NOLA Film Scene with Tj & Plaideau
Kaleb Naquin: Behind the Scenes with a Rising Louisiana Star
Ever wondered what it's like to trade a drumstick for a script? Kaleb Naquin, once a high school band aficionado, now finds himself on the rise in the acting sphere, and he's here to pull back the curtain on his intriguing journey. From his days at ED White Catholic High School to an impromptu audition that set his path alight, Kaleb's anecdotes about breaking into the Louisiana film scene carry the rhythm of an inspiring drumline—proving that sometimes the best gigs are the ones you never see coming.
Kaleb tears into the meat of the acting world, swapping stories about the trials of presenting the perfect headshot and resume, and the art of networking that could make or break a career in showbiz. We reminisce about the camaraderie on the set of NCIS New Orleans, contrast it with other less welcoming production environments, and share a few laughs about the invaluable lessons learned from background roles. Our chat is a toast to the New Orleans spirit, where helping hands in the industry are as abundant as the beignets, and resources like the Actors Apothecary are the much-needed salve for the acting soul.
In the final reel of our session, we recount the thrills (and spills) of the 48 Hour Film Festival, shedding light on how the perfect role could be just a transformation away—whether that's shedding some pounds or sporting a new beard. Our episode wraps with a humorous twist, debating a topic that, while seemingly trivial, is an underlayer to every actor's performance—literally. Stick around and you might find yourself pondering the same question!
Follow us on IG @nolafilmscene, @kodaksbykojack, and @tjsebastianofficial. Check out our 48 Hour Film Project short film Waiting for Gateaux: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5pFvn4cd1U
Ever wondered what it's like to trade a drumstick for a script? Kaleb Naquin, once a high school band aficionado, now finds himself on the rise in the acting sphere, and he's here to pull back the curtain on his intriguing journey. From his days at ED White Catholic High School to an impromptu audition that set his path alight, Kaleb's anecdotes about breaking into the Louisiana film scene carry the rhythm of an inspiring drumline—proving that sometimes the best gigs are the ones you never see coming.
Kaleb tears into the meat of the acting world, swapping stories about the trials of presenting the perfect headshot and resume, and the art of networking that could make or break a career in showbiz. We reminisce about the camaraderie on the set of NCIS New Orleans, contrast it with other less welcoming production environments, and share a few laughs about the invaluable lessons learned from background roles. Our chat is a toast to the New Orleans spirit, where helping hands in the industry are as abundant as the beignets, and resources like the Actors Apothecary are the much-needed salve for the acting soul.
In the final reel of our session, we recount the thrills (and spills) of the 48 Hour Film Festival, shedding light on how the perfect role could be just a transformation away—whether that's shedding some pounds or sporting a new beard. Our episode wraps with a humorous twist, debating a topic that, while seemingly trivial, is an underlayer to every actor's performance—literally. Stick around and you might find yourself pondering the same question!
Follow us on IG @nolafilmscene, @kodaksbykojack, and @tjsebastianofficial. Check out our 48 Hour Film Project short film Waiting for Gateaux: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5pFvn4cd1U
Hello, it's actor Caleb Nakam. I'm feeling pretty seen by Nola film scene at the moment. Get this show on the road.
Speaker 3:Hello, welcome to Nola film scene with TJ Play-Doh. I'm TJ and, as always, I'm Play-Doh.
Speaker 2:All right, we're back. We're with actor Caleb Nakam. Caleb, thank you so much for joining us.
Speaker 1:Well, thank you all for having me. It's a pleasure. Been a while in the making, and I'm glad it's finally come to fruition. Schedules are a bitch, aren't they?
Speaker 3:A little bit, a little bit.
Speaker 2:But good things come to those who wait. Learn that throughout the years. So I'll go ahead and ask you. Early on, when we interviewed Hick Shermie, he mentioned that you were one of his early encouragers to get into principal work. Same for me I had an actor that encouraged me to get started with principal. We're curious about your inspiration. I know a little bit about your history. Tell us about what popped for you. What made you want to be an actor and how did you get that going?
Speaker 1:I went to ED White Catholic High School in Tibido. Throughout all my years there I was in the marching band, the indoor percussion. That's all I really did and that's what I was known for. At some point that ended I went on to march professionally for a couple different groups Louisiana Stars, elite, independent Percussion. With Elite we actually placed third in the world at the WGI World Championships in Dayton Ohio, nice. Wow, that was an experience. After that, that was the last time I marched. I worked with a few groups. After that I'd played bass drum. That was my thing All the big unison hits and splits. For anyone that's been in band they probably know what I'm talking about. But that was me.
Speaker 3:Hey, there we go. Trombones, though I was right behind you because the trombones are in the front of the marching, because we got to do our slides.
Speaker 1:Right Once I was done with that by the way, I didn't go to college. Right out of high school I was like what do I want to do with my life? Ed White's, a college preparatory school Everyone had some kind of path figured out. I felt like I was one of the very few that didn't have anything planned out at all. I was kind of just floating.
Speaker 1:For a while I ended up working at an AMC near where I lived. I was always a huge movie guy. To begin with, working at a theater kind of just made sense. That's when it really came to mind that oh, we have a film scene in Louisiana. I was completely oblivious to it.
Speaker 1:The girl who played Annie in the remake several years back she's from Homa. That blew my mind that someone from little old Tibido slash Homa could take on such a role. I was like, hey, that's crazy. At no point was I like, oh, I want to be an actor. That didn't hit until I joined on my casting file. Shout out to Ryan Gloriosa, woo-woo.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I got on there and the first job that I did was for NCIS New Orleans. So I had been a DJ for a while, doing friends parties and stuff like that. They were looking for someone to be a DJ and bring their own equipment and jumped on that. I think it was like 350 for the day, which for me, right out of high school, awesome, great, but it still, it still.
Speaker 1:Let no point that I want to become an actor, this was just I was making money doing something really cool. So after a while, you know when you're doing background it's not always consistent. Same thing with principal acting, as we know it's not very consistent. So I had my day job. I was still working at the movie theater and one day I got a call from, at the time, a&j casting, which I don't know how many people remember that. They called me and they were like hey, is this Caleb? And I was like, yeah, and they're like, hey, listen, we're shooting this horror feature and we're looking for someone who looks a little off like someone that's, like you know, looks kind of mean, like maybe on drugs might not be, you know and the directors having a real hard time finding someone in the actors that have auditioned for it.
Speaker 1:Would you be interested at all? And I was like, yeah, yeah, I would. And they're like Okay, send us a headshot of you.
Speaker 1:If you don't have one, just take one real quick, send it to this email and we'll get back with you. I was like awesome. So of course I'm excited, but I'm not expecting too much from this. Fast forward, five days later, it was either the Friday or the Saturday and they called me back and they say hey, caleb, can you come audition today? Like as soon as you can.
Speaker 1:So I wake up, throw on the clothes, headed to St Rose Kyoto studio. Have you ever heard of them? Or been there? And then that's when I meet Kevin O'Neill. He was either first or second AD on the project and he was going to film the audience. I had the sides. I got emailed the sides on the way there.
Speaker 1:So I'm driving, looking trying to. I've never seen sides in my life. I didn't know what sides were, you know. So I'm like trying to memorize and trying to figure out what the scene is. I get to Kyoto and Kevin's there and he's like hey, I have a couple other people auditioning for this too. They're in the room, so just chilling here for a while. You know, make yourself at home. I'm like wait, other people are auditioning for this too. Like oh, I have to have to win this. Oh man, like through the roof. So here I am freaking out. I'm like what is going on, like this is great. And then Kevin comes back and he's like hey, man, like we actually have too many people auditioning in here. Do you want to audition in the parking lot? And I'm like whatever it takes. So we go out in the parking lot, there's a couple people sitting in their cars, some people walking around the sound stages, and the scene involved me screaming as if I was burning from the inside out and just losing my shit. Man and everyone kind of you know, take a look back. Crazy experience, to say the least, doing all of that. And then Kevin was like All right, man, well, good job, and we'll let you know. I think three days later they were like hey, you got it. And I was like, wow, awesome.
Speaker 1:But to that point, what really got me into acting was once I got on set and everything. It was an awesome experience. I had my own trailer, all of that. I had no idea what SAG was, had no clue about union rules, nothing of the sort. There was four of us eventually like four. So we were punks and our leader, our punk leader gang member leader was Jared Bankins, an incredible actor. He's on Twisted Metal, a bunch of other things. Two of the four of us got bumped to a SAG contract that day. I was not one of those two but I was like what is that? Like what? What does that entail? Had no clue. But from that moment forward I was like, if I take this seriously enough, I could just get a call one day and say, hey, audition for this. And who knows where that's going to lead me. So that's how that all started.
Speaker 1:And the last background gig I ever did was Ante Bellum, the Janelle Monay movie on Hulu, and Hick had posted that he had booked a recurring feature role and I had already gotten signed on with it. At that point I was like I messaged him. I was like Are you talking about what I'm talking about right now? And he was like so it clicked and we're like, okay, we're going to be in the same movie. And that's where I got to meet him and we had a lot of time to talk. There was a lot of downtime. Yeah, that's where we really clicked and it just went up from there and we talked about the goals we wanted to hit and the. You know what we wanted for our eventual careers and it's insane where we're at today. Yeah, considering where we were you know right.
Speaker 2:So, similar to you, I've never mentioned this on the podcast before because it was a while ago for me, but I also worked in a movie theater when I was a teenager. I got hired and started the day I turned 16, over in Mississippi, and I always kind of thought in the back of my mind it would be really cool to be an actor, but I had no idea how to even get started in it. I did a handful of plays you know church and school plays but I never, never looked into it. I certainly wasn't gonna try to go out to California and and try to break into it right five years I did.
Speaker 1:I worked at a theater and to your point, it's not even that, I didn't even consider it. It's like where do you start? Yeah, and I think that's one thing, and, as a whole, for a lot of people that want to get into it, they're uneducated, but that's not their fault, and it's really like what's the first step? Well, there's 8,000 first steps. It just depends how five of those might work out for you one year and 15 of them might lead you down Something. Yeah, okay. Then there's just there's no clear set road right to where you need to go, but you have to go down at least a couple to get your feet wet and that's right.
Speaker 3:8,000 different steps and they're all right for different people, right and they might be wrong for you. I just had a meeting with somebody and had my headshot in my resume and the discussion between me and some other people of do I Staple my resume to the back? Do I paper clip it? Do I staple it here?
Speaker 2:is from the front.
Speaker 3:The headshot was 8 by 10, the paper was paper size, so it's a little board, is like okay, I put it in a folder to make sure it didn't get folded, but it's like there's rules, but there's no rules. Yeah, exactly because I could hand this to somebody and they go perfect, and the next person would go. You stapled it. Oh, you know what I mean.
Speaker 3:Yeah same thing with acting, same thing how you get into it, how you get into the training people like you. You have a very blessed journey, very quick one. Mine started later and longer background, that's fine, it's great. Ta-von, who has been a guest before, almost one and done, and he was there. You know he knew some. You know it's it's amazing and, like mine, might be longer, but I'm still happy with everything I did. You know, I mean I love doing back. Yeah, I love doing the independent films. I feel like I'm almost, hopefully soon when you know I don't want to say where it's going- I don't want to jinx it.
Speaker 1:We're not gonna jinx it. We're not gonna jinx it. All right, there's something in the works, though. Hopefully it's coming at some point.
Speaker 3:What you were saying about NCIS, new Orleans best set for background in New Orleans I've ever worked on well, oh machine no matter what department cast background crew.
Speaker 1:It doesn't. That was so well put together. I'm so sad they're gone. Yeah, if we're gonna be honest, I Haven't watched NCIS Hawaii. I believe that's where they moved to, right, I think so. I haven't I haven't heard great things and I'm not I'm not trying to shit on them, but like we're always welcome to bring it back, you know.
Speaker 3:We take pride in our NCIS New Orleans. I you see what I did there, scott, back you look, come on be a guest. But the minute I got it friends, you know cuz I thank you TG, I saw the rim shot. Minute I got it cuz I had done Jay and Silent Bob reboot was my first thing and that's where the background acting bug bit me and I loved it. And then I said, oh, I got NCIS New Orleans and friends like, yeah, you're gonna love the food that's catering in town, because folks out there usually Background has basic food when they feed you chicken vegetables it's good food, but the stars get the the premium quality stuff. And NCIS New Orleans fed everybody the same. And we're in New Orleans, so we all eat good.
Speaker 1:Oh, everyone's going home with the go-bok, if not three family, yeah like.
Speaker 1:See, you know, I didn't like when I did do background, like I didn't do much of it, but the times I did it I mean for the most part I was treated well, I was fed well, but I knew that wasn't what I wanted to stay doing and I felt like at some point, like at the point when I was doing antebellum, because I worked on that that show, that movie, for a month and a half, almost two months of my life straight, and I never had a gig like that before where I really got to talk to the crew, me and Janelle Monay chatted it up a good bit. You just had so much free time. You know it's already up in weight at every given moment.
Speaker 1:Yes, my advice to anyone who's doing background right now that wants to move into possibly be a day player or, you know, get into supporting roles and hopefully one day leads is do background while you can learn as much as you can and soak it in and meet whoever you can meet. I didn't know what networking was until I got into this, but like I was already networking and I didn't even realize it, you just you see the same people. They're gonna have an opportunity that you're gonna be perfect for one day. When is it gonna happen? Who knows? But who knows?
Speaker 1:Yeah but you wanna be in that number, you wanna be there. If you show up on time and do the job, I don't think anything will go wrong.
Speaker 3:You wanna be in that number when the roles come marching Ta-da, ta-da.
Speaker 2:Yeah, networking is so important in this industry and, yes, skills and experience go a long way, but there's also a little bit of being in the right place at the right time and there's always an opportunity to network. In this industry you hit the nail on the head. It is hurry up and wait and during that downtime you have to be careful about it. You don't wanna go be a creep and over bug the stars that are on the show, but there I mean, there's a time and a place and you know you can talk and network if you do it the right way.
Speaker 2:Exactly, and this industry I've met so many incredible people in New Orleans, in the area, the different little projects that I've worked on I've walked away. I can say that everything I've done I've walked away with at least one new friend, and that's. I don't know if it's the same in other areas. I haven't worked in the other markets. I did one project in Atlanta and I did one project in Austin, but everything else has been local. I mean, those projects I walked away with friends and people were great there too.
Speaker 1:Right, and that's why I'm so thankful for places like the Actors of Potthikerry to be in Chelsea over there. Absolutely wonderful, love them. Yeah, I always imagined an idea of having like a dedicated studio space for whoever needed to come in to knock out their auditions with a professional. Like I always had that in the back of my mind of like I wish there was something like that, like we need something like that.
Speaker 1:And out of nowhere a couple of years ago, here's the Actors of Potthikerry and like not only do we have that resource now, but we have such a community built around them. They do a number of shows, movie nights, cold reads and it's awesome to have that kind of bond with everyone in the city. You know, and especially coming back from COVID, when everyone kind of met each other on Instagram and Facebook and their IMDB pages, like you know, they see these headshots, they see that, oh, this person booked this and that, but you really don't get to talk to them and meet them and really get to connect with them. The grand opening night for the Actors of Potthikerry, I felt like I was in like a in real life version of Facebook. Like oh, I know you, like I kind of know you I think I know you like and you really got to bond with them. I'm thankful for them and I'm glad they're here.
Speaker 3:Very cool. I didn't get to go to that but we basically, like you said, became social media friends and I think we met at Matthew Morgan's workshop is intensively. We did. Yeah, that was a great day for me, you did great, but for me it was one of those steps where, like I'm an actor now, I had a scene and it's the last Eminem Samurai and it's a guy on a couch and he's talking to his friend next to him who's about to eat the last Eminem. Like dude, you can't do that. That's the guy who's fought his way. He's kept himself in that bag and does his whole speech.
Speaker 3:So I did my take. Actually I had done that for Jeremy London's Zoom class. Okay, and that was my first monologue, because with Jim Gleason it's all interactive scenes. So a monologue was weird to me. It's nerve-wracking. Oh, when I'm coming up to pick something for Matthew Morgan's intensive, I was like, well, I can't do that one, I already did it. And then I was like, why can't I do it? So I did it Right, and one of the girls on the front row was in the same class with me, jeremy London's class.
Speaker 3:So first I did it and Jeremy had said, well, that's kind of a stoner guy. So you know I was kind of stoner and stuff. And Matthew goes, what's that accent? I said well, it's trying to be a stoner. And I had been sitting and he said drop the accent and try to do something different. And I had seen other people on their second take. He had told them to do something totally different. And so I said you want me standing up? Yeah, move the chair. And I went from happy stoner to really pissed off about it and I got into it. Man, I felt it.
Speaker 2:And.
Speaker 3:I focused in on that girl who's in my class and she's a friend of mine, but it was like you don't eat that M&M, you don't do that and I don't care if you have to. But I would never eat the last M&M, and Matthew would give everybody tips and he goes. I got nothing to say, I just love to watch you work, nice. And I was like, hey, I had a key. Hey, that's how we met.
Speaker 1:I mean, you just take something and you make it your own. I feel like that's something you have to have in your bag of tools. Like you're giving, like, especially if everyone's given the same thing. Like a normal audition, you get the same black and white paper, but the way we translate that on this, when we're setting up our backdrop in a camera that's our job is to make the most of it Now. Will it get you the job? I hope so, but, like you know, I guarantee you you do a great job. They will not forget you. That's right. They're going to remember. Hey, remember that one. Read that one. Yeah, you would be perfect for this.
Speaker 3:That was really weird for that cop, but he'd make a great Jedi or something. You know what I mean.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3:Then we were going to meet Caleb on a 48 hour film and it was for New Orleans and it was kind of a superhero thing and I didn't get COVID, but I had been exposed to COVID. I didn't have a fever, but man was I feeling kind of rough and because I work seven days a week and I push myself very far, I'm always kind of iffy. It was like I can go do this and we were going to be outside, but I could not imagine giving that to somebody else at that point.
Speaker 1:Especially at the time. Yeah, this was like not too long after everything kind of settled down, so like it was still kind of, yeah, but you got my role, I did, and luckily somehow I pulled off an award from that and I Nice and saying and say, yeah, and funny enough, like I had a lot of lines cut, like we were we were rushing to get a lot of those scenes done and you know, we that's but that's the name of the game with 48 hour film festival and it started raining on y'all.
Speaker 1:It did At least the mist. And you know, from the Friday to the Sunday it had to be all complete and we were still shooting on Sunday because we couldn't get everything this Saturday night. So, wow, word of advice if you're going to do a 48 hour team, prepare, but just prepare to not be prepared as well.
Speaker 3:Yeah, you gotta roll with the punch when things goes wrong.
Speaker 2:So for the folks out there.
Speaker 3:48 Hour Film Festival goes around the country in different cities, sponsored, and you sign up, you gather your team, but you can't plan anything because you don't know details. You may be able to say, well, we have a space, we know we'll be able to use Caleb's house for our set. Tj is going to bring the wardrobe. He has that stuff at his home, general stuff like that. So then on Friday you all meet and they give you a line, a character name, a prop, things that you have to use.
Speaker 1:Yeah, nothing about the story, yeah.
Speaker 3:So the teams leave that place, write the script on Friday it when all goes well right on Friday, film it on Saturday, edit it on Sunday and have it turned in. And thank God you don't have to do it personally but you send it in by Sunday evening, 48 hours to create film and edit a film.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, it's hard but great, right, and it shows you what you can do in such a short time. And then, if everything goes well and you, the crew that you're working with and the actors like, why not make more films when you're not limited to time? You know, it really creates a space to again network again and just meet more people and create art that otherwise wouldn't have been made, and no telling what comes from it. I'm pretty sure I had something from a 48 hour film on my reel when I first started and that helped me a long way into you know where.
Speaker 1:I'm at now so you never know.
Speaker 3:Our second 48 hour film we did later that year was able to go to. You're a hit man and I'm one of the victims, but you didn't have the gun in my face, someone else did and that's the first thing on my reel because it became so powerful from you know, and that launch. You know what I mean. So it's, I'm sorry you didn't get to kill me, the other guy did, but you know.
Speaker 1:Hey, it's all good man.
Speaker 1:I was actually thinking about this on the way here, kind of a different topic, but kind of goes into this, especially when it comes to student films and like, by the way, like all of this that we're talking about is not paid. We're doing this purely because we want to create and we want to perform and, like Brian said, it's the first thing on his reel and it's beautifully shot, beautifully edited, great performance. And you know, a lot of people will just like, well, why, where's the money in that? Like, how are you living? It's like, well, you have to pay your dues. In my opinion, yes, there's steps you've got to take to show that, like, you're in this for the long haul and that this isn't about fame or money, because that's right.
Speaker 1:Who's going to see that Like in? Who cares? No one cares. Like you have to put all of yourself into this and I guess what I'm trying to say is that just because you're not getting financial gains from this, you do not know where that's going to lead you to at all. That's right, and the stuff that I think may not come out the best in, you know, once it gets out of post, that's stuff that's open doors for me that I haven't had open before and I made zero dollars off that. But who cares? Who cares? Like we're growing, we're growing and you just don't know.
Speaker 2:I see it as an investment in the future, an investment in the career. You said it again. You hit the nail on the head you have to pay your dues. Yeah, some people are lucky enough that they get cast in something right out the gate you know, a big sag project right out the gate and they grow from there.
Speaker 2:I wasn't fortunate that way, but I'm doing small projects, doing as much as I can, trying to learn, and I'm trying to pay attention and watch stuff that goes on on set behind the scenes. I'm fascinated by the machine, how it works. And you said hitman. You got to play hitman. That's a character that I've kind of wanted to play and I had the opportunity this weekend in a short film project to play hitman finally for the first time. Bravo, yeah, so you're right, it is. It's an investment in the future because you never know where it's going to go, you never know who you're going to cross paths with, and six months later you get a call hey, can you come do this? And then it turns into a bigger opportunity, right.
Speaker 1:Personally, I had two referrals to my agency and one of those came from a feature I did for free, full feature length film. I worked four or five days on it. I did it absolutely for not a single penny, got up super early to do it and wouldn't you know, I have an actor that I admired was there and I'm like, oh, I've seen your work, I know what you can do. This is awesome. Finally, get to work with you. I had a scene with him three or four months later when I'm looking for an agent yeah, I didn't even ask him. He's like, hey, here's the email. Tell him I sent you and that, well, he says that came from that report. You know like you just don't know. You don't know.
Speaker 3:And that's just on the money side of it, because we want to make this a career. But there's something else I can't describe it, but you'll understand when I say it 2019,. I worked background for the first time and fell in love with it. That was Kevin Smith's movie. Then I did Bill and Ted and I was Death's photo double. So I saw a lot more and was like I want to do this. This is so much fun. Then I started training and that training, you know, with the pause, with the pandemic and other things, and training in acting, improv and voice acting, everything I can get my hand on. But I felt like a student for the longest time. I would never tell people hi, I'm an actor. And then I was in Joe Badon's Wheel of Heaven where I got to actually have lines as death. There were a couple of classes I've described where the teacher, when I came back and they were like you have improved so much and then I could say I'm an actor. I felt it Something. I can't show people in social media yet, but I've shown you two.
Speaker 3:I just got some footage for my reel from a short film. I did that. I did for free and I'm going to say it. I felt like it was great. You know what I mean. And I can now say I feel like an artist without being worried that I'm being pompous anymore than I normally am, that it felt so natural to do it. It came out great. It's funny. There's one scene where not just the lines, but I say what if I do this in a scene, they're like, yeah, and what they did with it, and it brings a laugh out. So doing the free things, paying your dues, is like building little muscles. Same thing with training to get you ready for the big swings Little league to high school, to college baseball, to the pros Well, the minor leagues and the pros it's not that clearly defined, but it kind of is sometimes. And you've got to put in all that work. And what our talk has also made me think of I was on the set of One Night Miami, the Regina King's film about Hamid Ali, and there was somebody next to me, great guy, and we were talking and we both wanted to move up from background and I said, well, I train with Jim Gleeson, I do this because I don't need any training.
Speaker 3:I was like, okay, that's cool, and I haven't heard from him again Doesn't mean he hasn't made it, he's not the social media person. But my thought is, and what I've heard from other people, you're right, you don't need to have training. You may be a natural out, but it's that's only going to get you so far Right. And even if you have the most natural talent, you can make it better. And the things we do with acting is over and over again, take after take, and if it's an emotional thing, they need you to bring it every time, hopefully. Yeah, right, and that's where the training comes in. So, yeah, you can do it without it, you can just jump in, but you have to be dedicated, whether it's training, learning, reading. It's so much more than just doing things for money. Yeah, is what's my whole point? To bring it all back? It's a lifestyle, it's a choice, it's a mindset.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and it's definitely not easy. A lot of the times and you know me personally right now I've given myself completely to this industry.
Speaker 2:Yeah, Shifting gears, a question we've asked, Caleb, do you have a dream role, something you haven't done yet that you really want to do or wish you could do? Oh, that's a hard one, huh.
Speaker 1:One that I keep thinking about when I'm in my actor mode whatever you want to call it, like when I'm thinking about my career, I'm like I can just I'm picturing myself as, like the lead character's best friend, that's just a stupid motherfucker, just like the butt of every joke, like that's where I see myself and when it comes to roles that I really think could define my career in the future is just, I know I'm not a leading guy, I don't have the face, I don't have the body I've accepted that years ago and but I've used that to my strength and I know what, how things work, and I know what I'd say pretty decent at. I love comedy I really do, although a good drama, like I just feel like my strong suit is in that field, yeah, anything like that. I've played stone or before. But I want, you know, I'd love something a little juicier, something I can really take a bigger bite off of in that world. So we'll see, but yeah yeah, I'm the same way.
Speaker 2:I accepted it early on. When I started, people were telling me hey man, you have a. You have a really good look. You should use that to your advantage. I know I'm not going to be leading man. Even if I shave my beard and cut my hair and got clean cut, that's fine. I'm going to lean into what, what I do have and I don't know. I don't know if I'll keep the beard and the hair, but I think that's a big part of it.
Speaker 1:That like goes even beyond acting, is like you have to accept you for you and how others view you. Last year I was I was teaching in some charter schools in New Orleans how to use cameras, acting here and there, and they wanted to see my headshot. So I showed them my headshot and one of my students was like Mr Caleb, can I be honest with you? And I was like sure, let me hear it. And they go. You look kind of psychotic in this photo and I'm like you, sweet child. Thank you, I mean. That was another moment where I was like it doesn't matter how old they are. That's what their first initial thought is. Oh, he might be a little crazy, oh, he might be a little off. And if that's what I give off, I'm driving that car, use it. Pedal to the metal.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah. So we asked Hick and we asked Tabon and I've answered.
Speaker 1:Oh, I think I know where we're going with this. Yeah, I think you do too.
Speaker 2:So there's not a lot of us that have long hair. What would it take for you to cut your hair Like I'm talking clean?
Speaker 1:cut. So there was, is still is soon to start again, a Netflix series shooting down here. I don't know if I can talk about it but I will. I'll give you what I can about it. It's a marine show Everyone's.
Speaker 3:Marines.
Speaker 1:I had three auditions for it, but the very first one I had was a recurring guest spot, and not only does this character have to shave his head, he has to lose like 40 pounds between the first episode and later on in the season. So I was full blown ready to take that on, especially, you know, I mean the dollar value to some degree to me doesn't matter, I guess it's just it's a case by case, but if the costar role is right for it, and especially if it's a couple of days, not just a one off, I'd probably do it, because at that point the only thing I'm worried about is getting new headshots, because clearly I wouldn't be able to use this.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's.
Speaker 1:But for the marine project I was talking about. The last audition I did was right before the strike. Things were looking great, so I'm hoping once everything kind of starts chugging back again. Who knows, we'll see, yeah.
Speaker 2:I've kind of changed my answer a little bit. I had a pretty high dollar amount on it, but at the end of the day, it's not about the look, it's about the performance and it's about the art. I wouldn't shave my head or shave my beard for a free project, a student project, something like that. Sorry, wouldn't. Yeah, but for something significant, if the role was right, yeah I would. I would do it Right.
Speaker 3:Yeah, It'll grow back. Mine was yeah, yours will grow back.
Speaker 2:I never know if mine will Sorry, brian, y'all knew who.
Speaker 3:I talked to this past weekend and I can't say, and we had a discussion and that person because I showed them my old headshots when I didn't have a beard or told them about them, and said, oh, you were bald and didn't have a beard, that's really hard to book. And I went, oh, so my thing was, I do it for any role and it wouldn't just be a day thing, it would still have to be something big. And I always say Star Wars, course, I'm going to do that. I hit.
Speaker 2:Kevin.
Speaker 3:Smith yeah, I'd probably you know, since it worked for him right, it's got to be. I've now got to add the factor in that it could keep me from getting roles behind it. So, however long that, take my my beard this a little bit long. So three to four months for me. You know what I mean. Wow. So it's, it's a new factor in my thinking on this subject.
Speaker 2:So you heard that shaved head, shaved beard is harder to book. So advice that I heard my coach talking to someone else just given advice during a class setting is that if you're going to do that, like for you, if you were going to shave your beard, to do it in stages headshots with the beard, and then headshot with maybe a goatee, and then maybe a headshot with just a mustache, and then clean shaven, and have examples of each. I mean, your growth is a little bit, a little bit harder to grow back out, but if it did come down to that, have some examples of each. I think that's a good, good, good concept, good idea, yeah, so I've done the same thing.
Speaker 1:I've grown out the mustache and the neck beard, which is shaved right now, but usually I'll let that grow to just kind of look gross and unkempt. Same with the mustache as soon as I get to the studio. Take this, take five minutes to go, shave really quick, make sure that's good, and then I have my baby face shot and, to be honest, I mean I read more for high school age kids than I do for late twenties, early thirties. But it does happen and sometimes I'm even thrown into the thirties to 50 categories. So like I'm on the much younger end of that, but I don't want to be left out of it. So like you definitely want to have the options and, yeah, I never, knew about the shaved head, shaved beard thing.
Speaker 3:I had never heard that before. You see it, they act as all the time. Maybe that's in our market, you know. Yeah, so I mean, if it happens, it happens, we'll deal with it. Yeah.
Speaker 2:I mean, I guess it depends on the role too. I mean, I know an actor that's, you know, bald head, clean, shaven, and he, you know he books, but he also does. He does what I said as well. I mean, he's got different looks, I don't know.
Speaker 1:Right. And then obviously you know, over time you start building your resume and you're real, and then they don't care if you're purple, yeah it comes down to the work.
Speaker 2:They can make me purple like the Grim Reaper was white.
Speaker 3:Bring on the makeup. That's right. That's right. We've asked about your role and I always say you can name up the five, but you're the actor, actress that you really want to work with. It's your goal. Oh, if I could work with this, I'll be happy. Happy as a clan, whatever. Who do you want to work with above everyone else, other than me and TJ?
Speaker 1:Definitely Paul Dana. He was in prisoners with a Hugh Jackman. Yeah, ever since that I've just I was like he's really good at what he does. I don't know Just something about him. I was like I want to be that good and that dude like and if you ever seen the movie like you lead him to think it's one thing and then it's not, and then you're starting to question it, like the psychology of it. I'm like that's. I want to make people feel like that when they watch me. Nice, they just try to dissect me, but you really can't put your finger on it.
Speaker 3:Nice, very cool. That's a good answer, caleb, caleb, caleb. Wow, brian, that's it, we're we're out of time. My friend, my fellow park ranger, kind of we're brothers in park ranger Bob park ranger almost. Bob, it's been a pleasure having you on. It's been a long, hard fight to get you on and it was worth every minute hey we're here.
Speaker 2:I wouldn't say it was a fight, I would. I would say scheduling, scheduling coming. I'm sorry.
Speaker 3:I fight the schedule. Yeah, you fight the edit and the sound design.
Speaker 1:I fight the scheduling with people I find my DMs and emails and trying to balance all that coming in.
Speaker 3:All three of us fight our hair with different battles. Oh yes, that's right.
Speaker 1:Oh, tj Brian, actually I have a question for you before we leave to boxers or briefs.
Speaker 2:Use the question for Brian or for me.
Speaker 3:I'll answer. I know you're more reserved and you don't want to tell people Commando straight up.
Speaker 1:That's what I was thinking. It matters. On the day.
Speaker 3:Sometimes you want something soft. Well, no, that's a little too personal.
Speaker 1:Let's just say boxers and leave it at that.