Conversation with UP and Comer Alikhan Lochin, USC Graduate and Rising Actor Balancing Hollywood's Glamour and Grit

Picture the bright lights of Hollywood. Now imagine navigating this world as a rising actor, balancing the glamour with the grit, and the triumphs with the trials. That's the life our guest, Alikhan Lochin, a recent graduate from USC's School of Drama, shares with us. He takes us on an intimate journey from his formative years on stage to his adventures in LA. Alikhan also sheds light on the importance of celebrating the richness of African-American history by playing the Soldier and Jazz Musician in the successful  revival "Harlem South: a View Through the Lens" during the 1920s.

Los Angeles, famed for its clear skies and smoggy silhouettes, is a city of contrasts. Alikhan offers a candid glimpse into this city that's home to Hollywood, sharing his raw encounters with the industry's light and dark sides. He enlightens us on the power of networking, the importance of flexibility, and the balance between his social life and work. He also opens up about his music career as a DJ for Kehlani and Zendaya and the significance of inner peace amidst the glamour and drama.

We wrap up this insightful conversation with Alikhan sharing invaluable advice for aspiring actors. His emphasis on self-confidence, preparedness, and respecting everyone in the industry offers a roadmap for navigating Hollywood. He also delves deep into the significance of intuition, body language, and diet in identifying genuine intentions. Alikhan urges us to embrace our stories and experiences, reminding us that each success, no matter how small, is worth celebrating. Join us for this enlightening conversation and prepare to see Hollywood through a new lens!

IMDB:  https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6710221/
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/@a51Oakland

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

is so exciting, because now I have this large toolkit that I can just pull stuff out of Right and it's just so fun to play. I'm way up, up up, up, up.

Speaker 2: 0:09

Thank you so much for joining Up and Comers of Hollywood. I am your host, marie Finch. This is episode 10 of 11 episodes this season. I am so thrilled. In addition to listening to us on Pandora, spotify and Amazon Music, you can watch a short version of our podcast on YouTube. That's right on YouTube Up and Comers of Hollywood. Why don't you go over there and just subscribe? What's up guys? What's up guys. Thank you so much for coming back to Up and Comers of Hollywood. If you're new, thank you for checking in and checking us out. Today's guest is an Up and Comer. His name is Alakan Lochin. He is a classically trained actor and a recent graduate of USC School of Drama. This young man is a talented entertainer from DJing Fort Sendeah and Kalani during his teenager years, to be nominated as the best actor at the Real East Texas Film Festival. I am so excited to introduce our guest today, alakan Lochin. So, alakan Lochin, thank you so much for coming out to Up and Comers today.

Speaker 1: 1:09

Thank you for having me. I'm so excited to be here, so excited to talk and have my first interview with you.

Speaker 2: 1:15

I know I'm so excited that you're here supporting my channel.

Speaker 1: 1:19

Yes, fax. I think it's a great idea. Like the Up and Comers of Hollywood, I know there's like other YouTube channels about like before they were who they are today, and so it's like cool to see who they are right now as they're coming up. It's a great idea.

Speaker 2: 1:32

Well, thank you, and I think I'm going a little bit further. It's just not actors and singers and people in front of the camera. Next season I'm gonna be interviewing a lot of people behind the camera. Oh, that's exciting yeah executive assistants for television set designers.

Speaker 1: 1:47

Yeah, I'd love to hear about directors and what their thoughts are in the industry. You know Even casting directors. If you can get a casting director in here, let me know. I'm gonna subscribe, so I'll like look out for it. Oh, thank you Next season.

Speaker 2: 1:59

We need more subscribers. Yes, let's do that. Yes, I will have agents, I will have casting directors. We're gonna have a whole host of people next season, but today we have an actor, a very good actor and good friend, olicon.

Speaker 1: 2:12

Thank you. Thank you, I'm so happy.

Speaker 2: 2:14

Now we met on a commercial.

Speaker 1: 2:15

That's right.

Speaker 2: 2:16

What was it a year ago?

Speaker 1: 2:17

I think it was. Oh, was it?

Speaker 2: 2:19

Where was it a couple of years ago?

Speaker 1: 2:20

I can't keep up with time now, I think it was like yeah, I think it was last year. Yeah, like around this time last year. Yeah, wasn't it an industrial project?

Speaker 2: 2:29

It was an industrial project and we were in an industrial we were in a warehouse. Warehouse. That's where it was. Yeah, Exactly.

Speaker 1: 2:36

Did you ever see the footage from that?

Speaker 2: 2:38

No, did you.

Speaker 1: 2:40

Yeah, I reached out and I got some clips.

Speaker 2: 2:42

Oh, you're gonna have to send it to me, yeah, I don't know.

Speaker 1: 2:46

No, it was fun. That was actually like my first. I think that was like my first gig. So, yeah, last year I decided to officially pursue acting, you know, full time, and that was my first gig and I met you there and, yeah, I was like really nervous, really excited, and it was funny because, like I remember, we were all upstairs getting our hair and makeup done and then they were like oh yeah, you want to come down? We wanted to just see what the lighting looks like. I was like, okay, cool, I came down. They like set up the lights and I was like, wow, there's a lot of people here. There was like, you know, there was a good amount of people there.

Speaker 2: 3:12

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 3:13

And they were like testing the cameras, testing the lights. The mic guy came. He was like cool, you're set and I'm thinking, all right, I'm gonna go back to hair and makeup and chill a little bit longer. They were like all right, everybody ready, settle? Oh, this is right now. And then, like the actress that I was working with came on and they were like ready, they were like you're going to stand here, do this, do that, bam, bam, bam. And like they were just moving so fast and they were like all right action. And I was like here's my debut, my big break.

Speaker 2: 3:35

You did great and but I remember you being so nice, you just being a light.

Speaker 1: 3:40

Oh, that means a lot.

Speaker 2: 3:41

Tell us about your journey. Where did you come from and why did you decide to come to LA?

Speaker 1: 3:45

Yeah, well, that's a good question actually. So my name is Ali Khan. I'm from Oakland. I've been out here in LA. I studied at USC, studied at School of Drama. That was really, really insightful. I got to like work with professors from Yale and Juilliard, so it was a lot of fun to get all that experience and knowledge. I also went to OSA, which was a charter arts high school. There I learned a lot of classical theater and stuff like that, so that was really exciting. Yeah, last year I decided to absolutely pursue it full time and this has been my first year in the game and I think I'm doing OK. You know, for my first year, yeah, You're not new at acting.

Speaker 2: 4:19

You've been acting for years and years, so tell us that journey.

Speaker 1: 4:24

Yeah, when I was young, my very first time getting on stage, it was just so comfortable, just so fluid, it just felt natural. It felt like what I was called to do, you know, and it was at my aunt's wedding. The DJ was over there DJing and it was kind of like the reception cocktail before the event starts and the mic was just there and I'm just like there by myself and I just jump up on stage, I grab the mic and I become the emcee for the night. You know, and here I am, this six-year-old, just how's everybody doing? How's everybody doing? What's up, everybody?

Speaker 1: 4:54

And everyone's yelling with me and I'm like come on, everybody get up and dance. And everyone's getting up and dancing and they're having a great time. And, like in that moment, I was like, wow, here I am controlling the crowd, here I am telling the story, here I am entertaining people. And it felt so right. And my mom, you know, I love her so much because she saw that in me and she invested in that, and she was like you know what? You're going to go somewhere, you know.

Speaker 2: 5:14

At six years old you were up there and it was so comfortable for you, yeah so comfortable.

Speaker 1: 5:18

And then from there she put me in a conservatory. I went to the new conservatory theater in San Francisco. Shout out to them. I used to love going every Saturday. That's also how I knew there was something there, because every Saturday morning I was the first one up in the house, out running my mom and say wake up, wake up, wake up, we got to go. We got to go. I was already dressed and ready. She's still waking up like, oh, and then we? Yeah, it was just the drive across the Bay Bridge to get to San Francisco.

Speaker 1: 5:41

Everything about that was just so inspiring for me as a kid just to go into the big city and go into this conservatory school and, just you know, get all this training. I heard about Oakland School for the Arts and like that's a charter school and I was like I can do it every day of the week. I was like yes, let's go. And so I auditioned to get in and then I got in, and so for the first half of the day we're in school studying academics, and then for the second half of the day we're focusing on our discipline, our art. So it's whether dance, music, acting, you name it that would be the discipline for the next three to four hours and it was just so amazing. Shout out to all the teachers there who have helped me get to where I am today. Like it's amazing.

Speaker 2: 6:20

From six years old to high school, you were always studying.

Speaker 1: 6:23

Yeah, and then after high school I went to Pierce College in the Valley a study drama there.

Speaker 1: 6:28

Community college is really overlooked, you know. There's a lot of really good professors there who really care about their students and they really want them to succeed, and that felt like that was a perfect place for me, because that is when I needed support the most, you know, academically, and they were all there just making sure that I was making the right decisions, I was taking the right classes. They were telling me like the resources that I had available. And then one of my professors told me that I should apply to USC and he said don't let the money, you know, discourage you. He was like it's a private school but they definitely pride themselves on giving money to those who can't afford it, and I certainly couldn't afford it at the time. So I was like you know what Cause you said it, I'm going to go ahead and do it. And then he ended up writing a letter of recommendation as a USC alumni himself, and that was very, very helpful, you know. Yeah, then I got into USC and studied there. So, yeah, I've been studying for a while.

Speaker 2: 7:18

A long while. Yeah Now, Alakan, did you have any jobs as a child, any acting job?

Speaker 1: 7:24

As a child or did you audition as a child. I auditioned for plays, did stuff in school. I think I was just very focused on school at the time.

Speaker 2: 7:33

So just school and theater. Mm-hmm, yeah, you said you were really trained in theater.

Speaker 1: 7:37

Yeah, I was just behind the scenes just doing the work and of course, you know as a kid, there's times where I'm playing around and I'm just not taking it seriously. But best believe, I was definitely absorbing that information in some way or another and that's why I'm so thankful you know where I am now when I'm just getting out there just doing commercials and plays. And it's so exciting, cause now I have this large toolkit that I can just pull stuff out of, right, and it's just so fun to play. And I feel like once you study the craft and you know what you're doing when you go on set, it's time to just play and just use everything that you learned. It was really exciting to be able to reach into my toolkit, you know, and just pull stuff out for the stuff that I'm working on now in this last year. Like I'm like wow, like I actually have a lot of resources in my belt when it comes to acting that I can use for different scenarios.

Speaker 2: 8:24

I remember you on set and you were so happy to be there and you were so confident.

Speaker 1: 8:29

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 8:30

And now I know where that confidence came from, because you've trained for all these years. Even though you didn't have jobs in the industry, you were always training in theater. So, getting to that, I saw your revival of Harlem South in Los Angeles.

Speaker 1: 8:44

Shout out to Harlem South. Yes, at the Grammy museum, at the museum.

Speaker 2: 8:48

You invited me to come. You DM'd and say, hey, come out. So I did.

Speaker 1: 8:52

Thank you for that. I'm so happy you came out, by the way.

Speaker 2: 8:54

And I met your mom and she was so super cool. I was sitting right next to her and I could not get over your talent. I was like wow, alakon. Thank you so much you just brought me to tears and I just thought you're going places.

Speaker 1: 9:09

Thank you. Well, I definitely got to give credit to Dr Ron McCurdy, who started the whole production of Harlem South, and then also the director, dominique Corona. She was an amazing person to be with. She really helped me dig deep and really get into character and really understand why I'm telling these stories. And for those who don't know, harlem South is a multimedia disciplinary play about the beautiful black people who were living in the 1920s and just sort of what they were pursuing, what they had to endure, and we don't focus too much on the hardships, we focus more on the prideful things that they were doing at that time. So it's a really good play. But you're right, there is a lot of raw emotion in there too.

Speaker 2: 9:47

And it was all about the black middle class. Yes, during the 1920s, exactly yeah, and a lot of people didn't know there was a middle class. This is when they were starting to build wealth.

Speaker 1: 9:59

Right.

Speaker 2: 10:00

Before it was taken all the way. And those communities were building. They were really getting somewhere Right. And then, of course, other people in the United States thought that shouldn't happen and that they were taken away.

Speaker 1: 10:10

Yeah, so it's great we had our world premiere in 2019. And I invited you to the revival that we had and now they're talking about we might be putting it up again soon, so look out for that everyone.

Speaker 2: 10:21

If you get a chance to see the revival, please do. It's a really good history of our African-American ancestors.

Speaker 1: 10:27

Yeah, and it's great too, just to enlighten people and let them see the brighter side of what the black middle class was doing in the 1920s. So it's a great way to change your perspective and really just enlighten you on what life was like for middle class people at that time.

Speaker 2: 10:43

And it's about a photographer.

Speaker 1: 10:44

Yeah, it was about a photographer.

Speaker 2: 10:46

In the 20s, and when he passed away they found all these photos in this basement.

Speaker 1: 10:51

Yes, yeah you got it, you got it.

Speaker 2: 10:54

Okay, I know it was a year ago and I'm trying to remember, but you got good memory. Yeah, I just remember the doctor talked about that on the stage.

Speaker 1: 11:00

Yeah, he's a robber yeah, but pretty much yeah, this photographer. He took all these beautiful portraits of black middle class and he stored them on glass negatives in his basement and years went on and they just kind of got lost in there. And eventually someone bought the house. They looked underneath the house and they found all these glass negatives and they produced them and they saw all these beautiful portraits that have never before been seen. So it was incredible to look at. And that's when Professor Dr Ron McCurdy from USC. He came across the museum and said someone needs to bring these stories to life and he hired some writers, got a crew and made it happen. So it's great stories and it's based on real pictures and real people.

Speaker 2: 11:38

Exactly, and so glad that they found those photos, because you just don't see that type of depiction of our African-American ancestors in the 20s you think they were all just really weren't doing well and a lot of them weren't, but a lot were building wealth and that's what's so important?

Speaker 1: 11:54

In our production too. We always talk about how the photographer chose to store them on glass negatives, Like maybe he knew that over time it would be rediscovered, because if it was on paper negatives the pictures would have faded away, it could have been lost. But glass negatives, they last forever Well, not forever, but they last a very long time.

Speaker 2: 12:15

So that's pretty interesting. You had such a foresight on that. Yeah, so you were so magnificent. So now that you're here in LA, how is it for you?

Speaker 1: 12:24

Wow, yeah, now that I'm here in LA, it's definitely a sour patch. Kids treat First they're sour, then they're sweet, you know? No, it's been a great time, honestly. Just one year alone I've been blessed to have a talent manager. I just signed with a commercial agent. I got my first national commercial with the Experian app, so that was a lot of fun.

Speaker 2: 12:48

Congratulations on that.

Speaker 1: 12:49

Thank you. Yeah, I was really excited about that when I got the call.

Speaker 2: 12:52

I was like what.

Speaker 1: 12:53

Are you serious? Like my first commercial national, I was like let's go.

Speaker 2: 12:58

Yes.

Speaker 1: 12:59

Yeah, and then I remember showing up to set and they pretty much did the same thing. I'm realizing that this is just how set life is. You're upstairs, you're chilling and they're like oh, come down, we just want to see what lighting looks like. And I was like I've heard this before. And so I go down and they mic me up and this time I just feel a little bit more confident. I guess this one, I just felt more sure of myself because I was familiar with our project that we did. And so they told me to sit down in the chair. They leaned forward. They had one camera moving around, one camera focused here. They had a video village. They had the directors in the tent just looking through the monitor. So they do touch-ups. They're like all right, sit down, ready. Lights, speed, camera speed, all right, and action. I'm like all right.

Speaker 1: 13:39

So yeah, let me tell you something about credit.

Speaker 2: 13:42

So, you're getting comfortable in front of the camera, because that was something if you didn't have the confidence. I guess that was the thing. Or did you do some film when you were training?

Speaker 1: 13:51

So when I was at USC, I definitely worked a lot with film students there. The film students were amazing. They had industry standard equipment and they had all sorts of amazing stories, and so that I had a wonderful privilege to be able to work with them. For me, that was just a taste of what the industry was going to feel like. Yeah, because I would work on one student's short film and then two weeks go by, then I get a call from another student who was in that class, who saw the film, and they're like hey, we want you in our film. And I was like huh, so that's how it works. You know a little word of mouth Some people see you here, some people see you there.

Speaker 1: 14:26

Yeah, I just made sure to show up, do my best and be kind to everyone and I feel like just in that school setting it really took me far. And that's where I started to get more familiar with the camera. I started to see playback from the videos and I was like, okay, I did that way too big, like let me tone that down a bit. Like this isn't the stage I was. Yeah, I had that time to really own in on the reality of working with the camera versus the reality of working on stage.

Speaker 2: 14:51

Exactly, and we had to learn how to tone that down and to use the eyes opposed to being big on stage because you're using your whole body.

Speaker 1: 14:59

Well, it's good that you brought that up, because on the last film I worked, I realized when there's a wide shot, it's okay to use more of your body because you're filling the space, and when it's a close-up shot, that's when you want to keep it. You know small minute movements because it's really focused on your face and that's going to be, you know, on the big screen. You know. So, big body, wide shot, do whatever you know close-up, then you kind of like own in a little bit more. So, yeah, that's another thing that I learned. You know working on set and it's a lot of fun and it's all a learning process, you know, and the way I look at everything, it's like, yeah, I'm confident about it, but I'm also coming in as a student.

Speaker 1: 15:34

I'm also saying, okay, like this is there. I'm not afraid to say I don't know what that is or what does that mean, or can you clarify? Because I'd rather just let them know that, hey, I'm new here, you know, and I'm learning and that's what I'm here for and I hope to get something out of this, rather than, oh, yeah, I know that already, oh, I know that, and then I'll go walk over here and they're like we said over here, you know, like what is this guy doing? You know it's better to just say, hey, like what does that mean?

Speaker 2: 15:55

Or you know, it really is important that you get clarification, because it saves them time and time is money in the industry.

Speaker 1: 16:01

Yeah like even with auditions, like it's okay to ask the casting director, like what do you mean by that, or what exactly are you looking for, and they'll give you an example, they'll sit you down. The reality is they want you to be the one. So if you help them be the one, then it makes their life easier, you know 100%. Yeah, that's a great tip.

Speaker 2: 16:20

Thank you so much. So what was your perception of Los Angeles before you got here to Los Angeles, and then what was the reality of it for you?

Speaker 1: 16:28

That's a great question. My perception of Los Angeles was this big, bright city, you know, the clean streets and glamour everywhere, red carpets rolling out of all these venues, and my thought was like someone's just going to come up and be like you're the guy, you have the face, come with me. And next thing, you know, I'm like on a billboard somewhere, like that was my perception. So I really came in to Los Angeles really like googly-eyed, really like whoa, whoa, like let me do that and let me do that and what's that? And oh my God, and really inquisitive, you know, really curious about what it was.

Speaker 1: 17:02

And now my reality of it is Los Angeles is a place where a lot of people come to chase their dreams, and so that part is really inspiring, just to see the amount of people who come here and their stories. You know where they come from, what they want in life, why they came here and the weather that's something that I did not think about. And when I came here, I'm like, oh my God, this is beautiful, I love it, like the clear skies, you know, the sunshine, it's great. And then, of course, there are a lot of roaches on the streets. I didn't know that, especially in Hollywood.

Speaker 1: 17:33

You know, on the streets of Hollywood there's a lot of roaches. I didn't know that and I was like, OK, it's not as glitz and glam as I thought. You know, in certain parts of Hollywood, I mean just like in any neighborhood. You know, you have the rough part and you have the nice part. So then I started to discover you know Beverly Hills and Bel Air and you know the West Side, and I was like, oh OK, so here's the nice part, here's what we see, you know, on TV and stuff like that, like selling sunset and stuff like that. It can be nice. But what I didn't think about is that there's also bad parts of LA too.

Speaker 2: 18:01

Yeah, there's the light in the dark side of Hollywood.

Speaker 1: 18:05

Yeah, there definitely is the light side, there definitely is a dark side, and you know I choose to stay on the light side of Hollywood. I do too.

Speaker 2: 18:10

I'm only staying on the light side not going to that dark side at all. I did not know about the roaches.

Speaker 1: 18:16

I'm in the valley.

Speaker 2: 18:18

No roaches here? Well, not that I know of. And then you mentioned clear skies. Where is that now like? Because it's all smog.

Speaker 1: 18:26

Oh yeah, I guess there's smog sometimes. Yeah, when you're over, like by the beach, you get clear skies.

Speaker 2: 18:32

Oh, that's, true.

Speaker 1: 18:32

Yeah, because or when you look past the smog, you see clear skies. You know.

Speaker 2: 18:36

I moved here during the pandemic and the skies were actually clear because no one was on the road.

Speaker 1: 18:41

Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2: 18:42

And I think once everything opened up and then I start seeing the layers of, you know, I kept thinking it was marine layers, but it was really smog, yeah. So that's really cool. I'm glad you see both side of things and then you want to stick to the light side, Because you're a light person anyway.

Speaker 1: 18:57

Yeah, You're full of light. Yeah, yeah, I stay on the dark side. You don't need to go to the dark side. Yeah, no, I stay away from the dark side. I like the light side. I like you know positivity and I just like inspiring people. There's just a better feeling when you're on that side. You're just spreading positivity, You're spreading good and that comes back to you and it's just a world of peace.

Speaker 2: 19:16

Yes, yes, that's important to have peace, inner peace, definitely I'm at, finally at that place.

Speaker 1: 19:21

Yeah, that's good. Yeah, not, I got here it was kind of like crazy too. And I was like OK, slow down.

Speaker 2: 19:26

Yeah, exactly, take your time.

Speaker 1: 19:28

I remember in high school there was always like high school drama and I was always the one like I'm just going to step away, I'm going to let y'all handle it, like I'm good. I'm good, you know, just always. You know stepping away from the drama, but of course, like where it permits. You know you've got to be dramatic when it permits, yeah you've got to take care of yourself when you have to.

Speaker 2: 19:47

I know you act, but you do do some other talents. You're a music. You said that quickly and I caught it. So why don't you elaborate just a little bit about your talents and music? Because I think it's good for our listeners to know that, as an actor, you've been trained in theater and classical, but then you also have this other side to you, which is music.

Speaker 1: 20:10

Yeah, I did not expect you to bring that up. That was a surprise. I have worked in music. I've worked as a DJ in music. I've DJed all over the Bay Area and in a band. Yeah, we did a lot of stuff with that. I worked in some studios, you know, met a lot of cool people. It was a thrill. I would always tell my mom DJing is just a hobby and my career is going to be acting, and I would always tell my mom that. And so DJing really kind of took off for me career-wise. You mentioned if I had any work while I was coming up. I was DJing. I was DJing most of the time.

Speaker 2: 20:43

So you're getting paid for DJing. Now you DJed for someone who's kind of famous.

Speaker 1: 20:47

Yeah, I did. Yeah, a few people actually. Yeah, when we started with the band with Kaylani, she was amazing. She was like an amazing person to be around. She was always so enlightened, she was always so informative, she always had something to say, whether it was good, bad, criticism, whatever. She always voiced herself and that's something I truly always admired about her, like she wasn't afraid to say it and she wasn't afraid to be wrong. Yeah, just working around her and just seeing the way she navigated the industry even after we kind of split up with the band, like just seeing her navigate, I was like wow, like she's really doing it and it's just amazing to see her everywhere.

Speaker 1: 21:25

And it's funny because everyone's like, oh, like Kaylani, like they get star eyed and I'm just like that's the homie from the Bay, you know, like that's my friend from OSA, like that's someone that I was just on the stage with. Like there's an old photo of me in like a gray hoodie. I think I was kind of sick that day and we had a performance and I was like, ah, I guess I'll go and we showed up. I remember we had like a best friend handshake and we're on stage like doing our best friend handshake. Yeah, like those times were amazing, man. If I could go back in time, I would love to just relive those moments, you know.

Speaker 2: 21:53

I think she's amazing. I love her music. I do listen to her music, yeah.

Speaker 1: 21:56

And now she has a child. Shout out Adea. I think I'm saying her right. Shout out Adea. I came to visit her when she was pregnant, you know. So that was amazing. I haven't seen the baby yet. Yeah, I'm sure I'll see her soon.

Speaker 2: 22:06

So that is so cool. I think that's wonderful that you do have such a different side to you.

Speaker 1: 22:11

Yeah, definitely being on stage as a DJ. There's a different way that you look at the audience. So as a DJ, you're always reading the crowd, you're reading the room, you're getting people amped up for the show or whatever it is and adjusting your music based on what the response is. So it's really reading the crowd and filling them out. And so I think also you know, when you're acting on stage, or even you know on set, like you're reading the room and you're seeing like what the tone is, what the vibe is, you know, and it's getting that same energy for the project that as if I'm getting that energy DJing. You know what I mean. It's the same sort of process. So those are things that overlap. And then also just being myself and talking to the audience. And then also Zendaya I got to DJ with her on a little tour when she was doing music.

Speaker 1: 22:55

I remember we were at the Arizona State Fair and it was packed, it was sold out, and I just remember being up there on the stage. It was a pretty big crowd and I was like I have to get these people ready to see Zendaya. That'll be easy, because everyone loves Zendaya, you know. So I just came out there and did my thing and, yeah, it just felt really good to just share that energy with the crowd who truly love someone and just feel that reciprocal energy. It was beautiful.

Speaker 2: 23:18

Well, now I know where you get your confidence. I love our listeners who want to get into acting. I think really work on that confidence part, but it comes naturally to have that confidence and trust in yourself to be able to do all you did, to take the leadership and being a DJ and getting over the crowd together. That's some good training.

Speaker 1: 23:38

Yeah, now that you say it, yeah. And then I just got to go back to when you say you know confidence and actors having confidence. There's a fine line when you're having confidence. I noticed on set there's a lot of people that they cater to talent. Come in, hey, is there anything you need? Hey, is there anything I can do for you? Hey, is that too hot, you want me to go? Is that too cold, you want me to do that? Do you want room temperature? All that stuff can kind of get in your head. And then now you come out the trailer and you're like, hey, where's my room temperature, water and dry celery.

Speaker 1: 24:03

So for actors, in order to have confidence on set, you just got to know who you are and you got to come with that. And I think you bring up a good point when you say now you understand why I come to set with confidence. Like it's just a relaxed sort of confidence because I know what I'm doing and I'm prepared. An actor prepares, so if you're well prepared and you're ready to go on and do the work and just play, then it speaks for itself and that's where the confidence comes from. You don't have to come with this facade of like I'm confident, stick my chest out, chin up, look everybody in the eye, cause people can also read through that.

Speaker 2: 24:35

It's like overcompensating your insecurity. So that's why it's so important to be humble and grateful in your confidence and that's what I saw in you. But you introduced yourself to everyone. I remember I was, I think it, my makeup and everything on. You came and introduced yourself and you're just humble and grateful to be there.

Speaker 1: 24:52

Thank you. I also give credit to my new talent manager, kimberly. Like she has definitely been helping me, like just kind of, yeah, she's building me up, you know, to really, you know, take lead and take control of my career. And so, yeah, coming in and introducing yourself, really take lead and, you know, take action. Yeah, definitely, just be authentic and you know, just be genuine. And it takes time. That takes time. It's a lot easier said than done. I hear a lot of people say it all the time, but it takes time. To be authentic cause, you really have to explore yourself and you really have to know who you are. To be authentic, you have to know your flaws, you have to know what triggers you and you have to. You know, even as an actor, you know when you're going on set. You have to know what's going to trigger you to a certain level and it's just like the more you're aware of that, the more relaxed you can be and who you are.

Speaker 2: 25:38

That's a really good point, alakan, because one of my acting instructors told me that it's so important that actors have a therapist. Yeah, I know now why cause to get to know yourself, like you said, the triggers. But once you get to know that about yourself, that really helps with your craft, because you could pull from your tool belt Exactly, from your own experiences, exactly, yeah, and then you know how to harness it. So, even though you have your triggers, you can harness it to not let it affect your real life.

Speaker 1: 26:03

Exactly.

Speaker 2: 26:04

And then you can pull it out when you need it for a character. You got it and no one understands that actors go through that. That's a lot psychology that we work on on ourselves on an ongoing basis.

Speaker 1: 26:16

Yeah, it's a lot of psychology. I actually have a friend from USC his name is Omete and he studied neurology and theater and his philosophy was he wants to understand how your neurological brain creates these certain emotional patterns in acting, and for me I was just like Whoa, I love that because I'm a science nerd. Mind blown yeah.

Speaker 1: 26:39

I love it and so he really dove into that and he really like attacked that aspect and we actually worked on a production together at USC. It's called Facing Our Truth. Yeah, it was a really good play about race privilege and Trayvon Martin. It was a wonderful play and he played Trayvon Martin and just seeing him every night on that stage we were all really connected and tapped in. I really felt something powerful in that play, definitely felt presence there when we were doing the production. I think the family got to see it too. So it was really cool to have his family see our production at USC and really spread that message.

Speaker 2: 27:08

What a blessing to be part of that. I would love to see it.

Speaker 1: 27:12

Yeah, sorry. Since we're on the topic, I just want to say rest in peace to Shirley Jo Finney. She was the director for that play. She was amazing. She recently left us, so just want to say rest in peace to her and thank you, shirley Jo Finney, for everything that you instilled in us. She was amazing to work with.

Speaker 2: 27:28

Oh, that's really great, alakan, you said that you really just started working as an actor this past year. What are some of the challenges that you've been going through?

Speaker 1: 27:38

Yeah, well, one of my biggest challenges has to be finding friends, finding people to just hang out with and just chill, just have a good time with. It's definitely the balance that you have to have in this industry, and I think my biggest challenge is I'm so driven to get there that I neglect having a social life. Sometimes I can neglect having friends. Sometimes I can neglect just going out and maybe having a drink or two. I neglect a lot of that because I'm so driven and so focused. I think that's a challenge to me because it's important to have balance, especially if you're in it for the journey. It's about the present time right now. It's about enjoying the balance and the good in life, and so it's like I have to make time to have friends and hang out with them because that's gonna help my social meter, that's gonna help that side of my life, and then going on set, I feel like I'm good on that. But the challenge right now is that having a balance between work and social life.

Speaker 2: 28:35

Right, no, I understand that totally. How many auditions do you get in a week?

Speaker 1: 28:40

In a week. I probably get, I'd say, like four or five auditions a week.

Speaker 2: 28:44

So you have so many auditions, I could see why you wouldn't have a life.

Speaker 1: 28:47

Yeah, it gets a.

Speaker 2: 28:49

Four or five a week. I mean that's successful and that's great. But do you find yourself just stuck in the house? You're going over your lines.

Speaker 1: 28:56

There's also auditions in person. Now Go to a casting office and read in front of casting directors and I just I prefer reading in person because I feel like you can really feel the energy there versus self-tape at home. They can't really like see your essence and stuff like that and they can't feel your vibe. But I mean, I'm sure they can see what's going on. But I love going in person and so I'd say maybe once or twice I'm going in person a week and then the rest are self tapes.

Speaker 2: 29:23

Okay, so say five a week. Two are in person and three are self tapes. Yeah, yeah, but that's still a lot of lines and stories that you have to create.

Speaker 1: 29:32

I'm just laughing, because I remember this one audition. I forgot there was two parts to the audition, so I was so focused on the first part and I was staring and I was like I got it. I got it and I came in and I nailed it, I crushed it the first part, and they were like all right, now the second part, go ahead and bite into the cheeseburger. Okay, cool, bite into the cheeseburger. He was like okay, when's the last time you had food? I was like, oh right, and it's things like that too that you also need to study and prepare. How does this burger taste? Connecting with the burger, is this a good burger? Is this a bad burger? Is this a warm? Is it hot? Is it cold? You have to process all that. And I think, because I just wasn't prepared for that, I was like cool, it's a burger. And he's like all right, do it again, but slower. And I'm like, okay. He was like, okay, that was like slow motion. I was like, okay, so meet you in the middle. And then I'm just like he's like do you enjoy it? And I was like oh, yeah, yeah, I enjoy it.

Speaker 1: 30:24

And it's all these thoughts, and that's a thing too, like when you're on set or even like in a casting office, they're not gonna tell you the actor theater way of getting into it. They're just gonna say can you do it faster, can you do it slower, can you do it this way? Oh, turn it upside down. It's very technical, and so it's up to you, as an actor, to take those technical notes and apply it to your craft. So it's like okay, he's telling me to do it slower, so what I should have done was said okay, you want me to do it slower, so let me take the time to enjoy the burger, let me relish in it. Then at that point I probably wouldn't have done it in slow motion. But yeah, you give what I'm saying.

Speaker 2: 31:00

No, 100 percent. Commercials are so different because you're really selling the product. Yeah, yeah, and you always have to remember that when you audition to sell the product. So when you're eating a hamburger, you're selling the idea of this hamburger being so good yeah exactly. So they don't really go over that in commercial classes. They don't go over like buying into things.

Speaker 1: 31:20

Yeah, that's something you learn on the job.

Speaker 2: 31:23

I think, but I don't know have you been in a commercial class where they said OK, we're going to eat hamburgers and we're going to eat spaghetti, or we're going?

Speaker 1: 31:28

to try this. I remember at USC I was in a commercial class. That one was really fun. We were just doing like commercial auditions every day, but I don't remember eating anything.

Speaker 2: 31:38

Yeah, I never been in a class where they had us eat or drink anything.

Speaker 1: 31:42

I think I think we were drinking, but I don't remember eating. I do remember I was like a commercial for the shoe surgeon and Reese's Pieces Peanut Butter Cups. That one was really fun. Yeah, like I remember they had a freezer full of Reese's Pieces Peanut Butter Cups and after every take they would just come out with ice cold you know Reese's Pieces Peanut Butter Cups and it was just yeah, every time I was like I was just telling myself, wow, I didn't, I didn't rehearse this, Like you know, opening up the wrapper and taking a bite, Like I got to make it look natural. So in between takes I would just I knew we had a lot, so I would just take time opening it, taking it out, biting it, enjoying it and I think, just having that time to just kind of like go through it. I was like, okay, got it. So, yeah, it's just a matter of being prepared and just practicing that. So it's like we always think of the emotion or the lines, and but it's also the actions that we're doing too.

Speaker 2: 32:29

Right, especially in commercials because, you're selling the product and I think that's why they keep telling us to watch commercials. That's kind of like you know when watching commercials because it gives us. I'm only saying this because I know our listeners are people who are listening because they're wanting to be actors. They want to come to LA and they're just trying to find out. You know other people's stories, so I'm just bringing up a little things for them. You know to understand too.

Speaker 1: 32:52

Yeah, no, you bring up a good point, because I wasn't looking at commercials that way. But after I got my first national commercial, then every commercial that I see, I'm like, oh okay, like what are they doing here? You know, I'm really studying it now, you know, and it's like I don't want to do commercials for the rest of my life, but it is good experience. So it's good to just tap into that and really study it. And you also got to think like as a new actor. It is a competitive industry. When I look at the commercials, I'm telling myself I'm looking at this differently. I'm looking at it and I'm studying it, because I'm sure the next person probably is just looking at it, you know right.

Speaker 1: 33:22

So it's like it gives you that competitive advantage. So definitely do that as an actor throughout there. Definitely do that.

Speaker 2: 33:27

What are you doing in film right now?

Speaker 1: 33:30

I just finished shooting a film called it Happens. It's a indie short film written, produced and directed by Jaden Wiggins and Cole Meslanski. They are two incredible artists. They were also a pleasure to work with. They were amazing directors.

Speaker 1: 33:45

I think it's always good when a director knows exactly what he wants. So then every take they're able to say it, and I think we also have really good chemistry as friends, so it's easy for them to tell me okay, don't do it like that, all right, do this. Or try that, all right, let's do this one more time. And this time just don't do that. You know, and I don't take any offense, but I'm like bet, because we're all trying to get a really good shot. We're all trying to make something that we're all proud of. So it's all about collaborating and I make sure that my ego doesn't get in the way. I'm like you know, they're the directors and I trust them, and so they were incredible to work with. They knew what they wanted.

Speaker 1: 34:15

And then also the DP, trevor Hollander, was fantastic. He works really well under pressure. We had like a rig on top of the car, very expensive camera on top of the car, and then we had one on the side of the car. We had one in the car. We had a shot where the camera is in the back of the pickup truck and I'm like running behind the pickup truck and it's just the whole process. Like it's definitely an indie project but we really, really made it work.

Speaker 1: 34:38

And it was just cool to see Trevor, just like you know, work fast with everything and work under pressure and get the shot right, and if something wasn't working he was quick to just say okay, like all right, we're going to do this, flip this here, like he knows what he's doing. Think, as an actor, it just feels so good to be able to just focus on acting. You know that everyone else has everything else situated. You can focus on acting and that is the exciting part there. So, yeah, it was really great. It's a really good film. Everyone that worked on it. It was a pleasure to work around everyone. We shot it for three days overnight shoots, so it was 6 pm to 6 am Friday, saturday and Sunday. That must have been hard.

Speaker 1: 35:14

The last day, you know, we're saying bye to everyone and there's this house that we rented to like film the project in and we're just kind of like chilling on the couch at 6 am and I'm like what a night. And then I sit on the couch and then Jaden, the director, sits on the couch and then Cole is like working on his laptop and then we all just pass out, and so he took a picture of like me and Jaden passed out on the couch with Jaden's dog. His name is Axel and he got his debut in the film too. So yeah, I've got a little poodle debut.

Speaker 2: 35:41

That's so cute. So where will this movie be?

Speaker 1: 35:44

Film festivals, or yeah, so they are. They're going to send it into some film festivals. Hopefully we'll have a private screening soon. Yeah, I'm excited to see where it goes. Yeah, I put a lot of work in it, so I definitely put in all my effort into it and I really, you know, try to do my best, you know. So I'm really excited to see how it comes out. Yeah, we've all worked hard. Late hours we definitely put in the grind. There is definitely a shot where there's a scene where I'm running, and so I think it was like four o'clock in the morning. I'm just like sprinting down the street while they're in the back of the pickup truck. We probably do like I don't know, six or seven, you know, sprints down the street. I think we did more than that. Actually, we were just locked in just going different angles, you know, catching the sprints.

Speaker 2: 36:26

So you know all the listeners right now. I just want to let you know that we will have a YouTube video of Alakan and I talking, and I will be sharing some of these pictures. He's referring to these photos that he's referring to. You'll get to see it on our YouTube, so make sure that you hop over through the YouTube under up and comers of Hollywood and subscribe to our channel so you can get more interviews like this. Alakan, where are some of the successes that we can share with you today?

Speaker 1: 36:52

Yeah, that's a really good question. So my manager likes to tell me to celebrate everything, especially when you're working in an industry of rejection. Everyone's consistently getting rejection, and it's just the world you know we live in as actors. It's so many people auditioning for so many roles and only one person can get it. 99% of people who audition are getting a no, you know.

Speaker 1: 37:14

So when you look at it that way, you know it's really important to appreciate all your wins, and so I love my manager, Kim Lee, for always reminding me that this is a win. You know, every time I get a callback, I look at that as a win. That's a success. I got a callback that's one step closer. Every time I booked something, you know, no matter how big or how small, even if it's a background role, you know I'm working that day, I'm on set that day, so I look at that as a win. You know it's another day on set versus at home, or you know doing something else. So pretty much any time that I get to study the craft I look at as a win. So those definitely be my successes. I would say yeah that's really great.

Speaker 2: 37:51

I like that a lot because everything is a win. You're getting all these auditions. Yeah, that's a win in itself.

Speaker 1: 37:56

I know, being seen by these casting directors is a win. Callbacks is a win. Working on indie films with friends who are just equally as passionate, who are just as equally passionate as you are, is also a win. It's exciting. Are you SAG yet? I am SAG-eligible. So, yeah, I'm not with the union as of yet. I think I need to do a few more projects and then I'll be a must join, and so then I'll join then. But yeah, it's great right now because I can do both non-union and union projects. It's great experience for me to just really explore both sides. But yeah, as soon as I'm able to must join, I will definitely join and I stand in solidarity with the union because, you know, I believe in everything they're asking for and I think, for me especially, like, once I become a part of the union, I'll have all the benefits that we're fighting for currently. So you know, I'm definitely rooting for them.

Speaker 2: 38:41

So yeah, the reason I ask if you were SAG, because I know we're on a strike right now. Are you getting any television auditions? What type of auditions are you actually getting right now, during the strike?

Speaker 1: 38:50

So I have gotten a few soap opera auditions. It's funny because I told my manager, soap opera, what? And she's like Michael B Jordan did a soap opera. She's like there's a lot of people who did soap operas. It's okay, it's a contract. You know I'm like okay, but yeah, no, that would be fun. I've auditioned for soap operas and they have special contracts with SAG to still be able to do productions. It's all permitted by SAG. And SAG is saying you know, these are the exclusions, these are not productions that are on strike. Yeah, I've been doing like few soap opera auditions and then some Tyler Perry auditions. So I'm definitely in the room, I'm definitely like reading for stuff, so that's really exciting, yeah. And then the rest are just like you know, commercials or indie projects. A lot of indie projects too I'm auditioning for right now while I'm still SAG eligible. You know it's still a good flexibility.

Speaker 2: 39:36

That's really great, because even with the strike you're busy.

Speaker 1: 39:38

Sure, and I asked my manager I'm like what's up with these soap operas and commercials? Aren't we on strike? She's like yes, we are on strike. These are productions that are not strike.

Speaker 2: 39:47

Right.

Speaker 1: 39:47

So we're striking against the AMPTP, which is sort of like the bigger productions, you know, the bigger pictures and stuff like that.

Speaker 2: 39:55

Commercials are exempt, so poppers are exempt I think I heard even A24 production company.

Speaker 1: 40:00

They're exempt because they're offering to give everything that the actors are asking for. So it's like if an indie production company like A24 can do it like, why can't the big guys?

Speaker 2: 40:10

Right. Yeah, I am so down with soap operas I would do it. I would just soap opera any day.

Speaker 1: 40:15

It's funny because at first I was like what a soap opera? Like I don't know. I think there's just like the stigma behind soap opera acting or whatever. I hear a lot of people in the industry say like, oh, you can get stuck in that, but I mean you're having fun, you're working, you know. And once I started reading the script I was like oh, this is actually juicy. I was like wait a minute, like he did what. I was like this could be fun, you know, yeah.

Speaker 2: 40:36

It seems like it would be fun. Just the drama.

Speaker 1: 40:38

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 40:38

That's my genre. Exactly, yeah, and so that would be really fun. And then they're just kind of a little bit more intense.

Speaker 1: 40:44

Yeah, I hear.

Speaker 2: 40:45

It's really good training because you have to like right away, know your lines really fast.

Speaker 1: 40:50

And they're packed so they're really dense. It's actually really hard. It's crazy how some people look down on soap operas, but it's actually a workout. You know, it's a powerhouse of actors in there.

Speaker 2: 40:59

I don't know how they do it.

Speaker 1: 40:59

Yeah, they're locked in for sure.

Speaker 2: 41:01

Yeah, because I understand they get their lines at last minute of the day and after little pages and pages. Yeah, how do I hear?

Speaker 1: 41:09

I wouldn't mind you know soap, more soap opera, auditions. I wouldn't mind you know more stuff like that. Just putting that out there.

Speaker 2: 41:15

Yeah, we got new faces here. I love it. We have to. Well, if you can't market ourselves, who can you market? You know you have to get your name out there, but I am so excited for you. I know I'm going to see you on something big as soon as this trying gets over.

Speaker 1: 41:30

I can't wait to see you in Tyler Berry.

Speaker 2: 41:32

I would love to see I could see you on one of this movie.

Speaker 1: 41:35

Yeah, for sure. It's definitely been a pleasure auditioning for them too and just getting to see some of their new material before it comes out Great.

Speaker 2: 41:42

Yeah, so what tips do you have? I know you give so many tips already for young actors who are listening today and people who are just curious about who you are and what you're about, and we already know what he's about. He's great, he's kind, he's well trained, he's musician.

Speaker 1: 41:58

He's everything. He's so talented. I receive it. I receive it. Thank you, yes.

Speaker 2: 42:01

You had a younger brother who wanted to come to LA. What would be your advice to him?

Speaker 1: 42:06

Definitely start saving money. Make sure you have a nice cushion before you come out here, because LA is expensive. I mean, let's just keep it real, la is expensive. It's a lot of people, a lot of demand for housing and stuff like that. So just make sure you have a cushion. Definitely have some sort of game plan. I know there's stories of people who just catch a flight, come out here and figure it out. That's definitely a way to do it. La is hard enough already. I don't think you want to make it like harder for yourself. So definitely have a game plan. Definitely have some people that you know here. Yeah, I would say definitely come with at least one or two connections that you trust. Definitely come with a nice cushion and then also come with a game plan. Make sure you have a plan and you know where to go. And then also be nice to everyone, because you don't know who you're going to run into.

Speaker 1: 42:54

And a lot of times I remember I went to one audition. There's a lady at the front desk. She was so sweet and she was like hey, how are you? What's your name? And she was checking people in. Turns out she's the owner of the casting company her casting company and she was outside taking people's name. So just imagine if I was like, yeah, I'll be kind, yeah, okay, come on, I got to go. It's like there's, there's people in there, you know. It's like no, that's the person right there that you're walking in, the first person you meet. So it's really come in, like not even casting rooms, but anywhere you go, like servers, whatever it's. Just you know, come with good intentions.

Speaker 2: 43:24

Yeah, you know, I always said that I always was kind to everyone. I don't care if they're the secretary or clerical person. When I walk in the building, you just never know where they're going to be in five years or 10 years. Yes, they might be your boss one day. I've seen this happen throughout my career. Just because someone's writing down names and you think that's not important, you'll know who's there writing those names.

Speaker 2: 43:45

Yeah, they could be the owner of the, like you said, that was the owner and maybe someone bailed out the last minute and they had to just do what they had to do that day. Or maybe they wanted to see kind of test the people coming in to see how they would be treated.

Speaker 2: 44:01

See, so there's a lot of that little test that go on because I think people want to make sure they're working with good people Just because they're really good talent. If they're rude and dismissive of others, people don't want to work around that.

Speaker 1: 44:14

They don't.

Speaker 2: 44:15

But because you're so kind in the light, this is another important thing. Coming to LA, there's a lot of pits right. So how do you balance being kind and gentle and humble and grateful and protecting yourself from that?

Speaker 1: 44:28

I think that is an amazing question. First of all, I just gotta say, like you are a great person and you are very kind and gentle and I definitely feel that energy from you and you've been nothing but nice and you're one of those good people too, like I, definitely light sees light, you know, and I definitely feel that from you.

Speaker 2: 44:46

Thank you.

Speaker 1: 44:47

But yeah, like when you come around people with bad intentions or, you know, darker energy or whatever, for me what I realized especially recently is, you know, still be nice, you know still come with good intentions, but also just distance yourself. You're not obligated to be around that person, you're not obligated to talk to that person If there's something that doesn't really interest you about that person, or if they do something that kind of rubs you the wrong way, like it's okay to still be cordial with them and just kind of turn the other way, find someone else to talk to, and eventually they'll get it. And then, you know, a lot of times too, I think the way that I look at it is maybe they don't have bad intentions, maybe they're just going through something right now, maybe there's something internally that they're fighting or there's, you know, something that they're working on themselves, and so, instead of coming back with bad energy, you might be igniting something in them that they need to work on and you might not be ready to deal with that right now Right.

Speaker 1: 45:38

You know. So you know, I think it's just important to see and be able to read. You know certain people like do I need to open this person up right now? You know, yeah, I'm gonna open that for another day.

Speaker 2: 45:49

Yeah, don't open that Pandora box. Exactly, exactly. Yeah, I've learned that the hard way and it just backfired because it brought out my worst in me.

Speaker 1: 45:58

Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2: 45:59

And I'm like, oh no, I'm staying in the light, I'm not going into the dark, I gotta just get away from this person.

Speaker 1: 46:04

Exactly.

Speaker 2: 46:06

Because so do you use your intuition. Yeah, so you use your. Like your body will know if someone's bad.

Speaker 1: 46:12

So I oh yeah, your gut feeling is a real thing. That is a real thing. It's really being tuned in with your gut, and I think that also comes with diet and everything like that. Like, if you're eating a lot of stuff and there's always you know stuff in your gut you're not able to have that gut feeling right away, you know.

Speaker 2: 46:26

Oh, I never thought about that, yeah.

Speaker 1: 46:28

I mean, that's the way I look at it. It's like, yeah, if there's food being digested, I can't really be in tuned with my gut because my gut is focused on something else right now. But when, when you know my gut is healthy and active, you know, then I'm able to be more in tune and you just get that deep rooted feeling. You're like huh. Something's not right here for me.

Speaker 2: 46:46

Something doesn't feel right and don't go. Keep going forward. Don't dismiss your own, yeah.

Speaker 1: 46:52

Trust your initial feelings, yeah.

Speaker 1: 46:55

And then, on top of that, for me too, like you know, a lot of times it doesn't even have to do with a gut feeling. It's like we're all energy. You know, we're all made up of little molecules, so we're all vibrating at a certain frequency, you know. So it's like if, if someone just like accidentally knocks over a glass, or maybe you know drops utensils or you know, they're always like kicking with their feet or you know, just doing something, it's like energy that's being, you know, moved. So maybe they have a lot of energy that needs to be released.

Speaker 1: 47:19

And if I'm calm and I don't need a lot of energy like that, then maybe, like, that's someone I don't want to be next to right now, you know, and that's okay, it's not saying anything is wrong with that person, but they're just fumbling around a lot and I don't think I want to be around. That, you know, and that's just. It's. That's just what it is, you know, and I think with that, those are just certain things that I look at and I'm I mean, it's okay to be clumsy. I'm not saying that, you know that's a bad thing. It's okay to be clumsy, but you know, it's just. It's just to each its own. You know it's a case by case scenario, you know.

Speaker 2: 47:50

Yeah, but I guess in this, in light of what's going on and what people were seeing on news, and people become victims of predators and Los Angeles is a big city and there's some predators I think to spring that up, there's nothing wrong with talking about it, at least getting people to be aware If they're come to LA and want to be an actor, just be aware that people do take advantage of their, their status or their titles, and just really have confidence in yourself and your abilities and anything else. Anything that doesn't feel right isn't right, at least for you at that moment. Yeah, and to go off of that and listen to it.

Speaker 1: 48:27

Yeah, and to go off of that, just know that it's okay to say no. It is okay to say no.

Speaker 2: 48:32

Definitely.

Speaker 1: 48:33

When you get a project that you don't like, you know if there's kissing involved, you could say you know.

Speaker 2: 48:37

I don't want to do that.

Speaker 1: 48:38

Or you know if, if, if I were to get a call to a callback and it was, like you know, at someone's house, and I'm just like, uh, I'd rather do it like some republic casting office. You know it's it's okay to say that A lot of people feel like if they say no, that's their big break and they're missing out on it. But in reality, like my manager tells me this too like sometimes when you say no, it makes them want you even more, you know, and they're just like damn, like okay, so this guy must be working. Like he said no to us, like what you know.

Speaker 2: 49:03

Yeah, cause you're not as desperate.

Speaker 1: 49:05

Right, yeah.

Speaker 2: 49:05

That desperation comes across. That's like anything, though right.

Speaker 1: 49:08

Yeah, just play it cool and trust that you know you are the one Play it cool.

Speaker 2: 49:13

But most of all, protect yourself.

Speaker 1: 49:15

Definitely.

Speaker 2: 49:16

Yeah, protect yourself, and if it feels good to say no, say no right now. Definitely don't meet people in places that you don't feel safe in yeah. And if you know what, if they're up and up, they will understand and they will not put yourself in that situation. That's how I see it.

Speaker 1: 49:29

Yeah, and if they're real about it, they'll just be like, okay, cool, well, you know, let's, let's go over here then. Or why don't we just meet at a coffee shop? Yeah, I understand.

Speaker 2: 49:36

If I'm my daughter or son, I would feel the same way, but if they're not like that, stay away. Yeah, we're just. We're just giving a little bit of advice here.

Speaker 1: 49:44

Yeah, no facts, that's always good.

Speaker 2: 49:46

But you know, you talk about that nervous energy, and I just bring this up because we're actors and I find myself I know we're getting off subject a little bit here, but this is part of acting- talk and I love talking to you about this, yeah it's fine. I, when I have so much energy in an emotion, in a scene, I want to use my hands a lot, and all my energy goes out of my hands Instead of holding it still and allowing it to come through my eyes and my face.

Speaker 1: 50:13

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 50:14

And that's do you find that, do you find? But you've been training for years. Maybe that's not a thing with you.

Speaker 1: 50:18

No, that's, that's a thing for sure.

Speaker 2: 50:20

The energy's coming out and I'm just using my hands, instead of sitting still in the emotion, and let it come through your eyes on camera, especially for a close up. Yeah, that is that's tough.

Speaker 1: 50:29

No, yeah, you're, you're absolutely right. I remember I was in the class and one of my acting coaches he, he had a circle around, stand up and close our eyes and I couldn't stop shaking my arm. I just kept, you know, shaking it and I was just like kind of moving around, you know, just really swaying around, and then finally, like we all opened our eyes, he says Alikon, you need to go run.

Speaker 2: 50:53

Get that energy out.

Speaker 1: 50:54

Yeah, I was like what. He was like you got a lot of built up energy. You need to go run. And I was like you know what? He's right, I usually run maybe two, three times a week. And so I was like you know what? I haven't ran at all this week. And he said that and I was like wow. And so I feel like a lot of times built up energy, you just need to release it. You need to go somewhere release it. Find your way of releasing your energy. You know, whether it's running, swimming, biking or being social or bowling or playing pool or riding your bike all these different ways to you got to sometimes. You just got to let that energy out, allow space for new energy to come in. Yeah, so I would say, if you're preparing for a scene like that, definitely do what you need to do to release some of that energy the day before.

Speaker 1: 51:32

Technical note, like if you feel yourself doing a lot with your hands and your character, maybe you shouldn't do that. Just be aware that that's something that you're trying to get across. You're trying to communicate and for a lack of a better word or using something else to get that form across. So it's just channeling that and finding something else to use to get that same message out. So if you find yourself moving your arm a lot, then think okay, what am I trying to say with my arm? Oh, I'm explaining information. I'm trying to like you know, let you know. So let me put that down and let me think with my head and let me maybe like use my eyes.

Speaker 1: 52:04

So you really have to like talk yourself through the process and that's the only way you're gonna like get connected to that and understand. And it takes, you know it takes time. Take practice. You know you can't get it on the first time, so definitely practice that. Like I would say, definitely set up. I do this sometimes, like set up a camera, do a self-tape and just look back at it. And I think I heard someone say play your audition tape without the sound and just look at your actions. Is it interesting? Are you reeled in? And then play it without the picture and just listen to it. How does that sound? Does it feel right? Yeah, I've been playing with that too, and that's a great way to like find your flaws, find what you need to work on.

Speaker 2: 52:41

This is so great, Alika.

Speaker 1: 52:43

And thank you so much.

Speaker 2: 52:44

I'm so excited about your future and I can't wait to see how far you go.

Speaker 1: 52:48

Up and comers. Let's go. Let's call it the Up and Comers of Hollywood.

Speaker 2: 52:52

Yeah, Up Hollywood, because we might have some people outside of Hollywood. That's why I put of instead of in.

Speaker 1: 52:57

Okay of Hollywood.

Speaker 2: 52:58

Because I might go Zoom, we might start doing interviews, oh, nice, I'm Zoom.

Speaker 1: 53:02

It's just a thought, I don't know that's fun.

Speaker 2: 53:05

It might be something I might wanna do for people in other states.

Speaker 1: 53:08

So we'll see how far I go, for sure like New York or Atlanta.

Speaker 2: 53:11

Just keeping it open. Where can people find you on social media?

Speaker 1: 53:15

Oh yeah, I'm only on Instagram. I don't use X, twitter, facebook, all that. If I'm just on Instagram, it's at A510, aklnd, so it's like A51 Oakland. So the zero is like the O, so A51 Oakland.

Speaker 2: 53:32

Okay, a51, oakland.

Speaker 1: 53:34

Oh.

Speaker 2: 53:35

I like that.

Speaker 1: 53:36

And the O is a zero from the 510.

Speaker 2: 53:38

Oh, that's clever, I like that. I like that a lot.

Speaker 1: 53:41

Thank you so much for having me. This was a lot of fun and very new for me. So it's really exciting to kind of explore this realm of acting, cause this is a part of acting, you know, this is, you know, interviews and stuff like that. So it was really exciting. So thank you again for having me here and, you know, asking me all the wonderful questions Like it's great, it's good.

Speaker 2: 53:57

No, I'm so glad that everyone gets to know who you are and that's what's really exciting and your story, learning your story, and how you got where you got.

Speaker 1: 54:05

So yeah, You're the best Well you're the best, alakan Lohchan.

Speaker 2: 54:09

Thank you so much. I really appreciate you being here today. Our listeners are going to really love the tips that you gave and everyone out there. You can watch us on YouTube, up and Comers of Hollywood. You'll see a 20 minute short version of this entire podcast, but at least you get a sense of who we are. You'll see photos of what we talked about today on our, so make sure you share with your family and friends and follow us on Up and Comers of Hollywood on Instagram. We're on threads. We're everywhere, so wherever you are, up and Comers of Hollywood is there, so just start following us and you'll start getting to know all our interviews and when they're coming up. Stay kind and, most of all, be kind to your son. Good day.

Speaker 1: 54:50

Thank you, marie.

Speaker 2: 54:50

Bye, bye. Thank you, alakan. Bye, bye, bye, bye, bye, bye, bye, bye, bye bye, bye, bye, so yeah.