July 31, 2025 • 32 mins
Wilmer and Freddy dive into one of life’s biggest questions: What if?! The conversation explores those pivotal moments like an almost missed audition, a last minute decision, or a failed attempt that turned into something meaningful, and reflects on all the versions of ourselves thriving in parallel universes. Inspired by films like Sliding Doors and The Butterfly Effect, they ask what small twist changed everything. And of course, the ultimate question: What if they had never become amigos?
“Dos Amigos” is a comedic and insightful podcast hosted by two friends who’ve journeyed through Hollywood and life together. Wilmer Valderrama and Freddy Rodriguez push through the noise of everyday life and ruminate on a bevy of topics through fun and daring, and occasionally a third amigo joins the mix!
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
Hey everyone, I'm Wilmer about the Rama. This is Freddy Rodriguez.
Welcome to those amigos.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Wimer. How are you, man, I'm good, I'm good.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
What are you sipping on?
Speaker 3 (00:13):
I am sipping on the coffee that you made me upstairs.
By the way, everybody, Wilmer has an incredibly fancy coffee
machine upstairs, and he's quite the barista.
Speaker 1 (00:24):
I take my coffee ritual moist setios, as we say
in latinosos.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
I don't know if you can see that right there.
I mean he has a he has a like it's
like a Starbucks quaes.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
It's about the tone too, And you want to a disarming.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
Brown, ah, disarming brown.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
You want the coffee to be a disarming brown.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
You should pitch that color to like bear paints and
in the arming brown.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
About the Rama cafe, dis army in brown is a
medium roast.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
We make it. We make it disarming brown.
Speaker 1 (00:54):
This army and brown coffee. And what does that mean?
It means like it invites you. And once you go
to half a cup, it's too late. It's too late,
full anxiety with the ke You've been disarmed from the beginning,
so now too late, like we've been seduced by the
by the disarming brown. Yes. So this is our new
collection of ep U eplur of us unum, which means
(01:16):
out of many one. It's actually really exciting. It's our
it's our fitness apparel brand that UH has an impact program.
The impact program is actually taking out. We have tons
of missions throughout the year has been really beautiful. So
we have a partnership with a company that has this
beautiful vintage frames and we are honoring those vintage frames
(01:40):
with graphics that you know that really reflect on certain
times of war. You know. So this seal here, I
think this is the seal the ceo you know, is
balancing a bomb, right, but these this ceo was technically
in the nose of one of these planes that will
go into missions and war zones. So this was kind
(02:03):
of like you know how the you know sometimes they
have like the pin up girl that the side and plane.
You know, these were also part of that kind of
culture of putting certain graphics on aircraft's helicopters and things
like that. So we're embracing that and making it part
of the brand. It's really fun. It's just really cool,
and you know, if you want to know more APU
(02:23):
EPU HQ as in headquarters EPU HQ dot com.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
Did you design it?
Speaker 1 (02:29):
Yeah, we had a whole team that kind of brought
the sentiment and we're all started going to spit balling things.
And but our team, a graphics team just aist it,
you know, like we were like what if, what if?
And then they just pitch this thing and and it's
really great. And then also we have a handful of
arrows to you know the meaning of the handful of arrows.
(02:50):
So if you have if you grab a bunch of arrows,
you know, together and you try to break them as impossible,
So a number of arrows coming together, you know, becoming
an unbreakable you know task. So it's an unbreakable bond.
And the idea is that out of many arrows, you know,
(03:10):
one invincible approach type of things. So it's become kind
of like a new tag and our new our new
tag in the back of the sweatist was pretty cool.
Speaker 3 (03:18):
It looks like a cool sweashret that you would buy,
like it Fred Siegel.
Speaker 1 (03:22):
Kind of right, and it feels like that it feels
like that's not going to be as expensive. Guys, you know,
it's definitely a lot more affordable. We wanted to make
this approbable that the point is that this brand also
fuels the impact program, like the ideas. As a private
company who is pledging, you know, it's it's profit to
to also you know, to also fund the change in
(03:44):
the mission, the missions and the agendas. But anyways, enough
about me. Yeah, so today's episode, we're very excited about Leo,
our lead producer of those amigos, had a really good idea.
But we're coming back to fundamentals. We had a streak
of amazing guess you know, some really great friends of
ours with a lot of reflection on our stuff. I hope
all of you guys also have taken some from those
(04:06):
episodes as well. I know we definitely walked away with
a great deal of appreciation for not only our friends,
but like you know, the sentiment of starting from scratch
and ya and you know their stories, so so you know,
we find the relativity in theres and in hours, right,
So so that was really cool. But he had this
cool idea and the episode is called what If? What If?
What if? Everything that happened or those little moments at
(04:28):
the beginning of our lives and or the moments where
we decided we were going to be what we are now?
What if those moments never happened? What is the road?
What would have been? And I don't want to call
it a plant, plant B or a plant C, but
like what what would your life would have been if
I don't know, if you had an auditioned for that play,
if you hadn't gone into that gotten into the the
(04:52):
theater group, or you know, same thing like if I
had audition for this regional Yellow Pages commercial in California, Like, uh,
you know what what?
Speaker 3 (05:01):
What?
Speaker 1 (05:01):
You know? What would have happened if I never got
to audition again? Like what what would that path be? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (05:07):
Or what if?
Speaker 3 (05:08):
Like like what what? What was your earliest what if? Experience?
Speaker 2 (05:12):
Like did you ever have like a like a near
death experience?
Speaker 1 (05:16):
Like yeah, what if?
Speaker 2 (05:18):
What if that would have happened?
Speaker 1 (05:19):
Right?
Speaker 2 (05:20):
I mean, what what was your earliest what if? Experience?
Speaker 1 (05:23):
It wasn't so much a death experience for me, but
it could have been a really bad experience for my sister.
We were at a at a finca, which is you know,
our Spanish word for for farm. We had a we
had a little ranch, a little farm in the middle
of Venezuela, four hours south of you know, Venezuela, and
we had horses, and you know, I was to think
(05:44):
about maybe eight years old or something like that, and
I was my sister was on this horse, and I
was pulling this horse, and while I was walking, I
kind of slowed down, and all of a sudden, the
horse's head came here and he opened his mouth and
I saw his teeth at the corner my eye, and
he scared me because I thought he was trying to
(06:04):
bite me or something. And I screamed and I just
like started and then the horse got spooked with my
sister on it and took off. Oh wow, and I froze,
like I didn't know what to do in that moment.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
How old are you?
Speaker 1 (06:20):
I was about eight, I think eight or nine years old.
And then another lady that was like probably ten yards
in front of me, you know, thought quickly and went
and put her foot down on the reins and the
realms the reins, and slowed down the horse, and all
of a sudden it stopped him from like going into
(06:42):
the savannah and just like running aimlessly with my sister
on it. And in that moment, I felt such great
deal of killed, you know, Like I was just like,
what if she would have fallen off? What if she
would have broken a leg or her back or neck
like what, you know, like all these things, you know,
(07:03):
And I just became incredibly protective of my sister and like,
get out of get down from there, get down there,
don't do that, don't run that fast like you know.
So like that really kind of marked me. But but
it would have changed in the trajectory of my life.
I don't know if I would have had the confidence
I have now. I don't know, you know what I mean,
Like I think about how what what if all of
a sudden, you like, I couldn't even protect my sister,
Could I have my own kids? You know what I mean?
(07:24):
Like maybe turns into that, you never know, but I
guess this was one of those moments where I took
close to something really bad happening. The other one was,
you know, and I wrote about it in my book
An American Story Everyone's Invited. It was we were in
a private plane and you know, oxygen stopped going into
(07:44):
the cabin and uh, and we had to do an
emergency landing. In that moment, was like, what what if
that would have been it? Right? You know, would I
still get a movie, a VH one movie, you know movie? Yeah,
you know, back to do those those really low budget
into my movies. A biopigs about some.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
Oh yeah, I do remember that. Wow, that's crazy. I've
had a few of those too. Man.
Speaker 3 (08:19):
I remember one time, and he probably doesn't remember this.
I was in high school. It was my senior year
of high school. And I grew up in Chicago. Uh
and unfortunately sometimes Chicago is the murder capital of the
United States, right, And I grew up in that kind
of environment.
Speaker 2 (08:36):
And I had.
Speaker 3 (08:38):
This really vivid dream that I got shot. I mean
I'm talking about like vivid where I could like feel
like the blast going through my chest and blood coming
down and everything.
Speaker 2 (08:52):
And I woke up from the dream and I couldn't speak.
Speaker 3 (08:55):
And remember back then when you would have somebody on
speed dial, and I had my wife out on speed dial.
We were dating, and I speed dialed her but I
couldn't speak, and she knew that something was wrong and
she talked me down. But the next day I went
to school and I had this premonition that something was
gonna happen I.
Speaker 2 (09:12):
Just knew it.
Speaker 3 (09:13):
I just knew something. Y. Yeah, it was too real.
It was like God was warning me, you know. And
so this was back when I was a store sort
of heavily involved in the hip hop scene, and we
had heard that Common was having a show on the
South Side of Chicago, and I live on the Northwest Side,
and I was like, oh, man, I said, I don't
(09:34):
feel good about going to the South Side. And they
were like, come on, man, We're gonna go hang out
with Common, and I was like, nah, I feel bad
about it, you know. And so I got convinced to
go to the South Side of Chicago. And we're waiting
for Common and a bunch of people outside of this club,
and because I was so hyper aware, I noticed that
these two guys were getting into a fight on the sidewalk.
(09:56):
And after they got into a fight, one guy jumped
into his truck started to take off.
Speaker 2 (10:02):
The other guy.
Speaker 3 (10:03):
Picked up a brick and threw it at the truck,
and the guy got mad and went to the end
of the block, turned around and came barreling down the
sidewalk in his truck. And because I was so hyper
aware of that dream, I saw the truck coming a
mile away, and my best friend Marco had his back
turned to the truck and I grabbed him and I
(10:23):
threw him out of the way and we got out
of the way. So what if I didn't have that dream,
we probably would have still went to the south Side,
and I wouldn't have been aware, and we probably both
would have gotten run over.
Speaker 1 (10:34):
Yeah, I mean in that's it. I mean, even if
you had survived, Like, why would have your lafe been? Yeah?
You know?
Speaker 3 (10:39):
Yeah, man, I also think what if, Like, you know,
my wife Elsie was pregnant when I was nineteen years old, you.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
Know, I was a.
Speaker 2 (10:49):
Young man, and what if she would have gotten an abortion?
What if? Right she if she would have even gotten pregnant?
Speaker 3 (10:59):
You know, uh, you know, this December of the thirty
years of marriage for me, and I've had such a
wonderful relationship with her, in a wonderful marriage, and and what.
Speaker 1 (11:10):
Would have done relationship?
Speaker 3 (11:12):
Yeah? Yeah, She's kept me so incredibly grounded in this business,
I feel, and it saved me, I think inadvertently from
like the traps that that this structure is very easily
for us to fall into.
Speaker 2 (11:25):
And so like what if, what if you know, you.
Speaker 1 (11:28):
Know, and and also celebrating the different versions they never
were about ourselves. You know. Those examples were examples that
definitely feel I mean feel like just rude awakenings.
Speaker 3 (11:40):
You know.
Speaker 1 (11:41):
Yeah, there was also times in our lives where we
were delusional, but like I'll be okay dying now right, like.
Speaker 2 (11:49):
You know what I mean, James Dean, Yeah, leave a
good looking corpse.
Speaker 1 (11:57):
Well do you know That's the thing that I reflect
is I went on a us SOL tour and I
was flying over Bagdag I think it was back then.
We was I forget what it was. When we were
on our way to Iraq and we were funding in
Offspry you know, in Ofspry for those who don't know,
as a military aircraft that kind of takes off like
a helicopter in midair that you know, the the wings
(12:19):
start tilting forward and then the jets pick up and
then it shoots from midair and he becomes a plane.
Uh and the back is you know, open, and he
has a you know, fifty cow on the side and
all that. And we were going in from you know,
with those we were going from base to base where
we were in the Middle East, you know, entertaining the troops.
And as we were flying over, I looked throughout the
(12:43):
back and the flares shut out right and what that
when that does? It looks like fireworks right to the
back of the plane. And I was like, oh, interested.
I didn't think much of it. Then we did a
comeback landing into the base that we were supposed to
come in and bring entertainment through the years. So and
one of the colonels h looks up to me. It
(13:05):
looks up and he goes because that was crazy, huh.
And I was like, we got locked down by a missile.
And I was like, excuse me, we got what because
we got locked down by a missile. And I was like,
what you We don't worries. They never hit anything.
Speaker 2 (13:17):
I'm sorry you got what.
Speaker 1 (13:18):
We got locked on by a missile.
Speaker 2 (13:20):
No.
Speaker 3 (13:21):
So the flares that you thought were just flares, it
was it was it was it was too vade a
missile that that was locked on to the thing and whoa.
Speaker 1 (13:30):
And I was like, wait, what do you mean, like,
you go locked don't worry they never hit anything. Yeah,
And I'm like, they never hit anything. It made me
think in that moment, I'm like, h let's see, I
would have died on this plane right now, the Middle
East military aircraft twenty seven years old, twenty eight years old. Maybe, yeah,
(13:50):
I'm like, I get my VH one movie. I get
me one. Sure that's what I thought. But you know,
like looking back at that, yeah, bro, like I would
have been so sad if we didn't have our kids.
Yeah right, I wouldn't be so sad if we.
Speaker 3 (14:10):
But you would have had a VH one movie though,
But yes, no kids to watch, damn kids to watch?
Speaker 1 (14:16):
The w you know, man, if you hadn't gotten into entertainment,
what do you think?
Speaker 2 (14:21):
What path?
Speaker 1 (14:22):
Because I mean, it's so hard to imagine it because
we've done it for so long and since we're so
young at the moment we were supposed to make that decision.
I know I heard some things that are probably would
have explored. But what about for you?
Speaker 2 (14:34):
Something creative?
Speaker 1 (14:35):
For sure?
Speaker 2 (14:36):
Something creative.
Speaker 3 (14:38):
I don't know if teaching, I don't know if, because
there's other creative avenues too, right, Like I know you
and I have a passion for like furniture, Like we
love furniture and we love to meet furniture, like certain
pieces like art.
Speaker 1 (14:51):
Pieces to me, you know they say something yes and
something yes.
Speaker 3 (14:57):
Man, furniture, I love architect picture. You know, I love
I love houses. I you know, one of my uh
you know your ladies are super gifted and tears.
Speaker 2 (15:07):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (15:07):
Yeah, my wife Elsie's a a super very very shout
out to Elsie, very talented interior designer. Like I love
when people go, what's your guilty pleasure? When you watch
stuff on TV? Like I love seeing old houses being
renovated in the like new Like, oh, I'm talking like
one hundred years old.
Speaker 2 (15:26):
Maybe I'd be doing that. I don't know.
Speaker 1 (15:28):
Like that's I mean, that's a pretty good trajectory too.
That was yeah, really fulfilling, creative Yeah, profitable, yeah, living
like that.
Speaker 3 (15:38):
Yes, maybe something with music maybe you know, but but
definitely something that that has a creative bet.
Speaker 1 (15:44):
You know.
Speaker 2 (15:44):
That's why I love even like producing so much.
Speaker 3 (15:46):
You know, I feel like sometimes producing could feel like
like work or a job, But to me, I feel like, no,
You're you're putting the pieces to a puzzle together. You're
you're curating something. Although you're not the director per se
or the writer or the actor.
Speaker 2 (16:03):
You're you're curating.
Speaker 3 (16:05):
This like gigantic piece. Man, and you're putting all the
pieces together. To me, there's a there's a form of
art to that, you know.
Speaker 1 (16:11):
And everyone has a contribution of the piece of the puzzle, right,
So like that that there's honor in that as well.
Speaker 3 (16:16):
Yeah, it's almost like you're like a conductor in a
in a in an orchestra, right, and you have your
your horn section and your you know.
Speaker 1 (16:25):
But I mean the thing is that's so interesting is
if the performing arts hadn't worked out for you, Yeah,
do you think it would have still led you to
directing and writing and producing?
Speaker 2 (16:37):
I don't know, man, because I can't be available.
Speaker 1 (16:39):
You would have had like tasted the performance, which would
have which would have led to the curiosity of the
other jobs on that set or on that stage, which
eventually made you passionate over the exploration of directing or
writing a screenplay or right. I mean like it's the
performing is the gateway to you know, to every everything
(17:00):
else that touches the product. Yeah, the entertainment piece, you know,
it almost feels like like those Like now, so my nephew, my.
Speaker 3 (17:09):
Oldest brother's kid is is in the fall, is starting
as a freshman at the Art Institute in Chicago, you know.
So he calls me a lot and we have a
lot of conversations about like what that is.
Speaker 2 (17:20):
And it's really.
Speaker 3 (17:21):
Interesting seeing our industry through his perspective, right, this younger perspective,
and he only knows what he knows, right, And so
I try to tell him, like, it's so different now
in your generation, man.
Speaker 2 (17:34):
You have YouTube, you could you could film a movie
on a phone.
Speaker 3 (17:38):
And so I think that if we had that, maybe
when you and I were younger, it wouldn't have only been.
Speaker 2 (17:45):
Acting, right, it would have been like, well, I'm going
to go make my own movie.
Speaker 3 (17:49):
I'm going to go do these other things. But we
didn't have those avenues. You know, what about you?
Speaker 2 (17:53):
What do you think you would have been doing.
Speaker 1 (17:54):
I was always curious. I was very social, so I
was always curious about the human mind. Yeah, I think
it's like coology. Yeah, it'd have been interesting for me,
the exploration of the why people grow up with certain habits,
character traits. You know, where they gain their their ripples
of experience. You know, how their inheritance informs how they
(18:18):
handle certain things, like how they handle you know, tragedy,
how they handle breakups, how they handle happiness, you know
that That made me because I also think that you
have to be a little bit of a psychologist to
do this acting thing. You have to the phrase you
have to kind of understand where where these characters are
coming from in order to predict how they will react
(18:41):
based on the performances that you need to bring a
character not only to life, but to tell their story
in a way that embodies their shoes that are so
far removed from the ones you wear. So to me,
psychology felt like like I love talking to people. I
love getting in people's minds and saying, you know, how
do I how can I understand you? You know? What
(19:03):
is your love language? How could I communicate the most
efficient way?
Speaker 3 (19:06):
You know?
Speaker 1 (19:07):
Like that, that kind of stuff is something that fascinates me.
But if you if you, if you asked my my
nineteen year old self, Yeah, I would have been a
pilot for the Air Force. I would have worn a uniform.
I would have been some type of I would have
been part of the armed forces, for sure.
Speaker 3 (19:23):
But then, but then do you feel that those professions
would have suppressed your personality?
Speaker 1 (19:30):
It's interesting if you would have joined the armed forces,
there were it would have been I would have been programmed,
you know, to do something different, you know, being of service. Sure, yeah,
but maybe I don't know, maybe like you know, being
part of that community. Also, you know there is room
for that type of lively livelihood of likelihood of like
(19:51):
connecting with others.
Speaker 3 (19:52):
Yeah, you think you would have you think you would
have gone into politics. Let me tell you why, I
asked him, because and I remember Gabriel Luna when he
was here. He said it best, He goes, man, I
(20:12):
remember when you and I when to meet Obama, and and.
Speaker 2 (20:17):
And he he he.
Speaker 3 (20:19):
Let out an interesting observation about you and how your
ability to sort of work the room in the way.
Speaker 2 (20:26):
That you did. Uh uh.
Speaker 3 (20:29):
And he said that he learned a lot from watching
you do that. And I feel that those are aspects
of a leader. Those are aspects that that perhaps and
when I say a politician, I mean it in the
most positive way.
Speaker 2 (20:44):
I don't mean it in the most negative way.
Speaker 3 (20:46):
But those are attributes that like you either have it
or you don't, right like Obama, right like, he has
particular attributes that you either have it or you don't.
Speaker 2 (20:54):
Write and which is what I feel contributed to him
being able to.
Speaker 3 (20:57):
Mascial and you a lot of those attributes, and which
is why I think Gabriel made those comments about you.
Speaker 2 (21:04):
And I've always know I've known you, you know, twenty
five years, so I've always known that about you. So
I always wondered, like if you ever thought of.
Speaker 3 (21:12):
Taking some sort of leadership or attaining to take a
leadership role in that regard because of the natural attributes
that you possess.
Speaker 1 (21:22):
I receive all that. So I appreciate you seeing me
with those eyes and that light. It's a great, great sentiment,
you know. I've I love being of service. That's why
I've been serving with the USO for twenty years. You know,
I'm genuinely curious about the science of unity, and to
(21:51):
think about politics as a career and the times we
live right now feels almost deflating, you know. It feels
like it's not a celebration of what we can do
when we come together. It feels more like a debate
on how we you know, how we chip away at
the creability of the system that we have built for
(22:11):
so many, you know, a couple hundred years now in America.
I've always been curious about, you know that the practice
of common sense in the role of a leader. Does
common sense? Is common sense a gift? Or is it
a delusion when you're a politic, you know.
Speaker 2 (22:31):
It may start off that way, yes, and then.
Speaker 1 (22:33):
While somewhere along the way, perhaps he dies, or it
gets muted, or it gets put in a shelf, or
it gets corrupted, corrupted. So but you know, it's it's
it's interesting. I you know, I've had so many friends,
you know, like Rossari Dawson and my friend my data
is a Kumar who you know is the leader oft Latino.
(22:55):
And my friend Jane Horden, who knows a you know,
goal star wife and you know, advisor to former advisors
to secretary of Defense. She's like, let me know when
you're ready to run.
Speaker 2 (23:06):
Ah.
Speaker 3 (23:06):
So I'm not hold on a second. So I'm not
the first person that's saying.
Speaker 1 (23:11):
This, no, no, but I but I but look I
receive it with the most almost humble like wow, like
that what what an ultimate you know what an ultimate compliment?
To get it is a very fragile responsibility, you know.
(23:31):
And you also wonder where do you make the most noise?
Do you make the most noise in the inside, or
do you make the most noise in the outside. It
feels to me like as a storyteller and as an
amplifier stories feels to me like, you know, it's a
form of of of unity cultivation. How do you get
everyone on the same theater? How do you get everyone
(23:52):
to tune in together at eight o'clock to enjoy one
thing and for that moment you put all our differences aside,
and we and we all admit that we all like
this thing together. We don't have to like our beliefs,
our religions, our politics or preferences. You know, we can
agree that we like this movie, that we like this show,
and there's a there's a power that comes with uniting
(24:14):
voices into one room. Now that being said, like have
I ever thought about it? I mean, like I would say,
it's crossed my mind, like maybe I could do that,
you know, and or maybe I should, or perhaps I
can contribute something to this country that I never thought,
you know, that I had in me, right, But but
(24:36):
it's a hard question to answer.
Speaker 2 (24:37):
In this very moment, I was just wondering if you
ever thought about it?
Speaker 3 (24:42):
Because you you naturally possess possess the attributes that.
Speaker 2 (24:47):
You know, I am, and Maria and.
Speaker 3 (24:50):
Rosario, all feel that you possess, right, they're very specific
attributes that that a good politician should possess. And you
you possess it, and and and an the most positive way,
like I said, because obviously being one now is is
probably much different than what it was maybe twenty five
years ago when.
Speaker 1 (25:07):
You were Yeah, for sure, for sure. I look, I
will tell you this. I love this country. I love
what is provided to millions and millions of people that
have dreams. Right, It's one of the few places in
the planet where you if you dream it, it can
be materialized. Right. I love people from around the world,
and guess where they're at. People from around the world
(25:30):
are in this country too, you know. So there's something
really about to go about that I would say never
say never, but at this point I think I can
make a little more noise outside, you know. But yeah,
you know, it's an interesting thing. I mean, it's you know,
what would be a really cool thing to become the
one of the governors of California and bring all of
film and television back. That's one thing.
Speaker 2 (25:51):
I mean, Arnold did it.
Speaker 1 (25:53):
Yeah, you know, a little.
Speaker 2 (25:58):
Light bulb.
Speaker 1 (26:01):
Maybe maybe, but so yeah, so I think those are
kind of the options that I would have taken. But
if you so, if you weren't an actor, what other profession?
Speaker 3 (26:09):
Like?
Speaker 1 (26:09):
Always for me it was like maybe psychologist.
Speaker 3 (26:11):
Maybe you know, maybe something in real estate, you know,
because I dabble in real estate now too, and I
love it and I feel like there's there's there's a
form of art in it.
Speaker 2 (26:22):
Also, I love.
Speaker 1 (26:23):
How you mean in real estate? What do you what
are you doing the real estate? What?
Speaker 3 (26:26):
I own a couple of pieces of property, you know,
And and I just I just I just love architecture
and real estate and to me that's art. Like like
I can walk into a house and like I in
order for me to buy a house or to live in,
I have to feel the energy. You know, the house
we live in now, we've we've been there twenty seven years,
(26:48):
and I knew the first thirty seconds.
Speaker 2 (26:50):
That I walked in, I was like, well, well this
is it.
Speaker 3 (26:52):
You know, there's just an energy in that house, you know.
So maybe if I wasn't acting or doing anything in
the arts, I would have been in real estate. Maybe
I would have been developing, Maybe I would have been remodeling,
Maybe I would have been tackling, like these old houses
in Chicago, and in turn.
Speaker 1 (27:09):
You would still be living in Chicago, right, I don't know.
I you know where if I paint, I pained too
for you would have been in Chicago. And you're like,
I'm going to New York. Maybe maybe it's that urban
concrete jungle that I think it's in your veins.
Speaker 2 (27:26):
I like it. I like the cold. A lot of
people don't like the cold.
Speaker 1 (27:29):
Do you like weather? You like seasons?
Speaker 2 (27:31):
I like seasons. I like I like wearing a coat.
You know. Some people are like, no, no, you know,
I want to be in the sun. I'm not that guy.
Speaker 1 (27:39):
Man.
Speaker 3 (27:39):
I grew up in harsh winters and and I like it,
Like when it gets gloomy here in California and then
it's cold, like my wife has like two sweaters on,
and I'm.
Speaker 2 (27:49):
Like, yes, I love it, Yes, the gloomy weather. I
love it. You know where do you think you would
have been if you were?
Speaker 1 (27:57):
I love New York. Don't get me wrong. New York
is like my my city. I love New York. That's
my world that I love so much. I love the people,
love the energy everything about New York. Yeah, I mean
I'm an LA guy. Yeah, you know, but there's something
about Miami that wakes up a different version of my Latinius.
Speaker 2 (28:17):
What do you mean why the food?
Speaker 1 (28:19):
Oh yeah, the music, Yeah, the people, right, the multi
colored spectrum of all Latinos that gather around there, Argentinians, Brazilians, Colombia, Venezuelan's,
Puerto Ricans, Cubans. You know, like there's there's this collective
you know, sound, yeah, aesthetic, something different, you know.
Speaker 2 (28:39):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (28:39):
But I mean here in La I'm an honorary Mexican,
so I love you know, I feel like I'm a
Chicano too, you know, but.
Speaker 2 (28:48):
Same same.
Speaker 3 (28:49):
You know, Chicago is one of the one of the
only cities I've ever been to where Puerto Ricans and
Mexicans like live together. I always thought it was like
that everywhere, and I even came to La and I
was like, wow, there's no Puerto Ricans here.
Speaker 2 (29:03):
You know.
Speaker 3 (29:04):
I have two aunts who are Mexican, so I have
I have a bunch of half Mexican, have Puerto Rican cousins.
All of my best all my best friend Roger, when
I was growing up half Mexican, have Acuadorian. These two
twins rich and have half Mexican, have Guatemalan and a
bunch of my friends of Chewi, my friend Jose half
(29:25):
Puerto Rican, half Mexican, and so like, I just thought
it was that way everywhere. So I very much grew
up with Mexican culture, you know, uh and uh, and
it surprised me to see uh that not exist in
other cities. But I hear you about Miami. You know
what I love about Miami is one of the only
cities that I've been.
Speaker 2 (29:44):
To where where where our people are? And how can
I word this correctly?
Speaker 3 (29:50):
Our people are in positions of power man and positions
of leadership, and I don't I don't feel I don't
feel discriminated against.
Speaker 2 (29:58):
I don't feel like you know it.
Speaker 3 (30:00):
Yeah, I always feel incredibly welcomed when I'm there and
not looked down.
Speaker 1 (30:07):
It's very virant, super do It's really beautiful. Okay, So
closing this episode, Friddie.
Speaker 2 (30:13):
Yes, Woomer, what if we never met?
Speaker 1 (30:16):
Damn it.
Speaker 2 (30:17):
I don't even want to think about it.
Speaker 1 (30:18):
I imagine that.
Speaker 2 (30:20):
I don't want to forget it.
Speaker 1 (30:23):
And gentlemen, I'm Wilmer Valdorama, I'm Freddy Rodriguez. Thank you
for watching this episode of Those Amigos. This got very dark,
very until the next episode. Thank you for watching error listening.
We love you guys.
Speaker 3 (30:37):
Those Amigos is a production from w V Sound and
iHeartMedia's Michael through That podcast Network, hosted by Me, Freddie
Rodriguez and Wilmer Valdorama.
Speaker 1 (30:47):
Those Amigos is produced by Aaron Burleson and Sophie Spencer's Abbos.
Speaker 3 (30:51):
Our executive producers are Wilmer Valdorama, Freddie Rodriguez, Aaron Burlson,
and Leo Klem at WV Sound.
Speaker 1 (30:58):
This episode was shot and ended it by Ryan Posts
and makes by Sean Tracy and features original music by
Madison Devenport and HeLa.
Speaker 3 (31:05):
Boy Our cover our photography is by David Avalos and
designed by Deny Holtz.
Speaker 1 (31:10):
Clau and thank you for being at Third Amigo today.
I appreciate you guys always listening to Those Amigos.
Speaker 3 (31:15):
For more podcasts from My Heart, visit the ir Heart
Radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you listen to your
favorite shows.
Speaker 1 (31:22):
See you next week.
Hey everyone, I'm Wilmer about the Rama. This is Freddy Rodriguez.
Welcome to those amigos.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Wimer. How are you, man, I'm good, I'm good.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
What are you sipping on?
Speaker 3 (00:13):
I am sipping on the coffee that you made me upstairs.
By the way, everybody, Wilmer has an incredibly fancy coffee
machine upstairs, and he's quite the barista.
Speaker 1 (00:24):
I take my coffee ritual moist setios, as we say
in latinosos.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
I don't know if you can see that right there.
I mean he has a he has a like it's
like a Starbucks quaes.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
It's about the tone too, And you want to a disarming.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
Brown, ah, disarming brown.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
You want the coffee to be a disarming brown.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
You should pitch that color to like bear paints and
in the arming brown.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
About the Rama cafe, dis army in brown is a
medium roast.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
We make it. We make it disarming brown.
Speaker 1 (00:54):
This army and brown coffee. And what does that mean?
It means like it invites you. And once you go
to half a cup, it's too late. It's too late,
full anxiety with the ke You've been disarmed from the beginning,
so now too late, like we've been seduced by the
by the disarming brown. Yes. So this is our new
collection of ep U eplur of us unum, which means
(01:16):
out of many one. It's actually really exciting. It's our
it's our fitness apparel brand that UH has an impact program.
The impact program is actually taking out. We have tons
of missions throughout the year has been really beautiful. So
we have a partnership with a company that has this
beautiful vintage frames and we are honoring those vintage frames
(01:40):
with graphics that you know that really reflect on certain
times of war. You know. So this seal here, I
think this is the seal the ceo you know, is
balancing a bomb, right, but these this ceo was technically
in the nose of one of these planes that will
go into missions and war zones. So this was kind
(02:03):
of like you know how the you know sometimes they
have like the pin up girl that the side and plane.
You know, these were also part of that kind of
culture of putting certain graphics on aircraft's helicopters and things
like that. So we're embracing that and making it part
of the brand. It's really fun. It's just really cool,
and you know, if you want to know more APU
(02:23):
EPU HQ as in headquarters EPU HQ dot com.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
Did you design it?
Speaker 1 (02:29):
Yeah, we had a whole team that kind of brought
the sentiment and we're all started going to spit balling things.
And but our team, a graphics team just aist it,
you know, like we were like what if, what if?
And then they just pitch this thing and and it's
really great. And then also we have a handful of
arrows to you know the meaning of the handful of arrows.
(02:50):
So if you have if you grab a bunch of arrows,
you know, together and you try to break them as impossible,
So a number of arrows coming together, you know, becoming
an unbreakable you know task. So it's an unbreakable bond.
And the idea is that out of many arrows, you know,
(03:10):
one invincible approach type of things. So it's become kind
of like a new tag and our new our new
tag in the back of the sweatist was pretty cool.
Speaker 3 (03:18):
It looks like a cool sweashret that you would buy,
like it Fred Siegel.
Speaker 1 (03:22):
Kind of right, and it feels like that it feels
like that's not going to be as expensive. Guys, you know,
it's definitely a lot more affordable. We wanted to make
this approbable that the point is that this brand also
fuels the impact program, like the ideas. As a private
company who is pledging, you know, it's it's profit to
to also you know, to also fund the change in
(03:44):
the mission, the missions and the agendas. But anyways, enough
about me. Yeah, so today's episode, we're very excited about Leo,
our lead producer of those amigos, had a really good idea.
But we're coming back to fundamentals. We had a streak
of amazing guess you know, some really great friends of
ours with a lot of reflection on our stuff. I hope
all of you guys also have taken some from those
(04:06):
episodes as well. I know we definitely walked away with
a great deal of appreciation for not only our friends,
but like you know, the sentiment of starting from scratch
and ya and you know their stories, so so you know,
we find the relativity in theres and in hours, right,
So so that was really cool. But he had this
cool idea and the episode is called what If? What If?
What if? Everything that happened or those little moments at
(04:28):
the beginning of our lives and or the moments where
we decided we were going to be what we are now?
What if those moments never happened? What is the road?
What would have been? And I don't want to call
it a plant, plant B or a plant C, but
like what what would your life would have been if
I don't know, if you had an auditioned for that play,
if you hadn't gone into that gotten into the the
(04:52):
theater group, or you know, same thing like if I
had audition for this regional Yellow Pages commercial in California, Like, uh,
you know what what?
Speaker 3 (05:01):
What?
Speaker 1 (05:01):
You know? What would have happened if I never got
to audition again? Like what what would that path be? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (05:07):
Or what if?
Speaker 3 (05:08):
Like like what what? What was your earliest what if? Experience?
Speaker 2 (05:12):
Like did you ever have like a like a near
death experience?
Speaker 1 (05:16):
Like yeah, what if?
Speaker 2 (05:18):
What if that would have happened?
Speaker 1 (05:19):
Right?
Speaker 2 (05:20):
I mean, what what was your earliest what if? Experience?
Speaker 1 (05:23):
It wasn't so much a death experience for me, but
it could have been a really bad experience for my sister.
We were at a at a finca, which is you know,
our Spanish word for for farm. We had a we
had a little ranch, a little farm in the middle
of Venezuela, four hours south of you know, Venezuela, and
we had horses, and you know, I was to think
(05:44):
about maybe eight years old or something like that, and
I was my sister was on this horse, and I
was pulling this horse, and while I was walking, I
kind of slowed down, and all of a sudden, the
horse's head came here and he opened his mouth and
I saw his teeth at the corner my eye, and
he scared me because I thought he was trying to
(06:04):
bite me or something. And I screamed and I just
like started and then the horse got spooked with my
sister on it and took off. Oh wow, and I froze,
like I didn't know what to do in that moment.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
How old are you?
Speaker 1 (06:20):
I was about eight, I think eight or nine years old.
And then another lady that was like probably ten yards
in front of me, you know, thought quickly and went
and put her foot down on the reins and the
realms the reins, and slowed down the horse, and all
of a sudden it stopped him from like going into
(06:42):
the savannah and just like running aimlessly with my sister
on it. And in that moment, I felt such great
deal of killed, you know, Like I was just like,
what if she would have fallen off? What if she
would have broken a leg or her back or neck
like what, you know, like all these things, you know,
(07:03):
And I just became incredibly protective of my sister and like,
get out of get down from there, get down there,
don't do that, don't run that fast like you know.
So like that really kind of marked me. But but
it would have changed in the trajectory of my life.
I don't know if I would have had the confidence
I have now. I don't know, you know what I mean,
Like I think about how what what if all of
a sudden, you like, I couldn't even protect my sister,
Could I have my own kids? You know what I mean?
(07:24):
Like maybe turns into that, you never know, but I
guess this was one of those moments where I took
close to something really bad happening. The other one was,
you know, and I wrote about it in my book
An American Story Everyone's Invited. It was we were in
a private plane and you know, oxygen stopped going into
(07:44):
the cabin and uh, and we had to do an
emergency landing. In that moment, was like, what what if
that would have been it? Right? You know, would I
still get a movie, a VH one movie, you know movie? Yeah,
you know, back to do those those really low budget
into my movies. A biopigs about some.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
Oh yeah, I do remember that. Wow, that's crazy. I've
had a few of those too. Man.
Speaker 3 (08:19):
I remember one time, and he probably doesn't remember this.
I was in high school. It was my senior year
of high school. And I grew up in Chicago. Uh
and unfortunately sometimes Chicago is the murder capital of the
United States, right, And I grew up in that kind
of environment.
Speaker 2 (08:36):
And I had.
Speaker 3 (08:38):
This really vivid dream that I got shot. I mean
I'm talking about like vivid where I could like feel
like the blast going through my chest and blood coming
down and everything.
Speaker 2 (08:52):
And I woke up from the dream and I couldn't speak.
Speaker 3 (08:55):
And remember back then when you would have somebody on
speed dial, and I had my wife out on speed dial.
We were dating, and I speed dialed her but I
couldn't speak, and she knew that something was wrong and
she talked me down. But the next day I went
to school and I had this premonition that something was
gonna happen I.
Speaker 2 (09:12):
Just knew it.
Speaker 3 (09:13):
I just knew something. Y. Yeah, it was too real.
It was like God was warning me, you know. And
so this was back when I was a store sort
of heavily involved in the hip hop scene, and we
had heard that Common was having a show on the
South Side of Chicago, and I live on the Northwest Side,
and I was like, oh, man, I said, I don't
(09:34):
feel good about going to the South Side. And they
were like, come on, man, We're gonna go hang out
with Common, and I was like, nah, I feel bad
about it, you know. And so I got convinced to
go to the South Side of Chicago. And we're waiting
for Common and a bunch of people outside of this club,
and because I was so hyper aware, I noticed that
these two guys were getting into a fight on the sidewalk.
(09:56):
And after they got into a fight, one guy jumped
into his truck started to take off.
Speaker 2 (10:02):
The other guy.
Speaker 3 (10:03):
Picked up a brick and threw it at the truck,
and the guy got mad and went to the end
of the block, turned around and came barreling down the
sidewalk in his truck. And because I was so hyper
aware of that dream, I saw the truck coming a
mile away, and my best friend Marco had his back
turned to the truck and I grabbed him and I
(10:23):
threw him out of the way and we got out
of the way. So what if I didn't have that dream,
we probably would have still went to the south Side,
and I wouldn't have been aware, and we probably both
would have gotten run over.
Speaker 1 (10:34):
Yeah, I mean in that's it. I mean, even if
you had survived, Like, why would have your lafe been? Yeah?
You know?
Speaker 3 (10:39):
Yeah, man, I also think what if, Like, you know,
my wife Elsie was pregnant when I was nineteen years old, you.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
Know, I was a.
Speaker 2 (10:49):
Young man, and what if she would have gotten an abortion?
What if? Right she if she would have even gotten pregnant?
Speaker 3 (10:59):
You know, uh, you know, this December of the thirty
years of marriage for me, and I've had such a
wonderful relationship with her, in a wonderful marriage, and and what.
Speaker 1 (11:10):
Would have done relationship?
Speaker 3 (11:12):
Yeah? Yeah, She's kept me so incredibly grounded in this business,
I feel, and it saved me, I think inadvertently from
like the traps that that this structure is very easily
for us to fall into.
Speaker 2 (11:25):
And so like what if, what if you know, you.
Speaker 1 (11:28):
Know, and and also celebrating the different versions they never
were about ourselves. You know. Those examples were examples that
definitely feel I mean feel like just rude awakenings.
Speaker 3 (11:40):
You know.
Speaker 1 (11:41):
Yeah, there was also times in our lives where we
were delusional, but like I'll be okay dying now right, like.
Speaker 2 (11:49):
You know what I mean, James Dean, Yeah, leave a
good looking corpse.
Speaker 1 (11:57):
Well do you know That's the thing that I reflect
is I went on a us SOL tour and I
was flying over Bagdag I think it was back then.
We was I forget what it was. When we were
on our way to Iraq and we were funding in
Offspry you know, in Ofspry for those who don't know,
as a military aircraft that kind of takes off like
a helicopter in midair that you know, the the wings
(12:19):
start tilting forward and then the jets pick up and
then it shoots from midair and he becomes a plane.
Uh and the back is you know, open, and he
has a you know, fifty cow on the side and
all that. And we were going in from you know,
with those we were going from base to base where
we were in the Middle East, you know, entertaining the troops.
And as we were flying over, I looked throughout the
(12:43):
back and the flares shut out right and what that
when that does? It looks like fireworks right to the
back of the plane. And I was like, oh, interested.
I didn't think much of it. Then we did a
comeback landing into the base that we were supposed to
come in and bring entertainment through the years. So and
one of the colonels h looks up to me. It
(13:05):
looks up and he goes because that was crazy, huh.
And I was like, we got locked down by a missile.
And I was like, excuse me, we got what because
we got locked down by a missile. And I was like,
what you We don't worries. They never hit anything.
Speaker 2 (13:17):
I'm sorry you got what.
Speaker 1 (13:18):
We got locked on by a missile.
Speaker 2 (13:20):
No.
Speaker 3 (13:21):
So the flares that you thought were just flares, it
was it was it was it was too vade a
missile that that was locked on to the thing and whoa.
Speaker 1 (13:30):
And I was like, wait, what do you mean, like,
you go locked don't worry they never hit anything. Yeah,
And I'm like, they never hit anything. It made me
think in that moment, I'm like, h let's see, I
would have died on this plane right now, the Middle
East military aircraft twenty seven years old, twenty eight years old. Maybe, yeah,
(13:50):
I'm like, I get my VH one movie. I get
me one. Sure that's what I thought. But you know,
like looking back at that, yeah, bro, like I would
have been so sad if we didn't have our kids.
Yeah right, I wouldn't be so sad if we.
Speaker 3 (14:10):
But you would have had a VH one movie though,
But yes, no kids to watch, damn kids to watch?
Speaker 1 (14:16):
The w you know, man, if you hadn't gotten into entertainment,
what do you think?
Speaker 2 (14:21):
What path?
Speaker 1 (14:22):
Because I mean, it's so hard to imagine it because
we've done it for so long and since we're so
young at the moment we were supposed to make that decision.
I know I heard some things that are probably would
have explored. But what about for you?
Speaker 2 (14:34):
Something creative?
Speaker 1 (14:35):
For sure?
Speaker 2 (14:36):
Something creative.
Speaker 3 (14:38):
I don't know if teaching, I don't know if, because
there's other creative avenues too, right, Like I know you
and I have a passion for like furniture, Like we
love furniture and we love to meet furniture, like certain
pieces like art.
Speaker 1 (14:51):
Pieces to me, you know they say something yes and
something yes.
Speaker 3 (14:57):
Man, furniture, I love architect picture. You know, I love
I love houses. I you know, one of my uh
you know your ladies are super gifted and tears.
Speaker 2 (15:07):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (15:07):
Yeah, my wife Elsie's a a super very very shout
out to Elsie, very talented interior designer. Like I love
when people go, what's your guilty pleasure? When you watch
stuff on TV? Like I love seeing old houses being
renovated in the like new Like, oh, I'm talking like
one hundred years old.
Speaker 2 (15:26):
Maybe I'd be doing that. I don't know.
Speaker 1 (15:28):
Like that's I mean, that's a pretty good trajectory too.
That was yeah, really fulfilling, creative Yeah, profitable, yeah, living
like that.
Speaker 3 (15:38):
Yes, maybe something with music maybe you know, but but
definitely something that that has a creative bet.
Speaker 1 (15:44):
You know.
Speaker 2 (15:44):
That's why I love even like producing so much.
Speaker 3 (15:46):
You know, I feel like sometimes producing could feel like
like work or a job, But to me, I feel like, no,
You're you're putting the pieces to a puzzle together. You're
you're curating something. Although you're not the director per se
or the writer or the actor.
Speaker 2 (16:03):
You're you're curating.
Speaker 3 (16:05):
This like gigantic piece. Man, and you're putting all the
pieces together. To me, there's a there's a form of
art to that, you know.
Speaker 1 (16:11):
And everyone has a contribution of the piece of the puzzle, right,
So like that that there's honor in that as well.
Speaker 3 (16:16):
Yeah, it's almost like you're like a conductor in a
in a in an orchestra, right, and you have your
your horn section and your you know.
Speaker 1 (16:25):
But I mean the thing is that's so interesting is
if the performing arts hadn't worked out for you, Yeah,
do you think it would have still led you to
directing and writing and producing?
Speaker 2 (16:37):
I don't know, man, because I can't be available.
Speaker 1 (16:39):
You would have had like tasted the performance, which would
have which would have led to the curiosity of the
other jobs on that set or on that stage, which
eventually made you passionate over the exploration of directing or
writing a screenplay or right. I mean like it's the
performing is the gateway to you know, to every everything
(17:00):
else that touches the product. Yeah, the entertainment piece, you know,
it almost feels like like those Like now, so my nephew, my.
Speaker 3 (17:09):
Oldest brother's kid is is in the fall, is starting
as a freshman at the Art Institute in Chicago, you know.
So he calls me a lot and we have a
lot of conversations about like what that is.
Speaker 2 (17:20):
And it's really.
Speaker 3 (17:21):
Interesting seeing our industry through his perspective, right, this younger perspective,
and he only knows what he knows, right, And so
I try to tell him, like, it's so different now
in your generation, man.
Speaker 2 (17:34):
You have YouTube, you could you could film a movie
on a phone.
Speaker 3 (17:38):
And so I think that if we had that, maybe
when you and I were younger, it wouldn't have only been.
Speaker 2 (17:45):
Acting, right, it would have been like, well, I'm going
to go make my own movie.
Speaker 3 (17:49):
I'm going to go do these other things. But we
didn't have those avenues. You know, what about you?
Speaker 2 (17:53):
What do you think you would have been doing.
Speaker 1 (17:54):
I was always curious. I was very social, so I
was always curious about the human mind. Yeah, I think
it's like coology. Yeah, it'd have been interesting for me,
the exploration of the why people grow up with certain habits,
character traits. You know, where they gain their their ripples
of experience. You know, how their inheritance informs how they
(18:18):
handle certain things, like how they handle you know, tragedy,
how they handle breakups, how they handle happiness, you know
that That made me because I also think that you
have to be a little bit of a psychologist to
do this acting thing. You have to the phrase you
have to kind of understand where where these characters are
coming from in order to predict how they will react
(18:41):
based on the performances that you need to bring a
character not only to life, but to tell their story
in a way that embodies their shoes that are so
far removed from the ones you wear. So to me,
psychology felt like like I love talking to people. I
love getting in people's minds and saying, you know, how
do I how can I understand you? You know? What
(19:03):
is your love language? How could I communicate the most
efficient way?
Speaker 3 (19:06):
You know?
Speaker 1 (19:07):
Like that, that kind of stuff is something that fascinates me.
But if you if you, if you asked my my
nineteen year old self, Yeah, I would have been a
pilot for the Air Force. I would have worn a uniform.
I would have been some type of I would have
been part of the armed forces, for sure.
Speaker 3 (19:23):
But then, but then do you feel that those professions
would have suppressed your personality?
Speaker 1 (19:30):
It's interesting if you would have joined the armed forces,
there were it would have been I would have been programmed,
you know, to do something different, you know, being of service. Sure, yeah,
but maybe I don't know, maybe like you know, being
part of that community. Also, you know there is room
for that type of lively livelihood of likelihood of like
(19:51):
connecting with others.
Speaker 3 (19:52):
Yeah, you think you would have you think you would
have gone into politics. Let me tell you why, I
asked him, because and I remember Gabriel Luna when he
was here. He said it best, He goes, man, I
(20:12):
remember when you and I when to meet Obama, and and.
Speaker 2 (20:17):
And he he he.
Speaker 3 (20:19):
Let out an interesting observation about you and how your
ability to sort of work the room in the way.
Speaker 2 (20:26):
That you did. Uh uh.
Speaker 3 (20:29):
And he said that he learned a lot from watching
you do that. And I feel that those are aspects
of a leader. Those are aspects that that perhaps and
when I say a politician, I mean it in the
most positive way.
Speaker 2 (20:44):
I don't mean it in the most negative way.
Speaker 3 (20:46):
But those are attributes that like you either have it
or you don't, right like Obama, right like, he has
particular attributes that you either have it or you don't.
Speaker 2 (20:54):
Write and which is what I feel contributed to him
being able to.
Speaker 3 (20:57):
Mascial and you a lot of those attributes, and which
is why I think Gabriel made those comments about you.
Speaker 2 (21:04):
And I've always know I've known you, you know, twenty
five years, so I've always known that about you. So
I always wondered, like if you ever thought of.
Speaker 3 (21:12):
Taking some sort of leadership or attaining to take a
leadership role in that regard because of the natural attributes
that you possess.
Speaker 1 (21:22):
I receive all that. So I appreciate you seeing me
with those eyes and that light. It's a great, great sentiment,
you know. I've I love being of service. That's why
I've been serving with the USO for twenty years. You know,
I'm genuinely curious about the science of unity, and to
(21:51):
think about politics as a career and the times we
live right now feels almost deflating, you know. It feels
like it's not a celebration of what we can do
when we come together. It feels more like a debate
on how we you know, how we chip away at
the creability of the system that we have built for
(22:11):
so many, you know, a couple hundred years now in America.
I've always been curious about, you know that the practice
of common sense in the role of a leader. Does
common sense? Is common sense a gift? Or is it
a delusion when you're a politic, you know.
Speaker 2 (22:31):
It may start off that way, yes, and then.
Speaker 1 (22:33):
While somewhere along the way, perhaps he dies, or it
gets muted, or it gets put in a shelf, or
it gets corrupted, corrupted. So but you know, it's it's
it's interesting. I you know, I've had so many friends,
you know, like Rossari Dawson and my friend my data
is a Kumar who you know is the leader oft Latino.
(22:55):
And my friend Jane Horden, who knows a you know,
goal star wife and you know, advisor to former advisors
to secretary of Defense. She's like, let me know when
you're ready to run.
Speaker 2 (23:06):
Ah.
Speaker 3 (23:06):
So I'm not hold on a second. So I'm not
the first person that's saying.
Speaker 1 (23:11):
This, no, no, but I but I but look I
receive it with the most almost humble like wow, like
that what what an ultimate you know what an ultimate compliment?
To get it is a very fragile responsibility, you know.
(23:31):
And you also wonder where do you make the most noise?
Do you make the most noise in the inside, or
do you make the most noise in the outside. It
feels to me like as a storyteller and as an
amplifier stories feels to me like, you know, it's a
form of of of unity cultivation. How do you get
everyone on the same theater? How do you get everyone
(23:52):
to tune in together at eight o'clock to enjoy one
thing and for that moment you put all our differences aside,
and we and we all admit that we all like
this thing together. We don't have to like our beliefs,
our religions, our politics or preferences. You know, we can
agree that we like this movie, that we like this show,
and there's a there's a power that comes with uniting
(24:14):
voices into one room. Now that being said, like have
I ever thought about it? I mean, like I would say,
it's crossed my mind, like maybe I could do that,
you know, and or maybe I should, or perhaps I
can contribute something to this country that I never thought,
you know, that I had in me, right, But but
(24:36):
it's a hard question to answer.
Speaker 2 (24:37):
In this very moment, I was just wondering if you
ever thought about it?
Speaker 3 (24:42):
Because you you naturally possess possess the attributes that.
Speaker 2 (24:47):
You know, I am, and Maria and.
Speaker 3 (24:50):
Rosario, all feel that you possess, right, they're very specific
attributes that that a good politician should possess. And you
you possess it, and and and an the most positive way,
like I said, because obviously being one now is is
probably much different than what it was maybe twenty five
years ago when.
Speaker 1 (25:07):
You were Yeah, for sure, for sure. I look, I
will tell you this. I love this country. I love
what is provided to millions and millions of people that
have dreams. Right, It's one of the few places in
the planet where you if you dream it, it can
be materialized. Right. I love people from around the world,
and guess where they're at. People from around the world
(25:30):
are in this country too, you know. So there's something
really about to go about that I would say never
say never, but at this point I think I can
make a little more noise outside, you know. But yeah,
you know, it's an interesting thing. I mean, it's you know,
what would be a really cool thing to become the
one of the governors of California and bring all of
film and television back. That's one thing.
Speaker 2 (25:51):
I mean, Arnold did it.
Speaker 1 (25:53):
Yeah, you know, a little.
Speaker 2 (25:58):
Light bulb.
Speaker 1 (26:01):
Maybe maybe, but so yeah, so I think those are
kind of the options that I would have taken. But
if you so, if you weren't an actor, what other profession?
Speaker 3 (26:09):
Like?
Speaker 1 (26:09):
Always for me it was like maybe psychologist.
Speaker 3 (26:11):
Maybe you know, maybe something in real estate, you know,
because I dabble in real estate now too, and I
love it and I feel like there's there's there's a
form of art in it.
Speaker 2 (26:22):
Also, I love.
Speaker 1 (26:23):
How you mean in real estate? What do you what
are you doing the real estate? What?
Speaker 3 (26:26):
I own a couple of pieces of property, you know,
And and I just I just I just love architecture
and real estate and to me that's art. Like like
I can walk into a house and like I in
order for me to buy a house or to live in,
I have to feel the energy. You know, the house
we live in now, we've we've been there twenty seven years,
(26:48):
and I knew the first thirty seconds.
Speaker 2 (26:50):
That I walked in, I was like, well, well this
is it.
Speaker 3 (26:52):
You know, there's just an energy in that house, you know.
So maybe if I wasn't acting or doing anything in
the arts, I would have been in real estate. Maybe
I would have been developing, Maybe I would have been remodeling,
Maybe I would have been tackling, like these old houses
in Chicago, and in turn.
Speaker 1 (27:09):
You would still be living in Chicago, right, I don't know.
I you know where if I paint, I pained too
for you would have been in Chicago. And you're like,
I'm going to New York. Maybe maybe it's that urban
concrete jungle that I think it's in your veins.
Speaker 2 (27:26):
I like it. I like the cold. A lot of
people don't like the cold.
Speaker 1 (27:29):
Do you like weather? You like seasons?
Speaker 2 (27:31):
I like seasons. I like I like wearing a coat.
You know. Some people are like, no, no, you know,
I want to be in the sun. I'm not that guy.
Speaker 1 (27:39):
Man.
Speaker 3 (27:39):
I grew up in harsh winters and and I like it,
Like when it gets gloomy here in California and then
it's cold, like my wife has like two sweaters on,
and I'm.
Speaker 2 (27:49):
Like, yes, I love it, Yes, the gloomy weather. I
love it. You know where do you think you would
have been if you were?
Speaker 1 (27:57):
I love New York. Don't get me wrong. New York
is like my my city. I love New York. That's
my world that I love so much. I love the people,
love the energy everything about New York. Yeah, I mean
I'm an LA guy. Yeah, you know, but there's something
about Miami that wakes up a different version of my Latinius.
Speaker 2 (28:17):
What do you mean why the food?
Speaker 1 (28:19):
Oh yeah, the music, Yeah, the people, right, the multi
colored spectrum of all Latinos that gather around there, Argentinians, Brazilians, Colombia, Venezuelan's,
Puerto Ricans, Cubans. You know, like there's there's this collective
you know, sound, yeah, aesthetic, something different, you know.
Speaker 2 (28:39):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (28:39):
But I mean here in La I'm an honorary Mexican,
so I love you know, I feel like I'm a
Chicano too, you know, but.
Speaker 2 (28:48):
Same same.
Speaker 3 (28:49):
You know, Chicago is one of the one of the
only cities I've ever been to where Puerto Ricans and
Mexicans like live together. I always thought it was like
that everywhere, and I even came to La and I
was like, wow, there's no Puerto Ricans here.
Speaker 2 (29:03):
You know.
Speaker 3 (29:04):
I have two aunts who are Mexican, so I have
I have a bunch of half Mexican, have Puerto Rican cousins.
All of my best all my best friend Roger, when
I was growing up half Mexican, have Acuadorian. These two
twins rich and have half Mexican, have Guatemalan and a
bunch of my friends of Chewi, my friend Jose half
(29:25):
Puerto Rican, half Mexican, and so like, I just thought
it was that way everywhere. So I very much grew
up with Mexican culture, you know, uh and uh, and
it surprised me to see uh that not exist in
other cities. But I hear you about Miami. You know
what I love about Miami is one of the only
cities that I've been.
Speaker 2 (29:44):
To where where where our people are? And how can
I word this correctly?
Speaker 3 (29:50):
Our people are in positions of power man and positions
of leadership, and I don't I don't feel I don't
feel discriminated against.
Speaker 2 (29:58):
I don't feel like you know it.
Speaker 3 (30:00):
Yeah, I always feel incredibly welcomed when I'm there and
not looked down.
Speaker 1 (30:07):
It's very virant, super do It's really beautiful. Okay, So
closing this episode, Friddie.
Speaker 2 (30:13):
Yes, Woomer, what if we never met?
Speaker 1 (30:16):
Damn it.
Speaker 2 (30:17):
I don't even want to think about it.
Speaker 1 (30:18):
I imagine that.
Speaker 2 (30:20):
I don't want to forget it.
Speaker 1 (30:23):
And gentlemen, I'm Wilmer Valdorama, I'm Freddy Rodriguez. Thank you
for watching this episode of Those Amigos. This got very dark,
very until the next episode. Thank you for watching error listening.
We love you guys.
Speaker 3 (30:37):
Those Amigos is a production from w V Sound and
iHeartMedia's Michael through That podcast Network, hosted by Me, Freddie
Rodriguez and Wilmer Valdorama.
Speaker 1 (30:47):
Those Amigos is produced by Aaron Burleson and Sophie Spencer's Abbos.
Speaker 3 (30:51):
Our executive producers are Wilmer Valdorama, Freddie Rodriguez, Aaron Burlson,
and Leo Klem at WV Sound.
Speaker 1 (30:58):
This episode was shot and ended it by Ryan Posts
and makes by Sean Tracy and features original music by
Madison Devenport and HeLa.
Speaker 3 (31:05):
Boy Our cover our photography is by David Avalos and
designed by Deny Holtz.
Speaker 1 (31:10):
Clau and thank you for being at Third Amigo today.
I appreciate you guys always listening to Those Amigos.
Speaker 3 (31:15):
For more podcasts from My Heart, visit the ir Heart
Radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you listen to your
favorite shows.
Speaker 1 (31:22):
See you next week.
Hosts And Creators
Wilmer Valderrama
Freddy Rodriguez
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