Acting Over Algebra: Anand Mahalingam on Ditching School for the Stage

I'm really padded. I mean, like, why am I more impressed? What's that? Were they all like math people? Yeah, I mean, like, my mom and dad were like, my dad was a chemist and my mom, like, finance and banking and stuff. So very, very, my brother's very good at math. I think most of my friends are really good at math. And so that's kind of, yeah, kind of one of the reasons why, like, I think being funny was, was a thing for me was because at least compared to my like Indian friends, I was not that as smart as they were. So I had to be funny. So you gotta compensate. Yeah. Yeah, you're going to do something. Right.

Yeah. It's like, I can calculate the tip if you would like, comedy's got rhythm and it's a different type of rhythm, but it's all. Yeah. Totally.

And like, there's a different level. Yeah. There's a different level of intelligence that goes with like the arts and comedy, I guess. So, but yeah, I dropped out and then I moved to, so I dropped out on the sly.

I didn't tell my mom. Yeah. So I, I think it was 2013 or yeah.

2013. And I had found this ad for a filmmaking course in Orlando and I like at a school and I know it wasn't at full sale. It was, it was at, it was at the school called the first school I tell everybody it's like full sale shittier cousin. It's like, full sales like two years.

This was eight months long. So yeah, you really can't learn that much about filmmaking, but I applied there. Had my friend write me a letter of recommendation and then I got in and then I didn't like sign up for classes yet for a bad pit and my mom got a, got a letter in the mail or something. She called me downstairs and she's like, I got this letter from your school that says you didn't sign up for classes yet. You missed the deadline. What's up with that? And I was like, I'm not going back to school. Yeah. I'm like, actually I'm no longer in the record.

It's a really good story that you're just going to laugh.

Funny thing about that.

Yum. And then I went down like, but to her credit, I mean, she's the greatest within a month. We were down in Orlando looking at apartments. And I like, and I like started class. It's like three days a week for like six hours, four hours a day. It's not too bad, but it's also like not enough to learn stuff.

So I mean, really the only way to, I mean, to do this even radio or TV hits, you just got to do it and it's just going to get practiced. Like you can learn all the theory you want. But yeah, just, but you gotta get behind it. Totally.

You actually have to be doing the work. You have to be doing the, and like it wasn't even enough time for the theory part of it either. So like I would go to class and then I would come back home and I would be watching YouTube videos like all day, every day, learning about everything like screenwriting, production, post-production and all that stuff.

And then, yeah, then I got back to Pittsburgh after that. That class was like, the class was super, super easy. They dumbed it down a lot. Like the class, my classmates were like, you know, some of them were like, what, like they literally for every quiz, they read out, our teacher came in and read out the quiz to us and went through answer for answer and then left the room for us to take the quiz. So, and like there were still people that didn't mind the take on all these tests.

Yeah. And I was just like, is this for real? Are we doing this? And then people would still get questions wrong. And I'm like, we literally, one guy asked me if I could, if he could cheat off my paper, he was like, what did you get for this? And I was like, he was, he literally just told us, like he told us everything just now.

I'm like, why are we whispering? He literally obviously does not care.

He's not even in the room, dude. He gives us.

But I'm still grateful for the opportunity and like, I still learned a lot during my time there and then went back to Pittsburgh, did like freelance videography and video editing. Yeah.

Well, that's kind of like where I thought I was going to go was just being a video editor or be like, I wanted to be a writer and director. And I didn't. Yeah. I didn't really think like face wise or like, you know, I was like the skinny Indian kid with like acne out to ask. So like, I didn't think there was really a future for me in front of the camera. So not with that. And right. Definitely not.

Firstly, and not with that diet either. So you know, cleaned up a little bit and then, um, yeah, I wrote and directed some stuff, uh, wrote and directed a short film that I never finished in Pittsburgh. And then there's a guy out here in LA that convinced me to move out. Um, like we became writing partners. We wrote like a superhero movie together. And then he turned out to be, he turned out to be absolutely insane.

So like that and say or Ben say, not the good kind.

Like I actually just, I'm a little bit crazy about what you need. It's like, it's, it's not like crazy, crazy. Like, not like, my life was in a danger or anything because we've lived together too. But it was just like a level of like, it's funny.

I actually passed him on the street the other day, but luckily I was wearing a mask because of all the air, the air quality is really bad. Right. Uh, here. Uh, but luckily I was wearing my new one. So I didn't have to see him. Yeah.

I was like, cause you act like you didn't see him or. Yeah.

No, I just walked right by like as soon as I saw new it was him. So like the thing is we met because he, um, he, he saw this tweet of mine a while ago about the movie, Gondryl and it was direct by David Phil.

It's a real short movie. Yeah. Yeah. Just, uh, you don't know why it's getting on too much.

Why is that during date night? I mean, yeah. I'm not out. But, uh, Gondryl, I tweeted about it. I was like, can't wait for Gondryl hashtag directors crush. And he saw that tweet and responded and he was like, do you mean directors crush or do you mean real crush?

So I was like, put the fuck down. Directors crush. Who, who, um, we got to talking. He turns out he's a writer and producer in LA and like, he sort of mentored me for like a solid year telling me about the ins and outs of the industry, which was really cool.

Yeah. And then go live with him, um, go like move to LA, stay with him for like four months. And then at the end of those four months, one, like I find out that the plate, like I was sleeping on his couch and I find out that there's a whole other room that was in that apartment that, and like that apartment wasn't his apartment. He was renting his bedroom from a guy that owned the place.

And so that guy that owned the place had no idea that I lived there. So I didn't get a key. I didn't get a garage door opener. I didn't get a parking spot.

There was no wifi because the guy that lived there didn't, uh, or the guy that owned the place didn't live there anymore or at the time. So it is. That's tough. And it was like really bad sales service and stuff. I ran up so much like such a huge data plan those first four months just because I couldn't have, I didn't have wifi at home. So I had to go to Starbucks to apply to jobs. I didn't have a job either when I moved out here.

Oh man, you did one real leap of faith.

Yeah. And then I went, was in my first two weeks, I had nine interviews and I got, so I got a job pretty quick, like interning pretty quick. Right. Um, but this guy. Um, I find out that there's this whole other room, like all this, I find out much later, I of course knew about the wifi and stuff when I moved in, but then I find out about the guy that owned the condo. Um, and I find out about him because this dude wakes me up after I come back from work, he wakes me up after my nap and he's like, Hey, uh, you have to leave now. And I was like, what? Yeah. Well, I know you.

Yeah. And he's like, yeah, that guy who owns the condo quit his job in Northern California and is driving back now. He'll be back in an hour. You need to go. Oh shit. And then I left and I think I might have slept that night in my van.

And then he said, man, it wasn't like a mini van. That's not pulling this one. Yeah.

It was at least I could fit my entire body in there. There it did. Yeah. But it did look like I had like some kids to either take to a place or take from a place.

So the whole guys didn't have windows on the side. And if it didn't, I'd be like, no, that's dude. You gotta. That's true. Yeah. Like I was like Frank's rape band and always sunny.

But he actually. It's fully not. Bricks.

You gotta love some.

Good old Honda Odyssey.

Oh, then I found a place across the street from where I worked. That was a studio apartment that had five other people in it. Five other guys. So our beds were like a futon. I had a futon from Ikea that my legs fell off the end of. And we had a our closet was a cardboard box underneath the futon that we put our clothes in and then lasted a month. Okay.

I'm going to say you may have not finished college, but you definitely finished that college experience because that's rougher than the doors, man.

It's absolutely rough for one guy. Have the worst storing problem I've ever heard in my life. There's like a bear having sex with a lion. Like it was like every night I heard the like the like landlord guy who's the guy whose name was on the lease, but he lived in a in like a storage locker, like down the road, he didn't even live in the place.

But I, he was such a stoner too. And I just heard of men's I was walking out and he's like, dude, you got to like figure out that snoring problem. Yeah. Like, I don't know what you got to do. Like breathing exercises. Like tenants are leaving. And so I left. I ended up being mashed and

like, and he learned all like, okay, that's sorry.

No, no, no, he worked. He was like a security guard. So he worked really weird hours and he would come back. He'd come back at like two in the morning and like, you think you, you're sound asleep and then something wakes you up to the middle of the night and it's just this guy who's come back and he's snoring at love.

To all I can think the two things that like probably my having we were telling that was from curvy enthusiasm when, uh, when Leon, they go live with Jeff and Jeff has a really bad snoring problem. And he's like, oh, somebody put the sock in that motherfucker. So like a swallow to kazoo. That's all I could think. And then I also thought when you were telling me about the box, I was like, oh my God, he's, um, what's the different baseball?

You're, um, oh, no, I didn't, I haven't seen basic.

But basically they have, they have like 12 people living in their house and they give this guy a squint or forget his name, but he gives them like literally, like it looks like a cat litter box and they put them in the corner of the room. And that's all I could think of. But I was just like, oh, dude, that's what it felt like. Got to watch, got to watch basic. You'll get it.

Yeah. And then I, uh, I watched. And then after that I lived was two friends of mine. We shared an office in a house. So it was like three of us in one room. And then, uh, me and who, me and my friends split a pull out couch for like slept next to each other. No, I went over to their house.

Now they covered your spot. Yeah. And they were like, totally cold. That's wife material, man.

That's true. That never, never once happened.

There's no, it was like, I'll afford you for that.

I honestly don't think I had much of a dating like during that point, but like the people that I was talking to, whenever the plan, the conversation of like, let's go back to your place. First of all, that never came out. But like, even if it did, I'd like try and distract and be like, or, you know, look at this thing over here.

You know, it has an hotel. Right. Yeah. No, just like, I got, I got an odyssey parked over here, man. Got it.

But my place, I got someplace even bigger. Come back to my band.

How do you like to ride the Japanese train? What? It's a Honda baby. Got it.

Yeah, dude, it was, uh, that was like the first 11 months. And then like on my, like a month before my one year anniversary, finally moved into an apartment. Had a bed for the first time.

What's that? We're trying to, we're getting like some consistent income.

Or yeah, like the first year that I, like I just got a promotion at the job that I was working or not really a promotion, just like up to more hours, like, not for 20 hours to 40 hours, but not full time.

I don't think. But yeah, when I first moved there, I was only making like 1600 a month. So like you can't make, you can't make rent in LA on that. So when I was like sleeping on the couch was 500 a month sleeping with the, in that studio apartment across the street was still 600 bucks a month. And then, um, and, but like when I split that office with my buddies, that was $270 a month. So finally saved up some money and got a, my job up to me. And so like I was making more money. So that was, but yeah, it was wild, wild times.

Yeah, that's it's a, it's a really good, um, like an origin story of a sense of like, yeah, you literally put it. You were out there because you loved it. Cause I was like, when I got into radio, I said, I got into radio because I hate money, which is pretty much, I hate that's it. So, yeah, I just wanted, like ever since I was low, I just wanted to be dance and like and go backstage.

That's all I wanted to do. Uh, Hey, but yeah, I had worked two jobs. So basically I was working 16 hour days. So I could just do my one day. So yeah, I was, yeah, I was just, I did it because I loved it.

Like all the, all that tiredness was worth it because I got to do some really cool things. So yeah, I kind of, I relate to you in that sense of, yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. One of my buddies was like, sorry, go ahead.

Oh, as you say, how did the, the groundlings jump in? That's some, uh, Yeah.

Groundlings, I've only really done, taken a couple of classes there, but that's been, um, you know, I've got the diversity scholarship when I first applied because I was really gung-ho about, um, just the idea of going there and like alumni that had been there and stuff. I think, yeah, absolutely. Um, so I've taken basic there a couple of times.

I took a long break from it. One, because it's incredibly expensive. It's like 300, 400 dollars per class kind of thing. Oh yeah. So, and like you don't get to perform there. So like you have to take basic intermediate and advanced, and then you have to do writing lab. And then you, you join like one company.

So like, It's like, yeah, it's like a year long process kind of thing. But I'm actually trying to do it this year, uh, because I feel like I'm also like much, much less stiff than I was when I first tried it and I'd be much better at it. But groundlings like SNL is such a dream. I think the older I've gotten and the more time I've spent in LA, the more like the less enthused I am about stuff like that where it's like, I've met some people that have gone to the groundlings. I met great people that have gone to the groundlings and I met people that are like so full of themselves for having gone to the groundlings. Not like you would have like, you are like, yeah, like, oh, there's a keep.

Yeah. There's people that go to Juilliard that you would never be able to tell that they go to Juilliard. And then there's people that go to Juilliard that tell you every second of the day that they want to do. Kind of like, how can you, how can you tell who's a vegan? Cause they tell you they're vegan. They have to make sure that it's like that happens here.

All the time.

I think that's why I don't think I can live out there. Uh, Texas Grant. Um, yeah, but so I used to kind of in, I was a dancer, a theater performer in high school and I was in New York and I was finished college in Wilmington, North Carolina.

But I had them, they gave me a dance minor scholarship. So we're talking about the whole fear. Gambit, I'm with you. I, I don't. It's actually in New York, just the, oh God, just the people, it's like they come from like Indiana. And actually, you know, they're like, got lotcha. And they're just like, uh, I'm like, get the fuck out of here, dude. Like in the parody of an asshole. Like, I don't know what.

Yeah. There's so many people here. Like, like it's one thing to like do all that stuff. And, but then it's another thing to do all that stuff and make it your entire life. And to just really like, like on it completely unable to separate like work from like real life kind of.

Kind of like, uh, um, what's his name? Every waffler of Barry, like all the, you watch Barry? I love Barry. One of my, uh, no, Hank, do people in the entire world.

I live, I live in no hoes.

Like when I first, when that show came

out, it's like, I think I was just about to move to no ho. Right. Friends have lived in no ho. And now I live there. And so like, I see my, like not my street exactly, but like streets that I've been on, like in that show, whatever, like no, no, Hank, like in those beginning seasons, that is, I think I don't do really great with drama, television, but like that show. Perfect. Television in general. Yeah. That show is like, it's the only show that I've watched every episode of when it came out, like not it came out. Yeah.

So I love that show. I'm officially like, I can't say, I have to say submarine sandwich all the time now. My buddy, why, every time, Hey man, like it's just it, nothing.

Or maybe planes. It's like, dude, you've got to get over that bed and get so fucking creepy. Yeah. It's like, Hey, you, you're giving stash us all Gora because they are short. Cause Gora, this is great. Hick physical comedy. Like just, Oh God, every time you walked out, I didn't have to say anything.

What's up? Oh my God. Just like he, that guy was like born to play that role. I think it's funny. Like it's so funny too, cause it was not supposed to be that big of a character. And then they did. Yeah. And then they saw what he did with it. They're like, we have to keep this guy.

And then the whole, when him and Chris LeBall, and he's like, yeah, and the whole, like when they merged the other, like he's like a company and like, and they call me bullet for my surf.

When they do that scene in the, I think the Dave and Buster's and they go around the table and then they come back.

I love it. I love the, the chick was like, what are you, she's doing like the, the stab thing through her hands and then she stabs, she goes, Oh sweet baby.

She's like, he's like, why are we all still laughing? We're still laughing.

Like, but like, no, it's, it's only, and I'm not trying to get, so my wife got diagnosed cancer. She's always cancer free, but when she started losing her hair, she loves Barry so much. So I, her name is Victoria. So I call her no ho Victoria right now. And she, she loves it.

Like, I, that's, that's an incredible joke. I've read this a baby.

The only way it's like the only way to come was just to make fun of it. So like, yeah, she's like, she knows, so like even watch a like house and it's like, Oh, just how you feel. It must really suck to be you. Well, at least I don't have cancer. So I'll always throw that at her. Yeah.

I think I believe that's the only thing you can do is to like just talk about it like that. Like, yeah. And just kind of like, yeah, yeah.

And I was just going to say like to get people will get really awkward around it because they, you know, they see the headband or just, or just kind of this frailty. So I let it like just like talk shit to me. Like get the fuck out of my way. It kind of like lets people just like, dude, she's, she's fine. Right.

We appreciate it. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. She's just a, just a person too. So like, yeah, like, yeah, I think about, I think about, uh, I think like joking about stuff like that.

Like there's a, uh, an episode of comedians and cars getting coffee, which is also a show that I love. Yeah. Um, it, it's Steve, it's the Steve Harvey episode. Yeah. And he's talking about writing jokes about tragedies or like, so like he did a set one night and some lady came up and said like something he said was inappropriate. And he's like, lady, when tragedy, like the difference between comics and non-comics is like, when tragedy strikes, we have the jokes that, okay, we're going to be talking about it right away and we're going to be addressing the elephant in the room like right away. And I think that's how you deal with any sort of tragedy. It's just like, you know, I don't like do like even these fires and stuff. Like there's some really funny jokes that have

been, uh, there's been some, some great ones like Bill Burr was just on Joey Kimmel. Bill Burr is my, oh God. Of course, like Burr, like that. He's like the one podcast, like I can, what he does is what Monday morning, Thursday, podcast or whatever. Just how his brain works. Like I, he could do it every day and I'd be like, oh, the news is on. Like I want his take.

You're right. Yeah. He's, he's so he, and like he's always going to surprise you with what he says. I think like you're going to, you're expecting him to go one way. And then like he's saying like this completely other thing that's just as funny.

And then like a lot of people read like he's like misogynist. I go, but if you really listen to the joke, he's actually saying something completely different because you know, it's, it's mass. But I go, he's not a dumb guy.

He's like, yeah, very, very smart. And from, I saw him in Asheville right, this is right before COVID before lockdown. And he, of course, some guy was trying to heckle him. And I go, so he got like two or three times. So Bird just went on this like three or four minute, like making fun of him, ran and then your guy got kicked out. I go, there's two people I would never want to be in like some like in soul balance Eminem, Bill Burr. I'm like, yeah, rush me.

Like, have you seen that video of him taking down the city of Philadelphia? Brilliant.

Dude, awesome. So good. And he was worried behind it. And then he just abandoned the set. Like, they just look right just off the top of his head. Yeah, he's like, never find your fucking. I fucking love it. It's so good. Well, it's kind of like how you were saying with about your drought, because I was looking at some of your clips with.

Like, kind of like you're doing the Lala scene, but the girl in a gun. Sure. Dude, I don't know. It's because I was watching a lot of parks and rec, but you did delivery. You're delivery on that remind me a lot of Adam Scott. I mean, I'm very.

But that's so funny. It is straight. Played very, very straight, which in every else is kind of weird. So it was like kind of how like I first thought I'm like, OK, this is fucking stupid. Like it was like it reminded me of Adam Scott and a little bit of Louis C.K. And like the is that is awesome.

Yeah. Like, so Louis is my favorite Santa comic of all time. He's the reason why I got into stand up. And like, I remember being in college and a friend of mine lived in the same building as us and we would go down to his place and just like shoot the shit. Not even like drink. We were just like eat like like drink Mountain Dew and fucking watch YouTube clips and shit. And like he put on he did. He put on Louis C.K. And I was like, OK, I'm hilarious, I think, or maybe live at the Beacon Theater. At the. And that would be. One.

When he goes, of course, of course, is trying to maybe.

I think I think that one's later. That one's. Yeah, that one's. Oh my god. Yeah. Yeah. This one's this was like, you know, like if you think God gave you this planet, why would you not take care of it? You know, I wish. He did. Yeah, that one. And then like hilarious is the one where he's like the way that we talk these days. Like I heard like he talks about how we overheard this conversation about these two people talking and he's like, guess who I saw today?

Oh, it's like Lisa. He's hot.

That's hilarious. And then he just goes out this whole rant about how he hates out people. And I was like, what are you going to say? Like hilarious. You know what that means? That means it was so funny. You lost your mind. Yeah.

I don't know if like we're talking about when he's driving and he's like, somebody's coming out of here. I was like, he's shit. He's like, that's somebody's daughter.

I don't remember maybe that one. And then it's also like, I think it's more a lot of stuff about his kids and stuff too. But I remember watching that and just being like. I have these thoughts like all the time. And like, I didn't think you could. Yeah.

Yeah. I didn't think you could get Larry David's another one where I'm just like, I binge watch Curb your enthusiasm and my friends. My roommates will like watch like an episode or two with me and then get up and be like, I have no idea how you can watch like more than five of these at a time. Watch this.

I'll watch. Fuck. Yes.

Right now. Like one of my favorite things from curb is it actually happened earlier today. I was doing a different podcast through pod match and cause my, my father passed away when I was very young. So though with that, thank you. I appreciate it. No, but there's this thing in curb where Larry's dating this woman and she's like, Oh, we got to do this for like two years later one.

Or dad. You're not going to say I'm sorry. He's like, that's you have limitations. We are.

I say that to people all the time now, whenever they say I'm sorry. I'm always like, I don't, I don't. Yeah. I don't really say that. Sometimes I'll say statute of limitations. It's okay. Sometimes it'll be like, sorry, why did you do it?

That takes them back.

I was like, I was not to really throw a job. I was like, well, at least I didn't have to break his heart. Go on a film school.

He's a bad over. Or just a vibrant. I was like, I don't know. He's going to catch that while I was like, I don't say anything. Yeah.

No, he's wherever he is because I was going to say he's turning over in his grave, but we don't like, we cremate people. So in whatever river he's flowing through right now, I'm sure he's still just as disappointed as he would have been.

I think what, no, I think what it is was those 11 months were your punishment of disappointment. He puts it through the trial. He's like, yeah, I think that was his like tough love for a year. That's the way I think about it.

Yeah, no, that's, that's a good way of looking at it. I would like him to explain the last couple of years then.

So if he's a little dick right now, not going to lie.

Yeah, like it's, uh, he didn't need to send the fire. Like we were done without that.

We get it. You're pissed. Okay. Like, yeah. Oh, yeah. That's what people were like, oh, like, oh, how's Victoria? How's your life doing? Like, she gets a little lippy. It's a little different sometimes. If I was like, dude, she's fine.

Like, what are you, there's no expect that. Yeah.

That's great. I love that. Yeah. But so that's the thing with Louis C.K. But then Adam Scott is like whatever, with acting, you're encouraged to kind of like look at who your comps are and like kind of market yourself in that way to like casting directors and stuff like that.

Right. And just like find out which actors you compare yourself to, what characters you can play, find out from other people, what they see you as. And almost everybody that I've, I did like an exercise a couple of years ago where I set this form off to my friends and had them fill it out and be like, which roles and stuff do you see me playing? What kind of character do you see me as? And almost everybody said Adam Scott from parts and wreck, like Ben White and Adam Scott. So like I've kind of leaned into that. So thanks for noticing.

Cause I was watching the clip and when you were doing the director, when they were trying to give you the director's notes, I guess let's go with the gun. Yeah. So it's like everybody around you was me's crazy personalities and you were just kind of playing that straight guy. Like you were the quote unquote normal one.

And it just, I just still having to have parts and wreck on in the other room. So cause I just, it's just one of those background TV shows that I just favorite show of all time.

Oh dude, Jean-Raphio is the greatest character. He's up to the vault.

Yeah. She's the world first.

Huge flood tolls. Thank you so much. Oh, no, when he goes, the only thing I wouldn't come in is with his ankle brace. If my ankle brace is like, she goes, Jeff says the first time she ever had to do that.

The boy's a question on the bar exam. Yes. The best. Oh my God. And it like, of course my wife, money, please. Like it just, the Savasins are the greatest.

My favorite though, will always be Ron. Oh yeah. I think, like, when he says he goes, I'm not interested in caring about people. I once worked with a guy for three years, never learned his name. Best friend I ever had. We still look for talk sometimes.

We still never talk sometimes, always get sweet.

Dude, his, when he and Tammy too got together and they're like, Ron, did you shake your mustache? No, he rubbed it with friction. Friction.

Ah, so good. So good.

And like the way that he laughs, like sometimes, when he's watching, he's like, that's horrible. Whatever, no, like whatever he like, he's like, is he? Like, yes. So against his type. And that's how he actually laughs.

Yeah, that's what I just thought. You and, I lived in Charleston for 15 years. That him and his wife, Megan, performed. They had a little, it was called the summer of 69, the summer of 69 tour. So they basically were just like kind of doing like a little acoustic comedy set. And yeah, he really laughs like that. That's not like a character choice.

And then I also love whenever he says stuff with like a smirk in that show. Like, like that line where he goes, no, it burned off from friction.

He's just got this little, he's like, he's devious little bastard.

I love, you gotta love it. Like his, I love that he loves puzzles and he loves love. Like he is like the biggest romantic. Like he hates everything, but he's like this super, as long as it's love, he's all about it. Yeah, he's just like very romantic. Yeah, he's very, very old school romantic.

And it's just, yeah, he's too good. Brought him as, I used to like, Tom, I just kind of grew old in was he's, I'm sorry. I don't, I got a dozen quick personal, but like, Ron got funnier and Leslie got funnier, the more I've watched it.

Yeah, dude, Leslie is probably, Leslie's probably my second favorite character on the show. Yeah, because, and I love like, I think one of my favorite episodes of television of all time is a flu season part one.

Yeah. And where everybody gets the flu, including like Rob Lowe's character, but she gets the flu. And then she like goes and delivers this speech and like Willis Reed kind of a speech.

Yeah. And she, she's like, they get to the hotel, she's just like walking around like this. And then she goes, be very careful.

She's like, Ben, why it? I came over here in a cab. It's like, do you have any change for the cab? It's like, sure, how much do you need? Like, not sure. Do you, when I looked at the meter, it was all Egyptian hierarchical effects. Do you know the exchange rate? Whoa, be very careful. Yeah. The floor, the floor of the wall just switched.

Yeah. Or when she's with, where she suspended and she starts the PCP, your FARC's commission control, they're like, do you think we should call it a no? Cause we're going to get so many things done so quickly. It should be illegal. I'm like, oh, good.

Oh my God. I still have a crush on Amy Poehler after watching this show.

I always have a crush. Her and Tina Fey will always, but I think they're, Anne had these, one of my favorite lines though, how to be from Anne when she was like, I'm from Michigan. Like it was like a diss. And I was like, why don't you go back to little Skank Slythania? I'm from Michigan. She's like, oh, that doesn't land. It's just like.

I think that show has better than the Oscar.

People seem crazy for saying that. I personally like it more than the cast.

Yeah, I do too. I think it's my, it's my favorite show. Yeah. But I think like cast. Yeah. The cast is like, perfect. So good from top to top to bottom. And then fucking Chris Brad out of nowhere. It's just like, right? Cause he was supposed to be on season, right? Yeah. I typed your symptoms to do the thing up here. And it says you have network connectivity problems. Yes.

When he's like, and like, are you depressed? He goes, nah, I can't sleep. I'm always tired, but the cancel, that's not my interest in joy. Like whatever.

So good. The creator of the show says that the line where he says the network connectivity thing, he's like, I've been a TV writer for 20 years and it pisses me off that I've never come up with a line funnier than his improv. When we just like had the camera on him on a, like on a whim, I was like, we'll put the camera on you, come up with something. And he came up with that. And it's like his favorite line of the show.

Oh, that and the, the outtake was the Kim Kardashian to come on her back. That's like, what? That's too good. So good. I was going to say, cause kind of like going back to you, like your style, what also reminded me was cause Silicon Valley is one of my favorites. So speaking of like playing like the, the kind of like the normal guy with all these crazy people. Like, so like, especially Zach Woods, there was one moment I was like, he kind of reminds me of Jared right now.

I don't know why. And I mean that cause Jared is one of my favorite. I don't keep saying that, but like, Jared is so good.

He's so good. And then with the, the other one that reminded me was like with the music. And I guess maybe how it was spliced, the real, kind of reminded me of like the gentleman, like Guy Ritchie, the gentleman here. I was like, I had this like, this kind of just that intensity of snatch and rock and roll. And I was like, all right, I like everything that this guy's doing.

I'm, I'm, I'm, I appreciate that. Yeah, no, but I love the, I love the Zach Woods comp too, because his, he is so good. Oh, his improv is so good. He's like a legend.

And then also it's so funny that you bring up so like the straight man in a comedy is kind of what I've, it's been my jam for a very long time.

It's hard to do because you have to be really subtle. Cause everybody else is being like, but yeah, but it's like, but you have to be, it's really tough. So it's like, it's not, you know, people might think it's, oh yeah, I just kind of had to play this normal. It's like, well, you got to be funny. Yeah. You have to be funny with not a lot to work with. Right.

It's tough. It's tough to be funny as the straight man and not just be the guy that's like connecting everybody, but it's also like, it's also one of those things where that's kind of how I am in real life. And like so whenever, like for years, like four years, all my auditions were along those lines of like doing stuff like that. So that's when I came up with like, I made the Lala Lansing. So like, I'm not sure if you saw the dramatic acting reel that I put up too. I saw the Lala Land.

Yeah, there's, there's like a Lala Land scene. So that's, I like made that just so like as a response to like people just putting me in comedies all the time. Right. Oh yeah.

Did you find it to be like, I could be drama's when I, all I knew was comedies. If you're in the way, you got to do a drama. I'm like, fuck, this is easy. Boom. My old Z. So easy.

So much easier. Dude, like there's be depressed or whatever. Or angry. I don't have to like figure out how to get laughs because if I don't get laughs, I'm going to be fucking throw my mind. Yeah. Dude, there's just. Every year it feels like the whenever like Oscar season rolls around, there's always now like a comic or a comedian that's nominated for stuff. Or every year there's a movie that comes out or show that has a comedian doing really good dramatic work. And then people will come up to me and be like, I didn't really know that comedians could like act like that. I was like, what are you like, it's so much easier to do drama than it is to do comedy.

It's like, we all try to strive to be happy. But I was like, it's really easy to be angry, depressed, sad. That's just I that's what we all just kind of idol and like, yeah. That's like being stressed. That's normal for us.

Yeah, that's where yeah, that's where I idol and it's one of those you know, I just have to just be myself. You know, it's like it's tough. Find the joke is like it and it's ready.

And it's so so much about timing too, because right with comedy, there's so many different things you can do with timing, switch up your rhythms just like music. But like with drama, it's kind of the same.

The words kind of carry you kind of like, yeah.

And like they'll hit like though you read the words in a certain rhythm the way the writer tells you makes you read them and they'll hit on that rhythm. Right. Pretty much every time. So if you're doing like theater and stuff like plays and whatnot, like you can play with it a little bit. But with the.

Oh, yeah. So I just like with with their like drama, like you were saying, it's it's one of those words. Silence is actually good if you're doing drama. But if you're the comic relief and you hit that mark and then you're expecting a laugh and nobody does, there's a fucking gut punch. It's yeah.

It's so bad. I'm going to do a swan dive off the stage and you just have to like, yeah, I've told me, OK, people were just I went through the drama and it was also I'm like, OK, well, that's supposed to be happening.

So that's what's like my first acting gig that I had, which is it's in my reel or second acting gig that I had. I was only doing stand up at this point and it was like this student film. It's called not another dumb boy girl love story. Yeah, another dumb boy. Yeah. So that one, that's the second time I've ever acted. That was in 20s 18 or 2017. And there was like a scene in there where I did a bunch of improv's where it was like, basically this this character is asking me if I had ever have sex with his ex girlfriend.

And my response is no, she's fat. And my and the director led me through like we did like a bunch of different takes of that in a row. We did a series for like a minute and I like posted it on Instagram. But like after everyone, I didn't hear any laughter. And like after all my jokes on the first day that I told that I came up with, I didn't hear any laughter or whatever. Well, I went home, I went home and I was like, I don't think this is for me, guys. Like I don't think I was really that funny. And then I heard from my director afterwards, she was like, everybody was dying of laughter, but we just have to be silent because it's a movie.

So that's what happened to Rodney Dangerfield and Catty Jack. Yes. Yes. It's like he thought he was doing something wrong. Yeah. And sometimes he's like, man, it's a parking lot. You can hear people laughing because he like, they he needed to hear that.

I told you, I would I never I never really thought about that because you're like, like you were you write the joke. You're like, OK, this is going to be good. And then to just to like have no response whatsoever. Oh, that's going to be tough.

It's one of the worst feelings in the world. And I think that's the difference between somebody who does comedy and somebody who thinks they're funny. Like you can I think anybody can be funny like once in their life, you know. Yeah. But to be to be a comedian, you have to be able to bomb and then come back from it. Yeah.

And like learn and not just

you got to keep you with so many people. Yeah. 100 percent. There's so many people that have come up to me. They're like, I'm so funny. I could do stand up and I'm like, you would last three minutes. Maybe you might get a couple of laughs, but you would last three minutes and you'd never do it again.

So it's like you're terrifying. I've done I've done a few open mics just because I dare to. I didn't like go with like a set and luckily all kind of like worked out. I was drunk and like, all right. Like I had like two stories that I knew like I've told a lot before.

So I just kind of stuck to that. But yes, stand up was like something I've always wanted to try. But the one thing like my buddy and I were trying to write something. And the thing that when you say that like you're a comedian, the worst part is like, say something funny like what? Yeah. It's like a war star. Like, you know, get down on your knees and start like you just don't. It just, yeah, work like that.

It's that's so many people will say, like a bunch of people said that to me when I first started doing stand up. And I was like, that's very funny. But well, but then eventually I was just like, if somebody said, say something funny to me right now, I'd be like, what do you do for a job? Do that to me right now for free. Like like that sounds right.

Top questions. Yeah.

There was a girl who I mashed with her on Bumble just like six years ago and she mashed with me Bumble. So she sent the first message. She's like, oh my God, you're a comedian. Tell me a joke. And then I was like, oh my God, you're a doctor.

Can you make me sit in your office for an hour and then only see me for five minutes? And then she unmatched me. So that didn't work out. Worth it.

Worth it. That's a good one. I would keep that one in the bank. I mean, not like I want to use that, but it's like, I would keep it back.

No, I think everybody could use it. Like anybody that works in a creative field, I feel like the rest of the world thinks we work for free. And that's just like not how it works. There's so many people that are like, oh, like, why should any of this cost me money? Because like we have to make a life. Like there's I pirate all my movies. Like, OK, like that's a ton of people that are out of work now. Right.

Well, that was like my brother is a basic professional photographer. He does really well, the ability to those real say like high, like high in million dollar plus homes. But he does architecture. But when he first started, I mean, he's got like a lot of like us just self taught.

Just that's how he like you say, like when you went to YouTube videos, I mean, he's basically just Peer and Kim, just watching that. And he's made a living. But we always joke. The funniest thing was when he doesn't do weddings, he did like a few when he first started and it was a nightmare because I helped him. But the funniest thing is like girls will like girls will be like, you know, I take some really good pictures with my iPhone. And I think I could be a photographer. And it's like, oh, sweetie.

Oh, my God. It's like, God, it's like sweet. It's not like that. It's that's how I don't think about it at all. Truly understand, especially like in the production part of like even this, it's like this mic and all this, all of this shit accumulates. And it's and I'm on the low end where if he will like want to turn, I'm actually pretty cheap. But when somebody who's not like a friend, a family friend, they're like, oh, how much to charge? I'm like, you know, let's say like 500 bucks, whatever.

Like 500. And I'm like, yeah, I go to the big boy studios or church and grand for like one show. I was like, yeah, that's like post production.

Yeah, it's crazy. Like I'll go to weddings and like I I'm not a photographer, but I have a director's eye and stuff like that. Like I like to think that I've developed one. So like when I take pictures of people at weddings, it's like their new Facebook profile photo or their new dating profile photo or whatever.

Chasing the other. You got a little bit of a good death feel. You're like, hey guys. Yeah. Exactly.

And then people are like, yeah, people come out to me. They're like, oh, what phone do you use? I got to get that phone. I was like, it's not the phone, dude. Like you get you get this photo. You're taking worse pictures than I'm taking. Like, yeah.

And that's what my brother, Rob, a good point with the photos is like, oh, just get photo. I use this. He goes, anybody that does this auto, which is fine for whatever, like, you know, every day things, but he goes, some software engineer decided that this is what the perfect photo looks like. So you're just using that. All right. It's not. Yeah. It's like, put your phone in like promo. And then when you see all those crazy meters and all that shit, yeah, it's different. Yeah.

There was like also there was one like Al host, like MC like Shai and competition. That was pretty fun. Yeah. So, but there was one time it was during COVID, somebody asked me to to host a dance competition over Zoom. And he was like, what are you charged?

It was like minimum 500 bucks. And he's like, well, really, even like, even though like it's during COVID and there's no trap, even though it's over Zoom. And I was like, I still got to write jokes. Yeah. Like I still got to do the work. What are you talking about?

You're seeing that's why I always say like radio. And all this, I go, what yours? I go recording. This is about 10 percent of the whole thing. Yeah. I was like, this is and then me agonizing over, I'm like, can you make it sound like there's always something. And yeah, I don't think we appreciate the they never see it.

It's like out of sight, out of mind.

Yeah, it's like that. Well, you're there. So yeah. Oh, yeah. So, Luzia. Can you hear me? I can hear you. Yeah. I don't look like out in there. But all good. No, it's kind of like I live from when you start like a rock radio show, because MixCloud will kind of like hit you with the license fees for royalties. But I'm like learning how to do all production and being all that. I kind of like being behind the scenes and the sense of. I'm like, I've always just wanted to do one thing in front of the camera, like acting like we did. So got any pointers? Let me know.

Oh, yeah. I mean, I have like actual real helpful information for people that want to get into acting. Because I know you're in. Yeah, because like I feel like one of the things that bothers me so much, I've gotten to so many networking mixers out here and so many like talks that people give and people are like, what's some advice that you can give like a young actor? And it's just like, just keep at it. Just do it. It's a marathon. Just keep working hard and blah, blah, blah, blah.

No, here's what you do. First things first, you have to really, really, really decide if you want to be an actor or not. Because if you could do anything else with your life, you should go do that. But if you want to, if you and after that, if you decide if you still want to do it, then you put yourself on tape, find anything like whether it's a movie that you really like, a scene that you really like from a TV show or a movie. Memorize it, like transcribe it, write it down, memorize it, get it on tape. It doesn't have to be a great tape. It can be off of your phone. It can be my first.

Suits 4K 1080 or 4K 30 frames per second.

My first agent that I got, I got with stuff that was like 720p. Yeah. And like I got an acting gig from my acting profile that had a monologue that I recorded with my laptop webcam. Yeah.

Oh, there you go. So, so like just get it on tape, whatever way, however way you can, just get it on tape. And then get some pictures taken up yourself, find somebody to pay like a hundred bucks for your first, for your first headshots. You don't have to pay that much, but pay like a hundred bucks, get some headshots, get some shots, some decent ones, and then get an Actors Access profile. ActorsAccess.com.

It's like 30 bucks a month. And all these are various, various to entry, but that will help. We just smoked it. Like these are all forget. These are all. Yeah. And that's part of the thing of like really deciding whether or not you want to be an actor or not. It comes with costs like this. Like you're going to have to shell out for acting class and headshots and stuff. But just to start, it's like a hundred bucks for headshots, $30 for Actors Access. And if your tape is really good, like really, really work hard on that tape. And if your tape is really good, get your Actors Access profile, get your headshots on there. Doesn't you don't need a resume to start.

I mean, like you won't have one. So, but like if you have your headshot and those clips, like you should do like one or two different scenes, kind of like what we were talking about earlier, really analyze the characters that you want to play, do a couple of scenes from those characters, put them on your Actors Access profile, sign up for this thing called talent link. It's called, that's another, I think 30 bucks a month. And basically what they do is every Monday or like once a week, every week for a month, you can do it for as long as you can, but everybody says just do it for a month. Once a week, they will send out your Actors Access profile, real and headshots to every agent and manager that they have in their Rolodex. And then the agent, and if they are interested, that agent or manager will like reach out to them and say, this person is interested. And then it's up to you to set up the follow up call. My manager said basically, yeah, exactly.

So yeah, this has been like, yeah, once I signed up, like a lot of things have changed, like in the good way. Yeah. So I was going to say, because now I have my piercings and tattoos, I'm trying to type, I would be typecasted for sure, which is fine.

But you got to, you got to, that's another thing you just like, you'll get typecast in the beginning, but. I don't do it. It's work. It's work. And then like you work, like you get work by being typecast and then on the side, you do stuff that. Yeah.

So that was kind of like my commitment to being in like rock radio was like, I'm really wanted to force myself, like, Hey, you're really just going to, I'm really kind of put myself in, it all worked out. But I was going to say, because you do accents very well. And I saw on your resume, there was, and wanting to do a voiceover of the children book, the stinky cheese man and fairly other stupid tales. I don't know if you ever read that, but it's like, I've never read that. It's probably my favorite because it's basically like the, like the flip side of all these fairy tales, like instead of, what was it? Like instead of the gingerbread man, it's the stinky cheese man. But he's like, no, it's, it's really funny, but there's, if you like to do character voices, I'm, I'd something I've been trying to work on.

I've been thinking about doing just for fun. So yeah, yeah. If you ever want to do a voiceover narration, you know, I would love to do that. Like, I like, you just say, I have a PDF of it. I'll send it. I'll send it to you and just read it because it's just thinking about it just from, I mean, you're a comedian, saying what you stunted emotionally at 12, because I did at like 13. So yeah, yeah, I had the model of the ride about there.

I taught, I had this conversation with my friend the other day where like we're both in film and I was like, you don't do this. If everything's okay, you know, like, if everything's fine, you don't get into this. Like, like I said, like, if you could do anything else, you should go do that thing.

Cause I'm not going to put it in the box. It's up up here. Yeah.

You're looking at the pipe snore too loud and you're up. Yep.

You're just going to have to go through all that. Yeah.

It's like, we're not trying to stir it. Just give people, here's what's, what's going to happen. LA's not cheap. Well, what's the rest of it? What's left? So yeah, I'm not just saying, man, uh, not, I think this is the perfect time to wrap it up.

So can I just, can I plug one more thing? Oh yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So, uh, thank you. Also, I want to say thank you for watching the reels and stuff. Um, but, uh, I'm in a movie. I'm playing. Click away. Shame. Yeah.

My place. Yeah. I'm, yeah, I play the lead in a short film called Ronnie, California, the king of artesia. It's about an Indian immigrant in the nineties who, uh, comes to America to pursue the American dream opens his own small business. It's a sorry shop in little India in LA. The only problem is he's an idiot and he's bad at it.

So in order to make ends meet, he runs an illegal gambling ring out of the back room of the sorry shot. Awesome. So I can send you the link for the movie. Uh, Luzian, but we're trying to turn it into a feature film.

So it's a proof of concept for features. So we're trying to get, we've had some conversations here in LA. They're kind of slow moving. Um, but really just trying to get the word out about it. Um, anybody that wants to watch the trailer, it's on my YouTube, Instagram and Tik Tok, however long Tik Tok is going to be around. And then if you're interested in watching, yeah, if you're interested in watching the movie, I can send the link.

Yeah. So, uh, well, you got it. You got it. It sounds weird. You got an ally. Um, it's like, you got a friend in Dallas. So, yeah, I could do Midwest or this area, you know, I'll do whatever I can for sure. Hell yeah. So, any time you come, anytime right here, I don't see me going to LA anytime soon. I don't think a lot is just, just to be honest.

No, there's not a lot here to see anymore for a while. There's not going to be there.

There was. This is what I'm used to live. Um, yeah. Yeah. So yeah, dude, this has been really awesome. Um, we'll get all the information up and I'll do a little thing at the end of the show just to kind of like go here, check this out, check this out.

And I'll, and I can, I can, if you send me that PDF, uh, I'll do a live read and like record it and send it to you. If that's helpful.

It's just fun because it's got, it's, it's like six different, um, stories. Yeah. So they're all, they're short. So it's what I read it in college. Cause we had to do voice addiction. I was, I was calm studies major. So we had to do accents in this one. And so we had to read, I had to come up with like four character, um, voices just for this one book. So it was a lot of, it was fun to like reread it.

So yeah. So I made like, um, Orbs it did the Fox in there sounded like George Bush for some reason, I don't know. I was like, Oh, hey, I sit on the ground and just had a minute.

I don't know why I was trying to do George Bush, but it was just like, it just kind of made sense. But yeah, it's just for fun, man. Like I'll send you over the PDF and, um, just let me know what you think. Sweet. Hi. Hold on. The pleasure. Be safe. Okay. Yeah.

Thank you. Appreciate it.

Hey, friendship for now. You're my, we're buddies now. Hell yeah. I'm on the low. No.

I'm on the low. No. I need it. Money. Cause I had none. I'm on the low. I'm on the low. No. I left my baby. And it feels so bad. I guess my race is one.

She's the best girl that I ever had. I'm on the low. No. The low one. I'm on the low. I fall for the law and I'm the law one I fall for the law and I'm the law one I love my girl and I love my phone I fall for the law and I'm the law one I fall for the law and I'm the law one I let my baby at it, kiss the back, kiss my wrist She's the best girl in the world I fall for the law and I'm the law one I fall for the law and I'm the law one I fall for the law and I'm the law one I fall for the law and I'm the law one I fall for the law and I'm the law one I fall for the law and I'm the law one I fall for the law and I'm the law one I fall for the law and I'm the law one I fall for the law and I'm the law one