September 8, 2022 • 43 mins
Actress Alyssa Diaz and her fiance, Grammy nominated singer Gustavo Galindo join Eric and Ros on the pod!
Meeting on a dating app, not living up to the online profile, a first date panic button, couple’s therapy, manifesting success and a secret relationship with Bill Murray…There’s a lot to unpack here!
Lucky for us there’s double the relationships, double the opinions and double the fun!
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is he said, Ajo with Eric Winter and Rosalind Santez.
All right, so we are here with a very special
episode of he had he had? Where is my mind?
That he said? I like he had to? Um, this
(00:23):
is uh, this is gonna be fun because this is
the first time we're having guests in our studio, um
since Jeff Lewis. We did this whole thing, and he's
gonna be so happy. I'm proud. Yeah, and we have
one of our very own Rookie cast members, Alyssa Diaz
and Gustavo Gindo, her musician Grammy nominated artists. We're so
(00:51):
excited to talk with you both. UM, welcome, Yeah, thanks
for having us. I've been waiting. I'm so excited here.
So we UM, well look let's see we we obviously
met doing the Rookie But funny enough, I was a bit,
you know, star struck because she had done Narcos and
I was so excited that she was shooting Narcos and
I was I'm a big as you know, like obsessed. Um.
(01:16):
And that is where when you were filming Narcos that
you Tube connected. I just got the story on the
set the other day, which was actually pretty pretty fun
and amazing. You guys met while you were shooting, yes,
before the show started started. So actually it was right
after filming the pilot for The Rookie. I had to
go back to Mexico City to finish filming Narcos, and
(01:36):
I think the Rookie like people like the cast is
helping me put together in my online profile. Actually, so
dating that game full dating, and Eric was getting dating advice.
I was seeing one guy. I was seeing this one guy,
and and Eric was like this guy, this guy, no
no no, no, no no no, and our technical advice.
(02:00):
They're two Daniels. I remember we were having lunch and
I was in my police uniform and I was on
Moby because you know, it wasn't working out on the guy.
And he goes, Melissa, what are you doing putting all
your eggs in one basket? You've got to go out there.
And I'm like okay, and he's like, there's the apps.
He goes, there's you know, bumble, and I'm like, what's bumble?
(02:20):
Like I didn't even know because I don't know. It
was like it's a dating now. And so then I
like they helped me, Like the castmates were like Okay,
don't put any like head shots, no no, no, like,
but like all this shot works. Melissa O'Neil was like
a shot of you traveling is great. And they helped
me write the profile, and so when I went back,
I think that week is when I'm like, let me
(02:42):
just let me just try this. And the first guy
that I went on a date with, I it wasn't Gustavo. Um.
I asked the P like the PM, like, what do
you think about this guy? And she's like, oh, I
actually went to college with him. And I was like, oh, so,
like I'll be kind of safe, and so it gave
me the confidence. And then my second date was Gustavo
(03:05):
and that was that his impression when he saw that,
You're like, I guess profile, Oh some Latino girl looking
to explore her roots in Mexico. Yeah, idea what she
did because there's no nothing in indicating in the profile.
That was like actually actress like all these things. And
(03:27):
so I was like, oh, just like a nice travel
exchange student. It's like want to come down and she
wants to learn like her Mexican roots. Like also I'll
show her a good time for sure. But I did
put actress in my profile and he was like, oh,
all the girls from l A actresses. Well, and that's
one thing about Gustavo. So he grew up in Mexico
(03:49):
and in was the TOPHO in Sacramento, and then I
went to school down here in Los Angeles. Yeah, so
super versed in the l A. I mean obviously in
the music business. Yeah, knows the scene very well. So
you were born in Mexico into what age until I
was five, and then my parents got divorced and I
went to live with my mom. My grandparents had a
home in Lake Tahoe, and so that's where we lived
from I was five to eleven. Probably the most magical
(04:12):
place the boy could live and live in the woods
and ski in the lake and it was just beautiful.
And then we went back down to Mexico for a
year and in that time my mom met her her
boyfriend at the time, who was Russ Solomon, who was
the founder of Tara Records. And so that's where brought
me back to Sacramento with my brother, and we were
there through all the way through high school and college,
and then in college I came down to Los Angeles
(04:34):
and stayed afterwards to do music and starting my career
and music, and then ended up going back down to
Mexico after after I got signed and had a Grammy nomination,
because that's where you had to kind of make it
in the Latin pop world. And I've been living there
for about seven years and I've been single for about
three and so I kind of had the dating world down,
like I had all the apps down like a science,
(04:56):
like this photo, same photo from the same ago twice snow,
you know, like bath him self, you know, And so
I've been using it for a little bit and I
saw her profile and I think it was just like,
oh great, this looks really beautiful. Girl loves adventure, has
a great smile, looks like she was really until like
(05:17):
getting to know the profile. And then in Mexico City
US a huge city, but like the heart of the Temy,
the heart of the Mexico City is this couple of neighborhoods.
Like so she was saying, Polanco beautiful, and I think
(05:41):
it was on Friday night that we matched, and then
Saturday she said hello, and I said, oh, Hi, what's
what are you up to today? Because you kind of
have to jump on it fast like you can't let
too much time go. You was like, your time then
becomes just chatting on the thing and it never gets
down to it, so unless you like fire the first
shot kind of thing like what are you doing today?
Like she's like, oh, I've just seen museums and so forth,
(06:02):
and I was like okay, cool, Like what are you
doing for lunch? Because lunch is a good time because
it's harmless and it's not like dinner with all it's
the darkness and the candle light like all the pure system.
It was my second day, yeah, like I didn't know it,
(06:25):
so it was great. And so I was like, oh,
this is this this beautiful Italian restaurant in drama and
it's the only female chef owned restaurant Mexic into Italian
Mexican combination, so it's really beautiful Italian recipes with Mexican ingredients.
And so we went and we had a good table
and like uh and then we just started chatting and
(06:46):
the next thing, you know, the restaurant was empty because
it was between that time between dinner and lunch or
like oh, I guess. We we talked for like three
very like it was very comfortable and just very easy
when you meet someone that you're like, I know this
person from somewhere, but I don't know where. And there's
just very like just very flowing. And so when we
(07:07):
left the restaurant, um she, I was like, I have
nothing planned right now. So we just walk around and
like in my head, no, no, no, we were we
had finished lunch and we're just walking around and I'm like,
I'm not following you. I just don't know where I am.
What happened? And he's like, because I had, like, I'm
(07:28):
gonna take you here to my friend's tattoo studio and
then I'm gonna go here to my friends other places.
So I'm gonna like show off like all my And meanwhile,
because I was doing Narcos, we had to sign an
n d A, so like my first day, I had
to meet with like security and they gave me a
GPS tracker and a panic button. And so I remember
(07:49):
the season of Narcos when the location manages killed, I
don't remember sting for the show. So anyway, they had
a lot, so it's heavy, heavy security because it was
also their first season filming in Mexico. Okay, so I
thought I was going to be in my hotel the
whole time. And then I kind of got a little
adventurous and I gotta have this panic button just in case.
(08:11):
So um so I think where I was going with that.
So he was I couldn't tell him why I was
down in Mexico. I was like, I'm an actress, and
he's like, well, what are you working on? I go like,
I can't tell you. A period peace okay, But I
was like because I was like, oh, like I'm down
here up for work and I'm doing this period peace show.
(08:32):
And I was like, oh, she an actress and he
liked it. He liked it. You can't tell me. It's like, alright,
little like that makes it more intriguing. But it was
interesting because like you talk to someone and you realize
they're not like a normal person exactly that normal every
day but he's not normal because it's like this person
(08:58):
does something that requires like isn't and like intention like
it was just very isn't when you meet someone that
doesn't do the normal their job or just has an
X factor about them, like you just couldn't read talent
because like that's something I love, is like talented people.
So when you meet someone that's just like on that
same wavelengths, I could tell like, oh, this person is
good at what they like, she does something that's important,
(09:18):
and she's good at what she does, and the way
she held there's help was very impressive and so it
just all like turn on. But it was so funny
because when I saw his profile, I've obviously found him
very attractive because he's in his like moather suit or
a jacket, and he looked all mysterious and I'm like, well,
(09:43):
he could be kind of like a douche, but let's see.
And he was just so nice, like that was the thing,
Like just such a sweet guy. So yeah, we kind
of like she thought I was going to talk like this.
I did. I did. I was like, your English is
impet Yeah, he's like, I grew up in time. Have
(10:05):
you been to Sacramento and now here you are? Years?
How long ago is that? This is what we started
the show? So it was five years ago almost five
years almost. Yeah, you guys have a baby boy, so
things clearly worked out in the right direction. Do you
still find that same love and passion five years later
when you look at each other? Years rediscovering it every
(10:32):
day discovering that we can't start relationships are a trip, right,
Like there's like those first and we always joke because
I love the first five dates. What the first five
years amazing? Now we've downgraded five special. But it's funny
(10:59):
when you're in that honeymoon phase and like everything is
so fresh and new, and you're in a different country
and yeah there, and you're like you could show off.
It's all fun, and then all of a sudden you uproot,
you put into a lifestyle and now you're in another
place where you're familiar with me. Now you're living somewhere
else and you have a baby, and you go through
COVID together and you guys are in quarantine together. Yeah. Yeah,
(11:21):
at the valid beginning of it all, that's when all
the stuff came up to the surface, like during the pandemic,
because that's when I got pregnant. And then all of
a sudden got really into like rumda, my quarter life
crazy like a great sound And so that happened during COVID,
(11:42):
yeah sort of thing where like in my mind I
had this mind of I'm going to go back to
Mexico every cold months. I'll be able to see my daughter,
like I won't like. So when this happened, it just
kind of upduded everything and I just found myself in
new territory. I think, like everyone lockdown, lockdown. It was
just very like so it became much easier to be
like everything to me, all right, and what do you mean?
(12:08):
He's like, what is love? And you really and I'm
like what what, I'm pregnant? I'm like, give me a hug.
And at this time, we were also remodeling her backyard,
so there were just like bounds of dirt, so it
looked like a war zone in the backyard where we
(12:30):
couldn't go outside. And then like he's listening to Ramdas
every day and I'm just like oh and then petrified,
petrified of like like with him, like I remember we're
going to walk and he was about to tell it
was like the height of the pandemic. Touch like a
like you know, the stop the walk signal and what
are you telling? Because he would touch his face to
(12:51):
realize your actions can affect her afoor child, like every
little thing, everything, green, materials, music, you know, Taylor Swift,
just write about all your relationship stuff pretty much, Oh
my god, pretty much, and let me ask you something.
This is like we're deep now. So you have a daughter?
(13:11):
How old seven? Yeah, she's seven, So she was true
when you guys met I met her. I met her, Yeah,
when she was three and a half. So I think
you like on our day. He told me right away
about me, I was I'd been married before, but it
was because I'd gotten praying with Mia, and so in
my mind at that time, I was like, the right
(13:31):
thing to do is get married and didn't work out.
But me as from my from my first marriage and
had been divorced or separated for about three years when
I met Alissa, and so we were on really good
terms and so my focus was then it was just
pretty much music and just being divorced dad. And I'm
probably one of the best gigs in the world because
(13:52):
it's like three days a week. Who can't be a
good dad, you know, like three days a week they
go back. So it's like it's a very weird kind
of sort of being a parent, but also like getting
to have your own free time. So it was it
was really interesting for me when I met Elissa. I
just had an immediate uh. I just felt safe and
I felt like she was someone that that would be
(14:13):
cool with with uh with Mia and just visiting her.
So I think on this one of the second week
that you were there, I was like, oh, like you
have a pool, like my daughter loves swimming. Yeah, because
I was staying at the hotel, and I think no,
it was like three days later he was like, he's like, oh,
can I bring my my daughter? She loves swimming? And
I go, yeah, I love to meet her. And I
remember was so nervous meeting her and she was so playful.
(14:37):
We actually have the photos. She's like on top of me,
like to me. But my mama was okay, yeah, yeah
I met her, and I'm like, thank god I'm an
actress because you know how like do you have to
do like crazy stuff like screen tests and all this stuff.
I like met the daughter and then like the next
day and he didn't tell me. I go, oh, and
this is her mother. I go, nice to meet you.
(14:58):
And then the day after I met grandma, and then
like two weeks later I met your So I met
everybody really fast, and yeah, you guys were kind of
in it. Everything met pretty quick. Think about right, you
guys met you met, you met your daughter right away,
you met ex wife right away, you met family right
away because you're living there. You came up here pretty quickly,
and then you guys moved in together. It's been a
(15:18):
very whirlwind things and sometimes like it's it's like we've
lived so many things in the short amount of time
that sometimes like we even forget how long we've been.
It was like, this is only I've been here for like,
you know, since nineteen so about three years now, but
it seems like a lot longer. But heavy stuff. And
see and here you are, you pushed through it all.
(15:39):
Like I always when you go through those that many
different I want to see obstacles, but just challenges and
changes and blessings right with your baby and all these
different things, a lot of it all combined at once,
and it feels like, wow, this all got thrust in
my face so quickly. But if you can overcome it
at this early stage, when this is like technically a
lot of people, I always though it about us too,
Like when this is like the honeymoon stage, still a
(15:59):
little bit early on, but you overcome any difficulties, it
gets so much easier. I think, you know, as time
goes on, because you figured out okay, we can navigate
tough waters quickly versus you know, in the beginning it's
just all cotton rainbow, cotton, candy, rainbows, butterflies, and then
all of a sudden, it all hits and you're like, okay, no,
I think, like, you know, thank God for zoom and
(16:21):
uh and like a couple of therapy and that was
that was real because like sometimes you need that objective
point of view to help strange yourself, especially when you
you know, when you find someone that's you know, your
your silimator, your partner, it's also the same amount of that.
They can trigger you and they can drive you and
say for sure, you know, it's funny. We've been to
(16:43):
two different therapists years ago. We found this lady like Italian,
very old love to this day, this woman, I think
it's next level and she was just so kind and
compassionate and just funny. And he never saw my person
(17:04):
from my point of view. Every session, I'm not going
everything I say. She doesn't agree with me whole time.
On the attack, I like, because you didn't realize that,
you were, Like that's why, you know, because nobody is
looking at my side. There's two sides, because their side
was wrong. Love it. Sara dist agrees with you. You're like, yes,
(17:26):
that's crazy. We had to stop going because he refused
to go to vaccine. I'm going these ladies, and so
we stopped and you go by yourself, and you did,
and I loved her every second of it. When I
was pregnant with Dylan the second baby, I was started
having this crazy panic attacks like I didn't want, like
(17:50):
I'm severely closerphobic, and it was almost like I was
getting closerphobic for him, and I didn't understand that I
had something inside of me. I wanted him out. It
was the weirdest thing. And went to Macazine and she
was able to see me, tell me how to see
things so easily and clearly and just elemental, you know.
I was like, this is normal because I wasn't thinking
(18:12):
I'm gonna die, I'm gonna kill myself, you know. And
she was like, you don't remember when you found me
freaking naked and the second and the balcony we're gonna jump.
First of all, we're talking about that now. I'm just
kidding never. But I was freaking out more than anything.
(18:33):
I was freaking off on him because I would think
I was thinking, first of all, everything is energy, and
I don't want this kids to be born with all
kinds of subconscious issues because I was having panic attacks.
And number two, I was like, I'm causing a premature
birth because I keep thinking I need this alien out,
that he's gonna come out, you know. So then I
would have a panic attack and then be crying, apologizing yourself.
(18:58):
You know, it's just staying you're you're still cooking, you
know what I mean. Like it was awful. So magazine
held me incredibly, and then we went to another one
what was her name? That were and then they were
always very analog, really good. It was all the time.
(19:18):
I think we weren't fighting because we're trying to figout
the health saying psychology. It's like I'm gonna have to
start writing down because I don't know what time I'm
gonna have to go back home to work together. Anyways,
but I believe in there, but you believe in therapy.
He's a super advocate. Oh yeah, I think I think
the biggest thing more than any other relationship I've been
(19:40):
in it is it really taught me how to communicate,
and that there being like, oh you mean I don't
have to yell to be heard, you know. And it
just so I feel like we both definitely have grown.
But yeah, our relationship I think definitely triggers are like
pre emotional, you know, and that's what relationships do you
need grow for sure? And I always say, look, you
(20:02):
do two are both creatives. You know, we're creatives and
we deal in this. We're in this crazy business as
it is, which is hard enough, and then you put
all the obstacles that it might be whether travel for
work or you know, you're traveling for for a gig
right and you're performing. Um, it's a lot like we
do it right now with her traveling. It's it's not easy,
like you need somebody to sort of help you because
(20:23):
there's no one way to get through anything. It helps
having a voice that can you guide you through this craziness. Um,
let's talk about work for a minute, and let's start
with you, Gustavo. So when you did you always know
you wanted to be a musician? Was that a lifelong
or something just something that I always loved And it
was always kind of I guess like, um, like something
(20:43):
special that I felt I had just this connection with
music and it comes from my dad and my grandpa,
my on my Mexican side of the family. Like all
our family gathering, there's always guitar. And so when on
Sundays when everyone gets together as you do in Latin America,
at least back in the day when you were forced
to because then you couldn't get inheritance. But everyone who
(21:06):
shows up at Grandma's house and then you have the
lunch and then the things, and then you know, in
then afterwards the guitars we get brought out and then
it would be classics from you know, my dad being
a kid of of the sixties seventies, like Cat Stevens,
Beatles and then Rancher at Us and folk music and
things like that. So it was always like there and
everyone had their song that they would sing kind of thing,
and mine was always la bamba. So it always like
(21:27):
he busted singing. It just felt real good. And then
I was eleven twelve, my mom sat my brother and
I down and she was like piano or guitar, Like no,
she's like guitar because it just felt like home. And
so we started thinking guitar lessons. But I had to
be classical guitar lessons. It couldn't be like just rock
because she had to look good. We're getting my boys
classical guitar lessons. I was like, oh, fancy, but it
(21:49):
was actually good because it just taught me a lot
of dexterity with my hands and fingers. And then from there,
I think, um, I just started getting into like the
and the sixties music and songwriters, and then I started
copying songs and writing them for myself and and then
just realizing, oh, this is like really interesting to be
able to put these things I feel into music because
it was so hard for me to say them out
(22:10):
loud because I was the older brother. And then the
weird way like kind of like the when the oldest
usually of the single mom is the one that takes
everything on the sense, so it was always really hard
for me to show any kind of emotion or or
just always kind of be a rock in a sense.
So music was the way that I could dive into
those feelings and express those things, and it was worked
(22:30):
out really well, and so you're taking exactly exactly. So
then from there it was like just writing a song.
Then I was like, oh, putting the guitar to school,
and then that that girl who wasn't interesting before all
of a sudden likes you, like, this is strange power
(22:51):
that I have. Well you also, what's his name? The artic?
Chris uh, Chris Isaac Isaac. So I saw that Chris
Isaic video to that Wicked game, the rich shot that's
like black and white, and I think, like Christina, one
of one of the tops, and it was like, this
looks like a good game, this looks like something that
I would be into doing. Well, I had to say.
(23:12):
His brother did show us his video of him when
him and his brother he was five years old and
he's playing with a snow shovel pretending it's a guitar
and his brother turned over like you know, his plastic
campers and it was like playing drums on it, and
Gustavo is like, this one's for the babes and the
stars rocking out five. So it was like part of
(23:32):
his dest in his hand. So then what was as
your progression through music went and you get to the
point where you're you're putting out an album and you
get nominated for a Grammy, I mean that's I don't know.
(23:53):
I mean it's like we always say, even in acting,
you could be doing this for so long and never
get ano, you know, nominating accol for anything, let alone know,
just a nomination, yea, the peak of hitting like you
every wherever he strives schools. It was like too much,
too soon. It was because it was almost like the
I saw the power of what manifestation can do, and
so in in my mind when I was in a
(24:16):
band here in Los Angeles, had a little band called
Blue Duty, and we did like all the indie circuit,
and then I had these songs in Spanish that I
was just like, well, these are cool songs. I should
record them and give them to my family in Mexico
and you know. And so I've recorded them and they
came out really good, and people started digging them. And
all of a sudden, like the secretary where I worked
at the PR from where I worked at the time,
(24:36):
and she's like, Oh, my boyfriend's manager, I'll give it
to him. He liked it. He gave it to a
friend of his MTV who liked it. And so it
became like everyone started like digging it and they're like, oh,
we kind of want to represent you, but we want
to send it out. Like if if there was a
producer or someone that you would die to work with.
Who would it be? And I said, oh, well, the
only person I really want to work with Gustavo, who
(24:58):
is this Mexican producer who does Wandness and all these
huge Mexican acts kind of like the like the rig
Rubin of the Mexican rock world, where like he just
finds talent and he brings the best out in them,
like at least from what I heard in the recordings,
And so I think they sent the demo over to
his offices. And about three months later they called me
(25:19):
back because they were cleaning out the offices of all
the demos, thousands of demos that they got every month,
and they were kind of listening to three Seconds or
something and like tossing it and going through and they
put mine on and they said, like they listened to
the whole song, second whole song again and and they're like,
this is really good. And so his the guy who's
the a n r Arian so says his name, sent
it to Gustavo, and Gustavo took it to Universal and
(25:41):
they green lighted him to like Communis and they called me.
It was like this very certain diffitest thing because at
the time, I was like I had broken up with
like my first girlfriend at the time, and it was
like this heartache and I was like, lord, if if
I was supposed to do music, just give me a sign,
you know, or what I was supposed to do. And
because you just said the power of manifesting, So what
were you manifesting? Just like this? Like I could you know.
(26:02):
It was like, oh, from wanting to work with him,
to like the music, to like everything, but it was
so so natural and float so easy, and it just
kind of happened and it was just very like and
all of a sudden, I was kind of like, oh,
I have this album and it came out and and
it was kinda like also like the discovery of like, oh,
no one's gonna do it for me but me, and
so I just kind of ignited like the stuff. And
(26:22):
so I was getting like all these like bookings and
tours and things on my own, and I got like
a state farm gig where I went to schools and
talk to kids about creativity and safety driving and things,
and like that helped pay for like the pr with
the album and it will help pay for things. So
it was a lot of fun. But uh, and then
they're like, oh, you should go down to Mexico City
because that's where you kind of have to make it.
(26:44):
So I since I had at Mexico City that's like
grew up there, I was like, oh, yeah, sure, I
have a family there, I have a place to stay.
It's gonna be it's gonna be fun. So I went
down there, and Mexico City is like neverland, where like
if you don't want to grow up, you don't have to,
and if you fall into like that right crowd, it
would have the right access. They can just become very comfortable.
And so that kind of fell into very well when
I was like, oh, music is okay, but I still
(27:04):
do I still play and do these things. But it
was very interesting to see from this peak and this
is what happens when like you kind of fall into
comfort a little bit so challenging yourself like a little push.
And then like I had some like some things happened,
like my mom passed away, and something's kind of like
that life kind of it's like this weird thing that
we're not trying to control life. Life can control you.
(27:27):
And so when you kind of just throw the reins
up in the air a little bit like it'll be like, Okay,
well we're gonna you gotta grow, so I'm gonna grow,
make you grow this way, you're that way, And so
it was kind of all a little bit of like hardships.
And then when I met Ali is actually when I
just finished recording my second album as independent, and it
was like really cool that like for me to like
kind of put my hat back in the ring and
get going. And it's been kind of like growing up
(27:48):
that ever since. But it's been like it's been a
really fun thing because music has so many avenues and
this taught me so many different things about from performing
to marketing to business, and it's like all these all
these beautiful things, but for me, in the end, it's
always about the search for the song. You're when you
met I met this girl, lots of songs, I like,
(28:09):
write a song for me. So Alyssa, you I mean
from what I know, pretty much like a child, yes, right,
Like I got put to work. Yeah, was that you're
like always you're saying I want to do this to
your parents were like, we have a little model, we're
gonna put her in it totally fell into it by accident.
(28:30):
It was a fluke. So I had started this new school,
like an elementary school in the valley, and I had
signed up to do their summer program and I wanted
to be a dancer for Janet Jackson. That was like yeah, Jenna,
Janna lived my dream. And so I'm like, I'm going
(28:50):
to do this drill team dance class. And because it
was a small school, they're like, no, we don't have
You're the only one that signed up. And I'm like really,
and they're like, well you can do. We have the
theater class and we have the cooking class. I'm like, well,
I don't want to do dishes, so what's this theater thing?
Because I didn't know, you know, I didn't have access
to that as a kid. And so they took me
(29:11):
to this room and all the kids were sitting at
a table reading aloud. They were doing a table read,
but I thought they were just reading aloud from a book.
I'm like, I can read aloud from a book. I'll
do this. And I did a play and I played
like four different characters in it. So my parents saw it.
I think it was like eleven, and like, hey, you
want to try this? Acting thing and I'm like, sure,
I'll try it. And that's kind of like how it
(29:34):
went it all. And so like I start out like
you know, modeling and then doing commercials and I just
like had stayed with a different agent now, but the
agent when he signed me he had just turned eighteen.
I was twelve, and like he was like for twenty years.
Just like we grew together and I didn't think I
would continue. Like when I turned eighteen and enrolled in college,
(29:56):
I'm like, Okay, that was a fun thing. And then
I got um a soap opera in New York and
going to New York and seeing theater and all the training,
I'm like, I can do this like for a living,
Like is this what is this the roller coaster that
I really want to do? And so I was like yeah,
and I just started getting really serious about like studying
(30:17):
and all that and just kind of follow the path.
I mean you've worked, I mean pretty consistently. I mean
we all have, you know, ups and downs, But did
you have ever that period of time where you're going like,
oh is this for me? Or yeah it did happen. Yeah,
it happened a couple of times. I think the first
time was like in my early twenties when I was
just like it wasn't as consistent as I would have liked.
(30:38):
And I'm like with my mom and I'm like, I
just like, I don't know if I want to do this.
She goes you in an office like really, so it's
like she was super supportive of me, and I'm like,
oh really, and she's like, well, just if you stop now,
will you kick yourself in the past five years from now?
And I'm like yeah, she goes, so keep going and
I'm like all right. So but by the time, I'm
(30:59):
like only for I'm going to be making my living.
I'm not going to have all these side jobs. I'm
gonna be making my living from acting. And then it happened.
And then I had like another hiccup in my later
like my late twenties, where I realized that a lot
of what was driving me was like to prove to
all the people that are like, you can't do it,
(31:19):
and I was like, no, I can do it, like
you know. And then I was burnt out because I
was just like kind of running on this anger, trying
to prove myself. And so I went into another funk
and it was after doing Army Wives because I was
living in Charleston and like I'm going home to this
house by myself every day, like next to Bill Murray,
(31:41):
which is another story, my favorite. Bill Murray's like the ghost.
You can't rEFInd Bill Murray, like he doesn't have a phone,
No you can contact him. He heard the stories about it.
Bill Murray was my neighbor in Charleston. I had a
lost in translation date with him. Um went out like
to go Bill about I was like, I was just like, oh,
(32:05):
he wants to see a play, like so cool, so naive,
so nice. He's such a cookie, super talented guy. But
like he's figure out crazy crazy do you want me
to go into I don't know? Okay, So Bill Murray
was my neighbor and I didn't I knew because like
(32:26):
you know, I had the guy that I rented the
house from was my co star on the show, but
he wasn't coming back. So he's like, DIA's rent my house.
I'm like, okay, Kirschner, I'll rent it. And um, prior
to that, we had all had dinner with Bill Murray,
like you know. But so then I'm like in his house,
like you know, I think he liked you because you
didn't play into the whole Bill Murray's a legend. No,
(32:49):
I'm just like you're human, like that's it. And so
I'm I'm washing dishes and I'm like cleaning, and I'm
like growing up in North Hollywood like if you're not.
If I'm not expecting anyone and someone knocks at my door,
I go into high alert. And so I had like
this knife, was like but you're not, like, who's knocking
on my door? And I'm like the knife And I
(33:13):
opened the door and I didn't have a people and
I'm like, who is it. It's like it's Drew's friend.
He was like Drew Drew Fuller's house and um, I'm
like okay. And so I opened the door and it's
Bill Murray in like a Cubs outfit, like a cup
like head to toe I remember, like like that blue
Satiny like kind of like sports outfit and his hair
(33:34):
was like all like a mess. And I'm like, oh hi,
And I had to drop the knife because I'm like not,
it's not an interru and he was like, Hi, do
you remember me? And I'm like yeah, yeah from the dinner, Yeah, yeah,
I remember you. What's your exactly like and um, and
(33:56):
he was just like like he would always be like
he would always come out, he like, take up my
garbage cans. I remember one time I rented. I rented
a car and it was raining and it was convertible,
like that was all they had. It wasn't that I
wanted a convertible. It was like a red mustard sees
up with it and it was raining that day and
(34:17):
he like held had an umbrella. I'm like, oh, hello,
and he goes, oh, it's you know, fancy seeing you. Anyways,
The funny thing is and then we went we saw
a play together, and that was like the whole thing.
It was. It was okay. So he picks me up.
He does it all properly, and he's dressed in a
(34:38):
suit and I'm in a jeans and a shirt and
I'm like, oh, you d really really nice. And and
so first we go to like a wine and cheese
place before and we go to a town that's like
population four Hund's like a tiny tiny town outside of
Charleston for this community play. And so he goes, huh,
isn't that funny? And it said on the chalkboard in
(35:00):
the wine shop, Groundhogs Day. I'm not even get this up.
He did a film like it's one of his like,
and then I look and he's wearing a groundhogs tie
on it. And then we go across and we go
and see the play and it's like this quartet, you know,
like barbershop quartet kind of thing, and there's like like
(35:21):
older man, probably in his seventies playing the piano, and
he's like, oh my god, this guy is just what
is He's just pounding on the keys. No, nest do it,
something along those lines, and then he screams at the
top of his stop the play. No he didn't know, Yes,
he didn't stop the play, and um they stopped. He
(35:42):
goes start No, no, no, he didn't say stop the play.
He said start over, start over. So then they started over.
And then he's like and he's like, I'm not really
feeling it. Should I go backstage and talk to these actors?
And I'm like, I like, no, a little, it's just
good intermition. And then yeah, and then we were driving
(36:06):
back and and then he's like, you know, I own
I own the restaurant here in town, cause he owns
a restaurant Charleston, and so he goes go check it
out because it was later. I'm like, yeah, yeah, I
think you'd be cool. I don't think you'll be bothered
too much. And he's like, what do you want or
whatever you want? I want trrows and ice cream and
why Like it was just a random thing and they
brought it out and it was just like a whole thing.
(36:27):
But yeah, it was only it was just one day,
just one day. It was just one my one. Baseball diamonds.
The baseball diamonds great too. When we took you to
He's like, yeah, like the baseball teams. I got to
go to a game with him there. This was a
different this was a different day. This is the Kicker.
(36:51):
This is the kicker right scene in the movie. Oh
my god, I don't know he did. So he were
doing donuts in the parking lot and he singing a
knee lapper, playing sune lappers. Girls just want to have
fun singing it at the top of our lung lungs
like it was Yeah, it was very memorable. It was funny.
And and then this is the thing. So the house
(37:13):
that I lived in, which I've never it was so strange,
but I guess. On the top I had neighbors and
they it was like their weekend home because I'd always
hear somebody in the weekend above me. And finally towards
the end of my stay there, they came out. They're like, hey,
we're the neighbors that live upstairs. I'm like, oh, that's
one nice. They like, so do you know who lives
next door? And I'm like yeah, and they're like, we've
(37:36):
never seen him, We've never there. Like a party that
happened like that was great. That was the craziest thing.
And they had lived there for like five years. Not well,
(37:57):
oh my goodness, that's awesome, but I mean, what was happened?
The army was done? Then what did you do next?
So then I was like in a funk and I
was like, I just want to really do something. I
guess it's talking about manifestation. I just want to do
something like like really in depth and like great and
um that's when it was like about six months later.
(38:19):
I booked Radonovan after that and it was just like,
like it was great. It was great working on everyone
had like a high bar and it was hardest playing
and had to take lessons and this is because from me,
it was like start inspiring to hear like that that
sort because it was the time when like you were
kind of at your lowest and like you read like
from there's like something that you put on a bunch
(38:40):
of weight too, and so you was like I had
put on that was the other thing. I was like
not in the best shape because I was like in
a funk and I could not lose the weight for
the life of me because I was doing like crash
giety into my body was just like girl, like we're
going to get And so I remember my acting teacher
at the time, he told me, he's like, what you goes,
you have to put all your cards in. You have
(39:01):
to embrace all of yourself, like don't just embrace it.
And because it was a little bit on the thicker side,
I do think that's why I got the job, because
she needs to be like a big girl. And then
like my weight started coming off very naturally after I
got the job, but I could not lose it. And
so I just think it's like once I embraced and
(39:21):
just started loving on myself, I'm like, I'm just gonna
love who I am and not try to like control
and fin into this thing and like everything it just
flowed and like yeah, and then everything I went to Narcos,
and then my baby, my future baby daddy, and and
then the rookie. Yeah, and that's when I just surrendered
(39:47):
and I started and like you know, I was saying earlier,
I was kind of coming from this place of trying
to prove myself and I'm like, I'm just so tired
of that. I'm so let me take off this heavy
coat and like just if you want to work with me, great,
if you don't want to work with me, great, I'll
be exactly where I need to be. Like it was
just coming into my own I guess, and and having
fun and like just knowing that each moment is so
(40:08):
precious and being more playful and that like really, um
like I just found the fluidity with it. It takes
a year as a maturity and a lot of up
and down until you're get to that moment that you
just release. You know that as actors is just very common.
I think every single one of us goes through that
journey of music business. You know, the music business a brutal,
(40:32):
it's even more difficult, It's crazy. The music is intense
and it's really hard and bad. Actually, I'm just speaking
because of my experience. I love music, but that that
time of my life that was hardcore. You know, hout
an album? What am I? What am I doing? It's
not making me happy? And I suppose a lot of
(40:54):
the different difficult businesses. It really like I was like recreated,
like everyone who couldn't get a normal job being good
and normal things like went to the music industry and
there's that Oh, here's a good place to work. And
so it's like it's really like, it's really interesting the
people you have, especially in the Latin world where it
can be such a boys club sometimes and so it's
(41:15):
it's really interesting. And from me, it just kind of
like showed a lot of like it's not it's a
lot of smoking mirrors at the time, but at the
end of what really matters with the art that you're
you're trying to make. Yeah, this is great, Yeah we
have to talk about it all. Start to finish happy
(41:39):
place in your life. We're doing the Rookie We premiere
septem season. Again, I don't want to say that you
like your character and like you're acting is like spectacular
where it started out like and from now like where
it's at, like the character of Bradshaw, I think because
like became was like everyone's his favorite to now everyone's
(42:01):
favorite's He's a fan. He watches all show. Everyone watches
My Terrible, but I'm a fan of the show. I
love you all. I'm like, she's always like watching I'm
not watching your show that I don't say like that.
I just haven't. I'm gonna watch it. I think we're
(42:23):
so blessed on this show. We talked about it in
season one. I was like, you know what, let's just
ride this wave. It's gonna be a lot of fun.
And we actually all really get along. We love each
other's partners, like we all you know, we've all never
hangs out. We have a great time. Every time somebody
asked me about how are you guys doing, How how
are you guys doing, and how's Eric you know, and
how's the show? Um, I genuinely every time I said,
(42:44):
you know, he loves it. He loves the show, he
loves the company, he loves every single cast member is
like a family. He's so happy. And that's not easy
to say when you're on a show. Is you you
all usually find a situation a bad there there's always
somebody that you just go, I'm not energetically, I'm not
really vibing, you know. Thank you guys so much for
(43:07):
being to being our first guest in this podcast space,
sharing your stories with us, relationship stories, your personal work journeys.
It's a listeners love hearing and stuff like this. So
thank you so much. Oh my God, thank you for
having us. It's awesome. God bless until next time. YEP,
I love you. Thanks for listening. Don't forget to write
us a review and tell us what you think. If
(43:28):
you want to follow us on Instagram, check goes out
at he said. Was that email Eric and Ross at
I Heart radio dot com. He said, is part of
I Heard Radios Michael Podcast Network. See you next time.
This is he said, Ajo with Eric Winter and Rosalind Santez.
All right, so we are here with a very special
episode of he had he had? Where is my mind?
That he said? I like he had to? Um, this
(00:23):
is uh, this is gonna be fun because this is
the first time we're having guests in our studio, um
since Jeff Lewis. We did this whole thing, and he's
gonna be so happy. I'm proud. Yeah, and we have
one of our very own Rookie cast members, Alyssa Diaz
and Gustavo Gindo, her musician Grammy nominated artists. We're so
(00:51):
excited to talk with you both. UM, welcome, Yeah, thanks
for having us. I've been waiting. I'm so excited here.
So we UM, well look let's see we we obviously
met doing the Rookie But funny enough, I was a bit,
you know, star struck because she had done Narcos and
I was so excited that she was shooting Narcos and
I was I'm a big as you know, like obsessed. Um.
(01:16):
And that is where when you were filming Narcos that
you Tube connected. I just got the story on the
set the other day, which was actually pretty pretty fun
and amazing. You guys met while you were shooting, yes,
before the show started started. So actually it was right
after filming the pilot for The Rookie. I had to
go back to Mexico City to finish filming Narcos, and
(01:36):
I think the Rookie like people like the cast is
helping me put together in my online profile. Actually, so
dating that game full dating, and Eric was getting dating advice.
I was seeing one guy. I was seeing this one guy,
and and Eric was like this guy, this guy, no
no no, no, no no no, and our technical advice.
(02:00):
They're two Daniels. I remember we were having lunch and
I was in my police uniform and I was on
Moby because you know, it wasn't working out on the guy.
And he goes, Melissa, what are you doing putting all
your eggs in one basket? You've got to go out there.
And I'm like okay, and he's like, there's the apps.
He goes, there's you know, bumble, and I'm like, what's bumble?
(02:20):
Like I didn't even know because I don't know. It
was like it's a dating now. And so then I
like they helped me, Like the castmates were like Okay,
don't put any like head shots, no no, no, like,
but like all this shot works. Melissa O'Neil was like
a shot of you traveling is great. And they helped
me write the profile, and so when I went back,
I think that week is when I'm like, let me
(02:42):
just let me just try this. And the first guy
that I went on a date with, I it wasn't Gustavo. Um.
I asked the P like the PM, like, what do
you think about this guy? And she's like, oh, I
actually went to college with him. And I was like, oh, so,
like I'll be kind of safe, and so it gave
me the confidence. And then my second date was Gustavo
(03:05):
and that was that his impression when he saw that,
You're like, I guess profile, Oh some Latino girl looking
to explore her roots in Mexico. Yeah, idea what she
did because there's no nothing in indicating in the profile.
That was like actually actress like all these things. And
(03:27):
so I was like, oh, just like a nice travel
exchange student. It's like want to come down and she
wants to learn like her Mexican roots. Like also I'll
show her a good time for sure. But I did
put actress in my profile and he was like, oh,
all the girls from l A actresses. Well, and that's
one thing about Gustavo. So he grew up in Mexico
(03:49):
and in was the TOPHO in Sacramento, and then I
went to school down here in Los Angeles. Yeah, so
super versed in the l A. I mean obviously in
the music business. Yeah, knows the scene very well. So
you were born in Mexico into what age until I
was five, and then my parents got divorced and I
went to live with my mom. My grandparents had a
home in Lake Tahoe, and so that's where we lived
from I was five to eleven. Probably the most magical
(04:12):
place the boy could live and live in the woods
and ski in the lake and it was just beautiful.
And then we went back down to Mexico for a
year and in that time my mom met her her
boyfriend at the time, who was Russ Solomon, who was
the founder of Tara Records. And so that's where brought
me back to Sacramento with my brother, and we were
there through all the way through high school and college,
and then in college I came down to Los Angeles
(04:34):
and stayed afterwards to do music and starting my career
and music, and then ended up going back down to
Mexico after after I got signed and had a Grammy nomination,
because that's where you had to kind of make it
in the Latin pop world. And I've been living there
for about seven years and I've been single for about
three and so I kind of had the dating world down,
like I had all the apps down like a science,
(04:56):
like this photo, same photo from the same ago twice snow,
you know, like bath him self, you know, And so
I've been using it for a little bit and I
saw her profile and I think it was just like,
oh great, this looks really beautiful. Girl loves adventure, has
a great smile, looks like she was really until like
(05:17):
getting to know the profile. And then in Mexico City
US a huge city, but like the heart of the Temy,
the heart of the Mexico City is this couple of neighborhoods.
Like so she was saying, Polanco beautiful, and I think
(05:41):
it was on Friday night that we matched, and then
Saturday she said hello, and I said, oh, Hi, what's
what are you up to today? Because you kind of
have to jump on it fast like you can't let
too much time go. You was like, your time then
becomes just chatting on the thing and it never gets
down to it, so unless you like fire the first
shot kind of thing like what are you doing today?
Like she's like, oh, I've just seen museums and so forth,
(06:02):
and I was like okay, cool, Like what are you
doing for lunch? Because lunch is a good time because
it's harmless and it's not like dinner with all it's
the darkness and the candle light like all the pure system.
It was my second day, yeah, like I didn't know it,
(06:25):
so it was great. And so I was like, oh,
this is this this beautiful Italian restaurant in drama and
it's the only female chef owned restaurant Mexic into Italian
Mexican combination, so it's really beautiful Italian recipes with Mexican ingredients.
And so we went and we had a good table
and like uh and then we just started chatting and
(06:46):
the next thing, you know, the restaurant was empty because
it was between that time between dinner and lunch or
like oh, I guess. We we talked for like three
very like it was very comfortable and just very easy
when you meet someone that you're like, I know this
person from somewhere, but I don't know where. And there's
just very like just very flowing. And so when we
(07:07):
left the restaurant, um she, I was like, I have
nothing planned right now. So we just walk around and
like in my head, no, no, no, we were we
had finished lunch and we're just walking around and I'm like,
I'm not following you. I just don't know where I am.
What happened? And he's like, because I had, like, I'm
(07:28):
gonna take you here to my friend's tattoo studio and
then I'm gonna go here to my friends other places.
So I'm gonna like show off like all my And meanwhile,
because I was doing Narcos, we had to sign an
n d A, so like my first day, I had
to meet with like security and they gave me a
GPS tracker and a panic button. And so I remember
(07:49):
the season of Narcos when the location manages killed, I
don't remember sting for the show. So anyway, they had
a lot, so it's heavy, heavy security because it was
also their first season filming in Mexico. Okay, so I
thought I was going to be in my hotel the
whole time. And then I kind of got a little
adventurous and I gotta have this panic button just in case.
(08:11):
So um so I think where I was going with that.
So he was I couldn't tell him why I was
down in Mexico. I was like, I'm an actress, and
he's like, well, what are you working on? I go like,
I can't tell you. A period peace okay, But I
was like because I was like, oh, like I'm down
here up for work and I'm doing this period peace show.
(08:32):
And I was like, oh, she an actress and he
liked it. He liked it. You can't tell me. It's like, alright,
little like that makes it more intriguing. But it was
interesting because like you talk to someone and you realize
they're not like a normal person exactly that normal every
day but he's not normal because it's like this person
(08:58):
does something that requires like isn't and like intention like
it was just very isn't when you meet someone that
doesn't do the normal their job or just has an
X factor about them, like you just couldn't read talent
because like that's something I love, is like talented people.
So when you meet someone that's just like on that
same wavelengths, I could tell like, oh, this person is
good at what they like, she does something that's important,
(09:18):
and she's good at what she does, and the way
she held there's help was very impressive and so it
just all like turn on. But it was so funny
because when I saw his profile, I've obviously found him
very attractive because he's in his like moather suit or
a jacket, and he looked all mysterious and I'm like, well,
(09:43):
he could be kind of like a douche, but let's see.
And he was just so nice, like that was the thing,
Like just such a sweet guy. So yeah, we kind
of like she thought I was going to talk like this.
I did. I did. I was like, your English is
impet Yeah, he's like, I grew up in time. Have
(10:05):
you been to Sacramento and now here you are? Years?
How long ago is that? This is what we started
the show? So it was five years ago almost five
years almost. Yeah, you guys have a baby boy, so
things clearly worked out in the right direction. Do you
still find that same love and passion five years later
when you look at each other? Years rediscovering it every
(10:32):
day discovering that we can't start relationships are a trip, right,
Like there's like those first and we always joke because
I love the first five dates. What the first five
years amazing? Now we've downgraded five special. But it's funny
(10:59):
when you're in that honeymoon phase and like everything is
so fresh and new, and you're in a different country
and yeah there, and you're like you could show off.
It's all fun, and then all of a sudden you uproot,
you put into a lifestyle and now you're in another
place where you're familiar with me. Now you're living somewhere
else and you have a baby, and you go through
COVID together and you guys are in quarantine together. Yeah. Yeah,
(11:21):
at the valid beginning of it all, that's when all
the stuff came up to the surface, like during the pandemic,
because that's when I got pregnant. And then all of
a sudden got really into like rumda, my quarter life
crazy like a great sound And so that happened during COVID,
(11:42):
yeah sort of thing where like in my mind I
had this mind of I'm going to go back to
Mexico every cold months. I'll be able to see my daughter,
like I won't like. So when this happened, it just
kind of upduded everything and I just found myself in
new territory. I think, like everyone lockdown, lockdown. It was
just very like so it became much easier to be
like everything to me, all right, and what do you mean?
(12:08):
He's like, what is love? And you really and I'm
like what what, I'm pregnant? I'm like, give me a hug.
And at this time, we were also remodeling her backyard,
so there were just like bounds of dirt, so it
looked like a war zone in the backyard where we
(12:30):
couldn't go outside. And then like he's listening to Ramdas
every day and I'm just like oh and then petrified,
petrified of like like with him, like I remember we're
going to walk and he was about to tell it
was like the height of the pandemic. Touch like a
like you know, the stop the walk signal and what
are you telling? Because he would touch his face to
(12:51):
realize your actions can affect her afoor child, like every
little thing, everything, green, materials, music, you know, Taylor Swift,
just write about all your relationship stuff pretty much, Oh
my god, pretty much, and let me ask you something.
This is like we're deep now. So you have a daughter?
(13:11):
How old seven? Yeah, she's seven, So she was true
when you guys met I met her. I met her, Yeah,
when she was three and a half. So I think
you like on our day. He told me right away
about me, I was I'd been married before, but it
was because I'd gotten praying with Mia, and so in
my mind at that time, I was like, the right
(13:31):
thing to do is get married and didn't work out.
But me as from my from my first marriage and
had been divorced or separated for about three years when
I met Alissa, and so we were on really good
terms and so my focus was then it was just
pretty much music and just being divorced dad. And I'm
probably one of the best gigs in the world because
(13:52):
it's like three days a week. Who can't be a
good dad, you know, like three days a week they
go back. So it's like it's a very weird kind
of sort of being a parent, but also like getting
to have your own free time. So it was it
was really interesting for me when I met Elissa. I
just had an immediate uh. I just felt safe and
I felt like she was someone that that would be
(14:13):
cool with with uh with Mia and just visiting her.
So I think on this one of the second week
that you were there, I was like, oh, like you
have a pool, like my daughter loves swimming. Yeah, because
I was staying at the hotel, and I think no,
it was like three days later he was like, he's like, oh,
can I bring my my daughter? She loves swimming? And
I go, yeah, I love to meet her. And I
remember was so nervous meeting her and she was so playful.
(14:37):
We actually have the photos. She's like on top of me,
like to me. But my mama was okay, yeah, yeah
I met her, and I'm like, thank god I'm an
actress because you know how like do you have to
do like crazy stuff like screen tests and all this stuff.
I like met the daughter and then like the next
day and he didn't tell me. I go, oh, and
this is her mother. I go, nice to meet you.
(14:58):
And then the day after I met grandma, and then
like two weeks later I met your So I met
everybody really fast, and yeah, you guys were kind of
in it. Everything met pretty quick. Think about right, you
guys met you met, you met your daughter right away,
you met ex wife right away, you met family right
away because you're living there. You came up here pretty quickly,
and then you guys moved in together. It's been a
(15:18):
very whirlwind things and sometimes like it's it's like we've
lived so many things in the short amount of time
that sometimes like we even forget how long we've been.
It was like, this is only I've been here for like,
you know, since nineteen so about three years now, but
it seems like a lot longer. But heavy stuff. And
see and here you are, you pushed through it all.
(15:39):
Like I always when you go through those that many
different I want to see obstacles, but just challenges and
changes and blessings right with your baby and all these
different things, a lot of it all combined at once,
and it feels like, wow, this all got thrust in
my face so quickly. But if you can overcome it
at this early stage, when this is like technically a
lot of people, I always though it about us too,
Like when this is like the honeymoon stage, still a
(15:59):
little bit early on, but you overcome any difficulties, it
gets so much easier. I think, you know, as time
goes on, because you figured out okay, we can navigate
tough waters quickly versus you know, in the beginning it's
just all cotton rainbow, cotton, candy, rainbows, butterflies, and then
all of a sudden, it all hits and you're like, okay, no,
I think, like, you know, thank God for zoom and
(16:21):
uh and like a couple of therapy and that was
that was real because like sometimes you need that objective
point of view to help strange yourself, especially when you
you know, when you find someone that's you know, your
your silimator, your partner, it's also the same amount of that.
They can trigger you and they can drive you and
say for sure, you know, it's funny. We've been to
(16:43):
two different therapists years ago. We found this lady like Italian,
very old love to this day, this woman, I think
it's next level and she was just so kind and
compassionate and just funny. And he never saw my person
(17:04):
from my point of view. Every session, I'm not going
everything I say. She doesn't agree with me whole time.
On the attack, I like, because you didn't realize that,
you were, Like that's why, you know, because nobody is
looking at my side. There's two sides, because their side
was wrong. Love it. Sara dist agrees with you. You're like, yes,
(17:26):
that's crazy. We had to stop going because he refused
to go to vaccine. I'm going these ladies, and so
we stopped and you go by yourself, and you did,
and I loved her every second of it. When I
was pregnant with Dylan the second baby, I was started
having this crazy panic attacks like I didn't want, like
(17:50):
I'm severely closerphobic, and it was almost like I was
getting closerphobic for him, and I didn't understand that I
had something inside of me. I wanted him out. It
was the weirdest thing. And went to Macazine and she
was able to see me, tell me how to see
things so easily and clearly and just elemental, you know.
I was like, this is normal because I wasn't thinking
(18:12):
I'm gonna die, I'm gonna kill myself, you know. And
she was like, you don't remember when you found me
freaking naked and the second and the balcony we're gonna jump.
First of all, we're talking about that now. I'm just
kidding never. But I was freaking out more than anything.
(18:33):
I was freaking off on him because I would think
I was thinking, first of all, everything is energy, and
I don't want this kids to be born with all
kinds of subconscious issues because I was having panic attacks.
And number two, I was like, I'm causing a premature
birth because I keep thinking I need this alien out,
that he's gonna come out, you know. So then I
would have a panic attack and then be crying, apologizing yourself.
(18:58):
You know, it's just staying you're you're still cooking, you
know what I mean. Like it was awful. So magazine
held me incredibly, and then we went to another one
what was her name? That were and then they were
always very analog, really good. It was all the time.
(19:18):
I think we weren't fighting because we're trying to figout
the health saying psychology. It's like I'm gonna have to
start writing down because I don't know what time I'm
gonna have to go back home to work together. Anyways,
but I believe in there, but you believe in therapy.
He's a super advocate. Oh yeah, I think I think
the biggest thing more than any other relationship I've been
(19:40):
in it is it really taught me how to communicate,
and that there being like, oh you mean I don't
have to yell to be heard, you know. And it
just so I feel like we both definitely have grown.
But yeah, our relationship I think definitely triggers are like
pre emotional, you know, and that's what relationships do you
need grow for sure? And I always say, look, you
(20:02):
do two are both creatives. You know, we're creatives and
we deal in this. We're in this crazy business as
it is, which is hard enough, and then you put
all the obstacles that it might be whether travel for
work or you know, you're traveling for for a gig
right and you're performing. Um, it's a lot like we
do it right now with her traveling. It's it's not easy,
like you need somebody to sort of help you because
(20:23):
there's no one way to get through anything. It helps
having a voice that can you guide you through this craziness. Um,
let's talk about work for a minute, and let's start
with you, Gustavo. So when you did you always know
you wanted to be a musician? Was that a lifelong
or something just something that I always loved And it
was always kind of I guess like, um, like something
(20:43):
special that I felt I had just this connection with
music and it comes from my dad and my grandpa,
my on my Mexican side of the family. Like all
our family gathering, there's always guitar. And so when on
Sundays when everyone gets together as you do in Latin America,
at least back in the day when you were forced
to because then you couldn't get inheritance. But everyone who
(21:06):
shows up at Grandma's house and then you have the
lunch and then the things, and then you know, in
then afterwards the guitars we get brought out and then
it would be classics from you know, my dad being
a kid of of the sixties seventies, like Cat Stevens,
Beatles and then Rancher at Us and folk music and
things like that. So it was always like there and
everyone had their song that they would sing kind of thing,
and mine was always la bamba. So it always like
(21:27):
he busted singing. It just felt real good. And then
I was eleven twelve, my mom sat my brother and
I down and she was like piano or guitar, Like no,
she's like guitar because it just felt like home. And
so we started thinking guitar lessons. But I had to
be classical guitar lessons. It couldn't be like just rock
because she had to look good. We're getting my boys
classical guitar lessons. I was like, oh, fancy, but it
(21:49):
was actually good because it just taught me a lot
of dexterity with my hands and fingers. And then from there,
I think, um, I just started getting into like the
and the sixties music and songwriters, and then I started
copying songs and writing them for myself and and then
just realizing, oh, this is like really interesting to be
able to put these things I feel into music because
it was so hard for me to say them out
(22:10):
loud because I was the older brother. And then the
weird way like kind of like the when the oldest
usually of the single mom is the one that takes
everything on the sense, so it was always really hard
for me to show any kind of emotion or or
just always kind of be a rock in a sense.
So music was the way that I could dive into
those feelings and express those things, and it was worked
(22:30):
out really well, and so you're taking exactly exactly. So
then from there it was like just writing a song.
Then I was like, oh, putting the guitar to school,
and then that that girl who wasn't interesting before all
of a sudden likes you, like, this is strange power
(22:51):
that I have. Well you also, what's his name? The artic?
Chris uh, Chris Isaac Isaac. So I saw that Chris
Isaic video to that Wicked game, the rich shot that's
like black and white, and I think, like Christina, one
of one of the tops, and it was like, this
looks like a good game, this looks like something that
I would be into doing. Well, I had to say.
(23:12):
His brother did show us his video of him when
him and his brother he was five years old and
he's playing with a snow shovel pretending it's a guitar
and his brother turned over like you know, his plastic
campers and it was like playing drums on it, and
Gustavo is like, this one's for the babes and the
stars rocking out five. So it was like part of
(23:32):
his dest in his hand. So then what was as
your progression through music went and you get to the
point where you're you're putting out an album and you
get nominated for a Grammy, I mean that's I don't know.
(23:53):
I mean it's like we always say, even in acting,
you could be doing this for so long and never
get ano, you know, nominating accol for anything, let alone know,
just a nomination, yea, the peak of hitting like you
every wherever he strives schools. It was like too much,
too soon. It was because it was almost like the
I saw the power of what manifestation can do, and
so in in my mind when I was in a
(24:16):
band here in Los Angeles, had a little band called
Blue Duty, and we did like all the indie circuit,
and then I had these songs in Spanish that I
was just like, well, these are cool songs. I should
record them and give them to my family in Mexico
and you know. And so I've recorded them and they
came out really good, and people started digging them. And
all of a sudden, like the secretary where I worked
at the PR from where I worked at the time,
(24:36):
and she's like, Oh, my boyfriend's manager, I'll give it
to him. He liked it. He gave it to a
friend of his MTV who liked it. And so it
became like everyone started like digging it and they're like, oh,
we kind of want to represent you, but we want
to send it out. Like if if there was a
producer or someone that you would die to work with.
Who would it be? And I said, oh, well, the
only person I really want to work with Gustavo, who
(24:58):
is this Mexican producer who does Wandness and all these
huge Mexican acts kind of like the like the rig
Rubin of the Mexican rock world, where like he just
finds talent and he brings the best out in them,
like at least from what I heard in the recordings,
And so I think they sent the demo over to
his offices. And about three months later they called me
(25:19):
back because they were cleaning out the offices of all
the demos, thousands of demos that they got every month,
and they were kind of listening to three Seconds or
something and like tossing it and going through and they
put mine on and they said, like they listened to
the whole song, second whole song again and and they're like,
this is really good. And so his the guy who's
the a n r Arian so says his name, sent
it to Gustavo, and Gustavo took it to Universal and
(25:41):
they green lighted him to like Communis and they called me.
It was like this very certain diffitest thing because at
the time, I was like I had broken up with
like my first girlfriend at the time, and it was
like this heartache and I was like, lord, if if
I was supposed to do music, just give me a sign,
you know, or what I was supposed to do. And
because you just said the power of manifesting, So what
were you manifesting? Just like this? Like I could you know.
(26:02):
It was like, oh, from wanting to work with him,
to like the music, to like everything, but it was
so so natural and float so easy, and it just
kind of happened and it was just very like and
all of a sudden, I was kind of like, oh,
I have this album and it came out and and
it was kinda like also like the discovery of like, oh,
no one's gonna do it for me but me, and
so I just kind of ignited like the stuff. And
(26:22):
so I was getting like all these like bookings and
tours and things on my own, and I got like
a state farm gig where I went to schools and
talk to kids about creativity and safety driving and things,
and like that helped pay for like the pr with
the album and it will help pay for things. So
it was a lot of fun. But uh, and then
they're like, oh, you should go down to Mexico City
because that's where you kind of have to make it.
(26:44):
So I since I had at Mexico City that's like
grew up there, I was like, oh, yeah, sure, I
have a family there, I have a place to stay.
It's gonna be it's gonna be fun. So I went
down there, and Mexico City is like neverland, where like
if you don't want to grow up, you don't have to,
and if you fall into like that right crowd, it
would have the right access. They can just become very comfortable.
And so that kind of fell into very well when
I was like, oh, music is okay, but I still
(27:04):
do I still play and do these things. But it
was very interesting to see from this peak and this
is what happens when like you kind of fall into
comfort a little bit so challenging yourself like a little push.
And then like I had some like some things happened,
like my mom passed away, and something's kind of like
that life kind of it's like this weird thing that
we're not trying to control life. Life can control you.
(27:27):
And so when you kind of just throw the reins
up in the air a little bit like it'll be like, Okay,
well we're gonna you gotta grow, so I'm gonna grow,
make you grow this way, you're that way, And so
it was kind of all a little bit of like hardships.
And then when I met Ali is actually when I
just finished recording my second album as independent, and it
was like really cool that like for me to like
kind of put my hat back in the ring and
get going. And it's been kind of like growing up
(27:48):
that ever since. But it's been like it's been a
really fun thing because music has so many avenues and
this taught me so many different things about from performing
to marketing to business, and it's like all these all
these beautiful things, but for me, in the end, it's
always about the search for the song. You're when you
met I met this girl, lots of songs, I like,
(28:09):
write a song for me. So Alyssa, you I mean
from what I know, pretty much like a child, yes, right,
Like I got put to work. Yeah, was that you're
like always you're saying I want to do this to
your parents were like, we have a little model, we're
gonna put her in it totally fell into it by accident.
(28:30):
It was a fluke. So I had started this new school,
like an elementary school in the valley, and I had
signed up to do their summer program and I wanted
to be a dancer for Janet Jackson. That was like yeah, Jenna,
Janna lived my dream. And so I'm like, I'm going
(28:50):
to do this drill team dance class. And because it
was a small school, they're like, no, we don't have
You're the only one that signed up. And I'm like really,
and they're like, well you can do. We have the
theater class and we have the cooking class. I'm like, well,
I don't want to do dishes, so what's this theater thing?
Because I didn't know, you know, I didn't have access
to that as a kid. And so they took me
(29:11):
to this room and all the kids were sitting at
a table reading aloud. They were doing a table read,
but I thought they were just reading aloud from a book.
I'm like, I can read aloud from a book. I'll
do this. And I did a play and I played
like four different characters in it. So my parents saw it.
I think it was like eleven, and like, hey, you
want to try this? Acting thing and I'm like, sure,
I'll try it. And that's kind of like how it
(29:34):
went it all. And so like I start out like
you know, modeling and then doing commercials and I just
like had stayed with a different agent now, but the
agent when he signed me he had just turned eighteen.
I was twelve, and like he was like for twenty years.
Just like we grew together and I didn't think I
would continue. Like when I turned eighteen and enrolled in college,
(29:56):
I'm like, Okay, that was a fun thing. And then
I got um a soap opera in New York and
going to New York and seeing theater and all the training,
I'm like, I can do this like for a living,
Like is this what is this the roller coaster that
I really want to do? And so I was like yeah,
and I just started getting really serious about like studying
(30:17):
and all that and just kind of follow the path.
I mean you've worked, I mean pretty consistently. I mean
we all have, you know, ups and downs, But did
you have ever that period of time where you're going like,
oh is this for me? Or yeah it did happen. Yeah,
it happened a couple of times. I think the first
time was like in my early twenties when I was
just like it wasn't as consistent as I would have liked.
(30:38):
And I'm like with my mom and I'm like, I
just like, I don't know if I want to do this.
She goes you in an office like really, so it's
like she was super supportive of me, and I'm like,
oh really, and she's like, well, just if you stop now,
will you kick yourself in the past five years from now?
And I'm like yeah, she goes, so keep going and
I'm like all right. So but by the time, I'm
(30:59):
like only for I'm going to be making my living.
I'm not going to have all these side jobs. I'm
gonna be making my living from acting. And then it happened.
And then I had like another hiccup in my later
like my late twenties, where I realized that a lot
of what was driving me was like to prove to
all the people that are like, you can't do it,
(31:19):
and I was like, no, I can do it, like
you know. And then I was burnt out because I
was just like kind of running on this anger, trying
to prove myself. And so I went into another funk
and it was after doing Army Wives because I was
living in Charleston and like I'm going home to this
house by myself every day, like next to Bill Murray,
(31:41):
which is another story, my favorite. Bill Murray's like the ghost.
You can't rEFInd Bill Murray, like he doesn't have a phone,
No you can contact him. He heard the stories about it.
Bill Murray was my neighbor in Charleston. I had a
lost in translation date with him. Um went out like
to go Bill about I was like, I was just like, oh,
(32:05):
he wants to see a play, like so cool, so naive,
so nice. He's such a cookie, super talented guy. But
like he's figure out crazy crazy do you want me
to go into I don't know? Okay, So Bill Murray
was my neighbor and I didn't I knew because like
(32:26):
you know, I had the guy that I rented the
house from was my co star on the show, but
he wasn't coming back. So he's like, DIA's rent my house.
I'm like, okay, Kirschner, I'll rent it. And um, prior
to that, we had all had dinner with Bill Murray,
like you know. But so then I'm like in his house,
like you know, I think he liked you because you
didn't play into the whole Bill Murray's a legend. No,
(32:49):
I'm just like you're human, like that's it. And so
I'm I'm washing dishes and I'm like cleaning, and I'm
like growing up in North Hollywood like if you're not.
If I'm not expecting anyone and someone knocks at my door,
I go into high alert. And so I had like
this knife, was like but you're not, like, who's knocking
on my door? And I'm like the knife And I
(33:13):
opened the door and I didn't have a people and
I'm like, who is it. It's like it's Drew's friend.
He was like Drew Drew Fuller's house and um, I'm
like okay. And so I opened the door and it's
Bill Murray in like a Cubs outfit, like a cup
like head to toe I remember, like like that blue
Satiny like kind of like sports outfit and his hair
(33:34):
was like all like a mess. And I'm like, oh hi,
And I had to drop the knife because I'm like not,
it's not an interru and he was like, Hi, do
you remember me? And I'm like yeah, yeah from the dinner, Yeah, yeah,
I remember you. What's your exactly like and um, and
(33:56):
he was just like like he would always be like
he would always come out, he like, take up my
garbage cans. I remember one time I rented. I rented
a car and it was raining and it was convertible,
like that was all they had. It wasn't that I
wanted a convertible. It was like a red mustard sees
up with it and it was raining that day and
(34:17):
he like held had an umbrella. I'm like, oh, hello,
and he goes, oh, it's you know, fancy seeing you. Anyways,
The funny thing is and then we went we saw
a play together, and that was like the whole thing.
It was. It was okay. So he picks me up.
He does it all properly, and he's dressed in a
(34:38):
suit and I'm in a jeans and a shirt and
I'm like, oh, you d really really nice. And and
so first we go to like a wine and cheese
place before and we go to a town that's like
population four Hund's like a tiny tiny town outside of
Charleston for this community play. And so he goes, huh,
isn't that funny? And it said on the chalkboard in
(35:00):
the wine shop, Groundhogs Day. I'm not even get this up.
He did a film like it's one of his like,
and then I look and he's wearing a groundhogs tie
on it. And then we go across and we go
and see the play and it's like this quartet, you know,
like barbershop quartet kind of thing, and there's like like
(35:21):
older man, probably in his seventies playing the piano, and
he's like, oh my god, this guy is just what
is He's just pounding on the keys. No, nest do it,
something along those lines, and then he screams at the
top of his stop the play. No he didn't know, Yes,
he didn't stop the play, and um they stopped. He
(35:42):
goes start No, no, no, he didn't say stop the play.
He said start over, start over. So then they started over.
And then he's like and he's like, I'm not really
feeling it. Should I go backstage and talk to these actors?
And I'm like, I like, no, a little, it's just
good intermition. And then yeah, and then we were driving
(36:06):
back and and then he's like, you know, I own
I own the restaurant here in town, cause he owns
a restaurant Charleston, and so he goes go check it
out because it was later. I'm like, yeah, yeah, I
think you'd be cool. I don't think you'll be bothered
too much. And he's like, what do you want or
whatever you want? I want trrows and ice cream and
why Like it was just a random thing and they
brought it out and it was just like a whole thing.
(36:27):
But yeah, it was only it was just one day,
just one day. It was just one my one. Baseball diamonds.
The baseball diamonds great too. When we took you to
He's like, yeah, like the baseball teams. I got to
go to a game with him there. This was a
different this was a different day. This is the Kicker.
(36:51):
This is the kicker right scene in the movie. Oh
my god, I don't know he did. So he were
doing donuts in the parking lot and he singing a
knee lapper, playing sune lappers. Girls just want to have
fun singing it at the top of our lung lungs
like it was Yeah, it was very memorable. It was funny.
And and then this is the thing. So the house
(37:13):
that I lived in, which I've never it was so strange,
but I guess. On the top I had neighbors and
they it was like their weekend home because I'd always
hear somebody in the weekend above me. And finally towards
the end of my stay there, they came out. They're like, hey,
we're the neighbors that live upstairs. I'm like, oh, that's
one nice. They like, so do you know who lives
next door? And I'm like yeah, and they're like, we've
(37:36):
never seen him, We've never there. Like a party that
happened like that was great. That was the craziest thing.
And they had lived there for like five years. Not well,
(37:57):
oh my goodness, that's awesome, but I mean, what was happened?
The army was done? Then what did you do next?
So then I was like in a funk and I
was like, I just want to really do something. I
guess it's talking about manifestation. I just want to do
something like like really in depth and like great and
um that's when it was like about six months later.
(38:19):
I booked Radonovan after that and it was just like,
like it was great. It was great working on everyone
had like a high bar and it was hardest playing
and had to take lessons and this is because from me,
it was like start inspiring to hear like that that
sort because it was the time when like you were
kind of at your lowest and like you read like
from there's like something that you put on a bunch
(38:40):
of weight too, and so you was like I had
put on that was the other thing. I was like
not in the best shape because I was like in
a funk and I could not lose the weight for
the life of me because I was doing like crash
giety into my body was just like girl, like we're
going to get And so I remember my acting teacher
at the time, he told me, he's like, what you goes,
you have to put all your cards in. You have
(39:01):
to embrace all of yourself, like don't just embrace it.
And because it was a little bit on the thicker side,
I do think that's why I got the job, because
she needs to be like a big girl. And then
like my weight started coming off very naturally after I
got the job, but I could not lose it. And
so I just think it's like once I embraced and
(39:21):
just started loving on myself, I'm like, I'm just gonna
love who I am and not try to like control
and fin into this thing and like everything it just
flowed and like yeah, and then everything I went to Narcos,
and then my baby, my future baby daddy, and and
then the rookie. Yeah, and that's when I just surrendered
(39:47):
and I started and like you know, I was saying earlier,
I was kind of coming from this place of trying
to prove myself and I'm like, I'm just so tired
of that. I'm so let me take off this heavy
coat and like just if you want to work with me, great,
if you don't want to work with me, great, I'll
be exactly where I need to be. Like it was
just coming into my own I guess, and and having
fun and like just knowing that each moment is so
(40:08):
precious and being more playful and that like really, um
like I just found the fluidity with it. It takes
a year as a maturity and a lot of up
and down until you're get to that moment that you
just release. You know that as actors is just very common.
I think every single one of us goes through that
journey of music business. You know, the music business a brutal,
(40:32):
it's even more difficult, It's crazy. The music is intense
and it's really hard and bad. Actually, I'm just speaking
because of my experience. I love music, but that that
time of my life that was hardcore. You know, hout
an album? What am I? What am I doing? It's
not making me happy? And I suppose a lot of
(40:54):
the different difficult businesses. It really like I was like recreated,
like everyone who couldn't get a normal job being good
and normal things like went to the music industry and
there's that Oh, here's a good place to work. And
so it's like it's really like, it's really interesting the
people you have, especially in the Latin world where it
can be such a boys club sometimes and so it's
(41:15):
it's really interesting. And from me, it just kind of
like showed a lot of like it's not it's a
lot of smoking mirrors at the time, but at the
end of what really matters with the art that you're
you're trying to make. Yeah, this is great, Yeah we
have to talk about it all. Start to finish happy
(41:39):
place in your life. We're doing the Rookie We premiere
septem season. Again, I don't want to say that you
like your character and like you're acting is like spectacular
where it started out like and from now like where
it's at, like the character of Bradshaw, I think because
like became was like everyone's his favorite to now everyone's
(42:01):
favorite's He's a fan. He watches all show. Everyone watches
My Terrible, but I'm a fan of the show. I
love you all. I'm like, she's always like watching I'm
not watching your show that I don't say like that.
I just haven't. I'm gonna watch it. I think we're
(42:23):
so blessed on this show. We talked about it in
season one. I was like, you know what, let's just
ride this wave. It's gonna be a lot of fun.
And we actually all really get along. We love each
other's partners, like we all you know, we've all never
hangs out. We have a great time. Every time somebody
asked me about how are you guys doing, How how
are you guys doing, and how's Eric you know, and
how's the show? Um, I genuinely every time I said,
(42:44):
you know, he loves it. He loves the show, he
loves the company, he loves every single cast member is
like a family. He's so happy. And that's not easy
to say when you're on a show. Is you you
all usually find a situation a bad there there's always
somebody that you just go, I'm not energetically, I'm not
really vibing, you know. Thank you guys so much for
(43:07):
being to being our first guest in this podcast space,
sharing your stories with us, relationship stories, your personal work journeys.
It's a listeners love hearing and stuff like this. So
thank you so much. Oh my God, thank you for
having us. It's awesome. God bless until next time. YEP,
I love you. Thanks for listening. Don't forget to write
us a review and tell us what you think. If
(43:28):
you want to follow us on Instagram, check goes out
at he said. Was that email Eric and Ross at
I Heart radio dot com. He said, is part of
I Heard Radios Michael Podcast Network. See you next time.
Host
Roselyn Sanchez
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