WEBVTT - Broadway star Andy Karl on how to exude star quality even when you lack the confidence 0:00:00.920 --> 0:00:04.600 It's two days before the opening night of Groundhog Day 0:00:04.760 --> 0:00:09.000 on Broadway. It feels like everything in your career has 0:00:09.039 --> 0:00:13.200 been leading up to this moment. But then, ten minutes 0:00:13.520 --> 0:00:16.319 before the end of one of the preview shows, you 0:00:16.600 --> 0:00:21.239 tear your acl It's a major injury and you literally 0:00:21.400 --> 0:00:26.840 can't walk. That's what happened to Broadway star Andy Carl 0:00:27.200 --> 0:00:31.240 who is now currently appearing in Melbourne repeating his performance 0:00:31.320 --> 0:00:34.600 quite literally many times a night as Phil Connor in 0:00:34.680 --> 0:00:39.440 the Tim Minchin musical Groundhog Day. So how did Andy 0:00:39.760 --> 0:00:44.519 get through a Broadway star's worst nightmare? And what does 0:00:44.560 --> 0:00:49.199 he do to maintain peak vocal and physical fitness, And 0:00:49.360 --> 0:00:53.960 what piece of advice did he receive from Sylvester Stallone 0:00:54.360 --> 0:00:57.920 that literally changed the way he thought about how he 0:00:58.000 --> 0:01:06.920 approaches his theater performances. My name is doctor Amantha Imbert. 0:01:07.000 --> 0:01:11.600 I'm an organizational psychologist and founder of Behavior change consultancy Inventium, 0:01:11.840 --> 0:01:15.000 and this is how I work a show about how 0:01:15.040 --> 0:01:17.840 to help you get so much more out of the 0:01:17.920 --> 0:01:22.520 hours in your day. So Andy is currently starring in 0:01:22.640 --> 0:01:26.959 Groundhog Day the musical in Melbourne, doing eight shows a week, 0:01:27.160 --> 0:01:30.520 and I wanted to know what physical and vocal routines 0:01:30.840 --> 0:01:33.319 does he have in place to give him the energy 0:01:33.360 --> 0:01:36.800 to bring one hundred percent to every performance. 0:01:37.880 --> 0:01:40.679 I think you know, inherent in the nature of theater 0:01:41.000 --> 0:01:45.560 and specifically musical theater, repetition is paramount. 0:01:45.640 --> 0:01:48.280 It's eight shows a week. It is a lot of grind. 0:01:48.840 --> 0:01:52.400 So you try to get into the repetition of how 0:01:52.480 --> 0:01:54.840 you can judge how well you're going to be that day, 0:01:55.160 --> 0:01:58.480 whether at eighty percent or one hundred and twenty percent 0:01:58.640 --> 0:02:02.760 as far as vocally physically, so there is the gym. 0:02:03.040 --> 0:02:06.120 There is vocal warm up, So I do a very 0:02:06.120 --> 0:02:08.440 strict vocal warm up every day. But I also then 0:02:08.639 --> 0:02:12.280 go sing three very different types of songs specifically for 0:02:12.320 --> 0:02:16.359 this show because it is so varied in its vocal identity. 0:02:16.520 --> 0:02:18.880 So I'll sing a little bit of Sinatra, and then 0:02:18.919 --> 0:02:21.440 I'll sing a little Occubis, and then I'll sing a 0:02:21.520 --> 0:02:24.760 regular old school tune called Wonderful from. 0:02:24.720 --> 0:02:25.600 And it gets your gun. 0:02:25.919 --> 0:02:29.040 It is so I just can utilize every inch of 0:02:29.080 --> 0:02:32.440 my vocal range, because this show does take a lot, 0:02:32.560 --> 0:02:33.680 and I do that every day. 0:02:34.040 --> 0:02:38.480 I need to get through to give me some excitement. 0:02:38.520 --> 0:02:41.600 It really gets my adrenaline going at the beginning and 0:02:41.639 --> 0:02:44.440 it gets me. It gets me excited to say the 0:02:44.440 --> 0:02:47.880 words and be active and know how flexible I am 0:02:47.960 --> 0:02:50.799 for certain moves that I'll do on stage because it's 0:02:50.880 --> 0:02:52.200 very physically active as well. 0:02:52.480 --> 0:02:54.560 Do I ask you Andy on caffeine because that's kind 0:02:54.560 --> 0:02:57.799 of shocking me. And I'm sitting here drinking a coffee 0:02:57.880 --> 0:03:01.320 and it's so delicious. I love coffee. You're in Melbourne, Oh, 0:03:01.440 --> 0:03:02.639 I've had your coffee here. 0:03:03.919 --> 0:03:06.120 I felt like I was hallucinating at one point. 0:03:07.600 --> 0:03:10.240 So I've heard with caffeine. I feel like I've heard 0:03:10.280 --> 0:03:14.400 this from seeingers that caffeine restricts your vocal core. Is 0:03:14.440 --> 0:03:16.600 that right? So I'm like, how are you having the 0:03:16.639 --> 0:03:19.360 caffeine during the show and not having that have a 0:03:19.440 --> 0:03:21.239 negative impact on your voice? 0:03:22.120 --> 0:03:25.920 Large amounts of water hydration. I didn't do that the 0:03:25.960 --> 0:03:28.000 first time I did this show back in twenty sixteen. 0:03:28.040 --> 0:03:32.799 I didn't drink enough water, and I'm now healthfully hydrating. 0:03:33.160 --> 0:03:36.280 I think it's good for anybody who speaks a lot 0:03:36.520 --> 0:03:39.000 and well sings a lot. You know, for any of 0:03:39.040 --> 0:03:41.360 your listeners who are speakers who have to do lots 0:03:41.400 --> 0:03:41.960 of speeches. 0:03:42.040 --> 0:03:43.520 I'm sure you do a lot of speaking. 0:03:43.760 --> 0:03:46.360 You realize the caffeine's great, but you got to have 0:03:46.440 --> 0:03:47.880 that glass of water nearby. 0:03:47.840 --> 0:03:50.680 So you're singing those three songs. Are there any little 0:03:51.240 --> 0:03:55.240 vocal warm up hacks that like me, immortals like me 0:03:56.000 --> 0:03:58.040 can take. And what I mean by that, like one 0:03:58.120 --> 0:04:02.840 hack that I have picked up from performers is the importance. 0:04:03.080 --> 0:04:04.600 And I use this because I've recorded a couple of 0:04:04.680 --> 0:04:07.680 audiobooks before which are just so vocally demanding, where you're 0:04:07.680 --> 0:04:10.280 in a studio for a four hour shift and you're 0:04:10.440 --> 0:04:13.760 trying to maintain energy for every minute of those four 0:04:13.800 --> 0:04:17.680 hours and speaking and reading constantly. And I got told, like, 0:04:17.760 --> 0:04:20.640 get a little cup of water and a straw and 0:04:21.000 --> 0:04:23.599 blow bubbles. And that's like a little hack that I 0:04:23.600 --> 0:04:25.719 picked up. But what are some little hacks that you 0:04:25.760 --> 0:04:26.479 can share with me. 0:04:26.960 --> 0:04:29.200 I've heard about the straw. I've never utilized it. 0:04:29.279 --> 0:04:32.400 I've only strictly stayed with pretty classical warm ups as 0:04:32.440 --> 0:04:35.880 far as scales. However, I did discover during one showed 0:04:36.000 --> 0:04:39.440 Jersey Boys that if I can warm my voice by 0:04:39.480 --> 0:04:42.440 going as deep as I possibly can, because you know, 0:04:42.480 --> 0:04:45.240 the show is very high, but if you extend the 0:04:45.320 --> 0:04:47.880 ranges of your voice and really make sure that you 0:04:48.000 --> 0:04:50.320 know how deep you can go and then start building 0:04:50.400 --> 0:04:52.599 up and going as high. It really gives the flexibility 0:04:52.600 --> 0:04:56.040 of your entire vocal cord. Your vocal cords are a muscle, 0:04:56.440 --> 0:04:59.320 and they do need exercise, and they do need to 0:04:59.320 --> 0:05:03.719 stay lubricated and loose as well, So it's really important 0:05:03.800 --> 0:05:06.440 to extend the upper range and the lower range. 0:05:06.760 --> 0:05:11.000 There any exercises that you do to improve the fitness 0:05:11.000 --> 0:05:15.720 of your diaphragm and just breath work and he routines 0:05:15.760 --> 0:05:16.200 around that. 0:05:17.279 --> 0:05:19.120 Yeah, certainly, crunches, you do those. 0:05:19.520 --> 0:05:23.000 I find all my physical activity just inherently helps everything 0:05:23.040 --> 0:05:27.279 about my voice, everything my posture, everything about my ability 0:05:27.320 --> 0:05:31.760 to present myself well on stage. I think Phil Connor's 0:05:31.920 --> 0:05:35.000 the role that I'm playing, changes posture due to the 0:05:35.080 --> 0:05:39.599 circumstances that he's in. I certainly stand pretty stoic in 0:05:39.640 --> 0:05:42.880 the beginning and then proud when I'm delivering a weatherman speech, 0:05:43.560 --> 0:05:46.240 and when he falls into the repetition. 0:05:45.960 --> 0:05:48.279 Of each day that he is now. 0:05:48.120 --> 0:05:50.560 Finding to be a nightmare, I start to hunt over 0:05:50.720 --> 0:05:54.600 as Phil and sort of lose my ability to stand 0:05:54.640 --> 0:05:58.000 up straight and be presentable and powerful. So it's different 0:05:58.080 --> 0:06:01.400 variations on a character that really affect the way I 0:06:01.440 --> 0:06:04.360 speak and really affect the way that I talk, so 0:06:04.680 --> 0:06:07.839 in order to keep you know the power of your voice, 0:06:08.200 --> 0:06:11.200 making sure that all that your entire body has the 0:06:11.200 --> 0:06:12.920 ability to be flexible and strong. 0:06:13.080 --> 0:06:14.520 So do those. 0:06:14.279 --> 0:06:17.240 Crunches lift those weights. I'm not saying you have to 0:06:17.240 --> 0:06:20.560 be a bodybuilder. I find weightlifting to be very helpful, 0:06:20.880 --> 0:06:25.560 and yoga I do every other day. So elasticity and 0:06:25.600 --> 0:06:28.880 strength and power is where I come from. 0:06:28.880 --> 0:06:32.760 I want to ask about when your health isn't one 0:06:32.839 --> 0:06:36.839 hundred percent. And I asked this because last week I 0:06:36.880 --> 0:06:40.120 had a cold and I had several keynote speeches that 0:06:40.160 --> 0:06:43.120 I had to deliver, and I was so fearful of 0:06:43.640 --> 0:06:47.400 losing my voice through pushing through. And I want to know. 0:06:48.120 --> 0:06:50.240 The role that you play in Groundhog Day is so 0:06:50.839 --> 0:06:55.440 vocally and physically demanding. What do you do where you 0:06:55.480 --> 0:06:58.120 feel like maybe you're coming down with something, or maybe 0:06:58.120 --> 0:07:01.120 you're at the tail end and you know, maybe you've 0:07:01.120 --> 0:07:04.160 taken a few performances off but still lingering, and you're 0:07:04.160 --> 0:07:06.680 still kind of wondering, do I have the vocal strength 0:07:06.800 --> 0:07:09.320 to do this? What is some interesting hacks that you've 0:07:09.360 --> 0:07:11.880 picked up to help get over something? 0:07:12.800 --> 0:07:17.440 Getting over something is I prescribe never getting into something. 0:07:18.560 --> 0:07:19.480 How do you do that? 0:07:19.720 --> 0:07:20.520 How do you do it? 0:07:20.600 --> 0:07:24.000 Oh gosh, please keep your vitamins going. I've learned to, 0:07:24.320 --> 0:07:27.160 you know, do the vitamin C. I mean, as humans, 0:07:27.200 --> 0:07:30.480 we don't absorb vitamin C from food like animals do, 0:07:30.640 --> 0:07:33.720 so we have to take our supplements. The supplementation I 0:07:33.760 --> 0:07:36.400 think is the way to good health. 0:07:37.080 --> 0:07:37.920 And exercise. 0:07:38.000 --> 0:07:41.240 Of course, I think exercise also helps you get out 0:07:41.280 --> 0:07:42.360 of something as well. 0:07:42.400 --> 0:07:45.240 If you do suffer from a cold and you feel. 0:07:46.400 --> 0:07:49.160 Good enough to do some physical exercise, it does clear 0:07:49.240 --> 0:07:51.160 up a lot of things. It does help your body 0:07:51.200 --> 0:07:55.240 repair and certainly gets the blood going in order to repair. 0:07:55.920 --> 0:07:58.800 If you're spending an entire day sitting in bed feeling sick, 0:07:58.960 --> 0:08:01.000 your voice isn't going to come back quick. So if 0:08:01.040 --> 0:08:02.960 you can give yourself a little time to just take 0:08:03.000 --> 0:08:06.560 a walk or something to make it before a speech, 0:08:06.560 --> 0:08:08.640 if you're feeling like you're just getting over a cold, 0:08:09.040 --> 0:08:12.560 take a nice, healthy walk and keep hydrated. So but 0:08:12.800 --> 0:08:15.320 I really prescribe trying to not get sick. 0:08:16.400 --> 0:08:19.800 Something that the Evening Standards said about you is that 0:08:19.840 --> 0:08:23.480 they said he uses star quality. I got to say 0:08:23.480 --> 0:08:26.080 when I saw groundhog day, and I'm going back to 0:08:26.080 --> 0:08:29.240 see it again because I loved it that much. Yes, yeah, yeah, 0:08:29.760 --> 0:08:32.440 I'm coming back in March. The presence that you have 0:08:32.559 --> 0:08:35.800 on stage is just it's amazing. And I want to 0:08:35.880 --> 0:08:39.520 understand that those of us that do present or even 0:08:39.760 --> 0:08:43.240 run meetings and need to command a room in some way. 0:08:43.800 --> 0:08:47.520 If you were to teach someone like whatever it is 0:08:47.559 --> 0:08:51.200 that is going on for you unconsciously or consciously, where 0:08:51.200 --> 0:08:52.960 would you start? How do you do that? 0:08:53.679 --> 0:08:56.079 I suffer from not having a lot of confidence in 0:08:56.640 --> 0:08:59.240 my life, and certainly once you go through the ebbs 0:08:59.280 --> 0:09:01.480 and flows of being an actor, where you're working and 0:09:01.520 --> 0:09:04.360 then you're not working, and you sort of question, you know, 0:09:04.760 --> 0:09:07.920 am I confident enough to survive this business? And then 0:09:07.960 --> 0:09:10.240 you get moments where you do have to stand up 0:09:10.280 --> 0:09:12.800 in the center and be in the spotlight and oose 0:09:13.040 --> 0:09:16.000 that confidence and oose that ability. I mean that comes 0:09:16.000 --> 0:09:18.600 from repetition of being able to find your. 0:09:18.520 --> 0:09:20.440 Skill set what works for you. 0:09:21.000 --> 0:09:24.679 I did Rocky the Musical on Broadway years ago, and 0:09:24.960 --> 0:09:28.640 Sylvester Stallone was involved, so he came to a few 0:09:28.720 --> 0:09:31.720 previews and rehearsals and things like that. He knew I 0:09:31.720 --> 0:09:33.960 could do the show he knew I was like humble enough, 0:09:34.000 --> 0:09:36.600 strong enough, all this kind of stuff. He just literally 0:09:36.679 --> 0:09:39.720 said one day I was like, all right, now own it. 0:09:40.880 --> 0:09:44.400 Now own the part, so take it as your own. 0:09:44.760 --> 0:09:49.480 So your intention really has to come from within. So 0:09:49.520 --> 0:09:53.760 you have to truly believe the I guess the indoctrine 0:09:53.760 --> 0:09:56.320 of the words of the text and take them to 0:09:56.360 --> 0:09:58.600 your heart and to your soul as soon as you 0:09:58.640 --> 0:10:02.800 can connect there to your yourself and to your beliefs 0:10:02.920 --> 0:10:06.360 or your strengths. All makes it much easier to look 0:10:06.480 --> 0:10:09.880 confident and to ooze a quality. I also have a 0:10:09.880 --> 0:10:12.800 bunch of tricks in my bag just being an actor 0:10:12.840 --> 0:10:15.480 for so long, I have dance skills. I have the 0:10:15.520 --> 0:10:18.600 confidence to move freely through the space and feel confident. 0:10:19.000 --> 0:10:21.760 I'm also highly aware of things. I'm sure I have 0:10:21.800 --> 0:10:26.400 a bit of OCD from doing shows for so long 0:10:26.480 --> 0:10:30.000 on repeat. That is fun for me, and I can 0:10:30.080 --> 0:10:32.240 play with that because I do know the marks in 0:10:32.280 --> 0:10:34.120 which I have to hit, and then I can play 0:10:34.240 --> 0:10:36.440 with all these things. So there's a bit of play 0:10:36.920 --> 0:10:42.880 knowledge OCD and confidence and owning it and dance skills. 0:10:43.320 --> 0:10:45.640 So yeah, I would I would suggest anybody like take 0:10:45.640 --> 0:10:48.080 a few dance skills or just try and dance. Everybody's 0:10:48.120 --> 0:10:51.960 doing it now on TikTok. It's all working out very 0:10:51.960 --> 0:10:54.280 well for people. I think it's a skill that at 0:10:54.360 --> 0:10:56.440 least frees your body and gives you a little bit 0:10:56.440 --> 0:10:58.080 more confidence to stand in front of people. 0:10:58.240 --> 0:11:01.360 Continuing on with this performance, state, what are some other 0:11:01.880 --> 0:11:07.080 memorable pieces of advice that you've received from directors or 0:11:07.480 --> 0:11:12.800 acting coaches or even just fellow performers that have fundamentally 0:11:12.920 --> 0:11:17.119 changed how you do or think about performing. 0:11:18.480 --> 0:11:21.280 There's so many of those stories in my life. I 0:11:21.320 --> 0:11:25.000 would say the first is a director when I was 0:11:25.040 --> 0:11:27.760 in college. She was directing Greece and I was playing 0:11:27.800 --> 0:11:31.280 the lead Danny and local show in Baltimore, Maryland. But 0:11:31.320 --> 0:11:33.120 he turned to me one day and he's like, you know, 0:11:33.280 --> 0:11:36.839 you could do this. He basically said I could try 0:11:36.880 --> 0:11:41.319 a career out as an actors and from there I 0:11:42.240 --> 0:11:44.760 immediately took off. I was like, got it, that's what 0:11:44.800 --> 0:11:46.440 I wanted to hear. Somebody gave me a little bit 0:11:46.440 --> 0:11:48.720 of fire under my belly to do it. So I 0:11:48.840 --> 0:11:51.040 try to do that for other people as well. If 0:11:51.080 --> 0:11:54.080 I really see something in them and they're young and 0:11:54.120 --> 0:11:57.320 they're impressionable, It's like you can add something to their 0:11:57.360 --> 0:11:59.960 lives by saying, you know, you're pretty good at this. 0:12:00.080 --> 0:12:01.640 I mean you might want to try, and that could 0:12:02.200 --> 0:12:03.679 change the course of their life. And I think that 0:12:03.760 --> 0:12:06.240 did it for me. And through the years, as I've 0:12:06.520 --> 0:12:09.720 gotten to know directors and actors, you look for the 0:12:09.720 --> 0:12:13.720 people that inspire you their energy. Jerry Mitchell, who does 0:12:13.760 --> 0:12:17.480 a lot of Broadway shows, from Hairspray to Illegally Blonde 0:12:17.520 --> 0:12:20.840 to Doubleware's Product, he has an undying energy and a 0:12:20.880 --> 0:12:23.840 love for this art form, which it is an art form, 0:12:23.960 --> 0:12:26.440 musical theater. He has an energy to try to make 0:12:26.480 --> 0:12:29.560 the best of anything that he's working on and provide 0:12:29.559 --> 0:12:32.920 that energy for everybody that's around him. So I do 0:12:33.640 --> 0:12:37.960 think that our energy affects everyone around us. Alison Janney, 0:12:38.280 --> 0:12:40.120 we did a nine to five for the musical in 0:12:40.440 --> 0:12:44.120 Los Angeles years ago and on Broadway, and you realize, 0:12:44.160 --> 0:12:47.000 if you could establish yourself as the lead actor and 0:12:47.360 --> 0:12:53.000 provide happiness, joy, show everybody your efforts work hard, basically 0:12:53.040 --> 0:12:54.319 everyone will follow suit. 0:12:55.080 --> 0:12:58.120 The whole group is guided by the energy of their leader. 0:12:58.679 --> 0:13:01.560 Now I feel like an obvious question to ask, even 0:13:01.640 --> 0:13:05.000 you are in Groundhog Day, which involves repeating the same 0:13:05.040 --> 0:13:08.240 thing the same day, many, many times. How you keep 0:13:08.240 --> 0:13:11.880 it fresh? I was at a Christmas party chatting to 0:13:12.200 --> 0:13:15.000 a performer and he'd been doing The mouse Trap for 0:13:15.280 --> 0:13:17.000 the whole of the year, and I was asking him 0:13:17.040 --> 0:13:21.480 the same question, and I liked what he said in 0:13:21.559 --> 0:13:24.839 that he said, but every night is a different show 0:13:25.280 --> 0:13:28.280 because it's a different audience and it's a completely new experience. 0:13:28.360 --> 0:13:30.880 And really I love that answer because I, you know, 0:13:30.920 --> 0:13:33.120 the certain keynotes that I deliver as part of my work, 0:13:33.240 --> 0:13:37.960 and sometimes before a keynote, I'm just not feeling it, 0:13:38.160 --> 0:13:40.000 and I'm like, oh my goodness, this is the hundredth 0:13:40.000 --> 0:13:43.679 time I've delivered this, and I have to somehow mentally 0:13:43.720 --> 0:13:47.800 reframe the situation. And I'd love to know, like, what 0:13:48.960 --> 0:13:52.199 is going through your mind, particularly when you're not feeling it. 0:13:52.880 --> 0:13:55.040 How do you get yourself into the zone and make 0:13:55.120 --> 0:13:59.199 it exciting when it's like the seven hundredth performance of 0:13:59.280 --> 0:14:01.440 Groundhog Day that you've done in your career. 0:14:02.320 --> 0:14:05.679 It is a fresh audience every night, So there's an 0:14:05.760 --> 0:14:09.640 undying passion for an audience to understand what I understand, 0:14:09.679 --> 0:14:12.120 which is how funny things are. And the sum up 0:14:12.120 --> 0:14:17.360 parts will eventually tell this story, which I find so profound, 0:14:17.480 --> 0:14:20.800 which is why I'm doing it so much. It's another 0:14:20.920 --> 0:14:24.840 level of repetition to perform a show that is about repetition, 0:14:24.960 --> 0:14:28.080 and the philosophy behind it is, if you are stuck 0:14:28.120 --> 0:14:30.280 in the same thing, doing it over and over again, 0:14:30.600 --> 0:14:34.880 what can you find just by sheer storytelling. We end 0:14:34.960 --> 0:14:38.400 in a place of finding presence and happiness in the moment. 0:14:38.560 --> 0:14:40.520 And in order for me to get there, I have 0:14:40.600 --> 0:14:43.120 to have the intention of the entire story or I'm 0:14:43.160 --> 0:14:47.040 not going to end in the place that is what 0:14:47.080 --> 0:14:49.280 the story is really about. You know, I get to 0:14:49.280 --> 0:14:52.840 be this guy who I believe. Australians have a good 0:14:53.000 --> 0:14:55.720 dark sense of humor too. They really love a sort 0:14:55.760 --> 0:14:59.120 of villain that will get his justice. You know, why 0:14:59.160 --> 0:15:01.840 not let that, especially as an actor, why not let 0:15:01.840 --> 0:15:05.040 that be your story? What if you're not feeling great 0:15:05.040 --> 0:15:07.000 this day, you can start your keynote speeches like you 0:15:07.000 --> 0:15:07.240 know what. 0:15:07.320 --> 0:15:08.200 I woke up this. 0:15:08.120 --> 0:15:11.920 Morning not feeling like I wanted to be here specifically. 0:15:12.680 --> 0:15:15.880 But I'm here because I believe in everything that I'm 0:15:15.920 --> 0:15:18.720 talking about. So it is very human of ourselves to 0:15:18.800 --> 0:15:22.200 not feel something, particularly one hundred percent each day. But 0:15:22.240 --> 0:15:25.560 the repetition that is inherent in this piece, and the 0:15:25.600 --> 0:15:28.880 repetition of me repeating the same performance of a person 0:15:28.920 --> 0:15:31.800 who's repeating the same day is kind of a giant 0:15:31.800 --> 0:15:34.800 philosophical joke to me, and I still get a kick 0:15:34.840 --> 0:15:35.200 out of it. 0:15:35.520 --> 0:15:39.160 You're always thinking of new things and trying new things 0:15:39.240 --> 0:15:42.840 within the show and making really generous offers to the 0:15:42.920 --> 0:15:46.000 cast that you're working with. Can you tell me a 0:15:46.040 --> 0:15:46.560 bit about that. 0:15:46.760 --> 0:15:49.040 I think, well, one part of it is I've been doing, 0:15:49.560 --> 0:15:52.000 you know, in the theater for so long. Did I 0:15:52.040 --> 0:15:54.400 just say the theater is or a third person? I've 0:15:54.440 --> 0:15:57.000 been doing theater for so long that you realize you 0:15:57.040 --> 0:16:02.480 can really find the joy in imperfections. Things go wrong, 0:16:02.600 --> 0:16:05.200 But I enjoy the imperfections. And this show A Grand 0:16:05.240 --> 0:16:07.520 Ode has so many things, so many characters that have 0:16:07.680 --> 0:16:10.920 so many effects on each character, and each movement they 0:16:10.960 --> 0:16:13.520 do is being repeated, and if they do something different 0:16:13.560 --> 0:16:16.480 each day, I'm looking for all the imperfections. But I 0:16:16.520 --> 0:16:20.440 also can and choose to go into certain with the 0:16:20.480 --> 0:16:24.040 same intention of what Phil Connors has he goes into 0:16:24.040 --> 0:16:26.840 a scene where he knows he's winning to repeat. I 0:16:26.840 --> 0:16:28.800 can go in with the same intention. But I can 0:16:28.840 --> 0:16:34.680 also play with different lines and variations onlines and activities 0:16:34.720 --> 0:16:39.160 that I'm doing in order to really tell the idea 0:16:39.360 --> 0:16:42.360 of I got this audience, guess what I'm going to 0:16:42.480 --> 0:16:44.640 get it over on this person. Because I'm repeating the 0:16:44.640 --> 0:16:47.680 same day, they know what's going on. So I'll dig 0:16:47.720 --> 0:16:50.320 into it a little bit and it'll be a nice 0:16:50.320 --> 0:16:53.320 playful moment between me and the audience. Say you're doing 0:16:53.400 --> 0:16:57.320 speeches for the hundredth time, I think in repetition, finding 0:16:57.400 --> 0:17:00.960 the intention behind everything that you're doing, and maybe you 0:17:00.960 --> 0:17:03.600 have a section of speech that you're digging into and 0:17:03.640 --> 0:17:05.760 want to really tell that story and make sure it's 0:17:05.840 --> 0:17:07.959 clear it has to come from the heart. 0:17:08.240 --> 0:17:10.640 Believe in it and others will believe in it as well. 0:17:14.920 --> 0:17:17.760 We will be back with Andy soon where he shares 0:17:17.800 --> 0:17:21.480 what happened when he got struck by a major physical 0:17:21.520 --> 0:17:25.159 injury just two days before the Broadway opening night of 0:17:25.400 --> 0:17:29.080 Groundhog Day. If you're looking for more tips to improve 0:17:29.200 --> 0:17:32.199 the way you work and live, I write a weekly 0:17:32.240 --> 0:17:35.280 newsletter where I share practical and simple to apply tips 0:17:35.320 --> 0:17:37.800 to improve your life. You can sign up for that 0:17:38.040 --> 0:17:43.800 at Amantha dot substack dot com. That's Amantha dot substack 0:17:43.880 --> 0:17:52.160 dot com. I want to come back to Rocky and 0:17:52.920 --> 0:17:56.840 you'd actually been picked by Sylvester Stallone to play Rocky, 0:17:57.200 --> 0:18:01.520 which is pretty crazy. And during that show I heard 0:18:01.560 --> 0:18:04.040 you literally got punched in the face during the show. 0:18:04.280 --> 0:18:09.359 What did you do to get yourself into the physical 0:18:09.720 --> 0:18:11.720 health that you needed to be in to play that 0:18:11.800 --> 0:18:13.600 role and maintain that during the season. 0:18:14.400 --> 0:18:18.639 I chose suffering up seven am in the morning. 0:18:18.840 --> 0:18:21.800 I got a trainer immediately, even before I booked the show. 0:18:21.920 --> 0:18:25.639 I had put my manifestation I suppose on I'm getting that. 0:18:25.920 --> 0:18:27.640 There's nothing that's going to keep me from it. 0:18:27.680 --> 0:18:30.520 So up every morning at seven working out, then going 0:18:30.560 --> 0:18:34.399 to boxing training, and then and then doing the actual performance. 0:18:34.640 --> 0:18:37.840 It shows a week with a twenty minute fight at 0:18:37.840 --> 0:18:40.320 the end and a ten minute fight in the beginning, 0:18:40.600 --> 0:18:44.680 and training montages and big songs. It was a constant 0:18:44.720 --> 0:18:49.320 bit of suffering, but that was part of the Rocky experience. 0:18:49.680 --> 0:18:53.040 Rocky he's a down and out boxer, He was nobody 0:18:53.320 --> 0:18:55.680 and he got a shot. I was at the time 0:18:55.920 --> 0:18:59.440 living the same experience. There was a first big role 0:18:59.520 --> 0:19:03.480 for me and chosen my silestist alone and a giant 0:19:03.560 --> 0:19:07.720 amount of physical activity and changing my voice, and you know, 0:19:07.840 --> 0:19:10.720 as I was talking down here, that was the entire time, 0:19:10.800 --> 0:19:13.160 you know what was doing my you know, really living 0:19:13.200 --> 0:19:15.960 in the character and living in his shoes, and he 0:19:16.000 --> 0:19:18.600 had his turtles and his little abovement and all that. 0:19:18.640 --> 0:19:20.760 So it was just a matter of getting into the 0:19:20.760 --> 0:19:23.480 boxer mentality. One of the lines which is you know 0:19:23.640 --> 0:19:26.919 Rocky's line from Rocky Balboa, he was giving a speech 0:19:26.960 --> 0:19:27.400 to his son. 0:19:27.960 --> 0:19:29.800 You know, it doesn't matter how hard you get hit, 0:19:30.119 --> 0:19:30.920 is how hard you. 0:19:30.840 --> 0:19:33.680 Get hit and keep moving forward, how much you could 0:19:33.720 --> 0:19:37.119 take and keep moving forward, And that's how winning is done. 0:19:37.280 --> 0:19:40.560 That rings true all the time to me. There is 0:19:40.600 --> 0:19:44.280 a matter of work, whether it's mental or physical, and 0:19:44.359 --> 0:19:48.560 facing the challenge and knowing that you can do anything 0:19:48.600 --> 0:19:50.359 in this world if you put your mind to it 0:19:50.400 --> 0:19:51.600 and face the challenge. 0:19:51.640 --> 0:19:54.320 And you may not, you know, you may not be 0:19:54.560 --> 0:19:57.000 the winner at the end, but the experience really is 0:19:57.440 --> 0:19:57.959 the journey. 0:19:58.760 --> 0:20:01.840 So he said, that was your first major role, What 0:20:02.040 --> 0:20:06.000 practically speaking did you do to improve your chances of 0:20:06.040 --> 0:20:07.840 getting what seems like it was a bit of a 0:20:07.920 --> 0:20:08.480 dream role. 0:20:09.680 --> 0:20:12.680 Rocky came along where it was an audition, and I said, 0:20:12.680 --> 0:20:14.639 are you kidding me? They're making a rocky of the musical. 0:20:14.720 --> 0:20:17.680 That sounds like a terrible idea, a terrible idea. How 0:20:17.760 --> 0:20:19.679 was this guy gonna sing? Then I got the audition, 0:20:19.920 --> 0:20:21.720 and then I watched the movie and I realized the 0:20:21.760 --> 0:20:25.520 intimate love story and facing against all odds the challenges, 0:20:25.560 --> 0:20:28.160 and I was like, wait a minute, this has something, 0:20:28.240 --> 0:20:31.240 This is something really important to say. And Sylvester Smolane 0:20:31.280 --> 0:20:33.520 had been wanting to make a musical of it for 0:20:33.680 --> 0:20:36.960 like twelve years before it actually got there. I dug 0:20:36.960 --> 0:20:39.400 in and I auditioned for it, and you know, I 0:20:39.520 --> 0:20:42.679 tried to show myself off physically as well as like vocality, 0:20:42.720 --> 0:20:45.680 and tried to be in that mind frame and certainly 0:20:45.720 --> 0:20:47.919 in the mind frame of somebody who's just trying to 0:20:47.920 --> 0:20:51.399 make it Somewhere. It became locked in my head as 0:20:51.800 --> 0:20:54.000 I need to do this, so I need to figure 0:20:54.000 --> 0:20:57.800 out any way that I can. I will give the best, clear, 0:20:58.600 --> 0:21:02.399 absolutely truthful a Jay that I possibly can, and I 0:21:02.440 --> 0:21:05.400 will find the voice. And so it was about practicing 0:21:05.400 --> 0:21:07.840 the voice and changing the voice and getting it down here. 0:21:07.840 --> 0:21:09.640 And I was talking to my dog all the time, 0:21:09.840 --> 0:21:12.800 just like you, trying to grab onto that and latch 0:21:12.840 --> 0:21:15.880 onto it. And how it felt natural. So I kept 0:21:15.960 --> 0:21:21.120 up my physical strength training and I kept emailing someone 0:21:21.160 --> 0:21:21.720 and with a team. 0:21:21.760 --> 0:21:23.800 Every now and again, I hear it's going really well 0:21:23.800 --> 0:21:24.360