January 2, 2026 • 33 mins
One of our hosts traveled to Israel with 'Parker Lewis Can't Lose' star Corin Nemec, and the other one kissed him after clubbing at the Roxbury!
The best part, the Emmy-nominated actor remembers and talks about it ALL!
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's nine o Gene Engine with Jenny Garth and Tory Spelling.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
He played Derek Driscoll, the con artist on nine O
two and Oh he's here, Jen, I'm excited corn Nemic. Hello.
Speaker 3 (00:21):
Hi. Can we just go.
Speaker 1 (00:24):
Back in time. Let's rewind, because by the time you
joined nine o two and now you had already had
you already had a lot of success as an actor.
You'd already done seventy three episodes of Parker Lewis Can't Lose.
How did this happen? How did you get to the
role of Derek Driscoll, the criminal on nine two and
l Well.
Speaker 3 (00:44):
I was desperate for money, No, Tiffany Amberthiessen's money.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
No.
Speaker 3 (00:50):
I honestly, it was it just popped up through my
agency at the time and they just called and asked
if I was available to, you know, to do the character.
I didn't know that it was that it had more
than one episode at that at the time, but uh uh,
you know, fortunately for me, I was available and it
worked out. I was uh uh, you know, I thank god.
(01:12):
I've always stayed very busy as as an actor, even
even at the present time. It's been it's been one
of the greatest blessings in my life for sure, besides
meeting my wonderful wife and uh, good job, thank you.
But so it was it was really exciting because uh,
you know nine O two one oh and and part
of Lewis they both launched at the same time, and
(01:34):
I was around a lot of you all. In fact,
you and I went to Israel together yea and which
was which was very interesting. It was the first time
I ever heard uh sirens in Tel Aviv for like
incoming scud missile attacks and I was like, wait a second,
am I even safe here?
Speaker 1 (01:52):
But we had a fun time.
Speaker 3 (01:54):
Who cares? Right right?
Speaker 1 (01:55):
We had a good memory.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
What about me?
Speaker 1 (01:57):
We didn't want to go, You didn't.
Speaker 2 (01:58):
Get to go. It's really hard for me not to
call you quirky because.
Speaker 1 (02:02):
It's yeah, it is hard to not call you you sorry.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
Because Brian and Green were best friends.
Speaker 3 (02:09):
So we were very close and we still are. We
still are. We are good buddies.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
So I got to see lot we can. I ask
the question, is this going to upset your wife? I
don't think so. It's like thirty years ago. Do you
remember ever kissing me once?
Speaker 3 (02:27):
I do? I have that recollection. It's very vivid as
a matter of fact. Yes, yes, of course, howvid is
it and vivid enough to recall. Yes, yes, those those
were fun days. Back then it was you know, everybody
that was on television at that time. You know, it
(02:48):
was a much smaller world.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
Yeah, that's all you who hung out with and that
was an absolute blast.
Speaker 3 (02:54):
I think I think both you can agree that that
with the industry being so which might knit at that time,
you know there was, it was kind of a luxury
being at nowadays it's you. You can be on a
on a hit series, you know, on one of the
(03:17):
platforms like Paramount Plus or TV whatever. You can be
on like your your fourth season, fifth season, and nobody
will know who the hell you are out in the
real world except for people who watched that platform of course.
Alf Soda Pop Club.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
Was like.
Speaker 3 (03:33):
It was like the place to be, uh when you
were a young actor back day it was. But but yeah,
that was where everybody hung out. It was wild. I
have very vivid memories of being at that.
Speaker 2 (03:45):
Place and at the different locations I had such as you,
but I like your friends, so I could never firt
with you. And then one night, no, it was me
and my friend Hammy and you and your friend and
we had just gone out to some like nightclub.
Speaker 3 (04:01):
I think it was the Roxbury.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
Was the Roxbury? Yeah, so far drive back and we
were staying at my parents' beach house which burned down
the fires in January, but we were staying there and
you guys like followed us back and the securities like
your friends are here, and we took a walk on
the beach and that's where it happened. And I'll never
forget it.
Speaker 3 (04:20):
Yeah, yes, mission accomplished.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
And then I was like, oh, Brian doesn't find out,
which is weird because Brian and I weren't dating, but
I still felt like it was me and Brian, like
you know the type of girls guys are like, it's
cool brown.
Speaker 3 (04:34):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:36):
Anyway, I have to ask you a question. You were
nominated for an Emmy. Didn't you want it? Did you win?
Or were your nominated? Seventeen years old?
Speaker 3 (04:46):
Well, I was actually while I was fourteen when I
did I know my first name is Steven. And then
obviously it took however long it took for it to
come out, it didn't come out until I was fifteen
late and then then sixteen when they did the actual
Emmy nominations for it. So when when uh, you know,
I was up against like Danny Glover and uh uh
(05:07):
Arma Assanti and whoever else it was. It was it
was a slew of of of of uh you know,
grown grown ass men. So it was. It was pretty incredible.
I think, if I recall correctly, I was the youngest
person to be nominated for an Emmy at that time
in that category, which was pretty cool. It was a drag.
(05:28):
I would have loved to have won it because the
real Stephen Stainer had had been hit by a drunk
driver on his motorcycle the night before the Emmys and
was killed. And and yeah, it was very tragic, and
I really really I didn't want to win for me.
I wanted to win so I could thank him and
and and honor him, uh you know, uh and and
(05:52):
and let the world know what a great guy he
turned out to be. And so it was, you know,
it was dually tragic that evening. It was a tough
evening actually, because he was on set quite a bit.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
If that was the character you were playing, Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3 (06:06):
Yeah, I mean, what what a what a terrible he
lost his youth, you know, to a total pervert. And
uh and and the fact that he turned out so well,
you know, he was he was married, he had kids,
He wanted to become a police officer. He was doing
the police training thing and all of that, and and
it was his his goal in life to you know,
(06:28):
try to try to protect those he couldn't protect themselves.
And uh. And that was, you know, a beautiful, you know,
a beautiful outlook he had on life. So yeah, it
was that was wild to be nominated that age. The
Emmys were a blast as well. Uh, back then it
was it was fun to go to them, even if
I wasn't nominated. I went to them a couple of
(06:50):
times after that.
Speaker 1 (06:51):
What a I mean, what a weird night. Yeah, that
mix of like exhilaration and excitement and happiness and yeah
and then.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
That Yeah, I know, tell me about it.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
Crazy timing, Yeah it was.
Speaker 3 (07:04):
There was another mini series Simon Windsor did. It was
a Western one, Lonesome Dove Cleaned House that year, and
oddly enough a number of years later I worked on
a movie that Simon Winster directed called Operation Dumbo Drop
with Danny Glover, who he had worked with on Lonesome Dove.
And Radioda and Dennis Leary. That was that was a
(07:25):
blast that came full circle. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. It's
funny how that works in the industry, how the industry
does signs. It always goes like, you know, in weird
circles like that, you know, you ended up working with
somebody that you met somewhere or you knew in this
project or whatever. It's it's very cool. It's it's again,
you know, it's just I can't I'm I'm never more
(07:48):
thankful in life than when I when I think about
the fact that I'm still a working actor in Hollywood
after starting in nineteen eighty six.
Speaker 1 (07:57):
It is quite a vast career. You've had so many
different roles, drama, comedy, sci fi. Your character Jonas Quinn
in Stargate SG one Yes, was that one of one
of your most memorable?
Speaker 3 (08:13):
For sure? I think, and you know, and you know,
in more modern times oddly enough, you know, that was
like two thousand and and four whatever when we shot that.
When I shot that, that the couple of seasons that
I was on, which is mind blowing right now to
think about. But what was what's really cool about that
is I was I was completely unaware that that these
(08:35):
comic con things go on and these big you know,
all the world, and there's there's these events that you
can you know, go to that they'll they'll pay you
handsomely to to to do an appearance at and all
of that. And I was so ignorant of any of that.
And suddenly I did that show and next thing I know,
I'm being like flown to Australia, Germany, Belgium, the UK,
(08:57):
you know, all over the world to you know, to
do these appearances for that character.
Speaker 2 (09:01):
Will you hook me up with your person?
Speaker 3 (09:06):
And uh and and and still even to this day,
I mean I I just got back from France and
the UK a couple of months ago doing appearances for
for Stargate as well as for Parker because Parker Lewis
was a huge phenomenon in France, and uh it, you know,
I still get brought over there to do appearances for
(09:27):
for Parker Lewis and we In fact, a few years back,
maybe four or five years ago, they flew over me
and half the cast for a big reunion uh you
know thing at one of their events in Paris. So
it was like me and and Troy Slayton who played Jerry,
and Billy Jane who played who played Mikey and Abraham
Ben Ruby who play Kobiac, and Maya Bruton who played Shelley,
(09:50):
my sister. They brought us all over there.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
Do you guys all still keep in touch or was
that for some of you see each other in a while?
Speaker 3 (09:56):
Yeah? Well I keep in touch with Troy uh and
aber Ham and Maya for the most part. And Tim
Stack a bit who played my dad on it. He's
hilarious when he did Son of the Beach A Son
of a Son of Son of Son of a Beach.
I think that was it. But that was such a
funny series. It was so good, great actor.
Speaker 2 (10:27):
Parker Lewis can't Ley is. I loved that show. I
mean obviously new you in real life, but like as
a teen and like watching that show, it's just such
a good show.
Speaker 3 (10:37):
Yeah, it was. You know, they did Long Dimon and
Clyde Phillips. They went and pitched a reboot at a
series with Sony TV, but unfortunately they didn't pick it up.
It was, you know, God blessed them. But I went
and met with them with Lawn about about doing a
(10:58):
reboot because I had a concept for it that I
thought would be really good, but I didn't get to
go in and pitch that that concept at all. They
had a different idea, which was Parker Lewis's kids and
Mikey's kids and all their kids were now, you know,
in high school together, and so you know, and and
it was sort of a similar show as the Earth one,
(11:19):
except with twice the amount of characters.
Speaker 1 (11:21):
What was your what was your idea? Because that sounds
like the like typical, let's do a reboot.
Speaker 3 (11:27):
Yeah, mine was. Mine was called Parker Lewis Can't Win.
And it was Parker as an adult, and his heyday
was in his high school years. And and miss Musso,
who was the principal, has now become the mayor of
Santo Domingo, and Lemmer, who was her little arch villain assistant,
has become the sheriff. And my my sister, Maya Shelley,
who hated me, was the local DA. And they thwarted
(11:50):
every plan I had to try and be successful in life,
you know. And so my my, my my years spent
being the man in high school were now over. Or
now everybody else, yeah, everybody else is successful around me,
and I'm like, what, you know, so trying to like
relive though still wearing the same shirts with the same hair,
but you know, now my forties or whatever, and they're like,
(12:13):
you know, and so that was kind of that was
like flipping the that is so good. Yes, yes, yeah,
I think it would have been funny. I had I
had a whole you know plan for you know, for
the show.
Speaker 2 (12:27):
How many seasons was Parker Lewis Can't Lose On?
Speaker 3 (12:30):
Well, we did seventy eight episodes, but only three seasons,
so we did some long seasons, but we were only
ten episodes away from the from the minimum for syndication,
which is like eighty eight episodes.
Speaker 2 (12:41):
Why didn't they do it? They could have done it?
Speaker 3 (12:43):
Well, you know, the big problem was is that I
don't know if you recall that they they sold Fox
to you know, Ruper Murdoch Company whatever. They sold Fox
TV and kept Fox News. They sold Fox TV to
two years into our show, and the new executives when
they came on, they looked at because our show was
very costly. We were as expensive as nine o two
(13:06):
one oh and we were a half hour comedy, you know,
with a smaller cast. But it was very expensive to
make that show, and they and and our ratings obviously
weren't quite as good as y'all's, you know, And so
they were they were trying to make sense out of
the budget, and they thought the new execution that came on, Yeah,
the new executives who were hired on were like, well,
what we need to do is make Parker Lewis more
(13:27):
like nine oh two and oh but a comedy version
of it. So our third season they changed the entire
dynamics of the show. The shooting style, the clothing style,
all of that was was was altered. No, yeah, really heavily.
So our third season just didn't have the pizazz and
the and the outrageousness that our first two seasons had.
(13:47):
And that was sort of the nail, you know, the
nail in our coffin. Unfortunately, if they had just left
it alone, we I'm sure that we would have gone
at least four or five seasons with it. But but
they didn't. They just they just let a good thing.
Speaker 2 (14:00):
Lie, changing of the card, that's what happened.
Speaker 3 (14:05):
Yes, they always think they know better than the previous people,
which yeah, necessarily true. Sometimes it is, yes.
Speaker 1 (14:12):
Yes, sometimes it helps, but yeah.
Speaker 3 (14:15):
Well, if you had to.
Speaker 1 (14:16):
Go back and say, what was your favorite character you
played thus far in your career, what would you which
one would you pick?
Speaker 3 (14:23):
I have a couple of them. One of them is
definitely my favorite because it was my first time getting
to really, really do do a true character role. And
that was in the original Stephen King mini series, The Stand,
when I got to play this character Harold Louder, who
was a pivotal character in the overall mini series and
uh and also had the biggest arc. He went from
(14:45):
being this this really you know, introverted nerdy guy to
becoming this sort of like extrovert villain, you know. And
and it was that it was the first time in
my career as an actor to really get to break
the mold of what I was generally cast as, and
(15:05):
that opened me up to a lot of other roles
later on after that, getting to play villain characters that
I never would have gotten to play. I don't think
if I hadn't done The Stand.
Speaker 2 (15:19):
Guy's a question. I'm a huge Stephen King fan. I
heard he's really hands on. Was he with the production well.
Speaker 3 (15:27):
In his later ones? Yeah, yes, I had to audition
for him for he and Mick Garris for that role.
And I read the character description is like this really overweight,
you know, nerdy guy with greasy hair and dandriff and
all of that. And and I'm sitting there going I'm
not going to get this part, you know. But I
understood that the character very well. And it turns out that,
(15:52):
fortunately for me, Mick Garris had really liked me for
another movie called Sleepwalkers that he had directed. I love
that movie out, yeah, and I didn't get the role
in it, but he really liked my audition that I did,
and he was telling Stephen King that I was the
right guy to play this character of Harold Louder that
doesn't hurt, yeah, yeah, And Stephen King was looking at
(16:14):
my head shot though, going no, he's not. He's not
the right guy. Look at this guy. But they had
tried casting somebody who physically fit the description of the character,
and Mick Garris told me that they they auditioned in
La New York, Chicago, San Francisco, even Miami, trying to
find that, you know, the person that fit the exact
(16:35):
description of the character that Stephen was in love with him.
They just didn't find anybody, thank god. So when I
went in there and auditioned for it, I mean before
I walked out of the room, I could they were
back there having their little quiet discussion. And it was
one of those rare moments when by the time it
was back when we still had answering machines. But by
(16:56):
the time I left that audition and got home, there
was a message for my agent saying that I had
booked the job. Yeah. I was like, that's crazy. Because
I walked out there, I felt good about it, but
I thought they were whispering, like Stephen King was going,
I told you this guy doesn't Eric, I'm not gonna
you know what I mean. I was like, oh, well,
there goes that one.
Speaker 2 (17:15):
But I love stories like that.
Speaker 3 (17:18):
Yeah, it was great.
Speaker 2 (17:19):
They didn't want to see you because visually that's not
what he saw. But you came in and he was like,
he is the character.
Speaker 1 (17:24):
Wait, did you like play yourself down? Did you do
anything to your physic to alter your appearance when you
went in there.
Speaker 3 (17:30):
I mean, I you know, I just I just put
like Gid.
Speaker 1 (17:33):
In shower for a few weeks or what.
Speaker 3 (17:36):
Yeah, Oh god, that would have been something there. I
have some funny audition stories where I went too far,
I can.
Speaker 2 (17:41):
Tell you that really tell us one.
Speaker 3 (17:44):
Oh gosh, well I had two of them. I had
one where I was. There was in Teluca Lake. There
were where I had I had a house there. And
up the street was this this store that sold all
of the makeup and special effects stuff for the movie industry.
I forget what it was called, but it was this
massive store. No, I don't think that was it. It was.
(18:06):
It was something like, you know, like Cinema Secrets or something. Yes,
And uh so I used to go in there and
you know, and just kind of just browse and check
things out. And they had they had this whole collection
of mustaches, you know, these really really awesome mustaches, and
I couldn't grow. Look, I still can't grow a mustach.
I don't know what this thing is doing on my
face right now.
Speaker 2 (18:25):
It's cute.
Speaker 3 (18:27):
So I'm actually growing it out for a part I'm
supposed to play next year.
Speaker 1 (18:32):
But you've got you got a long lead.
Speaker 2 (18:35):
Next year's not next year. It's like, whoa, it's gonna
take you that long.
Speaker 3 (18:38):
But we're there. This is already like a month and
a half. Okay, But yeah, so I so they had
all these mustaches, and I was like, wow, these mustaches.
Look at the characters I could play, you know. And
so I bought like, I don't know, like four or
five of these different mustaches, like the one that goes
out like that, a big bushy one, some other, all
(18:59):
these different mustache And I had this audition for this
World War two mini series or film or something, and
I was like a captain of like a B fifty
bomber pot you know, bomber uh. And I thought, Wow,
this is a perfect audition for one of these mustaches. So,
you know, I applied this ridiculous mustache and had.
Speaker 2 (19:20):
The handle bars we now.
Speaker 3 (19:22):
Not handlebars, but kind of just like went out to
a little point, you know what I mean, or like
the evil villain mustache, you know, but it felt like
nineteen forties to me. This mustache did dusterally do?
Speaker 2 (19:34):
Right? Is something? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (19:35):
So I put this thing on and I went in
and I did my audition and uh, my my agent
to my agent calls and goes, accorn, did you did
you put a mustache on for this audition? And I
was like, yeah, I did. Did they like it? And
They're like, no, they didn't like it. No, absolutely not.
They couldn't they. In fact, they couldn't even watch your audition.
(19:56):
They just kept staring at this ridiculous thing on your face.
Speaker 2 (19:59):
Oh man.
Speaker 3 (20:00):
And and I want to get back in and do it,
but take it off. I'm like, no, no, no, they've
moved on from you.
Speaker 1 (20:09):
That's the best.
Speaker 2 (20:09):
That's the best. That's good in auditions. Winter props too much.
Speaker 3 (20:13):
Yeah, well, the second one is even worse. I was
auditioning for some Vietnam miniseries or something, and uh, my
character was like the captain of his platoon or whatever,
and and he and in his in his hoot, in
his hangout spot, he had a pet monkey that that
that that his his guys had adopted. And this monkey
(20:34):
was wore a little army outfit. Yeah. I have this
whole scene with this monkey where I'm like talking to
the monkey, I'm holding the monkey, I'm doing this, you know.
And so I'm like, well, how do I do this
scene without like a real monkey? Like, it doesn't make
any sense. So I went to Toys r US and
sell real monkeys.
Speaker 2 (20:53):
There you got like a round up monkey.
Speaker 3 (20:56):
I went to the doll section and I was like,
just just in case, and I and I and I'm
walking through and there's this little monkey that's in in
like a Safari outfit that looked kind of like an
army outfit. So I took the hat off of it,
you know, and I was like, I thought it was
like destiny. I was like, I'm destined to get this
part because I found this monkey. It toys r Us
and it's the exactly it's like wearing practically the outfit
(21:18):
they describe and in the show. So I go into
the audition. I've got it into my backpack, so I
don't like, you know, like show everybody right off the
bat when I walk in and I do the first scene,
which is like a shorter scene, and then I get
to the big scene with the monkey, and I unzit
my backpack and I pulled the little stuffed monkey out
and I could literally, I mean it was like somebody
(21:40):
sucked all the air out of the room, you know
what I mean. It was one of those moments where
I was like, Okay, this was probably a bad choice,
but did you just go with it? So I went
with it. I did the whole scene. I was talking
to the monkey, I was doing the little you know,
tickling a little bit, all the all the stuff with
the monkey, and and it was it was my same
agent for the other thing too. I was probably later on,
(22:02):
but but you know, so I do the audition and
I leave and everything, and I'm like, you know, I
felt good about it. I was like, you know, I mean,
I know it was weird, but what am I going
to do? They're the ones who wrote the scene.
Speaker 1 (22:14):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (22:14):
So I get home and sure enough, my agent Calle
is like, did you you take a stuffed monkey into
the audition with you? I'm like, yeah, but I wasn't
wearing a mustache, this sign this, you know. I figure,
oh my god, you are so I didn't get the part.
Speaker 1 (22:29):
Sorry about that. The things we do, the things you
remember you being this funny when.
Speaker 3 (22:34):
We were kids, I was hilarious.
Speaker 1 (22:37):
Dam yeah, he's always been funny.
Speaker 3 (22:39):
Yes, it was something else.
Speaker 1 (22:56):
It was just such a fun just get for us
to have you on our show. I remember that. I
just remember the vibe. Everybody was so happy you were there.
It was like more fun than we were already having
when you were around.
Speaker 3 (23:09):
Well, I know that, you know, I'm my my acting
you know, I've always studied acting in acting classes since
I was eleven years old. And then even even during
Parker Lewis, I was I was studying with. Of course
his name is gonna slip my mind right now. He
was like this this big method acting teacher in Santa Monica,
(23:33):
Larry Moss.
Speaker 2 (23:34):
Larry.
Speaker 3 (23:35):
I was studying with Larry Moss, and like he's all
method and all that. And that's when I started doing
all this weird stuff with the mustache and the monkeys
and all this stuff, because I was all, you know,
heady into the whole method thing, like I got to go,
I gotta go extra far for the you know, for
the job and for the character and all that. And uh.
But then I ended up studying with a guy named
Manutupo after you know, like in the in the early nineties,
(23:57):
around ninety four Une nine, for after Parker Lewis canceled,
and and uh he had he was the exact opposite
of the method. He was like had this whole really
really unique way of approaching creating a character, which which
I absolutely loved. And but uh, I forget where I
was going with this.
Speaker 1 (24:17):
What do you use now? I'm curious when you like,
when you go in for a new role, like what
are you going with method? Are you going with.
Speaker 3 (24:24):
No, it's not method. Well, his you know, Monotupo's technique
was called the New Era acting technique, and it was
kind of like a creationist way of approaching acting, where
you know, where the character has to be one believed
and so you're not drawing from your own life. You're
creating a really detailed backstory of the character's life. So
(24:46):
all the stuff that's not written in the script that
that that you create a character. Oh, that's what I
was getting. It was the props and all of that.
But uh so, but you know, always working with props
was a big thing to me. So, I mean, I
know when I did note in too, and oh, I
was like, I need a coffee cup. I need some
coffee in it. I need to you know what I mean,
I need a pan, you know. So I'm like trying to,
you know, just like crush some type of reality into
(25:08):
into the scene work and stuff. And yeah. Yeah, Well,
in fact, on on on Stargate, I ended up being
banned from props. Uh after like after like eight episodes
or so. My character was from another planet and I thought, Okay, well,
now he's here on Earth, what's he going to be
interested in Well, it's gonna be like the food thing
is going to be a major, you know factor for him.
(25:31):
So all these different scenes I would introduce, you know,
like like we did one scene where me and one
of the characters are in a space ship and outer
space and it's like a five and a half page
scene of dialogue and we're just sitting there staring out
at space talking and I'm like, this is just this
scene is going to kill me, you know. And I
was by the craft service table pacing around, going Okay,
(25:51):
what can I do with this scene? What can I
bring to it that, you know, so it's not too
aliens sitting in space having a conversation. And I look
over and there's a big fruit display there and I'm
like a banana, a freaking banana and out of space.
So I'm sitting there talking. I pull out a banana.
I eat the banana. At the end, I realized, oh,
I didn't offer the other actor a banana, so I
pull out another banana. I'm like, without changing any dialogue,
(26:12):
just all silent, you know, behaviors and uh. And the
director was U was David DeLuise, dom Deluize's son, and
uh and it was great that he was the director
because he he I was trying to I was pitching
him this thing. You know, I got this idea, got
a banana, banana and out of space and everything like that.
And He's like, h a banana and out of space.
I like it, And so it's stuck in there. And
(26:33):
it actually a big thing, yeah, a big thing for
the fans. You know, Jonas's banana. There was actually a
whole group of fans back in like two thousand uh
five and six at the at the conventions over in
the UK. I used to do that would wear these
these brown robes with a big hoodie thing on it.
It said OJB on the back and it was the
Order of Jonas's Banana. And it was this whole whole
(26:56):
group of really strange nerdy type that would walk around
in these things and they look like Jawas basically. But
and I was like, you know, Order of Jonas's Bananas
sounds a little phallic. I don't know if you really
want to roll with this one, but okay. And people
will bring me bananas to sign, like autographed bananas.
Speaker 2 (27:13):
I'm like, you don't, that's wild all because you saw
it in a fruit bowl. Oh my gosh. See.
Speaker 3 (27:19):
Yes, So I introduced you know, quite a number of
different things in different scenes. And around episode six or so,
six or seven, I we had this big scene in
the boardroom. It's like, you know, shit has hit the fan.
They're trying to figure out how they're going to save
the world, all this stuff. There's like twelve people in
the scene, and I have like one line of dialogue
(27:41):
like near the end of the scene where I come
up with, you know, like the solution to you know,
whatever the problem is. But I have no other dialogue
in the whole scene. And again, the damn fruit baskets. Right.
So I'm standing there at this table and they have
in the scene they have this big fruit basket, you know,
fruit display and all this uf that that people, you know,
(28:01):
need to snack on. And and so I decide, well,
in the beginning of the scene, I'll start peeling this orange,
you know, and I'll be peeling the orange throughout the scene,
and when they finally get to my line of dialogue,
I'll be like eating, you know, my bite of orange,
you know, like crush realities here. And it went over fine.
Nobody said anything, but when they got into the editing room.
Every time they would cut to one of the wide
shots or whatever, all you see is me over there
(28:23):
peeling this bright orange. They're just like, and you're completely
out of the scene. Now You're like, what is he
doing back there?
Speaker 1 (28:30):
You're you're basically upstaging everyone with your orange.
Speaker 3 (28:33):
One hundred percent upstaging everybody with my orange. And that
was the point when the writer producers were like, Corn,
we love what you're doing, but if it's not in
the script, you're not allowed to do it anymore.
Speaker 1 (28:45):
My god, you need to be you need to be
kept in the you know, you need to.
Speaker 2 (28:51):
Have some security. I can't win.
Speaker 3 (28:54):
Totally totally.
Speaker 2 (28:56):
One last question, do you still do your grooffin the art?
Speaker 3 (29:01):
I do absolutely, Yeah, yeah, yeah, one hundred percent. I've
never I mean, I've never really stopped ever. I was
very prolific up until the whole COVID thing when a
lot of my traveling went went under and all of that.
But I would take advantage of all of these events
that I would do all over the all over the world,
(29:21):
and I would extend my stay a little bit. I
really got into street art heavily as well, Like stencil art,
and what's called like poster art. The nickname for it
is wheat paste art. But it's when you when you
do like a graphic or stencyl type poster and all
painted and then you go and glue it up someplace
and all of that and uh and then the sticker stuff.
(29:42):
So I would anywhere I would travel, I would just
take my kit with me. I'd stay a few extra
days and I'd go around and put up my street
art and do all that, or or I'd hook up
with another graffiti artist and uh, and I'd go and paint,
you know, a legal wall or sometimes in illegal one,
but mostly legal walls, and uh, you know. And even
now I do more mural type stuff. I've done some
(30:04):
murals in La too that are still there on Melrose
in the back alleys at pos Poser's Punk rock Store.
On the back side of that, there's a big painting
I did of sid Vicious that's still there, and a
couple other paintings back there.
Speaker 2 (30:18):
What year did you do that?
Speaker 3 (30:20):
Oh, that was probably like twenty sixteen or so.
Speaker 1 (30:24):
Oh gosh, everybody go, look, yeah, we're gonna be hunting
that down.
Speaker 2 (30:27):
Yeah, take your pictures in front of it guys.
Speaker 1 (30:29):
With robes and bananas, They're going to be looking for me.
Speaker 3 (30:31):
Yes, But I just did one recently that won Best
New Mural in Tampa Bay at a coffee shop that's
here in my area called bell Air Coffee. I did
a big, huge coffee plantation mural on the side of
the of their building, and then and then another one
of like an old coffee farmer drinking an espresso and
(30:54):
it turned out really awesome. It's cool. The pictures are
on my Instagram. I am corn Nymic on Instagram if
anybody wants to scroll down and find them, or I
have my graffiti Instagram site which is at the one
six nine THHG one six and nine. If anybody's wait,
wait at what it's at V one six nine THHG
(31:14):
and then the numbers one six and nine D one
six nine is my graffiti? Did you get that, lucky? Well,
My my graffiti name is Pike one six nine and
one six nine was my art room at North Hollywood
High That was where they where we did our art
class and I was in there with a bunch of
other graffiti artists, and so I chose that as my
kind of because back in the in New York, a
(31:36):
lot of a lot of graffiti artists would use their
street that they lived on or whatever to signify like
where they were from, like Tacky one, three eight or whatever,
and they'd have their and I was like, like, I
need a number, you know, But I didn't live on
a numbered street or anything.
Speaker 2 (31:50):
Were you and Brian the same class?
Speaker 3 (31:53):
We weren't in the same class. We were at North
Hollywood High together though, but I I left. I'm like
a year and a half.
Speaker 2 (31:59):
Older than him, but he both went there.
Speaker 3 (32:02):
Yeah, yeah, yes, we went there. But I left in
eleventh grade and went over to Excelsior School, which was,
you know, like the school for ornery working.
Speaker 2 (32:13):
Actors to get it done the actors.
Speaker 3 (32:16):
Yep, yeah, I mean I was at that school with
the I mean what.
Speaker 2 (32:19):
It was that school in Lese, right.
Speaker 3 (32:21):
I can't remember the other one, but I went at
that one. I was there with like Christina Applegate, balls Argetti,
Seth Benzer from crazy Town unfortunately passed away. It's very sad,
and Sleigh Moonfry and Mili Joviovic and Jenny Lewis and
crew and Johnny Whitworth and I mean this the list
goes on and on, Ernie Rays Junior, a whole bunch
(32:43):
of folks. It was. It was a hilarious experience. We'd
only go to school from I think it was like
eight forty five to twelve noon every day. This one
teacher named mister Van who was an avid surfer, and
he would lock the principles out of his room and
change his clock if there was a big surf that day,
and he'd leave. He'd leave school like forty five minutes early.
Speaker 1 (33:04):
He's gotta he's got to get to the waves. That's
what happens in California with the people.
Speaker 3 (33:09):
They have to get to the ocean totally.
Speaker 1 (33:12):
You are so multi fascinated.
Speaker 2 (33:16):
Is that the right word? Multis fascinating?
Speaker 3 (33:20):
I'll take fascinated either one. Right.
Speaker 1 (33:23):
Such an interesting career you've had and just so many
you know, just like you were the nineties guy.
Speaker 3 (33:29):
It was fun, Yeah, the guy.
Speaker 1 (33:32):
And it was just such a thrill to have you
on our show. And I know that we both love
getting to know.
Speaker 2 (33:37):
It's excited to see you and.
Speaker 3 (33:39):
Catch Yes, it's great to see both of you again too.
It's so cool. I love it. It's it brings back
a lot of memories, so.
Speaker 2 (33:46):
Great to see you.
Speaker 1 (33:47):
Thank you so much for coming on with us today.
Speaker 3 (33:49):
It's my pleasure you too.
It's nine o Gene Engine with Jenny Garth and Tory Spelling.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
He played Derek Driscoll, the con artist on nine O
two and Oh he's here, Jen, I'm excited corn Nemic. Hello.
Speaker 3 (00:21):
Hi. Can we just go.
Speaker 1 (00:24):
Back in time. Let's rewind, because by the time you
joined nine o two and now you had already had
you already had a lot of success as an actor.
You'd already done seventy three episodes of Parker Lewis Can't Lose.
How did this happen? How did you get to the
role of Derek Driscoll, the criminal on nine two and
l Well.
Speaker 3 (00:44):
I was desperate for money, No, Tiffany Amberthiessen's money.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
No.
Speaker 3 (00:50):
I honestly, it was it just popped up through my
agency at the time and they just called and asked
if I was available to, you know, to do the character.
I didn't know that it was that it had more
than one episode at that at the time, but uh uh,
you know, fortunately for me, I was available and it
worked out. I was uh uh, you know, I thank god.
(01:12):
I've always stayed very busy as as an actor, even
even at the present time. It's been it's been one
of the greatest blessings in my life for sure, besides
meeting my wonderful wife and uh, good job, thank you.
But so it was it was really exciting because uh,
you know nine O two one oh and and part
of Lewis they both launched at the same time, and
(01:34):
I was around a lot of you all. In fact,
you and I went to Israel together yea and which
was which was very interesting. It was the first time
I ever heard uh sirens in Tel Aviv for like
incoming scud missile attacks and I was like, wait a second,
am I even safe here?
Speaker 1 (01:52):
But we had a fun time.
Speaker 3 (01:54):
Who cares? Right right?
Speaker 1 (01:55):
We had a good memory.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
What about me?
Speaker 1 (01:57):
We didn't want to go, You didn't.
Speaker 2 (01:58):
Get to go. It's really hard for me not to
call you quirky because.
Speaker 1 (02:02):
It's yeah, it is hard to not call you you sorry.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
Because Brian and Green were best friends.
Speaker 3 (02:09):
So we were very close and we still are. We
still are. We are good buddies.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
So I got to see lot we can. I ask
the question, is this going to upset your wife? I
don't think so. It's like thirty years ago. Do you
remember ever kissing me once?
Speaker 3 (02:27):
I do? I have that recollection. It's very vivid as
a matter of fact. Yes, yes, of course, howvid is
it and vivid enough to recall. Yes, yes, those those
were fun days. Back then it was you know, everybody
that was on television at that time. You know, it
(02:48):
was a much smaller world.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
Yeah, that's all you who hung out with and that
was an absolute blast.
Speaker 3 (02:54):
I think I think both you can agree that that
with the industry being so which might knit at that time,
you know there was, it was kind of a luxury
being at nowadays it's you. You can be on a
on a hit series, you know, on one of the
(03:17):
platforms like Paramount Plus or TV whatever. You can be
on like your your fourth season, fifth season, and nobody
will know who the hell you are out in the
real world except for people who watched that platform of course.
Alf Soda Pop Club.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
Was like.
Speaker 3 (03:33):
It was like the place to be, uh when you
were a young actor back day it was. But but yeah,
that was where everybody hung out. It was wild. I
have very vivid memories of being at that.
Speaker 2 (03:45):
Place and at the different locations I had such as you,
but I like your friends, so I could never firt
with you. And then one night, no, it was me
and my friend Hammy and you and your friend and
we had just gone out to some like nightclub.
Speaker 3 (04:01):
I think it was the Roxbury.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
Was the Roxbury? Yeah, so far drive back and we
were staying at my parents' beach house which burned down
the fires in January, but we were staying there and
you guys like followed us back and the securities like
your friends are here, and we took a walk on
the beach and that's where it happened. And I'll never
forget it.
Speaker 3 (04:20):
Yeah, yes, mission accomplished.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
And then I was like, oh, Brian doesn't find out,
which is weird because Brian and I weren't dating, but
I still felt like it was me and Brian, like
you know the type of girls guys are like, it's
cool brown.
Speaker 3 (04:34):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:36):
Anyway, I have to ask you a question. You were
nominated for an Emmy. Didn't you want it? Did you win?
Or were your nominated? Seventeen years old?
Speaker 3 (04:46):
Well, I was actually while I was fourteen when I
did I know my first name is Steven. And then
obviously it took however long it took for it to
come out, it didn't come out until I was fifteen
late and then then sixteen when they did the actual
Emmy nominations for it. So when when uh, you know,
I was up against like Danny Glover and uh uh
(05:07):
Arma Assanti and whoever else it was. It was it
was a slew of of of of uh you know,
grown grown ass men. So it was. It was pretty incredible.
I think, if I recall correctly, I was the youngest
person to be nominated for an Emmy at that time
in that category, which was pretty cool. It was a drag.
(05:28):
I would have loved to have won it because the
real Stephen Stainer had had been hit by a drunk
driver on his motorcycle the night before the Emmys and
was killed. And and yeah, it was very tragic, and
I really really I didn't want to win for me.
I wanted to win so I could thank him and
and and honor him, uh you know, uh and and
(05:52):
and let the world know what a great guy he
turned out to be. And so it was, you know,
it was dually tragic that evening. It was a tough
evening actually, because he was on set quite a bit.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
If that was the character you were playing, Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3 (06:06):
Yeah, I mean, what what a what a terrible he
lost his youth, you know, to a total pervert. And
uh and and the fact that he turned out so well,
you know, he was he was married, he had kids,
He wanted to become a police officer. He was doing
the police training thing and all of that, and and
it was his his goal in life to you know,
(06:28):
try to try to protect those he couldn't protect themselves.
And uh. And that was, you know, a beautiful, you know,
a beautiful outlook he had on life. So yeah, it
was that was wild to be nominated that age. The
Emmys were a blast as well. Uh, back then it
was it was fun to go to them, even if
I wasn't nominated. I went to them a couple of
(06:50):
times after that.
Speaker 1 (06:51):
What a I mean, what a weird night. Yeah, that
mix of like exhilaration and excitement and happiness and yeah
and then.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
That Yeah, I know, tell me about it.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
Crazy timing, Yeah it was.
Speaker 3 (07:04):
There was another mini series Simon Windsor did. It was
a Western one, Lonesome Dove Cleaned House that year, and
oddly enough a number of years later I worked on
a movie that Simon Winster directed called Operation Dumbo Drop
with Danny Glover, who he had worked with on Lonesome Dove.
And Radioda and Dennis Leary. That was that was a
(07:25):
blast that came full circle. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. It's
funny how that works in the industry, how the industry
does signs. It always goes like, you know, in weird
circles like that, you know, you ended up working with
somebody that you met somewhere or you knew in this
project or whatever. It's it's very cool. It's it's again,
you know, it's just I can't I'm I'm never more
(07:48):
thankful in life than when I when I think about
the fact that I'm still a working actor in Hollywood
after starting in nineteen eighty six.
Speaker 1 (07:57):
It is quite a vast career. You've had so many
different roles, drama, comedy, sci fi. Your character Jonas Quinn
in Stargate SG one Yes, was that one of one
of your most memorable?
Speaker 3 (08:13):
For sure? I think, and you know, and you know,
in more modern times oddly enough, you know, that was
like two thousand and and four whatever when we shot that.
When I shot that, that the couple of seasons that
I was on, which is mind blowing right now to
think about. But what was what's really cool about that
is I was I was completely unaware that that these
(08:35):
comic con things go on and these big you know,
all the world, and there's there's these events that you
can you know, go to that they'll they'll pay you
handsomely to to to do an appearance at and all
of that. And I was so ignorant of any of that.
And suddenly I did that show and next thing I know,
I'm being like flown to Australia, Germany, Belgium, the UK,
(08:57):
you know, all over the world to you know, to
do these appearances for that character.
Speaker 2 (09:01):
Will you hook me up with your person?
Speaker 3 (09:06):
And uh and and and still even to this day,
I mean I I just got back from France and
the UK a couple of months ago doing appearances for
for Stargate as well as for Parker because Parker Lewis
was a huge phenomenon in France, and uh it, you know,
I still get brought over there to do appearances for
(09:27):
for Parker Lewis and we In fact, a few years back,
maybe four or five years ago, they flew over me
and half the cast for a big reunion uh you
know thing at one of their events in Paris. So
it was like me and and Troy Slayton who played Jerry,
and Billy Jane who played who played Mikey and Abraham
Ben Ruby who play Kobiac, and Maya Bruton who played Shelley,
(09:50):
my sister. They brought us all over there.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
Do you guys all still keep in touch or was
that for some of you see each other in a while?
Speaker 3 (09:56):
Yeah? Well I keep in touch with Troy uh and
aber Ham and Maya for the most part. And Tim
Stack a bit who played my dad on it. He's
hilarious when he did Son of the Beach A Son
of a Son of Son of Son of a Beach.
I think that was it. But that was such a
funny series. It was so good, great actor.
Speaker 2 (10:27):
Parker Lewis can't Ley is. I loved that show. I
mean obviously new you in real life, but like as
a teen and like watching that show, it's just such
a good show.
Speaker 3 (10:37):
Yeah, it was. You know, they did Long Dimon and
Clyde Phillips. They went and pitched a reboot at a
series with Sony TV, but unfortunately they didn't pick it up.
It was, you know, God blessed them. But I went
and met with them with Lawn about about doing a
(10:58):
reboot because I had a concept for it that I
thought would be really good, but I didn't get to
go in and pitch that that concept at all. They
had a different idea, which was Parker Lewis's kids and
Mikey's kids and all their kids were now, you know,
in high school together, and so you know, and and
it was sort of a similar show as the Earth one,
(11:19):
except with twice the amount of characters.
Speaker 1 (11:21):
What was your what was your idea? Because that sounds
like the like typical, let's do a reboot.
Speaker 3 (11:27):
Yeah, mine was. Mine was called Parker Lewis Can't Win.
And it was Parker as an adult, and his heyday
was in his high school years. And and miss Musso,
who was the principal, has now become the mayor of
Santo Domingo, and Lemmer, who was her little arch villain assistant,
has become the sheriff. And my my sister, Maya Shelley,
who hated me, was the local DA. And they thwarted
(11:50):
every plan I had to try and be successful in life,
you know. And so my my, my my years spent
being the man in high school were now over. Or
now everybody else, yeah, everybody else is successful around me,
and I'm like, what, you know, so trying to like
relive though still wearing the same shirts with the same hair,
but you know, now my forties or whatever, and they're like,
(12:13):
you know, and so that was kind of that was
like flipping the that is so good. Yes, yes, yeah,
I think it would have been funny. I had I
had a whole you know plan for you know, for
the show.
Speaker 2 (12:27):
How many seasons was Parker Lewis Can't Lose On?
Speaker 3 (12:30):
Well, we did seventy eight episodes, but only three seasons,
so we did some long seasons, but we were only
ten episodes away from the from the minimum for syndication,
which is like eighty eight episodes.
Speaker 2 (12:41):
Why didn't they do it? They could have done it?
Speaker 3 (12:43):
Well, you know, the big problem was is that I
don't know if you recall that they they sold Fox
to you know, Ruper Murdoch Company whatever. They sold Fox
TV and kept Fox News. They sold Fox TV to
two years into our show, and the new executives when
they came on, they looked at because our show was
very costly. We were as expensive as nine o two
(13:06):
one oh and we were a half hour comedy, you know,
with a smaller cast. But it was very expensive to
make that show, and they and and our ratings obviously
weren't quite as good as y'all's, you know, And so
they were they were trying to make sense out of
the budget, and they thought the new execution that came on, Yeah,
the new executives who were hired on were like, well,
what we need to do is make Parker Lewis more
(13:27):
like nine oh two and oh but a comedy version
of it. So our third season they changed the entire
dynamics of the show. The shooting style, the clothing style,
all of that was was was altered. No, yeah, really heavily.
So our third season just didn't have the pizazz and
the and the outrageousness that our first two seasons had.
(13:47):
And that was sort of the nail, you know, the
nail in our coffin. Unfortunately, if they had just left
it alone, we I'm sure that we would have gone
at least four or five seasons with it. But but
they didn't. They just they just let a good thing.
Speaker 2 (14:00):
Lie, changing of the card, that's what happened.
Speaker 3 (14:05):
Yes, they always think they know better than the previous people,
which yeah, necessarily true. Sometimes it is, yes.
Speaker 1 (14:12):
Yes, sometimes it helps, but yeah.
Speaker 3 (14:15):
Well, if you had to.
Speaker 1 (14:16):
Go back and say, what was your favorite character you
played thus far in your career, what would you which
one would you pick?
Speaker 3 (14:23):
I have a couple of them. One of them is
definitely my favorite because it was my first time getting
to really, really do do a true character role. And
that was in the original Stephen King mini series, The Stand,
when I got to play this character Harold Louder, who
was a pivotal character in the overall mini series and
uh and also had the biggest arc. He went from
(14:45):
being this this really you know, introverted nerdy guy to
becoming this sort of like extrovert villain, you know. And
and it was that it was the first time in
my career as an actor to really get to break
the mold of what I was generally cast as, and
(15:05):
that opened me up to a lot of other roles
later on after that, getting to play villain characters that
I never would have gotten to play. I don't think
if I hadn't done The Stand.
Speaker 2 (15:19):
Guy's a question. I'm a huge Stephen King fan. I
heard he's really hands on. Was he with the production well.
Speaker 3 (15:27):
In his later ones? Yeah, yes, I had to audition
for him for he and Mick Garris for that role.
And I read the character description is like this really overweight,
you know, nerdy guy with greasy hair and dandriff and
all of that. And and I'm sitting there going I'm
not going to get this part, you know. But I
understood that the character very well. And it turns out that,
(15:52):
fortunately for me, Mick Garris had really liked me for
another movie called Sleepwalkers that he had directed. I love
that movie out, yeah, and I didn't get the role
in it, but he really liked my audition that I did,
and he was telling Stephen King that I was the
right guy to play this character of Harold Louder that
doesn't hurt, yeah, yeah, And Stephen King was looking at
(16:14):
my head shot though, going no, he's not. He's not
the right guy. Look at this guy. But they had
tried casting somebody who physically fit the description of the character,
and Mick Garris told me that they they auditioned in
La New York, Chicago, San Francisco, even Miami, trying to
find that, you know, the person that fit the exact
(16:35):
description of the character that Stephen was in love with him.
They just didn't find anybody, thank god. So when I
went in there and auditioned for it, I mean before
I walked out of the room, I could they were
back there having their little quiet discussion. And it was
one of those rare moments when by the time it
was back when we still had answering machines. But by
(16:56):
the time I left that audition and got home, there
was a message for my agent saying that I had
booked the job. Yeah. I was like, that's crazy. Because
I walked out there, I felt good about it, but
I thought they were whispering, like Stephen King was going,
I told you this guy doesn't Eric, I'm not gonna
you know what I mean. I was like, oh, well,
there goes that one.
Speaker 2 (17:15):
But I love stories like that.
Speaker 3 (17:18):
Yeah, it was great.
Speaker 2 (17:19):
They didn't want to see you because visually that's not
what he saw. But you came in and he was like,
he is the character.
Speaker 1 (17:24):
Wait, did you like play yourself down? Did you do
anything to your physic to alter your appearance when you
went in there.
Speaker 3 (17:30):
I mean, I you know, I just I just put
like Gid.
Speaker 1 (17:33):
In shower for a few weeks or what.
Speaker 3 (17:36):
Yeah, Oh god, that would have been something there. I
have some funny audition stories where I went too far,
I can.
Speaker 2 (17:41):
Tell you that really tell us one.
Speaker 3 (17:44):
Oh gosh, well I had two of them. I had
one where I was. There was in Teluca Lake. There
were where I had I had a house there. And
up the street was this this store that sold all
of the makeup and special effects stuff for the movie industry.
I forget what it was called, but it was this
massive store. No, I don't think that was it. It was.
(18:06):
It was something like, you know, like Cinema Secrets or something. Yes,
And uh so I used to go in there and
you know, and just kind of just browse and check
things out. And they had they had this whole collection
of mustaches, you know, these really really awesome mustaches, and
I couldn't grow. Look, I still can't grow a mustach.
I don't know what this thing is doing on my
face right now.
Speaker 2 (18:25):
It's cute.
Speaker 3 (18:27):
So I'm actually growing it out for a part I'm
supposed to play next year.
Speaker 1 (18:32):
But you've got you got a long lead.
Speaker 2 (18:35):
Next year's not next year. It's like, whoa, it's gonna
take you that long.
Speaker 3 (18:38):
But we're there. This is already like a month and
a half. Okay, But yeah, so I so they had
all these mustaches, and I was like, wow, these mustaches.
Look at the characters I could play, you know. And
so I bought like, I don't know, like four or
five of these different mustaches, like the one that goes
out like that, a big bushy one, some other, all
(18:59):
these different mustache And I had this audition for this
World War two mini series or film or something, and
I was like a captain of like a B fifty
bomber pot you know, bomber uh. And I thought, Wow,
this is a perfect audition for one of these mustaches. So,
you know, I applied this ridiculous mustache and had.
Speaker 2 (19:20):
The handle bars we now.
Speaker 3 (19:22):
Not handlebars, but kind of just like went out to
a little point, you know what I mean, or like
the evil villain mustache, you know, but it felt like
nineteen forties to me. This mustache did dusterally do?
Speaker 2 (19:34):
Right? Is something? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (19:35):
So I put this thing on and I went in
and I did my audition and uh, my my agent
to my agent calls and goes, accorn, did you did
you put a mustache on for this audition? And I
was like, yeah, I did. Did they like it? And
They're like, no, they didn't like it. No, absolutely not.
They couldn't they. In fact, they couldn't even watch your audition.
(19:56):
They just kept staring at this ridiculous thing on your face.
Speaker 2 (19:59):
Oh man.
Speaker 3 (20:00):
And and I want to get back in and do it,
but take it off. I'm like, no, no, no, they've
moved on from you.
Speaker 1 (20:09):
That's the best.
Speaker 2 (20:09):
That's the best. That's good in auditions. Winter props too much.
Speaker 3 (20:13):
Yeah, well, the second one is even worse. I was
auditioning for some Vietnam miniseries or something, and uh, my
character was like the captain of his platoon or whatever,
and and he and in his in his hoot, in
his hangout spot, he had a pet monkey that that
that that his his guys had adopted. And this monkey
(20:34):
was wore a little army outfit. Yeah. I have this
whole scene with this monkey where I'm like talking to
the monkey, I'm holding the monkey, I'm doing this, you know.
And so I'm like, well, how do I do this
scene without like a real monkey? Like, it doesn't make
any sense. So I went to Toys r US and
sell real monkeys.
Speaker 2 (20:53):
There you got like a round up monkey.
Speaker 3 (20:56):
I went to the doll section and I was like,
just just in case, and I and I and I'm
walking through and there's this little monkey that's in in
like a Safari outfit that looked kind of like an
army outfit. So I took the hat off of it,
you know, and I was like, I thought it was
like destiny. I was like, I'm destined to get this
part because I found this monkey. It toys r Us
and it's the exactly it's like wearing practically the outfit
(21:18):
they describe and in the show. So I go into
the audition. I've got it into my backpack, so I
don't like, you know, like show everybody right off the
bat when I walk in and I do the first scene,
which is like a shorter scene, and then I get
to the big scene with the monkey, and I unzit
my backpack and I pulled the little stuffed monkey out
and I could literally, I mean it was like somebody
(21:40):
sucked all the air out of the room, you know
what I mean. It was one of those moments where
I was like, Okay, this was probably a bad choice,
but did you just go with it? So I went
with it. I did the whole scene. I was talking
to the monkey, I was doing the little you know,
tickling a little bit, all the all the stuff with
the monkey, and and it was it was my same
agent for the other thing too. I was probably later on,
(22:02):
but but you know, so I do the audition and
I leave and everything, and I'm like, you know, I
felt good about it. I was like, you know, I mean,
I know it was weird, but what am I going
to do? They're the ones who wrote the scene.
Speaker 1 (22:14):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (22:14):
So I get home and sure enough, my agent Calle
is like, did you you take a stuffed monkey into
the audition with you? I'm like, yeah, but I wasn't
wearing a mustache, this sign this, you know. I figure,
oh my god, you are so I didn't get the part.
Speaker 1 (22:29):
Sorry about that. The things we do, the things you
remember you being this funny when.
Speaker 3 (22:34):
We were kids, I was hilarious.
Speaker 1 (22:37):
Dam yeah, he's always been funny.
Speaker 3 (22:39):
Yes, it was something else.
Speaker 1 (22:56):
It was just such a fun just get for us
to have you on our show. I remember that. I
just remember the vibe. Everybody was so happy you were there.
It was like more fun than we were already having
when you were around.
Speaker 3 (23:09):
Well, I know that, you know, I'm my my acting
you know, I've always studied acting in acting classes since
I was eleven years old. And then even even during
Parker Lewis, I was I was studying with. Of course
his name is gonna slip my mind right now. He
was like this this big method acting teacher in Santa Monica,
(23:33):
Larry Moss.
Speaker 2 (23:34):
Larry.
Speaker 3 (23:35):
I was studying with Larry Moss, and like he's all
method and all that. And that's when I started doing
all this weird stuff with the mustache and the monkeys
and all this stuff, because I was all, you know,
heady into the whole method thing, like I got to go,
I gotta go extra far for the you know, for
the job and for the character and all that. And uh.
But then I ended up studying with a guy named
Manutupo after you know, like in the in the early nineties,
(23:57):
around ninety four Une nine, for after Parker Lewis canceled,
and and uh he had he was the exact opposite
of the method. He was like had this whole really
really unique way of approaching creating a character, which which
I absolutely loved. And but uh, I forget where I
was going with this.
Speaker 1 (24:17):
What do you use now? I'm curious when you like,
when you go in for a new role, like what
are you going with method? Are you going with.
Speaker 3 (24:24):
No, it's not method. Well, his you know, Monotupo's technique
was called the New Era acting technique, and it was
kind of like a creationist way of approaching acting, where
you know, where the character has to be one believed
and so you're not drawing from your own life. You're
creating a really detailed backstory of the character's life. So
(24:46):
all the stuff that's not written in the script that
that that you create a character. Oh, that's what I
was getting. It was the props and all of that.
But uh so, but you know, always working with props
was a big thing to me. So, I mean, I
know when I did note in too, and oh, I
was like, I need a coffee cup. I need some
coffee in it. I need to you know what I mean,
I need a pan, you know. So I'm like trying to,
you know, just like crush some type of reality into
(25:08):
into the scene work and stuff. And yeah. Yeah, Well,
in fact, on on on Stargate, I ended up being
banned from props. Uh after like after like eight episodes
or so. My character was from another planet and I thought, Okay, well,
now he's here on Earth, what's he going to be
interested in Well, it's gonna be like the food thing
is going to be a major, you know factor for him.
(25:31):
So all these different scenes I would introduce, you know,
like like we did one scene where me and one
of the characters are in a space ship and outer
space and it's like a five and a half page
scene of dialogue and we're just sitting there staring out
at space talking and I'm like, this is just this
scene is going to kill me, you know. And I
was by the craft service table pacing around, going Okay,
(25:51):
what can I do with this scene? What can I
bring to it that, you know, so it's not too
aliens sitting in space having a conversation. And I look
over and there's a big fruit display there and I'm
like a banana, a freaking banana and out of space.
So I'm sitting there talking. I pull out a banana.
I eat the banana. At the end, I realized, oh,
I didn't offer the other actor a banana, so I
pull out another banana. I'm like, without changing any dialogue,
(26:12):
just all silent, you know, behaviors and uh. And the
director was U was David DeLuise, dom Deluize's son, and
uh and it was great that he was the director
because he he I was trying to I was pitching
him this thing. You know, I got this idea, got
a banana, banana and out of space and everything like that.
And He's like, h a banana and out of space.
I like it, And so it's stuck in there. And
(26:33):
it actually a big thing, yeah, a big thing for
the fans. You know, Jonas's banana. There was actually a
whole group of fans back in like two thousand uh
five and six at the at the conventions over in
the UK. I used to do that would wear these
these brown robes with a big hoodie thing on it.
It said OJB on the back and it was the
Order of Jonas's Banana. And it was this whole whole
(26:56):
group of really strange nerdy type that would walk around
in these things and they look like Jawas basically. But
and I was like, you know, Order of Jonas's Bananas
sounds a little phallic. I don't know if you really
want to roll with this one, but okay. And people
will bring me bananas to sign, like autographed bananas.
Speaker 2 (27:13):
I'm like, you don't, that's wild all because you saw
it in a fruit bowl. Oh my gosh. See.
Speaker 3 (27:19):
Yes, So I introduced you know, quite a number of
different things in different scenes. And around episode six or so,
six or seven, I we had this big scene in
the boardroom. It's like, you know, shit has hit the fan.
They're trying to figure out how they're going to save
the world, all this stuff. There's like twelve people in
the scene, and I have like one line of dialogue
(27:41):
like near the end of the scene where I come
up with, you know, like the solution to you know,
whatever the problem is. But I have no other dialogue
in the whole scene. And again, the damn fruit baskets. Right.
So I'm standing there at this table and they have
in the scene they have this big fruit basket, you know,
fruit display and all this uf that that people, you know,
(28:01):
need to snack on. And and so I decide, well,
in the beginning of the scene, I'll start peeling this orange,
you know, and I'll be peeling the orange throughout the scene,
and when they finally get to my line of dialogue,
I'll be like eating, you know, my bite of orange,
you know, like crush realities here. And it went over fine.
Nobody said anything, but when they got into the editing room.
Every time they would cut to one of the wide
shots or whatever, all you see is me over there
(28:23):
peeling this bright orange. They're just like, and you're completely
out of the scene. Now You're like, what is he
doing back there?
Speaker 1 (28:30):
You're you're basically upstaging everyone with your orange.
Speaker 3 (28:33):
One hundred percent upstaging everybody with my orange. And that
was the point when the writer producers were like, Corn,
we love what you're doing, but if it's not in
the script, you're not allowed to do it anymore.
Speaker 1 (28:45):
My god, you need to be you need to be
kept in the you know, you need to.
Speaker 2 (28:51):
Have some security. I can't win.
Speaker 3 (28:54):
Totally totally.
Speaker 2 (28:56):
One last question, do you still do your grooffin the art?
Speaker 3 (29:01):
I do absolutely, Yeah, yeah, yeah, one hundred percent. I've
never I mean, I've never really stopped ever. I was
very prolific up until the whole COVID thing when a
lot of my traveling went went under and all of that.
But I would take advantage of all of these events
that I would do all over the all over the world,
(29:21):
and I would extend my stay a little bit. I
really got into street art heavily as well, Like stencil art,
and what's called like poster art. The nickname for it
is wheat paste art. But it's when you when you
do like a graphic or stencyl type poster and all
painted and then you go and glue it up someplace
and all of that and uh and then the sticker stuff.
(29:42):
So I would anywhere I would travel, I would just
take my kit with me. I'd stay a few extra
days and I'd go around and put up my street
art and do all that, or or I'd hook up
with another graffiti artist and uh, and I'd go and paint,
you know, a legal wall or sometimes in illegal one,
but mostly legal walls, and uh, you know. And even
now I do more mural type stuff. I've done some
(30:04):
murals in La too that are still there on Melrose
in the back alleys at pos Poser's Punk rock Store.
On the back side of that, there's a big painting
I did of sid Vicious that's still there, and a
couple other paintings back there.
Speaker 2 (30:18):
What year did you do that?
Speaker 3 (30:20):
Oh, that was probably like twenty sixteen or so.
Speaker 1 (30:24):
Oh gosh, everybody go, look, yeah, we're gonna be hunting
that down.
Speaker 2 (30:27):
Yeah, take your pictures in front of it guys.
Speaker 1 (30:29):
With robes and bananas, They're going to be looking for me.
Speaker 3 (30:31):
Yes, But I just did one recently that won Best
New Mural in Tampa Bay at a coffee shop that's
here in my area called bell Air Coffee. I did
a big, huge coffee plantation mural on the side of
the of their building, and then and then another one
of like an old coffee farmer drinking an espresso and
(30:54):
it turned out really awesome. It's cool. The pictures are
on my Instagram. I am corn Nymic on Instagram if
anybody wants to scroll down and find them, or I
have my graffiti Instagram site which is at the one
six nine THHG one six and nine. If anybody's wait,
wait at what it's at V one six nine THHG
(31:14):
and then the numbers one six and nine D one
six nine is my graffiti? Did you get that, lucky? Well,
My my graffiti name is Pike one six nine and
one six nine was my art room at North Hollywood
High That was where they where we did our art
class and I was in there with a bunch of
other graffiti artists, and so I chose that as my
kind of because back in the in New York, a
(31:36):
lot of a lot of graffiti artists would use their
street that they lived on or whatever to signify like
where they were from, like Tacky one, three eight or whatever,
and they'd have their and I was like, like, I
need a number, you know, But I didn't live on
a numbered street or anything.
Speaker 2 (31:50):
Were you and Brian the same class?
Speaker 3 (31:53):
We weren't in the same class. We were at North
Hollywood High together though, but I I left. I'm like
a year and a half.
Speaker 2 (31:59):
Older than him, but he both went there.
Speaker 3 (32:02):
Yeah, yeah, yes, we went there. But I left in
eleventh grade and went over to Excelsior School, which was,
you know, like the school for ornery working.
Speaker 2 (32:13):
Actors to get it done the actors.
Speaker 3 (32:16):
Yep, yeah, I mean I was at that school with
the I mean what.
Speaker 2 (32:19):
It was that school in Lese, right.
Speaker 3 (32:21):
I can't remember the other one, but I went at
that one. I was there with like Christina Applegate, balls Argetti,
Seth Benzer from crazy Town unfortunately passed away. It's very sad,
and Sleigh Moonfry and Mili Joviovic and Jenny Lewis and
crew and Johnny Whitworth and I mean this the list
goes on and on, Ernie Rays Junior, a whole bunch
(32:43):
of folks. It was. It was a hilarious experience. We'd
only go to school from I think it was like
eight forty five to twelve noon every day. This one
teacher named mister Van who was an avid surfer, and
he would lock the principles out of his room and
change his clock if there was a big surf that day,
and he'd leave. He'd leave school like forty five minutes early.
Speaker 1 (33:04):
He's gotta he's got to get to the waves. That's
what happens in California with the people.
Speaker 3 (33:09):
They have to get to the ocean totally.
Speaker 1 (33:12):
You are so multi fascinated.
Speaker 2 (33:16):
Is that the right word? Multis fascinating?
Speaker 3 (33:20):
I'll take fascinated either one. Right.
Speaker 1 (33:23):
Such an interesting career you've had and just so many
you know, just like you were the nineties guy.
Speaker 3 (33:29):
It was fun, Yeah, the guy.
Speaker 1 (33:32):
And it was just such a thrill to have you
on our show. And I know that we both love
getting to know.
Speaker 2 (33:37):
It's excited to see you and.
Speaker 3 (33:39):
Catch Yes, it's great to see both of you again too.
It's so cool. I love it. It's it brings back
a lot of memories, so.
Speaker 2 (33:46):
Great to see you.
Speaker 1 (33:47):
Thank you so much for coming on with us today.
Speaker 3 (33:49):
It's my pleasure you too.
Hosts And Creators
Tori Spelling
Jennie Garth
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