire.
Speaker 1: Oh yeah, we'd probably have to go to Atlanta to
Speaker 1: do that.
Speaker 2: Yeah, facts, yeah.
Speaker 1: But okay, but at the time, you decide to leave
Speaker 1: Atlanta because you're starting to realize Atlanta actors actresses aren't
Speaker 1: getting their respect as far as dollars. So you go
Speaker 1: to LA.
Speaker 2: Yeah, because I didn't like the cycle of what I
Speaker 2: was getting paid. I'm like, yo, first of all these
Speaker 2: roles and enough, I need you more and the money
Speaker 2: and enough anymore. And then I was asking out the
Speaker 2: actress that was coming from Lace. You get paid, bro,
Speaker 2: or you're learning this from LA they put you up. Okay,
Speaker 2: oh yeah, I'm like, you get a per diem? What
Speaker 2: is a per diem? I see what I'm saying. Oh yeah,
Speaker 2: per diemers. You know, while you're here, you get an
Speaker 2: allowance basically to eat and stuff like that. Besides set.
Speaker 2: I'm like, oh, they put you up, they fly you out,
Speaker 2: they give you a per diem. I like that. You know,
Speaker 2: I'm out how much you're getting paid? Oh wait, your
Speaker 2: your role is called a guest star. Oh and I'm
Speaker 2: doing a co star. But we same thing. You know
Speaker 2: what I'm saying, same amoundel lines and stuff. I'm like, okay,
Speaker 2: so I'm the last crab in a barrel.
Speaker 1: Okay, I see how your mind's thinking.
Speaker 2: You see what I'm saying. I'm like, okay, I'm already
Speaker 2: doing it. So why not get the treatment that they getting?
Speaker 2: Sound like I need to make that move to LA.
Speaker 2: So instead of making that move to l A, I'm like,
Speaker 2: let me get l A representation while I'm in Atlanta.
Speaker 1: Now does that cause a conflict the people?
Speaker 2: I don't care. I would say this Atlanta agents and stuff.
Speaker 2: This is not all of them, This is not all
Speaker 2: of them. But they get intimidated with l A representation. Okay,
Speaker 2: because LA representation knows a whole lot more. They have
Speaker 2: a whole lot more access and they're able to do
Speaker 2: things that people. And I mean, you know, Atlanta agents
Speaker 2: and stuff can't do. So even with like joining SAG,
Speaker 2: some agencies don't want you to join SAG because you're
Speaker 2: not going to be able to do non union projects.
Speaker 2: But who said I wanted to stay there? This is
Speaker 2: my career. I want to grow, Yeah, elevate. You know
Speaker 2: this is not to stay stuck in one lane or
Speaker 2: you know smart. Yeah, it's starting to feel like Detroit.
Speaker 2: So anytime it started to feel like Detroit, I got
Speaker 2: to know, not Detroit, but the system. Yeah. Box. Then
Speaker 2: I'm like, no, I like that.
Speaker 1: You focused on growth, like you about treading water or anything.
Speaker 1: So you come to help LA.
Speaker 2: So I booked. So I ended up getting a l
Speaker 2: A representation while I was in Atlanta. I booked all American.
Speaker 2: That's all American I was. I was in LA for
Speaker 2: like three months and then I'm like, I gotta come
Speaker 2: back here. This is it, this is it, and I'm
Speaker 2: seeing that paycheck. I said, oh, this is definitely, this
Speaker 2: is definitely it. I ain't got a taste. That's all
Speaker 2: I need is to taste. You give me a taste.
Speaker 2: I'm gonna take that and I'm gonna run with it.
Speaker 1: But now the LA taxes and the LA overhead did
Speaker 1: you also.
Speaker 2: Now that was the difference. I said, Oh, but they
Speaker 2: get hit over the head. I said, okay, I gotta
Speaker 2: paid this much, but I only got this much. Okay,
Speaker 2: that's for five thousand dollars gone. Yeah, you know. And
Speaker 2: then I'm like, okay, I need to see what I
Speaker 2: can do to get all my money.
Speaker 1: Okay, that's when you corporate.
Speaker 2: So then I started asking around. I said, escort, huh yeah, escort. Okay, boom,
Speaker 2: let's get that. So I got my escort and I
Speaker 2: started seeing how much I can get paid. I mean,
Speaker 2: I get all my money and stuff like that. And then,
Speaker 2: you know, write everything. You can't write every.
Speaker 1: You sound like me. I be every time I'm on
Speaker 1: the phone with some I'm like you to realize what
Speaker 1: you busher teeth today? We're writing that off too.
Speaker 2: You can write everything.
Speaker 1: Off, makeups, haircuts.
Speaker 2: The fact that I'm talking to you right now, I'm
Speaker 2: writing this.
Speaker 1: Off really.
Speaker 2: Meeting.
Speaker 1: Oh you're hilarious, but this is a business meeting. But
Speaker 1: what are you writing off the time?
Speaker 2: Yeah, you're lying. I was like with the gas, the
Speaker 2: gas though, that is I could write the gas, but.
Speaker 1: That was hilarious because I swear to God for a
Speaker 1: second there, I was like, wait a minute, come on account.
Speaker 2: Some hours, but you know, have to pay money here
Speaker 2: then yes, yeah, if.
Speaker 1: You if you bought the ingredients. Someone asked me that thing,
Speaker 1: like they're like eating up broke supplies ingredients Like yeah,
Speaker 1: cause you imagine telling someone, hey, by the way, don't
Speaker 1: forget your tomatoes or whatever, Like it's so rude, Like now,
Speaker 1: you appreciate your time here. It's an honor to sit
Speaker 1: down in here, your story and all that. You so
Speaker 1: all right, So we're gonna so now you're in l A.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 1: Now now you're a gangster in LA. You're learning how
Speaker 1: to manage your money differently. You're moving like a businessman
Speaker 1: even though you're an actor, which I absolutely love. Yes,
Speaker 1: I think it makes you even bigger of a threat.
Speaker 2: Because people be surprised how much I know you know that?
Speaker 1: Yeah, like I'm asking yeah, yeah, like make the money
Speaker 1: make sense?
Speaker 2: Right? Yeah? Yeah, now you book Straw.
Speaker 1: Well, we're gonna talk about Taraji for one second here.
Speaker 1: Taraji also talks about like I think I had seen
Speaker 1: a clip where she has something like she had wished
Speaker 1: that she had given someone I want to say she
Speaker 1: said Tyler and a clip the commissions for all the
Speaker 1: money that you know, these agents, oh Sherry, that they
Speaker 1: hadn't oh sorry misquotes, you know, all the money that
Speaker 1: these agents weren't really fighting for them and stuff like that.
Speaker 1: Now are you kind of like, are are you pushing
Speaker 1: back on agency managers or after hearing that because these
Speaker 1: guys have been in the game for a long time.
Speaker 2: Yeah. So, like I said, I always I always watch
Speaker 2: people and how they move. I'm a very spiritual guy,
Speaker 2: so I feel out things very well. I'm an EmPATH,
Speaker 2: so I know when something is not right, and when
Speaker 2: it's not right, I.
Speaker 1: Gotta go, Okay, what's an impath and.
Speaker 2: Path as a person that this can we take on
Speaker 2: things without even you know, yeah, like if you are
Speaker 2: sad right now, I'm going to feel your energy and
Speaker 2: I'm going to feel like how you feel without trying. Yeah,
Speaker 2: so it's we take.
Speaker 1: On energies so you'd be feeling out there.
Speaker 2: And yeah, so I watch people, movies and stuff like that.
Speaker 2: Like I said, my conscious feeling, which is God. They
Speaker 2: don't never steal me wrong, never ever since twenty sixteen
Speaker 2: when I started this.
Speaker 1: So just so you know, guys, you started in twenty sixteen.
Speaker 1: Like I think a lot of people when they see people,
Speaker 1: they're like, oh man, they just got it overnight, and
Speaker 1: it's like, no, Nope, not at all, ten years, not
Speaker 1: at all ten years. And then it's straw one of
Speaker 1: your biggest it's the biggest. This is the biggest, the biggest,
Speaker 1: the largest.
Speaker 2: At that.
Speaker 1: You got that call? Where was you at? Where were
Speaker 1: you at when you got the call?
Speaker 2: That's crazy. I was met up with a friend for
Speaker 2: lunch and they called me. My team called me and
Speaker 2: told me that I got the role. But I'm gonna
Speaker 2: tell you out that that's a problem. That's that's that's
Speaker 2: a testimony. Okay, let me finish what you was asking
Speaker 2: me real quick. So the agents thing I have not
Speaker 2: I haven't got to the point where Sherry is because
Speaker 2: I would just fill it out. I would, I wouldn't
Speaker 2: know before it gets to that point. And when you're
Speaker 2: not doing if you can't do what I can do,
Speaker 2: you gotta go. You see what I'm saying.
Speaker 1: But there's some people out there that like they're like,
Speaker 1: I'm not saying no names, but I know some people
Speaker 1: that are huge celebrities and they have management and I
Speaker 1: know for sure that they are whooping asked in the
Speaker 1: negotiations more than their managers are. Their allegiance to their
Speaker 1: managers is to me seems more important than the fact
Speaker 1: that they're actually doing the work and the better negotiators.
Speaker 2: Right. So see, this is why I love my team.
Speaker 2: My team come back and say, hey, this is what
Speaker 2: we got for you. What you want to do, you
Speaker 2: want to go back for more, let's do it. That's
Speaker 2: a team. We're actually a team and a family, you know.
Speaker 1: And that's how they'll ever talk off the ledge like
Speaker 1: I don't know if you can do that, he'll know, Okay.
Speaker 2: I like that. My managers are actually and Rag and
Speaker 2: that's who I have right now. And Shannon that's my publicist.
Speaker 2: And oh and my lawyer that's like my right hand man, Josh.
Speaker 2: He a Fox Rush child and we're all like a
Speaker 2: family honestly. Yeah, they like my road dogs. It don't
Speaker 2: you know. It don't feel like business, but it is,
Speaker 2: and that's how it should be. That's how I want
Speaker 2: my home to be because this is this is my home,
Speaker 2: you know. So yeah, I'm I actually let go of
Speaker 2: my agents before no no, no, no, here before this came out.
Speaker 2: Why the feeling came over me. You got a feeling
Speaker 2: and they are so there are beautiful spirits. It was
Speaker 2: nothing against them at all, but I told that feeling
Speaker 2: told me you gotta go, damn, and I did it.
Speaker 2: Right now I'm agency free, so I'm waiting right now
Speaker 2: to see what God do.
Speaker 1: Oh and that was before before.
Speaker 2: Four Star launched.
Speaker 1: Yeah, wow, before it launched.
Speaker 2: Yeah, before it had came out. Yeah. So yeah. I
Speaker 2: just always follow my conscience if it tells me to
Speaker 2: do it. If I'm feeling, if it, keep hey, do it.
Speaker 2: What are you waiting on? And do it? And it's like,
Speaker 2: you know, because I have a big heart, and when
Speaker 2: nobody has done me wrong, it's like, dag, how do
Speaker 2: I bring this to him?
Speaker 1: If I got that's it sounds like the.
Speaker 2: Because I had nothing against them, they had nothing against we,
Speaker 2: you know, to see them and it's hug them so
Speaker 2: tight to this day.
Speaker 1: But how do you explain it? Though I had this feeling,
Speaker 1: by the way, guys.
Speaker 2: I had no I just I just want to see
Speaker 2: what else is out there? Okay, okay, because I do,
Speaker 2: and the feeling that came over me, I just had
Speaker 2: to go.
Speaker 1: Okay, So that's a tough that's a tough End Bowl movie.
Speaker 2: Yeah yeah, I'm mean you know that. That's what God
Speaker 2: just just like I got this whole team. I had
Speaker 2: let all of my people go at a point and
Speaker 2: that's the feeling that came over me. And I'll look
Speaker 2: at what I have now, I'm like, let me rebuild.
Speaker 2: I like the same feeling. Right. Boom. Got my manager.
Speaker 2: She is a fan of my work. What Vanessa Bell
Speaker 2: callaway daughter? Okay, you know what I'm saying. And then
Speaker 2: she's working. She was working with me on Vness. She's
Speaker 2: my mom on Black Hampton's. So I was like, oh,
Speaker 2: that's connection. That's Boom. Then I met my lawyer. He
Speaker 2: was at sundance and I think, what is the sundance?
Speaker 2: First someone introduced me to him, but he was so
Speaker 2: cool and you know, you're a New York nigga, So
Speaker 2: I'm like okay, so yeah, man, I met him and
Speaker 2: he's like like the homie. So I'm like, yo, you're
Speaker 2: taking the clients. He's like yeah, He's like yeah, let's talk.
Speaker 2: Let's talk. So now that's how I have my team now.
Speaker 2: So now I'm looking for agency that feel like home
Speaker 2: that we can invite into our home.
Speaker 1: I like that.
Speaker 2: I like that because this this is a we we got,
Speaker 2: we got a solid, a solid team. I like that.
Speaker 1: Yeah, that's why you say you you'll definitely stop it
Speaker 1: before it gets to the level that Taraji and Cherry
Speaker 1: had to go.
Speaker 2: For sure, Okay, for sure?
Speaker 1: Good good. Now let's get into the day he was
Speaker 1: at lunch with your homie and you got the phone call.
Speaker 2: Oh so I got the phone call. So let me
Speaker 2: tell you this first, I had got the audition, and
Speaker 2: you remember the damn I don't want to give it
Speaker 2: a well, no, this ain't gonna give it away because they've.
Speaker 1: Seen it's back there, like I got it's in the trailer.
Speaker 2: It's the trailer. The guy that was in the bank
Speaker 2: that was waiting to cash his check. Yeah, he ended
Speaker 2: up you know, charging that her and stuff like that.
Speaker 1: That was original.
Speaker 2: That's what I auditioned for.
Speaker 1: No way, Yeah, oh heck yeah, I'm so glad, glad
Speaker 1: you got So.
Speaker 2: What happened was, I'm like, yo, I have an audition
Speaker 2: for a co star role or supporting role this small
Speaker 2: and I don't know how long. I'm like, I don't
Speaker 2: do this ship, you know what? I mean. So then
Speaker 2: I'm like, yeah, I'm like, you know what, it's Tyler.
Speaker 1: Perry.
Speaker 2: Yeah. I'm like, I'm missus Tyler Netflix. I'm gonna do it.
Speaker 2: Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.
Speaker 1: Yes, I like that, especially for that.
Speaker 2: Yeah, so I'm like, forget it. So then I did it,
Speaker 2: sent it in and I don't after I sent in
Speaker 2: an audition. That's it. I'm not it up. It's we're done. Yeah, yep,
Speaker 2: I'm not. I'm not thinking about it. Nothing like that
Speaker 2: one is the next one? Okay, yep, yep. So got
Speaker 2: the call. You're like, hey, I want to book Mike
Speaker 2: Tyler wanted to give him another role. Though this role
Speaker 2: have not been sent out of anybody or anything, right, Okay,
Speaker 2: Like it's an officer role. So I'm like okay, They're like, yeah,
Speaker 2: like you know, it's it's a leading role throughout the
Speaker 2: whole movie. You know, your assignment is the Janaiah, you know,
Speaker 2: which is the leader of the movie. You're going to
Speaker 2: be alongside another officer at this time. Officer right, all right, bet,
Speaker 2: I mean that makes me feel a little.
Speaker 1: Bit better, right, That's definitely great call.
Speaker 2: Yeah. So I'm like, yeah, I'll do it right. So
Speaker 2: then I went back in. I told her, I'm like, yo,
Speaker 2: I got that, I got the I got the job.
Speaker 2: So we celebrated right then and there.
Speaker 1: That was crazy, you found out in that moment.
Speaker 2: Yeah, to office to officer Grimes went back in to
Speaker 2: my friend. We celebrated right then and there. So then
Speaker 2: I get to Atlanta.
Speaker 1: And they don't tell you how much or nothing. You
Speaker 1: don't know that.
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, they told me at the time.
Speaker 1: So at the phone call. At the phone call, yeah,
Speaker 1: you was really celebrating that day the dark.
Speaker 2: Yeah, what do you? I mean, I ain't like that.
Speaker 1: Was it like that? Were you like that happy?
Speaker 2: I mean, I wasn't like you gotta think like this.
Speaker 2: I'm like, I'm happy I got the row.
Speaker 1: Yes, yes, I got it.
Speaker 2: So I was. I was excited. I was excited. But
Speaker 2: they still hill, we still have to pay him this.
Speaker 2: I'm like, I'm like, all right, it was a very
Speaker 2: low rate.
Speaker 1: Okay the tyler Okay, yeah, okay.
Speaker 2: It was. I ain't gonna lie, I'm gonna say it.
Speaker 2: It was five thousand the whole movie. I did a
Speaker 2: movie for five thousand dollars. That is so low. So
Speaker 2: then I get to Atlanta and they're like congratulations. I'm like, well,
Speaker 2: thank you. You already know I was coming away. You
Speaker 2: know what I'm saying. You already not get thank you,
Speaker 2: thank you, thank you. They're like no, they're like, do
Speaker 2: you know what he's saying, gratulations. I'm like no, They're like,
Speaker 2: they bumped you up again. They promoted you. I'm like,
Speaker 2: to what detective grimes now? So instead of officer, I
Speaker 2: am detective. So they promoted me again. So now this
Speaker 2: is my assignment. The officer attended to me before they
Speaker 2: go to the chief. Oh what I'm saying, It's like up. Yeah.
Speaker 2: So I didn't even know what the cast was at
Speaker 2: that time and they told me, and.
Speaker 1: Whoa, that's hilarious. So you didn't know, you didn't know.
Speaker 2: You didn't know. Guy Eric Majett, he's taking me on
Speaker 2: the tour around the campus and he's just saying, so
Speaker 2: he's been working with for Tyler for years, like since
Speaker 2: the beginning, and he was just saying how proud he was.
Speaker 2: I mean, he started telling me the cast and I'm like,
Speaker 2: oh my god. He's like, yeah, you're about to blow.
Speaker 2: He's like, that's about to be the one for you.
Speaker 2: He's like you ready. He's like you ready, I'm proud
Speaker 2: of you. And I'm like, dag.
Speaker 1: So the whole time you had no idea.
Speaker 2: I had no idea.
Speaker 1: Oh my goodness.
Speaker 2: It was possible that they was going to get certain people.
Speaker 1: But they didn't.
Speaker 2: But you didn't know confirmed cast. I ain't know that.
Speaker 1: But wait, they told you who the possibility was.
Speaker 2: Yeah, okay, I ain't gonna get that information, but yeah,
Speaker 2: the confirmed cast.
Speaker 1: I was like, dog, this is it that it's gonna
Speaker 1: be Yeah.
Speaker 2: It's gonna be nice. Right. So then, oh man, my
Speaker 2: first day on set, I had to do this what
Speaker 2: outside the outside the bank. That's the first scene when
Speaker 2: she walked up, and you know, I seen Tyler like
Speaker 2: welcome back, you know, because also everybody in the office
Speaker 2: when I did, I came to do my fitting and everything.
Speaker 2: It was like a family reunion because I did have
Speaker 2: and have nots with Tyler years ago right before that.
Speaker 2: And yeah, man, Tyler's seen me do the rehearsal and
Speaker 2: he like his monitors right here, he looked. He said,
Speaker 2: remind me of we need to talk before before I leave.
Speaker 2: All right, bet, you know we already have a relationship
Speaker 2: and anything from having.
Speaker 1: Were you nervous a little bit when he said that
Speaker 1: this is before you voked No, this is on set.
Speaker 2: So and then my boy Eric, they get the work
Speaker 2: for him. He was looking. He was like, he's like, Eric,
Speaker 2: yeah out there. He's like, I told you right. He's like,
Speaker 2: I'm gonna just say that that's not a bad thing.
Speaker 2: That's not a bad thing. I've been I've been here
Speaker 2: for a long time and I know what that means.
Speaker 1: Right.
Speaker 2: Yeah. So then just to fast forward through a little bit,
Speaker 2: he's like, how much you're paying you? I was like
Speaker 2: five K he said, excuse me. He's like, I'm sorry
Speaker 2: a day. I was like nah, He's like, oh okay, Mike.
Speaker 2: He's like, first of all, I want to apologize. He's like,
Speaker 2: I'm not in charge of the department. I'm sorry. I
Speaker 2: will never pay you that. That's not what you're worth.
Speaker 2: He's like, you did amazing today. He started giving me
Speaker 2: my flowers and everything. He's like, I've been seeing this
Speaker 2: in you years ago when we did have some hap
Speaker 2: and I said I know he was going to be
Speaker 2: something special. He's like, you're a star. He's like, so
Speaker 2: I want to pay you like you're a star and
Speaker 2: he's like, you can let your team know that I'm
Speaker 2: going to pay this. And I say, oh shit, I
Speaker 2: ain't never seen that type of money.
Speaker 1: I said, what did you say that in front of him?
Speaker 2: No?
Speaker 1: Oh, you have it together.
Speaker 2: I had, man, I really appreciate it.
Speaker 1: Wait wait is it on the phone.
Speaker 2: Yes. I'm like, I'm holding it in. I'm holding it in.
Speaker 2: I'm like, god, man, I appreciate you so much. Bro.
Speaker 2: He's like yeah, He's like, happy birthday, so boom. So
Speaker 2: I called my mom birthday. Hell yeah, Mom. I called
Speaker 2: my mama instantly after that car She said what Mike.
Speaker 2: I'm like, yes, Mom, he said, gonna pay this. Why
Speaker 2: I'm on the phone with my mom. He texts me
Speaker 2: and say, actually, let him know that I'm going to
Speaker 2: give you this much. It was more made me a
Speaker 2: six figure man, nigga.
Speaker 1: No, I'm sorry over it.
Speaker 2: I was like, oh my god, bro. At this time,
Speaker 2: I'm like, Yo, that's a beautiful story. That is what
Speaker 2: we do it for right here, this is what you've
Speaker 2: been looking for. My Wow, look so much encourage me.
Speaker 2: So I'm like, i can't wait to go to set tomorrow.
Speaker 2: I'm about to kill this ship. Like you know what
Speaker 2: I'm saying that, Oh I hyped me up, and I'm like, oh,
Speaker 2: thank god for this man. Bro. This man had like
Speaker 2: when I'm telling you, man, when he said got your back,
Speaker 2: he got your back, bro. And he don't forget like
Speaker 2: he if he say, if you come to him, Hey,
Speaker 2: this happening. I needed this, all right, don't worry about it.
Speaker 2: Boom while I he makes it happen whatever it is,
Speaker 2: he makes it happen.
Speaker 1: We'll give an example on that story because you said
Speaker 1: this happened. I needed this, like an example.
Speaker 2: So basically, by the way, that story is incredible.
Speaker 1: I love the fact that he said, by the way,
Speaker 1: happy birthday too, he said, because.
Speaker 2: I see your birthday coming up. Happy birthday. It's like
Speaker 2: that's the pay bomb happy birthday here, that's on top
Speaker 2: of what you're worth.
Speaker 1: Wow. I love it all right, go on, don't get distracted.
Speaker 2: Yeah. So an example is like, hey, my overcost too
Speaker 2: much to get I'm just giving my overcost too much
Speaker 2: to get here, and they were supposed to give me
Speaker 2: a voucher. Are you able to handle this for me?
Speaker 2: I'm gonna get your car service instead of ober and
Speaker 2: you make it happen. Just like that. Wow. So that's
Speaker 2: that's a that's an example. The way what I'm talking
Speaker 2: about I can't really say because it's you know what
Speaker 2: I'm saying. But that's the example.
Speaker 1: Yeah, damn, I want to go work for time. Yeah, yeah,
Speaker 1: go online and Tyler Perry opening.
Speaker 2: Man, he.
Speaker 1: That's my nig yo. I love I love I love
Speaker 1: this for you though. I love this for you genuine
Speaker 1: like just hanging out with you for the last hour,
Speaker 1: maybe a little bit longer. Sorry, I love it. I
Speaker 1: love it for you where you're from, Detroit, where you represent, Like,
Speaker 1: I love this whole whole story for you. Thank you
Speaker 1: well deserved And just imagine if you would have been like, nah,
Speaker 1: I don't want to do that.
Speaker 2: That one was crazy.
Speaker 1: That one.
Speaker 2: It's crazy you say that. We watched six Triple A.
Speaker 2: He told me he's pray, you know, because he prayed
Speaker 2: for me, me to me, Tiana Sherry. He prayed for
Speaker 2: all of us, you know, and you know we had
Speaker 2: lunch and everything with him at his crib. So he
Speaker 2: he told me face to face. He was like, I'm
Speaker 2: proud of you, Mike. He's like, and I'm glad you
Speaker 2: didn't leave with ego because if you would alleged yourself
Speaker 2: with ego, you wouldn't even be here. Wow. He's like,
Speaker 2: don't ever leave with ego. He's like, because you see
Speaker 2: where your faith got you. Yeah, he said, now you're here,
Speaker 2: it's time. He's like, and I appreciate you. He's like,
Speaker 2: that says a lot of how much love you have
Speaker 2: for my work and our connection because you didn't have
Speaker 2: to do that, you know. And he's like, keep leading
Speaker 2: with faith. He's like, your time. He's like, you, this
Speaker 2: is it. He's like, so get ready. He's like, watch
Speaker 2: the people you have around you. Oh, he said, keep
Speaker 2: your head up, stay focused, grind, stay sharp. So stay ready.
Speaker 2: You don't have to get ready, and just just just
Speaker 2: to stay to stay in the moment, you know. And
Speaker 2: he gave me those gems man, and I broke.
Speaker 1: Did you really?
Speaker 2: I was crying, dog. I was crying dog because it's like,
Speaker 2: you know this man. I'm like, man, this man is
Speaker 2: a billionaire and he's so he just got a big heart.
Speaker 2: You have a big heart, man. And he showed me
Speaker 2: like how I'm gonna be when I become a billionaire.
Speaker 2: You gotta treat people good. He treat people damn good man. Yeah,
Speaker 2: I'm getting more real though, man, he solid.
Speaker 1: I love this whole story. By the way, Straw was
Speaker 1: absolutely incredible. The whole casted amazing. And I was telling
Speaker 1: you earlier how Ashley versa shout outs to her. Let
Speaker 1: me just tell you something. She's so lovable, like, and
Speaker 1: I think she's naturally funny. I was like, low key,
Speaker 1: like you should be a comedian too, and she was
Speaker 1: like a girl shut up. Like she was just so
Speaker 1: quick with it and I'd be like, yo, say it again,
Speaker 1: and she'd be like, no, it's just rolled and it's
Speaker 1: out there and I can't remember it, like you know.
Speaker 1: But she was just really funny and like her personality
Speaker 1: was just so just like she got a different personality
Speaker 1: like I was, and her like, oh for you, like
Speaker 1: I love you, Like he was just so cool. Like
Speaker 1: just her personality was the definitely like you like love her.
Speaker 1: But her sense of humor was just crazy.
Speaker 2: And she's vulnerable.
Speaker 1: Yeah, she's vulnerable. She's vulnerable, but that sense of humor
Speaker 1: on her is so natural that it was like you
Speaker 1: could tell it was effortless. It was just like her
Speaker 1: her clap backs were like Yo, did you notice that
Speaker 1: she's funny though, Yes she's hilarious, right, I'm not tripping
Speaker 1: interfused together. I was like, yo, yo, she's ship, and
Speaker 1: I was, I have to better really really yo she
Speaker 1: I thought she was funny. But I love how people
Speaker 1: are going in on Tesla on the straw like they really,
Speaker 1: like they really really Yeah, she's trended like I could.
Speaker 1: I'm like, yeah, I hate Tesla. I went on right
Speaker 1: before you showed up here because I had to approve
Speaker 1: all these like evil comments to her. And it was
Speaker 1: funny because I was like, why are they saying, like
Speaker 1: I have to prove all these comments? I never had
Speaker 1: this so many, and it's like they're just going in
Speaker 1: like just hating poor Tesla, you know, And I'm like, yo,
Speaker 1: she gonna be at an airport or grocery store and
Speaker 1: they'd be like, should check testa.
Speaker 2: Yeah, she's probably going through it everywhere.
Speaker 1: I mean, if I was her mate, I'd be like
Speaker 1: you got the check, like you know, with her all day.
Speaker 1: But she's funny. But I'm glad you got to experience
Speaker 1: that another person's her. You know, I'm watching her for
Speaker 1: a long time. I've always thought she was able. Never
Speaker 1: there was never us movie.
Speaker 2: Never I think that I would be sharing a set
Speaker 2: with her. Yeah, like what, I didn't have a desire
Speaker 2: for acting. Wow, until you know the moments, I'm like,
Speaker 2: this is not something I just wanted to do. It
Speaker 2: was because of disconnected. It's because I wanted to make
Speaker 2: people feel how Will made me feel. I do this
Speaker 2: to do give people a positive impact.
Speaker 1: And I thought you were about to cry a little bit.
Speaker 2: I'm trying not to because yeah, so's mm hmm. I
Speaker 2: love to affect people a positive I mean positively, you know,
Speaker 2: and make a positive impact on people people's lives. You
Speaker 2: notice some of the story and stuff that we do
Speaker 2: on screen, it fulfills people's hearts. And that's what I
Speaker 2: want to do, is like, if you have a problem
Speaker 2: in real life, on the screen, we're solving that problem.
Speaker 2: You know. We're giving people that courage that you know,
Speaker 2: that motivation and inspiration to just keep going with life.
Speaker 2: And that's what this movie is about, you know, just
Speaker 2: to you're not alone.
Speaker 1: Yeah yeah, and you saw that. I mean everything when
Speaker 1: I say the premise of the movie, I like, never
Speaker 1: retain anything when it comes to like the days of
Speaker 1: movie drops, Like I'm one of those people like surprising
Speaker 1: know my middle name still, you know. But when I
Speaker 1: saw and heard about the movie and the premise like oh,
Speaker 1: single mom whatever, I was.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 1: Literally, I don't know why. I was just I was
Speaker 1: just so excited to see a role where this mom
Speaker 1: is just going through hell.
Speaker 2: Yeah you know what I'm saying, Yeah, because I mean,
Speaker 2: think about everybody go through that. But it's very good
Speaker 2: to just hit on black women, particularly, you know, because
Speaker 2: when do we get enough? You know? And it just
Speaker 2: shows like how trauma is just real. Some people go
Speaker 2: blind of trauma, don't notice trauma, you know, but it
Speaker 2: shows that. For me, I'll say, you need to come
Speaker 2: to peace with trauma before it takes over you.
Speaker 1: And that's that you don't watch that movie, that's that's
Speaker 1: what you see. And you know when you look back,
Speaker 1: like I said, I have my moments, but I think
Speaker 1: back movie was so great by the way, you know
Speaker 1: what I'm thinking about. But you saw the little pieces
Speaker 1: where you saw there was trauma. Like the way she
Speaker 1: was acting, You're.
Speaker 2: Like, yeah, you know why she acting like she was
Speaker 2: in the trauma last straw. She's tired, Yeah, she's tired.
Speaker 2: And you know, when you're a good person and used
Speaker 2: to trying to be study, trying to be positive and positive,
Speaker 2: and you're just trying to push, You're trying to do
Speaker 2: all that you can, and people just keep poking the bear,
Speaker 2: keep poking the bear. Why you keep poking me? It's
Speaker 2: just like Janiyah said, what would.
Speaker 1: You do that? Yeah?
Speaker 2: Why would you do that?
Speaker 1: Yeah?
Speaker 2: Like I'm a good person. I'm not I'm not robbing
Speaker 2: the bank yet, I'm not sure. I'm not like she said, like,
Speaker 2: you know, she's not doing nothing wrong.
Speaker 1: So Robby just five and twenty one dollars?
Speaker 2: Yeah, why is this happening?
Speaker 1: Yeah? I thought that was incredible. Loved it on every level.
Speaker 1: All the acting, Yeah, it was just incredible. It was
Speaker 1: a hard fleet body of work though complete even how
Speaker 1: like all the roles were tied together, the just everything
Speaker 1: about the whole movie.
Speaker 2: But yeah, perfect. Yeah, honestly, man.
Speaker 1: I hated that the last part where it ended. I
Speaker 1: was like, you guys could have given us two more
Speaker 1: minutes though.
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, you know, I mean I don't know. I
Speaker 2: love how ending.
Speaker 1: Yeah, but now did you when you watch the movie,
Speaker 1: like how do you watch from like objective? And this
Speaker 1: is my last question. We were completely over Braden's probably mad.
Speaker 1: I don't know. I don't know who's mad back there.
Speaker 1: But when you watch, you watch from objective, I could
Speaker 1: have done it better? Or do you watch from enjoyment?
Speaker 2: So an actor always watch from an objective?
Speaker 1: Damn that okay?
Speaker 2: First, because we're trying to see how to get better
Speaker 2: where we need to improve. I can actually say I
Speaker 2: body this character.
Speaker 1: Yeah you did, Yeah you did.
Speaker 2: I bodied this character. Man, I'm like, yo, I did
Speaker 2: my thing. And I always focus on the small things,
Speaker 2: which is listening? Did he actually listen in that scene?
Speaker 2: Did you actually listen to the whole movie? Did? What
Speaker 2: were you doing while they were talking? What would you
Speaker 2: do in real life? Would you shake your head? Would
Speaker 2: you hey? Would you cut them off for a real quill?
Speaker 2: It's certain things were doing that wasn't in the script.
Speaker 2: And that's the thing, like you have to live in
Speaker 2: the moment, you know. I don't prep much because I
Speaker 2: want to see what happens when I'm in the moment,
Speaker 2: you know. So I have my things like beforehand, but
Speaker 2: I don't like the I don't like the study too
Speaker 2: much because I don't want to be married to anything,
Speaker 2: you know, because that's how you get your head in
Speaker 2: the clusterfucked.
Speaker 1: And you know, is Tyler strict with that.
Speaker 2: He wants you to bring your own creativity.
Speaker 1: That just so you know, I don't I'm not huge,
Speaker 1: I don't know anything like about acting. But I started
Speaker 1: to notice over time the more movies I watched comparative
Speaker 1: to like say, people that are just starting out, you know,
Speaker 1: you see, like the my first film, I always say, like,
Speaker 1: the real acting is in the silence, not the you.
Speaker 2: Know, I have silence in this movie.
Speaker 1: Yeah, but that's that's what I've noticed. Like it's like
Speaker 1: if they can act in the silence, Like if I
Speaker 1: can feel what you're feeling in the silence, that's how
Speaker 1: I know. But if you got to tell me I'm
Speaker 1: sad today in this way and I'm like, yo, you did, no.
Speaker 2: Yeah, exactly, its silence. I thank God for my silence
Speaker 2: in this movie too, because it shows how season I
Speaker 2: am as an actor. And that's what I want agents
Speaker 2: to see that you knowing that I'm an agency free,
Speaker 2: agency free. So yeah, yeah, because nuances is very important
Speaker 2: as an actor. Okay, because you know everybody focus on
Speaker 2: their their dialogue. What are you doing besides that?
Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm telling you, I noticed it, and I don't
Speaker 1: know anything about acting, but I literally was like, Yo,
Speaker 1: it's it's how they are in their silence, like the
Speaker 1: looks of the breathing or something. It's like you could
Speaker 1: feel it. And I just recently like thought about it,
Speaker 1: like I don't know recently, but I started to go,
Speaker 1: wait a minute, it's not what they're saying. It's like
Speaker 1: just even the slightest movement or.
Speaker 2: Like yeah, you know, like yeah, whatever, it all matters. Yeah,
Speaker 2: it all matters.
Speaker 1: Yeah, all right, where can everybody keep up with everything?
Speaker 1: Mike Merrill?
Speaker 2: Y'all can find me on social media platforms at m
Speaker 2: I K E, M E R R I L L
Speaker 2: Underscore Mike Merrill.
Speaker 1: Yes, and if y'all want to have the best breakfast,
Speaker 1: one of the best breakfasts you'll ever eat and healthy, healthy, right,
Speaker 1: it's healthy.
Speaker 2: One more thing too. I have another movie that is
Speaker 2: premiering at a BFF American Black Film Festival, and it's
Speaker 2: called Love Offside. It's a love romance. Yeah. Okay, So
Speaker 2: if y'all going to be in Miami from the eleventh
Speaker 2: to the fifteenth, my movie premiere is on the thirteenth
Speaker 2: or four o'clock in Miami at ABFF Wow Night. And
Speaker 2: I shot that in Jamaica. Ooh, it's a Jamaica movie.
Speaker 1: Okay, okay, did you learn any Jamaican recipes?
Speaker 2: Yes? Well, Kanda, Kanda.
Speaker 1: All right, thanks for tuning in. Piece y'all. For more
Speaker 1: eating while broke from iHeartRadio and The Black Effect, visit
Speaker 1: the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you listen to
Speaker 1: your favorite shows. Six