WEBVTT - More Than an Actor: Marcus Callender on Writing, Producing & Being a True Creative | Part 1 0:00:02.320 --> 0:00:04.720 I'm a homegirl that knows a little bit about everything 0:00:04.800 --> 0:00:05.640 and everybody. 0:00:06.519 --> 0:00:07.600 You know, if you don't lie about that. 0:00:07.680 --> 0:00:15.400 Right, Hey, y'all, what's up. It's Laura la Rosa and 0:00:15.440 --> 0:00:18.919 this is the latest with Laura l Rosa. This is 0:00:18.960 --> 0:00:21.520 your daily dig on all things pop culture and a 0:00:21.600 --> 0:00:25.160 timid news and all of the conversations that shake the room. 0:00:25.720 --> 0:00:29.319 Now today I'm bringing you, guys, another conversation that was 0:00:29.400 --> 0:00:32.280 guaranteed to shake your room, but also shake your faith 0:00:32.320 --> 0:00:34.840 a little bit, your motivation a little bit. I'm sitting 0:00:34.880 --> 0:00:38.400 down with Marcus Callender, who is not only an actor, 0:00:38.400 --> 0:00:41.440 he would actually be a He would be so annoyed 0:00:41.440 --> 0:00:42.800 if I only called him an actor. 0:00:43.880 --> 0:00:45.120 But he is a creative. 0:00:45.159 --> 0:00:50.000 He's a multi hyphenate, an actor, director, writer, all around 0:00:50.000 --> 0:00:54.520 storyteller who has been able to make impact both on screen, 0:00:55.000 --> 0:00:58.360 behind the camera and now behind the script with his 0:00:58.520 --> 0:01:06.080 play Spades Spae's The play is Everything Black, bold conversation, 0:01:06.480 --> 0:01:10.760 nuance comedy, put into one Spades game and put on 0:01:10.840 --> 0:01:13.920 a live stage. You guys will know Marcus Calendar who 0:01:13.920 --> 0:01:17.240 played Power, who played Oliver Power grant On Wu Tang 0:01:17.240 --> 0:01:19.880 in American Saga. He also played Ray ray On ghosts 0:01:19.880 --> 0:01:22.559 from Power book two. Y'all remember we lost Raino because 0:01:22.600 --> 0:01:25.440 of Ray Ray. But if you don't know him, or 0:01:25.440 --> 0:01:27.800 if you're just finding him, I'm so happy to introduce 0:01:27.880 --> 0:01:31.080 him here in conversation on the Latest with Lona Rosa. 0:01:31.400 --> 0:01:32.679 This is part one. 0:01:32.880 --> 0:01:34.760 First of all, let's let the people know who you 0:01:34.800 --> 0:01:37.240 are and who these voices are that they're hearing and 0:01:37.600 --> 0:01:39.760 you know, for the visual people seeing. 0:01:39.800 --> 0:01:40.800 So introduce yourself. 0:01:41.040 --> 0:01:45.720 Marcus Calendar born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. Yeah, 0:01:45.760 --> 0:01:49.920 and I am the writer and director of Spae the play. 0:01:50.680 --> 0:01:53.720 Some of y'all might know me from Power. I played 0:01:53.760 --> 0:01:56.240 Rey Ray. I was the guy that killed the little girl. 0:01:57.760 --> 0:01:59.720 I know you're gonna ask, why did you have to do? 0:01:59.760 --> 0:02:01.960 It was in the script. Some of y'all might know 0:02:02.040 --> 0:02:04.640 me from Wu Tang and American Saga. I play Power 0:02:04.800 --> 0:02:08.240 Oliver Grant, who's one of the co founders of Wu Tang, 0:02:10.000 --> 0:02:11.600 And I've done a bunch of other stuff, but those 0:02:11.639 --> 0:02:14.000 are the like, the main two things people recognize. 0:02:13.639 --> 0:02:14.760 They stop you on the street about. 0:02:14.880 --> 0:02:15.120 Yeah. 0:02:15.160 --> 0:02:17.280 So when people ask you why did Real Ray kill 0:02:18.720 --> 0:02:21.280 Tarik's sister and you say it was in the script, 0:02:21.600 --> 0:02:23.040 how does the conversation go after that. 0:02:22.960 --> 0:02:26.160 They'd be like yo, man, like, but you did your thing, 0:02:26.200 --> 0:02:27.840 you know, like for real, for real? Can I get 0:02:27.840 --> 0:02:29.520 a picture of you? You know, like yo, like I 0:02:29.560 --> 0:02:32.160 hated you for a long time, you know. But I 0:02:32.240 --> 0:02:35.080 take that as like, look, you know, if people see 0:02:35.160 --> 0:02:37.799 me and still think that I'm that character, I guess 0:02:37.880 --> 0:02:40.200 I did a good job in portraying that, you know 0:02:40.240 --> 0:02:44.120 what I'm saying. So but I think also to the 0:02:44.160 --> 0:02:46.480 beauty in that is that people get to meet me 0:02:46.639 --> 0:02:49.320 and you know, sense my energy because I'm a pretty 0:02:49.360 --> 0:02:51.920 down to earth person, I don't you know. I know 0:02:52.120 --> 0:02:55.440 some celebrities give off that whatever, but I'm a pretty 0:02:55.480 --> 0:02:59.240 down the earth person because you know, I understand what 0:02:59.720 --> 0:03:02.840 the journey is in this kind of career, you know 0:03:02.880 --> 0:03:04.560 what I mean. This wasn't handed to me. This is 0:03:04.560 --> 0:03:07.240 something I had to work for, work very hard for. 0:03:07.600 --> 0:03:11.400 So I'm cool, I'm approachable. I'm from Brooklyn, you know 0:03:11.440 --> 0:03:13.160 what I mean. I'm in New Yorker still at the 0:03:13.280 --> 0:03:15.440 end of the day, So like, don't come at me 0:03:15.520 --> 0:03:17.160 too crazy, you know what I'm saying. 0:03:17.200 --> 0:03:21.960 But that era of power is like cemented in so 0:03:22.040 --> 0:03:26.079 many people's Like like I remember waiting for Power to drop, 0:03:26.120 --> 0:03:28.040 like the new episodes, and I mean there's all these 0:03:28.080 --> 0:03:31.120 different iterations of it and chapters of it now, and 0:03:31.160 --> 0:03:32.720 I think there are still some people that do that. 0:03:32.800 --> 0:03:35.360 But I feel like those early days of Power, when 0:03:35.360 --> 0:03:38.120 we had Tarique and Raina and Tasha and ghosts like 0:03:39.080 --> 0:03:41.760 y'all was really in people houses for real, people's homes 0:03:42.000 --> 0:03:44.320 for real, for real, had us waiting all talking on 0:03:44.360 --> 0:03:45.160 Twitter together. 0:03:45.280 --> 0:03:47.120 You know what I'm saying, Like watch parties in there 0:03:47.320 --> 0:03:50.440 one hundred percent? What was it like for you? Because 0:03:50.440 --> 0:03:51.200 you're on both sides. 0:03:51.240 --> 0:03:55.280 You're your creator of you know, these conversations and film 0:03:55.320 --> 0:03:57.440 and theater and all these things, but also you're an actor. 0:03:57.920 --> 0:04:01.840 What was it like being that like intertwined with culture 0:04:01.880 --> 0:04:04.920 where people lived and breathed for your next episode? 0:04:04.960 --> 0:04:08.520 Oh man? Well one it was power where I started 0:04:09.240 --> 0:04:13.040 being recognized on the train or like everywhere I went, 0:04:13.400 --> 0:04:16.680 and like especially when that episode dropped, like I literally 0:04:16.680 --> 0:04:17.720 had to like hide my. 0:04:17.640 --> 0:04:19.120 Face all the time, you know what I mean? 0:04:19.160 --> 0:04:23.400 Because Yo, you the dude from Yo Way, Yo. That's crazy, 0:04:23.520 --> 0:04:25.560 you know what I'm saying. And I remember when it 0:04:25.680 --> 0:04:30.120 happened because the episode leaked Effort and you know, so 0:04:30.160 --> 0:04:32.760 people saw it before it officially came out, and I 0:04:32.800 --> 0:04:35.200 remember being I was in LA at the time, and 0:04:35.240 --> 0:04:38.520 like some friends hit me like, yo, yo, son, I 0:04:38.560 --> 0:04:41.440 saw you on this episode. That's that's you killing the 0:04:41.480 --> 0:04:43.320 little girl that I said, Wait, how the fuck you 0:04:43.400 --> 0:04:44.000 know that? 0:04:44.000 --> 0:04:46.160 That's not supposed to be information yet. 0:04:46.560 --> 0:04:49.880 So I came back to New York. I got invited 0:04:49.920 --> 0:04:53.440 to some watch parties and shit, and you know, going 0:04:53.480 --> 0:04:57.479 there and like experiencing the people and whatnot was kind 0:04:57.480 --> 0:04:58.760 of like a surreal moment for me. 0:04:58.839 --> 0:05:00.040 Like it was, as I said, it was the it 0:05:00.160 --> 0:05:00.640 was time. 0:05:00.560 --> 0:05:04.240 Like Okay, now I'm being recognized outside of you know, 0:05:04.360 --> 0:05:06.640 I'm being recognized on the street, you know what I mean. 0:05:06.680 --> 0:05:09.000 So like getting used to that and acclimated to that, 0:05:09.040 --> 0:05:11.680 because you know, as I said, when you're from New 0:05:11.760 --> 0:05:13.599 York and you can see somebody staring at you, the 0:05:13.640 --> 0:05:15.720 first thing you're thinking is like, yo, what you're looking 0:05:15.760 --> 0:05:17.240 at you? You know what I mean. So like for 0:05:17.640 --> 0:05:20.320 a while, it's like, Yo, why people keep staring at me? 0:05:20.400 --> 0:05:22.560 You know what I'm saying. It's like, oh, yeah, the show, 0:05:23.040 --> 0:05:25.440 you know what I'm saying. So that was that was 0:05:25.800 --> 0:05:29.080 an adjustment period. But at this point I'm used to it, 0:05:29.120 --> 0:05:30.640 and you know, I show love all the. 0:05:30.600 --> 0:05:34.760 Time, and you know, so now people aren't recognizing you 0:05:34.800 --> 0:05:36.960 can't go on the train because people want beef, they 0:05:36.960 --> 0:05:40.400 want to step on your tims. And for you as 0:05:40.440 --> 0:05:43.080 an actor at that point, does it put pressure on you? 0:05:43.520 --> 0:05:46.120 Because you know, we. 0:05:46.400 --> 0:05:48.159 Had you for some time, but then we didn't have 0:05:48.200 --> 0:05:50.880 you anymore and a certain point in the eend season? 0:05:51.080 --> 0:05:53.680 Yeah, pressure, what kind of pressure? 0:05:53.680 --> 0:05:54.040 Pressure? 0:05:54.120 --> 0:05:56.920 Like I mean, because you know more about the script 0:05:56.960 --> 0:05:59.600 than where the story is going than we do. Right, So, 0:05:59.640 --> 0:06:01.559 you know, people are getting to know you, they're starting 0:06:01.600 --> 0:06:03.200 to recognize you, but you know that you're not gonna 0:06:03.240 --> 0:06:04.960 be on the show forever eventually or did you know 0:06:05.040 --> 0:06:07.440 that at that point when people were recognizing you know. 0:06:07.720 --> 0:06:10.040 I knew. I mean even before we shot the episode. 0:06:10.040 --> 0:06:13.440 Courtney Camp she she called me personally and was like, look, 0:06:13.560 --> 0:06:15.320 you know this is what we're gonna do with your character. 0:06:15.360 --> 0:06:18.240 We're gonna kill you off, damn right, you know what 0:06:18.279 --> 0:06:19.560 I mean, Because I'm like, I could have you know 0:06:19.600 --> 0:06:21.320 what I'm saying, I could have been Rainy having for 0:06:21.360 --> 0:06:24.520 another season. She was like, yeah, we're gonna I mean, 0:06:24.680 --> 0:06:27.880 I didn't know. I didn't okay. So I didn't know 0:06:27.920 --> 0:06:31.159 I was gonna kill Raina until the table read of 0:06:31.279 --> 0:06:34.440 that episode, because they, you know, they're pretty top secret 0:06:34.480 --> 0:06:36.479 about the script, like you don't see it until the 0:06:36.520 --> 0:06:37.159 table read. 0:06:37.080 --> 0:06:38.960 And the table read is how far out from actual 0:06:38.960 --> 0:06:40.080 shooting we shoot. 0:06:40.160 --> 0:06:42.200 We do the table read probably like a week before 0:06:42.240 --> 0:06:45.840 we shoot it. So I came to the table read. 0:06:45.920 --> 0:06:48.800 You know, I'm highlighting my lines before and I'm reading 0:06:48.839 --> 0:06:52.320 the thing and I'm like, oh shit. I remember like 0:06:52.360 --> 0:06:56.279 looking up and like everyone was looking at me like yeah, 0:06:57.000 --> 0:06:59.480 everybody's gonna hate you now that I said, Yo, what 0:06:59.680 --> 0:07:05.239 like me, okay, okay, cool, this is interesting. All right, 0:07:05.320 --> 0:07:08.560 I'm gonna be a villain. Okay, I'll take it. But 0:07:08.600 --> 0:07:12.120 I didn't realize like how much of an impact it 0:07:12.240 --> 0:07:16.040 was gonna be. So, you know, we did the table 0:07:16.080 --> 0:07:19.400 read and then right before we started shooting. That's when 0:07:19.440 --> 0:07:21.600 Courtney was like, yeah, so we're gonna we're gonna be 0:07:21.640 --> 0:07:24.000 cause I think I did like two more episodes. It 0:07:24.080 --> 0:07:25.960 was an episode where I killed her and then the 0:07:26.000 --> 0:07:29.360 next episode Get Comfortable, Yeah exactly. She's like, look, we're 0:07:29.360 --> 0:07:31.320 gonna kill you off, but look we love the work 0:07:31.360 --> 0:07:31.720 you're doing. 0:07:31.800 --> 0:07:32.720 Da da da da da. 0:07:33.120 --> 0:07:35.480 I said, okay, cool, you know, like it was honor 0:07:35.560 --> 0:07:39.239 the that y'all chose me to even do this part. 0:07:39.440 --> 0:07:41.320 Because that's another thing too. I don't know if a 0:07:41.360 --> 0:07:44.560 lot of people notice, but originally I was supposed to 0:07:44.640 --> 0:07:48.600 just do one episode in season three. I did the 0:07:48.800 --> 0:07:50.880 I was in the last episode of season three. I 0:07:50.920 --> 0:07:53.880 was just supposed to do that episode. But Courtney liked 0:07:53.880 --> 0:07:56.360 my work so much that after we filmed, she said, look, 0:07:56.360 --> 0:07:58.760 I want to bring you back for next season. And 0:07:58.880 --> 0:08:01.560 you know, in this business, you hear that all the time. 0:08:01.640 --> 0:08:03.280 You know, people say hey, we're going to bring you back, 0:08:03.280 --> 0:08:05.640 and it's like, all right, cool. So I didn't necessarily 0:08:05.680 --> 0:08:08.320 believe her until you know, my reps hit me, hey 0:08:08.320 --> 0:08:10.880 they want to bring you back. I said, all right cool. So, 0:08:11.440 --> 0:08:13.520 you know, coming back to it, it was like, all right, 0:08:13.720 --> 0:08:15.800 you know, now I got some time to like really 0:08:16.400 --> 0:08:18.880 develop this character, see where I want to take where 0:08:18.880 --> 0:08:20.120 I want to take it, you know what I mean. 0:08:20.120 --> 0:08:21.560 And that's when I you know, I was shooting that 0:08:21.640 --> 0:08:24.400 with Anika Noni Rose was in that because she played 0:08:24.480 --> 0:08:26.640 jukebox and you know, so that was cool to work 0:08:26.680 --> 0:08:29.120 with her. And I mean, fifty is in it, So 0:08:29.160 --> 0:08:31.120 that was cool to work with them. But you know, 0:08:31.240 --> 0:08:35.440 I approached it in the best way I know how 0:08:35.520 --> 0:08:39.080 I tell people all the time, every character is in you. 0:08:39.720 --> 0:08:41.720 But what makes it was going to make it different. 0:08:41.760 --> 0:08:42.400 It's simply you. 0:08:42.679 --> 0:08:45.000 There's only one you on the planet, you know what 0:08:45.040 --> 0:08:47.200 I mean. So for me, it was just kind of like, okay, 0:08:47.240 --> 0:08:49.439 like what's my version of this? 0:08:49.720 --> 0:08:49.920 Right? 0:08:50.000 --> 0:08:50.720 You know what I'm saying. 0:08:59.200 --> 0:09:03.280 What happens in actor's mind when you get that moment 0:09:03.360 --> 0:09:05.360 and it's big and everybody's talking about it and your 0:09:05.360 --> 0:09:08.760 phone's ringing crazy, and then you're not on the show anymore. 0:09:08.880 --> 0:09:11.520 So now it's like, I mean, you're not new kid 0:09:11.559 --> 0:09:13.480 at school because you got the work under your belt, 0:09:13.520 --> 0:09:16.120 but you got to figure out what's next now, Like 0:09:16.160 --> 0:09:18.400 how does what's that mental journey? 0:09:18.480 --> 0:09:19.720 Like that's a great question. 0:09:20.360 --> 0:09:22.280 You know, this is my job. This is the latest one. 0:09:22.320 --> 0:09:24.640 Laura the Rosa the podcast. 0:09:25.160 --> 0:09:28.000 No, that's that's real ship right there. Because there is 0:09:28.120 --> 0:09:31.520 pressure if you, especially if you allow it, because that 0:09:31.600 --> 0:09:34.719 you know, in our community especially, it's all about what's next, 0:09:34.760 --> 0:09:37.600 what's next, what's next? What's next? It's like, damn, I 0:09:37.880 --> 0:09:40.240 just shot this shit? Can I you know, let it 0:09:40.360 --> 0:09:43.040 breathe for a second. So yeah, there was that pressure 0:09:43.080 --> 0:09:47.080 of like, okay, what's next. Fun fact, I didn't work 0:09:48.080 --> 0:09:51.240 for about a year after I shot Power, and I 0:09:51.320 --> 0:09:53.200 was confused by that, you know what I mean, Because 0:09:53.200 --> 0:09:55.760 here I am like, okay, like I did this role. 0:09:55.920 --> 0:09:59.120 It's fifty everybody's paying attention to that exactly. 0:09:59.240 --> 0:10:02.280 You know, everyone's recognizing me. But I was not booked. 0:10:02.280 --> 0:10:05.960 I couldn't book a gig for shit, why not, I don't. 0:10:06.160 --> 0:10:08.480 It was out of my control, you know what I mean, 0:10:08.600 --> 0:10:11.760 Like because I moved to La shortly after thanks to 0:10:11.880 --> 0:10:16.240 Courtney Kim when I finished. I finished filming Power on 0:10:16.320 --> 0:10:18.400 my birthday of that year. I forget what year that was. 0:10:18.440 --> 0:10:22.000 I think it was like two thousand and like seventeen 0:10:22.360 --> 0:10:24.559 or something like that. Yeah, and it was my birthday 0:10:24.679 --> 0:10:27.320 on the last day of filming, and I remember she 0:10:27.400 --> 0:10:29.400 came to me, she was like, you should move to La. 0:10:30.120 --> 0:10:31.800 I said, yo, people tell me that all the time. 0:10:31.880 --> 0:10:34.120 She said, no, you should, Like you will work a 0:10:34.160 --> 0:10:36.040 lot out there, like you know, there'll be a good 0:10:36.080 --> 0:10:38.720 city field. This is when La was La. La ain't 0:10:38.720 --> 0:10:39.520 the same no more. 0:10:39.600 --> 0:10:42.359 No, I was living there during that time, and. 0:10:42.200 --> 0:10:44.600 So I was like, okay, I'll think about it. And 0:10:44.679 --> 0:10:48.760 then I wasn't working. I'm you know, in not working. 0:10:48.800 --> 0:10:51.160 I was depressed, you know what I'm saying. Because it's 0:10:51.200 --> 0:10:54.360 like yo, like because I had just finished shooting Power 0:10:54.480 --> 0:10:56.880 and I was doing a show called The Breaks. I 0:10:56.920 --> 0:10:59.680 was literally shooting both these shows at the same time. 0:10:59.720 --> 0:11:01.319 Like one day I'm on Power, one day I'm on 0:11:02.280 --> 0:11:05.000 So I was booked. So for all of it to 0:11:05.160 --> 0:11:08.760 just come to a halt, which was extremely confusing to me, 0:11:08.880 --> 0:11:12.280 and I couldn't fathom it. And I was at home 0:11:12.320 --> 0:11:15.600 one day I took a nap. I took a nap. 0:11:15.800 --> 0:11:18.120 Right before I took a nap, I said, Lord, I 0:11:18.200 --> 0:11:22.480 need a sign something like what is going on? So 0:11:22.559 --> 0:11:25.160 I took a nap and I woke up to this 0:11:25.320 --> 0:11:29.079 offer to go do a workshop in Connecticut for a play. 0:11:29.679 --> 0:11:32.920 And I was like, okay, all right. 0:11:33.320 --> 0:11:35.680 It's something, you know what I mean. I read the script. 0:11:35.720 --> 0:11:39.080 I liked the script. I realized that the playwright who 0:11:39.120 --> 0:11:43.760 wrote it I worked with him on another workshop like 0:11:43.800 --> 0:11:46.240 a year or two ago, and he just remembered my 0:11:46.400 --> 0:11:49.640 work from there. That's why you always got to bring 0:11:49.640 --> 0:11:51.880 one hundred percent to whatever you do. Don't ever think 0:11:51.920 --> 0:11:54.600 that something is too little or too small to give 0:11:54.640 --> 0:11:58.360 you all because you never know. So when I realized 0:11:58.400 --> 0:11:59.680 it was him, I was like, oh shit, this is 0:11:59.679 --> 0:12:03.560 the guy he remembered me. Wow. Okay, So I said, 0:12:03.559 --> 0:12:05.720 all right, cool, I'm gonna go and do this workshop. 0:12:05.920 --> 0:12:07.800 At this point, I hadn't done a play in a 0:12:07.960 --> 0:12:11.360 very long time. I was just doing TV, so getting 0:12:11.400 --> 0:12:15.560 in that environment again was an adjustment. But I remember 0:12:15.640 --> 0:12:19.640 the day I got there. I like, I was like 0:12:19.840 --> 0:12:23.840 staring into the abyss and something just hit me, like 0:12:23.880 --> 0:12:26.199 a ton of bricks. You need to move to LA. 0:12:26.400 --> 0:12:27.800 Like it just it just hit me. I feel like 0:12:27.840 --> 0:12:29.840 it was this guy speaking to me. It's like, you 0:12:29.880 --> 0:12:32.559 need to move to LA. And I immediately called my manager. 0:12:32.559 --> 0:12:33.840 I said, yoah, I think we got to do the 0:12:33.960 --> 0:12:36.400 LA thing. She said, all right, cool, I'll set up 0:12:36.400 --> 0:12:39.800 some meetings boom. I said, all right cool. So I 0:12:39.840 --> 0:12:42.840 did the workshop. The workshop was cool. That was a 0:12:43.160 --> 0:12:46.520 dope experience. And then shortly after I came back from 0:12:46.559 --> 0:12:49.280 the workshop, I went to LA to take some generals, 0:12:49.559 --> 0:12:52.720 like some general meetings with like casting directors, producers. I 0:12:52.760 --> 0:12:54.559 was supposed to be there for two weeks. Two weeks 0:12:54.559 --> 0:12:57.920 turn into a month because you know, one meeting followed 0:12:58.000 --> 0:13:00.760 up with another meeting, followed up to another meeting. I 0:13:00.840 --> 0:13:03.360 signed with a new agent, Like I got all these 0:13:03.400 --> 0:13:07.040 things on this La trip. And that's when right before 0:13:07.040 --> 0:13:09.400 I came back, that's when the power, the episode of 0:13:09.440 --> 0:13:12.360 power leaked. So it was just a lot going on. 0:13:12.520 --> 0:13:15.040 And you know what I'm saying. So I came back 0:13:15.080 --> 0:13:18.320 and you know, Basket and all of that. But in 0:13:18.400 --> 0:13:20.760 that trip to LA was when I decided, Okay, yeah, 0:13:20.800 --> 0:13:23.160 I'm definitely gonna move out here. Because like every person 0:13:23.200 --> 0:13:24.960 I was meeting with there like you're moving out here, right, 0:13:25.000 --> 0:13:26.880 I was like, yeah, I didn't know how I was 0:13:26.880 --> 0:13:28.520 gonna do it. I didn't have the money to do it. 0:13:28.600 --> 0:13:31.280 That's the La story, man, I didn't know how. That's 0:13:31.280 --> 0:13:31.800 how it be. 0:13:31.960 --> 0:13:33.640 That's how it be. But at the same time, too, 0:13:33.720 --> 0:13:37.880 it's it's but at it's it's about trusting, trusting that 0:13:37.880 --> 0:13:41.480 that intuition, you know what I'm saying, Trusting what God 0:13:41.559 --> 0:13:43.240 placed in me, you know what I'm saying, Because in 0:13:43.280 --> 0:13:46.680 my head, I'm like, there's no way I had that 0:13:46.800 --> 0:13:49.600 epiphany to move to LA and he ain't gonna make 0:13:49.640 --> 0:13:52.840 a way. And lo and behold. You know, I got 0:13:52.840 --> 0:13:55.120 the money to go out there. I had just enough 0:13:55.559 --> 0:13:57.839 to you know, to survive for a couple of months, 0:13:58.080 --> 0:13:58.840 thank god. You know. 0:13:58.880 --> 0:14:00.400 I got some friends out there, you know. 0:14:00.440 --> 0:14:03.240 I was able to stay with family, you know, people 0:14:03.320 --> 0:14:07.240 who I love. So you know, I went out there. 0:14:07.280 --> 0:14:09.880 I was there for the pilot season of that year, 0:14:10.600 --> 0:14:13.840 and I tested for two pilots. I'm thinking, okay, cool, 0:14:13.880 --> 0:14:15.680 I'd have moved out here. I'm about the book show 0:14:17.480 --> 0:14:21.040 up exactly. You know that show New Amsterdam or NBC. Yes, 0:14:21.200 --> 0:14:23.320 I was almost on that show. I was tested for 0:14:23.360 --> 0:14:25.440 that show. I thought I was gonna get it. I 0:14:26.800 --> 0:14:29.040 was convinced I was going to get that role because 0:14:29.400 --> 0:14:33.520 when I did the screen test, the producers were like, Yo, 0:14:33.680 --> 0:14:36.000 how'd you make that look? They literally said, Yo, you 0:14:36.080 --> 0:14:39.880 made that look easy. So I'm walking out like, yeah, 0:14:39.120 --> 0:14:43.480 I got this. And then I didn't get it, you 0:14:43.520 --> 0:14:45.480 know what I'm saying. So it was you know, and 0:14:45.800 --> 0:14:48.280 that's the thing too, It's true what they say. There's 0:14:48.280 --> 0:14:50.720 way more nose than yes, it's you know what I'm saying. 0:14:50.760 --> 0:14:52.960 So I didn't get that. I was up for this 0:14:53.000 --> 0:14:56.920 other show on the c W. I didn't get that. 0:14:57.200 --> 0:14:59.200 I mean but that show didn't end up going forward anyway. 0:14:59.520 --> 0:15:02.800 But you know, I had I had these two shows 0:15:02.800 --> 0:15:04.440 that I was up for didn't get I was almost 0:15:04.480 --> 0:15:07.040 up for this other show, but they weren't with Lorenz Tape. 0:15:07.240 --> 0:15:10.000 But understandable. I love Lorenz, you know what I'm saying. 0:15:10.040 --> 0:15:12.920 But that's a good Like, oh, they didn't book me, 0:15:12.920 --> 0:15:15.480 they book Lorenz. He's a legend, you know what I'm saying. 0:15:15.520 --> 0:15:18.800 So like the fact that the casting directors and producers 0:15:18.840 --> 0:15:22.240 or whoever are debating between you and Lorenz Tate a 0:15:22.280 --> 0:15:22.920 lot of times too. 0:15:22.960 --> 0:15:25.200 For us as talent, just being in a conversation in. 0:15:25.120 --> 0:15:28.040 The room is a win, even though you can't pay 0:15:28.040 --> 0:15:29.640 your rent with that exact you know what I'm saying, 0:15:30.160 --> 0:15:32.960 But I mean, that's a great either or to be 0:15:33.000 --> 0:15:33.720 in exactly. 0:15:33.760 --> 0:15:36.880 So it was like, okay, cool. I mean I didn't 0:15:36.920 --> 0:15:40.400 get the rolls, but like I'm like this close and 0:15:40.440 --> 0:15:43.200 that's but okay, I didn't book these jobs, but I'm 0:15:43.240 --> 0:15:44.800 still in LA, you know what I mean. 0:15:44.960 --> 0:15:46.760 One thing people don't tell you about LA. 0:15:47.000 --> 0:15:50.280 Yeah, it's all Sonny and all that, but when you 0:15:50.320 --> 0:15:54.040 ain't doing shit, that shit really gets to you, you 0:15:54.120 --> 0:15:54.520 know what I mean. 0:15:54.640 --> 0:15:57.480 Yeah, it feels like, especially because you're so far away 0:15:57.520 --> 0:16:00.960 from like the people you know and like the ways 0:16:01.000 --> 0:16:02.680 that you were just like, you know, real quick, I 0:16:02.680 --> 0:16:04.360 could go do this real quick if I'm back home 0:16:04.440 --> 0:16:05.040 or like whatever. 0:16:05.640 --> 0:16:06.880 It feels so lonely. 0:16:07.040 --> 0:16:08.840 It's like you're in a room and it's like echoing 0:16:08.920 --> 0:16:10.920 and you're trying to figure out, like what do I 0:16:10.960 --> 0:16:12.240 do to turn the noise down? 0:16:12.480 --> 0:16:12.840 Exactly. 0:16:12.920 --> 0:16:14.520 I was in that space when I first moved to 0:16:14.600 --> 0:16:18.560 LA for about like six seven months, and I was just. 0:16:18.480 --> 0:16:21.680 Like what is going on? And then people the move 0:16:21.720 --> 0:16:25.200 to La itself. People you're just like, oh, look at 0:16:25.240 --> 0:16:26.560 God got a move to LA. 0:16:28.080 --> 0:16:28.600 You made it. 0:16:28.680 --> 0:16:30.920 Yeah, so you it's like, you know, opening up about 0:16:30.960 --> 0:16:33.000 it not going the way that you wanted to go. 0:16:33.080 --> 0:16:36.240 It's tough and explaining to family why it's not going 0:16:36.240 --> 0:16:37.480 to the way you wanted to go. It's tough having 0:16:37.520 --> 0:16:39.600 to act for things in the meantime. It's like such 0:16:39.640 --> 0:16:43.479 a process. But I think for anybody that has done it, 0:16:43.480 --> 0:16:45.600 it definitely is like survival to fit this. But it 0:16:45.640 --> 0:16:48.560 makes you a different type of hungry about your career exactly. 0:16:48.680 --> 0:16:50.840 That's a good word hungry. Yes, I feel like a 0:16:50.840 --> 0:16:52.680 lot of folks ain't hungry, you know what I mean. 0:16:52.720 --> 0:16:55.960 People just want the result. They want the end goal 0:16:56.000 --> 0:16:59.560 as opposed to and understanding what the journey is. Journey 0:16:59.600 --> 0:17:03.400 is way more interesting than the goal, you know what 0:17:03.440 --> 0:17:05.520 I mean, Because every time I reach the goal, I'm 0:17:05.840 --> 0:17:08.640 I'm mostly thinking about what it took to get here, 0:17:09.080 --> 0:17:10.480 you know what I mean. It's like, Okay, yeah, this 0:17:10.600 --> 0:17:13.320 is great, but like, man, I did this, I do this, 0:17:13.680 --> 0:17:17.679 do that to get to this point, and it allows 0:17:17.720 --> 0:17:20.119 you to appreciate it more. I feel like when people 0:17:20.119 --> 0:17:22.320 get things too quick, they don't understand, you know, they 0:17:22.359 --> 0:17:24.720 have they don't have an appreciation for it, so they 0:17:24.760 --> 0:17:27.280 fumble it, you know what I mean. They think they're entitled, 0:17:27.320 --> 0:17:29.400 or they think it's just always going to be that way, 0:17:29.560 --> 0:17:32.359 you know what I mean. So at the same time, 0:17:32.400 --> 0:17:34.680 it is a blessing that I had to go through 0:17:34.680 --> 0:17:39.520 the journey that I did. But in that time, after 0:17:40.200 --> 0:17:42.800 you know, not booking these gigs, I'm still in LA 0:17:42.880 --> 0:17:44.520 and I'm like, Okay, well, what the hell am I 0:17:44.560 --> 0:17:47.119 going to do? Because after pilot season, it's a little 0:17:47.160 --> 0:17:50.840 slow in terms of auditions. It's mostly like independent films 0:17:50.880 --> 0:17:53.800 and all of that. So I'm just like, okay, well, 0:17:53.800 --> 0:17:57.000 what the hell am I gonna do with all this time? 0:17:57.320 --> 0:18:00.720 I started dating this girl. That's a distract action, you 0:18:00.760 --> 0:18:01.399 know what I'm saying. 0:18:01.840 --> 0:18:03.200 And it's expensive, and it's. 0:18:04.720 --> 0:18:09.119 It's expensive so especially in LA, like twenty five dollars. 0:18:09.200 --> 0:18:09.320 Yo. 0:18:09.640 --> 0:18:11.520 I know she wanted to go to town. Come on now, 0:18:12.800 --> 0:18:13.960 I like room on a Wednesday. 0:18:14.080 --> 0:18:18.400 You know she's on TV now funny enough, Well, what's 0:18:18.400 --> 0:18:22.000 show that's that's that's an off camera conversation. 0:18:22.080 --> 0:18:23.800 Were y'all auditioning together? No? 0:18:23.800 --> 0:18:25.439 No, no, no no no, I mean I wild help her 0:18:25.440 --> 0:18:29.399 with auditions and stuff like that. She knows anyway. 0:18:29.160 --> 0:18:31.680 You watch the show she's currently on. Oh so it 0:18:31.760 --> 0:18:32.240 ended bad? 0:18:32.440 --> 0:18:34.080 I didn't. I don't watch it because she's on it. 0:18:34.119 --> 0:18:36.240 I just that's just not my kind of show to watch. 0:18:36.720 --> 0:18:42.320 Okay, so it's like a Zeus network then no, okay. 0:18:41.000 --> 0:18:50.360 I'm sure you watch it though, No, a TV show, 0:18:50.480 --> 0:18:52.720 scripted show that they they're in. 0:18:52.760 --> 0:18:55.120 They're like fifty six seasons. 0:18:55.840 --> 0:18:59.240 It's not Dear from Detroit. Then that's like second season. 0:19:00.000 --> 0:19:00.960 I'm gonna figure this out. 0:19:01.640 --> 0:19:05.119 Beautiful girl, amazing woman, you know, nothing bad to say. 0:19:05.000 --> 0:19:07.480 About it, Just and work out. And she's a scorpio. 0:19:08.920 --> 0:19:09.679 You know what I'm saying. 0:19:09.760 --> 0:19:13.959 Anyway, So I'm in La. I'm like, okay, what am 0:19:14.000 --> 0:19:18.240 I doing. I go to this party. It was on Easter. 0:19:18.960 --> 0:19:22.000 As soon as I walked in, I saw people playing space. 0:19:22.160 --> 0:19:25.320 I'm like, oh shit, hm. 0:19:26.720 --> 0:19:28.800 I need to start. I need to get back into 0:19:28.840 --> 0:19:30.880 this script because I had put the script down for 0:19:30.920 --> 0:19:32.280 like almost two years. 0:19:32.359 --> 0:19:33.920 So you wrote the script when you were in LA 0:19:34.040 --> 0:19:34.919 or before you moved to LS. 0:19:35.000 --> 0:19:38.480 I started writing the script in twenty fifteen, so ten 0:19:38.600 --> 0:19:41.280 years ago. I started writing the script. When I first 0:19:41.280 --> 0:19:43.160 started writing it, it was just a one. 0:19:43.000 --> 0:19:46.560 Act, I explained to the regular people with all that means. 0:19:46.600 --> 0:19:49.439 So typically in a play, you know, you'll have like 0:19:49.960 --> 0:19:51.800 two acts and a play and a full length play 0:19:51.800 --> 0:19:54.639 you'll typically have two acts. So one acts is just, 0:19:54.760 --> 0:19:57.440 you know, kind of like just the first half of it. 0:19:57.880 --> 0:20:00.280 I didn't think it was gonna be a full lend 0:20:00.400 --> 0:20:02.239 thing when I first wrote it. It was just something that 0:20:02.280 --> 0:20:04.359 I was inspired to write because I was learning how 0:20:04.359 --> 0:20:06.800 to play spades at the time. Yes, when I started 0:20:06.800 --> 0:20:10.719 writing it, so I was inspired to write it. I 0:20:10.760 --> 0:20:12.959 wanted to I knew I wanted to get into writing 0:20:13.040 --> 0:20:16.760 at some point, but I didn't think I could do 0:20:16.840 --> 0:20:18.840 it because I didn't go to school for it, and 0:20:18.960 --> 0:20:21.199 you know, like you know what I mean. I had 0:20:21.200 --> 0:20:24.359 a bit of imposter syndrome. But I just started writing 0:20:24.400 --> 0:20:26.119 it and it just kind of poured out of me. 0:20:26.880 --> 0:20:31.000 So I did a stage reading of it. This is 0:20:31.040 --> 0:20:33.119 in Brooklyn at the spot at the time it was 0:20:33.119 --> 0:20:36.560 called the Kimberley Project in Bedstide, and we had a 0:20:36.600 --> 0:20:39.720 pretty big turnout. This is before like Instagram was Instagram 0:20:39.760 --> 0:20:41.600 for real, you know what I mean. So the fact 0:20:41.600 --> 0:20:43.640 that we got so many people there off of word 0:20:43.680 --> 0:20:46.880 of mouth was a really big deal. So we did 0:20:46.880 --> 0:20:49.800 the reading and like the biggest feedback people like we 0:20:49.840 --> 0:20:52.840 want more, we want more, Like it's gotta be longer. 0:20:53.240 --> 0:20:55.639 So I was like, all right, cool, I'm gonna do that. 0:20:55.680 --> 0:20:57.760 But then I started filming something else, so I kind 0:20:57.760 --> 0:21:00.760 of put it to the side where I started filming 0:21:00.800 --> 0:21:04.200 the breaks. So I started filming that, so I got 0:21:04.240 --> 0:21:06.520 caught up in that, and then power came along, so 0:21:06.560 --> 0:21:10.280 I was just all in that. So with this downtime, 0:21:10.800 --> 0:21:12.840 I go into this space and I see the script. 0:21:12.840 --> 0:21:14.840 I mean, I see people playing space. I'm like, okay, 0:21:15.200 --> 0:21:17.600 this is gonna give me something to do, because I 0:21:17.640 --> 0:21:19.399 was tired of like running into people like what are 0:21:19.400 --> 0:21:21.639 you working on? That's the number one question people are 0:21:21.640 --> 0:21:23.119 going to ask you in Los Angeles? What are you so? 0:21:23.160 --> 0:21:23.720 What are you working on? 0:21:23.720 --> 0:21:24.840 What are you working on? Or what do you do? 0:21:24.960 --> 0:21:27.000 What do you do? You know what I'm saying. So 0:21:27.480 --> 0:21:30.159 I was tired of not having anything to say, so 0:21:30.200 --> 0:21:33.480 I said, you know what. Literally the next day, I 0:21:33.520 --> 0:21:35.560 went back to the script. At the time, the script 0:21:35.600 --> 0:21:38.520 was like one hundred and eighty something pages. There was 0:21:38.560 --> 0:21:41.640 a lot of a lot of pages, and I had 0:21:41.640 --> 0:21:44.520 some friends over to read it. I said, look, you know, 0:21:44.560 --> 0:21:46.160 I just want I need to hear this out loud 0:21:46.160 --> 0:21:47.600 because I need to see where I want to go 0:21:47.680 --> 0:21:49.760 with it. They read all one hundred and eighty something 0:21:49.760 --> 0:21:53.040 pages of it, shout out to y'all. And from there 0:21:53.080 --> 0:21:55.840 I just kind of like started diving into that. Like 0:21:55.920 --> 0:21:58.480 that became my focus. You know what I'm saying. I'm like, okay, 0:21:58.520 --> 0:22:02.000 I'm I'm going to employing myself, you know what I'm saying. 0:22:02.760 --> 0:22:05.200 So I said, look, so I'm a dive into that. 0:22:05.480 --> 0:22:08.119 So I started working on that. I did. I did 0:22:08.160 --> 0:22:11.919 a reading of it in LA and I want so 0:22:11.960 --> 0:22:14.560 I was going to produce it in LA that was 0:22:14.720 --> 0:22:16.879 going to be like where I first produced it. But 0:22:16.920 --> 0:22:20.040 then I booked a play in New York. See that's 0:22:20.040 --> 0:22:23.800 another thing too. I went so long not working. The 0:22:23.880 --> 0:22:26.439 minute I dive into my own shit, now all of 0:22:26.480 --> 0:22:27.959 the opportunities come. 0:22:28.040 --> 0:22:28.639 Which play, did you? 0:22:29.080 --> 0:22:32.080 I did a play called Fabulation, written by Lenn Knowledge 0:22:32.280 --> 0:22:37.199 at the Signature, really big off Broadway Theater company. It 0:22:37.240 --> 0:22:40.640 was actually like my dream theater company. To work at. 0:22:40.880 --> 0:22:44.040 The Signature is where I got some of my first 0:22:44.080 --> 0:22:47.199 bearings into theater, you know what I mean. So you know, 0:22:47.200 --> 0:22:48.359 I was like, oh shit, I'm about to go do 0:22:48.400 --> 0:22:50.720 this play in New York. All right, cool. So the 0:22:50.760 --> 0:22:53.120 plan was to go do the play and then come 0:22:53.200 --> 0:22:56.480 back and produce Spades. While I was doing the play 0:22:56.480 --> 0:22:58.160 in New York, that's when I booked the Bo Tang. 0:22:58.840 --> 0:23:00.960 So it kept me in New York York. So I said, 0:23:01.000 --> 0:23:03.560 all right, well, shit, okay, I'm gonna stay in New York. 0:23:04.000 --> 0:23:06.520 So I kind of once again put space to the. 0:23:06.520 --> 0:23:08.960 Side, because now Wu Tang is like that after when 0:23:08.960 --> 0:23:11.560 that series dropped too exactly, people were also very tied 0:23:11.600 --> 0:23:14.920 to it, just because people wanted the story exactly, and 0:23:15.119 --> 0:23:17.000 it was timely and it was all the things. So 0:23:17.040 --> 0:23:19.760 now your star is, you know, rising again because of 0:23:19.800 --> 0:23:22.159 Wu Tang. And what was that experience like because you 0:23:22.240 --> 0:23:25.280 were going through this like very mental depressing period of 0:23:25.280 --> 0:23:27.399 like why is this not? Like God, am I supposed 0:23:27.400 --> 0:23:30.040 to be here? And then boom you're back up again. 0:23:30.080 --> 0:23:32.600 So you're high up on the hill now, So what 0:23:32.720 --> 0:23:34.000 is that like for you as. 0:23:33.960 --> 0:23:35.520 Town Let me tell you something. 0:23:35.640 --> 0:23:38.480 It was December twenty first or twenty second when I. 0:23:38.400 --> 0:23:39.800 Got the cold that I got that role. 0:23:40.480 --> 0:23:44.639 It was how I approached that entire process was like 0:23:45.000 --> 0:23:48.480 unlike how I approached any other show that I auditioned for, 0:23:49.000 --> 0:23:51.359 because you know, sometimes you know we'll get apart, but 0:23:51.440 --> 0:23:54.080 we're getting audition, We're like, well I want this, Like 0:23:54.119 --> 0:23:56.000 I'm gonna make sure I know all my lines for 0:23:56.000 --> 0:23:58.760 the audition. I'm going to be perfect. Those be the 0:23:58.800 --> 0:24:00.920 ones you never get, the ones where you're like, man, 0:24:00.960 --> 0:24:02.920 i'm gonna just you know, I'm gonna just do it. 0:24:03.240 --> 0:24:05.600 So with this one, when I read the script, I 0:24:05.680 --> 0:24:07.280 was like, oh, ye, I could do this in my sleep. 0:24:07.320 --> 0:24:10.680 It's New York niggas, I'm from New York. Yeah, I 0:24:10.720 --> 0:24:13.600 could do that. I didn't know Power was a real person. 0:24:14.000 --> 0:24:17.680 I thought it was a fictional character. But I was like, okay, cool, 0:24:17.680 --> 0:24:19.320 I could do that. It's funny his name is Power 0:24:19.320 --> 0:24:22.359 because I was on Power. Okay, that's cool. So I 0:24:22.400 --> 0:24:25.320 did the audition, I did a I sent the tape. 0:24:26.080 --> 0:24:28.719 I sent the tape. I was also but I was 0:24:28.800 --> 0:24:31.320 also up for another you see what you see? You 0:24:31.359 --> 0:24:33.440 see the theme here. There was a lot going on. 0:24:33.920 --> 0:24:35.920 I was up for another role. They were going to 0:24:35.960 --> 0:24:40.000 bring back NYPD Blue on ABC. Remember that show. Yes, 0:24:40.240 --> 0:24:42.520 so I was up to be on that show. I 0:24:42.560 --> 0:24:45.399 wanted to be on that because it's ABC. You know 0:24:45.400 --> 0:24:48.960 what I'm saying, Like, who's cool? Network television? 0:24:49.000 --> 0:24:51.320 We're talking about which is normally a bit more stable. 0:24:51.720 --> 0:24:55.920 It's more stable. Just more money, yes, just more money. 0:24:56.280 --> 0:24:58.680 So I wanted that, and it would have kept me 0:24:58.720 --> 0:25:00.560 in New York still. So I was like, okay, cool, 0:25:00.600 --> 0:25:03.000 I want that shit. So the same day I found 0:25:03.040 --> 0:25:05.520 out that I didn't get that, I found out I 0:25:05.520 --> 0:25:07.960 had a call back for the Wu Tang shit catching. Okay, 0:25:07.960 --> 0:25:11.480 all right, well something. I went to the callback for 0:25:11.560 --> 0:25:15.920 Wu Tang and I remember going in there. We had 0:25:15.920 --> 0:25:18.919 to do it, and this is before twenty twenty. I 0:25:18.960 --> 0:25:22.679 had to do it to a computer to Rizza in 0:25:22.880 --> 0:25:26.080 La So I go to the office to catching directors like, okay, 0:25:26.160 --> 0:25:28.160 so you know we have Riz on the laptop. 0:25:28.480 --> 0:25:30.240 He's coming in through zoom, so you gotta do the 0:25:30.280 --> 0:25:32.120 audition to the computer. 0:25:32.640 --> 0:25:35.199 I'm like, what you know what I'm saying. Like at 0:25:35.240 --> 0:25:36.800 the time, it was like I ain't never done that. 0:25:37.760 --> 0:25:39.399 You know what I'm saying, and it's Rizza. But like 0:25:39.480 --> 0:25:42.720 at the same time, like I thought it was. I 0:25:42.760 --> 0:25:45.119 thought I was at a disadvantage because I'm not in 0:25:45.160 --> 0:25:47.600 the room. It's always different when you're in the room. 0:25:47.640 --> 0:25:49.560 They could feel your energy and all of that. I'm like, 0:25:49.760 --> 0:25:51.879 there's no way this is going to translate over a 0:25:51.920 --> 0:25:56.640 computer screen. But I did. I did it. I only 0:25:56.680 --> 0:25:58.520 had to do each scene once. I didn't even have 0:25:58.560 --> 0:26:01.280 to do it again. I remember after the casting director 0:26:01.359 --> 0:26:02.160 was like, really, good job. 0:26:02.200 --> 0:26:04.200 I was amazing. I was like, thanks, all right, cool. 0:26:04.560 --> 0:26:06.960 I left. I went to my friend's house. As soon 0:26:07.080 --> 0:26:10.240 as I got off the train, my agent calls me. 0:26:10.760 --> 0:26:13.159 This is like forty five minutes later. My agent calls me. 0:26:13.240 --> 0:26:14.959 She's like, hey, they want to test you. I was like, 0:26:15.680 --> 0:26:18.399 I just left the motherfucking aut that shit right. But 0:26:18.440 --> 0:26:20.080 I knew in that moment that I had to roll 0:26:20.560 --> 0:26:23.360 because I was like, I've never gotten. 0:26:23.840 --> 0:26:26.760 That's not true, that's not true, New Amsterdam. 0:26:27.200 --> 0:26:29.040 I found out they wanted to test me probably like 0:26:29.080 --> 0:26:31.680 fifteen minutes after my got you, I was in. 0:26:31.640 --> 0:26:34.440 The room test you. For those who don't know, the 0:26:34.480 --> 0:26:35.960 talent side of TV means. 0:26:35.720 --> 0:26:37.879 What okay, So when you do a screen test, it 0:26:37.960 --> 0:26:40.719 basically means, hey, we love you, we want you for 0:26:40.760 --> 0:26:43.160 this role, but we also want this person for this role. 0:26:43.440 --> 0:26:47.160 Also considering this person, We just want to see how 0:26:47.480 --> 0:26:50.480 what makes the most sense on camera? You know what 0:26:50.520 --> 0:26:51.199 I mean? Visually? 0:26:59.119 --> 0:27:01.200 Who else were they to the role of power? 0:27:02.960 --> 0:27:09.080 They were testing? It was me, this cat named Antoine 0:27:09.119 --> 0:27:12.960 Harris who I did the breaks with, and I don't 0:27:12.960 --> 0:27:17.080 remember the other person. So we did the test. They 0:27:17.080 --> 0:27:19.640 said they wanted me to test, So I was like, okay, 0:27:19.760 --> 0:27:22.159 but I'm doing a play. How the hell am I 0:27:22.200 --> 0:27:24.240 gonna make it to LA Because you know, when you're 0:27:24.280 --> 0:27:25.800 doing a play, it's eight shows a week. You only 0:27:25.840 --> 0:27:28.639 have one day off, which is a Monday. So I said, yo, 0:27:28.840 --> 0:27:31.240 I mean, do they know I'm gonna play? I can't 0:27:31.560 --> 0:27:33.919 how am I gonna, you know, because what they do 0:27:34.000 --> 0:27:37.240 in those scenarios, if you can't be there, they'll use 0:27:37.280 --> 0:27:40.000 your audition tape as the screen test got you. 0:27:40.040 --> 0:27:42.160 But that kind of is it's you know what I mean, 0:27:42.200 --> 0:27:44.760 I'm like, I wanna be Yeah. 0:27:44.840 --> 0:27:49.520 So they worked around my schedule, which is another test. 0:27:49.680 --> 0:27:51.480 That was another sign. I was like, Oh, they want 0:27:51.480 --> 0:27:55.480 me for this. They scheduled it. It was so I 0:27:55.520 --> 0:27:58.920 had two shows that Sunday. I did the two shows. 0:27:58.960 --> 0:28:02.040 Then after the second show, I literally went from the 0:28:02.040 --> 0:28:05.800 theater to the airport to LA I flew on a 0:28:05.840 --> 0:28:08.840 red eye and did the test the next morning and 0:28:08.920 --> 0:28:11.199 flew back to New York that same night. It was 0:28:11.240 --> 0:28:14.159 just like, man, I felt like a rock star, you 0:28:14.200 --> 0:28:17.080 know what I'm saying. So, but I remember how I 0:28:17.119 --> 0:28:20.080 felt going into the test. I wasn't nervous, I wasn't 0:28:20.600 --> 0:28:22.840 trying to put on I kind of just knew it 0:28:22.880 --> 0:28:24.960 was mine, you know what I mean. I walked in 0:28:25.240 --> 0:28:28.760 said it up to Rizza, said it up to Kim Coleman. 0:28:28.800 --> 0:28:30.880 Shout out to Kim Coleman. She was the casting director. 0:28:31.880 --> 0:28:33.719 I did the scene. I only had to do each 0:28:33.760 --> 0:28:36.439 scene once and I left. I didn't you know, like 0:28:37.440 --> 0:28:39.560 you know what I'm saying, Like, I hope I did 0:28:39.560 --> 0:28:42.840 the screen test, went back to New York to do 0:28:42.880 --> 0:28:46.200 the play, and you know, but that also helped too, 0:28:46.240 --> 0:28:48.840 because I was locked in on that, so I wasn't 0:28:48.920 --> 0:28:51.680 too distracted about are they gonna pick me or that, 0:28:51.720 --> 0:28:54.960 because I already had something to do. So I remember 0:28:55.520 --> 0:28:57.800 the day I found out I got it. It was 0:28:57.840 --> 0:29:01.840 like December twenty first second or something like that. I 0:29:01.880 --> 0:29:03.600 went to lunch with a friend of mine. Shout out 0:29:03.640 --> 0:29:06.120 to Megan. I went to lunch and I was telling her. 0:29:06.120 --> 0:29:07.560 I was like, yeah, I'm supposed to be finding out 0:29:07.560 --> 0:29:09.520 today if I got the roll. But I was so 0:29:09.640 --> 0:29:11.720 jaded at the time because you know, I had just 0:29:12.480 --> 0:29:15.240 I've been through so much. The year's been crazy. I'm like, 0:29:15.960 --> 0:29:18.840 you know, it was raining that day too. I got 0:29:18.880 --> 0:29:20.960 a little trauma with rain because the day I found 0:29:20.960 --> 0:29:23.360 out I didn't get New Amsterdam, it was raining in 0:29:23.560 --> 0:29:26.000 La in La, it on rain. 0:29:25.960 --> 0:29:28.240 Like that in l a number lie it rains in 0:29:28.280 --> 0:29:29.280 southern California. 0:29:29.600 --> 0:29:31.800 You know what I'm saying. It was just like, damn, 0:29:31.800 --> 0:29:37.160 it's raining again, damn saying, go get it. So I 0:29:37.240 --> 0:29:41.120 left lunch and as I'm walking. It stopped raining. The 0:29:41.200 --> 0:29:42.600 sun's coming out, and shit. 0:29:42.520 --> 0:29:44.800 I'm like, okay, okay, okay. 0:29:45.320 --> 0:29:46.960 I remember I went to team. I went to the 0:29:46.960 --> 0:29:49.680 T Mobile store to pay my phone bill. While I 0:29:49.760 --> 0:29:52.720 was in line, my manager at the time, she calls me. 0:29:52.840 --> 0:29:55.480 She goes, she calls me. She's like, hey, I got 0:29:55.680 --> 0:29:58.080 so and so and so. My agents they you know, 0:29:58.120 --> 0:30:00.240 they're on the line too. They only on the line 0:30:00.280 --> 0:30:02.920 if you got the throw. So I said, wait, hold 0:30:02.960 --> 0:30:04.480 on a second, let me step out side real quick. 0:30:04.480 --> 0:30:04.760 What's up? 0:30:05.080 --> 0:30:06.960 What's up y'all? I said, just give it to me. 0:30:07.440 --> 0:30:09.760 Don't try because sometimes they'll try to like play with 0:30:09.800 --> 0:30:12.280 you and be like it's so unfortunately psych. 0:30:12.280 --> 0:30:14.880 I said, just give it to me. They said, look, 0:30:15.400 --> 0:30:17.280 they went to offer you this. I said, get the 0:30:17.360 --> 0:30:17.960 fuck out it. 0:30:18.000 --> 0:30:20.160 I was on it was like mid town, like fifty 0:30:20.240 --> 0:30:25.360 something street. I said, Yo, get the fuck out. I said, yeah, nigga, yeah, 0:30:25.480 --> 0:30:27.800 because it was just it was the it was that 0:30:27.920 --> 0:30:30.600 moment of like, yo, I've been through so much this year. 0:30:30.640 --> 0:30:33.160 This year has been so hard. So they ended on 0:30:33.200 --> 0:30:35.360 this note was like here I'm about to be a 0:30:35.400 --> 0:30:38.920 serious regular yo crazy on the Woo Tang joint. 0:30:39.280 --> 0:30:41.240 This is crazy, right. 0:30:42.160 --> 0:30:46.520 So more distraction to take me away from Spades, you 0:30:46.560 --> 0:30:48.680 know what I'm saying, Because remember the plan was to 0:30:48.720 --> 0:30:51.480 go back to La and produce it. So I just 0:30:51.560 --> 0:30:53.960 kind of dived into Wou Tang. I did that. We 0:30:54.000 --> 0:30:57.920 did that for three seasons. I was still working on Spades. 0:30:57.480 --> 0:31:00.000 And the guys were really really involved with you guys 0:31:00.120 --> 0:31:03.480 to like, you know, developing the characters and on set. 0:31:03.520 --> 0:31:04.320 What was I mean? 0:31:04.320 --> 0:31:06.760 Because you say distraction, but I'm sitting here like all 0:31:06.800 --> 0:31:08.880 this stuff you're learning in real time from all these 0:31:08.880 --> 0:31:10.560 great people that didn't bring back to your players. 0:31:10.720 --> 0:31:12.520 I'm looking at it. But in the moment, I get it. 0:31:12.560 --> 0:31:13.480 I don't feel like that, right. 0:31:13.520 --> 0:31:16.120 But like talk about, you know, showing up on setting, 0:31:16.200 --> 0:31:19.239 you have Rizza and whoever else would come, and you 0:31:19.320 --> 0:31:21.640 were like, these are superheroes to us. 0:31:22.400 --> 0:31:24.280 I mean I was in a unique position because I 0:31:24.320 --> 0:31:26.240 wasn't playing one of the rappers, right, you know what 0:31:26.240 --> 0:31:28.200 I mean. I was playing the behind the scenes guy, 0:31:28.280 --> 0:31:31.280 the business guy who a lot of people don't know about, 0:31:31.600 --> 0:31:33.560 you know what I mean? So for me, it was like, yeah, 0:31:33.680 --> 0:31:36.000 you know, meeting the you know, meeting the Wu Tang 0:31:36.520 --> 0:31:40.800 was cool, but I need to meet Power. Where's Power? Never? 0:31:41.040 --> 0:31:44.240 Like he would never show up to Sad. I'm asking around, like, 0:31:44.280 --> 0:31:47.360 Whi's bo. You haven't met pe? You gotta meet pe? P? 0:31:47.640 --> 0:31:50.320 Is this P is that? I'm like, all right, well, 0:31:50.360 --> 0:31:53.640 where are you at? Where you at? I'm playing on 0:31:53.640 --> 0:31:57.200 one day, we were like seven episodes in, so the 0:31:57.240 --> 0:32:00.560 season's almost done. We like seven episodes in. We shoot 0:32:00.640 --> 0:32:02.760 season one. We shot all of that in stat Island, 0:32:03.440 --> 0:32:07.880 so we had to pause because it was raining theme 0:32:07.960 --> 0:32:10.800 with rain. Yes, it was raining crazy, So we had 0:32:10.800 --> 0:32:14.080 to pause filming for a couple of hours. And you know, 0:32:14.120 --> 0:32:16.960 I get a knock on the door and the PA 0:32:17.120 --> 0:32:18.720 is like, yo, you know you have a guest there. 0:32:18.800 --> 0:32:23.040 I said that Loland. He peeks his head over and 0:32:23.080 --> 0:32:27.160 said what up? I said, oh shit, what suck y'all? 0:32:27.200 --> 0:32:30.520 What's good? He came into my trailer. Our first conversation 0:32:30.680 --> 0:32:33.920 was like three hours. We spoke for like three hours 0:32:33.920 --> 0:32:37.680 just shooting the ship. Like we got along immediately, and 0:32:38.200 --> 0:32:40.880 once we met, we've been locked in even to this 0:32:41.040 --> 0:32:42.680 to this day, we're locked in. 0:32:42.760 --> 0:32:43.360 You know what I'm saying? 0:32:43.400 --> 0:32:44.080 What was it like? 0:32:44.120 --> 0:32:48.640 Because on on Power, the show Power, you're playing a 0:32:48.680 --> 0:32:50.680 person that we don't know, this isn't a real person, 0:32:50.720 --> 0:32:51.200 you know what I mean. 0:32:51.520 --> 0:32:54.040 But then on Wu Tan, you're playing. 0:32:53.720 --> 0:32:56.480 A person in power who is a real person, and 0:32:56.560 --> 0:32:58.840 you have played him for almost all. 0:32:58.720 --> 0:33:00.480 Of the season and then you get to meet him. 0:33:00.840 --> 0:33:04.080 So how does your direction as an actor change when 0:33:04.080 --> 0:33:06.720 you go from something that is based on a real 0:33:06.760 --> 0:33:08.760 person or something that's not based on a real person, 0:33:08.800 --> 0:33:11.520 to based on a real person, and then even after 0:33:11.560 --> 0:33:14.520 that it probably changes because you didn't meet the real person. 0:33:14.760 --> 0:33:16.000 That's another great question. 0:33:16.400 --> 0:33:24.160 So season one is all about who these members are 0:33:24.200 --> 0:33:27.120 before the group was formed, So it's just a lot 0:33:27.160 --> 0:33:31.440 of like just backstory stuff, you know what I'm saying. So, like, 0:33:31.560 --> 0:33:34.640 I was kind of pretty the performance I was given 0:33:34.760 --> 0:33:38.600 was pretty solid for what was asked to me that 0:33:38.760 --> 0:33:42.280 season because we hadn't gotten into like Wou Tang yet. 0:33:42.920 --> 0:33:44.880 So when I met him, it's like, Okay, the timing 0:33:45.040 --> 0:33:48.959 is good. So once we finished filming season one that summer, 0:33:49.000 --> 0:33:51.440 I spent a lot of time with him. I mean 0:33:51.560 --> 0:33:54.240 we went to you know, I went to DC with 0:33:54.360 --> 0:33:57.360 him with Miami, Like I was just traveling with He 0:33:57.480 --> 0:33:59.720 was just inviting me out, Yo, come to this, come to. 0:33:59.680 --> 0:34:02.080 That he's doing now because well, first of all, I 0:34:02.080 --> 0:34:04.000 guess explain a bit for anyone who may not have 0:34:04.040 --> 0:34:07.560 seen the series Power's role in the Wu Tang and 0:34:07.600 --> 0:34:09.440 then kind of where he is now, like what his 0:34:09.480 --> 0:34:10.160 life looks like now. 0:34:10.600 --> 0:34:13.960 Power. Power is the executive producer of Whu Tang as 0:34:14.000 --> 0:34:16.360 well as the co founder of Whu Tang. He was 0:34:16.920 --> 0:34:19.200 a party. He was there from the very beginning, you 0:34:19.239 --> 0:34:21.640 know what I mean the show. You see that. You know, 0:34:21.760 --> 0:34:24.440 Power is the one that basically fronted the money for 0:34:24.560 --> 0:34:27.759 Rizza to make this album. You know what I mean? 0:34:27.760 --> 0:34:30.040 Because Power, you know, Power was a street nigga. Got 0:34:30.080 --> 0:34:32.399 what I'm saying. He was a getting money nigga. And 0:34:32.640 --> 0:34:35.360 you know, especially in the rap game, a lot of 0:34:35.400 --> 0:34:37.319 the time we go to the you know, when when 0:34:37.560 --> 0:34:39.880 when we need that bread, going to the street nigga, 0:34:40.160 --> 0:34:41.759 you know what I'm saying. So that's who Power was. 0:34:41.840 --> 0:34:45.400 Power already had a name for himself, he was already established. 0:34:45.680 --> 0:34:49.000 So it was kind of like he recognized what Rizza 0:34:49.120 --> 0:34:51.280 was doing and said, Okay, cool, I'm I'm gonna invest 0:34:51.280 --> 0:34:53.400 in that. That's gonna be my flip, you know what 0:34:53.440 --> 0:34:57.160 I'm saying. So Season two is when we got into 0:34:57.200 --> 0:35:01.279 all of that. So before we started shoot shooting season two, 0:35:02.239 --> 0:35:03.920 you know, I got to see because he's still i mean, 0:35:04.200 --> 0:35:06.600 thank is still very much his brand, you know what 0:35:06.640 --> 0:35:08.600 I mean. He has who Wear, which is the clothing 0:35:08.640 --> 0:35:11.400 line as well that he started. Yes, so you know, 0:35:11.600 --> 0:35:13.840 he would do pop ups a lot, so he would 0:35:13.840 --> 0:35:16.800 invite me to these pop ups. So I'm meeting people, 0:35:16.960 --> 0:35:20.200 I'm seeing him like at work in action. I'm talking 0:35:20.239 --> 0:35:22.600 like down to like how he counts money. He counts 0:35:22.640 --> 0:35:24.520 money like a minute, you know what I'm saying. Like, 0:35:25.840 --> 0:35:27.880 so I'm like just taking note of all of that. 0:35:28.080 --> 0:35:31.160 So in spending time with him, now I'm able to 0:35:31.200 --> 0:35:34.360 refine my performance because now I can add details, you 0:35:34.400 --> 0:35:38.239 know what I mean, specificity. I'm big on specifics. You 0:35:38.239 --> 0:35:40.960 know what I mean. I don't like general you know 0:35:41.000 --> 0:35:42.719 what I'm saying. So, like I was able to pick 0:35:42.840 --> 0:35:45.920 up on little things how he dresses, how he you know, 0:35:46.040 --> 0:35:50.480 like power never ties his shoelace, he always his kicks, 0:35:50.520 --> 0:35:53.880 is always super clean, fresh out the box linkss. You 0:35:53.920 --> 0:35:55.920 know what I'm saying, don't boy shit, you know what 0:35:55.960 --> 0:35:57.640 I mean. So I was able to pick up on 0:35:57.719 --> 0:35:59.880 all of that. He sacks his pants a lot, so 0:36:00.200 --> 0:36:02.600 like even down to like my wardrobe and how I 0:36:02.680 --> 0:36:05.120 wore it. I'm picking up on all of these things. 0:36:05.160 --> 0:36:07.280 Sometimes I'll be at a fitting and I will FaceTime 0:36:07.280 --> 0:36:09.120 I'm like, yo, is this something you will wear? Like 0:36:09.120 --> 0:36:11.239 how you feel about this? Down to like how I 0:36:11.280 --> 0:36:13.440 wear the chain. He never wears his chain on the outside. 0:36:13.440 --> 0:36:15.480 He always has his tough thing, you know what I mean, 0:36:15.640 --> 0:36:19.200 Just like little things. So I was so in that 0:36:19.320 --> 0:36:22.360 I was able to bring more to the role, which 0:36:22.400 --> 0:36:24.640 I think paid off because now when I meet people, 0:36:24.840 --> 0:36:27.960 you know, they're like, Yo, you got billy damn. Like 0:36:28.160 --> 0:36:31.200 to the yo, you got pee damn. You know what 0:36:31.239 --> 0:36:33.960 I'm saying. And I heard that from Wu Tang members, 0:36:34.200 --> 0:36:35.759 you know what I mean. So, like to even get 0:36:35.760 --> 0:36:37.080 their blessing was a big deal. 0:36:37.320 --> 0:36:37.520 Right. 0:36:38.200 --> 0:36:41.040 So then, okay, so Wu Tang has happened, or at 0:36:41.040 --> 0:36:44.120 this point put spades on the back end your play, 0:36:44.320 --> 0:36:45.799 which is honestly what we're here to talk about. 0:36:45.800 --> 0:36:47.640 But this all is a part of the journey. We're 0:36:47.640 --> 0:36:48.600 gonna get there, y'all. 0:36:48.640 --> 0:36:54.000 So at what point, so Wu Tang happens, that's done. 0:36:54.760 --> 0:36:57.440 When do you say, okay, I need to get this 0:36:57.480 --> 0:36:59.359 play happening. And you're gonna be New York. 0:37:00.160 --> 0:37:04.360 Okay, So finished shooting Boutee. We finished filming in twenty 0:37:04.560 --> 0:37:10.680 and twenty two, the end of twenty twenty two, and 0:37:10.719 --> 0:37:15.120 then was it twenty twenty two three, twenty twenty two, 0:37:15.600 --> 0:37:19.400 and then the writers strike happened right after we finished filming. 0:37:19.560 --> 0:37:21.719 Yeah, it was like what the fuck? 0:37:22.719 --> 0:37:24.840 It was like, Yo, we just finished shooting this show. 0:37:25.239 --> 0:37:27.879 We finished, like okay, cool, we off this show. What's 0:37:27.920 --> 0:37:28.440 the next thing? 0:37:28.520 --> 0:37:30.840 Did you have things on the table, like conversations and 0:37:30.840 --> 0:37:32.919 stuff for other shows that weren't coming round. 0:37:33.120 --> 0:37:35.280 It was finally like, okay, this show led to boom. 0:37:35.400 --> 0:37:39.680 Yeah, I was doing I was doing this film and 0:37:39.760 --> 0:37:42.399 we had to stop production because I think I think 0:37:42.480 --> 0:37:44.560 production I think they ran out of money or something 0:37:44.600 --> 0:37:46.480 like that. But it was like, but it was supposed 0:37:46.480 --> 0:37:48.839 to be this like really dope indie film that they 0:37:49.000 --> 0:37:52.080 offered me this role, and I was gonna body this role. 0:37:52.760 --> 0:37:56.560 We had a production on that, and then I had 0:37:56.560 --> 0:37:57.239 a meeting. 0:37:57.000 --> 0:37:59.200 With this producer for this other film. 0:37:59.239 --> 0:38:01.279 So it was just like okay, okay, and then the 0:38:01.280 --> 0:38:03.840 writer strike happened, So everything kind of just came to 0:38:03.920 --> 0:38:07.320 a hole. So it's just like all right, okay, what 0:38:07.480 --> 0:38:10.160 do I What do I do with this information? So 0:38:10.880 --> 0:38:13.759 it put me in another depression again because it's just 0:38:13.880 --> 0:38:16.160 kind of like when you're an artist and you and 0:38:16.239 --> 0:38:19.600 you're not doing your art, folks with you. 0:38:19.600 --> 0:38:21.640 You know what I'm saying, are you doing anything actively 0:38:21.680 --> 0:38:24.239 for the depression? Like are you? Because I know, like I. 0:38:24.239 --> 0:38:28.080 Was doing the things I'm not supposed to be doing, meaning. 0:38:27.960 --> 0:38:28.279 You know. 0:38:31.120 --> 0:38:33.360 What tell us we want to know. You can't just 0:38:33.440 --> 0:38:34.360 leave us hanging like that. 0:38:35.320 --> 0:38:36.640 Look, man, I was I was. 0:38:36.920 --> 0:38:40.360 You're leaning into your vices? 0:38:40.680 --> 0:38:42.840 Yeah, yeah, I was leaning into my vices. You know 0:38:42.880 --> 0:38:47.120 what I mean. I was, you know, messing with you know, 0:38:48.120 --> 0:38:50.480 messing with young ladies. I shouldn't be messing with just 0:38:50.560 --> 0:38:53.120 kind of just I was just all over the place. 0:38:53.920 --> 0:38:55.799 So I was indulging in that. 0:38:55.920 --> 0:38:58.440 But that wasn't good because you know, here I am 0:38:58.560 --> 0:39:01.839 not really staying focus then letting distractions kind of get 0:39:01.880 --> 0:39:04.680 to me. And then I had my birthday party in 0:39:04.719 --> 0:39:07.719 twenty twenty three. I'll never forget that day. I have 0:39:07.840 --> 0:39:11.520 my birthday party. I invited everybody. I've invited, all my friends, 0:39:11.520 --> 0:39:15.400 all my little joints, all everybody came out and I 0:39:15.440 --> 0:39:20.919 remember I didn't even like it. It was at this spot, 0:39:20.960 --> 0:39:21.959 remember the grill BK. 0:39:22.800 --> 0:39:23.120 Yeah. 0:39:23.360 --> 0:39:25.520 I wasn't here during the time of all of that, 0:39:25.560 --> 0:39:29.319 like popping off. I just started coming around breakfast club 0:39:29.360 --> 0:39:31.759 guest hosts and started in twenty twenty three, so. 0:39:31.719 --> 0:39:33.200 I was a little new, but I knew of it. 0:39:33.239 --> 0:39:34.200 I would see people there. 0:39:34.440 --> 0:39:37.480 Yeah, my homegirl Melissa, she owned that spot. So I 0:39:37.480 --> 0:39:39.880 had my birthday there. It was an open bar. Like 0:39:39.920 --> 0:39:43.000 I basically threw my birthday. I threw a party for 0:39:43.280 --> 0:39:46.640 people on my birthday because I wasn't even really like 0:39:46.680 --> 0:39:49.440 I was literally sitting at the bar the whole party. 0:39:49.760 --> 0:39:52.319 Everyone's like, yo, this is your party, Like, why you 0:39:52.400 --> 0:39:55.439 not chilling? I said, I don't know. I'm just kind 0:39:55.440 --> 0:39:57.959 of chilling because it was one of It was another 0:39:58.040 --> 0:40:00.000 one of those like my spirit told me like, okay, 0:40:00.200 --> 0:40:02.239 I should throw a party from my It was my 0:40:02.280 --> 0:40:03.360 thirty third birthday. 0:40:03.800 --> 0:40:05.560 I was like something told me I should, I should 0:40:05.600 --> 0:40:06.560 throw a party or something. 0:40:06.600 --> 0:40:09.279 So I did it, and I remember sitting it. 0:40:09.320 --> 0:40:11.000 I couldn't even enjoy it. 0:40:11.040 --> 0:40:13.879 Really. All I did was like watch people. That's all. 0:40:13.920 --> 0:40:14.239 I did. 0:40:14.760 --> 0:40:16.920 Some shrooms, you know what I'm saying, My little shrooms. 0:40:17.000 --> 0:40:18.279 I saw you were sitting at the Star. 0:40:18.600 --> 0:40:22.160 But but you know that was like I love shrooms, man, shrooms. 0:40:22.200 --> 0:40:23.319 That should opened your mind. 0:40:23.440 --> 0:40:26.280 Y'all got that. That is not my ministry. 0:40:26.920 --> 0:40:31.359 You would love it. Stick thing. So I'm shrooms, I'm 0:40:31.440 --> 0:40:34.319 sipping my rum punch and shit, and I'm just like 0:40:34.400 --> 0:40:36.520 staying at people and just like watching people, and I'm 0:40:36.560 --> 0:40:40.160 just thinking to myself, I'm like, yeah, like I feel 0:40:40.160 --> 0:40:43.000 like most of these people are here just because you know, 0:40:43.160 --> 0:40:45.439 I'm on TV, and you know, I don't know if 0:40:45.480 --> 0:40:47.960 like all of these people actually fuck with me, you 0:40:47.960 --> 0:40:49.520 know what I'm saying. But that was something I was 0:40:49.560 --> 0:40:54.279 thinking about. And then you know, after that party, I 0:40:54.400 --> 0:40:58.960 ended up like I ended a lot of friendships because 0:40:59.120 --> 0:40:59.959 it was it was stuf. 0:41:00.280 --> 0:41:02.640 You know, people are starting to show their ass, you 0:41:02.680 --> 0:41:03.080 know what I'm. 0:41:02.960 --> 0:41:05.040 Saying, Like off the rum punch that night or no, 0:41:05.040 --> 0:41:06.480 no, no not, I'm. 0:41:06.320 --> 0:41:09.680 Like, oh, it happened at the party, but just following 0:41:09.760 --> 0:41:12.200 after that, you know what I'm saying, like, yeah, people, 0:41:12.280 --> 0:41:15.200 it's easy people. It's easy to be around people or 0:41:15.320 --> 0:41:17.520 to be with you when you're up, you know what 0:41:17.560 --> 0:41:20.440 I mean. When things are up, it's that's when it's easy. 0:41:20.480 --> 0:41:23.080 But when when it's not like that. That's when people 0:41:23.120 --> 0:41:25.360 start to show their true colors. And for me, I 0:41:25.440 --> 0:41:27.000 kind of was just like, yo, I need to kind 0:41:27.040 --> 0:41:29.600 of like clear space because I feel like some of 0:41:29.600 --> 0:41:31.920 this energy is not helpful for me. 0:41:32.000 --> 0:41:32.840 It's not conducive. 0:41:32.880 --> 0:41:35.920 It's distractions, you know what I mean, just energy I 0:41:35.920 --> 0:41:39.920 shouldn't be around. So twenty twenty three was a really 0:41:40.120 --> 0:41:41.799 tough year for me because it was a lot of 0:41:41.840 --> 0:41:44.400 purging a lot of it and a lot of like 0:41:44.480 --> 0:41:50.080 realizations of like, oh shit, this motherfucker's been like this 0:41:50.080 --> 0:41:52.880 this whole motherfucking time. I couldn't see it because I was, 0:41:52.920 --> 0:41:56.040 you know, I just spent the last three years, you know, 0:41:56.239 --> 0:41:59.360 living on a high that I didn't I didn't have 0:41:59.440 --> 0:42:03.520 the moment like really dissect and like really. 0:42:03.320 --> 0:42:06.160 Understand what was around me, you know what I'm saying. 0:42:06.800 --> 0:42:09.600 So in that, you know, twenty twenty three, I was, 0:42:09.680 --> 0:42:11.960 you know, I was also in a relationship, so I 0:42:12.040 --> 0:42:15.760 was just kind of like feeding into that more than anything. 0:42:16.200 --> 0:42:19.160 I wasn't really feeding into myself as an artist or 0:42:19.239 --> 0:42:21.000 because I didn't know what to do, you know what 0:42:21.040 --> 0:42:25.040 I mean. I still had space, but I wasn't inspired 0:42:25.080 --> 0:42:27.480 to keep working on it. During the like when the 0:42:27.520 --> 0:42:32.600 writer Strike first hit, I recorded the first two scenes 0:42:32.880 --> 0:42:34.839 on audio because I was going to try to sell 0:42:34.840 --> 0:42:37.799 it as an audio as an audio book kind of thing, 0:42:37.800 --> 0:42:39.399 because that was like one of the things we could 0:42:39.480 --> 0:42:42.520 do in the writer Strike. So I did that. 0:42:42.840 --> 0:42:44.640 I was supposed to meet with some people. 0:42:44.920 --> 0:42:47.960 They never responded back to the email. So it was 0:42:48.040 --> 0:42:51.040 just like it just kind of felt like, Yo, nothing 0:42:51.160 --> 0:42:54.520 is like going my way, man, Like nothing, you know 0:42:54.600 --> 0:43:01.080 what I'm saying. So then a friend at the time, 0:43:02.800 --> 0:43:07.000 we were supposed to do a reading of Spades in Detroit, 0:43:08.120 --> 0:43:11.279 and that ended up not happening because it was a 0:43:11.320 --> 0:43:13.880 lot of it was more like funny business happening, you 0:43:13.880 --> 0:43:16.440 know what I mean. It was another moment of like 0:43:16.880 --> 0:43:19.480 kind of like seeing of someone who's supposed to be 0:43:19.480 --> 0:43:21.560 your friend, they true colors, you know what I'm saying. 0:43:21.600 --> 0:43:23.720 It was starting to feel like she was she wanted 0:43:23.760 --> 0:43:25.640 to take my work and put her name on it, 0:43:26.000 --> 0:43:29.160 take the credit for my shit. But in hindsight, I'm 0:43:29.160 --> 0:43:31.880 glad that happened because it lit a fire under me, 0:43:32.239 --> 0:43:35.920 you know what I mean, Because even before that, you know, 0:43:36.120 --> 0:43:38.400 like I try to pitch this play to like different 0:43:38.440 --> 0:43:41.440 theater companies. You know, these are all white institutions, you know, 0:43:41.800 --> 0:43:43.880 that are going to take our stories and kind of 0:43:43.920 --> 0:43:47.560 dilute it and not really give it that authenticity that 0:43:47.600 --> 0:43:50.640 it needs when it comes to our stories, black stories 0:43:50.640 --> 0:43:53.279 and how we tell our stories. And that's a whole 0:43:53.280 --> 0:43:55.920 other thing I'll get into later. But so, you know, 0:43:55.960 --> 0:43:57.719 I'm pitching the to these theater companies. They're like, we 0:43:57.800 --> 0:44:01.600 love that, okay, but what's what's up? Oh, you know, 0:44:01.640 --> 0:44:03.960 we're gonna do this other play. We're I'm tired of waiting. 0:44:04.760 --> 0:44:08.640 So after that whole Detroit thing fell through, I said, 0:44:08.640 --> 0:44:11.360 you know what, I'm just I'm gonna do this myself. 0:44:11.640 --> 0:44:14.200 I'm gonna do this myself. And I said, you know 0:44:14.200 --> 0:44:17.160 what I mean. It woke something up in me. It 0:44:17.360 --> 0:44:20.760 woke something up in me. So I did a reading 0:44:21.280 --> 0:44:23.640 of so where the play is now? I did a 0:44:23.680 --> 0:44:28.080 stage reading there last year last September, same kind of 0:44:28.120 --> 0:44:31.200 formula with the whole theater and around at the table, 0:44:31.320 --> 0:44:34.160 but you know, except they had scripts. And that was 0:44:34.239 --> 0:44:36.480 kind of like the launching of like, okay, like I'm 0:44:36.480 --> 0:44:39.880 gonna commit to producing this play. Like I'm just gonna 0:44:39.880 --> 0:44:41.680 commit to it, you know what I mean? Because I 0:44:41.680 --> 0:44:45.000 got all this downtime, I'm not filming anything. I need 0:44:45.040 --> 0:44:46.960 to do something, you know what I'm saying, Like, and 0:44:47.000 --> 0:44:49.920 what better way than to employ yourself, you know what 0:44:49.960 --> 0:44:53.600 I'm saying. So from that moment, I did the reading. 0:44:54.160 --> 0:44:57.240 Then after that we did the reading at Dumbo House, 0:44:57.640 --> 0:44:58.280 and then from. 0:44:58.280 --> 0:45:00.480 Oh so that was still relatively like knew when I 0:45:00.480 --> 0:45:01.399 saw that Dumble House. 0:45:01.480 --> 0:45:05.439 Okay, cool, exactly, so you know, But because the point 0:45:05.440 --> 0:45:07.560 of doing these readings was to like get the word out, 0:45:07.960 --> 0:45:10.360 I wanted people to start knowing about this play so 0:45:10.400 --> 0:45:12.959 that when we produce it, it's like, oh, that's the play 0:45:13.000 --> 0:45:14.440 that I you know what I'm saying, So it's not 0:45:14.520 --> 0:45:17.080 like out of thin air. But some people thought, I 0:45:17.120 --> 0:45:19.680 think I just wrote this play, you know what I mean, 0:45:19.719 --> 0:45:21.720 not knowing, Like, No, this was a ten year journey, 0:45:22.120 --> 0:45:23.000 you know what I'm saying. 0:45:23.360 --> 0:45:26.160 Now, y'all stay tuned because this is only part one. 0:45:26.200 --> 0:45:27.080 But if you're feel an. 0:45:26.920 --> 0:45:30.200 Inspired, if you're digging a story in this conversation, I 0:45:30.239 --> 0:45:31.680 want to hear from you, my low riders. 0:45:31.680 --> 0:45:32.640 Make sure you at me. 0:45:32.800 --> 0:45:36.360 I'm Lauren lo Rosa everywhere and check out Spades, the 0:45:36.480 --> 0:45:39.720 play now playing in New York. Visit Spades to play, 0:45:40.000 --> 0:45:42.680 on Instagram or on paj 0:45:42.880 --> 0:45:45.040 For your tickets.