The Artsy Dudes Podcast
Life Before the Lens! Transitioning to the Acting World with Isaiah Williams
When I, Tayler, think back to my days stirring pots and plating dishes, I never imagined the parallels I'd one day draw between the culinary world and the bustling set of a film. The journey is a peculiar one, and my guest Isaiah Williams, a skateboarder turned actor, knows all about unexpected paths. His leap into acting amidst the stillness of a pandemic-laden world showcases the vibrant highs and grinding lows of the industry. From navigating the Backstage app to landing his first on-screen role, Isaiah's candid tales shed light on the relentless pursuit of passion and the serendipity of finding one's calling in the creative chaos of film festivals.
Networking is the secret sauce in both our former and current trades, and it flavors every tale we share—from mentoring new talents in my own film school to seizing opportunities that come from the most surprising connections. Isaiah and I muse over the unpredictable nature of large-scale productions, chuckling at the folly of battling the elements on location, and the incredulous ways our past lives inform our roles today. .
Join us for some holiday warmth as we trade favorite seasonal flicks and debate the Christmas credentials of 'Die Hard.' The allure of traditional theaters and their unique communal charm lead us down memory lane, juxtaposing the solitary clicks of streaming services with the collective gasps, tears, and laughter of a live audience. And for those of you in Calgary, Alberta, seeking to tread the boards or step before the camera, a heartfelt nod to local acting gems could be the nudge you need. Tune in for reflections, recommendations, and real talk on what it means to create and connect through the beautiful, maddening world of film.
When I, Tayler, think back to my days stirring pots and plating dishes, I never imagined the parallels I'd one day draw between the culinary world and the bustling set of a film. The journey is a peculiar one, and my guest Isaiah Williams, a skateboarder turned actor, knows all about unexpected paths. His leap into acting amidst the stillness of a pandemic-laden world showcases the vibrant highs and grinding lows of the industry. From navigating the Backstage app to landing his first on-screen role, Isaiah's candid tales shed light on the relentless pursuit of passion and the serendipity of finding one's calling in the creative chaos of film festivals.
Networking is the secret sauce in both our former and current trades, and it flavors every tale we share—from mentoring new talents in my own film school to seizing opportunities that come from the most surprising connections. Isaiah and I muse over the unpredictable nature of large-scale productions, chuckling at the folly of battling the elements on location, and the incredulous ways our past lives inform our roles today. .
Join us for some holiday warmth as we trade favorite seasonal flicks and debate the Christmas credentials of 'Die Hard.' The allure of traditional theaters and their unique communal charm lead us down memory lane, juxtaposing the solitary clicks of streaming services with the collective gasps, tears, and laughter of a live audience. And for those of you in Calgary, Alberta, seeking to tread the boards or step before the camera, a heartfelt nod to local acting gems could be the nudge you need. Tune in for reflections, recommendations, and real talk on what it means to create and connect through the beautiful, maddening world of film.
Oh yeah start with the go. Hello, welcome to the Artsy Dudes podcast. My name is Taylor and today I am joined by Isaiah Williams.
Speaker 2:Howdy y'all? How's it going, man? I'm good. Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1:No worries, no worries. So let's start off the conversation.
Speaker 2:So, isaiah, tell the people who are you. Well, I'm Isaiah Williams, like you said. I can't say that enough. I love my name. No, I'm an aspiring actor. I do many things. I'm a laborer by trade, but yeah, recently, the last year and a half, I've pursued acting Nice.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I love it. So what made you decide to get into acting?
Speaker 2:Well, I've been a nerd of film, television, basically all things entertainment my entire life. I was craving something creative to do. I love music, but I suck at playing instruments. I love art, but I'm terrible at drawing and painting. So I actually was COVID.
Speaker 2:Covid, of course, pressure cooked life for a solid year or two years there and at the beginning of 2020, I had heard lots of things filming in Calgary, where we live, and I was like, oh, it'd be cool to be an extra or just to be on set and see one of these HBO shows or Netflix shows that are filming here. See how it all goes down. I wasn't really thinking anything beyond that, to be honest. I just wanted it to be a nerd and just kind of be there. And, yeah, I took it upon myself to find out how to get there and I kind of did. I had to take baby steps. I'm taking baby steps. It's a tough industry to crack, so I had no idea what I was doing, but, with the power of the internet, I found an app called Backstage, which they have worldwide casting calls so you can narrow down your location. And, yeah, I found that I uploaded a head shot, which was just a wedding photo that my wife wasn't in, but it was a professional photo. I looked real nice in it. So I uploaded that. I uploaded all my stats like my size, weight, all that boring crap, and, yeah, I was off.
Speaker 2:I actually found a short film that was filming in Calgary a rom-com, and I was like, oh, let's see. I don't know how to. I've never auditioned for anything in my life. I was just like, oh, what's there to lose? I'll just apply for this. It was for the lead's best friend, so a co-star type role, and yeah, I applied for it and I heard back like a week later. Yeah, I got an email saying we'd love to have you audition for this. The look we're looking for, which is what I found out now, is kind of half the battle. It's just look in the part and then they figure out if you can actually act. But I looked the part, so I got an audition, I got the sides, I got to self-tape because it was during COVID, which is like all I've known for auditioning. I'm kind of dreading the day I have to go in and audition in front of a producer and go through the whole casting.
Speaker 2:Yeah, like you always hear about going into a room and seeing 20 of you all doing the same lines.
Speaker 1:Yeah, have you ever actually so you haven't actually gone in with a casting director, or anything like that I haven't yet, not for an audition.
Speaker 2:I did a callback where I had to go in and meet the director and producer, but I didn't have to do any auditioning. They just wanted to like vibe me out and see how I was. But this first role I auditioned for. So first thing I've ever auditioned for, I get the sides, I do the self-tape. Tape is great because you can do it a trillion times. I drove myself and my wife, who is my reading partner, nuts, doing every possible take and, yeah, I sent it in. I got a callback which was wild and that was a Zoom audition. I did it with the director.
Speaker 2:So not live, but I mean live, but not in room.
Speaker 1:The joys of COVID.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, right in the thick of it. Well, this was 2021. So it was a year of the worst, of the worst, but it was still like COVID. Right, we were doing Zoom auditions and, yeah, the director offered me the role on the spot. I did the lines with her and she said she loved it. She gassed me up so hard. I totally get why actors are a bit nutty or egotistical now, because I just auditioned for this little short film and she made me feel like I was Daniel Day Lewis or I'd want it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was kind of insane. I was like on cloud nine for sure after that and, yeah, since then, full steam ahead, I did that role. It was a ton of fun and I've just been like learning and since then I've done many auditions and didn't get the role. So I got lucky. I feel real lucky to have gotten that part when I did, because it gave me confidence to enter this industry with, yeah, and I don't fear failure, because I had nothing to lose, which was I'm a 32 year old guy with a job. I wasn't looking to pay the bills or put food on the table.
Speaker 2:So, yeah, I had a lot of freedom, with not having any fear. But, yeah, acting is awesome. I absolutely love it. I feel like I found the creative outlet that I've been craving for for my entire life, basically.
Speaker 1:Awesome, awesome. Okay, just give me a second here. I'm going to try something.
Speaker 2:I'm going to try it.
Speaker 1:All right, and we're back.
Speaker 2:So, yeah, that first short film I did is currently still in Film Festivals in the short film category. It won an award for Best Drama at the Edmonton Short Film Festival. I got to see it on the big screen with a crowd and it was crazy seeing people laugh at our lines that we got to riff and improvise. So yeah, for a first time gig, pretty stellar, nice, nice, small enough that I wasn't super scared, and a lot of new people involved. So they're very accommodating and amazing to work with and I'm just super close with now and coming up in the industry. Yeah, it's been beautiful.
Speaker 1:That's good. So, basically, you going into this industry, what was it like, starting out as a rookie, like somebody that's very, very green, not knowing where to start, what to do, and especially in Calgary I know it started to boom around that time. But what exactly did you find that was, in your opinion, you think was easy and what was a bit more difficult?
Speaker 2:Well, getting the first gig felt easy, but again, that was just good timing. But I knew nothing. So as soon as I got on that set I was picking everyone's brain. So I was like do you have an agent? Do you have used this app backstage before? Which apparently, I'm the only one who used that app and just nailed it. So, yeah, I feel like once you're in and I feel like a good way to get in not necessarily the way I did is through student films I feel like there's pages on Facebook and Instagram for for SAIT and their program or wherever they put out casting calls. I feel like if you have the itch to do it, go in that way and then just ask everyone about their experiences and then take bits and pieces. So I would ask people about who's representing them, and then it would be like this agency faces a Wendy, so I'm represented by. I'll give them a shout out, since I've gotten a few gigs now.
Speaker 1:But shout out again is Faces of Wendy. Faces of Wendy.
Speaker 2:Everyone pointed me in Wendy's direction, so as soon as I was done that first short film, I deleted backstage. I called Wendy, at Faces of Wendy. She was super awesome, just got me in right away. As far as what I find difficult now is auditioning, I feel like auditioning is brutal, like you. It's either super vague and you have no idea what they want, or it's super convoluted and they give you too much of what they want, and then you, either way, you're overthinking and you're yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:Just to let you know that's kind of industry standard. You're not really going to get anything different than either.
Speaker 2:Ridiculous, ridiculous ridiculously too much information or not enough?
Speaker 2:Yeah, like I've done auditions for giant network shows, I got an audition not long after that short film I did clowning around is what it's called, if anyone's curious for Under the Banner of Heaven, the FX TV show with Andrew Garfield. And when I got the audition it didn't say the network, it didn't say it said it was about Mormons and all. I thought it was like an indoctrination film that the Mormons were making and I was just like I'll do anything, I'll audition for this. And then my wife Googled the name of the TV show and found out it was a John Crackauer book and FX bought the rights and it's produced by Ron Howard and Jason Bateman. A minute before I was about to audition and so I just I locked up. I luckily it was self-tape so I had time to kind of get my senses together. But the audition was also an improvised audition, which is Wait, wait, wait.
Speaker 1:So did you do this in person?
Speaker 2:No, no, this was self-tape.
Speaker 1:This is online.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I did applied for the role and then I got it they wanted. They gave me the sides, which was nothing. They set up the scene and said audition this scene. So I had to totally wing it, but which made me do some homework and it's probably a good way of finding the guy you need. But yeah, auditioning is wild man. So I've done quite a few auditions in the last year and a half.
Speaker 1:Nice.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's trial and error. You definitely learn as you go. I highly recommend taking acting classes because they'll go through all this stuff with you.
Speaker 1:I've noticed a big uptick in people wanting to get into the industry, like especially for acting and even extras, because I mean you can't even throw a stone in the city right now without painting a production that's up and running. And they always need people and stuff like that. So would you recommend to give people like their foot in the door, just to taste it, just try doing some extra work, or just you know if they're really, really diehard about getting into it? Take those acting classes.
Speaker 2:Yeah, Again, I totally was just like wanting to be in extra and do background work and I got that short film so I realized I wanted to do more than just be in the background. But if you want to get your foot in the door and see how all the gears twist and turn and just see how everyone vibes together, it's such a different world, Down to the lingo and just the way people act towards each other. It's pretty interesting. As you know, you're deep in it now. I mean just getting started, but very deep in the starting.
Speaker 1:Very, very deep. I was mentioning that on the last podcast with Brian. Actually, I'm finishing, finally, your film school right now and I have individually. I have three productions of my own that I'm currently looking for funding. We're looking to go into pre-production, one of them in the summer. On top of that, there's two television shows that are in the slate a kid show, another show that I can't really mention.
Speaker 2:NDA, nda.
Speaker 1:But I'm also doing some short films that I want to get going. There's a documentary that you know I've been wanting to do for I don't know well over a year. Now. That's going to get up and running this year as well. Plus there's the podcast. Oh man. So, many, so many irons in the fire right now.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, I have another recommendation Be friends with someone in film school because they'll give you gigs. It's true If you say you want to act. Taylor has hooked me up with a couple of student films, which has been a ton of fun.
Speaker 1:It's actually kind of ridiculous for going over all the final films for the festival this year.
Speaker 2:Isaiah, you're probably in the majority of I could have been in more to, but I was like I need a weekend just like walk the dogs.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I know it's a what we appreciate it. Thanks for no worries. Taking that bullet for us. We really do appreciate it. And there's a lot of things. To our directing instructor, who herself was a casting Director for years and years in London and Vancouver.
Speaker 2:Wow, she saw that one little French reverse project we did, oh really.
Speaker 1:And she complimented you actually. Really oh wow Is that guy a professional actor.
Speaker 2:And I'm like yes, is that your cousin? I'm like no, he's married to my cousin. It was yeah, we're cousins, we're cousins. We've known each other for a minute now, oh well, over a minute. Spoiler alert yeah, he came to my wedding. Taylor came with at my wedding, so enough said.
Speaker 1:That's another thing about the industry too.
Speaker 2:I'm an epitysm baby.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it is absolutely not what you know. It is a large majority. Of it is who you know.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:If you can make some good connections, you're always going to have a job.
Speaker 2:Networking is key.
Speaker 1:Networking is very, very key and that's the one thing that I've noticed. A lot of up and coming filmmakers and actors tend not to do that. I know it's like they have social anxiety and stuff like that, but it's really, really important. Yeah, like one of the other hosts of this, tyson. Thank you, matt.
Speaker 2:Tyson Yep.
Speaker 1:I'm.
Speaker 2:Bruce Goh.
Speaker 1:I had to drag them kicking and screaming to the Calgary International Film Festival to go to the panels, the meet and greets with all the directors, and I'm like why. And like afterwards, of course, they were like oh, this was fantastic. I can't believe I did this. I'm like I know, but it's like.
Speaker 2:They just need that shove.
Speaker 1:They need that shove and I think it's something that you know. Maybe it's a generational thing, I know. At least once in these podcasts I mentioned generational but I think it's something that needs to be overcome on their part, because I am a schmoozer. I've always been a schmoozer, especially when I was a chef owning a restaurant in Romania of all places. Networking was key because we did not speak the language, we didn't know anybody, but we were always out there every Friday night, drinks after work with all the business owners in the city.
Speaker 1:It was very, very key and a lot of those skills that I picked up from doing that have translated directly to the film industry.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and the restaurant industry, very similar to the film industry in that you need consumers. You need a giant team to create your art. It is art, but unlike music or painting, you need like a whole team behind you. There's. It's tough.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I think you can do by yourself. But you know that's a good point you're bringing up, because I really agree with that. It's people don't really understand how complicated it is Like in a restaurant when you sit down and you order your salad. There's a lot of things that went into doing that. Everyone like from the farmer who grew it to the truckers who brought it in, to the people that worked at the warehouse, to the distributors all of that before it even gets to the restaurant. And then, when it gets to the restaurant, it goes through step after step after step after step, and that salad has been influenced by at least 20, 30 people before you eat it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I think that's a good analogy for the film industry.
Speaker 1:It is almost a direct analogy and vice versa. Yeah, and a lot of questions I get from people is like well, like how come movies cost so much? Well, you don't really understand what goes into me.
Speaker 2:Just craft services Jesus.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and like bigger productions. It's absolutely crazy Like I'm privileged going into the like being an independent filmmaker and staying with that, because I get the opportunity to kind of pick and choose what I want to do, whether I'm going to do it, and that all depends on funds and grants and everything else. But I can't even imagine coming up with like a budget.
Speaker 2:Oh wow, For like a $200 million film. Well, that FX show under the banner, which is the only thing I've done, or one of the only things I've done extra work on, Because again you've got to see just how these big Disney type corporations do their their thing. And the first day I worked they got a skiff of snows November in Calgary. So they're lucky there was no snow to begin with for continuity.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, I remember you telling me this story. Yeah, this is a good story.
Speaker 2:They brought in two helicopters to snow blow the fields for this scene. So I got there. Call time was at 5 am and I didn't step foot on a set till like one one pm and it was fucking freezing out. We're waiting for these helicopters. Oh, my god, damn it. Disney, son of a bitch.
Speaker 1:And they don't understand that in November there's no. Yeah, they got so lucky.
Speaker 2:They're lucky. They needed just a helicopter to blow it away.
Speaker 1:It would have been yeah, not happening, just like the over overcompensation there, where it's like oh, we have a bit of snow in a field, we're going to get a couple helicopters to come and blow the snow away in the field.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and there's probably 200 of us extras, so not including main cast and people that are actually acting, and she's probably another couple hundred of just grips and sound and 80s and handlers and it was nuts man Like they. Those big network jobs are no joke. So the how they even make a show. I watched the show. It's really good. Really I haven't seen it yet.
Speaker 1:Luckily, luckily yeah.
Speaker 2:So one, one season, boom, done, perfect. What's?
Speaker 1:the cast in that.
Speaker 2:Andrew Garfield. Oh, that was the one that, andrew. Yeah, I believe he's up for or was up for some awards for that, sam Worthington.
Speaker 1:Okay, all right.
Speaker 2:Wyatt Russell, kurt Russell and Goldie Hanson. I know I probably shouldn't say that he's a great actor. He doesn't need the nepo baby shit. Sorry, that's kind of a hot topic right now.
Speaker 1:So yeah, it goes hand in hand.
Speaker 2:As a as a nepo baby to Taylor, I can relate getting gigs handed to me.
Speaker 1:No, I'm going to, I'm going to be completely fucking honest with you right now. It's you don't know how, how, how happy it makes me to be like okay, the director's like we need this, we need this. Oh shit, we don't have an actor. Oh, let me call Isaiah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I love it Because my look that's all that matters is makes our casting directors life so much easier.
Speaker 1:And I just I slipped them the little thing as the producer of like yeah, I mean it is who you know.
Speaker 2:Like you said, that that's social networking aspect I've learned as an actor. I'm sure it's, if not more, important for for being a crew member. But yeah, you schmooze and you but not even schmooze, it's just like hanging out and if you're fun to be around them, people want to work with you and luckily I'm kind of fun.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, I get down. I'll second that motion, I party.
Speaker 2:Um I act, I party.
Speaker 1:So, as you, I, I, I consider you a professional actor. Oh, I've been paid. Yeah, I guess that's technically the definition but it's not really.
Speaker 2:I still feel like an amateur, I'm an amateur.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's. It's not really the definition or industry.
Speaker 2:I haven't got the full actra. I'm not fully unionized yet.
Speaker 1:Does that make you fully like professional? I guess not More, just time put in, I think I feel like like I mean, I've got like there's a lot of stuff that I don't have up and out there yet.
Speaker 2:But it's finished.
Speaker 1:It's in the can and it's going to be out there, and I consider myself a professional.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, that's fair, and it does take so long for stuff to come out Everything. I filmed so much stuff in 2021 and it either came out late 2022 or hasn't even come out yet.
Speaker 1:Yeah, or if it'll ever, or if it'll ever come out.
Speaker 2:I might be on the cutting room floor, probably with editors, my worst enemy but respect respect to editors because they make it happen.
Speaker 1:Oh man, editors are. It's not my thing personally. I 100% respect and appreciate.
Speaker 2:Just editing this podcast here, probably like that's enough. That's enough for me.
Speaker 1:Oh, sound editing I can do, but like video editing it's. It's. There's something they say like the story is told three times, especially in the film industry. So this you tell the story first through the script, then the director gets ahold of it, you shoot it and then you tell the story is second time, and then the editor gets ahold of it and the story is told a third time.
Speaker 2:Right, that's why there's directors cut.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, it's like a completely different movie if the director, the director gets the first crack at it, so that their vision is kind of basically done, and then after that you go into the rough cut and that's when the producers take over. And I'm not going to lie to you as a producer, sorry, directors, but fucking cut, fucking cut, fucking cut, fucking cut.
Speaker 2:Like I get it.
Speaker 1:I get the vision, and the editors that I've worked with are so intuitive to good storytelling, like just who they are as people like you. Give them a bunch of random ideas, they're going to come up with a fantastic story, and it's absolutely amazing to me, too, that they can do that. It's almost like an improv, but they still stick to the story. Or is that? I get the director?
Speaker 2:the director is telling the story, yeah verbatim and these are the shots, this is the visuals they want.
Speaker 1:This is, you know, the theme and the type of music that they want. I get that, but then the editor gets ahold of it and they can come up with something completely different. That just blows your fucking mind.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah they can throw a Tarantino shift all the shit around.
Speaker 1:Even the way they cut it is something that you know. The director hasn't thought of me as a producer I haven't thought of the writer never came up with it. It's just that ability that they have to see something in that story and build upon it which is something that is incredible. It's an incredible talent that I personally don't think I possess it. Not to the capability that some of the editors I know have.
Speaker 1:They are unbelievable and just simple things. You know, I'm an 80s kid, so I love montages. I think montages are great. Editors, I talk to you don't like montages, but they'll cut a scene that wasn't in the script, obviously, when you ask them to do it, or you basically give them like free reign.
Speaker 2:It's like this doesn't work. I know it doesn't work.
Speaker 1:You know it doesn't work.
Speaker 2:So, without reshooting, we have to do something.
Speaker 1:You're now the director and a lot of editors. Like I said, the one thing I noticed as being a producer when you go into the editing room, don't tell them, don't ask them is there another take or is there a better way of doing this? Because they spent so much time picking the best possible shots and putting them in the best possible order and so all they basically want is approval. To be like hey, can I, like I'm a kid in the fucking candy store now can I go play? And producer goes yeah, go play. And the shit they come back with is fucking phenomenal.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they're the real painters I feel, of this industry. They're like their breath, their strokes are like in the edit, in the scene cuts, and they're just. They're definitely have an artistic mind, but it's so technical at the same time. It's, it's, it's quite the talent it is.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's the technical thing that gets me. It's yeah you have the so visual, so many options that you can do. You have to have that kind of mindset that already can, you know, predict 10 things ahead.
Speaker 2:So in film school I have a question for you, taylor. In film school, all of these different jobs, it's just from day one. You just kind of get shuffled through these different jobs and then you just find which one clicks because, yeah, there's so many people go into these programs and they're definitely extremely different skill types, so you just have free. You kind of have to do everyone and do assignments and everyone, or can you dodge some tasks like have you been like the sole editor of something for a group project, or are you kind of like, yeah, fuck that.
Speaker 1:I have been the sole editor on some projects and I went into film school because I had already decided to go into the industry and I knew absolutely nothing about what the fuck I was doing.
Speaker 2:Right, you were going in as a writer, as a visionary kind of produced, yeah, and I was like I got all these great ideas and then I'm like, well, how the fuck do I make these things happen? Yeah.
Speaker 1:And I just I took it upon myself to be like you know what. There's a good film school here in Calgary. I'm going to do it. It's close to my house and I don't regret it at all. It was actually really good and it's been around forever. I like the fact that the school does allow you to pick and choose what you want and now that we've gotten into, like the final semester, we're doing all these big projects. Everything's going. People know what, what they want to do, what their strengths are what their weaknesses are.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they want you to play into your strength.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and that was the thing it's. I had no qualms about, like this semester, picking a bunch of producing projects, huge producing projects, because I already, you know, have the software. I've already done it multiple times. I like organizing people and this, just this, is, I think, carried over from me as a chef. Personally, like being a sous chef and executive chef, half of my job was just, you know, making sure people were doing the right thing at the right time.
Speaker 1:Yeah, make sure they ran smoothly and I'm like oh OK, well, I'm basically a sous chef and a chef, but in our profession we call that a producer.
Speaker 2:Cooking up some fun things to watch.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know, making schedules, making sure that people come in on time, yeah, management.
Speaker 2:Management is you need strong management in any profession, especially this industry.
Speaker 1:Oh, I mean, I did it for almost two decades and I did it well and I figured you know what. There's something that I could bring from my previous life, my previous career into this industry and, like you said earlier, like those two just overlapped.
Speaker 2:They gel.
Speaker 1:Yeah, they gel so much and I never realized that. And like I like being a director, I really enjoy creating a vision I don't like the fact of what we were just talking about is all that effort and everything I just put into being a director, creating something gets kind of harsh Gets cut, gets cut, cut cut, yeah, and so I'm like I love directing, I think it's fantastic. I don't think I have the heart to put all that effort into something.
Speaker 1:That's why I love being a producer, is because I'm going to put 110% into that job, but it's making sure that other people are following their visions to make sure that that story is done.
Speaker 1:And you still have your hands in it creatively, just maybe not on that exact moment of shooting, but you do have pull with like what's going on as per case, oh, yeah, like the difference between being a writer and a producer and being a director and above the line talent on a set like a DOP and a first AD, even like the amount of management skill of first AD has. I envy them because.
Speaker 1:I can organize long term and I can get people to do things. I'm good at paperwork, I'm good at all that other stuff, but a first AD is like a bloody fucking ringmaster.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he did the moment management.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's like they have to be cool, calm, collected. They've got a hundred creative artists around them, who you know, all have their own fucking opinion and you have to keep them on track and do all that and you have to be, you know, decent.
Speaker 2:And they have a headset in and there's all the other people talking to them, as they're like managing the talent and the director.
Speaker 1:Yeah, they're talking to the director and what one of their headphones is on, the others off. And they're literally having three conversations.
Speaker 2:How many ADs go like full schizo after like a couple of years in this industry?
Speaker 1:Because there's just so many voices in your head.
Speaker 2:Like yeah, I don't know they need to be medicated.
Speaker 1:I met somebody in the summer and their father was is a first AD in Quebec and he's oh God, sorry his name escapes me. I'll put it up on Patreon now. Put his IMDB up, but he worked with Denny Deniva, new for years.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, wow, and stuff like that Of Dune fame.
Speaker 1:I don't think he worked on Dune, but he worked on the earlier stuff on the.
Speaker 2:French, or was it the prisoner? The prisoner Hugh Jackman and Jim.
Speaker 1:It's like I have and I told him that, like, tell your dad like I have so much appreciation for, like what those people do.
Speaker 2:Oh, incredible.
Speaker 1:Cinematographers I. That's just the thing it's like. That's one of the things I love about working in this industry is that everybody is so artistic and so creative. Everybody has a different way of seeing the world and because of that different way of seeing the world, they take a script, a simple story, and they all contribute to different factors.
Speaker 2:Like a mosaic? It is, but everyone does this one little square of the giant picture you're creating.
Speaker 1:That's a great analogy and I think it's.
Speaker 2:It's a mosaic and but more impressive because you can't see what you're making. Tell it's the end, yeah, you're just like sure, like we're doing it. I always wonder that I'm like I feel like I did awful, and then I see it a year later, fully edited. I'm like oh, they made me look pretty good. I totally did not feel that way.
Speaker 1:The one thing I'm going to say about being a producer is trust your crew. Yeah, trust the talent that you brought in to create that, because if you don't trust them and you micromanage, it's going to be it's going to be garbage right off the bat. They don't even bother finishing it. Yeah, I mean, you pay these people a decent amount, you get them involved and they all bring their own creative ideas, their own insights, Like I said, their own unique way of looking at the world, and they pour that into the project. Don't drown it out. It can only make the project a better.
Speaker 2:Totally On that. Note how much money goes into all this. I find it interesting the money side of these things. I feel like if you're getting into this industry you definitely have to want to get into it for the artistic, creative reasons, because the money is not going to come for a while. Yeah, again, I'm lucky, I'm established in the job I have. I have a lot of freedom to go off and act. I'm not doing it for money right now, maybe if you're young 18, 19 and you enjoy or not enjoy it, but you can live off minimum wage. Definitely do background work because if you get enough hours you can become unionized and then it actually pays pretty good. But you got to do it a lot. You got to do it a ton.
Speaker 1:Something I was going to ask you is how hard is it to get into Actra and is it worth getting into Actra?
Speaker 2:I'm just figuring it out myself. I still don't 100% understand how it works and I've asked people I know that understand a bit more than me. But I'm kind of terrible at retaining boring information. You know, if it's not like fun I'm not going to retain it. Anyways, from what I know, it's very tough. It seems like one of those. It's almost like an oxymoron, like you can't become Actra until you do Actra, but then to get an Actra gig you kind of just have to get lucky and get put in an audition. But you're more likely to get that part if you're already Actra. It's kind of like getting a credit card. They're like, oh, I've never had a credit card before, or my credit is immaculate because I've never had it. Oh, well, then you can't get this credit card because you don't have good credit. It's like, well, I need to build credit.
Speaker 2:It's like getting a loan right, yeah, like what the fuck are you talking about?
Speaker 1:I need money. Well, you don't have any money.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I know that's why I'm here Exactly. So Actra is kind of like that. I've done one Actra gig so I signed a bunch of paperwork to basically as a freelance Actra so I understood it was the gig. I had to pay union fees. That was taken from my paycheck directly, so I essentially made like no money on that project because not that I was going to make a lot, but it went into union fees and I think I need about three of those gigs to qualify to be Actra. So I've done one.
Speaker 1:Well, that's not bad. I had these three months of permitting.
Speaker 2:Right, so those fees that I paid are banked, so they go into the full fee I have to pay if I decide to be full union. And then, once you become full union it becomes tougher to do student filmy type stuff. Like they're strict about what projects you need to work on.
Speaker 1:I'm going to jump in there as an independent filmmaker. We avoid Actra.
Speaker 2:Right. I know people who are avoiding it.
Speaker 1:Who could be. It's, it's, I've. I've been approached by quite a few Actra actors that want to be a part of some stuff, and just it's a lot more. We don't have the time, the effort, the as an independent filmmaker, like just the insurance itself. Yeah, I got to take those actors on and it's yeah, no, yeah.
Speaker 2:So my my agent, I'm an Actra apprentice since I did that one gig and paid into it a little bit. So if I get a couple more Actra gigs I am eligible to be full Actra. But even then I can decide whether I'm ready or not, because really the opportunities is what will determine if I want to be full Actra.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:The gigs. So if I'm primarily doing, like friends, short films in town here that I've met over the last year and a half, or student films, or YouTube sketches and all that I there's no point, because I just want to get experience and be creative. But the next HBO show that rolls in, or like Fargo, is filming here right now, which I'm throwing my hat in there because why not? But unless those gigs are coming in regularly, there's no point in being unionized, and my agent obviously is going to push me towards that because her money comes from me, so she's going to want me to make more money.
Speaker 1:Well, Fargo Rock's back. Like you, you, you're totally a muppet.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, no, I have. I have friends that have worked and are working on Fargo Rock. I didn't know they filmed that here. Yeah, in my acting class, my C partner.
Speaker 1:My C partner is in Fargo. Rock, yeah Like a multi-story sound. Set for it. Yeah For a muppet. There's like working, waterfalls and everything. It's incredible.
Speaker 2:I never was a Fargo Rock. I was a muppet show kid. I respect to the muppets we're just coming out of Christmas. Respect to the muppet, christmas Carol, one of the OG best. Yeah, fargo Rock is sick. I would work. I feel like I would do. Maybe my look isn't good for Fargo Rock, but my heart is Like I could totally be. Well, we'll get you a muppet.
Speaker 1:I just have to shave, just rip apart my couch and start sewing together a muppet for you.
Speaker 2:Well Jim.
Speaker 1:Hansen? Well, just Jim Hansen, the shit.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but yeah, no, there's there's ups, there's plus sides and downsides. Basically, by the point, I'm eligible to be full-acture. I feel like I will be Because if I'm getting those gigs then it probably makes sense to just go full in. Yeah, but I'm not rushing it because I want to do freelancy, independent stuff. It's fun. It's fun helping people out. It's fun yeah.
Speaker 1:Like the freelancy independent stuff, like there's no money in it, no, like you're going to get a paycheck, but it's technically a paycheck, yeah even then, I would feel bad taking money.
Speaker 2:Even if they had budgeted it, I would be like no, put this towards. You. Guys are doing more work.
Speaker 1:I can take two days. I gotta get a pen and paper. Yeah, isaiah, again I'm lucky.
Speaker 2:I have a job. You get a pen and paper. Having a job is pretty, a job that'll let me leave like and a snap is I'm lucky Again. That it's the only reason I can pursue something like this and having a partner that makes way more money than me Not that if I quit she could, but it's nice.
Speaker 1:Oh, that government work.
Speaker 2:Yeah, she got that. That's a nice award for the government. Danelle, oh, you said her, yeah, but yeah, she'll never listen to this. She'll listen to like 10 minutes and then be like I did it. But yeah, the union's interesting. I know a few people that are actress that kind of hide when they're doing student type films.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and for those in the actor that are listening don't do that. Because you completely fuck over those independent filmmakers, Wink wink.
Speaker 2:Yeah, don't do that. Wink Just kidding. Yeah, don't do that, no.
Speaker 1:I'm dead serious because you completely screwed us over, right Like legally, legally.
Speaker 2:So what I've heard is the most act Does is send you a cease and desist. So it's like you know when you torrented Game of Thrones and you get that email saying stop, that that's like the most that act Does because there's so many fucking actors they're not. Even my agent said this, at which I love. She's like just don't be loud about it. I would probably go by a different name or something. Not that I'm trying to give hot tips, but I'm not policing every single person in the year.
Speaker 1:I'm going to throw my producer hat and explain to you why. Don't say is completely fucking foolish.
Speaker 1:And I don't know, because I don't know the reason, I'm a rule breaker that is because the only reason, the only way that productions really make money is to distribute it, and in order to get distributed, everything has to be in the clearance. And okay, yeah, that makes. So I want to make money off of an independent film that I'm going to start distributing it, say, in Calgary International Film Festival. You all have to be already signed, done, paperwork is ready to go. Because if I get a call a year later from Actra saying hey, you didn't get permission, me saying oh, he didn't tell me he was in, actra is on me.
Speaker 2:Oh God, that sounds like a nightmare. Yes, okay, don't take back everything I said.
Speaker 1:I mean, if you really want to do it, go for it. Right, I'm telling you, I will do my due diligence and if you are and you're trying to get around that, I will never hire you as an actor Actra breaks thumbs.
Speaker 2:You heard that from me. They'll break your thumbs If you break the rules that's true.
Speaker 1:All you really need is a pretty face.
Speaker 2:Which is a lot of actors. I'm unfortunately not one of those actors. I'm more of a goofball that people have fun working with. No, I'll take it you do. Pretty well, I have this beard for a reason.
Speaker 1:Nice. So let's move on a little bit and talk about the next topic I wanted to talk about. Let's do it. Have you noticed a difference in the television shows you watch, the movies you watch stuff like that, having been in the industry, or is it relatively the same to you?
Speaker 2:No, I do look at it differently. I still enjoy it immensely. It definitely hasn't slowed me down and been like I don't want to be influenced by this actor because I'm doing my own thing. But I look at the way actors act and the way things are shot and angles and maybe even special effects, where I do have a different appreciation for it it's just deeper, because I always appreciated it. But yeah, I don't know, I'm in love. I used to just have a crush on film and TV and now I'm madly in love with it. So now I'm like if something's really good, I can't shut up about it. My wife gets annoyed because I recommend it to everyone and she's like this isn't really their thing. I'm like I don't care, everyone's got to know. And then it's like barbarian on Disney and on Disney Plus and they're like oh my god, did you make me watch? I know you don't like it, that's why I brought it up, but you know.
Speaker 1:I like it's not that I don't like it. No, you know what we're going to go with. I don't like it. We don't have to. We can move on. It's just fucking terrible. I've gotten into this argument with so many people, especially in film school and other people in the industry.
Speaker 2:It's like you didn't like it. I'm like no because well, there you go. This is a good topic too, of how subjective this world is as well.
Speaker 2:All art is so subjective. That again even more impressive. How you get this many people to work together to make something and they might not even like it, and guess what, a lot of other people will, and then, vice versa, they'll love it and it's their swan song and people will hate it. There's no gray area in this industry. It's very much. It's very dark, black and bright, bright white.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, yeah, and it is. You're absolutely right, it's completely subjective.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:There's no right or wrong. There is no set standard of how you should be doing anything. Like there's checklists and stuff like that, but when it comes to creativity and storytelling, you can't use a checklist.
Speaker 2:No Same with all of it acting. I've definitely learned like you can go to acting class and they will teach you very valuable like techniques and and things to do to prepare. But there's no right way to get into it or to. Your process is your process and you'll figure it out as you go. There's no just like clean cut way of doing things.
Speaker 1:Yeah, as a, which is nice as a former actor, my son back.
Speaker 2:We backed it together when I was young and pretty. And yeah, we asked together when I wasn't young or pretty.
Speaker 1:Hey now, but yeah the one thing I learned when I was young as an actor is that it's a cliche, but it's you react.
Speaker 2:It's all react.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah. So it's you become that character, but you don't force that character onto the other people around you. It's a lot like one thing I've noticed. It's acting is really really similar to telling a story in a screenplay, because you don't in in the part where you, where you have like the action part, like this is what happens. Like Tony enters the room, he does this, he does this. You don't put emotion into that, that's just basically what's happening, and then what you do is you. You actually put the story and that into how the characters react with each other. That's what makes a good screenplay or script, and if it's good enough, the actors are going to subconsciously pick up upon it.
Speaker 1:And that's the difference between reading a good script and a bad script. And I know you probably read both, oh yeah.
Speaker 2:Mostly bad. No, I'm just kidding. It's surprisingly good a lot of the time. But yeah, being reactive but also being present. So I feel like the job as an actor is not just to regurgitate the lines written for you. It's to do the work so that those lines become second nature, so that you can be fully present in the scene, and then those lines just come out natural. They're not natural, but they feel like they come out naturally, and that's where all the best acting comes from, is they don't they make it look easy, right.
Speaker 1:Right, so it's a whole reacting Exactly.
Speaker 2:It's reacting and being present, because once you're present, people can see that and a lot of the acting is in the eyes. They always say like it's. It's not even the words you're saying, it's your eyes and you're through your soul.
Speaker 1:Which sounds like just watch.
Speaker 2:Yeah, besides animation. And then you get those voice actors are pretty terrific as well. All props to, to animation and voice acting. Yeah, boy, yeah, it's interesting and that's what I've learned a lot of, because, as someone who faked it till he made it, made it quotes, air quotes. Even when you make it, you still think it right and I'm just keep going, man, and I've learned from a lot of people have talked to.
Speaker 2:Imposter syndrome never goes away. You definitely always feel like because acting is your playing, make believe, you're pretending. It's just like when your kids it's. That's why it's hard for people because people burry that, that imagination so deep to become Sterilized and just like fucking nine to five office job, zombie work, which you have to do. You gotta pay the bills for respect, but to be an actor you have to have that like. You gotta be able to tap into that child like Present, like to be present. Like a kid is like they're not thinking about the future, they're not thinking about their lines, they memorize when kids are playing. They're just there in the moment and there it's. I mean Cliche, I guess, but cliches are cliche for a reason, you know very true, very true, man.
Speaker 1:so Question yeah, let's change gears here a bit. I want to know over the holidays, what was? Did you watch anything interesting? Did you see anything that was, you know, fantastic that you want to mention just from a creative perspective, or even from this perspective of an actor?
Speaker 2:yeah, I mean, during the holiday season is one of the the busiest times for watching stuff, because it's winter, your home, watch so much stuff. But my recommendation right now is a movie called bones and all. It is a camera where people find that this movie is probably on demand so you might have to spend money to rent. It's not on a streaming service yet. I saw it in theaters. Old school I know so wild going to the theater.
Speaker 1:I go to theater like every every week or fully support going to the theaters.
Speaker 2:Go, get yourself a hot dog and some popcorn, smoke a joint. Whatever you gotta do.
Speaker 1:Week after Christmas I went to the Plaza. Nice love that theater it's just on.
Speaker 2:They touched it up real nice. It's all the renovations are fantastic. Yeah, I love it so cute.
Speaker 1:they play like the old school movies and they play Stuff you're not going to see in like Cineplex totally mark.
Speaker 2:Like film festival they support local stuff. But then, yeah, it's fun to see movies. You didn't get a chance to see older movies on the big screen, like I saw fight club there. I saw slap shot there, shit that yeah.
Speaker 1:I wanted. My favorite memories is Valentine's Day. Years ago, I went to watch Casa Blanca At the Plaza theater by myself, but nothing wrong with no. It was great because I was surrounded by single people and we're all sitting there watching, in my opinion, what is one of the best films ever made. It is it's number one for me on my top 10 easily, and it was fantastic see it in an old theater on a screen like that.
Speaker 2:Like it was just having a full or a full like having an audience to is always great. Oh yeah, yeah, I've seen bad movies that were so much fun because of the audience that was there. I saw the movie girls trip. It's a female lead.
Speaker 2:It's a female lead comedy Trying to think of their names at Tiffany Haddish and I think Jada sold totally. I love Tiffany Haddish. A few Regina Hall Incredible actresses, comedic actresses again a throwaway movie probably if you're watching it on Netflix, but we were bored, my wife and I, and we went and saw it and the audience was the best. They were dying, laughing at it and shit I might have giggled at. I like was crying, laughing. It was one of the most fun.
Speaker 2:I can't believe it was packed to. This is preco it was like 2018 ish, so still like Again. Kind of surprising that that movie had a full audience, because Marvel movies were probably the only thing selling selling out the theater at that point, but yeah, but again, what a fun night that was. I'll remember that for the rest of my life.
Speaker 1:That's the thing about like shared experiences, especially being Like it, experiencing art like I've. I've never been a proponent of Liking Netflix or Disney plus. It's convenient, it's convenient, but it takes away the whole atmosphere. What Theater? Totally it's like going to a van go exhibit but watching it on your TV at home right.
Speaker 1:Which during the pandemic fine but, yeah, yeah, still not ideal, it's still like you should experience it, when you can, in person yeah, like anybody that's ever been to an art gallery or art exhibition, it's like just imagine Watching that on somebody's phone as opposed to actually being there and being exposed to it is completely night.
Speaker 2:I've seen the Mona Lisa on Google a million times. Definitely go to the Louvre if you're.
Speaker 1:I have a friend that actually has the Mona Lisa on their t-shirt. Yeah it's like a walking art exhibit fancy what a guy or girl.
Speaker 2:But yeah, my recommendation bones and all fantastic movie is the director who made call me by her name.
Speaker 1:Oh, okay.
Speaker 2:Timothy Chalamet is also in bones and always the lead. Funny, ironically enough, didn't cast army hammer. The movies theme is cannibalism. Kind of missed out, missed out. I feel like he missed being cast in the role he was meant to play. He was about a year off. Could have been army hammer being what he wanted to be, full cannibal typecast.
Speaker 2:But Would have been called typecast but honestly he didn't need to be in. It was fantastic the actors Saying very little. It's intense. It starts out hot. There's a scene pretty hard to watch. We were in a theater with like two people and I could feel their reactions. It wasn't. Even If that was packed house there would have been some gasps like full, audible gasps. I went into it without seeing any trailers. All I knew is about two cannibals that fall in love. That's it. It's like a cannibal. It's a cannibal romantic. It's kind of like call me by your name if it was instead of to like romantically. Yeah, it's just cannibals, it's cannibals, but it's fucking awesome. I love it.
Speaker 1:It's like a meek you do over dead body.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, definitely recommend that. I watched a lot of stuff over. Oh yeah, another wreck. Ernest saves Christmas. Wait, are you serious?
Speaker 1:I've never seen that before.
Speaker 2:No, I've seen it, I just got it. Yeah, sometimes you watch sometimes you watch Bones and All and that's the artsy, like year stealer and then sometimes you go home, you talk about Ernest P Warhol and you watch Ernest. Yeah, ernest saves Christmas. It was a pretty cute movie and I'm not a big Christmas movie guy. I have to get my arm twisted to watch like anything outside of Christmas vacation. Ernest saves Christmas. Watch it next Christmas everyone.
Speaker 1:All right, next Christmas I'm going to give you a list and we'll let you back on the podcast. Talk about it because I have a very, very good and strict list of what people should watch for Christmas.
Speaker 2:For Christmas okay.
Speaker 1:It's everything from Scrooge Okay, good one that's a good one. I have Gremlins.
Speaker 2:Okay, that's, you can get into Die Hard kind more than Die Hard. I feel like Gremlins is more of a Christmas movie than Die Hard. But still, christmas isn't the focus, it's just the background. You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but if the entire set and theme is one holiday, true, true so are you. Movie must are you in the.
Speaker 2:Die Hard is a Christmas movie.
Speaker 1:Yes, absolutely Okay, and Die Hard too.
Speaker 2:I thought that was Thanksgiving, but no, I don't know.
Speaker 1:I thought it was no. No, you're probably right.
Speaker 2:I haven't seen Die Hard too in so long. But okay, oh, my name is Thanksgiving. I just, I thought it was Christmas. No, you're probably right. I think you're right, but I'm just fucking with you, but okay.
Speaker 1:Gremlins absolutely is a Christmas movie.
Speaker 2:You're getting into hot takes.
Speaker 1:And I'll debate this, and we will save this to the end of the year and we will have this discussion.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we're way too early.
Speaker 1:We have the entire group around us and I will tell you all how you're all fucking wrong.
Speaker 2:I know Christmas was a week ago, but it's in the past. We're a whole year away from Christmas.
Speaker 1:We've talked about it, I still got my tree up, you do.
Speaker 2:And your lights. So I guess that's what tricked me a little bit.
Speaker 1:That's why I brought up Ernest.
Speaker 2:You know what I mean.
Speaker 1:I actually usually keep this up till my birthday. Yeah, why not? I'm not gonna go to your birthday home.
Speaker 2:That could be a birthday in April. It can be just a winter solstice tree. That's the way I look at it.
Speaker 1:It's a. It's a pagan, pagan tree.
Speaker 2:I'm all. I'm all sorts of fucking pagan.
Speaker 1:Just put some magic mushrooms under there and you're good to go. So, yeah, yeah, so talking about TV shows and stuff that lots to recommend that.
Speaker 1:I'm surprised a lot of people haven't watched a lot of I think they really need to get into is there's a show on HBO. It's called his dark materials. They just recently had the final season of that that was released during the holiday season. Watch this show, people. It is insanely good. For those of you who don't know what it is, it's, it's a three season Actually. It's a really good telling of the Golden Compass stories, all those books.
Speaker 2:Okay, I'm not familiar. I know of the show, but I haven't watched any, so I'm listening.
Speaker 1:Don't watch the movies. The movies are, if I recommend getting into the show.
Speaker 2:What's HBO? I'm already elves in to theology, religion.
Speaker 1:It has aspects of string theory that are involved. The storytelling is fantastic where worlds kind of collide, where we're all in multi universe kind of worlds it's. If you've never read the Golden Compass as a book as a child, I recommend reading the book before you get into the show.
Speaker 2:The show has some whole work.
Speaker 1:It follows the book series way freaking better than any of the movies are.
Speaker 2:Props HBO.
Speaker 1:Always.
Speaker 2:I fucking love HBO.
Speaker 1:It has one of the most amazing actresses I think I've seen in the last few years Daphne Keen.
Speaker 2:Other work.
Speaker 1:Other work Was in what's that Wolverine movie, the one where he died.
Speaker 2:Logan.
Speaker 1:Yeah, x-23.
Speaker 2:She's all grown up now, probably, yeah, still young, yeah, great. And Logan though, which I saw sidebar in Hollywood, at the Arclight, we sat next to a guy who was in true blood and the whole movie. Which guy? Which guy? He was, the Reverend, I think. I don't know. I didn't watch, but my wife the movie ended and she grabbed my leg with this intensity. I knew something was up, but not troubling, but she was excited because she never gets like this. Once the guy got up and walked away, she went he's in true blood and I was like Hollywood, oh I know.
Speaker 1:Okay, the Reverend, the one who married.
Speaker 2:I think it was the Reverend.
Speaker 1:Married Tara's mother. Yeah sure, I gotta have this conversation with Daphne.
Speaker 2:Yeah, this isn't Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I have no idea what you're talking about. Oh, this is a different vampire show. But okay, that actress is cool. Yeah, I haven't seen her in anything else, so that's awesome. She's in a great.
Speaker 1:HBO show. The casting in this is insane. Again HBO never fail at cast or anything.
Speaker 2:You know what Hang on a second, people are up in arms about the newest HBO show about to air, called Last of Us, based on a video game. So there's already a heavy, heavy fan base.
Speaker 1:Spoilers, he dies in the end.
Speaker 2:And people are up in arms about the casting. It's like this show hasn't even come out yet. When is HBO ever fucked up that bad? Where it's like it's HBO, just I bet it's gonna rule. Chill the fuck out. Ellie is gonna be fine, bella.
Speaker 1:Ramsey, dude the casting directors don't listen to this podcast. Exactly, you can calm the fuck down.
Speaker 2:You mean I'm not gonna get on last of us by doing this podcast. What?
Speaker 1:So here's the list of the cast Daphne Keen, who plays Lyra Silver Tongue. Ruth Wilson, amir Wilson, who plays Will Perry, who's a major, major character in it. Okay, will Keen plays the priest and, yes, that's Daphne's father.
Speaker 2:Okay, I was gonna say related sounds related.
Speaker 1:Aaron Bakery. Sorry if I'm pronouncing that wrong. Simone Kirby Lynn Manuel Miranda.
Speaker 2:Ooh, of Hamilton fame, of Hamilton fame. No shit, what a man. James McAvoy Okay, I like me some McAvoy. Wow, is this the, the like, the?
Speaker 1:David.
Speaker 2:Lingam. So James McAvoy, is he a small part in it? Bella Ramsey's in this oh shit, see, there you go. Hbo, they like, hbo, they like from their own shit.
Speaker 1:Netflix does that too, netflix is. Yeah, see, even when you get to the top, it's still the same shit.
Speaker 2:It might not be from birth, but it'll be from previous jobs. But I mean she's great. She was awesome in Game of Thrones, one of the best deaths, for sure.
Speaker 1:Yeah, just the Smushed by a troll killed a the overall cast and this was just insane.
Speaker 2:Sweet. Yeah, I've seen it on on the H on HBO there. I haven't watched it yet, though Allotted to the list.
Speaker 1:Oh, she was the girl from that. Okay, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:She's Game of Thrones and she's going to be in the last of us. She's Ellie.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm excited for it.
Speaker 2:Did you see the early reviews? Almost 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Speaker 1:I'm going to let you in a little secret.
Speaker 2:That's a trick to get us to watch it.
Speaker 1:I'm going to the belly screaming at the jack singer.
Speaker 2:Oh sweet, yeah, it was filmed in Calgary With the cast and crew. That's sick, yeah, hell. Yeah, dude, that'll be fun. It's good to know people and it's good to hear that it's an amazing show. So you'll just enjoy it regardless and you get to call back, network and meet people.
Speaker 1:And I don't know how I'll be able to do that. It seems like a pretty big event, right.
Speaker 2:What do you mean?
Speaker 1:It'll be exciting, because one thing I regret is I was unable to go see the Tegan and Sarah.
Speaker 2:Right, which is a great show.
Speaker 1:It is a very good show.
Speaker 2:I very much enjoyed it High school on Amazon. We watched that over this winter and a fantastic show.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and as a kid that grew up in Calgary, especially with those other kids' music, I 100% dug it Like as a 90s kid. Oh, so fucking nice.
Speaker 2:Audition, for it didn't get it.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:I auditioned to be a creep and I saw the scene.
Speaker 1:And you didn't get it.
Speaker 2:I know, Because I'm too old to be in high school, obviously.
Speaker 1:Well, not if you're in Hollywood.
Speaker 2:True, I could shave, I have a baby face. But my one line was whoa, you guys are twins. You got the same cup size or something. And then they have some smart ones. They're like it's the same size as your eye or whatever.
Speaker 1:They have it.
Speaker 2:That was the line and it's in the show. That's like a no effects shit. Yeah. Yeah, it's like some Pat Mike would say.
Speaker 1:That's when you dream out Sarah.
Speaker 2:So we saw the line and my wife and I looked at each other and were like that would have been me if I got it. So that's fun about acting as you get to see the shit you didn't get Other people hire. And then you see them do it and you're like they did a good job, they picked it okay. You can't take it to heart. It's never personal, it's just the way it is.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so I went to the film festival last year at the Calgary International and I only had the premiere of that and I couldn't get tickets. I tried really, really hard, even being a member of the.
Speaker 2:Calgary.
Speaker 1:International Film Festival still couldn't, and I regret it. I wanted to go. Yeah, it's an awesome show.
Speaker 2:There was other things.
Speaker 1:I needed to do and stuff, though Saw a ton of other fantastic stuff though.
Speaker 2:Of course, lots to see.
Speaker 1:So many, so many good things, so well.
Speaker 2:I think that's pretty much it.
Speaker 1:If there's anything else you want to talk to you, I think we pretty much covered the basics.
Speaker 2:I mean, I could go on and on, but yeah, that's, it flew by, it did. What a time.
Speaker 1:What a time. Thank you for having me. No worries, no worries, my friend. So yeah, for those of you again who want to know Isaiah Williams is the name of the actor. His IMDb will be posted on our Instagram account and on Patreon and if you want to get ahold of them, just get ahold of us here on Patreon and we'll definitely point them in the right direction.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:He's a fantastic actor, thank you.
Speaker 2:And he needs work. Yeah, oh my.
Speaker 1:God, he needs work.
Speaker 2:You remember when I said I had a job before? I'm lying. That was acting. Oh my God, I'm jobless. I am this close to being unhoused. No, I'm Brilliant, brilliant. But yeah yeah, hire me. Oh, thank you, thank you. Oh, enough, enough, you've hired, me.
Speaker 1:So, yeah, again thanks to Isaiah Williams. If you need to get any information about him, make sure you follow us on Patreon and Instagram. That's where we're gonna post all the information and, yeah, it's been fun, man.
Speaker 2:Thanks, and shout out again to Faces of Wendy, my agent, and shout out, I didn't say the acting studio I go to, oh yeah right, company of Rogues, fantastic company here in the city. They're just they. You wanna do theater acting or film acting or learn just like technical Meisner stuff? They have classes you can take or you can take like college-esque, like two-year programs. Look into it, Company of Rogues, highly recommend.
Speaker 1:That's Company of Rogues and Faces of Wendy and that's in Calgary, alberta, canada. Just for everybody to know. Because, there are probably listeners.
Speaker 2:Yes, sir.
Speaker 1:Are not from Southern Alberta.
Speaker 2:We'll move here.
Speaker 1:Yeah, do it. If you wanna get into the film industry no, if you wanna get into the film industry, great, great opportunities here, fantastic opportunities and not as much nepotism as you would find in Toronto or Vancouver or Hollywood or anything. It's too new so get here now, before it all gets taken away. Beautiful Thanks again.
Speaker 2:All right, that's everything.
Speaker 1:Thanks again to listeners and that's it Goodbye. That's it, goodbye.