October 31, 2024 • 32 mins
Actor Franky G shares on breaking ground as the lead in FOX's first Latino-centered dramatic show to leaving his mark as Xavier in the Saw franchise and captivating audiences in 50 Cent’s Power and BET's Family Business. Born and raised in Brooklyn to Puerto Rican parents, Franky shares his thoughts on the journey of Latino representation in the industry, balancing fatherhood and a 20 year marriage.
Dive into his incredible career, BTS stories, and what's next for this multi-talented actor. This one's all about legacy, culture, and heart. Franky G has repped Latinos in Hollywood for DECADES like no other.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
Grassias Come Again a podcast by Honey German.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Welcome back to Grassias Come Again. Today we have an
exceptional guest who's made significant strides in Hollywood. Hailing from
Brooklyn with Puerto Rican roots, Frankie G made history as
the first Latino to have a lead role in a
show on Fox. You might know him as the villain
from Saw or his unforgettable four season run on fifty
cents hit Serious Power, and currently he's captivating audiences inm
(00:30):
BT's The Family Business. Today, we are sitting down with
actor Frankie G, who's been in the game twenty years.
Am I getting the number right? Your career is impressive.
Thank you, and I want to start from the beginning.
Your first role Manito, ooh, you answered an ad in backstage?
Speaker 3 (00:49):
Yeah, it was the How old were you?
Speaker 1 (00:51):
First of all? I don't want to aid you, but
old enough to know better. Okay, where did you get
this magazine from?
Speaker 3 (00:57):
Not when they had the backstage out then? Back then
now when everyone used to go and you know, buy
it for like three dollars.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
Okay, so you bought it?
Speaker 3 (01:06):
So I bought it and I saw on an ad
that said Cruel World before it was called, and so
I read for just one of the roles, so the door.
When I spoke to the director, he said, no, no,
I don't want you for that role. I want you
for the lead. That the lead, and that was my
first lead I ever had. And so that's what happened,
you know. I just read it. He liked it, and uh,
(01:28):
that was it. We shot in Washington Heights.
Speaker 1 (01:31):
Had you gone to any additions before this, because yes
I did.
Speaker 3 (01:33):
I was doing some off off off Way off Broadway
place in theater. Yeah I was. I loved it. I
did Tiger the uh tiger wear necktie. I did Offense
and some other ones like off off Brother, but I
enjoyed that.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
Did you ever have a regular job before you got bounced?
Speaker 3 (01:53):
I did some bouncing job. I did private security and stuff,
and I was going for my engineer's license.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
Okay, and then Pivot and.
Speaker 3 (02:00):
Then when Manito what happened Manita got picked up to
go on to Sundance. I didn't know it was going
to get explode the way it did and Sundance, so
it was crazy because after that I went, I went,
I didn't know what was Sundance. To say that you, I.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
Didn't know what you're You're a kid from Brooklyn, right, Yeah,
you know, we don't know what sundance.
Speaker 3 (02:20):
Yeah. It sounded like an ice cream cone to me. No,
but so so when the director said we just hit
Sundance and were sold out in six or seven theaters,
it was just going crazy. And then I was getting
called by all these agents and everything. It got really
like bananas for me because I was like maybe also
(02:41):
you know, because I was like, man, I never went
through this before. But after that, then uh, after Sundance,
we had uh it was a good, good turnout. And
then I got uh, you know, I got some offers
to do Confidence with Dustin Hoffman, Louis Guzman. Huge and
(03:01):
when I read the script and well, first I heard
a lot of people wanted that script was going after it.
So when I signed with the agency, I met with
the director James Foley, and we connected and after the
audition the next day, I got the part as one
of the with Eddie Burns, one of the goons and
stuff too Dustin Hoffman. So that took off from that,
and then I was I got offered to do the
(03:24):
Italian job. When I did the Challenge job, the funny
story was I read. I went to see f Gary
Gray and here in New York. So I read the
script and I said, yo, yo, I got no parts here.
What are you talking about? He goes, No, they're writing
you in. I said, what they're writing? Yeah, you're going
to be a mechanic. And I said damn. I said, okay,
(03:46):
you know. And so then I went off from there,
and then I did Wonderland with Val Kilmore. That was great.
That was like the second part of Boogie Knights.
Speaker 2 (03:54):
Are you rushing me through this or did all this happen?
Or did all this happen?
Speaker 3 (03:59):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (04:00):
No, yeah, you're lying yeah, because I'm like, is he
giving me like a five year rundown right now?
Speaker 3 (04:05):
No, I'm gonna tell you what happened right after and
after and after. Yeah, three movies and one year. That's
when I was like hot and it was like I
came out of Sunday. It was crazy. It was crazy.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
Yeah, all right, we're gonna have to stop down for
a minute. M hm, who's in your life at this time,
at this moment, who's in your life?
Speaker 1 (04:19):
Like watching all this unfolding? One year?
Speaker 3 (04:22):
My wife is she's been with me. I've been with
that now twenty three years.
Speaker 1 (04:26):
Twenty three years.
Speaker 3 (04:27):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
So she was there from Jah.
Speaker 3 (04:28):
She was there from the Yeah, and I met him Maniito.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
Oh you met her on the stade.
Speaker 3 (04:33):
She went at Jimmy's Bronx Cafe.
Speaker 1 (04:35):
Good old Jimmy's. I met me a couple of people
in Jimmy's.
Speaker 3 (04:38):
Yeah, but she was you know, she was in the
next year listening from there.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
You're back your wife, That's what I matter, is that with.
Speaker 3 (04:47):
Him?
Speaker 1 (04:47):
And you got a daughter too.
Speaker 3 (04:48):
Right, yeah, Ariel, she's alive.
Speaker 1 (04:50):
Guy, I saw her picture. She's at so much.
Speaker 3 (04:52):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
Mommy and Poppy are still with us at that point.
Speaker 3 (04:55):
Mm hmm you and my mother and father yeah yeah
right now that.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
On both guns, so they got to see.
Speaker 3 (05:02):
Yeah. But I took her to the premiere of the
Italian JOm when to open the track backa. She was
so blown away and it was like Mother's Day.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
You got to tell me this story because I know
Latina moms. Your mom is Puerto Rican, right, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
How did she feel? How did she dress? How if
you can bring me back, you.
Speaker 3 (05:17):
Know, I go back. It's like she got the flower
dress and then she's walking down the direct carpet and
she's smiling. But it was all amazing to her. Put
that way.
Speaker 2 (05:30):
That's why I asked, because they can picture it now.
I can picture your mom in that swee ho.
Speaker 3 (05:35):
You're her only son, No, I'm a family of seven,
four brothers, three sisters.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
Still her yeah, yeah, And I can only imagine how
she felt that day.
Speaker 3 (05:43):
Oh my god. You know, I have this funny story.
I had a show called Johnny's Zero on Fox. Right,
so we were shooting in Willisburg, but I used to
live way back when. So I'm doing the scene and
after we stopped right, we stopped the scene. We stopped,
one of the pas came over to me and it
was a lot of people. Said, there's a lady out there.
I keep saying that she's your mother. That said, who's
(06:05):
that over here? And say if we something like that,
my ear, this is my son.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
What's her name? What was your Gonzales? And I said
me let me He goes, let me go.
Speaker 3 (06:17):
And so she was behind all this stuff with all
the people, and so I want to say, that's my mom.
Who do you over here? He goes, that's my son.
My mother is like the tall for eleven. Can you
wind her up? And she could walk in. But can
I get you a chair? Can I get you this?
You know, they're really good with her.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
That's amazing.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
I love stories like that because I know with Latinos
it's like our moms are tend to be our number one,
you know, supporters.
Speaker 3 (06:43):
Oh my god, she was incredible.
Speaker 2 (06:45):
And for no mama Porto Ricana from Brooklyn to have
a son that is acting, I can sorry, I can
only imagine.
Speaker 1 (06:54):
Where did you live? In a building?
Speaker 3 (06:55):
And building? It was a building and uh we lived
there till I was like, see something one of his birds.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
You know who?
Speaker 3 (07:02):
The neighborhood was Gondela.
Speaker 2 (07:03):
But I'm saying the whole neighborhood knew you was acting. Yeah,
your mom was like, listen, let me tell you about
my son. I can only imagine.
Speaker 3 (07:10):
But I didn't really want to act at that time.
I was playing ball. At that time, I was playing football.
I wanted to tell my group for a year, you know,
and I enjoyed playing the game. But then the acting
came around and that was it.
Speaker 1 (07:22):
It took.
Speaker 3 (07:24):
Yeah, I think I enjoyed it more because I had
too many concussions. Really, yeah, I had one of the
two concussions when I was playing did you play problems too?
Speaker 2 (07:34):
It's so crazy is the second person that sits here
that says they had knee problems, but you, unlike them,
didn't have them replaced.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
I can tell.
Speaker 3 (07:42):
I already spoke to her who works on that. He said,
you still have a little bit of college, but you
can still. But I don't do any heavy exercises on
the legs.
Speaker 2 (07:51):
I know that you're all about, you know, the fit life.
Even when we were getting to drinks, I was like,
get water for Frankie because I don't think he's going
to drink any sugar drinks or anything.
Speaker 1 (07:59):
And you know what's.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
Crazy, I saw how old you were and I was like,
m I said, no, this got to be wrong. This
got to be wrong. When they sent me a fact sheet,
I was like no, no, no, no, no no, and I went
on Wikipedia.
Speaker 1 (08:10):
I said it's right. And I got to commend you. You
know you look amazing.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
Thank you so much. Thank you give.
Speaker 1 (08:15):
Me the details. Work out every day, diet was.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
Every other day.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (08:20):
The dieting, I just watch what I eat. Okay, you
know a lot of moistureies. You know, my friends are
gonna bust me up. They call me the Dracula. A
lot off you'll get, but you know, I more calculated
and everything like that. And my wife is the one
that got me into the facials. So now you know,
every couple of months, you know.
Speaker 1 (08:40):
That's not too bad.
Speaker 2 (08:41):
But now you really, really do look amazing. I got
to commend you because you know, I know, guys twenty
years younger than you don't look as good as you do.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
So kudos to you. Shout out to your wife. She's
taking care of you. Nice. Now you said you've been
with your wife twenty three years.
Speaker 3 (08:55):
Yeah, like we've eighteen years and been together six years
before we.
Speaker 1 (08:59):
Got She's Puerto Rican.
Speaker 2 (09:01):
Yeah, how has that journey? How has that journey been?
Speaker 3 (09:05):
It's been good, you know, it's great. So far, so good. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (09:09):
She's an actress also.
Speaker 3 (09:10):
Yeah, she was in marketing with Chase at the time
and she decided to go into acting. And she's also
produced and she's writing a movie right now that she's
tightening it up, Saint Prayer, and it's based a little
bit about her family and her and you know, about
her family and the life and stuff like that. But
(09:31):
she she's just tightening it up right now.
Speaker 1 (09:33):
How has it been, you know, traveling? When you shoot,
do you shoot mostly in LA or do you get
to stay in New York.
Speaker 3 (09:39):
Mostly in LA? Yeah? When we shoot Family Business LA,
but it was basically supposed to be shooting in New York,
but they kept it in.
Speaker 1 (09:47):
Listen, you don't got to tell me it's not shot
in New York, right, Okay? Because I watched that show.
I watched that show.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
I'm like, sometimes you guys go into a scene, I'm like, yes,
New York and then I'm like, no, La.
Speaker 3 (10:00):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, don't kill me. No.
Speaker 2 (10:04):
So good because it's like that. I love that show
and I watch it all the time. But I'm like,
why can't they be here? Why can't they be here
in New York. I'm a New Yorker through and through
and I want to see you. I want to see
you all here.
Speaker 3 (10:16):
We shot I think the first one, the first episode,
the second episode in the Hampton's one time, but it
was so cold or hot or whatever, and people just like,
you know, I think we should.
Speaker 2 (10:27):
They were like, let's migrate. So what do you pick
up the family with you when you go to LA?
Speaker 1 (10:32):
Or how does that?
Speaker 3 (10:33):
I have to fly? They got school and okay, me
and my wife takes care of their kids and takes
them to school and everything like that, so she'd.
Speaker 1 (10:39):
Be calling you all the time. I miss you. I
know that.
Speaker 3 (10:43):
In the morning sometimes I call them make sure they're
up to go to school, you know, and I wake
her up and make sure everything is all right.
Speaker 2 (10:51):
And you know, congratulations to be married twenty three years
and being in the acting business.
Speaker 1 (10:55):
You know what I'm saying. Yeah, I know, I'm pretty
sure you meet a lot of.
Speaker 3 (10:58):
People and you know, yeah, but I go it's all work.
Speaker 1 (11:01):
Okay, you know, no, you know, no funny business, funny business.
But you know what, that's you. That's not everybody you
see Hollywood.
Speaker 3 (11:08):
You see how it is when I go to the
rat parties and everything like that. I just go on
there like forty minutes, forty five minutes, tell him out,
I gotta go, and then.
Speaker 1 (11:17):
On the face time talking about you see me in
the bed. You see me in bed?
Speaker 2 (11:22):
You don't want no sauce with the wife back home?
Not but really, congratulations on that.
Speaker 3 (11:40):
Now.
Speaker 2 (11:40):
I'm When I was researching you, I saw that you
like coffee. M what's your coffee? Your choice, the brand?
Speaker 3 (11:47):
What do you do nolla ice coffee.
Speaker 1 (11:49):
From where it sounds like you were Duncans.
Speaker 3 (11:52):
Mickey d keep it und you don't. I get it.
I get because I get it ninety nine cents now, just.
Speaker 1 (11:57):
I like you.
Speaker 3 (11:58):
You're you're real New York sometimes stop boxing and everything
like that.
Speaker 1 (12:01):
Do you make it at home? I'm a coffee drinking myself.
Speaker 3 (12:04):
Yeah, but I get I don't make the ice coffee
at home. I just make it regular. Yeah, that's it. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (12:12):
Now, also, are you into horror? I don't know why
I got that from your social media. I was like, yeah,
the Saw, Saw too, Well, that's your acting roll.
Speaker 3 (12:21):
I love you into Haller until I did The Saw Too,
that's what Yeah, because I didn't know what was Saw
until they approached me with it. With the first Saw.
They say it was the reason I wanted to see it.
They sent me the DVD. I was shooting the film
at the time, and I wanted to see the check
out the DVD because I didn't know Saw. I was
talking to Olive Stone that day and I said, he goes,
(12:41):
what's a saw? I said, you asked me casually?
Speaker 1 (12:44):
He says, I was talking to Olive Stone then yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3 (12:46):
Yeah, because I was reading for him and he goes,
what's a saw? I said, I don't know. I'm going
to check it out tonight. But it was a psychological
thriller that intrigued me. So and then when I read
the second part saw too, I really liked it. So
I flew in the Canona, met the director and we
talked and that was it, and I started doing the
thing the movie.
Speaker 1 (13:05):
And then after that you got into her. I don't
know why. It's like.
Speaker 3 (13:11):
I mean, I enjoyed it. I like because of the following,
the story and everything like that. But I didn't go
see go rush right away to see Halloween or oh no,
Texas Changedawn massacre.
Speaker 2 (13:22):
Now he said, Noah, listen, I did the movie and
that was it. Now, your children, I know your son
is into film acting. What's to deal with that? Did
you push that or didn't actually come about?
Speaker 3 (13:35):
He enjoys it. He still watches well, we tape ourselves
at home and to watch tape ourselves to you know,
self tape wife. Yeah, but he enjoyed it. And right
now he goes to Frank Sinatra and he's studying filmy
uh TV, and he also writes, well, and he's gonna
be on in a play at Sweeney Todd. Yeah, it's
(13:58):
it's uh, it's gonna be a great it's gonna be
really good play that they're going to be doing in
Frank Sinatra this year. So he's into that. But I
also tell him be a kid. I want you to
go out there and play basketball, do your thing, you know,
but also, uh, concentrate on your studies.
Speaker 1 (14:12):
And what's your son, same Xavier?
Speaker 3 (14:14):
Just like the movie. People think I got it from No,
My wife always liked the Xavier. I like that she
named Xavier Xavier Frank.
Speaker 1 (14:22):
And what about your daughter Ariel?
Speaker 3 (14:24):
Yeah? She she you know, she has a little acting
chops here and there.
Speaker 1 (14:28):
But you know I saw her picture as Wednesday Adam
for her dance.
Speaker 3 (14:32):
Oh yes, she went.
Speaker 1 (14:33):
I said, I love her. I said. The fact that
she thought about it and went through with it, it
says a lot about it.
Speaker 3 (14:38):
She loved it.
Speaker 1 (14:40):
She also wants to act, yes, But.
Speaker 3 (14:43):
I also wanted to be a kid, Tia. I just wanted.
She still does her thing, she enjoys it, and I
just wanted to be a kid. Now her education is
more important. You know.
Speaker 2 (14:54):
Does the industry and your children scare you? Have you
watched the documentaries that they had, the Nickelodeon documentary that
came out, Yeah, about the you know how Hollywood wants
to exploit children.
Speaker 3 (15:05):
No, no, yeah, I spoke to him about that and
her about that, you know, so they know.
Speaker 1 (15:09):
And that's one of the reasons. You're like, just be
a kid.
Speaker 3 (15:11):
Yeah, yeah, just you know, go out there, hang out
with your friends. If you want to do this, Okay,
you're gonna want to do it. I don't want to
force you into it. If you want, that's fine with me.
But I also want you to, you know, concentrate on
your studies and do what you gotta do.
Speaker 1 (15:25):
You know, everybody got to graduate.
Speaker 3 (15:27):
Amen to that.
Speaker 1 (15:27):
Yeah, all right, now let's talk about Power.
Speaker 3 (15:30):
Sure.
Speaker 2 (15:31):
That show it was just like it just took over it.
I feel like we never saw anything like it. It
just felt so organic, especially here in New York. It
just felt so dope. How did you become involved in
that project? Where did that go?
Speaker 3 (15:43):
Audition for it? I didn't know what was all Power
was about? At first? Okay, so they brought me in
to read, and I met with George Tillman and I
read with him twice, and I thought I didn't get it.
I was like, oh man, I get punch you and stuff.
So I wait a little while. So I wrote to
the cast and the rest and thank you very much
for the opportunity, and what are you talking about? You
(16:06):
got the you got the role, what what what are
you talking about? And that's how it started and that
became real curry dope.
Speaker 1 (16:14):
You did twenty episodes.
Speaker 3 (16:15):
Yeah, yeah, I was on and off in some of
the episodes of the six seasons.
Speaker 1 (16:20):
Yeah, that's a long time.
Speaker 3 (16:21):
Yeah, yeah it was. It was fun and it was
uh to work it with Joseph Saquoya, Maury. It was
like a family.
Speaker 1 (16:29):
I miss ma so bad.
Speaker 3 (16:30):
Oh man, he was cool. He was cool, all of them,
Joseph too, all of them.
Speaker 1 (16:34):
I love Joseph like I've met him, I've interviewed him.
I love him.
Speaker 2 (16:37):
But there's nothing like the original Power aimen to that. Yeah,
I love the Power Universe, Tarique or the spin offs
and everything. My husband is through and through a Power
fan like I'm talking about House. So I just randomly
see a Power episode, I'm like, this is not even
in order. I'm like, yes, or are you watching the end?
Now you're watching the beginning? I loved your character though,
thank you. And you know, any type of Latino for
(16:59):
a presentation that we get in our shows, I'm going
hardcore for it because I feel like we're always asking
for more. We're always asking for you know, we have
our strikes, we go.
Speaker 1 (17:09):
And you know. So it's like anytime I see a
Latin character, especially when it's not a Latino show, I'm like,
that's my guy right there, and it's like, I support
and I loved your character. Did you ever meet fifty
scene together?
Speaker 3 (17:22):
Yeah? You don't correct me? Up, I did. For Life
with Fifty, I did. I did an episode. So we
were shooting up at Sing Sing and I'm just walking
here he comes and then I see him and they go, yo, Fitty,
Oh man, what are you doing here? Got cast him?
What are you talking about you executive producers?
Speaker 2 (17:41):
We're just crack now. Though he's a dope person. You know,
he gets a lot of you know, heat because of
his public persona. But when you know Fifty like personally,
you know, he's a totally different person.
Speaker 3 (17:50):
So when people ask me about him, I said, listen,
we work together and personal off his personal life, that's
done in my business. You know, he's a great guy.
Speaker 1 (17:58):
And that's what I'm saying. He is a great guy.
Speaker 2 (17:59):
Like I I know him, know him, and I'm like,
he's nothing like what he is on social media.
Speaker 1 (18:03):
He's a really really dope person.
Speaker 2 (18:04):
I always make it a point to put that out
there when I speak about fifty, I'm like, I've been
with him close quarters.
Speaker 1 (18:09):
He's a super dope person.
Speaker 3 (18:11):
The first time I seen him when I went to
the Vible Wars, remember the Vibe Wars back. I went
to the last Vibe war. Was my wife and I
we went. We saw him and he was performing and
it was it was chaotic, but it was it was fun.
It was great.
Speaker 2 (18:24):
Another thing I wanted to bring up New York Undercover.
I know, I know.
Speaker 3 (18:28):
That's older than that, but it was my show.
Speaker 2 (18:31):
It was my show, and I know you only you
didn't do a lot of episodes, but no, I was.
Speaker 3 (18:36):
I played a backgroub cares. I just I just went
this and that it just ran out. Oh yeah, that
was wow. I remember that show. Oh my god, that
was that was fun.
Speaker 1 (18:47):
Latinos, Yeah, Latinos here in New York.
Speaker 3 (18:49):
That was you know, they're going to remake it.
Speaker 1 (18:51):
They were going to remake it with Lauren Less and
like all the original they.
Speaker 3 (18:56):
They they they did it. I guess it was picked
up on anything.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
Everybody still looks good.
Speaker 2 (19:01):
They can almost they can redo the show because I
saw a picture of them recently. I feel like six
months ago. Really yeah, and I feel like everybody still
looks good. They can bring back that show if they
wanted to. That was one of your early gigs.
Speaker 3 (19:12):
Yeah, and then I just I wasn't really into it
at that time.
Speaker 1 (19:15):
Of the acting.
Speaker 3 (19:16):
Yeah. Yeah, I was still playing ball. I was still
playing ball and everything.
Speaker 1 (19:18):
Well, I brought you all the way back to the beginning.
He said, you should have organized your questions.
Speaker 3 (19:26):
King tut Now.
Speaker 1 (19:28):
I always like to look at people's on social media,
and I saw that when you do post about Johnny Zero,
it feels a little nostalgic, like it's kind of like
it brings back a.
Speaker 2 (19:40):
Weird memory, like a lot of people. How do you
feel about that project?
Speaker 3 (19:45):
I really enjoyed it, you know, it was my you know,
when I got the role, I went to John Wells's
office and a bird friend of mine and he drove me.
You know, I didn't have the call back then. He
drove me and everything. And so I went to John
Wells's office and I sat down with John Wells and
he explained to you, hey, listen, Frankie, we want there's
(20:06):
a show that we're writing and we want you to
play the lead. And I go what I said. He
goes called Johnny zero, but we're not shooting it in
LA We'll bring it all production to New York since
you live in New York, I said to me. But
I kept my course on. Okay, that's cool. And then
(20:26):
my friend was like, you know, he was an actor too,
but he was doing the rounds and he was like,
you gotta say yes. You gotta say yes. And I'm
like and I'm like Dino Dino, you know like that.
So after we did the meeting, I met all the
writers and everything, and uh, we went outside the I said,
you gotta say yes. I just didn't want to jump
on it because I televised the script and the script
(20:48):
was pretty good. And I did this show. It was
a lot. It was eighteen hour days every day. It
was a lot of stunts. Uh, you know, I was tight.
It was my first lead role in the show. Oh
and and and and and I'm just getting my feet wet.
But but it was a learning experience for me to
work with everybody, and and but the hours and the
(21:12):
stunts and everything. Man, it took its toll. It took
its toll that time. But you know, I don't regret it.
It was a learning experience for me and I learned
a lot a lot working on that show. And first
of if I didn't have a dramatic show on Fox,
that's so it was great.
Speaker 2 (21:42):
How celebrated were you by your community when let's say,
Johnny Zero came out like could you go places?
Speaker 1 (21:47):
Or was recognizing?
Speaker 3 (21:48):
But not only that was the diverse, you know, from
the white, black, Hispanic thing, and then I knew other
things was everybody, Yeah, and people that were locked up
that I knew. I went to visit and go, yo,
Johnny G what's up? Man? I'm like, Yo, how you doing? Man?
What's something you like? Down? No, but it was it
took me, you know, it was you know, it felt
(22:10):
bad that when they when they you know, they canceled
it after after a couple of episodes. But you know
that's what happens on shows. You know, you never know
if it's gonna stay or go. Because when when I
did Smith. After that with with duy Lioda and Rayoda
came out to me got arrested. So I remember he
came up to me. He tells me how long this
(22:31):
show is gonna last? Because we did the show Smith,
I said, Yo, Ray, I don't know because today we
could be real good, but tomorrow's gone. And that was
you know, that was my experience.
Speaker 2 (22:41):
You know, you worked with some iconic actors as a
young actor, like were you ever star truck struck?
Speaker 1 (22:47):
Did you see someone Dustin Hoffman?
Speaker 3 (22:51):
I loved him and Peppion and yeah, and we talked
a lot and we sat down he goes ranky, I
saw my knee, thought, man, you he told the song.
That was the director and he just told me when
we're doing when when we're sitting down reading goes, just
have fun. That'll tell you gotta do have fun, go
out there and do your thing. I said, thank you,
(23:12):
you know, and he was great in confidence though, Yo,
there's the stuff we did. Confidence. And the director James
Foley came over to me and said, Frank, because we
had a scene with me Rachel wife and and Eddie
Burns when he when he clocks me in the eye
and but wait. So then James Foley goes, Yo, Frankie,
he's you know, Hoffman likes to do all these crazy things.
(23:34):
Look he's gonna try something, but just go with it, yo.
That scene. Man, here, I am doing my thing me Edie.
He goes, why did he said something like why did
you let you? Why did you let him in? I
don't know. He just came in. He took me and
he whacked me for real my eye and the camera
was on me now and I pulled back and then
he jumped back and goes get him. Somebody get him, Somebody,
(23:56):
get him, somebody. And I'm looking at him like so
when they sick cut the director James Fuddy goes, holy
Ship and I'm like, and you know, my my my
defense mode is like I love him. So I walked away.
And then one of the pig well you know that's
his method of acting. I said, yeah, I like to
give him my method of acting. Yo. Everybody ripped and
(24:19):
he's like this, yeah he's small, you know, And but
I loved him. He's a great guy. Great advice he
gave me and everything like that.
Speaker 1 (24:26):
Frankie South from Brooklyn, you're playing right now.
Speaker 3 (24:29):
Men. Tricks are for kids son, you know what I mean.
And he hit me in the eye, yo, because I'm
a new jack, you know, hit me yo.
Speaker 1 (24:36):
Here's the here's a million dollar question. Was that it
or did you have to do a scene again?
Speaker 3 (24:40):
Yeah? I did it again, but he was like all right,
he just you know, he was like pulling like he
was like what, No, No, I don't want to hit
but they kept that one.
Speaker 2 (24:48):
Yeah, that's what I want to I want to know
if that what I'm looking at it explaining.
Speaker 3 (24:53):
I was like, oh, I just wanted to go like this,
but you know I.
Speaker 1 (24:58):
Can't get locked up right now. Go finished this movie?
Speaker 3 (25:01):
Right?
Speaker 2 (25:03):
That was a good one now. But anyway, no, no, no, no.
Who's your favorite actor? Oh my god, I don't say
yourself because I.
Speaker 1 (25:12):
Hate with Max. Who's your favorite singer? They're like me,
I like.
Speaker 3 (25:15):
The older I like them all and brand Or Dustin
hoff Man, uh, Jack Lemon, uh, Laurence Olivier, Oh my god,
Leonardo DiCaprio, this some other ones, but you know a
lot of good ones like that.
Speaker 1 (25:32):
No, if I needed a good show to watch, can
you recommend something that business? I knew you were gonna
do that. I knew you were. I already watched Family Business.
I already watched Family Business. Why are you doing that
to me?
Speaker 3 (25:44):
Now?
Speaker 1 (25:44):
What are you watching? Well? You do you watch yourself?
Do you watch?
Speaker 3 (25:48):
Sometimes? I? Sometimes I don't because I can't get because
we like you said, I could have done that better.
I could have done you could teach yourself. But something
you know. When I went but what's funny? When so
Too came out, I decided to go to the movies
to check out what the reaction is. So there's about
fifteen of us. We went to Long Island. I had
my hood up and went in sat that was all
packed and oh he has ah screaming and everything. I said, Oh,
(26:11):
this is good, this is good. This is good. So
when I think then when we got up, I got
up to go out there with my friends and go,
you'll take off the hood. I said, no, I'm not
gonna do that. You know, no, I didn't want to
do that. The reactions were fantastic. That's what I like.
Speaker 1 (26:25):
That's amazing. You were like, I'm gonna sit in the
cut and see how I did.
Speaker 3 (26:28):
Yeah. But but shows I watched, like when Ozark was out,
I watched Ozark, watched it Yeah, it was great that
some morales that work too. On Gunhill Road. I worked
with him on that. This is I watched. I watch
a lot of foreign films as well.
Speaker 1 (26:44):
Oh you going down a road?
Speaker 2 (26:46):
That?
Speaker 3 (26:46):
Yeah, because I enjoy I am some of the French
films and they're a really good story.
Speaker 1 (26:51):
But do you watch them in English or do you
watch them in French with subtitles?
Speaker 3 (26:54):
Subtitles? That's a lot because I watched the shooting. I
watched that in the angles they shoot the acting.
Speaker 1 (27:01):
So you're watching what a different yes, exactly.
Speaker 3 (27:05):
M hmm.
Speaker 1 (27:05):
I watched Italian movies. I don't, and I watch some
of them.
Speaker 3 (27:08):
Are real good. A Gomora. You have seen Goma. Oh
that's good man. That's almost power in Italy and stuff.
It's almost like a power.
Speaker 2 (27:17):
It's somebody write that down because I know I'm gonna
forget and then I'm gonna be based on.
Speaker 3 (27:24):
The gangs and and and in Italy. And it's so good.
And I watched it and even though you know, I
see the subtype, but I just watched the acting. The
acting is so great. It's so good.
Speaker 2 (27:35):
You're looking at it with a different different Yeah.
Speaker 1 (27:39):
Now, Mosica, who do you listen to.
Speaker 3 (27:42):
I listened to a lot, a lot. I listened to
hip hop. Yes, of course. I listened to Joshua grot
Bit and I listened to Under when I was in Italy, man,
the tickets were sold out. A much classical music and
stuff like that to suits me down here and take it.
But a lot of hip hop. I listened to.
Speaker 1 (27:58):
What about Latin music?
Speaker 3 (28:00):
You know? I like, I said, my god, you know, do.
Speaker 1 (28:07):
You kids make you listen to Bad Bunny Bad Bunny? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (28:14):
He's like, I listened to some of them. I don't
know the names, but I like the music.
Speaker 1 (28:23):
Do your kids introduce you to this? To new music? No?
Speaker 3 (28:26):
I do. I'll go to the gym, put my headphones
on when I work out.
Speaker 1 (28:29):
Put a playlist on.
Speaker 3 (28:30):
That's it.
Speaker 2 (28:31):
And I wanted to ask you, what's your affiliation with
with Terror Squad? I see you wearing a hat.
Speaker 3 (28:37):
Elliott Elliot, he works for a fat Jim Okay. I
think he meant gonna tell him. He came to me.
I wanted to bring him a getty. Man, I'm going
to be in Vakers, So all right, that's cool.
Speaker 1 (28:48):
I saw you. I was like, he's shopping up y
see that was that was for you? The Kicks?
Speaker 3 (28:53):
Yeah, the Kicks, Yeah, because I was. I was working
in l A. So I told Elliott works on his stars.
I said, man, this coming out and can put one
on the side for me and everything like that.
Speaker 1 (29:03):
I need to know what sneakers they were. You remember
what sneakers they were? Come over here, come over here.
I need to see what he has goes because he
wanted them nice.
Speaker 3 (29:12):
Yeah, he wanted them and uh so he put something
one on the side and I went to the store
and I picked him up. After when I got back
from l A, got to New York, and then I
just went over there picked up But at first he
said he didn't have a pay he said, he put
him up. Somebody took him the store. I said, what
I said, come on, he you're in the world goes
you right, that's cool. So then when I got home,
(29:34):
he had a pet for me, and so I went
over and picked it up.
Speaker 2 (29:36):
When I saw the bag, I said, I wonder what
he bought, and yeah, yeah, yeah, I always.
Speaker 1 (29:40):
Want to know with sneakers. I'm like with sneakers and
music went for Christmas and that's what something you made
his Christmas?
Speaker 3 (29:46):
Oh? Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (29:48):
Now where do you feel we stand currently? Like Latinos
representation in Hollywood?
Speaker 3 (29:53):
There's a lot happening right Oh, I'm sorry you mean me? No, No,
Latinos are moving up. I mean I see it come along.
I mean there's diverse. There's a lot of shows being
shot for Latinos. You got some of them being shot
in LA right now. My friend is one into one
of them, something royal. I'm sorry, I didn't get the name,
(30:13):
but that's based about Guanos and everything like that. But
they're I feel that it's moving up. You know, there's
a lot of diverse going on in movies and in
TV right now.
Speaker 1 (30:24):
Do you like the way we're being represented?
Speaker 3 (30:26):
And I think we could be represented better more, you know,
more leads for Latinos, you know, in the movie industry,
a Latino superhero or something like that. Me. I like
to play a villain, you know, you know what I mean?
You got too many good, good superheroes. I like to
give anything. Oh man, he's good. Man, I like that.
Make your name for yourself.
Speaker 1 (30:45):
You know that I cannot stand him now.
Speaker 3 (30:50):
Not they tell you I do with the appearances. Sometimes
he saw the Horror Convention. Man, I hated you, but
you're a nice guy. I said, Yo, exactly what are
you talking about something? Oh, we're good.
Speaker 1 (31:01):
Now what are you currently working on? What's next? What's
the deal?
Speaker 3 (31:05):
Right? Money for season six? And family business? And I
finished the movie Beyond the Beyond the Rush with Eric Roberts,
Frankie Faison, Fred Savage and another one Academy Award Savage. Yeah,
and we shot in Jersey for a couple of days
and it's uh, it's gonna be the trying to hopefully
(31:27):
open up in October. The editing right now.
Speaker 1 (31:29):
So Ice, so you're busy, Yeah, trying to keep myself now.
Speaker 2 (31:34):
You definitely are busy, you know, and I want to
take a moment, you know, and just thank you, you
know for your representation of Latinos and you know so much,
being an amazing husband, being a great father, you know,
being able to juggle all those things simultaneously is not easy.
Speaker 3 (31:47):
No, it's not, you know, and sometimes you know, you
got to call you when you're working a lot, you know,
just make sure everything's okay at home, and you know
what I'm doing.
Speaker 2 (31:57):
So thank you, amazing, thank you really that we got
to sit down together. I know you a little bit
better now. Don't just hate you offer your characters. Now,
I like you as an actual person. Thank you for
coming through.
Speaker 1 (32:09):
Thank you for having me come again. That was good.
Grassiers Come Again is a production of Honey German Productions
in partnership with iheart'smcuntura podcast network m
Grassias Come Again a podcast by Honey German.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Welcome back to Grassias Come Again. Today we have an
exceptional guest who's made significant strides in Hollywood. Hailing from
Brooklyn with Puerto Rican roots, Frankie G made history as
the first Latino to have a lead role in a
show on Fox. You might know him as the villain
from Saw or his unforgettable four season run on fifty
cents hit Serious Power, and currently he's captivating audiences inm
(00:30):
BT's The Family Business. Today, we are sitting down with
actor Frankie G, who's been in the game twenty years.
Am I getting the number right? Your career is impressive.
Thank you, and I want to start from the beginning.
Your first role Manito, ooh, you answered an ad in backstage?
Speaker 3 (00:49):
Yeah, it was the How old were you?
Speaker 1 (00:51):
First of all? I don't want to aid you, but
old enough to know better. Okay, where did you get
this magazine from?
Speaker 3 (00:57):
Not when they had the backstage out then? Back then
now when everyone used to go and you know, buy
it for like three dollars.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
Okay, so you bought it?
Speaker 3 (01:06):
So I bought it and I saw on an ad
that said Cruel World before it was called, and so
I read for just one of the roles, so the door.
When I spoke to the director, he said, no, no,
I don't want you for that role. I want you
for the lead. That the lead, and that was my
first lead I ever had. And so that's what happened,
you know. I just read it. He liked it, and uh,
(01:28):
that was it. We shot in Washington Heights.
Speaker 1 (01:31):
Had you gone to any additions before this, because yes
I did.
Speaker 3 (01:33):
I was doing some off off off Way off Broadway
place in theater. Yeah I was. I loved it. I
did Tiger the uh tiger wear necktie. I did Offense
and some other ones like off off Brother, but I
enjoyed that.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
Did you ever have a regular job before you got bounced?
Speaker 3 (01:53):
I did some bouncing job. I did private security and stuff,
and I was going for my engineer's license.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
Okay, and then Pivot and.
Speaker 3 (02:00):
Then when Manito what happened Manita got picked up to
go on to Sundance. I didn't know it was going
to get explode the way it did and Sundance, so
it was crazy because after that I went, I went,
I didn't know what was Sundance. To say that you, I.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
Didn't know what you're You're a kid from Brooklyn, right, Yeah,
you know, we don't know what sundance.
Speaker 3 (02:20):
Yeah. It sounded like an ice cream cone to me. No,
but so so when the director said we just hit
Sundance and were sold out in six or seven theaters,
it was just going crazy. And then I was getting
called by all these agents and everything. It got really
like bananas for me because I was like maybe also
(02:41):
you know, because I was like, man, I never went
through this before. But after that, then uh, after Sundance,
we had uh it was a good, good turnout. And
then I got uh, you know, I got some offers
to do Confidence with Dustin Hoffman, Louis Guzman. Huge and
(03:01):
when I read the script and well, first I heard
a lot of people wanted that script was going after it.
So when I signed with the agency, I met with
the director James Foley, and we connected and after the
audition the next day, I got the part as one
of the with Eddie Burns, one of the goons and
stuff too Dustin Hoffman. So that took off from that,
and then I was I got offered to do the
(03:24):
Italian job. When I did the Challenge job, the funny
story was I read. I went to see f Gary
Gray and here in New York. So I read the
script and I said, yo, yo, I got no parts here.
What are you talking about? He goes, No, they're writing
you in. I said, what they're writing? Yeah, you're going
to be a mechanic. And I said damn. I said, okay,
(03:46):
you know. And so then I went off from there,
and then I did Wonderland with Val Kilmore. That was great.
That was like the second part of Boogie Knights.
Speaker 2 (03:54):
Are you rushing me through this or did all this happen?
Or did all this happen?
Speaker 3 (03:59):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (04:00):
No, yeah, you're lying yeah, because I'm like, is he
giving me like a five year rundown right now?
Speaker 3 (04:05):
No, I'm gonna tell you what happened right after and
after and after. Yeah, three movies and one year. That's
when I was like hot and it was like I
came out of Sunday. It was crazy. It was crazy.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
Yeah, all right, we're gonna have to stop down for
a minute. M hm, who's in your life at this time,
at this moment, who's in your life?
Speaker 1 (04:19):
Like watching all this unfolding? One year?
Speaker 3 (04:22):
My wife is she's been with me. I've been with
that now twenty three years.
Speaker 1 (04:26):
Twenty three years.
Speaker 3 (04:27):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
So she was there from Jah.
Speaker 3 (04:28):
She was there from the Yeah, and I met him Maniito.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
Oh you met her on the stade.
Speaker 3 (04:33):
She went at Jimmy's Bronx Cafe.
Speaker 1 (04:35):
Good old Jimmy's. I met me a couple of people
in Jimmy's.
Speaker 3 (04:38):
Yeah, but she was you know, she was in the
next year listening from there.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
You're back your wife, That's what I matter, is that with.
Speaker 3 (04:47):
Him?
Speaker 1 (04:47):
And you got a daughter too.
Speaker 3 (04:48):
Right, yeah, Ariel, she's alive.
Speaker 1 (04:50):
Guy, I saw her picture. She's at so much.
Speaker 3 (04:52):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
Mommy and Poppy are still with us at that point.
Speaker 3 (04:55):
Mm hmm you and my mother and father yeah yeah
right now that.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
On both guns, so they got to see.
Speaker 3 (05:02):
Yeah. But I took her to the premiere of the
Italian JOm when to open the track backa. She was
so blown away and it was like Mother's Day.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
You got to tell me this story because I know
Latina moms. Your mom is Puerto Rican, right, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
How did she feel? How did she dress? How if
you can bring me back, you.
Speaker 3 (05:17):
Know, I go back. It's like she got the flower
dress and then she's walking down the direct carpet and
she's smiling. But it was all amazing to her. Put
that way.
Speaker 2 (05:30):
That's why I asked, because they can picture it now.
I can picture your mom in that swee ho.
Speaker 3 (05:35):
You're her only son, No, I'm a family of seven,
four brothers, three sisters.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
Still her yeah, yeah, And I can only imagine how
she felt that day.
Speaker 3 (05:43):
Oh my god. You know, I have this funny story.
I had a show called Johnny's Zero on Fox. Right,
so we were shooting in Willisburg, but I used to
live way back when. So I'm doing the scene and
after we stopped right, we stopped the scene. We stopped,
one of the pas came over to me and it
was a lot of people. Said, there's a lady out there.
I keep saying that she's your mother. That said, who's
(06:05):
that over here? And say if we something like that,
my ear, this is my son.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
What's her name? What was your Gonzales? And I said
me let me He goes, let me go.
Speaker 3 (06:17):
And so she was behind all this stuff with all
the people, and so I want to say, that's my mom.
Who do you over here? He goes, that's my son.
My mother is like the tall for eleven. Can you
wind her up? And she could walk in. But can
I get you a chair? Can I get you this?
You know, they're really good with her.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
That's amazing.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
I love stories like that because I know with Latinos
it's like our moms are tend to be our number one,
you know, supporters.
Speaker 3 (06:43):
Oh my god, she was incredible.
Speaker 2 (06:45):
And for no mama Porto Ricana from Brooklyn to have
a son that is acting, I can sorry, I can
only imagine.
Speaker 1 (06:54):
Where did you live? In a building?
Speaker 3 (06:55):
And building? It was a building and uh we lived
there till I was like, see something one of his birds.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
You know who?
Speaker 3 (07:02):
The neighborhood was Gondela.
Speaker 2 (07:03):
But I'm saying the whole neighborhood knew you was acting. Yeah,
your mom was like, listen, let me tell you about
my son. I can only imagine.
Speaker 3 (07:10):
But I didn't really want to act at that time.
I was playing ball. At that time, I was playing football.
I wanted to tell my group for a year, you know,
and I enjoyed playing the game. But then the acting
came around and that was it.
Speaker 1 (07:22):
It took.
Speaker 3 (07:24):
Yeah, I think I enjoyed it more because I had
too many concussions. Really, yeah, I had one of the
two concussions when I was playing did you play problems too?
Speaker 2 (07:34):
It's so crazy is the second person that sits here
that says they had knee problems, but you, unlike them,
didn't have them replaced.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
I can tell.
Speaker 3 (07:42):
I already spoke to her who works on that. He said,
you still have a little bit of college, but you
can still. But I don't do any heavy exercises on
the legs.
Speaker 2 (07:51):
I know that you're all about, you know, the fit life.
Even when we were getting to drinks, I was like,
get water for Frankie because I don't think he's going
to drink any sugar drinks or anything.
Speaker 1 (07:59):
And you know what's.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
Crazy, I saw how old you were and I was like,
m I said, no, this got to be wrong. This
got to be wrong. When they sent me a fact sheet,
I was like no, no, no, no, no no, and I went
on Wikipedia.
Speaker 1 (08:10):
I said it's right. And I got to commend you. You
know you look amazing.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
Thank you so much. Thank you give.
Speaker 1 (08:15):
Me the details. Work out every day, diet was.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
Every other day.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (08:20):
The dieting, I just watch what I eat. Okay, you
know a lot of moistureies. You know, my friends are
gonna bust me up. They call me the Dracula. A
lot off you'll get, but you know, I more calculated
and everything like that. And my wife is the one
that got me into the facials. So now you know,
every couple of months, you know.
Speaker 1 (08:40):
That's not too bad.
Speaker 2 (08:41):
But now you really, really do look amazing. I got
to commend you because you know, I know, guys twenty
years younger than you don't look as good as you do.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
So kudos to you. Shout out to your wife. She's
taking care of you. Nice. Now you said you've been
with your wife twenty three years.
Speaker 3 (08:55):
Yeah, like we've eighteen years and been together six years
before we.
Speaker 1 (08:59):
Got She's Puerto Rican.
Speaker 2 (09:01):
Yeah, how has that journey? How has that journey been?
Speaker 3 (09:05):
It's been good, you know, it's great. So far, so good. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (09:09):
She's an actress also.
Speaker 3 (09:10):
Yeah, she was in marketing with Chase at the time
and she decided to go into acting. And she's also
produced and she's writing a movie right now that she's
tightening it up, Saint Prayer, and it's based a little
bit about her family and her and you know, about
her family and the life and stuff like that. But
(09:31):
she she's just tightening it up right now.
Speaker 1 (09:33):
How has it been, you know, traveling? When you shoot,
do you shoot mostly in LA or do you get
to stay in New York.
Speaker 3 (09:39):
Mostly in LA? Yeah? When we shoot Family Business LA,
but it was basically supposed to be shooting in New York,
but they kept it in.
Speaker 1 (09:47):
Listen, you don't got to tell me it's not shot
in New York, right, Okay? Because I watched that show.
I watched that show.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
I'm like, sometimes you guys go into a scene, I'm like, yes,
New York and then I'm like, no, La.
Speaker 3 (10:00):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, don't kill me. No.
Speaker 2 (10:04):
So good because it's like that. I love that show
and I watch it all the time. But I'm like,
why can't they be here? Why can't they be here
in New York. I'm a New Yorker through and through
and I want to see you. I want to see
you all here.
Speaker 3 (10:16):
We shot I think the first one, the first episode,
the second episode in the Hampton's one time, but it
was so cold or hot or whatever, and people just like,
you know, I think we should.
Speaker 2 (10:27):
They were like, let's migrate. So what do you pick
up the family with you when you go to LA?
Speaker 1 (10:32):
Or how does that?
Speaker 3 (10:33):
I have to fly? They got school and okay, me
and my wife takes care of their kids and takes
them to school and everything like that, so she'd.
Speaker 1 (10:39):
Be calling you all the time. I miss you. I
know that.
Speaker 3 (10:43):
In the morning sometimes I call them make sure they're
up to go to school, you know, and I wake
her up and make sure everything is all right.
Speaker 2 (10:51):
And you know, congratulations to be married twenty three years
and being in the acting business.
Speaker 1 (10:55):
You know what I'm saying. Yeah, I know, I'm pretty
sure you meet a lot of.
Speaker 3 (10:58):
People and you know, yeah, but I go it's all work.
Speaker 1 (11:01):
Okay, you know, no, you know, no funny business, funny business.
But you know what, that's you. That's not everybody you
see Hollywood.
Speaker 3 (11:08):
You see how it is when I go to the
rat parties and everything like that. I just go on
there like forty minutes, forty five minutes, tell him out,
I gotta go, and then.
Speaker 1 (11:17):
On the face time talking about you see me in
the bed. You see me in bed?
Speaker 2 (11:22):
You don't want no sauce with the wife back home?
Not but really, congratulations on that.
Speaker 3 (11:40):
Now.
Speaker 2 (11:40):
I'm When I was researching you, I saw that you
like coffee. M what's your coffee? Your choice, the brand?
Speaker 3 (11:47):
What do you do nolla ice coffee.
Speaker 1 (11:49):
From where it sounds like you were Duncans.
Speaker 3 (11:52):
Mickey d keep it und you don't. I get it.
I get because I get it ninety nine cents now, just.
Speaker 1 (11:57):
I like you.
Speaker 3 (11:58):
You're you're real New York sometimes stop boxing and everything
like that.
Speaker 1 (12:01):
Do you make it at home? I'm a coffee drinking myself.
Speaker 3 (12:04):
Yeah, but I get I don't make the ice coffee
at home. I just make it regular. Yeah, that's it. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (12:12):
Now, also, are you into horror? I don't know why
I got that from your social media. I was like, yeah,
the Saw, Saw too, Well, that's your acting roll.
Speaker 3 (12:21):
I love you into Haller until I did The Saw Too,
that's what Yeah, because I didn't know what was Saw
until they approached me with it. With the first Saw.
They say it was the reason I wanted to see it.
They sent me the DVD. I was shooting the film
at the time, and I wanted to see the check
out the DVD because I didn't know Saw. I was
talking to Olive Stone that day and I said, he goes,
(12:41):
what's a saw? I said, you asked me casually?
Speaker 1 (12:44):
He says, I was talking to Olive Stone then yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3 (12:46):
Yeah, because I was reading for him and he goes,
what's a saw? I said, I don't know. I'm going
to check it out tonight. But it was a psychological
thriller that intrigued me. So and then when I read
the second part saw too, I really liked it. So
I flew in the Canona, met the director and we
talked and that was it, and I started doing the
thing the movie.
Speaker 1 (13:05):
And then after that you got into her. I don't
know why. It's like.
Speaker 3 (13:11):
I mean, I enjoyed it. I like because of the following,
the story and everything like that. But I didn't go
see go rush right away to see Halloween or oh no,
Texas Changedawn massacre.
Speaker 2 (13:22):
Now he said, Noah, listen, I did the movie and
that was it. Now, your children, I know your son
is into film acting. What's to deal with that? Did
you push that or didn't actually come about?
Speaker 3 (13:35):
He enjoys it. He still watches well, we tape ourselves
at home and to watch tape ourselves to you know,
self tape wife. Yeah, but he enjoyed it. And right
now he goes to Frank Sinatra and he's studying filmy
uh TV, and he also writes, well, and he's gonna
be on in a play at Sweeney Todd. Yeah, it's
(13:58):
it's uh, it's gonna be a great it's gonna be
really good play that they're going to be doing in
Frank Sinatra this year. So he's into that. But I
also tell him be a kid. I want you to
go out there and play basketball, do your thing, you know,
but also, uh, concentrate on your studies.
Speaker 1 (14:12):
And what's your son, same Xavier?
Speaker 3 (14:14):
Just like the movie. People think I got it from No,
My wife always liked the Xavier. I like that she
named Xavier Xavier Frank.
Speaker 1 (14:22):
And what about your daughter Ariel?
Speaker 3 (14:24):
Yeah? She she you know, she has a little acting
chops here and there.
Speaker 1 (14:28):
But you know I saw her picture as Wednesday Adam
for her dance.
Speaker 3 (14:32):
Oh yes, she went.
Speaker 1 (14:33):
I said, I love her. I said. The fact that
she thought about it and went through with it, it
says a lot about it.
Speaker 3 (14:38):
She loved it.
Speaker 1 (14:40):
She also wants to act, yes, But.
Speaker 3 (14:43):
I also wanted to be a kid, Tia. I just wanted.
She still does her thing, she enjoys it, and I
just wanted to be a kid. Now her education is
more important. You know.
Speaker 2 (14:54):
Does the industry and your children scare you? Have you
watched the documentaries that they had, the Nickelodeon documentary that
came out, Yeah, about the you know how Hollywood wants
to exploit children.
Speaker 3 (15:05):
No, no, yeah, I spoke to him about that and
her about that, you know, so they know.
Speaker 1 (15:09):
And that's one of the reasons. You're like, just be
a kid.
Speaker 3 (15:11):
Yeah, yeah, just you know, go out there, hang out
with your friends. If you want to do this, Okay,
you're gonna want to do it. I don't want to
force you into it. If you want, that's fine with me.
But I also want you to, you know, concentrate on
your studies and do what you gotta do.
Speaker 1 (15:25):
You know, everybody got to graduate.
Speaker 3 (15:27):
Amen to that.
Speaker 1 (15:27):
Yeah, all right, now let's talk about Power.
Speaker 3 (15:30):
Sure.
Speaker 2 (15:31):
That show it was just like it just took over it.
I feel like we never saw anything like it. It
just felt so organic, especially here in New York. It
just felt so dope. How did you become involved in
that project? Where did that go?
Speaker 3 (15:43):
Audition for it? I didn't know what was all Power
was about? At first? Okay, so they brought me in
to read, and I met with George Tillman and I
read with him twice, and I thought I didn't get it.
I was like, oh man, I get punch you and stuff.
So I wait a little while. So I wrote to
the cast and the rest and thank you very much
for the opportunity, and what are you talking about? You
(16:06):
got the you got the role, what what what are
you talking about? And that's how it started and that
became real curry dope.
Speaker 1 (16:14):
You did twenty episodes.
Speaker 3 (16:15):
Yeah, yeah, I was on and off in some of
the episodes of the six seasons.
Speaker 1 (16:20):
Yeah, that's a long time.
Speaker 3 (16:21):
Yeah, yeah it was. It was fun and it was
uh to work it with Joseph Saquoya, Maury. It was
like a family.
Speaker 1 (16:29):
I miss ma so bad.
Speaker 3 (16:30):
Oh man, he was cool. He was cool, all of them,
Joseph too, all of them.
Speaker 1 (16:34):
I love Joseph like I've met him, I've interviewed him.
I love him.
Speaker 2 (16:37):
But there's nothing like the original Power aimen to that. Yeah,
I love the Power Universe, Tarique or the spin offs
and everything. My husband is through and through a Power
fan like I'm talking about House. So I just randomly
see a Power episode, I'm like, this is not even
in order. I'm like, yes, or are you watching the end?
Now you're watching the beginning? I loved your character though,
thank you. And you know, any type of Latino for
(16:59):
a presentation that we get in our shows, I'm going
hardcore for it because I feel like we're always asking
for more. We're always asking for you know, we have
our strikes, we go.
Speaker 1 (17:09):
And you know. So it's like anytime I see a
Latin character, especially when it's not a Latino show, I'm like,
that's my guy right there, and it's like, I support
and I loved your character. Did you ever meet fifty
scene together?
Speaker 3 (17:22):
Yeah? You don't correct me? Up, I did. For Life
with Fifty, I did. I did an episode. So we
were shooting up at Sing Sing and I'm just walking
here he comes and then I see him and they go, yo, Fitty,
Oh man, what are you doing here? Got cast him?
What are you talking about you executive producers?
Speaker 2 (17:41):
We're just crack now. Though he's a dope person. You know,
he gets a lot of you know, heat because of
his public persona. But when you know Fifty like personally,
you know, he's a totally different person.
Speaker 3 (17:50):
So when people ask me about him, I said, listen,
we work together and personal off his personal life, that's
done in my business. You know, he's a great guy.
Speaker 1 (17:58):
And that's what I'm saying. He is a great guy.
Speaker 2 (17:59):
Like I I know him, know him, and I'm like,
he's nothing like what he is on social media.
Speaker 1 (18:03):
He's a really really dope person.
Speaker 2 (18:04):
I always make it a point to put that out
there when I speak about fifty, I'm like, I've been
with him close quarters.
Speaker 1 (18:09):
He's a super dope person.
Speaker 3 (18:11):
The first time I seen him when I went to
the Vible Wars, remember the Vibe Wars back. I went
to the last Vibe war. Was my wife and I
we went. We saw him and he was performing and
it was it was chaotic, but it was it was fun.
It was great.
Speaker 2 (18:24):
Another thing I wanted to bring up New York Undercover.
I know, I know.
Speaker 3 (18:28):
That's older than that, but it was my show.
Speaker 2 (18:31):
It was my show, and I know you only you
didn't do a lot of episodes, but no, I was.
Speaker 3 (18:36):
I played a backgroub cares. I just I just went
this and that it just ran out. Oh yeah, that
was wow. I remember that show. Oh my god, that
was that was fun.
Speaker 1 (18:47):
Latinos, Yeah, Latinos here in New York.
Speaker 3 (18:49):
That was you know, they're going to remake it.
Speaker 1 (18:51):
They were going to remake it with Lauren Less and
like all the original they.
Speaker 3 (18:56):
They they they did it. I guess it was picked
up on anything.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
Everybody still looks good.
Speaker 2 (19:01):
They can almost they can redo the show because I
saw a picture of them recently. I feel like six
months ago. Really yeah, and I feel like everybody still
looks good. They can bring back that show if they
wanted to. That was one of your early gigs.
Speaker 3 (19:12):
Yeah, and then I just I wasn't really into it
at that time.
Speaker 1 (19:15):
Of the acting.
Speaker 3 (19:16):
Yeah. Yeah, I was still playing ball. I was still
playing ball and everything.
Speaker 1 (19:18):
Well, I brought you all the way back to the beginning.
He said, you should have organized your questions.
Speaker 3 (19:26):
King tut Now.
Speaker 1 (19:28):
I always like to look at people's on social media,
and I saw that when you do post about Johnny Zero,
it feels a little nostalgic, like it's kind of like
it brings back a.
Speaker 2 (19:40):
Weird memory, like a lot of people. How do you
feel about that project?
Speaker 3 (19:45):
I really enjoyed it, you know, it was my you know,
when I got the role, I went to John Wells's
office and a bird friend of mine and he drove me.
You know, I didn't have the call back then. He
drove me and everything. And so I went to John
Wells's office and I sat down with John Wells and
he explained to you, hey, listen, Frankie, we want there's
(20:06):
a show that we're writing and we want you to
play the lead. And I go what I said. He
goes called Johnny zero, but we're not shooting it in
LA We'll bring it all production to New York since
you live in New York, I said to me. But
I kept my course on. Okay, that's cool. And then
(20:26):
my friend was like, you know, he was an actor too,
but he was doing the rounds and he was like,
you gotta say yes. You gotta say yes. And I'm
like and I'm like Dino Dino, you know like that.
So after we did the meeting, I met all the
writers and everything, and uh, we went outside the I said,
you gotta say yes. I just didn't want to jump
on it because I televised the script and the script
(20:48):
was pretty good. And I did this show. It was
a lot. It was eighteen hour days every day. It
was a lot of stunts. Uh, you know, I was tight.
It was my first lead role in the show. Oh
and and and and and I'm just getting my feet wet.
But but it was a learning experience for me to
work with everybody, and and but the hours and the
(21:12):
stunts and everything. Man, it took its toll. It took
its toll that time. But you know, I don't regret it.
It was a learning experience for me and I learned
a lot a lot working on that show. And first
of if I didn't have a dramatic show on Fox,
that's so it was great.
Speaker 2 (21:42):
How celebrated were you by your community when let's say,
Johnny Zero came out like could you go places?
Speaker 1 (21:47):
Or was recognizing?
Speaker 3 (21:48):
But not only that was the diverse, you know, from
the white, black, Hispanic thing, and then I knew other
things was everybody, Yeah, and people that were locked up
that I knew. I went to visit and go, yo,
Johnny G what's up? Man? I'm like, Yo, how you doing? Man?
What's something you like? Down? No, but it was it
took me, you know, it was you know, it felt
(22:10):
bad that when they when they you know, they canceled
it after after a couple of episodes. But you know
that's what happens on shows. You know, you never know
if it's gonna stay or go. Because when when I
did Smith. After that with with duy Lioda and Rayoda
came out to me got arrested. So I remember he
came up to me. He tells me how long this
(22:31):
show is gonna last? Because we did the show Smith,
I said, Yo, Ray, I don't know because today we
could be real good, but tomorrow's gone. And that was
you know, that was my experience.
Speaker 2 (22:41):
You know, you worked with some iconic actors as a
young actor, like were you ever star truck struck?
Speaker 1 (22:47):
Did you see someone Dustin Hoffman?
Speaker 3 (22:51):
I loved him and Peppion and yeah, and we talked
a lot and we sat down he goes ranky, I
saw my knee, thought, man, you he told the song.
That was the director and he just told me when
we're doing when when we're sitting down reading goes, just
have fun. That'll tell you gotta do have fun, go
out there and do your thing. I said, thank you,
(23:12):
you know, and he was great in confidence though, Yo,
there's the stuff we did. Confidence. And the director James
Foley came over to me and said, Frank, because we
had a scene with me Rachel wife and and Eddie
Burns when he when he clocks me in the eye
and but wait. So then James Foley goes, Yo, Frankie,
he's you know, Hoffman likes to do all these crazy things.
(23:34):
Look he's gonna try something, but just go with it, yo.
That scene. Man, here, I am doing my thing me Edie.
He goes, why did he said something like why did
you let you? Why did you let him in? I
don't know. He just came in. He took me and
he whacked me for real my eye and the camera
was on me now and I pulled back and then
he jumped back and goes get him. Somebody get him, Somebody,
(23:56):
get him, somebody. And I'm looking at him like so
when they sick cut the director James Fuddy goes, holy
Ship and I'm like, and you know, my my my
defense mode is like I love him. So I walked away.
And then one of the pig well you know that's
his method of acting. I said, yeah, I like to
give him my method of acting. Yo. Everybody ripped and
(24:19):
he's like this, yeah he's small, you know, And but
I loved him. He's a great guy. Great advice he
gave me and everything like that.
Speaker 1 (24:26):
Frankie South from Brooklyn, you're playing right now.
Speaker 3 (24:29):
Men. Tricks are for kids son, you know what I mean.
And he hit me in the eye, yo, because I'm
a new jack, you know, hit me yo.
Speaker 1 (24:36):
Here's the here's a million dollar question. Was that it
or did you have to do a scene again?
Speaker 3 (24:40):
Yeah? I did it again, but he was like all right,
he just you know, he was like pulling like he
was like what, No, No, I don't want to hit
but they kept that one.
Speaker 2 (24:48):
Yeah, that's what I want to I want to know
if that what I'm looking at it explaining.
Speaker 3 (24:53):
I was like, oh, I just wanted to go like this,
but you know I.
Speaker 1 (24:58):
Can't get locked up right now. Go finished this movie?
Speaker 3 (25:01):
Right?
Speaker 2 (25:03):
That was a good one now. But anyway, no, no, no, no.
Who's your favorite actor? Oh my god, I don't say
yourself because I.
Speaker 1 (25:12):
Hate with Max. Who's your favorite singer? They're like me,
I like.
Speaker 3 (25:15):
The older I like them all and brand Or Dustin
hoff Man, uh, Jack Lemon, uh, Laurence Olivier, Oh my god,
Leonardo DiCaprio, this some other ones, but you know a
lot of good ones like that.
Speaker 1 (25:32):
No, if I needed a good show to watch, can
you recommend something that business? I knew you were gonna
do that. I knew you were. I already watched Family Business.
I already watched Family Business. Why are you doing that
to me?
Speaker 3 (25:44):
Now?
Speaker 1 (25:44):
What are you watching? Well? You do you watch yourself?
Do you watch?
Speaker 3 (25:48):
Sometimes? I? Sometimes I don't because I can't get because
we like you said, I could have done that better.
I could have done you could teach yourself. But something
you know. When I went but what's funny? When so
Too came out, I decided to go to the movies
to check out what the reaction is. So there's about
fifteen of us. We went to Long Island. I had
my hood up and went in sat that was all
packed and oh he has ah screaming and everything. I said, Oh,
(26:11):
this is good, this is good. This is good. So
when I think then when we got up, I got
up to go out there with my friends and go,
you'll take off the hood. I said, no, I'm not
gonna do that. You know, no, I didn't want to
do that. The reactions were fantastic. That's what I like.
Speaker 1 (26:25):
That's amazing. You were like, I'm gonna sit in the
cut and see how I did.
Speaker 3 (26:28):
Yeah. But but shows I watched, like when Ozark was out,
I watched Ozark, watched it Yeah, it was great that
some morales that work too. On Gunhill Road. I worked
with him on that. This is I watched. I watch
a lot of foreign films as well.
Speaker 1 (26:44):
Oh you going down a road?
Speaker 2 (26:46):
That?
Speaker 3 (26:46):
Yeah, because I enjoy I am some of the French
films and they're a really good story.
Speaker 1 (26:51):
But do you watch them in English or do you
watch them in French with subtitles?
Speaker 3 (26:54):
Subtitles? That's a lot because I watched the shooting. I
watched that in the angles they shoot the acting.
Speaker 1 (27:01):
So you're watching what a different yes, exactly.
Speaker 3 (27:05):
M hmm.
Speaker 1 (27:05):
I watched Italian movies. I don't, and I watch some
of them.
Speaker 3 (27:08):
Are real good. A Gomora. You have seen Goma. Oh
that's good man. That's almost power in Italy and stuff.
It's almost like a power.
Speaker 2 (27:17):
It's somebody write that down because I know I'm gonna
forget and then I'm gonna be based on.
Speaker 3 (27:24):
The gangs and and and in Italy. And it's so good.
And I watched it and even though you know, I
see the subtype, but I just watched the acting. The
acting is so great. It's so good.
Speaker 2 (27:35):
You're looking at it with a different different Yeah.
Speaker 1 (27:39):
Now, Mosica, who do you listen to.
Speaker 3 (27:42):
I listened to a lot, a lot. I listened to
hip hop. Yes, of course. I listened to Joshua grot
Bit and I listened to Under when I was in Italy, man,
the tickets were sold out. A much classical music and
stuff like that to suits me down here and take it.
But a lot of hip hop. I listened to.
Speaker 1 (27:58):
What about Latin music?
Speaker 3 (28:00):
You know? I like, I said, my god, you know, do.
Speaker 1 (28:07):
You kids make you listen to Bad Bunny Bad Bunny? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (28:14):
He's like, I listened to some of them. I don't
know the names, but I like the music.
Speaker 1 (28:23):
Do your kids introduce you to this? To new music? No?
Speaker 3 (28:26):
I do. I'll go to the gym, put my headphones
on when I work out.
Speaker 1 (28:29):
Put a playlist on.
Speaker 3 (28:30):
That's it.
Speaker 2 (28:31):
And I wanted to ask you, what's your affiliation with
with Terror Squad? I see you wearing a hat.
Speaker 3 (28:37):
Elliott Elliot, he works for a fat Jim Okay. I
think he meant gonna tell him. He came to me.
I wanted to bring him a getty. Man, I'm going
to be in Vakers, So all right, that's cool.
Speaker 1 (28:48):
I saw you. I was like, he's shopping up y
see that was that was for you? The Kicks?
Speaker 3 (28:53):
Yeah, the Kicks, Yeah, because I was. I was working
in l A. So I told Elliott works on his stars.
I said, man, this coming out and can put one
on the side for me and everything like that.
Speaker 1 (29:03):
I need to know what sneakers they were. You remember
what sneakers they were? Come over here, come over here.
I need to see what he has goes because he
wanted them nice.
Speaker 3 (29:12):
Yeah, he wanted them and uh so he put something
one on the side and I went to the store
and I picked him up. After when I got back
from l A, got to New York, and then I
just went over there picked up But at first he
said he didn't have a pay he said, he put
him up. Somebody took him the store. I said, what
I said, come on, he you're in the world goes
you right, that's cool. So then when I got home,
(29:34):
he had a pet for me, and so I went
over and picked it up.
Speaker 2 (29:36):
When I saw the bag, I said, I wonder what
he bought, and yeah, yeah, yeah, I always.
Speaker 1 (29:40):
Want to know with sneakers. I'm like with sneakers and
music went for Christmas and that's what something you made
his Christmas?
Speaker 3 (29:46):
Oh? Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (29:48):
Now where do you feel we stand currently? Like Latinos
representation in Hollywood?
Speaker 3 (29:53):
There's a lot happening right Oh, I'm sorry you mean me? No, No,
Latinos are moving up. I mean I see it come along.
I mean there's diverse. There's a lot of shows being
shot for Latinos. You got some of them being shot
in LA right now. My friend is one into one
of them, something royal. I'm sorry, I didn't get the name,
(30:13):
but that's based about Guanos and everything like that. But
they're I feel that it's moving up. You know, there's
a lot of diverse going on in movies and in
TV right now.
Speaker 1 (30:24):
Do you like the way we're being represented?
Speaker 3 (30:26):
And I think we could be represented better more, you know,
more leads for Latinos, you know, in the movie industry,
a Latino superhero or something like that. Me. I like
to play a villain, you know, you know what I mean?
You got too many good, good superheroes. I like to
give anything. Oh man, he's good. Man, I like that.
Make your name for yourself.
Speaker 1 (30:45):
You know that I cannot stand him now.
Speaker 3 (30:50):
Not they tell you I do with the appearances. Sometimes
he saw the Horror Convention. Man, I hated you, but
you're a nice guy. I said, Yo, exactly what are
you talking about something? Oh, we're good.
Speaker 1 (31:01):
Now what are you currently working on? What's next? What's
the deal?
Speaker 3 (31:05):
Right? Money for season six? And family business? And I
finished the movie Beyond the Beyond the Rush with Eric Roberts,
Frankie Faison, Fred Savage and another one Academy Award Savage. Yeah,
and we shot in Jersey for a couple of days
and it's uh, it's gonna be the trying to hopefully
(31:27):
open up in October. The editing right now.
Speaker 1 (31:29):
So Ice, so you're busy, Yeah, trying to keep myself now.
Speaker 2 (31:34):
You definitely are busy, you know, and I want to
take a moment, you know, and just thank you, you
know for your representation of Latinos and you know so much,
being an amazing husband, being a great father, you know,
being able to juggle all those things simultaneously is not easy.
Speaker 3 (31:47):
No, it's not, you know, and sometimes you know, you
got to call you when you're working a lot, you know,
just make sure everything's okay at home, and you know
what I'm doing.
Speaker 2 (31:57):
So thank you, amazing, thank you really that we got
to sit down together. I know you a little bit
better now. Don't just hate you offer your characters. Now,
I like you as an actual person. Thank you for
coming through.
Speaker 1 (32:09):
Thank you for having me come again. That was good.
Grassiers Come Again is a production of Honey German Productions
in partnership with iheart'smcuntura podcast network m
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