1 00:00:00,200 --> 00:00:02,680 Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome back to Movie Mike's Movie Podcast. I 2 00:00:02,720 --> 00:00:04,800 Speaker 1: am your host Movie Mike. I'm gonna be honest with you. 3 00:00:05,360 --> 00:00:07,240 Speaker 1: I was going to sit down and record an episode today. 4 00:00:07,240 --> 00:00:10,039 Speaker 1: I had my top ten core movie memories. I was 5 00:00:10,080 --> 00:00:12,400 Speaker 1: going to review the new Grand Charisma movie, talk about 6 00:00:12,400 --> 00:00:14,760 Speaker 1: the Good Burger two trailer. I sat down, I did 7 00:00:14,800 --> 00:00:17,239 Speaker 1: all my prep, I was going to hit record. I 8 00:00:17,280 --> 00:00:19,840 Speaker 1: just didn't really have it in me. It's been quite 9 00:00:19,880 --> 00:00:22,400 Speaker 1: the week, the last week at work, with all the 10 00:00:22,400 --> 00:00:25,160 Speaker 1: projects I do and all the things I have to produce. 11 00:00:25,320 --> 00:00:26,080 Speaker 2: It was a lot. 12 00:00:26,640 --> 00:00:29,360 Speaker 1: And I sat down and did not have the mental 13 00:00:29,400 --> 00:00:32,479 Speaker 1: capacity to put on the movie Mike persona and do 14 00:00:32,520 --> 00:00:35,040 Speaker 1: an episode. And I tried to push through it, and 15 00:00:35,080 --> 00:00:37,000 Speaker 1: I just couldn't really get it out. And I didn't 16 00:00:37,000 --> 00:00:39,440 Speaker 1: want to give you an episode with my half heart 17 00:00:39,440 --> 00:00:41,400 Speaker 1: in it. So I decided to do a best of 18 00:00:41,479 --> 00:00:43,720 Speaker 1: which I rarely rarely do. I always want to give 19 00:00:43,720 --> 00:00:46,000 Speaker 1: you new content. Even if you look at the weeks 20 00:00:46,000 --> 00:00:48,640 Speaker 1: we take vacation on the show, I still try to 21 00:00:48,640 --> 00:00:51,159 Speaker 1: put up new episodes because that is how much I 22 00:00:51,200 --> 00:00:54,440 Speaker 1: care about you being subscribed to this podcast and listening 23 00:00:54,440 --> 00:00:56,560 Speaker 1: every single week. And I have just a lot of 24 00:00:56,640 --> 00:00:58,480 Speaker 1: topics that I want to do that I just do 25 00:00:58,560 --> 00:01:00,640 Speaker 1: a new episode every single week, and I had it 26 00:01:00,680 --> 00:01:03,200 Speaker 1: ready to go and I just couldn't get through it. 27 00:01:04,480 --> 00:01:07,440 Speaker 1: And in that moment, I knew that I wasn't going 28 00:01:07,520 --> 00:01:10,000 Speaker 1: to be able to and it took a lot of 29 00:01:10,600 --> 00:01:13,520 Speaker 1: willpower to not sit here and do one and try 30 00:01:13,520 --> 00:01:16,319 Speaker 1: to crank it out anyway. And then Kelsey told me, Yay, 31 00:01:16,360 --> 00:01:19,280 Speaker 1: you should probably just take a break. You're about to 32 00:01:19,319 --> 00:01:22,800 Speaker 1: be burnt out. So I told myself, all right, I'm 33 00:01:22,840 --> 00:01:25,080 Speaker 1: not going to do one, but I wanted to be 34 00:01:25,120 --> 00:01:27,319 Speaker 1: as transparent as possible. If you're wondering why there's not 35 00:01:27,319 --> 00:01:29,280 Speaker 1: a new episode, that is why we're about to be 36 00:01:29,319 --> 00:01:31,480 Speaker 1: on break from the show, the Big show that is 37 00:01:31,520 --> 00:01:34,240 Speaker 1: a Bobby Bone show. And I think I'm just gonna 38 00:01:34,240 --> 00:01:35,800 Speaker 1: take this as a little bit of a break, but 39 00:01:35,840 --> 00:01:38,880 Speaker 1: I'm taking it as an opportunity to share some interviews 40 00:01:38,920 --> 00:01:40,760 Speaker 1: with you that are my favorite I've ever done on 41 00:01:40,760 --> 00:01:44,240 Speaker 1: the podcast. One is with the creator and voice of 42 00:01:44,319 --> 00:01:46,800 Speaker 1: Leelo and Stitch, which is my favorite Disney movie of 43 00:01:46,840 --> 00:01:50,240 Speaker 1: all time. And I rarely feel like I nail an interview, 44 00:01:50,560 --> 00:01:52,320 Speaker 1: like I always go in with so many questions and 45 00:01:52,360 --> 00:01:54,480 Speaker 1: sometimes I don't get to them, but this is the 46 00:01:54,520 --> 00:01:57,360 Speaker 1: one interview I felt that I asked every single question 47 00:01:57,400 --> 00:01:59,360 Speaker 1: I had on my mind, and I felt like Chris 48 00:01:59,360 --> 00:02:02,760 Speaker 1: Sanders and I really connected. And now seeing that they're 49 00:02:02,760 --> 00:02:06,400 Speaker 1: making a live action Leelow and Stitch movie is even 50 00:02:06,440 --> 00:02:09,240 Speaker 1: more reason to share this interview with you. And then 51 00:02:09,280 --> 00:02:11,680 Speaker 1: I also did an interview with Lou Diamond Phillips back 52 00:02:11,680 --> 00:02:14,239 Speaker 1: in twenty twenty one, so only like a year and 53 00:02:14,280 --> 00:02:16,280 Speaker 1: a half into this podcast, I got to interview one 54 00:02:16,320 --> 00:02:17,840 Speaker 1: of my favorite actors who is in one of my 55 00:02:17,880 --> 00:02:20,760 Speaker 1: favorite movies, La Bamba, and we'll talk all about that. 56 00:02:21,120 --> 00:02:24,119 Speaker 1: So no new episode for you this week, but two 57 00:02:24,200 --> 00:02:27,000 Speaker 1: really great interviews that if you're a new listener maybe 58 00:02:27,000 --> 00:02:29,519 Speaker 1: you missed, or if you've been around since day one, 59 00:02:29,600 --> 00:02:32,640 Speaker 1: I greatly appreciate you and hopefully you listen back to 60 00:02:32,720 --> 00:02:35,080 Speaker 1: these and still enjoy them as well. I will be 61 00:02:35,120 --> 00:02:37,799 Speaker 1: back next week with a brand new episode, going to 62 00:02:37,880 --> 00:02:40,680 Speaker 1: be talking about our favorite movies of the summer, and 63 00:02:40,760 --> 00:02:45,840 Speaker 1: I'll still do that Core Memories movie episode probably after that. Again, 64 00:02:45,919 --> 00:02:48,640 Speaker 1: thank you for being subscribed, Thank you for listening every 65 00:02:48,639 --> 00:02:51,400 Speaker 1: single week. Movie Crew, you guys mean everything to me. 66 00:02:51,720 --> 00:02:55,280 Speaker 1: I hope you enjoy these interviews and now let's talk movies. 67 00:02:55,639 --> 00:02:59,000 Speaker 3: In a world where everyone and their mother has a podcast, 68 00:02:59,360 --> 00:03:02,960 Speaker 3: one man and stands to infiltrate the ears of listeners 69 00:03:03,200 --> 00:03:07,080 Speaker 3: like never before in a movie podcast. A man with 70 00:03:07,240 --> 00:03:11,560 Speaker 3: so much movie knowledge, he's basically like a walking IMTV 71 00:03:11,800 --> 00:03:16,880 Speaker 3: with glasses. From the Nashville Podcast Networks, this is Movie 72 00:03:16,919 --> 00:03:18,640 Speaker 3: Mike's movie podcast. 73 00:03:19,240 --> 00:03:22,600 Speaker 1: You may not know his name, but you definitely know 74 00:03:22,760 --> 00:03:26,440 Speaker 1: his work. My guest this week is Chris Sanders, who 75 00:03:26,520 --> 00:03:29,640 Speaker 1: is the creator of Disney's Lelo and Stitch. He is 76 00:03:29,680 --> 00:03:33,280 Speaker 1: also the voice of Stitch, and long before he wrote 77 00:03:33,360 --> 00:03:36,480 Speaker 1: and directed this movie in two thousand and two, he 78 00:03:36,520 --> 00:03:39,480 Speaker 1: also worked as a story artist on Disney movies like 79 00:03:39,480 --> 00:03:42,200 Speaker 1: The Rescuers, down Under, Beauty and the Beast, The Aladdin, 80 00:03:42,280 --> 00:03:45,160 Speaker 1: The Lion King and really got his start when he 81 00:03:45,240 --> 00:03:48,000 Speaker 1: was the head of the story on Moulan. Working on 82 00:03:48,080 --> 00:03:50,960 Speaker 1: that movie led to him pitching his idea that he's 83 00:03:51,000 --> 00:03:53,880 Speaker 1: had since the eighties of Lelo and Stitch. Lelo and 84 00:03:53,960 --> 00:03:56,840 Speaker 1: Stitch was his first hit as a writer and director, 85 00:03:57,400 --> 00:03:59,440 Speaker 1: and even after Leelo and Stitch, he went on to 86 00:03:59,560 --> 00:04:02,440 Speaker 1: write and direct animated movies like How To Train Your 87 00:04:02,560 --> 00:04:05,920 Speaker 1: Dragon and the Crudes. So he's a super talented guy. 88 00:04:06,120 --> 00:04:08,040 Speaker 1: If you're a fan of Lilo and Stitch or just 89 00:04:08,080 --> 00:04:10,720 Speaker 1: a fan of Disney, I think you're gonna love his story. 90 00:04:10,920 --> 00:04:14,440 Speaker 1: Flet's talk movies with Chris Sanders. I am on now 91 00:04:14,520 --> 00:04:17,359 Speaker 1: with somebody I'm so excited to talk to. I'm on 92 00:04:17,440 --> 00:04:19,240 Speaker 1: with Chris Sanders. How are you today? 93 00:04:19,360 --> 00:04:20,039 Speaker 2: Good? How are you? 94 00:04:20,279 --> 00:04:23,080 Speaker 1: I'm doing really good now. A couple of things led 95 00:04:23,160 --> 00:04:25,359 Speaker 1: me hear to having you on the podcast. Lelo and 96 00:04:25,360 --> 00:04:28,120 Speaker 1: Stitch has been my favorite Disney movie since I was 97 00:04:28,160 --> 00:04:30,600 Speaker 1: a kid, and earlier this year, I was scrolling through 98 00:04:30,680 --> 00:04:33,320 Speaker 1: TikTok and I see you there and I recognized you, 99 00:04:33,680 --> 00:04:37,440 Speaker 1: and I didn't realize the backstory of Lelo and Stitch 100 00:04:37,480 --> 00:04:39,240 Speaker 1: and how it came to be, so I knew once 101 00:04:39,279 --> 00:04:41,280 Speaker 1: it hit that twentieth anniversary, I had to reach out 102 00:04:41,279 --> 00:04:42,560 Speaker 1: to you to get you on the podcast. 103 00:04:42,720 --> 00:04:44,960 Speaker 2: Cool. Yeah, it's been really nice to do those tiktoks. 104 00:04:44,960 --> 00:04:47,080 Speaker 2: And that was just a response to I don't remember 105 00:04:47,120 --> 00:04:49,640 Speaker 2: what it was exactly, but I ran across somebody who 106 00:04:49,640 --> 00:04:52,680 Speaker 2: really didn't know anything about where the movie came from, 107 00:04:53,040 --> 00:04:56,960 Speaker 2: and that was that wake up call to me realizing 108 00:04:57,080 --> 00:05:00,000 Speaker 2: how much time had gone by, and quite a few 109 00:05:00,080 --> 00:05:03,160 Speaker 2: people didn't know the backstory to it. So it's been 110 00:05:03,160 --> 00:05:05,839 Speaker 2: really fun to begin that series trys to get some 111 00:05:05,880 --> 00:05:07,640 Speaker 2: of the material, which a lot of this stuff just 112 00:05:07,760 --> 00:05:10,200 Speaker 2: with animators and animation, a lot of this stuff ends 113 00:05:10,240 --> 00:05:12,360 Speaker 2: up in people's garages. You know, there's a lot of 114 00:05:12,360 --> 00:05:15,240 Speaker 2: stuff in the archives. But I still have the original 115 00:05:15,320 --> 00:05:19,480 Speaker 2: drawings and the original manuscripts that I used to pitch 116 00:05:19,520 --> 00:05:22,320 Speaker 2: the project. So that's amongst the stuff that I was 117 00:05:22,360 --> 00:05:25,599 Speaker 2: digging up and beginning to put up on TikTok so 118 00:05:25,640 --> 00:05:26,840 Speaker 2: that people could take a look at it. 119 00:05:27,040 --> 00:05:28,480 Speaker 1: And that's so cool to see. And I want to 120 00:05:28,520 --> 00:05:30,520 Speaker 1: get to the movie, but I kind of want to 121 00:05:30,520 --> 00:05:32,480 Speaker 1: start back at the beginning. When you were growing up 122 00:05:32,520 --> 00:05:35,880 Speaker 1: in Colorado, what made you fall in love with animation? 123 00:05:36,320 --> 00:05:40,719 Speaker 2: I loved straw. My dad, I thought was a great artist. 124 00:05:41,000 --> 00:05:43,880 Speaker 2: He did paintings and he would draw like these buck 125 00:05:43,960 --> 00:05:47,000 Speaker 2: Rodgers style spaceships, and I remember one day he said, 126 00:05:47,240 --> 00:05:49,160 Speaker 2: there's a limit to what you can build, but you 127 00:05:49,200 --> 00:05:52,360 Speaker 2: can draw anything. And that really stuck with me, and 128 00:05:53,320 --> 00:05:56,159 Speaker 2: so I really I always have a love to a 129 00:05:56,200 --> 00:05:57,880 Speaker 2: love of drawing. It didn't ocur to me that I 130 00:05:57,880 --> 00:06:00,240 Speaker 2: could turn that into a career and tell you know. 131 00:06:00,240 --> 00:06:02,839 Speaker 2: Many years later, I was nearing the end of high school, 132 00:06:02,880 --> 00:06:04,520 Speaker 2: trying to figure out what to do with the rest 133 00:06:04,520 --> 00:06:06,719 Speaker 2: of my life, and my grandmother was reading an article 134 00:06:06,760 --> 00:06:09,479 Speaker 2: in the Denver Post, which was our local newspaper, and 135 00:06:09,520 --> 00:06:11,760 Speaker 2: she was reading this art article all about how Disney 136 00:06:11,760 --> 00:06:15,640 Speaker 2: Studios was running low on animators. They were retiring, and 137 00:06:16,279 --> 00:06:19,080 Speaker 2: they were looking for a way to replenish their ranks. 138 00:06:19,320 --> 00:06:23,240 Speaker 2: They created an animation program at this school in California 139 00:06:23,400 --> 00:06:26,320 Speaker 2: called Cal Arts, and I thought, oh, my gosh, that's 140 00:06:26,320 --> 00:06:28,839 Speaker 2: where I want to go. So I'd always liked animation, 141 00:06:29,279 --> 00:06:31,640 Speaker 2: I'd enjoyed it, but I'd never thought of it as 142 00:06:31,680 --> 00:06:35,159 Speaker 2: a possible career path until she told me about that school. 143 00:06:35,480 --> 00:06:38,080 Speaker 2: And that's the only place I applied. 144 00:06:38,279 --> 00:06:40,320 Speaker 1: How did you know you were? It went from just 145 00:06:40,400 --> 00:06:43,280 Speaker 1: you just drawing to like, oh, I'm actually pretty good 146 00:06:43,320 --> 00:06:45,159 Speaker 1: at this, Like this is something I could actually pursue 147 00:06:45,240 --> 00:06:46,120 Speaker 1: and go to that school. 148 00:06:46,360 --> 00:06:49,520 Speaker 2: You don't know, I was really crossing my fingers that 149 00:06:49,560 --> 00:06:51,200 Speaker 2: my drawings were good enough. I think a lot of 150 00:06:51,279 --> 00:06:55,720 Speaker 2: kids at Cal Arts were like some of the local 151 00:06:55,800 --> 00:06:59,120 Speaker 2: best artists from where they came from. So I was 152 00:06:59,120 --> 00:07:01,359 Speaker 2: not unusual in that, Like, I did cartoons for my 153 00:07:01,360 --> 00:07:04,040 Speaker 2: school newspaper, so when they needed cartoons, people would come 154 00:07:04,080 --> 00:07:07,599 Speaker 2: to me at our Vada High school and you know, 155 00:07:07,640 --> 00:07:09,720 Speaker 2: when they needed a mascot drawn or a T shirt 156 00:07:09,800 --> 00:07:11,680 Speaker 2: drawn or something like that. Likewise, a lot of the 157 00:07:11,760 --> 00:07:14,480 Speaker 2: kids I ended up with in my classic Kyle Art's 158 00:07:14,520 --> 00:07:16,600 Speaker 2: same kind of thing. And that was really sobering because, 159 00:07:16,640 --> 00:07:18,840 Speaker 2: like I went from being I thought a person who 160 00:07:18,840 --> 00:07:22,400 Speaker 2: could draw pretty well to being sobered when I'm sitting 161 00:07:22,440 --> 00:07:25,440 Speaker 2: next to somebody named Kelly Asbury. Kelly Asbery. He became 162 00:07:25,480 --> 00:07:27,520 Speaker 2: a good friend of mine, and he just drew so 163 00:07:27,640 --> 00:07:30,120 Speaker 2: much better than I did. I thought. He just drew 164 00:07:30,160 --> 00:07:32,840 Speaker 2: amazingly well. And he drew with a pen because he 165 00:07:32,880 --> 00:07:34,720 Speaker 2: had this confidence, and I always drew with a pencil 166 00:07:34,760 --> 00:07:36,240 Speaker 2: because I was never really sure. I was like, I 167 00:07:36,320 --> 00:07:38,360 Speaker 2: want to erase this and move things around. And he 168 00:07:38,400 --> 00:07:41,120 Speaker 2: took out this ink pen and he would just draw 169 00:07:41,240 --> 00:07:43,120 Speaker 2: what he wanted and I'm like, oh my gosh, he's 170 00:07:43,160 --> 00:07:45,640 Speaker 2: so much better than I am. Right, And you know, 171 00:07:45,680 --> 00:07:46,960 Speaker 2: it's still that way. I think one of the things 172 00:07:46,960 --> 00:07:49,480 Speaker 2: that's really cool about the animation industry is that if 173 00:07:49,520 --> 00:07:53,000 Speaker 2: you ever are looking for inspiration, just walk down the hall. 174 00:07:53,280 --> 00:07:55,520 Speaker 2: There's somebody down that hall that's going to be way 175 00:07:55,520 --> 00:07:59,320 Speaker 2: better at stuff than you are. And so inspiration to balance. 176 00:07:59,240 --> 00:08:00,920 Speaker 1: I mean in turn that it makes you become better. 177 00:08:00,960 --> 00:08:03,040 Speaker 1: You see other people just crushing it, and you're like, 178 00:08:03,280 --> 00:08:04,840 Speaker 1: I want to get to that level. I want to 179 00:08:04,840 --> 00:08:06,720 Speaker 1: be that good too. I want to creak out my 180 00:08:06,840 --> 00:08:10,120 Speaker 1: best idea so I can get the better jobs and 181 00:08:10,160 --> 00:08:11,320 Speaker 1: get the things I want to achieve. 182 00:08:11,480 --> 00:08:14,800 Speaker 2: Right, absolutely, absolutely, because nobody, I mean there's no nobody 183 00:08:14,880 --> 00:08:17,360 Speaker 2: draws the best. Everybody draws, you know, their own things 184 00:08:17,360 --> 00:08:19,040 Speaker 2: and their own ways and stuff like that, and it's great. 185 00:08:19,120 --> 00:08:21,400 Speaker 2: It's that great coming together of all those different artistic 186 00:08:21,400 --> 00:08:24,400 Speaker 2: styles where you can get these wonderful films and you 187 00:08:24,400 --> 00:08:26,360 Speaker 2: get these wonderful projects and stuff like that. If I 188 00:08:26,400 --> 00:08:30,240 Speaker 2: went back in time and changed out one single artist 189 00:08:30,280 --> 00:08:31,920 Speaker 2: on one of these films, the film would be a 190 00:08:31,960 --> 00:08:35,960 Speaker 2: little bit different. So they are. They're literally a conglomeration 191 00:08:36,080 --> 00:08:39,079 Speaker 2: of the talents that were gathered for that particular project. 192 00:08:39,320 --> 00:08:42,520 Speaker 1: So you go out to this school and how long 193 00:08:42,640 --> 00:08:45,280 Speaker 1: is it until you get your first paid job to 194 00:08:45,320 --> 00:08:47,640 Speaker 1: where okay, this is turning into my career. 195 00:08:47,880 --> 00:08:50,880 Speaker 2: A lot of people would leave school at that time early. 196 00:08:51,200 --> 00:08:54,640 Speaker 2: A lot of people graduated on their third year. I didn't. 197 00:08:54,679 --> 00:08:56,600 Speaker 2: I stuck with it for four years. I was very 198 00:08:56,640 --> 00:08:58,400 Speaker 2: aware that this was my last chance to go to 199 00:08:58,400 --> 00:09:00,319 Speaker 2: school before I would go and start work for the 200 00:09:00,360 --> 00:09:02,120 Speaker 2: rest of my life, so I hung in there for 201 00:09:02,120 --> 00:09:04,680 Speaker 2: the four years. At the time that I graduated, Oddly enough, 202 00:09:05,000 --> 00:09:08,040 Speaker 2: Disney Studios was no longer hiring, so the place I 203 00:09:08,120 --> 00:09:10,320 Speaker 2: was really hoping to go was not an option at 204 00:09:10,320 --> 00:09:14,720 Speaker 2: that point. So I did find a job at Marvel Productions. 205 00:09:14,840 --> 00:09:17,640 Speaker 2: Now it wasn't the comic book part of Marvel. It 206 00:09:17,760 --> 00:09:20,439 Speaker 2: was the animation side of it, and they did Saturday 207 00:09:20,520 --> 00:09:23,600 Speaker 2: Morning cartoons. I got a job on the Muppet Babies. Now, 208 00:09:23,600 --> 00:09:25,240 Speaker 2: the funny thing about that is that one of the 209 00:09:25,240 --> 00:09:28,800 Speaker 2: things they would always tell us in cal Arts is draw, draw, draw, 210 00:09:28,920 --> 00:09:31,720 Speaker 2: draw every day. Draw things that you see around you. 211 00:09:31,840 --> 00:09:33,000 Speaker 2: It'll make you a better artist. 212 00:09:33,000 --> 00:09:33,120 Speaker 4: Well. 213 00:09:33,160 --> 00:09:34,840 Speaker 2: I didn't want to draw the things I saw around me. 214 00:09:34,880 --> 00:09:36,480 Speaker 2: I didn't want to draw shairs, I didn't want to 215 00:09:36,559 --> 00:09:38,760 Speaker 2: draw tables. I didn't want to draw people's shoes, you know. 216 00:09:39,040 --> 00:09:40,679 Speaker 2: I wanted to draw the stuff that I wanted to draw. 217 00:09:40,840 --> 00:09:43,120 Speaker 2: The funny thing is at Marvel Productions. On the Muppet 218 00:09:43,120 --> 00:09:46,040 Speaker 2: Baby Show, I was in the model department, which meant 219 00:09:46,080 --> 00:09:48,280 Speaker 2: anything that was going to be in the cartoon had 220 00:09:48,280 --> 00:09:51,400 Speaker 2: to be drawn first as a turn so that they 221 00:09:51,440 --> 00:09:54,199 Speaker 2: could color it and model it and send it overseas 222 00:09:54,280 --> 00:09:56,840 Speaker 2: so that everything would be on model. So the funny 223 00:09:56,840 --> 00:09:59,680 Speaker 2: thing is my first job was really drawing things that 224 00:09:59,720 --> 00:10:03,440 Speaker 2: I had avoided drawing in the past. I drew chairs 225 00:10:03,440 --> 00:10:07,679 Speaker 2: and tables and shoes and dresses and everyday objects, a 226 00:10:07,720 --> 00:10:10,080 Speaker 2: lot of them, right, And it was amazing training. 227 00:10:10,360 --> 00:10:13,800 Speaker 1: So you're working at Marvel and I saw that you 228 00:10:13,880 --> 00:10:16,640 Speaker 1: said that you had the first drawing of Stitch in 229 00:10:16,720 --> 00:10:20,000 Speaker 1: nineteen eighty one. What about that story? What about that 230 00:10:20,080 --> 00:10:23,199 Speaker 1: sketch made you come back to it years later when 231 00:10:23,240 --> 00:10:26,600 Speaker 1: you finally get this opportunity to create this story for Disney. 232 00:10:26,720 --> 00:10:28,800 Speaker 2: I had worked a little bit on it in private. 233 00:10:28,880 --> 00:10:31,320 Speaker 2: I wanted to do a children's book. And what I 234 00:10:31,400 --> 00:10:33,600 Speaker 2: realized after working on it for a while in private, 235 00:10:33,640 --> 00:10:35,520 Speaker 2: you know, on my own time, was that the story 236 00:10:35,600 --> 00:10:40,200 Speaker 2: was too big to fit into a normally formatted children's book. 237 00:10:40,320 --> 00:10:42,400 Speaker 2: I didn't think I could boil this thing down to say, 238 00:10:42,440 --> 00:10:45,280 Speaker 2: seventeen pages or thirty two pages, it just seemed too big. 239 00:10:46,000 --> 00:10:48,839 Speaker 2: So the idea was bigger than my book. So years later, 240 00:10:49,200 --> 00:10:53,760 Speaker 2: I was in the waning days of the production of Mulan. 241 00:10:54,080 --> 00:10:56,560 Speaker 2: We made that film at the Florida Studio. So I 242 00:10:56,600 --> 00:10:58,840 Speaker 2: was out in Florida, and the president of Feature Animation 243 00:10:58,920 --> 00:11:02,079 Speaker 2: at that time, Tom Schumacher or was out visiting, and 244 00:11:02,600 --> 00:11:05,199 Speaker 2: he and I and everybody had gone through a lot 245 00:11:05,480 --> 00:11:08,720 Speaker 2: making this film. It had been quite the adventure. I 246 00:11:08,720 --> 00:11:12,560 Speaker 2: think that my performance on that film had earned me, 247 00:11:13,320 --> 00:11:16,040 Speaker 2: had earned me a certain amount of I guess latitude 248 00:11:16,360 --> 00:11:19,040 Speaker 2: to maybe do my own movie. And Tom was out 249 00:11:19,120 --> 00:11:22,240 Speaker 2: visiting Florida and he said, is there anything that you 250 00:11:22,280 --> 00:11:25,520 Speaker 2: would want to do next? And pretty much right there 251 00:11:25,679 --> 00:11:29,040 Speaker 2: at dinner, I said, no, no, not a well wait 252 00:11:29,040 --> 00:11:31,200 Speaker 2: a minute, okay, you know, there is this one thing. 253 00:11:31,400 --> 00:11:33,920 Speaker 2: There was this story, right, and so I was able 254 00:11:33,960 --> 00:11:35,720 Speaker 2: to think about it for a little bit. And the 255 00:11:35,760 --> 00:11:37,920 Speaker 2: next time he visited, he said, well, and I was 256 00:11:37,920 --> 00:11:39,360 Speaker 2: trying to work up a pitch for it, you know, 257 00:11:39,400 --> 00:11:42,520 Speaker 2: and he said, well, go ahead, just tell me about it. 258 00:11:42,559 --> 00:11:44,080 Speaker 2: And I said, well, I'm not really ready, and he goes, no, 259 00:11:44,200 --> 00:11:45,920 Speaker 2: just come on, just do it, you know, And I thought, oh, 260 00:11:46,000 --> 00:11:49,960 Speaker 2: here it goes my idea. I mean like it's gonna 261 00:11:49,960 --> 00:11:52,040 Speaker 2: be all over the next like the next three minutes. 262 00:11:52,320 --> 00:11:54,840 Speaker 2: And I pitched it, just verbally threw it out there, 263 00:11:54,960 --> 00:11:58,000 Speaker 2: and I really got my very first and biggest note 264 00:11:58,080 --> 00:11:59,760 Speaker 2: of all, which was the story that I had can 265 00:11:59,800 --> 00:12:03,000 Speaker 2: call was all about this strange little creature who was 266 00:12:03,120 --> 00:12:05,920 Speaker 2: living in a forest and he didn't he had come from. 267 00:12:06,080 --> 00:12:08,320 Speaker 2: He was a mystery to everything around him, but he 268 00:12:08,360 --> 00:12:10,240 Speaker 2: was also a bit of a mystery to himself, and 269 00:12:10,280 --> 00:12:12,240 Speaker 2: the story was all about how he was figuring out 270 00:12:12,240 --> 00:12:14,520 Speaker 2: who he was. And he was frightening looking a bit 271 00:12:14,559 --> 00:12:18,280 Speaker 2: of a monster, right, And Tom said, I like this story, 272 00:12:18,920 --> 00:12:22,040 Speaker 2: but I would have a suggestion. The animal world is 273 00:12:22,160 --> 00:12:25,120 Speaker 2: in a sense already alien to us, so placing this 274 00:12:25,160 --> 00:12:27,880 Speaker 2: alien being in the animal world doesn't get you the 275 00:12:27,960 --> 00:12:31,040 Speaker 2: kind of contrast that you might want. I would suggest 276 00:12:31,160 --> 00:12:33,840 Speaker 2: you place this monster in the human world. Boom, there 277 00:12:33,840 --> 00:12:35,920 Speaker 2: it was. I thought that was a great idea. So 278 00:12:35,960 --> 00:12:38,199 Speaker 2: that was the first biggest note that Leloan and Stitch 279 00:12:38,240 --> 00:12:40,760 Speaker 2: ever got. Now this is before it was lelo and Stitch, 280 00:12:40,840 --> 00:12:43,760 Speaker 2: before they were in Hawaii. That was when I left 281 00:12:43,920 --> 00:12:47,479 Speaker 2: and started working on the idea. Once I returned to California, 282 00:12:47,640 --> 00:12:51,000 Speaker 2: and that's where I got this motel room out in 283 00:12:51,120 --> 00:12:53,800 Speaker 2: Pulm Springs at this resort, and I locked myself in 284 00:12:53,840 --> 00:12:56,079 Speaker 2: this room for three days and all I did was 285 00:12:56,200 --> 00:12:58,880 Speaker 2: draw and write because I wanted to create a bit 286 00:12:58,880 --> 00:13:01,160 Speaker 2: of a document because it's going to be about an alien. 287 00:13:01,360 --> 00:13:02,960 Speaker 2: And I thought, you know what, those are the days 288 00:13:02,960 --> 00:13:04,920 Speaker 2: where people were making a lot of monstery kind of 289 00:13:04,960 --> 00:13:07,360 Speaker 2: alien movies. And I thought, if you say the word 290 00:13:07,400 --> 00:13:10,520 Speaker 2: alien in a development meeting or a pitch, a lot 291 00:13:10,559 --> 00:13:12,600 Speaker 2: of people are going to get this instant idea of 292 00:13:12,640 --> 00:13:15,160 Speaker 2: what an alien is. And I thought, Okay, if I 293 00:13:15,160 --> 00:13:17,880 Speaker 2: don't draw this, they're going to get maybe the wrong idea. 294 00:13:18,000 --> 00:13:20,520 Speaker 2: So if I had draw this whole thing out and 295 00:13:20,559 --> 00:13:22,760 Speaker 2: they say no to it, at least they're saying no 296 00:13:22,880 --> 00:13:24,920 Speaker 2: to the idea that was my idea, so it's a 297 00:13:25,000 --> 00:13:30,160 Speaker 2: legitimate no. So after those three days, what occurred to 298 00:13:30,200 --> 00:13:32,920 Speaker 2: me was that, in a sense, I had finally created 299 00:13:33,120 --> 00:13:35,520 Speaker 2: that children's book that I had tried to create so 300 00:13:35,559 --> 00:13:38,160 Speaker 2: many years before and had abandoned. 301 00:13:38,360 --> 00:13:40,880 Speaker 1: That's really interesting to me because I was rewatching it 302 00:13:41,240 --> 00:13:43,640 Speaker 1: and I realized how hard it must have been to 303 00:13:43,840 --> 00:13:47,120 Speaker 1: pitch an idea about this alien creature doesn't really say 304 00:13:47,120 --> 00:13:49,640 Speaker 1: a whole lot of words. So to hear you say 305 00:13:49,679 --> 00:13:53,000 Speaker 1: that you took that idea, placed it into Hawaii and 306 00:13:53,080 --> 00:13:54,360 Speaker 1: suddenly it made sense. 307 00:13:55,040 --> 00:13:56,800 Speaker 2: You know, this is where you've really got to understand 308 00:13:57,160 --> 00:13:59,920 Speaker 2: how important the producer and the head of a student 309 00:14:00,280 --> 00:14:03,720 Speaker 2: are to your future. They can make her break an idea, 310 00:14:03,960 --> 00:14:06,520 Speaker 2: and in this case, Tom Schumacher, he wanted to make 311 00:14:06,559 --> 00:14:10,160 Speaker 2: this film and he that was the next big thing, 312 00:14:10,240 --> 00:14:11,920 Speaker 2: was that it's the thing I'm going to put on 313 00:14:12,040 --> 00:14:14,880 Speaker 2: TikTok really soon, and I'm working on that one right now. 314 00:14:15,360 --> 00:14:17,720 Speaker 2: He told me after the development department looked at it 315 00:14:17,760 --> 00:14:20,960 Speaker 2: that they all universally liked the idea, and he said. 316 00:14:21,040 --> 00:14:23,960 Speaker 2: I walked into off into his office and he said, 317 00:14:24,040 --> 00:14:27,000 Speaker 2: I will make this film on one condition that it 318 00:14:27,080 --> 00:14:31,120 Speaker 2: looked like you drew it. And that was very exciting 319 00:14:31,120 --> 00:14:33,360 Speaker 2: and flattering. But at that point I didn't even know 320 00:14:33,360 --> 00:14:34,720 Speaker 2: what to do because I thought, well, what do I 321 00:14:34,760 --> 00:14:37,240 Speaker 2: even draw like? I just draw like everybody else. A 322 00:14:37,520 --> 00:14:39,800 Speaker 2: girl who was working at the studio, Sue Nichols, who 323 00:14:39,840 --> 00:14:42,120 Speaker 2: was an amazing artist. She also came from cal Arts. 324 00:14:42,480 --> 00:14:45,760 Speaker 2: She did a two week analysis of my art style 325 00:14:46,200 --> 00:14:50,240 Speaker 2: and she created two documents called Surfing the Sanders Style, 326 00:14:50,640 --> 00:14:53,600 Speaker 2: and it explained how I drew Well. Nobody was more 327 00:14:53,640 --> 00:14:56,560 Speaker 2: interested to read these than I was, and I was 328 00:14:56,680 --> 00:15:00,440 Speaker 2: absolutely fascinated. It turns out there were things that were 329 00:15:00,440 --> 00:15:03,760 Speaker 2: governing my style that existed that I didn't really even 330 00:15:03,840 --> 00:15:06,160 Speaker 2: realize as I was doing. But she saw them and 331 00:15:06,200 --> 00:15:09,000 Speaker 2: she had like dissected the whole thing. So that began. 332 00:15:09,480 --> 00:15:11,400 Speaker 2: And that's one of the reasons that Leland and Stitch 333 00:15:11,480 --> 00:15:15,240 Speaker 2: is a highly unusual film. It is more unusual than 334 00:15:15,320 --> 00:15:19,680 Speaker 2: people really, I think may may realize, because it is 335 00:15:19,720 --> 00:15:23,680 Speaker 2: not only a very Miyazaki style story that is extremely 336 00:15:23,760 --> 00:15:26,560 Speaker 2: hard to mail down, you know, it's a smaller story, 337 00:15:26,600 --> 00:15:29,840 Speaker 2: and it's really kind of strange, based very very much 338 00:15:29,880 --> 00:15:35,120 Speaker 2: on quirky, unusual characters. Really, you know, these personalities are 339 00:15:35,120 --> 00:15:37,160 Speaker 2: are the whole movie. But also that it's in an 340 00:15:37,200 --> 00:15:41,520 Speaker 2: individual artist's style, and that's I don't think that's anything 341 00:15:41,560 --> 00:15:43,720 Speaker 2: that has happened really before or since, at least with 342 00:15:43,760 --> 00:15:46,560 Speaker 2: an artist inside the studio they've based films on, say 343 00:15:46,600 --> 00:15:50,840 Speaker 2: like Isaac Isaac Ivan Dural Sleeping Beauty is based very 344 00:15:50,920 --> 00:15:53,680 Speaker 2: much on Ivan durl for example, but he was an 345 00:15:53,720 --> 00:15:56,040 Speaker 2: outside creator, so it's one of the reasons that that's 346 00:15:56,040 --> 00:15:57,400 Speaker 2: such an unusual film. 347 00:15:57,800 --> 00:16:01,360 Speaker 1: So when do you sit down to create what is 348 00:16:01,440 --> 00:16:03,840 Speaker 1: going to be Lelo and Stitch. You have to create Lilo. 349 00:16:04,240 --> 00:16:06,040 Speaker 1: When does it get that title, When does it get 350 00:16:06,040 --> 00:16:06,760 Speaker 1: that final art? 351 00:16:06,880 --> 00:16:08,800 Speaker 2: It was Lelo and Stitch by the time it was 352 00:16:08,840 --> 00:16:10,920 Speaker 2: in that first pitch book. So when I went away 353 00:16:10,920 --> 00:16:13,560 Speaker 2: to Palm Springs, by that point I had made the 354 00:16:13,600 --> 00:16:16,040 Speaker 2: decision to place the film in Hawaii. I had named 355 00:16:16,080 --> 00:16:18,880 Speaker 2: the characters Leelo and Stitch, and I had no connections 356 00:16:18,880 --> 00:16:22,360 Speaker 2: to Hawaii at that point. So I pulled Lelo's name 357 00:16:22,640 --> 00:16:26,000 Speaker 2: off of a roadmap that I had from Hawaii. There's 358 00:16:26,040 --> 00:16:29,240 Speaker 2: a Lilo Lane and I saw that. So this is 359 00:16:29,280 --> 00:16:31,160 Speaker 2: one of the strange things. I didn't know what that 360 00:16:31,200 --> 00:16:35,800 Speaker 2: word meant. It sounded like a name. It turns out 361 00:16:35,840 --> 00:16:38,960 Speaker 2: it's not a name, but it's the word for lost. 362 00:16:39,680 --> 00:16:43,000 Speaker 2: So in a really strange way, I found the right 363 00:16:43,040 --> 00:16:46,200 Speaker 2: word to make that her name. The same with Nannie, 364 00:16:46,240 --> 00:16:49,240 Speaker 2: I just again I looked around for names on a roadmap. 365 00:16:49,400 --> 00:16:52,080 Speaker 2: Later on in the making of the film, we did 366 00:16:52,240 --> 00:16:55,720 Speaker 2: engage as many people as we could from Hawaii because 367 00:16:55,760 --> 00:16:59,560 Speaker 2: we're talking about it, we're trotting into a culture that 368 00:16:59,600 --> 00:17:01,560 Speaker 2: we are part of. And if you're going to do that, 369 00:17:01,640 --> 00:17:05,239 Speaker 2: you really have to connect with people that know what 370 00:17:05,280 --> 00:17:07,679 Speaker 2: the deal is, that know what they're doing for the music, 371 00:17:07,720 --> 00:17:10,119 Speaker 2: for the culture, for the dialogue, for your voices as 372 00:17:10,200 --> 00:17:13,480 Speaker 2: much as you can, and so we did. We met 373 00:17:13,720 --> 00:17:17,159 Speaker 2: a huge number of people who became our guides to 374 00:17:17,280 --> 00:17:17,960 Speaker 2: making the film. 375 00:17:18,760 --> 00:17:21,879 Speaker 1: Be respectful going into the start of making this movie, 376 00:17:22,119 --> 00:17:24,280 Speaker 1: at what point did you become the voice of Stitch? 377 00:17:24,280 --> 00:17:26,800 Speaker 1: Were you always going to be Stitch or was that 378 00:17:26,880 --> 00:17:28,800 Speaker 1: a voice that just existed in your head? Where did 379 00:17:28,800 --> 00:17:29,359 Speaker 1: that come from? 380 00:17:29,480 --> 00:17:31,640 Speaker 2: It's sort of both. It was a voice I had 381 00:17:31,720 --> 00:17:33,600 Speaker 2: used up to that point to call people on the 382 00:17:33,640 --> 00:17:37,200 Speaker 2: telephone with and annoy them, and it was actually Dean, 383 00:17:37,280 --> 00:17:40,119 Speaker 2: my co director. So along the lines of your last question, 384 00:17:40,280 --> 00:17:41,640 Speaker 2: one of the first things you do is you find 385 00:17:41,640 --> 00:17:44,399 Speaker 2: a co director that you trust, and I had learned 386 00:17:44,400 --> 00:17:47,000 Speaker 2: to trust Dean and department and to partner with Dean 387 00:17:47,600 --> 00:17:51,119 Speaker 2: during the making of Mulan and Dean was extremely smart 388 00:17:51,119 --> 00:17:54,000 Speaker 2: and amazing a natural when it came to storytelling. He 389 00:17:54,119 --> 00:17:57,840 Speaker 2: was a natural storyteller and great writer, a wonderful story artist, 390 00:17:58,520 --> 00:18:02,960 Speaker 2: and he has very good strucktural knowledge and structural instincts, 391 00:18:03,359 --> 00:18:06,920 Speaker 2: so so I partnered with him immediately. As soon as 392 00:18:06,920 --> 00:18:10,080 Speaker 2: we decided to do the project, I saw out and 393 00:18:10,119 --> 00:18:14,560 Speaker 2: we agreed to co direct on the film. Dean suggested 394 00:18:14,880 --> 00:18:16,840 Speaker 2: that I be the voice of Stitch. One of the 395 00:18:16,840 --> 00:18:19,480 Speaker 2: main reasons was that we wanted. Originally we didn't want 396 00:18:19,480 --> 00:18:21,760 Speaker 2: Stitch to even speak. We were like, oh, it's going 397 00:18:21,800 --> 00:18:23,640 Speaker 2: to be like dumb, but we'll do the whole film 398 00:18:23,680 --> 00:18:25,960 Speaker 2: and he will just be a character that works in pantomime. 399 00:18:26,520 --> 00:18:29,080 Speaker 2: Later on, it became obvious that he was going to 400 00:18:29,119 --> 00:18:31,560 Speaker 2: have to speak, and in fact, he would have some 401 00:18:31,720 --> 00:18:35,520 Speaker 2: key lines during the film. Well, at that point we thought, okay, 402 00:18:35,520 --> 00:18:37,119 Speaker 2: we're going to we're going to have to get a voice, 403 00:18:37,320 --> 00:18:39,679 Speaker 2: but you don't want to necessarily hire somebody like Robert 404 00:18:39,680 --> 00:18:42,280 Speaker 2: Redford or Danny DeVito and then worry about like, well, 405 00:18:42,280 --> 00:18:44,919 Speaker 2: how's the studio going to react when they realized this 406 00:18:45,040 --> 00:18:47,840 Speaker 2: character only says like fifteen things and will they then 407 00:18:47,880 --> 00:18:49,399 Speaker 2: start to push for like, well, if you know, if 408 00:18:49,400 --> 00:18:51,280 Speaker 2: we're going to hire Robert Redford, we want it. You know, 409 00:18:51,280 --> 00:18:53,960 Speaker 2: we want Robert Redford. We want like a lot of lines. 410 00:18:54,160 --> 00:18:56,280 Speaker 2: And we were afraid that that might begin to really 411 00:18:56,400 --> 00:18:58,720 Speaker 2: be the tail that wagged the dog as far as 412 00:18:59,080 --> 00:19:01,439 Speaker 2: the making of the film. So Dean suggested, He's like, 413 00:19:01,440 --> 00:19:03,359 Speaker 2: you know what, why didn't you just do the voice? 414 00:19:03,440 --> 00:19:06,040 Speaker 2: You use that voice when you pitch your boards, So 415 00:19:06,080 --> 00:19:08,200 Speaker 2: why you just do it? And then we'll avoid any 416 00:19:08,200 --> 00:19:11,240 Speaker 2: problem because you know you're not a real actor, no 417 00:19:11,840 --> 00:19:14,439 Speaker 2: one's going to ask for more of you. Right. So 418 00:19:14,520 --> 00:19:17,120 Speaker 2: we did do that, and there came a moment, there 419 00:19:17,160 --> 00:19:18,959 Speaker 2: was only one moment that I felt a little stressed 420 00:19:18,960 --> 00:19:22,320 Speaker 2: about it, and that was when we realized that near 421 00:19:22,359 --> 00:19:24,239 Speaker 2: the very end of the film, Stitch would have this 422 00:19:24,320 --> 00:19:28,000 Speaker 2: one very important line where he talks about this family 423 00:19:28,040 --> 00:19:30,159 Speaker 2: that he found and it was little and it was broken, 424 00:19:30,480 --> 00:19:33,840 Speaker 2: but it was still good and that verged on real acting, 425 00:19:34,440 --> 00:19:36,200 Speaker 2: and so I thought, I don't know if I can 426 00:19:36,280 --> 00:19:38,679 Speaker 2: do this. On that day, I came to Dean and 427 00:19:38,720 --> 00:19:41,159 Speaker 2: I said, today, I'm an actor, and you're going to 428 00:19:41,160 --> 00:19:44,399 Speaker 2: be the director, the only director, and I'm going to 429 00:19:44,440 --> 00:19:46,199 Speaker 2: go in that booth and you tell me what to 430 00:19:46,200 --> 00:19:48,040 Speaker 2: do and I'll do it. And if I can't pull 431 00:19:48,119 --> 00:19:50,679 Speaker 2: this off, then we'll find somebody else to do the voice. 432 00:19:50,920 --> 00:19:54,080 Speaker 2: And so we did, Like Dean directed me. I did 433 00:19:54,080 --> 00:19:56,920 Speaker 2: everything he asked, and before long he said, okay, but 434 00:19:56,960 --> 00:19:58,480 Speaker 2: I think we got it, And I said, are you sure? 435 00:19:58,600 --> 00:20:01,040 Speaker 2: He said, yeah, I think we got and it worked. 436 00:20:01,080 --> 00:20:04,080 Speaker 1: Okay, you brought up my favorite scene in the entire movie. 437 00:20:04,200 --> 00:20:06,480 Speaker 1: I think it's because of that. It's that moment in 438 00:20:06,520 --> 00:20:08,879 Speaker 1: the movie where everything kind of hits me emotionally, and 439 00:20:09,119 --> 00:20:11,520 Speaker 1: I remember watching it as a kid and having that 440 00:20:11,560 --> 00:20:14,240 Speaker 1: same kind of feeling of Stitch, of being that person 441 00:20:14,280 --> 00:20:16,399 Speaker 1: who was filled with rage in a place that he 442 00:20:16,440 --> 00:20:18,919 Speaker 1: didn't understand, didn't understand himself, but all of a sudden 443 00:20:18,920 --> 00:20:21,280 Speaker 1: he had this family. Now, I think that's the most 444 00:20:21,280 --> 00:20:23,680 Speaker 1: perfect scene in any Disney movie I've seen. So it's 445 00:20:23,680 --> 00:20:25,760 Speaker 1: cool how that came together. And now you had to 446 00:20:25,800 --> 00:20:28,160 Speaker 1: go dig out your acting abilities in that. 447 00:20:29,240 --> 00:20:31,680 Speaker 2: I did my best. I really tried hard that day. 448 00:20:31,880 --> 00:20:33,080 Speaker 2: I still remember that day. 449 00:20:33,359 --> 00:20:38,600 Speaker 4: This is my family. I found it all on my own. 450 00:20:39,119 --> 00:20:45,520 Speaker 4: That's little and broken, but still good. Yeah, still great. 451 00:20:46,119 --> 00:20:48,320 Speaker 1: So when people find out you're the voice of Stitch, 452 00:20:48,440 --> 00:20:50,040 Speaker 1: do they immediately ask you to do it? 453 00:20:50,200 --> 00:20:53,040 Speaker 2: I do get asked to do it a lot. I 454 00:20:53,080 --> 00:20:55,080 Speaker 2: had some surgery out of my neck at one point 455 00:20:55,280 --> 00:20:57,359 Speaker 2: period of time, about a year I couldn't do it, 456 00:20:57,400 --> 00:20:59,239 Speaker 2: but then I got back to doing it, and I 457 00:20:59,280 --> 00:21:01,960 Speaker 2: still do it. I get called up about at least 458 00:21:02,040 --> 00:21:03,919 Speaker 2: once a month to come in and do I do 459 00:21:04,040 --> 00:21:08,719 Speaker 2: voices for toys and for like parades, things for cruise ships, 460 00:21:08,800 --> 00:21:10,160 Speaker 2: all Disney stuff. It's fun. 461 00:21:10,320 --> 00:21:12,480 Speaker 1: I told myself if I ever had you on the podcast, 462 00:21:12,520 --> 00:21:15,199 Speaker 1: I would show you my voice. And it's actually that 463 00:21:15,280 --> 00:21:16,920 Speaker 1: scene that I do. So I would like to let 464 00:21:16,920 --> 00:21:20,119 Speaker 1: you hear this and then judge my abilities afterwards and 465 00:21:20,160 --> 00:21:21,160 Speaker 1: let me know how I can make it better. 466 00:21:21,160 --> 00:21:23,560 Speaker 2: All right, okay, all right, So it's that scene. 467 00:21:23,800 --> 00:21:28,400 Speaker 1: This's my family. I found it all on my own. 468 00:21:29,040 --> 00:21:29,679 Speaker 2: It's little. 469 00:21:30,280 --> 00:21:32,359 Speaker 1: I'm broken, but still good. 470 00:21:32,960 --> 00:21:38,960 Speaker 2: Yeah, still good. How's that? That's really good? That's very nice. 471 00:21:39,040 --> 00:21:40,760 Speaker 1: How do you get the laugh though, because I've been 472 00:21:40,760 --> 00:21:42,879 Speaker 1: trying this impression for a while, but that laugh is 473 00:21:42,880 --> 00:21:44,040 Speaker 1: and like it's hard to do. 474 00:21:44,280 --> 00:21:48,640 Speaker 2: The big laugh is painful. That is when if you're 475 00:21:48,680 --> 00:21:51,600 Speaker 2: doing a recording session, you save that for the very end, like, Okay, 476 00:21:51,640 --> 00:21:53,639 Speaker 2: we'll save all the screaming and the laughs for the end, 477 00:21:53,680 --> 00:21:55,760 Speaker 2: and then we'll do We'll do. Then you can just 478 00:21:56,080 --> 00:21:57,960 Speaker 2: take it to the wall and if you blow your 479 00:21:58,000 --> 00:22:00,840 Speaker 2: voice out, You're fine. 480 00:22:02,320 --> 00:22:05,280 Speaker 1: The fact that it being the twentieth anniversary of the movie. 481 00:22:05,600 --> 00:22:07,960 Speaker 1: When you go back, what moment sticks out to you 482 00:22:08,000 --> 00:22:10,560 Speaker 1: as being the most fun part of the entire process. 483 00:22:10,760 --> 00:22:12,520 Speaker 2: I mean, the part of the process that I've always 484 00:22:12,560 --> 00:22:17,359 Speaker 2: loved is music. Dean and I and Leo, It's just 485 00:22:17,400 --> 00:22:19,879 Speaker 2: was a big part of this have really I've always 486 00:22:19,880 --> 00:22:22,840 Speaker 2: loved music, and I listened to music. I have never 487 00:22:22,880 --> 00:22:25,359 Speaker 2: written a scene in a movie without listening to music 488 00:22:25,520 --> 00:22:27,880 Speaker 2: while I worked on that scene. I have also boarded 489 00:22:28,280 --> 00:22:31,919 Speaker 2: pieces of movies to music, and there are still there 490 00:22:31,920 --> 00:22:34,000 Speaker 2: are still pieces of music that if you play them 491 00:22:34,000 --> 00:22:36,080 Speaker 2: while you watch a piece of a Disney movie, it 492 00:22:36,320 --> 00:22:39,560 Speaker 2: lines up pretty much exactly like if you go to 493 00:22:39,640 --> 00:22:42,240 Speaker 2: the soundtrack for a movie called The Mission, there's a 494 00:22:42,440 --> 00:22:44,520 Speaker 2: there's a track from that. I believe it. I believe 495 00:22:44,520 --> 00:22:47,159 Speaker 2: the track is The Mission. And if you listen to 496 00:22:47,200 --> 00:22:51,040 Speaker 2: that while you watch the scene where Moufast's ghost speaks 497 00:22:51,080 --> 00:22:54,960 Speaker 2: to Simba, it works really really well because that's the 498 00:22:55,200 --> 00:22:59,960 Speaker 2: that's the music I listened to when I boarded the scene, 499 00:23:00,320 --> 00:23:03,000 Speaker 2: and I pitched that scene to the directors with that music. 500 00:23:03,040 --> 00:23:04,640 Speaker 2: There are scenes Beauty and the Beast I can show 501 00:23:04,640 --> 00:23:06,679 Speaker 2: you the music that those were done too, so anyway, 502 00:23:06,800 --> 00:23:08,800 Speaker 2: so same with Lelon Stitch. I would listen to music 503 00:23:08,800 --> 00:23:11,200 Speaker 2: because I write these scenes. And nothing was more exciting 504 00:23:11,200 --> 00:23:13,280 Speaker 2: to us than we would when we would partner with 505 00:23:13,320 --> 00:23:15,639 Speaker 2: somebody like Alan Silvestri who is going to be writing 506 00:23:15,640 --> 00:23:18,480 Speaker 2: the score. And one of the things that Leland Stitch 507 00:23:18,520 --> 00:23:21,120 Speaker 2: was made for a lower budget than movies were being 508 00:23:21,119 --> 00:23:23,560 Speaker 2: made for at the time. We felt we could buy 509 00:23:23,680 --> 00:23:27,040 Speaker 2: our story freedom by lowering the budget, which is exactly 510 00:23:27,040 --> 00:23:28,800 Speaker 2: what happened. But one of the things that both you 511 00:23:28,800 --> 00:23:32,399 Speaker 2: and I told the producers and asked the studio carve 512 00:23:32,480 --> 00:23:36,720 Speaker 2: off enough money to buy the best score money can buy, 513 00:23:36,880 --> 00:23:38,880 Speaker 2: and we will make the film for whatever is left over. 514 00:23:38,960 --> 00:23:41,120 Speaker 2: And that's exactly what they did. So we got Alan 515 00:23:41,200 --> 00:23:44,840 Speaker 2: Silvestri and there was this really important day where we 516 00:23:44,840 --> 00:23:47,640 Speaker 2: were looking at the boards and Alan Silvester was looking 517 00:23:47,680 --> 00:23:50,479 Speaker 2: at the whole film on board and looking at the outline, 518 00:23:50,600 --> 00:23:52,399 Speaker 2: and he said, I really liked this movie, and he 519 00:23:52,440 --> 00:23:55,000 Speaker 2: had a few suggestions, but he said, there's one thing 520 00:23:55,080 --> 00:23:58,159 Speaker 2: I didn't see. I didn't see the moment where Stitch 521 00:23:58,240 --> 00:24:00,600 Speaker 2: turns from bad to good, because which is a villain 522 00:24:00,600 --> 00:24:02,840 Speaker 2: that becomes a hero and that was what the base, 523 00:24:03,080 --> 00:24:05,600 Speaker 2: That was really the basis of the whole story. He's 524 00:24:05,640 --> 00:24:08,159 Speaker 2: the first and I think at this point still the 525 00:24:08,160 --> 00:24:11,119 Speaker 2: only Disney villain who then becomes the hero of the story. 526 00:24:11,240 --> 00:24:13,280 Speaker 2: And Allan was like, well, where does that happen? And 527 00:24:13,320 --> 00:24:16,160 Speaker 2: both Dean and I at that point were like, oh, well, yeah, 528 00:24:16,440 --> 00:24:18,879 Speaker 2: we tried to write it. We couldn't really figure it out, 529 00:24:19,000 --> 00:24:21,159 Speaker 2: and it sort of happens here kind of between these 530 00:24:21,200 --> 00:24:23,720 Speaker 2: two shots, and suddenly both Dean and I think were 531 00:24:23,720 --> 00:24:27,120 Speaker 2: confronted with the reality that we hadn't really been able 532 00:24:27,119 --> 00:24:29,560 Speaker 2: to put it up there on the boards. And I'll 533 00:24:29,560 --> 00:24:32,600 Speaker 2: never forget what Alan said. We basically told Alan we 534 00:24:32,600 --> 00:24:34,960 Speaker 2: didn't know how to do it, and he said, put 535 00:24:35,000 --> 00:24:37,440 Speaker 2: it on screen and I'll do it. And I guess 536 00:24:37,440 --> 00:24:38,840 Speaker 2: we were saying we couldn't, we didn't know how to 537 00:24:38,840 --> 00:24:40,879 Speaker 2: say it, and he said, put it on screen and 538 00:24:40,880 --> 00:24:42,679 Speaker 2: I'll say it, and he said it with music. And 539 00:24:42,680 --> 00:24:45,960 Speaker 2: so there's a moment where Nannie realizes that they can't 540 00:24:46,080 --> 00:24:49,760 Speaker 2: retrieve le Lo, and she's crying and Stitch's watching her, 541 00:24:50,240 --> 00:24:52,639 Speaker 2: and if you listen, there's a subtle change in the 542 00:24:52,720 --> 00:24:56,320 Speaker 2: music and Stitch walks up to her and he speaks 543 00:24:56,359 --> 00:24:59,479 Speaker 2: to her, and that's the moment of change. And what 544 00:24:59,560 --> 00:25:03,440 Speaker 2: we realized at that point was that music does the 545 00:25:03,480 --> 00:25:07,200 Speaker 2: heaviest lifting of all when it comes to story, and 546 00:25:07,880 --> 00:25:10,960 Speaker 2: music is unassailable. No one's going to laugh at music. 547 00:25:11,240 --> 00:25:13,280 Speaker 2: You can, you can throw an awkward line in or 548 00:25:13,320 --> 00:25:16,439 Speaker 2: an awkward shot and it gets an inadvertent laugh and 549 00:25:16,480 --> 00:25:18,720 Speaker 2: you've kind of blown it. But nobody laughs at music. 550 00:25:18,840 --> 00:25:21,960 Speaker 2: And so Alan just like taught us such an incredibly 551 00:25:22,040 --> 00:25:24,520 Speaker 2: important lesson that day, and we really took that to heart. 552 00:25:24,520 --> 00:25:26,520 Speaker 2: So later on, when Diana and I were working on 553 00:25:26,560 --> 00:25:29,000 Speaker 2: How to Train Your Dragon, one of the first things 554 00:25:29,040 --> 00:25:32,040 Speaker 2: we do now is we carve out a house for 555 00:25:32,200 --> 00:25:34,520 Speaker 2: music in different places in the film. So in How 556 00:25:34,560 --> 00:25:37,280 Speaker 2: to Train Your Dragon, in that scene where Hiccup is 557 00:25:37,320 --> 00:25:42,240 Speaker 2: going to bond and and and he's going to cross 558 00:25:42,240 --> 00:25:46,520 Speaker 2: this divide and form a connection to this dragon, no dialogue, 559 00:25:46,560 --> 00:25:50,399 Speaker 2: it's all music, and we just know the characters shut up. 560 00:25:51,240 --> 00:25:54,240 Speaker 2: All the characters shut up, and music takes over. And 561 00:25:54,359 --> 00:25:57,480 Speaker 2: that's just something that Diana and I really believe in now. 562 00:25:57,760 --> 00:25:59,560 Speaker 2: And we learned that on Leland Stitch. 563 00:26:00,200 --> 00:26:03,040 Speaker 1: Is the love for Elvis music always a part of 564 00:26:03,080 --> 00:26:04,960 Speaker 1: the story. Or did that come along when you were 565 00:26:05,000 --> 00:26:05,960 Speaker 1: trying to find the music. 566 00:26:06,240 --> 00:26:09,520 Speaker 2: I was a big Elvis fan, so I simply gave that. 567 00:26:09,600 --> 00:26:11,880 Speaker 2: I imprinted that only low. And it was really cool 568 00:26:11,880 --> 00:26:14,000 Speaker 2: because we actually had to engage with the Elvis estate. 569 00:26:14,520 --> 00:26:16,760 Speaker 2: We had done three things that you were not allowed 570 00:26:16,800 --> 00:26:21,479 Speaker 2: to do without permission. We had shown an image of Elvis, 571 00:26:21,680 --> 00:26:25,040 Speaker 2: we had used his lyrics, and we had also used 572 00:26:25,080 --> 00:26:27,119 Speaker 2: his music, and you can't do any of those things 573 00:26:27,160 --> 00:26:32,399 Speaker 2: without permission. So so there came a day when we 574 00:26:32,440 --> 00:26:34,360 Speaker 2: had we had to approach the Elvis of State and 575 00:26:34,680 --> 00:26:37,919 Speaker 2: they sent what we call the Memphis Mafia down to 576 00:26:38,000 --> 00:26:40,080 Speaker 2: look at the movie. And all these people from the 577 00:26:40,119 --> 00:26:43,000 Speaker 2: Elvis of State traveled to California and they came into 578 00:26:43,040 --> 00:26:46,000 Speaker 2: the theater one day, and I'll never forget most of 579 00:26:46,040 --> 00:26:49,879 Speaker 2: them were wearing dark glasses. They were wearing sunglasses even 580 00:26:49,920 --> 00:26:51,919 Speaker 2: in the movie theater. As they watched the movie. It 581 00:26:52,000 --> 00:26:54,040 Speaker 2: was exactly as you think it would be. And they 582 00:26:54,080 --> 00:26:56,080 Speaker 2: watched the movie and they came out and they said, 583 00:26:56,200 --> 00:26:59,080 Speaker 2: we're stoked, we love this movie. We're going to approve 584 00:26:59,240 --> 00:27:00,800 Speaker 2: all the stuff you want want to do. And one 585 00:27:00,800 --> 00:27:02,840 Speaker 2: of the cool things we actually got a party at 586 00:27:02,880 --> 00:27:06,080 Speaker 2: the Elvis estate after the movie was done, and Dean 587 00:27:06,160 --> 00:27:08,879 Speaker 2: and I received a key to the city of the 588 00:27:08,880 --> 00:27:11,520 Speaker 2: City of Memphis, and we got a private tour of 589 00:27:11,560 --> 00:27:13,960 Speaker 2: the Elvis of the state and we even got a 590 00:27:14,000 --> 00:27:16,919 Speaker 2: trip to one of their archive buildings where they have 591 00:27:17,200 --> 00:27:21,360 Speaker 2: all of Elvis's actual stuff. There are four archive buildings. 592 00:27:21,400 --> 00:27:26,080 Speaker 2: They are in tornado proof structures. One of them is 593 00:27:26,080 --> 00:27:27,679 Speaker 2: on the property and that's the one that we were 594 00:27:27,720 --> 00:27:30,080 Speaker 2: able to go into. And we were there, you know, 595 00:27:30,080 --> 00:27:33,160 Speaker 2: all these amongst all these shelves that had all these 596 00:27:33,240 --> 00:27:36,159 Speaker 2: archival boxes, and we were like, so, what's in all 597 00:27:36,200 --> 00:27:38,199 Speaker 2: of these? And they're like, well, a lot of stuff, 598 00:27:38,240 --> 00:27:40,680 Speaker 2: And we said what do we look at and they said, well, 599 00:27:40,800 --> 00:27:43,000 Speaker 2: I don't know, just pick a box, and so Dean 600 00:27:43,359 --> 00:27:46,000 Speaker 2: Dean picked a box and they opened it up and 601 00:27:46,040 --> 00:27:47,680 Speaker 2: they said, oh, these are all the things that were 602 00:27:47,680 --> 00:27:51,280 Speaker 2: on Elvis's countertop in his bathroom when he died. And 603 00:27:51,280 --> 00:27:53,720 Speaker 2: we simply packed them all up. And they had a 604 00:27:53,760 --> 00:27:58,040 Speaker 2: bottle of his high karate aftershavee that he had used, 605 00:27:58,240 --> 00:28:00,639 Speaker 2: and they opened it up and led us mellet and 606 00:28:00,680 --> 00:28:03,000 Speaker 2: so we saw we saw some of his jumpsuits, we 607 00:28:03,040 --> 00:28:05,479 Speaker 2: saw a pair of boxing gloves that Muhammad Ali had 608 00:28:05,520 --> 00:28:08,919 Speaker 2: given him. It was amazing. Anyway, They were amazing. They 609 00:28:08,960 --> 00:28:11,959 Speaker 2: were so kind and so generous, and it was just 610 00:28:12,080 --> 00:28:15,240 Speaker 2: such a great thing that we partnered with them anyway, 611 00:28:15,320 --> 00:28:16,840 Speaker 2: one of those great lucky things. 612 00:28:17,040 --> 00:28:19,199 Speaker 1: One of my other favorite parts of the movie is 613 00:28:19,280 --> 00:28:22,200 Speaker 1: how Leelo is like a five six year old girl 614 00:28:22,240 --> 00:28:25,679 Speaker 1: but sometimes has like these really dark, almost much older 615 00:28:25,720 --> 00:28:28,879 Speaker 1: thoughts than her. How is that writing in things of 616 00:28:28,960 --> 00:28:31,760 Speaker 1: like leave me alone here to die? Like, how do 617 00:28:31,800 --> 00:28:33,840 Speaker 1: you kind of approach that to make it kind of 618 00:28:33,840 --> 00:28:35,320 Speaker 1: alievable that it's a kid saying this? 619 00:28:35,680 --> 00:28:40,680 Speaker 2: You know? That was Dean's line in Dean's scene. Dean 620 00:28:40,720 --> 00:28:43,479 Speaker 2: also did the he invented the whole my friends need 621 00:28:43,520 --> 00:28:45,720 Speaker 2: to be punished and she's ticking those spoons in the 622 00:28:45,920 --> 00:28:48,719 Speaker 2: in the pickle jar. That was just Dean in my sensibility. 623 00:28:48,800 --> 00:28:50,240 Speaker 2: But one of the things we had we did was 624 00:28:50,240 --> 00:28:53,640 Speaker 2: we our voice actor was a girl named Devey Chase, 625 00:28:54,120 --> 00:28:59,240 Speaker 2: and we we we auditioned a lot of young actors 626 00:28:59,280 --> 00:29:01,160 Speaker 2: to try to find the voice. It was one of 627 00:29:01,200 --> 00:29:03,000 Speaker 2: those you'll know it when you know it, And when 628 00:29:03,040 --> 00:29:06,040 Speaker 2: Dveke came in, she had this really very interesting way 629 00:29:06,040 --> 00:29:08,280 Speaker 2: of delivering her lines. She had a little bit of 630 00:29:08,280 --> 00:29:11,960 Speaker 2: this sort of deadpan kind of delivery, and we were like, 631 00:29:12,040 --> 00:29:15,040 Speaker 2: that's Lelo, that's her, And so it's one of those 632 00:29:15,040 --> 00:29:17,200 Speaker 2: things that, like, you write it and then you meet 633 00:29:17,240 --> 00:29:19,760 Speaker 2: the voice, and hearing the voice helps you write it. 634 00:29:19,960 --> 00:29:22,000 Speaker 2: So it's this kind of a snowball effect. But I 635 00:29:22,080 --> 00:29:25,000 Speaker 2: must credit Deem for that really great scene that was 636 00:29:25,240 --> 00:29:28,120 Speaker 2: entirely his. He wrote it and he even storyboarded it. 637 00:29:28,320 --> 00:29:30,800 Speaker 1: So we've seen sequel Lelo and Stitch, You've seen the 638 00:29:30,800 --> 00:29:33,680 Speaker 1: TV series, but now with Disney Plus, will there ever 639 00:29:33,760 --> 00:29:36,520 Speaker 1: be any other installment of Lelo and Stitch. 640 00:29:36,800 --> 00:29:37,520 Speaker 2: I think there will be. 641 00:29:37,600 --> 00:29:37,760 Speaker 5: I think. 642 00:29:38,040 --> 00:29:39,840 Speaker 2: I mean, he's a very very popular character. One of 643 00:29:39,880 --> 00:29:43,960 Speaker 2: the things that has been very amazing is that I 644 00:29:43,960 --> 00:29:46,760 Speaker 2: always hoped to pitch and create a movie that had 645 00:29:46,760 --> 00:29:49,160 Speaker 2: a character that really endured. And one of the things 646 00:29:49,160 --> 00:29:51,440 Speaker 2: that I absolutely am delighted with is whenever I go 647 00:29:51,480 --> 00:29:55,720 Speaker 2: to Disney properties. I can go to Disney World or 648 00:29:55,720 --> 00:29:59,000 Speaker 2: I can go to Disneyland, and you'll walk into stores 649 00:29:59,080 --> 00:30:02,080 Speaker 2: and there are not just Stitch products. Sometimes there are 650 00:30:02,320 --> 00:30:05,560 Speaker 2: entire sections of the store that are literally devoted just 651 00:30:05,640 --> 00:30:09,240 Speaker 2: to him. And that is just mind blowing and I 652 00:30:09,280 --> 00:30:13,120 Speaker 2: am so so proud of that. And it's so weird too, 653 00:30:13,200 --> 00:30:16,560 Speaker 2: because I'm like, I drew him one day in Palm Springs. 654 00:30:16,760 --> 00:30:18,960 Speaker 2: I have the first drawing of him, and now he's 655 00:30:18,960 --> 00:30:22,479 Speaker 2: been reproduced millions of times and he'll a a lot 656 00:30:22,520 --> 00:30:25,160 Speaker 2: of times. There'll be like a product it'll have mihat 657 00:30:25,240 --> 00:30:27,840 Speaker 2: Donald and Stitch and it's like, oh my God, like 658 00:30:27,880 --> 00:30:32,880 Speaker 2: he's really like he's there right. So yeah, I've been 659 00:30:32,880 --> 00:30:34,719 Speaker 2: writing little things because I thought, you know, he's part 660 00:30:34,760 --> 00:30:36,640 Speaker 2: of the Disney universe now. And just a really quick 661 00:30:36,640 --> 00:30:39,680 Speaker 2: side note, the whole ad campaign that we introduced the 662 00:30:39,720 --> 00:30:43,560 Speaker 2: movie with was an ad campaign that Dean and I 663 00:30:43,600 --> 00:30:44,400 Speaker 2: thought up. 664 00:30:44,440 --> 00:30:46,720 Speaker 1: With him placing in other like movie posters. 665 00:30:47,040 --> 00:30:49,320 Speaker 2: Yes, because as the movie was coming close to release 666 00:30:49,360 --> 00:30:50,800 Speaker 2: and we were thinking about how we were going to 667 00:30:50,840 --> 00:30:53,000 Speaker 2: market it, we were sitting around one day talking about 668 00:30:53,040 --> 00:30:54,920 Speaker 2: this whole thing and I said, out loud, isn't it weird? 669 00:30:55,120 --> 00:30:58,360 Speaker 2: This little character that we started all by ourselves is 670 00:30:58,400 --> 00:31:01,000 Speaker 2: going is about to invade the Disney universe and from 671 00:31:01,000 --> 00:31:03,400 Speaker 2: now on, when they do a lineup of Disney characters, 672 00:31:03,560 --> 00:31:05,280 Speaker 2: Stitch will always have to be in there with them. 673 00:31:05,440 --> 00:31:07,720 Speaker 2: And the idea, like the idea of like, oh, him 674 00:31:07,760 --> 00:31:10,560 Speaker 2: invading the Disney universe. We all, well, wouldn't it be 675 00:31:10,560 --> 00:31:12,240 Speaker 2: funny if we did the whole opening the Lion King 676 00:31:12,320 --> 00:31:14,760 Speaker 2: when they helped the whole cub up. It wasn't the 677 00:31:14,840 --> 00:31:17,280 Speaker 2: cub but it was Stitch and everybody just ran away, 678 00:31:17,360 --> 00:31:19,480 Speaker 2: and the whole idea just made us laugh. So we 679 00:31:19,680 --> 00:31:22,880 Speaker 2: boarded that out and we went to this meeting with 680 00:31:23,000 --> 00:31:25,640 Speaker 2: Dick Cook, who was on the main lot and he 681 00:31:25,680 --> 00:31:28,040 Speaker 2: was in charge of these things and he was an 682 00:31:28,040 --> 00:31:30,480 Speaker 2: executive there, and we pitched it and it got a 683 00:31:30,480 --> 00:31:34,440 Speaker 2: big laugh. Dick Cook said, I like this, and then 684 00:31:34,520 --> 00:31:37,320 Speaker 2: they said, can we do more? And so we started 685 00:31:37,400 --> 00:31:39,960 Speaker 2: kicking around the ideas of having him show up in 686 00:31:40,000 --> 00:31:42,480 Speaker 2: the Little Mermaid in Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast, 687 00:31:42,920 --> 00:31:45,720 Speaker 2: and which means we had to go back and re 688 00:31:45,720 --> 00:31:49,280 Speaker 2: record those actors with new lines. And that was really 689 00:31:49,280 --> 00:31:53,120 Speaker 2: funny because none of them were super stoked about it 690 00:31:53,200 --> 00:31:55,800 Speaker 2: like they I think it was the idea of it 691 00:31:55,840 --> 00:31:57,600 Speaker 2: wasn't like we didn't want to do it. They were 692 00:31:57,760 --> 00:32:00,360 Speaker 2: very professional and they were very very generous, and he 693 00:32:00,440 --> 00:32:02,080 Speaker 2: did a great job. I think it was more the 694 00:32:02,120 --> 00:32:04,600 Speaker 2: idea of, like, what's this thing doing in my movie? 695 00:32:04,800 --> 00:32:09,360 Speaker 2: And the funniest one was when we recorded Bell. She 696 00:32:09,960 --> 00:32:12,200 Speaker 2: was on speakerphone and she was in New York, so 697 00:32:12,240 --> 00:32:14,600 Speaker 2: we were recording her remotely. And the funny thing was, 698 00:32:14,600 --> 00:32:18,160 Speaker 2: because she was just on speakerphone, it was impossible not 699 00:32:18,280 --> 00:32:21,560 Speaker 2: to imagine that the actual Bell was at the other 700 00:32:21,640 --> 00:32:23,800 Speaker 2: end of the line talking to you because you couldn't 701 00:32:23,840 --> 00:32:26,520 Speaker 2: see her. So in my mind, it's Bell, it's the 702 00:32:26,560 --> 00:32:29,360 Speaker 2: cartoon character. And I remember we said, okay, this this 703 00:32:29,440 --> 00:32:31,560 Speaker 2: is the idea. She's going to show up and he's 704 00:32:31,600 --> 00:32:34,440 Speaker 2: going to ruin your special dance with Beast, and then 705 00:32:34,480 --> 00:32:36,360 Speaker 2: you're going to say I'll be in my room and 706 00:32:36,440 --> 00:32:39,239 Speaker 2: you're and you're upset, and then there was a there 707 00:32:39,280 --> 00:32:43,400 Speaker 2: was a beat, and she said, so I'm mad at him. 708 00:32:44,400 --> 00:32:48,440 Speaker 2: They said, well, you're disappointed, right, and she'd go okay, 709 00:32:48,600 --> 00:32:50,400 Speaker 2: and so she would do the line and she say 710 00:32:50,440 --> 00:32:51,760 Speaker 2: I'll be in my room and she had this really 711 00:32:51,800 --> 00:32:53,600 Speaker 2: sort of upbeat delivery, and we said, well, I think 712 00:32:53,600 --> 00:32:56,680 Speaker 2: you're more disappointed than that, right. So we eventually got 713 00:32:56,720 --> 00:33:00,280 Speaker 2: to the place where she felt very, very upset, but 714 00:33:00,320 --> 00:33:02,320 Speaker 2: it was just so sweet and so cute because she 715 00:33:02,400 --> 00:33:05,160 Speaker 2: was like, wait a minute, it was just it was 716 00:33:05,240 --> 00:33:08,160 Speaker 2: so it was great and they were what again, it 717 00:33:08,240 --> 00:33:10,880 Speaker 2: was so cool because I got to meet those actors. 718 00:33:11,120 --> 00:33:13,240 Speaker 2: I never thought i'd meet them, but that was so cool. 719 00:33:13,520 --> 00:33:17,120 Speaker 1: I mean, you created an iconic character, got to work 720 00:33:17,160 --> 00:33:19,760 Speaker 1: with people who are also iconic characters. It's amazing to 721 00:33:19,760 --> 00:33:22,960 Speaker 1: see that all come together. And I can't wait to 722 00:33:23,000 --> 00:33:25,560 Speaker 1: see what comes next, and hopefully I'll get to talk 723 00:33:25,560 --> 00:33:27,760 Speaker 1: to you again once that comes around. I really appreciate 724 00:33:27,800 --> 00:33:29,120 Speaker 1: the time absolutely. 725 00:33:29,160 --> 00:33:30,600 Speaker 2: If you ever wanted to do a follow up, I'm 726 00:33:30,600 --> 00:33:32,840 Speaker 2: so sorry we were late on this because time zones 727 00:33:32,880 --> 00:33:35,440 Speaker 2: mixed up, but yeah, let's do that. That would be fantastic. 728 00:33:35,480 --> 00:33:37,160 Speaker 2: I really enjoyed chatting with you so much. 729 00:33:37,200 --> 00:33:37,960 Speaker 1: Oh thanks, Churris. 730 00:33:37,960 --> 00:33:39,760 Speaker 2: Have a good day, you two. I'll talk to you soon. 731 00:33:43,400 --> 00:33:45,600 Speaker 1: Blue Diamond Phillips is in a brand new movie called 732 00:33:45,600 --> 00:33:48,440 Speaker 1: Adverse and really just an actor that I looked up 733 00:33:48,480 --> 00:33:50,640 Speaker 1: to for a very long time for his roles in 734 00:33:50,720 --> 00:33:54,760 Speaker 1: LaBamba Stand and Deliver Young Guns because really, for one 735 00:33:54,800 --> 00:33:56,640 Speaker 1: of the first times ever as a kid, I looked 736 00:33:56,680 --> 00:33:59,200 Speaker 1: up at the screen and saw somebody who looked like me. 737 00:33:59,280 --> 00:34:01,280 Speaker 1: So we'll get into that. And if you don't know 738 00:34:01,360 --> 00:34:03,239 Speaker 1: about Lou Diamond Phillips, well where have we been all 739 00:34:03,240 --> 00:34:06,000 Speaker 1: these years. So before we get into the interview, here's 740 00:34:06,000 --> 00:34:08,320 Speaker 1: just a little highlight reel that I put together. 741 00:34:08,400 --> 00:34:10,000 Speaker 2: I got the test ahead of time. I passed thro 742 00:34:10,000 --> 00:34:13,080 Speaker 2: out to everyone else. How did you get the test? No, man, 743 00:34:13,239 --> 00:34:17,759 Speaker 2: I strangled in his buddies, decomposing in my locker. I 744 00:34:17,800 --> 00:34:19,440 Speaker 2: don't see what's wrong with some of those takes. Man, 745 00:34:19,440 --> 00:34:21,920 Speaker 2: that's the way I sing. It's got to be clean, Richie. 746 00:34:21,920 --> 00:34:24,480 Speaker 2: Each take has to be identical, why so that we 747 00:34:24,560 --> 00:34:27,600 Speaker 2: can edit later. Look, look, this is in Mexico? Who 748 00:34:27,600 --> 00:34:28,120 Speaker 2: said it was? 749 00:34:28,239 --> 00:34:28,839 Speaker 1: I lived there. 750 00:34:28,880 --> 00:34:31,440 Speaker 2: I understand the tradition of the song. They're always changing 751 00:34:31,480 --> 00:34:33,800 Speaker 2: the lyrics. Look, man, I've never even been to Mexico. 752 00:34:33,880 --> 00:34:35,680 Speaker 2: My music is my music. Huh tell him? 753 00:34:36,239 --> 00:34:47,200 Speaker 1: There's a bit of a rattlesnake long now with lou 754 00:34:47,280 --> 00:34:49,319 Speaker 1: Diamond Phillips. I gotta say, it's a pleasure to be 755 00:34:49,320 --> 00:34:51,000 Speaker 1: talking to you. I feel like you're an actor. I've 756 00:34:51,040 --> 00:34:52,799 Speaker 1: been looking up for a long time now. 757 00:34:56,719 --> 00:34:57,560 Speaker 5: A lot of violence. 758 00:34:57,760 --> 00:34:59,760 Speaker 1: So you grew up in Corpus Christie, Texas? 759 00:34:59,800 --> 00:34:59,960 Speaker 2: Right? 760 00:35:00,640 --> 00:35:01,399 Speaker 5: Yes? I did? Yeah? 761 00:35:01,560 --> 00:35:03,279 Speaker 1: And did you actually work at Waterburger? 762 00:35:03,719 --> 00:35:05,759 Speaker 5: That was one of my first jobs. My very first 763 00:35:05,800 --> 00:35:08,480 Speaker 5: job was as a cook's assistant on the Navy base. 764 00:35:08,680 --> 00:35:11,840 Speaker 5: My dad was in the Navy, and I got me 765 00:35:11,840 --> 00:35:14,120 Speaker 5: a job when I was like sixteen there. But yeah, 766 00:35:14,200 --> 00:35:18,360 Speaker 5: shortly thereafter I worked at Waterburger for quite a while. 767 00:35:18,440 --> 00:35:20,920 Speaker 5: I was like the crew chief and employee of the 768 00:35:20,960 --> 00:35:23,120 Speaker 5: month and all that. I mean, I slipped some burgers. 769 00:35:23,120 --> 00:35:25,799 Speaker 1: Man, I love Waterburger. I grew up in Texas too, 770 00:35:26,120 --> 00:35:28,400 Speaker 1: and I was wondering, like, if while you're working there, 771 00:35:29,040 --> 00:35:30,960 Speaker 1: is it a thing that you tell your coworkers that 772 00:35:31,040 --> 00:35:32,920 Speaker 1: you wanted to be an actor? Was that like not 773 00:35:33,239 --> 00:35:34,399 Speaker 1: in your plans at that time? 774 00:35:35,120 --> 00:35:38,359 Speaker 5: Oh? No, no, no, no, no, no, it was. It 775 00:35:38,400 --> 00:35:41,560 Speaker 5: was fairly well known throughout high school that you know, 776 00:35:41,719 --> 00:35:45,440 Speaker 5: I wanted to become an actor. I mean I was 777 00:35:45,840 --> 00:35:48,600 Speaker 5: doing a high school theater. You know, in Texas we 778 00:35:48,640 --> 00:35:52,040 Speaker 5: had the UIL, the university interscholastically, and so I was 779 00:35:52,080 --> 00:35:54,319 Speaker 5: part of the drama club and I was, you know, 780 00:35:54,640 --> 00:35:57,840 Speaker 5: competing a lot and unfortunately winning awards and so a 781 00:35:57,880 --> 00:36:01,279 Speaker 5: lot of positive reinforcement. I think everybody knew by my 782 00:36:01,320 --> 00:36:02,640 Speaker 5: aspirations were at that time. 783 00:36:03,400 --> 00:36:06,160 Speaker 1: So you've been in movies since the eighties. I just wonder, 784 00:36:06,200 --> 00:36:08,720 Speaker 1: at this point does acting kind of come second nature 785 00:36:08,760 --> 00:36:10,279 Speaker 1: to you, or does it still like a like a 786 00:36:10,360 --> 00:36:11,720 Speaker 1: muscle that you have to flex. 787 00:36:12,280 --> 00:36:15,200 Speaker 5: I mean, if you're anowledging yourself, it's always a muscle 788 00:36:15,239 --> 00:36:17,000 Speaker 5: you have to pless. You always have to work out. 789 00:36:17,040 --> 00:36:20,879 Speaker 5: I mean, you know, uh, if you start phoning it in, man, 790 00:36:20,960 --> 00:36:23,959 Speaker 5: it shows you know, people can see if you're uninspired. 791 00:36:24,520 --> 00:36:27,320 Speaker 5: And I try not to do roles that don't matter 792 00:36:27,360 --> 00:36:29,120 Speaker 5: to me, you know what I mean. I have to 793 00:36:29,120 --> 00:36:31,319 Speaker 5: be excited about something anytime I'm going to do it. 794 00:36:32,040 --> 00:36:35,120 Speaker 5: The work is too hard otherwise, you know. Uh. And 795 00:36:35,280 --> 00:36:37,479 Speaker 5: and even when I'm you know, doing something that would 796 00:36:37,480 --> 00:36:40,520 Speaker 5: be as seemingly as uh, you know, familiar, as as 797 00:36:40,560 --> 00:36:43,440 Speaker 5: the role I'm playing on Prodigal Sun, there's you know, 798 00:36:43,480 --> 00:36:46,040 Speaker 5: there's there's new stuff to it all the time. I mean, 799 00:36:46,160 --> 00:36:50,000 Speaker 5: uh uh, the layers of you know, relationships and history 800 00:36:50,000 --> 00:36:52,440 Speaker 5: and bag and I mean it's it's it's always a blessing. 801 00:36:52,480 --> 00:36:55,680 Speaker 5: It's always fun. And the uh, you know, the the 802 00:36:55,719 --> 00:36:59,160 Speaker 5: other actors that you work with many they really inspire 803 00:36:59,239 --> 00:37:01,960 Speaker 5: you to bring your best game all the time, you know. 804 00:37:02,800 --> 00:37:04,279 Speaker 5: And I also try to snk it up. I mean, 805 00:37:04,280 --> 00:37:06,520 Speaker 5: like this movie Adverse that I have out that is 806 00:37:06,560 --> 00:37:09,760 Speaker 5: a little independent film you know that Thomas and Nichols 807 00:37:09,760 --> 00:37:12,560 Speaker 5: put together. I said yes because, well, first of all, 808 00:37:12,600 --> 00:37:15,680 Speaker 5: Thomas is a friend, and so is Sean. Aston was 809 00:37:15,680 --> 00:37:17,960 Speaker 5: already a part of the cast, you know, but then 810 00:37:18,000 --> 00:37:20,360 Speaker 5: Mickey or joined the tell A Van Miller and so 811 00:37:20,520 --> 00:37:22,520 Speaker 5: let's do something a little different. Let's you know, let's 812 00:37:22,560 --> 00:37:25,120 Speaker 5: get edgy, let's not get too comfortable with it. And 813 00:37:25,520 --> 00:37:28,479 Speaker 5: you know, it's always it's always fun to join a 814 00:37:28,480 --> 00:37:30,920 Speaker 5: an ensemble like that where you know it's not about 815 00:37:30,920 --> 00:37:32,919 Speaker 5: the money, it's not about the luxury, but it's about 816 00:37:32,960 --> 00:37:35,480 Speaker 5: you know, independent film and an up and coming director 817 00:37:35,560 --> 00:37:37,719 Speaker 5: like Brian Metcalf and and you know, you keep it 818 00:37:37,719 --> 00:37:38,600 Speaker 5: fresh for yourself. 819 00:37:38,960 --> 00:37:40,360 Speaker 1: Yeah, And I want to talk about that movie. You 820 00:37:40,360 --> 00:37:42,600 Speaker 1: played doctor Cruz in it, and you mentioned how it 821 00:37:42,640 --> 00:37:44,239 Speaker 1: had to be something that you wanted to kind of 822 00:37:44,400 --> 00:37:47,040 Speaker 1: still test yourself with. So when you get that script 823 00:37:47,040 --> 00:37:50,839 Speaker 1: for that movie, what's your like creative process to kind 824 00:37:50,880 --> 00:37:52,680 Speaker 1: of find your character in that? Like, do you have 825 00:37:52,719 --> 00:37:54,920 Speaker 1: a creative process to know like who you're gonna be 826 00:37:54,960 --> 00:37:57,440 Speaker 1: going into sept from when you get the script to 827 00:37:57,480 --> 00:37:58,719 Speaker 1: when you show up Actually the. 828 00:37:58,760 --> 00:38:01,840 Speaker 5: Film, Well, it's because it kind of came about because 829 00:38:03,200 --> 00:38:05,120 Speaker 5: I was doing a lot of conventions, you know, before 830 00:38:05,160 --> 00:38:08,560 Speaker 5: the pandemic hit, and I was running into Thomas a 831 00:38:08,560 --> 00:38:11,680 Speaker 5: lot and you know, I had you known him, uh 832 00:38:11,719 --> 00:38:14,040 Speaker 5: you know uh in and around Hollywood for a while 833 00:38:14,280 --> 00:38:17,200 Speaker 5: and he said, Hey, I'm doing this independent film. You know, 834 00:38:17,239 --> 00:38:18,880 Speaker 5: you want to see the scriptures? And yeah, sure, you know, 835 00:38:18,960 --> 00:38:20,960 Speaker 5: And like I said, Sean was already in Buddy and 836 00:38:21,000 --> 00:38:24,319 Speaker 5: he was already attached. And you know, you look at 837 00:38:24,320 --> 00:38:25,800 Speaker 5: the role and you go, can is there something that 838 00:38:25,880 --> 00:38:27,640 Speaker 5: I can break to this? Is there something that you 839 00:38:27,680 --> 00:38:31,960 Speaker 5: know I can illuminate you know if you will, you know, 840 00:38:32,160 --> 00:38:35,279 Speaker 5: as part of the character. And at this point in 841 00:38:35,320 --> 00:38:37,799 Speaker 5: my life and career, there's a couple of reasons why 842 00:38:37,840 --> 00:38:40,439 Speaker 5: I do something, you know, and I'm excited about the role, 843 00:38:40,760 --> 00:38:43,279 Speaker 5: I'm excited about who I'm working with. And this this 844 00:38:43,480 --> 00:38:48,480 Speaker 5: was both you know, uh, the end of a certain age, 845 00:38:48,800 --> 00:38:50,440 Speaker 5: you know, playing a role of it is you know, 846 00:38:50,800 --> 00:38:56,600 Speaker 5: uh supportive or is authoritative you know that that tries 847 00:38:56,640 --> 00:38:58,760 Speaker 5: to keep somebody on the on the straight and narrow, 848 00:38:58,880 --> 00:39:00,880 Speaker 5: you know, and I felt like, you know, being a 849 00:39:00,920 --> 00:39:03,279 Speaker 5: father you know as well this there was a lot 850 00:39:03,320 --> 00:39:07,160 Speaker 5: about this role that I could tap into, you know, 851 00:39:07,320 --> 00:39:09,680 Speaker 5: just just what comes to me, you know naturally. Uh, 852 00:39:09,760 --> 00:39:11,759 Speaker 5: kind of the same thing with the Gila Royal on 853 00:39:12,120 --> 00:39:15,200 Speaker 5: Prodigal Son. You know, he's the boss, but he's very 854 00:39:15,280 --> 00:39:17,480 Speaker 5: you know, fatherly toward not only his team, but you 855 00:39:17,520 --> 00:39:21,520 Speaker 5: know Malcolm Bright, who was the lead profiler. So there 856 00:39:21,640 --> 00:39:25,520 Speaker 5: there's something about you know, my history, about the life 857 00:39:25,560 --> 00:39:28,520 Speaker 5: that I've lived that lends itself to you know, to 858 00:39:28,680 --> 00:39:32,680 Speaker 5: to bringing some some experience to the role without having 859 00:39:32,719 --> 00:39:34,239 Speaker 5: to you know, hit it over the head. It's just 860 00:39:34,280 --> 00:39:36,840 Speaker 5: part of who you are now. So uh, you know 861 00:39:36,920 --> 00:39:39,440 Speaker 5: that that that speaks to me in most of the 862 00:39:39,480 --> 00:39:40,560 Speaker 5: things that I've done recently. 863 00:39:40,680 --> 00:39:43,359 Speaker 1: And I was recently talking to Michael Penya and we 864 00:39:43,360 --> 00:39:45,560 Speaker 1: were talking about some of the actors who inspired us 865 00:39:45,560 --> 00:39:48,719 Speaker 1: because I'm Mexican American and he is as well. And 866 00:39:49,000 --> 00:39:51,719 Speaker 1: what two of the actors he named were Edward James 867 00:39:51,760 --> 00:39:55,120 Speaker 1: almost in you and I'm sure you kind of get 868 00:39:55,120 --> 00:39:57,120 Speaker 1: that a lot now, like people who are like, oh 869 00:39:57,160 --> 00:39:59,040 Speaker 1: it was kind of seeing you on screen for the 870 00:39:59,040 --> 00:40:01,120 Speaker 1: first time. I was like, Hey, there somebody who actually 871 00:40:01,200 --> 00:40:02,719 Speaker 1: kind of looks like me for the first time. 872 00:40:03,200 --> 00:40:05,840 Speaker 5: You know, it's interesting, man, because you know, you just 873 00:40:05,920 --> 00:40:07,680 Speaker 5: kind of you do what you do, and then you're 874 00:40:07,680 --> 00:40:11,400 Speaker 5: following your own path and then eventually you start going, wow, 875 00:40:11,600 --> 00:40:14,280 Speaker 5: I guess I am carrying a flag here. I guess 876 00:40:14,320 --> 00:40:19,080 Speaker 5: I am representative of you know, people who need to 877 00:40:19,080 --> 00:40:21,400 Speaker 5: be represented. And one of the first times that I 878 00:40:21,440 --> 00:40:25,880 Speaker 5: remember experiencing that was I spoke at NYU, you know, 879 00:40:26,320 --> 00:40:29,400 Speaker 5: at the film school here in New York, and a 880 00:40:29,440 --> 00:40:31,960 Speaker 5: young Puerto Rican actress you know, has said, you know, 881 00:40:32,040 --> 00:40:35,000 Speaker 5: about standing Deliver, that she finally looked up and saw 882 00:40:35,000 --> 00:40:38,040 Speaker 5: people that looked like her on screen and that's why 883 00:40:38,080 --> 00:40:42,000 Speaker 5: she decided to pursue acting, you know. And it's interesting 884 00:40:42,040 --> 00:40:45,279 Speaker 5: when I look back a lot of the guys that 885 00:40:45,280 --> 00:40:47,960 Speaker 5: were inspirational to me in the seventies, you know, with 886 00:40:48,160 --> 00:40:52,040 Speaker 5: the swarthy guys, you know, DeNiro and Paccino and Austin, 887 00:40:52,080 --> 00:40:54,520 Speaker 5: It's like, Okay, not everybody has to be Robert Redford. 888 00:40:54,840 --> 00:40:56,440 Speaker 5: You know, maybe I can actually you know, have a 889 00:40:56,600 --> 00:41:00,239 Speaker 5: have a career at this. And then I wrote a film, 890 00:41:00,360 --> 00:41:02,840 Speaker 5: you know, in the early nineties called a Fish Or 891 00:41:02,840 --> 00:41:06,319 Speaker 5: I actually played Filipino American and Sisilia Peck was my 892 00:41:06,400 --> 00:41:08,560 Speaker 5: leading lady and I got to have dinner with her father, 893 00:41:08,640 --> 00:41:12,239 Speaker 5: Gregory Peck, at a certain point and he said, uh, 894 00:41:12,440 --> 00:41:15,080 Speaker 5: you know who you remind me of my old friend Tony. 895 00:41:15,680 --> 00:41:18,319 Speaker 5: And I thought, well he was gray, that I was kind 896 00:41:18,320 --> 00:41:20,000 Speaker 5: of on his path man, that I was kind of 897 00:41:20,000 --> 00:41:23,040 Speaker 5: carrying the torch that he started. That is, you know, 898 00:41:23,120 --> 00:41:26,279 Speaker 5: representing so many different communities, you know, not just what 899 00:41:26,440 --> 00:41:28,440 Speaker 5: I am, you know, blood wise, but you know, the 900 00:41:28,800 --> 00:41:32,040 Speaker 5: Latino community and the Native American community and just you know, 901 00:41:32,200 --> 00:41:34,400 Speaker 5: I mean I've played Indi with, I've played Asian, you know, 902 00:41:34,760 --> 00:41:38,560 Speaker 5: like in mckeam on Broadway, and and that's what it's about. 903 00:41:38,640 --> 00:41:41,239 Speaker 5: It's representing each of these communities with you know, with 904 00:41:41,320 --> 00:41:44,319 Speaker 5: dignity and with respect. And that's really become kind of 905 00:41:44,320 --> 00:41:46,719 Speaker 5: a you know, a touchstone of my career. 906 00:41:46,600 --> 00:41:48,759 Speaker 1: And your breakout role was LaBamba, which is one of 907 00:41:48,840 --> 00:41:51,879 Speaker 1: my favorite movies of all time. And I think because 908 00:41:51,880 --> 00:41:54,400 Speaker 1: it's not only the story of Richie Vallen's, but ultimately 909 00:41:54,440 --> 00:41:56,399 Speaker 1: it's like the story about brothers, which I think why 910 00:41:56,400 --> 00:41:59,919 Speaker 1: it still resonates now. But I feel like it's hard 911 00:42:00,080 --> 00:42:03,640 Speaker 1: to find any kind of footage of Richie Vallens and 912 00:42:03,719 --> 00:42:05,720 Speaker 1: the way his kind of memory lives on is because 913 00:42:05,760 --> 00:42:08,799 Speaker 1: of your portrayal in that movie. Like at what point, 914 00:42:08,880 --> 00:42:10,839 Speaker 1: did you realize that you weren't just taking on another 915 00:42:10,920 --> 00:42:11,799 Speaker 1: role when you were doing that? 916 00:42:12,880 --> 00:42:15,080 Speaker 5: From the second I read the scripts, you know, I 917 00:42:15,120 --> 00:42:18,560 Speaker 5: mean I got cast out of Dallas, Texas. Uh And 918 00:42:19,600 --> 00:42:22,760 Speaker 5: you know, I had no idea why this Hollywood film 919 00:42:22,760 --> 00:42:25,080 Speaker 5: company was doing this national you know, talent search. It 920 00:42:25,160 --> 00:42:29,120 Speaker 5: was ridiculous. I really could not believe that I even 921 00:42:29,120 --> 00:42:33,000 Speaker 5: had the opportunity to audition for this. And I read 922 00:42:33,040 --> 00:42:35,319 Speaker 5: the script and I just went I knew it was 923 00:42:35,360 --> 00:42:39,600 Speaker 5: the chance of a lifetime. And even my acting coach said, 924 00:42:39,600 --> 00:42:41,400 Speaker 5: you're never going to get this role, but hopefully you're 925 00:42:41,400 --> 00:42:42,759 Speaker 5: going to do a great job and they'll give you 926 00:42:42,800 --> 00:42:45,880 Speaker 5: something smaller, you know, like the drummer or something, you know. 927 00:42:47,520 --> 00:42:49,680 Speaker 5: And so it was it was really lgging in a 928 00:42:49,680 --> 00:42:52,640 Speaker 5: bottle when I got the role. And and then you know, 929 00:42:52,680 --> 00:42:55,600 Speaker 5: working with Luis Valbez and becoming close with the family, 930 00:42:55,640 --> 00:42:57,279 Speaker 5: which was you know, I did throwing into the deep 931 00:42:57,360 --> 00:43:00,319 Speaker 5: end of the pool. You know, I met Bob us 932 00:43:00,400 --> 00:43:03,319 Speaker 5: at this at the screen test, you know, on the 933 00:43:03,360 --> 00:43:05,440 Speaker 5: on the on the Warner Brothers lot. I mean, it 934 00:43:05,520 --> 00:43:08,680 Speaker 5: was it was crazy. Uh. So I knew I knew 935 00:43:08,719 --> 00:43:11,200 Speaker 5: it was a big deal from the beginning. Uh and 936 00:43:11,200 --> 00:43:14,400 Speaker 5: and uh, you know even even beyond that, so I 937 00:43:14,200 --> 00:43:15,960 Speaker 5: I felt, you know, very fortunate. 938 00:43:16,080 --> 00:43:16,560 Speaker 2: Uh. 939 00:43:16,680 --> 00:43:18,439 Speaker 5: And it's funny because you're right. I mean there there 940 00:43:18,560 --> 00:43:23,760 Speaker 5: literally is only a two I think film cuss of Ritchie, 941 00:43:23,800 --> 00:43:27,520 Speaker 5: one from American Bandstand and one from a movie called Go, 942 00:43:27,719 --> 00:43:31,160 Speaker 5: Johnny Go, where he seems come on, Let's go. So 943 00:43:31,480 --> 00:43:33,759 Speaker 5: you know, there wasn't a whole lot to hang my 944 00:43:33,840 --> 00:43:37,239 Speaker 5: hat on performance wise. I really relied, you know, on 945 00:43:37,320 --> 00:43:39,279 Speaker 5: the family to kind of fill in the blanks for me. 946 00:43:39,960 --> 00:43:42,279 Speaker 1: What is that like talking to the real life Bob 947 00:43:42,320 --> 00:43:43,920 Speaker 1: when you're going to play his brother? Like does he 948 00:43:43,960 --> 00:43:46,759 Speaker 1: start to like see his brother and you like, how 949 00:43:46,800 --> 00:43:47,959 Speaker 1: does that relationship work? 950 00:43:49,239 --> 00:43:49,440 Speaker 2: You know? 951 00:43:49,560 --> 00:43:51,040 Speaker 5: I mean they were they were still kind of me 952 00:43:51,080 --> 00:43:54,560 Speaker 5: from the beginning. I mean literally Bob uh said later, 953 00:43:55,160 --> 00:43:57,319 Speaker 5: you know, the when he laid eyes on me and 954 00:43:57,320 --> 00:43:59,480 Speaker 5: then saw the audition because he knew that I was 955 00:43:59,480 --> 00:44:02,440 Speaker 5: going to get the job, which was really sweet. But 956 00:44:02,560 --> 00:44:05,000 Speaker 5: you know Connie and Irma, I mean all all of 957 00:44:05,040 --> 00:44:07,160 Speaker 5: his siblings, a little Mario it was only a baby 958 00:44:07,160 --> 00:44:10,280 Speaker 5: at the time. Uh, and his mom, you know Connie, 959 00:44:10,320 --> 00:44:12,680 Speaker 5: she was around, so they were there every single day, 960 00:44:13,239 --> 00:44:16,759 Speaker 5: and Uh, it would always be like, well would Richie 961 00:44:16,840 --> 00:44:18,800 Speaker 5: do this? Or what would Richie do in this situation? 962 00:44:19,360 --> 00:44:21,000 Speaker 5: You know, they they were able to tell me these things. 963 00:44:21,000 --> 00:44:24,440 Speaker 5: And it wasn't just about Richie. The rock Star was 964 00:44:24,480 --> 00:44:26,880 Speaker 5: about Richie a human being, you know, the seventeen year 965 00:44:26,920 --> 00:44:30,600 Speaker 5: old kick uh and and so that you know that 966 00:44:30,760 --> 00:44:34,040 Speaker 5: was really uh I think was fleshed out the character 967 00:44:34,080 --> 00:44:36,239 Speaker 5: and and and helped him, you know, be more than 968 00:44:36,360 --> 00:44:37,520 Speaker 5: just you know an Indians. 969 00:44:37,600 --> 00:44:39,879 Speaker 1: If you will, I wonder now, if you're ever out 970 00:44:39,920 --> 00:44:42,040 Speaker 1: in public and you hear the song sleep Walk by 971 00:44:42,080 --> 00:44:44,840 Speaker 1: Santo and Johnny, do you immediately have like flashbacks to 972 00:44:44,880 --> 00:44:45,880 Speaker 1: filming that movie? 973 00:44:46,400 --> 00:44:49,040 Speaker 5: Always? Man, always, and what I always go to because 974 00:44:49,040 --> 00:44:52,600 Speaker 5: it's what that's what it's playing over in the film. 975 00:44:52,840 --> 00:44:56,640 Speaker 5: Is that that hillside. Yeah, it made me I run 976 00:44:56,719 --> 00:44:59,319 Speaker 5: up that like twelve times. Man. By the time I 977 00:44:59,360 --> 00:45:00,640 Speaker 5: was over, I thought I was going to drop dead. 978 00:45:00,680 --> 00:45:03,040 Speaker 5: I mean, my my legs were on fire. I don't 979 00:45:03,040 --> 00:45:04,719 Speaker 5: know what he was looking for when we ran up 980 00:45:04,719 --> 00:45:05,840 Speaker 5: the hill so many times. 981 00:45:05,880 --> 00:45:08,480 Speaker 1: Man, after that movie came out where people just yelling 982 00:45:08,600 --> 00:45:11,719 Speaker 1: ritchy at you all the time in public, they still 983 00:45:11,760 --> 00:45:15,040 Speaker 1: really they still did. Did you get to keep anything 984 00:45:15,040 --> 00:45:15,960 Speaker 1: cool from the movie. 985 00:45:16,280 --> 00:45:18,680 Speaker 5: I still have the green guitar, but it's it's in 986 00:45:18,719 --> 00:45:20,480 Speaker 5: California right now in my house there. I'm in New 987 00:45:20,560 --> 00:45:23,680 Speaker 5: York City where I'm filming Prodigal Son, and when the 988 00:45:23,719 --> 00:45:26,200 Speaker 5: pandemic hit, you know, the rock got kind of pulled 989 00:45:26,200 --> 00:45:27,879 Speaker 5: out from under it. So I was not not able 990 00:45:27,920 --> 00:45:32,040 Speaker 5: to go home, and so we my family, Yvonne and 991 00:45:32,040 --> 00:45:33,680 Speaker 5: my thirteen year oldaughter. I've been looking here in New 992 00:45:33,760 --> 00:45:36,160 Speaker 5: York City for you know, for a year and a half. 993 00:45:36,200 --> 00:45:38,880 Speaker 5: I mean, you know that it is what it is. 994 00:45:39,160 --> 00:45:40,960 Speaker 5: But yeah, I kept the green guitar. 995 00:45:41,520 --> 00:45:43,360 Speaker 1: And what was that technique you learned? Because you didn't 996 00:45:43,520 --> 00:45:45,319 Speaker 1: learn to play guitar for the movie, you just kind 997 00:45:45,320 --> 00:45:47,520 Speaker 1: of learned, like the fingering style. Is that what it was? 998 00:45:47,840 --> 00:45:48,040 Speaker 4: Yeah? 999 00:45:48,040 --> 00:45:50,360 Speaker 5: I know I learned. I still don't play the guitar. 1000 00:45:50,400 --> 00:45:52,520 Speaker 5: I had to learn all of the singering just for 1001 00:45:53,840 --> 00:45:56,560 Speaker 5: you know, just for the for the film, and it 1002 00:45:56,640 --> 00:45:58,160 Speaker 5: was stuping me. I didn't I didn't pick it up. 1003 00:45:58,200 --> 00:45:59,880 Speaker 5: I should have picked it up that, but I didn't 1004 00:46:00,280 --> 00:46:01,280 Speaker 5: move on to other things. 1005 00:46:01,719 --> 00:46:04,080 Speaker 1: So the following year, in a nineteen eighty eight standing 1006 00:46:04,120 --> 00:46:06,520 Speaker 1: Deliver comes out, and that movie has just such a 1007 00:46:06,600 --> 00:46:09,520 Speaker 1: large cast. I wonder, like, when you're filming that, how 1008 00:46:09,560 --> 00:46:11,400 Speaker 1: hard is it to kind of wrangle everybody in to 1009 00:46:11,480 --> 00:46:12,800 Speaker 1: do a scene that typical? 1010 00:46:12,920 --> 00:46:14,799 Speaker 5: Man? I mean, you know, it's like we've got a 1011 00:46:14,800 --> 00:46:19,879 Speaker 5: pretty massive ensemble cash for Prodigal Sun as well and 1012 00:46:19,960 --> 00:46:22,040 Speaker 5: for the movie adverts that I just did. It was 1013 00:46:22,080 --> 00:46:24,120 Speaker 5: literally just one day of shooting all my scenes with 1014 00:46:24,160 --> 00:46:26,960 Speaker 5: Thomas E and Nichols, So that becomes easy. I mean, 1015 00:46:27,000 --> 00:46:31,959 Speaker 5: that's it's not like, you know, putting together an amateur show. 1016 00:46:32,160 --> 00:46:35,560 Speaker 5: In the uncle's barn. There's an entire army of people 1017 00:46:35,880 --> 00:46:40,560 Speaker 5: who are doing scheduling and doing wrangling of the actors 1018 00:46:40,600 --> 00:46:43,800 Speaker 5: and whatnot. So it seems that he's as a professional. 1019 00:46:43,840 --> 00:46:46,040 Speaker 5: You're there when you're supposed to be there, and you know, 1020 00:46:46,160 --> 00:46:48,560 Speaker 5: you do what's required to do that day. 1021 00:46:49,320 --> 00:46:51,400 Speaker 1: I wonder when you're doing that movie. The line that 1022 00:46:51,400 --> 00:46:53,320 Speaker 1: always sticks out to me is your line when you're like, 1023 00:46:53,360 --> 00:46:55,960 Speaker 1: I strangled him in his body is decomposing in my locker. Like, 1024 00:46:56,239 --> 00:46:58,040 Speaker 1: how hard is that to say with the straight face 1025 00:46:58,080 --> 00:46:58,799 Speaker 1: with everybody there? 1026 00:46:59,080 --> 00:47:01,480 Speaker 5: No you look forward to, man, I mean, but that's 1027 00:47:02,120 --> 00:47:04,239 Speaker 5: once again, that's just part of the acting. I mean, 1028 00:47:04,239 --> 00:47:07,520 Speaker 5: it's you know, there there were lines in Longmire, and 1029 00:47:07,560 --> 00:47:10,879 Speaker 5: there were lines continue to be in lines in Prodigal Son, 1030 00:47:10,960 --> 00:47:14,279 Speaker 5: especially when I'm working with Kecko againa uh where you know, 1031 00:47:14,560 --> 00:47:18,600 Speaker 5: you get tickled, you just get you know, and thank goodness, 1032 00:47:18,600 --> 00:47:20,640 Speaker 5: there's always take too if you if you crack up, 1033 00:47:20,680 --> 00:47:23,759 Speaker 5: you know. But yeah, that particular line I knew was 1034 00:47:23,760 --> 00:47:24,880 Speaker 5: going to go down in history. 1035 00:47:26,239 --> 00:47:28,640 Speaker 1: Was that a genuine reaction in the movie, Like the 1036 00:47:29,000 --> 00:47:30,919 Speaker 1: laughter seems just so genuine after that. 1037 00:47:31,080 --> 00:47:32,600 Speaker 5: Yeah, it was. It was, you know, I mean, the 1038 00:47:32,719 --> 00:47:34,520 Speaker 5: entire and you know, the entire cast, you know, got 1039 00:47:34,520 --> 00:47:37,120 Speaker 5: into it. So you know, especially Cloth say it was 1040 00:47:37,320 --> 00:47:40,839 Speaker 5: a wonderful, wonderful guy. So yeah, I mean, I think 1041 00:47:40,920 --> 00:47:45,200 Speaker 5: quite often the the warmth and the chemistry and the 1042 00:47:45,200 --> 00:47:47,960 Speaker 5: happiness that you see on screen is the real deal. 1043 00:47:48,040 --> 00:47:50,120 Speaker 5: You know, it's hard to hard to manufacture that. 1044 00:47:50,200 --> 00:47:52,200 Speaker 1: Well, I really appreciate the time everybody. Go check out 1045 00:47:52,239 --> 00:47:55,399 Speaker 1: the new movie Adverse, check out lou and Prodigal Son. 1046 00:47:56,120 --> 00:47:58,640 Speaker 1: And it's been really great getting to talk to you. 1047 00:47:58,680 --> 00:48:00,719 Speaker 1: I just wanted to really like, you know, like how 1048 00:48:00,800 --> 00:48:03,719 Speaker 1: much your work has kind of affected my life, and 1049 00:48:03,760 --> 00:48:05,960 Speaker 1: you know, just being able to see somebody like looks 1050 00:48:06,000 --> 00:48:06,520 Speaker 1: different and. 1051 00:48:06,640 --> 00:48:09,239 Speaker 5: Kind of represent the story for me and wave the 1052 00:48:09,280 --> 00:48:11,839 Speaker 5: fly bro. You know we got to represent right. Yeah, 1053 00:48:11,920 --> 00:48:12,960 Speaker 5: I appreciate that. 1054 00:48:12,960 --> 00:48:15,879 Speaker 1: And uh, I'll send you a nice water Burger care 1055 00:48:15,920 --> 00:48:18,680 Speaker 1: package where you are right now. I mean, I what's 1056 00:48:18,719 --> 00:48:20,399 Speaker 1: your favorite thing to get from there? Do you get sick? 1057 00:48:20,480 --> 00:48:22,279 Speaker 1: Did you get sick of that food while you're working there? 1058 00:48:22,680 --> 00:48:24,920 Speaker 5: No, not at all. I mean, man, you know you 1059 00:48:25,040 --> 00:48:27,239 Speaker 5: because of the an employee you got. You know, you 1060 00:48:27,320 --> 00:48:30,279 Speaker 5: got the employee uh employee meals and you know they 1061 00:48:30,360 --> 00:48:33,160 Speaker 5: kind of had a little coupons that you would turn in. 1062 00:48:33,640 --> 00:48:36,120 Speaker 5: But h yeah, man, I think I eat Waterburger every day. 1063 00:48:36,520 --> 00:48:38,160 Speaker 5: It was It was fantastic. And not only that, I 1064 00:48:38,160 --> 00:48:39,600 Speaker 5: got to make myself so you know, I mean it 1065 00:48:39,719 --> 00:48:40,520 Speaker 5: just like I wanted it. 1066 00:48:41,640 --> 00:48:43,399 Speaker 1: Well, appreciate the time. I'll talk to you later. 1067 00:48:43,880 --> 00:48:45,320 Speaker 5: Thanks, Mike, have a good one. 1068 00:48:45,600 --> 00:48:48,160 Speaker 1: And that's gonna do it for us this week. Thanks 1069 00:48:48,280 --> 00:48:51,400 Speaker 1: again for being subscribed and listening every single week. I 1070 00:48:51,440 --> 00:48:54,160 Speaker 1: will be back next week with a brand new episode. 1071 00:48:54,239 --> 00:48:57,200 Speaker 1: Kelsey and I will be sharing our top movies of 1072 00:48:57,239 --> 00:49:00,279 Speaker 1: the summer and our worst movies of the summer. There 1073 00:49:00,320 --> 00:49:02,759 Speaker 1: were a few that's snuck in there, and then we'll 1074 00:49:02,760 --> 00:49:05,040 Speaker 1: follow that up on another episode and I will do 1075 00:49:05,160 --> 00:49:08,600 Speaker 1: my ten core movie memory moments of all time. Hope 1076 00:49:08,640 --> 00:49:10,640 Speaker 1: you have a great rest of your week and until 1077 00:49:10,719 --> 00:49:13,440 Speaker 1: next time, go out and watch good movies and I 1078 00:49:13,480 --> 00:49:14,920 Speaker 1: will talk to you later