415.5: A Conversation with Shirley Faison

In the real world, we speak with Donald's mom, Shirley Faison about what it was like to run a theater and recognizing talent in her child.

Find Shirley's book "7 Rules To Thrive As A Performer" here: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/7-rules-to-thrive-as-a-performer-a-workshop-eperience

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Look how fucking skinny you are. This is what I
hate about you. I love you, but I hate how
you can diet for ten days and look this skinny.
I also quit smoking weed and drinking booze too, So
I know you threw a lot of you threw a
lot of you threw a lot at it. But dude,
you look look great. Yeah, you look good. Yeah, this
is a lot of fun. Man. I had no idea

(00:21):
that I would get this much love for being in
the Powerpuff Girls. Real man, everybody's you got so much chatter.
People are so happy for you. I don't know anything
about the Poweruff Girls. I know it's very popular, but
I was I missed it, so tell us about it.
So the Powerpuff Girls are there are three superhero little girls,

(00:42):
uh that were created by Professor Utonium and uh, you
know in the cartoon. I'm gonna be honest with you.
I've seen the cartoon a few times and I don't know. Yeah,
I'm sorry. Oh so my research, my research is beginning
with watching the cartoon like I was watching it with

(01:02):
because Rocco was a huge fan of the Powerpuff the
remake of the Powerpuff Girls, like they they did one
when Joel was a baby. I guess it's true. And
then they just remade the Powerpuff Girls also, so Rocco
was a big fan of Teen Titans Go and Powerpuff Girls.
Was it always aimed at little kids or was it
a grown up things? Well, um, it's like if you've

(01:23):
ever watched Teen Titans Go, it's aimed for or SpongeBob,
it's aimed at kids. But there are some jokes in there.
There are a lot of jokes in every episode that
parents will laugh at while watching with their kids. Right.
I gotta tell you, man, I'm really excited that people
enjoyed the fact that I'm gonna be in this. I'm
I'm so geeked about it, you know, I'm really you know,

(01:46):
I've I've tried to stay off of you know, the
message boards and stuff like that, where you know, some
of the hate can dwell, uh, why would you go
do that? Don't do that? Yeah, I refuse to do it.
I refuse used to let the haters bring me down.
But I imagine there are some people that aren't excited
about me playing Professor Drake Uttonium. And that's cool. You

(02:10):
could eat a dick, are you? Are you in rehearsals
at this point or what's happening. Yeah, so we're doing
a bunch of rehearsals. We're doing camera tests and wardrobe fittings.
It's you and you start tomorrow. No more rehearsal, Tomorrow,
more camera shoots, photo shoots, and we don't start shooting

(02:31):
actually until well, I can't tell you, but we start
shooting soon. Okay, good Well, dude, I'm so happy for you,
and I as someone who loves you, I was so
happy about all the love you were getting on the interweb.
I saw you were getting lots of adoration. I love that.
I love that, dude. How's work going, man? I shot

(02:52):
three days of Cheaper by the Dozen and it's the
dreamiest job ever. I love Gab Union. She has our
exact sense of humor. She should come on the podcast
MO day. She's fucking hilarious and cool and m and
the kids couldn't be sweeter. I mean, knock wood, it's
too good to be true. I love my director. I
love you. Know the hours. Because of the children, you

(03:13):
can only do ten hour days, so that's kind of dreaming.
You have like a normal life. And I don't know, man,
it's just so fun. I think the script Kenny Barris
wrote such a funny script. I you know, sometimes you
start a project and go, okay, well, we'll make the
script better as we go, and this is just really great.
I just it's just going to be such a perfect

(03:33):
family movie. And but hey, you know, and as well
as having Kenya's signature discussions of race done in such
an elegant way, because of course, if you're going to
have a you know, a biracial family, you can't deny
the things that will come up, and he doesn't, and
so I'm just really stoked to be a part of it.
I'm really really happy. By the way. By the way,

(03:55):
we're recording this on Sunday, but this airs on Tuesday.
So guess what. It's my birthday. Yeah, birthday too, Happy
birthday to ye, Happy birthday, Happy birthday to yeah. Right,
come on, sunset. I feel really good cowting today. I'm

(04:21):
very happy. It's my birthday. I feel really good. I'm
on this awesome health kick, which is really um I
must say, those of you listening who know when you
go on a health kick, uh, obviously your body gets
in shape. But I just feel a better in my
mind and brain and just happier overall. This year kick
so many of our asses and as we come out

(04:45):
of it a little bit. I I'm so excited that,
you know, I used the excuse of the movie to
get in shape. I jokingly said, I want to look too.
I'm gonna tell you right now, manatures holy shit, Zach, Well,
don't don't buil up too much. You're pretty close to
Bradfit fight Club. Don't think I'm chucking Zach. Throw up

(05:08):
the pictures so that people could see it. I'm not lying.
Where's the lie? But it's not ready for a reveal yet.
But I do have to say turning forty six, when
I and I had a couple of people over, including
Casey yesterday for just to toast me, well, actually my
girlfriend surprised me, but um yeah, it was nice to
hear a handful of people being like, oh shit, and

(05:31):
I ye, dude, you don't even have love handles anymore. Man,
But the fuck is going over well, I've never done
you know. Listen, I can give you. I can give
everyone the tricks. The tricks are just diet and fucking
giving up booze. Yeah, are you exercise? Is this the
best shape? You've ever been in your life. Yeah, yeah,
and it's and it took seven weeks, by the way,

(05:53):
and I'm still going like it's like you know, it's
like anything, It's a hobby that if you get into,
if you find it. Here's my trick that I've done
for those of you listening who are like, are dreading
getting in any kind of shape? I just said, what
if I try and find a way to make it
fun this time? Building around things I like doing. Okay,
I like, well, I like spinning, Like you know, spinning

(06:14):
is that, you know, if you can't afford peloton, bike,
you know, get on a bicycle or or find something
that or in Donald's case, used to play basketball, you know,
find it. I love when I can play tennis, find
something that's fun to do, and then build around that.
So I genuinely enjoy peloton. I think it's fun. I
come off feeling high. I So I just made that
a regular part of my and and then I start

(06:36):
researching healthy foods that that I think taste good. So
you can find a protein shake that taste awesome. It's
the best thing I eat all day. I look forward
to it, and guess what it's amazing for you. So
I don't know, have you cut a bunch of h
like foods that you were eating before out of your diet,
like you talked about how you're no longer eating like
red meat. Well, here's the thing. This is gonna branch.

(06:59):
This is gonna ranch off into hold of the thing.
And I promised to do the short version because we
got your mom coming on and my mom's on this piece,
so wait, let me hear it before we get well.
I really am thinking about seriously changing my diet because
of the documentary I watched, C Spiracy, which I recommended
last time, which I really encourage you to watch. I'm
not telling you to change your diet at all, listener,

(07:21):
but I do think it's important to learn about the
food industry. And I'm embarrassed to admit that I made
it forty six years knowing nothing about how our food
is made. And it was a combination of three documentaries,
Game Changers, C Spiracy, and Eating Animals, which I just
watched last night, which now im Portman narrates because she's

(07:41):
very into health. And I just didn't know about factory farming.
I didn't really I didn't like everyone you see the
pictures of the farmers in the grocery store and you go,
that's where our food and livestock comes from. And I
was just in denial about it. And the fishing, Oh,
I'll be Pescuterian fish are great. Everything is so healthy.
And then you can watch three documentaries in six hours

(08:02):
and go, holy shit. I didn't know any of that.
And so it's inspired me, especially being on a health kick,
to be like, well, I'm changing, We're coming out of
this pandemic, We're coming out of this insane year long hibernation.
Why not try some new ways of being? And That's
what I'm taking on. And I will say, even though

(08:23):
this is very hard for a lot of people, and
I get it. Um the one of the most powerful
things I've done is to take this alcohol break. Um It.
It increases my mood over time, even because I think
of like, alcohol is a depressant, right, So if you
drink an a lot of alcohol regularly every day, every
other day, whatever you do, I feel like you are

(08:44):
think of it like, and take the stead of people
taking antipressant. You're taking a depressant regularly, and it's sort
of putting a cloud a little bit of a cloud
over your life, right, But let me just finish the point,
And the point is that you might stop for a
week and go, Okay, I did it. I mean in
a week, but you're not really seeing the effects because
just like if you're taking it, if you start taking

(09:05):
any presson, it's going to take about a month for
you to feel the effects. If you stop taking a depressant,
I find that a month in six weeks and seven
weeks and you really start to go, wow, I'm genuinely
overall in a better mood right on. So that's my speech,
that's my soapbox. Yeah, it's all good man. You know,
I'm on the same kick right now. And you know,
power I'm using Powerpuff as a jump off for it.

(09:28):
But I like the way I feel right now. Like
I was smoking way too much weed, like way too
much weed, so much weed that I had really bad
withdrawals from it. And you know, people act like that
doesn't exist, but it really does. And my wife went
down the rabbit hole and found all of these natural

(09:50):
remedies to combat my withdrawals. So within three days I
was good to go, oh, what are those natural remedies?
If you like, you want to put potassium back into
your system because nights you sweat like a banshee, you
know what I mean. Drink a lot of water, you
want to hydrate. Yeah, I see, you got that that
thing I have with all the inspirational words. This is

(10:12):
my second day doing it. I'm already at I'm al
mars done with this boy. By nine o'clock tonight, this
shit is gone. I know. When you get one of
those if you guys were talking about those like two
liter things you can get on the internet, they have
like drink it by this time, you know, they have
the times and then it says like you got this,
keep going, you know, and it's it's so silly because

(10:33):
it's like a kid. It's like doing it for a kid.
But it makes it a bit of a game, like
can I get there by five? Can I get there
by six? You know? Oh? You know what I do.
This is the easiest way to do it. So I
wake up in the morning and I drink to seven, right,
that's the first thing. Now, if I wake up after seven,
I'll drink to nine, right, And so at nine o'clock
I'll drink again, and I'll drink all the way down

(10:54):
to eleven, and then at eleven o'clock I'll drink again,
and I'll drink all the way down to one. So
by the time I get to seven pm at night,
I'm finished with the bottle before nine o'clock. That's good.
Then you can pee it all out. So you have
to get up. So I don't have to get up
because you have to. You do have to get used to.
You do have to get used to having a new
relationship with urinating because it's kind of always on your mind.

(11:15):
But it's a small price to pay. Yes, But you
know what, My goal now is to make it to
the bathroom and stay asleep and still be able to
pee in the toilet without getting it all over the bathroom.
I've succeeded a couple of times. There have been times
where I woke up in the morning to go to
the bathroom. I was like, God, damn, I just missed everything. Idiot. Hey, um,

(11:40):
do you did you see the new Black Widow trailer
or any of you? Oh it looks amazing. Oh hell yes,
I watched it like four times. But you guys don't
worry about it, do you guys don't worry about it
because you're gonna go see in the height. Oh my god,
I think I really got to say. I know I'm biased,
but I thought that trailer was fucking awesome. It looks amazing.

(12:02):
Are you kidding me? With that moment where she's free
falling out of the plane. Yes, yeah, and she I
like how she's just she's just holding the parachute like
with with with her hand like I know I'm gonna
need this. I'm not gonna put it on. I know
I'm gonna need it later, but so fly. So yeah,
it looks Let's we should probably get my mom and

(12:22):
let's we do work small before we do that. DJ
Daniel Joel Monique, What is good with y'all this whole week? Listen?
Since I to talk to your mom, I want to
get all the good backstories. I want to know what
you were like as a kid. I want to know
about her career. Is it's incredible? Ye, her career is
is what's really exciting? All right, let's count in and
bring her in, all right? Stories about show we made

(12:51):
nurses said he that stories? So around you here, Yeah,
around here, ladies and gentlemen, give it up for my mom.

(13:12):
The one and only Shirley where is she? Yeah, let
let's put my video on. Thank you? Yeah, heym Shirley Fazon.

(13:35):
Hey are your Mamma? I'm good. How are you? I'm good.
I spoke to you yesterday. But still, hey, hey, that's
that picture behind you? Is that me in junior high school?
I think so right? There's way too much junior high school,
junior high school? There? Yeah, yeah, Shirley. Hey is Zach grasp?
How are you? It's good to see you, beautiful. It's

(13:57):
been far too long. Oh I know mom. That's Joel,
and that is Daniel. Hi, Daniel, Hi, Joe, thank you,
thank you so much for coming on. We had my
mom on and we just want to We just wanted
to have you on because not only do we uh
do we want to talk to you about a young
Donald phase on um and tell us all this all

(14:18):
the good stories, but also, you know, my mom is
a psychologist, so she we asked her some psychology questions.
And we have so many people to talk to us
about getting into the business as actors, and we thought
we could pick your brain for people that watch and
listen to this about what it's like being an agent
and in the business. So, Mom, have you ever listened
to the podcast? Yes? Have you ever? Yes? I have.

(14:41):
How many times have you listened to this podcast? Would
you like for me to be honest? Yes, I would
absolutely three Thank you for all three times. But surely
surely did you? Did you laugh at least? Yes? I did?
All right? Good, Yes I did? I did? Uh? Okay.

(15:02):
I think we should start from the very as Zach
always says, start at the very beginning, A very good
place to start. When you're saying you begin with do
ray me. Oh no, but it's not when you say.
It's when you when you begin, when your BC and

(15:24):
when you're saying you begin with me. All right, So Donald,
what beginning you want to start? Let's talk about how
like how like young Don Donald always talks about the
theater you and your ex husband Ran. Can you tell
us like how that came about and what it was
like Donald hanging out in the young theater, because that's
clearly he mentions that all the time, is being very

(15:46):
impactful about what got him interested in the arts. Yeah. Yeah,
well I became a part of the theater when I
now for all of the people that are out there
that don't know what the theater is it's the National
Black Theater. Yes, I became a part of the National
Black Theater after they performed at my college. I was
at Rutgers University, and um, they performed on my college campus,

(16:11):
and that's how I was introduced to them. And then um,
I came to New York and I became a part
of National Black Theater. When I had uh, well, I
called Donald Shoon Sorr. They know that, Okay, they know
how they know they even know how to spell it correctly, Mom, Okay.
So so when I had Shoon, Um Shon would come

(16:33):
to all the rehearsals. I was a performer back then,
and she would come to all the rehearsals and he
would sit in the front row of all the performances.
And actually he almost got beat up by one of
the actors because he would say their lines before they

(16:55):
so yeah and so. So. He would be in the
front row saying the lines before the actors would sam
and the actors would get very angry with him because
he was saying their lines before they could even say them. Right.
But let me ask you a question, Mom, at what
point where you like I got to get him out
of the front row and onto onto the stage. When

(17:19):
would you start realizing that he might want to I mean,
obviously be sitting in the front row and mounting along.
You might have a sense that he's into this. But
when did you when you push? No, but he when
he was a baby and he would be in the stroller. Well,
the strollers then, Um, they were like I want to say,
like little cages, I guess, but they had no no, no, no, no,

(17:43):
they had you know, they had these feet things where
you know, the feet would rest on a part of
the stroller. And he when you would push him in
the stroller, he would raise his head like he was
in a chariot and like there was a horse in
front of them. So so you all always knew that.
I always knew that he liked to improvise and he

(18:05):
liked to imagine. So so um, as part of the theater,
we created a children's school. It was called the Children's
School of the Development of Intuitive and God Conscious Art.
And and all the kids what they did was they
performed and they created plays. And so he uh, oh,

(18:25):
I wish I had, I wish I had the video.
I'm sure we could find it if you do on
our Instagram, right, And um, he um, and he would
perform he was so into it. Like all the other
kids would be singing and dancing, but he would be

(18:46):
really into it. He would like put one hundred and
ninety nine percent into his performances. Um. And so we
knew then that he was destined. And then truly when
did he he? When did you start submitting him for
auditions as a child? How old was he? Oh no,
he didn't. He didn't start doing that until he was

(19:07):
twelve years old. Boy, he got that one commercial that
I always joked about the he was twelve. He was
you have a long time memorized, but you know a
long time about you know what that he went and got. Okay,
We had a neighbor that lived on the floor above

(19:29):
us who was a photographer and her son was a
big time actress actor, right, and so she took his photograph.
He had two photos. He had like the two um,
the two proofs. He took one of the proofs and
he went to Abrams Artists. Yeah, he went to Abrams

(19:49):
artist He was twelve years old. They sent him on
an audition. He had his bus pass. He went to
the audition with his bus pass. He got a call
back he went to the callback, he booked it. He said, Mom,
they tell me I need to bring a guardian. Now,
you don't sing a guardian to the audition, but if
you get the job. So so he booked his first audition.

(20:19):
It was Oatmeal Raising Crisp. Look what they've done to
my Oatmeal? Yes, I didn't know you've gotten more. I
just always assumed you only got one commercial, you got multiple. No.
The first audition I ever went out for was this
new serial that was coming out called Oatmeal Raising Crisp.
And I remember I was just like, I'm just gonna
sing because I never heard the song. It was like,

(20:39):
look what they've done. It's an old song, and I
was like, I'm just gonna sing. And I remember singing
it and then being like, oh, he's so adorable. And
then what I did on the audition wasn't exactly what
I had to do in the commercial. Like in the commercial,
I had to be like, look what they've done to Oatmeal,
And in the audition I had, I was and I
remember in the audition I was like, look what they've done.

(21:05):
Look what they've done to me. Now, for goodness, say
the gout and Crisp flakes with the whole new taste. Yeah,
look or what they've done too Little Meal, right, And
so I that's what I did. I pretty much went

(21:26):
on the audition. It was like trying to Christina Aguilera
the part just like every and I got it. And
then when I got to the audition, I mean to
the to the actual shoot, I tried to do that
and they're like, no, no, no no, no, no. Your line
is look what they've done to all meal and you
have to do it in like and you have to
do it in five seconds for three seconds, and I

(21:48):
was like, oh shut. So the commercial comes out and
you know, it's the quickest thing ever at the end
of every one of them too, and it played everywhere
for such a long time. Look what they on twolt
meal And that was it. I gotta look that one
up on YouTube. I've only find it, I'm sure. And
then and then after that was Turbo Graphics sixteen, right,

(22:10):
I don't remember. It was that Turbographic sixteen, which was
like right around the time Sega came out and all
of that stuff, and then came to Folders coffee commercial.
Oh no wait, Foldiers came before Tobo Graphics that's right,
I take that back. So surely what was it like
as a mom? You know, and this business is so
close to impossible and then here's your twelve year old

(22:32):
book in commercials that must have been exciting. Well, I
was running a theater and so I couldn't take him.
So I would take I would hire the actors to
take him to his shoots because I couldn't go. So
um yeah, so um. So you really never got to
experience it and other than watching it, huh, except for

(22:54):
when we did the Folders commercial. You did come with
me to that art, Yeah I did. I did go
to the Folders commercial, and I went to Washington, DC
when you shot the Polaroid commercial that never aired. That
never aired, right, right, Yeah, so I did go to
that one, but I never I never, like one time
he would go to California and test I'd never went.
I went once. I went once. I went once. That

(23:16):
was when Tevin Campbell blew me out the water. No,
Grandma was with me when that happened. Yeah, what happened.
So I went on an audition back in the day
for this Quincy Jones pilot, right, and uh it was
about the dude who got The star of the show
was Skippy from Family Ties. Remember Skippy Alice's best friend. Yeah,

(23:38):
so he's the lead on the show and he plays this,
he plays like this record producer or something like that,
and uh, out of New York. I was the one
that made it out of New York. But I had
to go to LA. I get how old you at
this point. I'm not even in high school yet, you
know what I mean? So you end up a guardian
to fly with you. Yes, And so my grandmother went

(23:59):
with me, right, and you know, we get there and
I'm feeling good. I'm singing in the audition. I come
out to Tina Arnold's there and she's like, wow, that
was really good. Now I had seen her in little
Shop already. She was a little Shop of horror already,
and she was in all of these other things, and
I was like, holy cow, A bona fide celebrity, a
bonafide star told me. I did a good job on

(24:20):
this audition. So I'm like, I think I got this.
I go to LA with my grandmother. We walk in
t Shirt Campbell's at the audition. Like now it's like
big leagues. Now, it's like, holy cow. Everybody is here,
and there's these two kids there that are auditioning for
my part, but I had never heard of him. One's

(24:40):
name was Rosan Patterson and the other kid's name was
Tevin Campbell. And I'm like, there's no way these two
suckers is gonna be me for this part. I can't
wait to go in. So Rasan Patterson goes in first,
crushes I'm like he was good, yes, but I like,
I'm like, I got this. Tevin Campbell goes in next.

(25:04):
I don't know if you people out there know who
Tevin Campbell is. Tevin Campbell is the one that sang
uh that way, talk for a minute, not just that,
but at the time, I guess tomorrow will bring a
better than you, a better than me, and know the
will show this world right whatever that song was. And
then after that he's had songs like can we talk

(25:27):
for a minute, girl, I'm on to know your name? Right,
He's had several gonna light a lighter pretty soon, several
hits six. Then he goes in and fucking slays Now
to go after him? Yes, Now I go in. The
piano player is not in my key and he's singing

(25:50):
that he's playing the ship real high. So now I'm like,
you and I must make a pat and I'm like,
I fucking don't get I'm not gonna get this part.
I was like, at least when when they have me read,
I know, I'll take these guys out because I know
I can read, right, I know, I know these guys
are singers. But I'm the actor in the bunch they

(26:10):
had me read, No, they didn't even get I didn't
even get to the read. They were like, after I finished,
I came out, I sat down and I could tell
people in the audience were like, I mean in the
in the audition, like it didn't go that well. They're like,
and I'm sitting there and my grandmother's like, you did
all right, baby, don't worry about it, and uh they
come on, they go, Donald, you can leave now, thank you.
And I was like and like I had my suit kake,

(26:36):
like we had just got off the plane, like all
of that shit, like you know what I mean, Like
it hurts. And then that night we we hung out
with the other girl who didn't get the part also
and we went bowling and all of that stuff. But
I just remember walking as soon as I was done singing.
They were like, thank you Donald, and I was like, oh,
and all because the pianist wasn't playing it in your key,

(26:58):
you know, all because Tevin Campbell got in my freaking soul.
And always it always sucks when you can you know,
sometimes for those you don't know, when you're in an
audition room, you can hear it's like you're I just
outside the door, and so you can hear other people going,
and that just can be such a mind fuck if
it's but it could be a boost if the person
sucks and you're like, oh, I got the I remember

(27:20):
sitting in waiting rooms when I first got to Hollywood,
and I look around the waiting room and I'd just
be so insecure, and all these guys were so good looking,
and I'd be like, I'm never gonna what the fuck
am I doing? And these guys are like models. And
then I'd hear them go and I'd be like, oh, well,
I can act. I've got a shot. Remember when Sean

(27:43):
Wayne Wayne sent you to the bathroom. Yeah, so no,
not Sean Marlin. So I grew up with So I
grew up with Marlon Wayne's Omar Epps. They went to
LaGuardia and this my brother, my friend Mitchy, and the
three of them. They're like best friends. They like the
three amigoes. But I used to ride the train at
the bus from my school all the way up to

(28:07):
one hundred and twenty fifth Street where the National Black
Theater was pretty much every day, so I would and
they would ride all the way uptown too, So I
was always with them, and you know, I got to
know them and we would laugh and shoot the ship
all the time, and you know, sometimes hang out after
school like you know. It was. It was they were
friends of mine. And one I didn't know, Marlon, was

(28:31):
an actor. And one time I went on an audition
and he was there and I was like, hey, man,
what are you doing here. He's like, I'm auditioning. He's like,
what are you doing here? I was like, I'm auditioning.
I was like where where where's the room at? Oh?
He goes. He says, it's down the hall. It's that way,
go through that door, through that door, and then around
the corner and then it's like the last door all

(28:51):
the way down the corridor. And I was like, thanks, man.
I was like, break a leg. He was like, you two.
It looked like he was getting on the elevator. I
walk all the way down there, no after signing it. No,
I walk all the way down there, and it turns
out to be the bathroom, and I'm like, what the fuck?

(29:12):
But I come all the way back and where the
signing sheet was was the door to go into the audition.
So I opened the door to go in the audition
and he's sitting in the room smiling at me like
hey man, and he totally mind fucked me. I didn't
get that part either. Man. There's so many tricks that
people do as as actors in the waiting room, Like
you'll see there's the guy who tries to keep you

(29:35):
talking the whole time. Yeah, so you're not, so you're
not getting in your head about like getting in your
great headspace to go in and kill it. Did I
tell you guys about the guy used to come out
of every audition crying. I forgot in case he was
that that The short version is he'd come out, he'd
be crying. We will all be looking at the pages
like where the fuck is the crying scene? And he

(29:57):
would just throw it in because he could cry and
queue like that and he'd be like, he'd be like
swiping his tears. He'd come out of like good luck everybody,
bregger leg. We're like, what's going on? And then I
once finally asked him. I was like, dude, why are
you crying in every audition? He's like, hell, people love
them when you can cry like that. They don't care
if it's even in the scene. They just they think
you're a good actor. I'm like, well, how do you
do that? He goes, I just think of anyone doing
anything mean to animals. And I was like, and I'm

(30:21):
sitting there like thinking of people doing mean things to animals,
and no tears are coming. I'm like, I hate that, man.
I mean, I love it. It's a it's a great
skill to have. But you know, crying doesn't make you
a good actor. No, I know, I'm just talking about mine.
I'm just talking about going off of what you said
about all the shenanigans that happened in casting waiting rooms

(30:43):
and people trying to mind fuck each other. Yeah, and
it still happens. Like I'll go on auditions now, uh,
Like I auditioned for a television show two years ago
when everybody was auditioning and you could still go out.
And this one person in the waiting room just kept
talking to me. I was like, dude, I know what
you're doing. Please stop, and it's okay, you don't have

(31:05):
to do this. We're all gonna get don't have to
do this. Man, he just kept doing it, and I
was like, you know what, I'm gonna just step outside. Yeah,
since since I've been an agent, um, we should get
into that story before we Well we can, we can
do them simultaneously, but but yeah, surely tell us about

(31:25):
what you're about to say. And then I want to
ask you a question about agent. Right, Well, since I've
been an agent. Um. Uh, there was a mother that
would take her child to the audition and they would
bring their Boa constructor with them. So if you could
imagine a bunch of kids an audition and somebody walks
in with a Boa constructor, right, they're all the kids

(31:47):
are going crazy for the snake. Yeah, pet the snake
and hold the snake and not really concentrate or be
afraid or be afraid of the snake or whatever it is.
It can be such a you know, you can work
a week on an audition. It's like, you know, it's
the analogy. I often think it was the Olympics, and
that it doesn't matter how long you're trained, It doesn't
matter how great you were in your home gym or
in your living room. All that matters is what you

(32:09):
do when you walk in that room, and and you
can get so easily. Well, it's easy to get mind
fucked by what's happening outside the room and what's going
on in your head that day. Yeah, it's yea. The
distraction is real. And you only get one shot when
you go in an audition too. That's that's the thing
that they don't you know, that's the thing that they
don't train you for. You can rehearse and rehearse and

(32:32):
rehearse and rehearse. One slip up and you know, casting
most likely is moving on. You know, for the most part,
if you can walk in and give perfection when you audition,
you're most likely going to get the part. If you
have if you if you have the look, that's a bonus.

(32:53):
But if you can deliver that one time, right now, deliver,
they're gonna hire and an injury and in an interesting
way that's unique and different, different from the everybody else.
But wait, Sureley, I want to go back to just
like it's keeping in Donald's careers. So then what what
was the next big thing Donald? Was it Clueless or Titans? No,

(33:14):
I didn't. I did a bunch of really small indie
movies that turned out to be really big before that,
before I did Clueless, and before I did remember the Titans,
like I did, um this movie sugar Hill. Well, I
did a bunch of television like you know, like little
parts here on TV. And we met Wesley Snipes, and
I remember I auditioned for sugar Hill and got the part,

(33:37):
and I had worked. Wesley Snipes walked me and my
mom home to the subway? Was it to the subway
or was it? What was it? Oh? I don't remember that, Okay.
So when I got a I got a small part
where I was where New York was. The name of
the show was called Help and New and New York

(33:57):
was overrun by rats in the in one of the episodes,
and I had one line. And you know, they made
me dress up like a like a like I was
a street thug, and you know, the news is on
me and I'm rapping to the camera and I go, hey,
new York don't worry about nothing. We here to do
some serious rap busting. And I got a bat in

(34:19):
my hand, right And Wesley Snipes plays like a cop
on the show. And after I did that scene, he
walked with me and my mom to the subway station.
He walked us to the subway station. He gave us
his old spiel on Noah, who he was and what
he had, you know what he was up to. About
four years later, I guess it was my senior year.

(34:42):
And it wasn't my senior, junior or senior year in
high school. I got a part. I started getting small
parts in movies. Juice was first, and then sugar Hill,
and Wesley Snipes was in sugar Hill, and I remember
we're doing a bunch of scenes and stuff and I
was like, you know where you met me, do you?
He's like, of course I do. Man. We met one

(35:03):
help nine one one back, you know, a few years ago.
You know, I'm really happy you here right now. And
I was like, holy shit, Wesley Snipes remembers me. This big,
this big, huge star remembers me. But then there were
small roles in small movies that turned out to be
like either a hood classic, like Juicon and sugar Hill,
a Straighthood classics man Michael Michael writes in one is

(35:26):
in sugar Hill like it's It's It's. I was very
lucky to be around a lot of the people I
grew up with in the building that my mom lives
in now. So like h Wesley Snipes, Michael Wright, all
of these actors would come and frequent Manhattan Plaza. Yeah,
what was it surely about that building that attracted so

(35:48):
many actors. Well, what happened was that UM Manhattan Plaza
was supposed to be a luxury building and UM and
because the convention Center was supposed to be built where
it is now, but but years before the convention center
didn't happen then, and so UM the actor's Equity and

(36:13):
SAG lobbied for the building to be UM residence for artists.
But so who was the head? Who was the person
who spearheaded that uh punjab from Annie right, the guy
who played yes Um, Jeoffrey Holder. Jeffrey Holder. Jeffrey Holder

(36:34):
was one of the people seven up guy, Yeah, Sebastian
from a Little Mermaid Too. Yeah, So there were quite
there were quite a few people that that wanted it
to be an artist. Um complex. So seventy percent of
the people that moved into the building were either performing

(36:58):
artists or artist personnel. So so. UM, screenwriters like Angela
Lansbury lived here Tennessee. Williams left here now, Nel Carter
um and and Alicia Keys was grew up with shown
here and um it was a building it is still
a building for a performing artists. Wow. So wow, yes, yes,

(37:23):
I mean, and it's so amazing because Umm, I'm on
the Tennants Association here, I'm one of the vps, and
we try to make sure that, um, we have things
in the building that support artists and support um so
so so like during COVID we did um concerts on

(37:44):
the plaza where people could where people could actually sit
on their balconies and listen to the music. UM yeah um.
And then on the quiet Park, which is another part,
we'd have string orchestras out there and um, so that
people that lived in that area would be able to

(38:07):
view it. When I think about it, Mom, you set
me up to be what I am right now because
of you, know, your your tenacity to get into the building.
First of all, like you were like, I'm gonna get
us into this building and I did that. And so
then now I'm surrounded by all of these actors and
musicians and entertainers and writers. And like Larry David's from

(38:30):
Manhattan Seinfeld is based on Manhattan Plaza, you know what
I mean. Larry David's uh neighbor, right, He's no, he
wasn't No Kramer, Kenny Kramer. I grew up with his daughter,
you know what I mean. And so and so, like,
I was always around actor, so it was always a
possibility in my mind, I can do it. I've seen

(38:52):
I've seen my neighbor do it, my next door neighbors
on freaking Broadway. But you know what I mean. So
I always thought, and you're right in the middle of it.
I mean, you're you're you're a block from Times Square
where it's all happening, but not just that. But then
I would go uptown to Harlem and my mom's directing plays,
and you know what I mean. So I'm like, I
can do this. I know I can do this. It's
in my bo I'm seeing my mom do it. I

(39:12):
know I can do it. And so I knew at
a very young age I was going to be an actor.
And it's really because of you, mom, because you kind
of set me up to be where I'm at right now.
No people talk about momagers and everything like that. My
mom wasn't a momager or anything like that. But I
missed out on quite a few things, Like I was
a pretty good athlete. I missed out on basketball. I

(39:32):
missed out on baseball, like like real big games and stuff.
My mom would be like, you have an audition and
I would never get those parts. But she was setting
me up for you know, success, and I appreciate that
so much more. Oh, thank you, thank you. Let's take
a break. We'll be right back after these fine words.

(39:59):
Surely tell us about um, like what was what was
a big like he was getting these smaller parts? And
then what did you feel? And I don't know the
chronology if it was clues or titans, but when what
was like a oh shit, next step for Donald's career? Mmmm? Um?
How about when were you like, oh shit, he's going
to do it, He's really going to do it. No,

(40:21):
I knew, I knew it was going to do it
from the very beginning, and it wasn't you know. You know,
there's sometimes when there are kids that there's a point
in their life where they do a whole bunch of
stuff and then they don't do anything else. Yeah. Uh,
he had a steady, constant career. So maybe he might
do one thing a year or two things a year,

(40:42):
but he would always do something. So I knew that
it was it was something that was constant. It wasn't
something that was just oh, he's cute right now, and
so he's going to work right now. I was really
clear that he was going to there was going to
be longevity, yeah, in his career and um, and so
we supported him and in doing that. Um. And I

(41:06):
remember one year we went to the movies to see something.
I don't remember what it was, but but uh, the
preview for Upcoming Attractions came on and there he was
and it was New Year's Eve. I think that we
had gone to the movies and it was like, oh
my god, he's His scene was in the Coming Attraction

(41:29):
and I was I was like, oh my goodness, this
is amazing. You know, the whole movie was that Donald
probably remember The Titans. No, it was before I remember
the Titans. Oh yeah, I don't think I am okay, sure,
I remember when I knew that it was. I didn't.
I knew that I had reached a level. When I

(41:51):
was Disney rented out a movie theater for my mom
and all of her friends and myself to go watch.
Remember the Titans wo word came out, and that was
when I was like, holy shit, it's it's you know,
I had done Clueless already. I had done Weight in
the Exhale already, But that's when I was like, holy shit.
Like there's a scene in Um Notorious where Biggie's sitting

(42:14):
down and he's listening in the sky as a limit.
He's like, hofully shit, I did it. Yeah, I did it.
I'm the best rapper alive. I did it. I did it,
And I didn't think I was the best actor alive,
but I was like, holy shit, I did it in
a movie with an actor. My mom has always talked
about my whole ever since. I can remember Denzel like this,

(42:37):
Like I used to make a joke. There's three pictures
in the house growing up. There was a picture of Jesus,
picture of doctor Martin Luther King, and then the picture
of Denzel Washington. You know. I used to yeah, right
and so and so my I remember doing being there

(42:58):
and seeing my mom um, my friends, everybody like caught
up in this movie and not really thinking about me
in the movie, just being caught up in the in
the moment, you know what I mean, in the in
the magic and saying, holy shit, I did it. I
fucking I finally I did it. I did it' I
know I knew walking out of that theater. My mom
was on cloud nine because of it, even if I

(43:21):
don't know if she liked Clueless. I don't know if
you liked. I'm sure you liked Waiting the Exhale, but
I knew you were on cloud nine when you walked
out in the theater after watching Remember the Titans, because
everybody else was, you know what I mean. Yeah, yeah.
The thing about Remember the Titans also that I loved
was was the historical, historical element about it. And and

(43:42):
and I remember watching it and there was a moment
where everybody, all my friends, we all just stood up.
I mean, it was just so it was it was
just so emotional, you know, and m and it holds up.
I mean I just recently saw it for the first time, uh,
which Donald loves to talk about, but I you know,

(44:05):
it holds up today. I was on the verge of
standing up in the planting when I watched it in
my house. It's one of those Yeah, I knew after that.
I was like, you know, whatever happens after this is gravy.
I had no idea that Scrubs would be next, like
it went from. My twenties were fucking awesome because of
the work that I got to do Clueless, remember the

(44:28):
Titans waiting to exhale Scrubs, Like all of those things
came into play in my twenties. Surely do you remember
um just down that he brought up Scrubs? Do you
remember like that, like finding out that he got it,
like knowing that he had, that he was a serious
contender for it, and that all of a sudden he
got this primetime show. Jan knew nothing about it until

(44:48):
we came to upfronts and I took it up front. Yeah, really,
what's that story? You just you didn't because you didn't
want to. You didn't want to, like hover be well,
I had been on a television I had been on
a television. I'd been on several television shows before, or
Scrubs that you had done Clueless and Felicity and right
that we're struggling to stay on the air, you know
what I mean, right, like really struggling. So then what

(45:10):
did you tell her at the upfronts? Like how did
that go down? I was like, Hey, I got a show.
Why don't you come and be the upfront. That's the
year that they were like, Donald, you didn't get the memo.
It was that year? Oh ye was that year one? Yeah,
we all went to our first big event and we
were all dressed up and Donald's like in sweatpants. And
I remember, like some photographers like, what's the matter? Donald
didn't get the memo? Right? But anyway, my mom for

(45:34):
the first time, so because you know, they would play
a sizzle reel of the show at the upfront and
she saw it for the first time. She was like
it's really good. Oh my god, it's so good. I
can't believe this is so good. And I was like, yeah,
we'll see how it goes. We'll see how it goes.
And that night I gave Jeff Zucca a nuggie. Yeah
good times. Yeah, Um, Mom, I want to talk about

(45:56):
one thing, so, um, let's talk about how you became
an agent. Yeah, because that was really interesting to me.
I remember you just always being like, I'm going to
be involved in your career, and I remember me always
fighting you, saying there's no way I'm ever gonna let
you be a part of all of this. And then
the next thing I know, you were working at my
agent's office. Yeah. Well, okay, So I became an It

(46:19):
was a life change, a career change, because I had
been working in theater. I had been a development officer,
I've been a director, I've been a producer, I've been
executive director. And at some point I got burnt out.
And also, um, me and Donald's father broke up, so um,

(46:41):
I and I worked with him, and so I wanted
to do something different. And Shoot was working at the
agency when he wasn't working, um, you know, pulling pictures
and director. Oh Carson Evler agency, so famous agency in
New York. Yeah, so Shon was working at the agency,

(47:04):
UM as an assistant, and he was gonna go to
do something. It wasn't clueless because I was there when
he got clueless. It was something else. He was going
to test for something. And um and for me, yeah
you did. You asked me to cover for you while
because I wanted to shift what I was doing and

(47:26):
so I covered for him, and when he got back,
he didn't have a job. This sounds like the funniest movie.
I would so watch this movie. A guy had a
job and he's like, mom, I need a favorite I
came back. They were like, you can't work here no more.
That we're talking about your mom's running the place, like yeah,

(47:49):
I mean now now it's to the point where she's
a partner. And I was saying, of course, we want
I want to hear that, but I think it's funny
that your mom was doing your job so well that
they were like, numb bro, sorry you're gone. Well, I
was horrible at the job, Like I sucked at it.
I was really bad. It has a lot to There
was a lot of typing and spelling and reading involved,
and Zach, you know me, I'm not strong in any

(48:10):
of those categories. So yeah, I had to I had to. Uh,
I had to relinquish that job. And that was and
that was before UM word processing, so it was a
type writer, right. UM I went and I and I
covered for him, and I communicated that I wanted to
become an agent. And so after about six months of

(48:34):
being quote unquote an assistant, UM, I got my subfranchise
and I UM and so UM Carson Adler was known
as a children's agency, and Nancy asked me what I
wanted to do, and I it's hard working with parents,
it really is. And so I said, I wanted to
focus more on young adults and adults. So I started

(48:57):
the UM the Young adult adult vision of the division
of the agency and come quite successful. Let's talk about
some of the people that you represented or some of
the people that have come through that agency that are
now big time in Hollywood. Like well, one of my
one of my clients was Constant School. I represented her
right out of college. UM I represented las Alonzo, UM,

(49:23):
I've represented um bb Winan's Stephanie Mills, UM, Robin Givens Um. Yeah.
Let's talk about some of the kids that you used
to take to her their auditions, Like did you ever
use is it true, used to take Kristen Bell to
her auditions? And yes I did. I did because she
would fly in from Chicago and Nancy would pick her

(49:46):
up from the airport and bring it to the agency,
and then I would take her to her auditions, and
then Nancy would take her back to the airport and
she would fly back to Chicago. At the end of
the day, I ran into Liam Michel h yeah, uh
huh yeah, and the same thing with her, right, yeah,
well Leah, Leah would Leah lived in New York, right,

(50:09):
um um and um so so she so she actually
would go at her own auditions, but she would. She
would come in the office a lot in Bethany Joy
lens Um, David Krumholtz, Rum, I remember crum Holts back
in the day. Yeah, I was a kid actor at
a place called Fox albert You remember them, Oh, yes,

(50:31):
I do. I remember Fox Alberts. So that's where I was.
And I would and it was a similar situation to you.
I'd come in and I was too young. Sometimes I
was too young in the beginning, and I'd have a
guardian or someone with me, and sometimes someone from the
agency would take me around because I was so young
and wide eyed and didn't know New York. Yeah, it's
really interesting how many people come up to me in Hollywood.

(50:53):
You know. It used to be everybody who was African American,
like your mom was my agent and New York City.
It happens to me too anyway. When I when I
walk around Manhattan, or the theater district. People know that
I know you obviously, and they use Shirley as a
way to start talking to me. They're like, I know
Shirley phase on, and I'm like, everybody knows Shley, Pa,

(51:16):
we're in the theater district. But that's something that you
really like. That's where you thrive. Also, like you had,
You've had, you have people that turned into movie stars
and stuff like that, But you thrive on Broadway and
off Broadway, right m hmm, yeah, well before the pandemic,
because Broadway is not happening right now. But um, Hamilton,

(51:38):
Lion King name Michelle? What about what was the one
that Zach and I love so much? You'll have to
be more specific, the one the one with the Josh
Gad that Josh Gadd was in Oh Book of Mormon. Oh, yes,
I've had, I've had people in Book of Mormon. Yes. Um,

(51:58):
surely this is a question I get all the time
and I never know the answer to it because I
was a kid actor and uh and I had and
I had a weird kind of waning into the business.
But for those people listening who either they or they
have a child that aspires like, how do you even
begin to get an agent in two thy twenty one, Like,
I don't even I don't even know what to tell
people how to how to do it. Um. There's several

(52:20):
ways um as an agent, I go to showcases so
UM and if there's a reputable school, um that you
go to when they do a showcase, I'll go to
the showcase if they hold a showcase, and I will
UM see who I like and speak to the person

(52:40):
who teaches the classes about that particular person. Or a
teacher might say, you know, I have an incredible student
that I would like for you to UM to see.
Also um. Also UM, I go to shows um off Broadway,
off off Broadway, UM little theaters, and if there's someone

(53:03):
that I like, I will speak to whomever to get
in touch with them. UM. Sometimes UM, I might see
a YouTube video and and and it's like, oh my god,
that person's amazing, UM, and I might try to reach
out to them. That's a little you know, if a

(53:24):
person has a whole lot of followers and you know,
a larger agency is gonna try to scoop them, grab
them before I can get to them. But but um,
the most important thing, it seems like is to find
a way to not only be in something right, but
then get talent agents to come to the thing. I mean,
that's that's the most important thing, is to have them

(53:45):
see you do something right. Yes, exactly. You guys don't
do open calls anymore, like have people come in and
just well I have to do that with screen actors
guilt and with Actors' Equity Association, um. But as far
as people just coming into the office and doing an
open call that way, No, I make appointments and now
during COVID, I do zoom appointments. When I was at

(54:08):
my last year in Northwestern, they had a we had
a showcase and that was really that was really helpful.
We did they invite casting directors and agents and managers
and you do like a dramatic monologue and a no sorry,
I did a dramatic scene in a comedic scene. And
you know, I don't think anything really fully materialized from it,
but it was like a good It was good experience.

(54:29):
And I got some some nimbles, and I remember one
of them was from Blue Man Group because they were
just they were just looking for anyone that was six
feet tall blue makeup. Yeah, and I was like we
Basically their attitude was like, we could teach you everything.
We could teach you to drum, we could teach you
to whatever you need to do, but we need to
be six foot tall and milling to shave your head
and turn blue. I was like, no, I'm good, thanks,

(54:52):
and didn't flash forward to Blue Man Group on Scrubs, right,
and then we had them on Scrubs. There you go. Yeah,
we have a caller mom. Yeah, usually your mom might
not even know that we take callers. We take callers
on this show for you know, the three times that
you've listened, I'm sure you. We don't know if you've
made it to the caller section. Yes, I have, I have. Okay,

(55:16):
we're gonna have it. We're gonna bite a callering and
we're gonna they're gonna ask two questions, right Joel, and
then we're gonna and then we do a segment called
fix their Life or you're gonna We're gonna list you
to help us fix their life. Okay, we become pop
psychologists for ten minutes. Um, we need to do that.
We'll go to break though, right, Okay, we're gonna say
a commercial break and we'll be right back for um.

(55:47):
All right, so Joel Daniel, bring in the guest and
let's wow them on a Sunday or it comes day
my birthday. When you're listening to thee, here comes Teddy Shapiro.
Teddy Shapiro, give it up for a theory Chapiro under

(56:10):
as applause. Oh my god, there you are? Are you?
How are you? Theodore? I am great? Thank you? Donald?
How are you? I am well? Thank you for asking.
You're having my lovely mother Shirley phase on with us.
Missus Payson, how are you? I'm good? How are you to?

(56:32):
I'm good? Thank you? And we have some course legendary
Daniel in legendary Joel pleasure, welcome, and that right there
is the one and only Zach Brath. Yes, I have
on my terry cloth shirt for you today because it's
a gorgeous daye Los Angeles and beautiful day in Chicago.
I didn't want you to see me naked, so I
put my terry cloth shirt on. Thank you. Um, how

(56:53):
welcome to the program. We're so happy you're here. You
have the added advantage of having the legendary Shirley phaise
On on the program. Do you have a question for
us that we can answer. I do, I do. Um.
My first question is for Donald and Zach, is you know,
I know you guys are best friends, But when do
you guys first feel like that connection and when do

(57:14):
you guys first realize like, oh, this is gonna be
my man and my man for like ever? Instantaneously? Yeah?
It was? I mean, well, Donald has a different answer.
It instantaneous. He had me at first hip hop hug.
But it wasn't a hip hop hug. It was a
hip hop hug. Donald, it wasn't Dick. I'm implying we
went growing to growing in Bill's living room. I don't

(57:35):
think so. I'm pretty sure we went growing to growing. No,
I think there was the arm barrier. There was no barrier.
There was no barrier. There was. It was a hey, hey, heyy,
and then a big Donald was I've said this before,
but I was nervous because I was I knew that
I knew who he was, obviously he was a famous actor,
and I was kind of like, what's it gonna be, Like,

(57:57):
he's gonna play my best friend? Will he be cool?
Will he be a right again? Well? What was su
vibe going to be? And we were in bills in
Christa's living room and he was at the bar. There
was a you know, a little bar area, and he
turned around he went hey, and I was like, oh,
I already loved this guy. And then we had a
big hug which may or not been grun to growing
didn't recall and um, and we never looked back. Donald,

(58:19):
When did you think that you realized that I knew
we were best friends when we were living in New
York one year after the first season of Scrub. We
were living in New York and we were in our
underwear playing ping pong. Yes, And I was like, I
asked my best friend, Yeah, legendary. And I had to
break into Donald that his room was the laundry room

(58:41):
because I had gotten my first and he was like,
I'm not Benson. So I wound up staying like on
a cot right outside of him. No, it wasn't a cot,
it was a bed. It's just it was very intimate.
We we basically shared a room. Yes, I'll look at
the martini coming out of Teddy. All right, Teddy, look
at you. It's not what it's seven or six six six?

(59:02):
All right? All right, go for yours, all right, Teddy
next question, go um, and then just what kind of
what actor, producer, writer, director kind of had the most
profound impact on yours and Donald's career from you know
going forward. Well, I'm gonna give a controversial answer, but

(59:24):
it's not it's the answer. I'm gonna be the true answer,
which is Woody Allen. And I know that that's extraordinarily
because of all the stuff we're learning now. But when
I was growing up, he was a godhead to my family.
It was my parents' favorite. It's all. You know, if
we if the humor was what we grew up on,
it was, you know, that sort of East Coast neurotic

(59:45):
Jewish guy, and I think it did. It didn't form
a lot of my comedic timing. He wasn't the only one.
There were others like Neil Simon and mel Brooks and
but definitely my mother and father's love of his movies
was was sort of ingrained upon on us that that's
that's what was funny. That was that comedic timing and
and and and his style of storytelling was was definitely

(01:00:08):
very impactful, and I think impactful on on the films
that I'm that I made as well. Um, So I was.
I'm a huge fan of Star Wars, so Harrison Ford
and Billy d Williams are you know, like when I
was a kid, that was what was cool to me
when I became When I got to high school though,

(01:00:29):
Codeem Hardiston was my like. I idolized Codem Hartist. I
even had the glasses that flipped up, you know what
I mean. He played Dwayne Wayne on A Different World,
which was a spin off from the Cosby Show, and
I thought he was, you know everything, Like I even

(01:00:49):
tried to dress like him. Any movie that he was in,
from like School Days to Vampire in Brooklyn. I had
to see it, you know, and um, white men can't
jump and uh. He's also the one that kind of
when I was at a point where I needed to Okay,
what am I gonna do? How am I gonna do this?

(01:01:10):
I performed in front of him once and he came up. Um,
you know it was it was a bunch of us performing,
but I had a monologue and after the show was over,
he came to me and hugged me and squeezed me tight.
He's like, yo, man, that was all amazing, and he
kind of set me on the adult path of yo.

(01:01:30):
If Kadem, Hardison says, I could do it. If the
dude that I tried to be like came here and
told me I was amazing, I'm going forward. I'm going
for this and Kadem and then also Denzel Washington. Yeah
does Kadem? What? Did he still work? He was absolutely.
I haven't seen him that much, but he was so good.
So something I saw him in something recently. Um, there

(01:01:54):
was a it was a short lived TV series. Now
he was on a long lived TV series with Zindeya.
He was on her Tell. They did a television show
together on Disney. I think okay, um easy he and
and I think he might be working right now on something.
He was So there was a point in our you know,
our childhoods when he that show was at its height

(01:02:17):
of popularity and everybody looked up to that guy. He was.
He was like the ultimate you know, he was kind
of like a Ferris Bueller type character. Yeah he was.
I hate to compare it like that, but yeah, he
was like the black Ferres Bueller like. He was the
dude that was kind of a geek but somehow got
the hot girl. And yeah, yeah he was on Casey Undercover.

(01:02:38):
That's what it was with he used his charms to
win over the ladies, Jasmine Guy and Lisa Boone. With
the two ladies that he used, you know what, I
you know what happens when when you say the word
Lisa Bonet to me, I hear this. I heard that.

(01:03:00):
I heard that man. Zoey fared too. Don't get it twisted.
She looked just like her mom, Dan, I need this
put in the sound pad. Who No, she's still she's

(01:03:22):
still a knockout man. She's she's prettier than ever. Yeah.
Her daughter is like an amazing actress too. Yeah, all right,
it's time for Chicago's favorite segment, Shirley. This is when
we fix yo. All right, sir, we are here and

(01:03:43):
we have a very brilliant mind, Shirley phase On, who's
a great mom and a great agent. She can help to.
What is your question? So I'm twenty four, you know, um,
just out of college, and I'm still trying to find
my passion. I'm in a job that you know, I
like where I do, but I don't that's ships at
leaste myself doing it long term, and I'm just trying
to figure out. You know, you've all clearly found your

(01:04:04):
passion and what you want to do in your life,
and I'm just trying to figure it out. How do
I do that with mine? What do you love more
than anything? That's a hard question. I mean, what do
you do? What? What? What? Like? When you when you
forget anything that is a job related thing like take
money out of the equation? When you what? What do
you What's happening in your life that you're looking forward
to that you go, oh my god, I can't wait

(01:04:26):
for that. I mean it could be camping, it could
be traveling, it could be anything and everything that lights
you up that makes you go yes, X y Z
is happening. What is that? Well? I don't know if
Joel told you, but um, I actually am a cant survivor.
I'm a pedetric cantrasurvivor. So something that I do find
a lot of joy and passion in is working with

(01:04:48):
you know, kids who are in that kind of community
and you know, helping with that, Well, Bro, that's a
good That's a pretty amazing place to start. That sounds that.
I mean, if you're not doing that now, I would suggest,
I mean getting into that, especially if it makes you
happy at the at the foundation of everything. You have
to be happy, right. We all get into jobs and

(01:05:12):
at some point we realized this is this isn't for me.
For me, it was being an agent, an assistant at
an agent's office. I knew I didn't want to do
that after a few days of doing it, even though
I was getting paid. What made me happy was being
an actor, and so I my whole life. I pursued
that my mom was in theater. You could tell him,

(01:05:34):
You could tell them if you want to, But she
was in theater and halfway through her well, you know,
I don't know what it's. How old were you when
you decided to switch? Mom? You never asked. I was forty,
so you were forty years old. At forty, she was
looking for something that would make her happy and she

(01:05:56):
became an agent. Um, you know, if that makes you happy,
why not? Teddy? I just want to point something out
to you. You were kind of like shoulders over a
little bit, kind of soft spoken, and then as you
started talking about being a pediatric cancer survivor and helping someone,
your shoulders went back, your face lit up, your whole
posture changed. It's like it's there's something in you that

(01:06:18):
that lights up giving back the fact that the fact
that those people who obviously I'm sure made a difference
in your life when you were a child battling cancer,
And I mean that just goes to show you, like
that's when when Donald and I talk about performing or entertaining,
directing writing with that, that's what happens to us. We
lean forward, we get passionate, and we start just gesticulating

(01:06:41):
all over the place. And I think for you, that's
a good place to look. Now. I don't know you
would know better than us about what that looks like
if you're not going to go to medical school, but
I'm sure there's lots of different people that made a
difference in your life that you that you could take
on a similar role for children other children, right, M
definitely right. I guess welcome. What was your major? Not yet?

(01:07:09):
What was your major in college? I majored in management
and minored in general business and finance. What are you
doing now? I'm working as an audit and accounting at
a fortune five hundred company. So you're doing what you
went to school for pretty much more or less. Yeah,
I'm just yeah, doing numbers and you're ready to shift.

(01:07:31):
I think I mean, at a certain point I think
I am because this is I'm not driven by what
I'm currently doing, you know. Yeah, Now, what could you
do to set you on the course to to to
something that that that's in the spirit of what we're
talking about, I mean something I mean I want to
parlay to be able to if I could be able
to like work in this industry and be able to

(01:07:53):
provide for let's say, in my future family and beyond,
that's something I want to take an interest in because
you know, having that, you know, support, having you know,
monetary game is semi important to me as well, not
just not just you know, um, but yeah, so it's
just kind of trying to find something where I can marry,
like having a job that I'm comfortable in, as well

(01:08:15):
as doing something that like I can I'm able to
help you know, someone in my position or someone like that,
and and it's just kind of it's not an easy
medium to find, is what I've been looking into. Yeah,
the good thing about twenty four is, um, you don't
have a family yet, and you know obviously have to
pay for your rent and your food and your your survival.

(01:08:35):
But um, but you but now while you're young and
wide eyed. It's a great time to be trying and
exploring these things out. You know, the second you start
getting you know, having people that are reliant on you,
you have a lot less freedom and can be way
less nimble. You're in a twenty four is like, let

(01:08:56):
me try different things. I mean, obviously, I'm not an idiot.
I know you need to make enough money to pay
for your life. But it's a great time to try
out different things and and and you know, get it,
get exposed to new things. I agree, Joel Daniel. Do
you have any thoughts on the matter. Yeah, it doesn't
last forever. As soon as I turned thirty, suddenly it

(01:09:18):
was like, oh, grab so many things and people to
take care of. And yeah, I would say, if you're
gonna do the switch, do it, do it now, and like,
just fully embrace it. I have a lot of friends
who switched their careers around the same age as you
are now, and like, it's a it's a hustle, but
once you get there, oh man, what a joy to
do the thing that you love. Like it's still worked.

(01:09:40):
Don't let anyone tell you it's not work. It's still work,
but it is. It's better work. Yeah, and also, you know,
your skills apply to so many different things, like even
if you're not um, you know, specifically reaching out to
people and talking about your experience being able to you know,
use your accounting skills, use the skills you've learned in

(01:10:02):
schools to help out an organization that does that already,
and then including yourself into the story of what that
organization does. It's a way to you know, start that
transition into a new career without having to completely change
your life. Oh my god, that's great, great, gonna say,
come through, fantastic, Daniel, Daniel. Only one phrase comes to mind,

(01:10:28):
you honor me. No, listen, by the way, Teddy, that
was really that was better advice than I because you no,
because it's smart, he's smart. What he's saying is, take
your skill set, bring it to an organization that I'm
just making it up, that that specifically caters to and

(01:10:49):
helps families dealing with pediatric cancer, and say, hey, not
only can I help with the face to face stuff
I'm interested in that. I'm a survivor myself. I know
I no one has more empathy than me, but I
can also bring my accounting skills set. Do you guys
need that in your organization. I mean, you're you're a
home run candidate for someone who could be working for
an organization like that. That's great, Daniel, And let's let's

(01:11:11):
also be real. It's like, in the sector of helping people,
it's the area that has it has the least in
terms of people who are like able to crunch numbers
and people who know money and people who know business.
It's like, so often those kinds of people and this
is not a dig at those kind of people at all,
or those kinds of work, but so often those people
look for and move into huge companies, big money positions

(01:11:35):
and stuff like that. And you know, certain organizations that
need money or people that are good with money sometimes
flounder in those scenarios because people who want to help
people have the compassion but don't necessarily always have the
business mind or the skill set. So I think you
can be a huge asset to those companies. And also
think about it. If you're a parent or a child
going through cancer and the young man counseling you is

(01:11:57):
twenty four years old, super articulate, has the empathy and
he went through it and survived, Think how think of
the connection the young person would feel as opposed to
some older senior citizen or someone they might not be
able to relate to. That kid's gonna be like, oh
my god, look at Teddy. He's he survived and he's
great and he's thriving. And you'd be such a motivation

(01:12:18):
to a young person. I think, Wow, I'm fired up, Teddy.
All right. The good news is because you're an inspiration
and because um we like you extra special amount, and
in honor of Shirley phazons a visit, we are going
to send you a case of GT's kombucha. Yeah, there

(01:12:45):
is a tap at work of kombucha. I've not tried GTS,
but I'm trying to try. Well, Buddy. I see a
fridge behind you, and what I like to do is
stack mine up like I'm in a supermarket, and like
so it looks all nean and a lined. It might
be my ocd read by lind I like all my
bottles stacked up neatly and with the labels facing out.
You are getting a do we know what what? He's
probably getting an array of flavors, right, Joel, Well, A

(01:13:08):
little bit of everything, A sample sampler, A little sample
a sample case. So thank you, thank you to the
folks at GTS for that. And um and what can
we say. What we say is you're welcome, Teddy, You're welcome.
Thank you. M I have no doubt that you're going
to make a difference in people's lives. Donald and I
go out and hopefully make people laugh a little bit

(01:13:29):
and hopefully take their mind off some shit. But you're
you're someone who's getting to really have a noticeable impact
on people's lives. Yes, amen, surely, yes, don't don't don't
be shy. You can talk. It's okay. Oh no, no,
I'm not being shy. I think I think Teddy's going
to make a tremendous contribution to UM. There's there's so

(01:13:52):
many organizations you know, um that that do such great work.
They send me letters every month to give contribution. M hm.
And if Teddy, if Teddy changes his mind again and
wants the audition for the National Black Theater in Harlem,
would there be any opportunity for him there? And hold on, now,
don't get all crazy. They let white people do. All

(01:14:14):
you gotta do is live in Harlem. And I thought
it was an African American company you're saying you can
be well, you can you can be white and be
in the company. They do, they hope for you. You know,
She's like, you can be white and be in the company.
We need bad guys. But Teddy, it's true, that's true.

(01:14:57):
I'm just kidding or a great wife hope. All right?
That way, we'll wrap it up, Joel. What are we missing?
What do we gotta tell people? Um? Not much? Really,
I mean we should. We should thank everybody for that

(01:15:19):
live show show Holy cow man, Like we kept it
up for a week and the response was amazing, and
so thank you so much for thank you so much
for watching. We're probably gonna we we we had a
lot of fun. We're talking about doing one in the
summer again, right for some summer jam. I'm ready. And
then I think we should have I think we have.

(01:15:40):
We have Sarah and Johnny c on next one. We've
got a lot of requests for those two to make
up appearances again. So I definitely think we should do
one with Sarah and Johnny CE. So so look for
that information coming to you this summer. We should shout
out all the people that are on the front lines,
you know, people that we don't talk about somebody hitting
me up on the internet, and was like, you know,
you got as always talk about the people that work

(01:16:01):
in the hospital and stuff, but there are other people
on the front line that are I think we got this.
Our trash collectors who are still out here. Thank you.
Where would the world being without you? People who work
in a grocery store, my god, saviors, thank you for
keeping us stopped and fed. We appreciate you. Our teachers
and cross guards, everyone who's works in school systems helping

(01:16:23):
keep children educated when it's really scary to go outside
of your house. Bless you. Thank you whom I missing.
So many more, there are so many more. I just
want you to know that if you're out there and
you're fighting, you're helping us fight against COVID and keeping
America or the world safe. We appreciate you to the max,

(01:16:44):
like I can't tell you enough. I can't tell you enough.
Your contribution is definitely appreciated, and so thank you very much.
I want to sit yes, thank you for that, And
I want to say that the DGA Awards. Surely I'm
nominated for a DG Award. Can you believe that's amazing? Amazing?
They're April tenth, and um, I don't think we're going

(01:17:06):
to record another show before then, right, Um no, send
this the next Sunday. It's sorry, next Saturday. Okay, so
we won't. We're doing one a week for now, guys,
because as you know, Donald and I are both working,
and we'll come back with a episode rewatch for you

(01:17:26):
next weekend. But um so, anyway, I've been working on
my face because you know what the award shows. The
camera's on you, it's going to be a zoom camera,
but they're gonna and you suppost if you don't win,
you have to be happy for the other people. So
I've been practicing that in case I do you do
you want to see what it looks like? Yes? Yeah,
all right, so Donald, you to say and the winner
is not Zach Braf. Wait, what can I ask you

(01:17:51):
a question? Who are you looking at when? Well? It's
funny because you know when normally, when you're in an
audience and an award show, you look around your people
around you and you're in the room by yourself right now,
I know, but my natural instinct as an actor was
to act like I was looking around at my fellow
audience members that he deserves. You know what I think
I combine that with a smile and a head nod. No,

(01:18:14):
this is what I think. If you're going to do that,
you need to make it so the camera is square
up on your face like it is with me right now,
so when you look to the side, it's like situation.
You could even down probably okay, because you mean the
zoom window will be all of us like this. Absolutely,
that's funny. Okay, good, let me let me try it

(01:18:34):
one more time. Okay, here we go, and the winner
is Revel Wilson. I guess it's sort of a visual joke.

(01:19:00):
I think it would be better if you look disappointed. Okay,
let me do a disappointed version and the and the
winner is Diablo Cody disappointed money like everyone always does

(01:19:30):
the they deserve to win. I'm happy for them. Clad
What if I just did it the other way? Like
this is fucking an instant Twitter meme, and I threw
something like through I dare you idle my table? What
if I flipped my table? Don't do that. Don't don't
do that. Don't do it, speaking of Diablo Cody. Speaking
of Diablo Cody, she wrote power Puff and so I'm

(01:19:53):
working with her right now. I did not know that.
Oh my god, I'm so this job is so cool.
I'm so happy for you. So I'm all right excited
about that. Anyway, We love you. Please watch C Spiracy.
You want to say something, Teddy, Teddy, I mean, yeah,
when I was going through chemo, it was over nine
months and you know it's back in twenty fifteen, so

(01:20:15):
I was winning scrub over but having that rewatch and
having that, you know, I know you guys say how
I was so thankful for it now, but I was
so thankful for the show as it was going on
and having that through you know, my nine months a
year of chemotherapy and surgery and all that, it was
just such a helpful thing for me. It would helped
me connect with my doctors and nurses around me. So
I just think, I just thank you guys for what

(01:20:36):
you guys did and what you guys continue to do today.
Thank you, Thank you man. That means a lot of us.
I hope you know how much that means to us.
It really does mean a lot, and it makes it
all worth it. It makes you know, we just do
it to a camera and we don't have any idea.
So to hear an anecdote like that from you, it
means a great deal to us. So thank you so much, absolutely,
and surely you are an awesome guest. I hope you'll

(01:20:57):
come back and uh and visit us again. Talk about
your book, mom, Is there anything you want to plug? Oh? Yes, Um,
so I wrote a workbook for actors. It's called Seven
Rules to Thrive as a Performer and you can get
it on Amazon. It's a workbook, so it's um interactive,
so you have to write things down. Um. Yeah, seven

(01:21:20):
Rules to Thrive as a Performer. Yes, yes, okay, Joelle.
Joelle will put a link in our in our show notes,
and Donald and I will put a link in our
bios and we will. If you're an actor, this is uh,
this could be hell. And it's a workbook, so it's
an interactive thing you have to participate in, so don't
be lazy. You got to do the work. Yes, yes,
all right, um that note on that note, we love

(01:21:41):
you all. I'll have a great week, will say next time.
Seven eight about show we made about a bunch of
nurses story, So und do here a yeah around you

(01:22:02):
here as wretch me watch your Wesa. Mm hmmmm