August 4, 2020 • 44 mins
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello, and welcome to the Spirited Actor Podcast with me
Tracy Moore. I was a casting director for film and
TV and commercials for over thirty years. I transition to
a celebrity acting coach after I cast a film New
Jersey Drive with executive producers Spike Lee and director Nick Thomas.
I audition every rapper from Biggie Spalls to Tupac, and
(00:24):
I realized that rappers and musical artists they needed help
transitioning to acting. My clients consist of musical artists from
Buster Rhymes to Eve, Missy Elliott, Angela Ye from The
Breakfast Club, and Vanessa Simmons, to name a few. I
also coach sports stars and host as well. I feel
(00:45):
I have the best of both worlds. As a casting director,
I know exactly what they're looking for, and as an
acting coach, I can coach you to be remembered in
that room. Now I know. I know actors want to
get the job. I get that, but being remembered by
casting director that is powerful. And now it's time for
meditation of the day. Though I am not naturally honest,
(01:09):
I am so sometimes by chance. William Shakespeare, I used
to have a big problem being honest with others about
how I felt. This problem developed in my childhood because
I was the kid who people enjoyed making fun of.
I wore a size ten shoe in third grade and
I was five six. In a strange way, I became popular.
(01:33):
Instead of letting them know the pain inside of me,
I went along with them and thought of myself as
a joke. As I grew older, I realized how important
it is to be honest with yourself. If you don't,
you will allow pain and anger to make a home
in your heart, and they don't make good company. Today,
(01:53):
I will learn to be honest with myself and express
my true feelings so I can learn to live in freedom.
Welcome to the Spirited Actor Podcast with me Tracy Moore.
And I can't even tell you how um. I always
tell you how excited I am with my guests, um,
(02:16):
and today is no exception, and so I just want
you all to put your hands together for my dear
friend and director extraordinaire, Michael Boogie Piggy. Yeah, Michael, I'm
having some technical difficulties with my phone right now. Do
(02:38):
you guys see me? Good? You guys see me? Okay? Good?
All right, yay, I see you, Boogie So Boogie, welcome
to the show. Welcome to this you're having. Thank you,
thank you so much for being on the show. Um.
I I wanted you on the show for so many reasons.
Because ladies and gentlemen, we go way back. They'll tell
how far back. I will tell the commercial. It was
(03:03):
a commercial. I think that the first time. That's so,
I was gonna just say that project. I wasn't gonna
say the yeah, OK, because we look good, you know, black,
don't crack. I'm just saying we have it. As you
could tell with our banter. We've known each other for
quite some time. And I do want to say this
(03:24):
about you, Boogie. One thing that I've always admired Um.
I met Boogie Um doing a Spike lead commercial and
Boogie was working um at forty acres in the mule.
He was already implanted there when I came, I was freelancing.
He was really working at right. And you have always
(03:45):
like you know, there's so much pressure and energy on
a set, and especially when you have a crew over
fifty and Boogie man like you maintain control. You you
maintain professionalism and even when you know like it would
get a little tend sometimes you have to use your
(04:07):
voice Steven when you right. But even when you did
that boogie, it was digestible because you know, growing up
in this business, because Boogy was when I met him,
he was a second a D second assistant director for
actors out there who don't know the terminology, and um
he rose. So we're gonna talk about his career. But
(04:30):
there's just a certain way you can handle people, and
I just always respected the way you handled people, and
especially I dealt with extras, casting all of those extras right,
and we know the history of that and how the
A D Department sometimes unfortunately deal with actors and background actors,
(04:51):
you know, as if they're not human. So that that
would always something for me, you know, everybody, you know,
was important to the say from the bottom, from the
top about it. You know, that was just my um
you know, my my my way of looking at things.
So that's how I approached it well, and I think
that that was important. You said, UM, teach treating them
like humans. Because when I was on New York and
(05:13):
the cover, um extras were addressed as skins. That was
the first time I had to term the youth for
the right. The paper that they named the owner is
called Skins, which is I never knew where it came from.
That was I was like, you know, because I was like, oh,
where do you want my actors? They're like, the skins
can go over there. I'm like, oh my god. You know.
(05:36):
So one of the things that um, I also want
X actors to understand is the power that a d
s have because as a second a d um you know,
you have a lot of jobs, but I know one specifically,
my relationship with you was making sure that the actors
were in place for the day of the shoot. All
(05:57):
of that. Um what sometimes a director may need someone
that has not been cast right and he's good for that,
and they go to the the first assistant director will
communicate that to you, and it's your job if you
(06:18):
could just explain to actors, you know, because you know
actors are oh, it's just extra work. Oh it's not important,
but you can tell them the importance of it. I mean,
you know, because sometimes some some doing background actually work
has laid the principal work. You know, if you have
a right look, if you you know, sometimes things are spontaneous.
Sometimes people have a very distinct look that they want
(06:40):
to kind of position no place, you know. So it
is a living, breathing animal when you're shooting. So you know,
you've got to be present at every moment because things
can change, and you you know, I think actors need
to really look at the set and really understand what's
going on to moving pieces of it because they are
integral part of it. They're not just a problem, you know,
so you can you can take advantage of that, you know,
(07:02):
like a collaborative thing with with the director and with
the a D. So if you're present, sometimes your presence
to be felt, somebody else can feel that presence and
and gravitate to you, and then all of a sudden
you got upgrades. That's great. That's an important I used
to stress actors on New York Undercover. Don't bring your
you know, Joan Collins novels, you know, like you know,
(07:23):
because you know, we didn't have back then, we didn't
have iPhones, So you know, actors were doing puzzles on set,
and I'm like, you, guys, every set is the same,
the protocol is in the process is the same. The
crew just ships, so understand what that template is. Understanding
the relationship between the A D s and you know um,
(07:45):
how you can get upgraded on the set um. What
were some of the in in situations where you, as
an eight UM and A D did upgrade actors. What
was this specifically that you were looking for besides actors
being present that drew you to them instead, you know what,
let's grab this person to bump in the Denzel Washington.
(08:08):
I mean, you know some you know when when the
background actor is understands that they're an actor. You know,
some background actors they really focus on the background as
opposed to the actors. Some background actors are actives. You know,
the actors. They move Black actors the attention to pay
attention like actors. They're hit a mark black and actor'll
do a background action the same every time. You know,
(08:30):
they'll be president. They're they're paying attention and they they
look and see what's needed before you have to tell them,
you know, And that's what you want to work with.
You want to work with people that could speak shorthand
with you because there's not a lot of times, you know,
so just be present and be collaborative, be you know,
see see if you see a need you know, and
ask questions, heyde should I go? You know what I'm saying,
(08:51):
Just be communicative and understand that you know, we all
we all we don't know it all. As a D
s you know, we listen to the director, was to
the DP. There's all this nois going on. We needed
much help that we can get and if the background
actor had a great idea, can do something to make
our job easier, We're gonna remember them and we're gonna
and if if there's somebody that could be upgraded, they're
the first person that we're gonna go, wow, you know so,
(09:13):
But can you share with our audience, like, um, tell
us how your journey began, um and and how um
you your work at forty acres and everywhere. Let's tell
us what you've been up to many moons ago, as
you know on the Spike job. You know, I started
(09:34):
out as the intern and rose up the ranks through
production assistant you know for many years, you know, and
then transitioned into being an assistant director and joining the
Directors Guild with with you know, director and a D
is all part of the same gil um and while
I was a ding, I was always writing and directing
(09:54):
on the side. Anyway. So then I was able to
kind of transition out of a DING to the directing
because what I thought when I first started was being
an a D. Next step was being a director. But
that's not how it works. Typically, assistant directors don't become
directors because assistant directing position is such a logistical managerial position.
A lot of producers and network exects don't see a
(10:17):
D as a creative position. It's not a creative position.
It's easier a script supervisor or director photography to move
into the directing position before an a D because the
ads it's in their mind is strictly logistical, you know,
So they don't they don't understand that they also can
have a creative vision. So that's what I thought in
the beginning. I said I'll be an assistant director and
(10:38):
then I'd be a director. And it was like, no,
that's not how it typically works. Why are you want
to direct? You know, because so it's different tracks, you know.
But I thank god I was directing while it was
a ding. I was writing a directing so that was
when I got to use while I was learning that
I didn't even know that I learned being on set
whether Owned with Speaker with Lee Daniels on pressures. It's
(10:59):
like you just making information and then until you apply,
you didn't even know that you have it. And you're like, oh, yeah,
i've seen that. I know how you know saying because
you've been doing it for so many years, you've seen
it done that. It's just it's just instinct after a while,
you know. And so while you were writing, you read
your first film. Let talk about that, well, my first
(11:20):
feature you know, yes, yeah, I was writing short films
leading up to that. Yeah, and then I wrote my
first feature film. You know, nobody said somebody kills me uh,
And I was working on Inside Man. I finished the script.
I working on Inside Man at a second a d
and uh. Detective Neil Carter wrestling Rest in Peace. He
just passed last year. He was a technical advisor. He
(11:42):
was a homicide detective. That was he was tasked with
teasing Denzel how to be a detective, basically how to
be so. And I gave to Detective Neil the script
and I was like, hey, just read this. I want
to make sure my detective verbiage is great. He ready,
He's like, I loved it. I love the script. I
want to help you get it made, and we raised
the money and that's how it happened, you know. And
(12:03):
Spike came on too. Epn It just you know, and
that's that's how that that happened. You know, that feature journey.
You know, you're doing your first feature. You have no
idea what audience. Let me just say, because there's some
humility here, Michael Kay Williams was in this as the star,
so like Shaun Kurse. Yeah, you know, Daniel was is
(12:29):
a great cast. You know, we didn't have a ton
of money, but it was a great cast and it
was it was my first feature. I'm still working on
the second one. The first one is always the hardest,
you know, coming from the world that I came from,
unions and big movies and having to kind of skim down,
you know, was was tough, you know, just because unions.
(12:51):
I'm a d j we got dj um, we got
stagged people, we got a yacht union, you know, say
so kind of you know, gets used up really quickly. Yeah,
so That's why I'm a lot meaner, leaner and niner
now after that experience, right and and and working on
such amazing films. He he mentioned inside man, UM, you
(13:14):
worked on UM, Malcolm, I'm best Man. That's the first
Best Man Yeah, additional second second, that's when I first
joined the guild, you know, around that time, and I
didn't work with you on that, but I coach Monica
Calhoun on Best Man. UM. But you know, I mean,
(13:37):
like I always encourage, I don't even encourage, I stress
my listeners to go to IMDb dot com and to
UM do their due diligence on you know who you are,
UM in terms of I have so many questions, but
I want to zoom it. I do because like it's
just so much you guys please go to IMTV dot
(13:59):
com and look at his credits UM, because we I
want to talk about, like, you know, the Denzel Washington
and working with such a great actor and what is
it that UM, because I I've never worked with Denzel before,
and UM, I I've had the pleasure of working with
(14:20):
the Viola Davis. So what is in the beginning of her?
What is what? What do you walk away with on
a set? What do you learned about watching such a
phenomenal actor. I mean, it's it's crazy, you know. I
worked on He Got Game with the first time and
then inside man. But what I walk away is that
you know his preparation, that he's always ready. He can
(14:43):
he he turned it on so quickly, you know, laughing
and talking to woman. And when you're ready, he's is
like so quick. It's so so much shorthand is so
about on. He just so present and intentional that he's
like he's like a surgeon. He's got the surgeon. And
it's like it's kind of like when you you're watching
(15:04):
the ball playing, just play and they just they move
with such grace, you know, and it's and it's easy.
You know, he people are yelling his name, Hey, come running,
making hugs, turn around, boom now the scene it's like
it's it's he can just turn it on and it's
um And he's just such a given spirit, you know,
it doesn't he'll make him in. He'll make him in
(15:25):
to greet somebody, just he'll make him in. He's so
humble and it's so seamless. It's just kind of like,
you know, and I've worked with actors that are not
as successful, that aren't that giving and don't have a
bigger heart, and you you know, and you you're like,
he has a big such a big heart, and he's
so giving, and he's so amazing, you know, And he
(15:45):
doesn't have to be he's dens out, but he is,
you know. So it's just it from what I got,
it just it made me step up my game to
know that, Okay, I can be who I am. I
could be, I could be giving. I don't have to
be someone else. I could be however I am and
excel and do it how I do it and be successful.
I don't have to imitate someone because and if I'm
(16:09):
a giving person, if I'm a soft spoken person, whatever
that is, I can be me and being successful. You know.
That's what I got from it because it was just
it was unlike any other actor, because the room changed
when he walked in it, right, you know, Well, I
can honestly say that, I mean, you've been consistent you
you are. When I met you, I felt like and
(16:29):
still feel like, you've always been yourself. But that's what
I have respected about your work, even like I said, like,
I mean, I've worked with yellers. I came in this
industry with right what and so to work with someone
who still you know, um, who engages with you one
(16:51):
as a human being, but who you know you have
that power and force and assertiveness, but you don't. You
just don't have to yell even you get it right,
you know. One just to say the a D. I
worked with an a D called named Joe Ready. I
was a p A. I was an additional KIA on
this film called Sleeper for Brad Pitt was not my
(17:14):
My job was to be on the roof and let
them know when helicopters are coming and no helicopter coming,
we can shoot in helicopter because we're near a heliport.
And he was the most soft spoken he a D
s for all Scar Safety films, you know Casino. He
was the most humble and soft spoken firm safety. And
(17:36):
I was amazing. I was just like, very gracious, thank
you very much, guys. And I was amazed because I
came from a world of screams. I was like, this
work and there's two hundred people on the crew. And
that was when I was like, Okay, you know, there's
so many different ways to do it. You just have
to be you in the midst of it. I because
I thought, in coming into this business initially that that's
(18:00):
what the process was. There just yellers and It wasn't
until I was on UM Kiss of Death and I
worked with the A D. And her name was Marlene.
I don't remember lasting, but the same way, same way,
And I was like, oh, wait, you don't have to
yell all this stuff. You don't have Let me tell
you another story I worked on UM. I forgot the
(18:22):
name of the TV show, the TV show that came
to New York from l A. And so I first
did the five Days in New York and so we shooting.
We shot in the studio, and the key grip came
up to me one day UM and he's his father
was the key grip on the Honeymoons. That's how long
his lineage. You went. And he told me he loved me.
He said, you know the A D. I love how
(18:45):
you A D because people don't understand that the A
D voice shouldn't be the loudest in the room because
once the A D goes loud, everybody else goes oud.
You know. He says he liked how I managed the room,
and I just you know, so it was just interesting.
I was like, your dad was the key grip on
Honeymoon crazy? You know that was funny. Yeah, So in
(19:07):
terms of, um, your relationship with actors as a director,
you know, um, we're moving more and more out of
the live auditions and you know we're on the self tape.
What advice can you give actors to stand out you
know on those because I mean, you know, I'm always
honest with actors and if I'm getting you know, six
(19:30):
hundreds or seven hundred submissions per character, and I got
take characters right, right, So I mean for me, it's
it's almost the same as when they come in the room.
Just be present. Just you know, nothing matters but that moment.
You know, to me, I find actor to be so distracted,
just it's just so distracted. It's like you had you
(19:50):
worked your whole life and paid money for headshots to
take classes off of this three minutes and you can't
shut the world off for three minutes and find myself
you know, watching self tape and not and they're not
even there. They're auditioning, but they're not even there. So
to me, just be present, just be intentional about how present,
(20:12):
and just really connect with the person that's gonna be
on the other side of that self tape, because somebody's
gonna be watching it, you know, and and and and
really give and become something and get and give up yourself.
Just give up yourself and stop being in control. They
just want to control everything, and they don't realize, you know,
sometimes you're trying to control everything. You don't realize some people,
(20:33):
how many people can see that you're not in control,
you know, and really just be vulnerable and just you know,
show show your passion, show your love for this, you know,
and just kind of, you know, just give it you all,
you know, not just enough that you think is good enough,
give it you all, right. And you know, I'm so surprised.
(20:53):
Well okay, let me just say this. I'm surprised that
you're saying this because are we trying keen about a
certain generation we're talking? Can you speak on that? Yeah,
because you know there's some actors that you know of
over the older generation that a season that a data,
actors that are just they get it. It's like it's
(21:16):
like Denzel is second nature. They just they know how
to turn it on. But this generation, a newer generation,
they don't really know how to turn it on. It's
kind of like you know, Alan iverson back in the
days where it's kind of like he didn't want to practice,
you know, but you have to practice like you're playing
in the game, right and they think that they can
turn you ain't there yet to be able to turn
it on. You know, if you're doing the stuff tape
(21:37):
in ten minutes, you better be getting ready for it
in a half hour. You know, you gotta get ready
for the game. Don't just turn the camera on and
now you're ready. You're not, you know so I think
this generation thinks that they're ready when they're not ready.
You know, they have to you have to practice and
you have to turn it on before it's turned on.
So those are types of those are that's information that
(21:59):
these actors would get in classes. Do you stress classes,
private sessions? I mean whatever you can afford classes, private sessions,
you know, I remember denzl All, I have always having
to having the coach having you know what I'm saying, sharpening, sharpening, sharpening.
Michael Jordan in the gym shooting free throw thatter win
(22:19):
in four rings. It's like like never stopped training. You
never stopped training, you know, so and let's and tell
you and let's until you get out of your business.
You know, so, if you can afford it, train and
get ready. What they say you get ready, you stay ready,
so you don't gotta get ready, you'd be ready, right right.
I just feel like there is in my experience, um
(22:41):
within I would say the last six to ten years,
there's this arrogance and actors and first of all, they
don't do their due diligence right, And so I'm not
asking for a parade or any type of accolades, but
I do want you to be familiar with my credits
and what I have accomplished and I and as a
(23:05):
casting director, I would be so you know, I had
to weed myself, but I would be insulted by the
fact that the actors didn't even take the time to
research the director, you know. So do you find that
there is this arrogance, this attitude of a media gratification
(23:25):
that I don't have to work as hard? Yeah, because
they you know. But the thing is, when we came up,
we had to really in order to get the knowledge,
we have to learn it right, couldn't google how to
be appear. I had to. I had to be in
a feeling I have to learn this stuff right now.
You know, the information so available they think that they
know there's no substitute for experience. There's exactly you know,
(23:48):
so you know, you don't know everything, you know, so
they have real life experience and then the book in
Google experience. You know, so they and they don't equate.
They're not equal, you know. So it's because you know,
you know some of the verbiage and you you know
what I'm saying, you just really have to They need
to respect the people that came before them and respect
(24:09):
the work. You know, um and and that's the IMDb
and and people's journey. You have to respect that work
because you know, and they and they eventually get it,
you know, but we want them to get it sooner.
You know, they get it once they're really like, wow,
this isn't easy, you know, but they have to you know,
it's important that that that they understand that you know
(24:29):
that this isn't easy, and that it takes time and
it ain't gonna happen tomorrow, and and in fact, you
don't really even wanted to happen tomorrow. It's kind of like,
you know, the journey, the bulk of the bulk of
it is the journey. The destination is going to be
like that, you know, so enjoyed this journey is as
a it's a long journey. But I wouldn't I would
I wouldn't rather do any other journey. But they you know,
(24:52):
and that's just what it is. It's a beautiful journey,
So enjoy it. Got stopped focusing on where you trying
to get, because once you get there, you're gonna be
trying to get somewhere else. Exactly. Such great jewels, you guys.
I pray that you've documented this in some way, write
it down recorded. Um, Boogie, we know what work ethic
(25:12):
is about. You know. Um, I know I have, and
I'm sure your experience. Excuse me. I've been on a
set for twenty four hours literally video video set. Right.
I'm a little older than Boogie, so on a music
video set with Lionel Martin. Do you classic concept? There?
(25:36):
You go? Okay, I plastic classes. So I'm saying that
to say that when I speak to this generation about
work ethic, even how you say, oh, I don't want
to sound like my parents, But there's a part of
me that feels like I sound like my parents. But
it's like I know what it's like to stand next
to a propane heater and negative fifteen degree weather in
(25:58):
Chicago shooting exterior barbershop on the thirteenth Hour with Tim Story.
M hmm. But if you say to these kids, you know,
we'll listen. We're gonna have to simulate winter in summer,
so you can wait, I have to wear a Parker
how many wait? How do you three? But I mean,
(26:22):
and that that's just that's just you know, I feel like, um,
that's just what it is. You know, they can't really
you know, we we came up another time. I remember
standing on the corner I worked in the film. I
forgot the name of the Devil's Advocate. I was an
additional Clubs the Devil's Advocate. I was an additional p
A starting out and the A D were the Screamer
(26:44):
and and co. Called time at six am. The p
as had to be on set at five am. On
the corners that they were locking up in. The trucks
didn't even arrive yet. Wow, in the dark on the
corner standing there, Yeah, no bag, nothing in your hand.
But like it is, like it was real deal. But
it builds character. I mean, that's some abuse now. And
(27:05):
the thing is that is a different time overall, so
nobody's doing twenty four hour with nobody's going to even
be doing fourteen hours anywhere in my opinion at the
PAVID although the call that came from the DJ is
like a lot of things gonna have to change, you know.
So that's that's the new world, and we've got to
relearn what we've learned, you know, and then pivot. So, um,
(27:26):
that's actually a great segue because actors are going to
have to make some major adjustments. I have a friend
who I spoke to the other day and said that
she was interviewed as an intimacy coordinator. That's a new
job that they're going to have, you know. So, um,
what what are some of the changes that maybe you
(27:47):
can speak about now that actors can start to mentally
prepare for. Yeah, I mean, you know, some of the
protocol they're talking about it. You know, everybody that's not
on camera wearing masks, you know, just the ppe that
available on set, and a couple of like you said,
a couple of new crew positions you know, that are
paying attention to self distancing. You know, all the prepackaged foods.
(28:09):
You know, you already talked about the auditioning remotely you know, Um,
and the rehearsals remotely, you know, just imagine zoom rehearsals,
you know, right, and then you know just having you know,
on site departments where the hair, makeup and wardrobe never
come to set. And you know what I'm saying, because
they just and then when active three actors come on
(28:32):
and set, three crew members leaving it said, it's just
this kind of thing that they had to move, you know,
where you everybody in the monitors director, like three monitors,
one for the director, one for the script provided, and
one for the producers. Like never remember the day with
video village is gone. No video village is you know,
(28:54):
it's gonna be social distance and there's nobody else other
than those three people, the DP, the director. But remember
days Well that's where I mean as an acting coach,
that's where I am. I'm in that where you're gonna
be there. And they might have they talked about having
remote like say bigger films like if they're a trailer
with you know where you can watch video village, So
(29:15):
very vis gonna be kind of transmitted places that we
need to see it. It's gonna be where you can
have see right, you know, So they and and all
of this stuff is gonna cost more money, but it
might be shorter hours. Yeah, so now these actors better
know that they've better hit it. There ain't no time
to be flooding. Lines, don't come in unprepared. We don't
(29:35):
want a lot of time. So they're gonna cut the
number of hours that that we're gonna shoot eventually, because
you know, the longer people say around each other, the
higher the risk of of right contamination. So they don't
want And the thing is what they also said for
that is that after the fourth teen, after certain number
of hours, resistance is is weaker. So yeah, I said
(29:56):
for sixteen hours, the resistance is week. So so it's
all of these things are gonna affect. You have to
be leaner, we have to be tighter, we have to
be more intentional and laughing. Hey, just you go there
and you do your business right, and you'd be about
it and that's it, you know, Well serious, now, No,
you're right about the hours because you know a barbershop,
(30:17):
I did sixteen hours sixteen days, and you can down
because the ministry returned. And then what will happen to
your your your immune system is it's jacked up. So
so they so they're gonna be shorter day, shorter page comedy.
So it's not gonna be shooting seven page if you
can't do it in ten hours. All this coverage, maybe
it's two cameras shooting all the time. It's just, you know,
(30:39):
nobody wants to spend as much time as we used
to spend on set anymore. Nobody wants because there's a
lot of people, so they want to get in. Yeah,
I don't even I'm not used to. I'm used to
being on cruise hundred and now. I mean, you know,
fifteen people, that's a small crew. But um, I don't
know a cruise that's less than two hundred. So um,
(31:01):
you know, we boggie. I'm gonna invite you back on
because I told you twenty minutes was gonna I'm getting
warning signs I didn't want to make. I did want
to give clarity to video village for actors who don't know,
that is the space in which the director where you
see the director chairs for the director, the DP, the
(31:22):
script supervisor, all of the producers writers. It's sort of this.
You know, we were we huddle around the monitor. I'm
usually um sitting on an apple box in front of
the monitor, trying to get distance, but they always they're
very gracious onset and they gave me a director's chairs.
So that's a video village. I just want you, and
(31:43):
I got a minute left, if you could just give
actors what is the best advice? Because you've given them
some amazing nuggets. What is your best advice that you
want to give them. I mean, I would say, just
continue to work and stay sharp. We're gonna come out
of this, you know. Are you gonna come out of
this better and sharper or not? You know? So continue now.
(32:04):
When you got time to get that monologue tight, you
got time to work on stuff. Because once things open
back up on things where I get back to whatever normal,
we find that time is lost. So use this time.
Rise you know, read some scripts, whatever if you want
the right just this, just utilize this time. You know,
take yourself and critique yourself, and you know, just just
(32:25):
do that work you know that you always wanted to
do in this time and shopping your tools. Wow, it
was an excellent twenty eight minutes. I'm holding on to
all of that. I want you guys to put your
hands together for a director extraordinaire, Mr Michael Boogae Pigney,
(32:46):
thank you for having me. Thank you so much for coming.
I really really am grateful to have you here. So um,
we'll be back on the Spirited Actor Podcast with you
know my favorite segment class in sessions. Welcome back to
the Spirited Actor Podcast with me Tracy Moore. And we
(33:09):
are still blessed to have Michael Boogie Pink me with
us Director extraordinaire. Uh yeah, we're applauding him. He gave
us some great nuggets. Man. I feel like I need
to just saturate my mind with all that he gave
us today. So embrace it. Actors. Um, I have missed
(33:32):
Jelisa Capri spirit act Alumni on with us. Hey, so hey,
I know my listeners know that you know. This is
my favorite segment to high light specter alumni, give them
a platform, an opportunity for our guests to see their
talent and give constructive criticism. So, Je, Lisa, you can
(33:54):
tell us the title of the monologue and then whenever
you're ready, Um, we still have gee. Uh it's called nuts,
and so I'll just get I'll get right into it. Okay.
When I was a little girl. I used to say,
I love you to the moon and down again, around
the world and back again. Then she used to say
(34:14):
to me, I love you to the sun and down again,
around the stars and back again. And I used to think, Wow,
I love mama and Mama loves me. What could go wrong?
What went wrong? Mama? I love you, you love me?
(34:37):
What went wrong? You see? I know she loves me
and I love her so what? So what? She's over
there and I'm over here. She hates me because of
the things that I've done her and uh, hey, huh
the thing that she's done to me? Ze he's staying
(34:58):
at b ask And do you love your And then
they say yes. You think you've asked something real and
they think they've said something real. Do you think because
you toss a love like a frisbee that we're also
pets to get all running? Oh, something happens to some people. Sometimes.
I love you so much, there's not noticing you're there
(35:18):
because their teems loving you. They love you so much.
Your love is like a gun and they just keep
fine and streaking to your head. I mean, they love
me so much you go straight into the hospital. Mhm, Bama,
I know that you love me. The what they ruin
(35:41):
your clock, I love is too much. It's too mumuch
matter see Okay, all right, So it was a little
choppy for me. I don't know how it was for
Boogie okay, Lottle, just a little choppy okay for me also,
(36:02):
but you know my connections that unstable on the thing
across the screen. So yeah, that's funny. You know, I
got it, I got I got it. Though he's a professional.
The interesting monologue, Um, it was an interesting monologue. Who
are you talking to? Were you talking to someone? Were you?
So she's on the stand talking to her mother's across
(36:26):
and then she's trying to convince them that she's not crazy,
even though she's been brought to a crazy house and
her mother is the impetus for a lot of stuff
is going on in her life. And so her mother
is there, she's confronting her, but she's also trying to
let them know, let me out of this space. I'm
not really crazy, okay, Okay, interesting because I was trying
(36:48):
to gauge you, and I knew it was a lot
going on, you know, So I'm you know, trying to
follow the story, which which I feel like, you know,
sometimes I feel like actors it's just like kind of
like those singing shows. It was like all better song selections.
Sometimes I feel like actors picked up all monologue that
because for me it kind of because there were so
(37:09):
many moving pieces, it kind of distracted me a little
because I'm trying to follow the story versus zero in
on on your acting ability. You know, I find myself
kind of like getting the gage because it was it
was kind of dnse you know, the story, the story
of the monologue. You know what I'm saying. That's just
that's just what I found myself trying to really follow
(37:30):
and and make sense of this story. Um, and that
took too much of my attention, you know what I'm saying.
I don't know if you ever experienced that, Tracy, Yes,
I mean we all see a lot of monologues, but
I think that um, um, this monologue is from the
film Nuts Barb Strate was the one that was in
(37:52):
the stand and I think for me it was more
of the jerkiness. Um because I do know them analogue,
so I can't really I don't care. Um, but you know,
one of the things that it is going to be challenging,
in my opinion, is the technology because we're all going
to be on it when we get back in, so
(38:15):
I don't know how that's going to be. Because casting
directors are saying to me now that most of the
auditions are going to be to callbacks are going to
be zoomed. When some Sinclair was on and she said
that she did a zoom callback with a director, so
you know, we are going to experience some of these glitches. Um,
(38:37):
you know perfectly, you know you you'll get another chance
to do it again. But that's something that I think
is really going to have to be a discussion because
zoom is not flawless unless there's another platform that is
created specifically for this. That's a good idea for something,
some technology to come from casting directors for it, because
(38:59):
you know, zoom is all we got, that's what everybody has.
So and everybody's on it. Everybody's been on it since
we've been down and even before that. But I think
that their needs because I really feel like the challenge
is going to be Um, the challenge is really going
(39:20):
to be, you know, the fluency that you have of
course in alive, I didn't you know, and being able
to and then you freeze. You know when you were
talking about rehearsal. I watched the rehearsal a couple of
weeks ago and it was great, but then it was freezing,
and you know that causes things. So we're gonna have
to work out those glitches. But you know, overall, like
(39:43):
I love this platform to be able to do this.
You know, And and you know her from the neighborhood.
You may not know her talent, but I knew I
came to the showcase, I saw her, you did. I
was talking about it, are you sitting or standing? I
am spit because I would just short sitting monologue. Okay,
(40:04):
is it sitting monologue? Okay, she's sitting. Uh see, I
guess you Another thing for me a lot of times
the monologues that have a lot of components from films
to help it along. If you don't have it, you know,
the witness you know what I'm saying. So it's like,
because now we it's hard for for me as the
viewer to with to visualize what the world is. So
(40:26):
if you pick a monologue that you know, you're doing
things based you know, uh, creatively. And as for the monologue,
based on the context. But I don't know the context.
I'm not gonna really get it, so, you know, so
whether it's good or bad, it's kind of like I'm
kind of lost in the context of where you know. So,
(40:48):
so for me, I find you know, monologues that work
best are ones that don't that kind of our stand alone.
You know, if you really young, you're familiar with the
film Nuts and you know what I'm saying. If you
are familiar, think you're got You're not gonna be as moved. Yeah,
it's kind of like the song people sing a song
on I really love that song, whether they did a
good job or not. I love that song, and that's
(41:09):
the focus versus somebody that picked a bad song. And
your voice is amazing and you're like, oh man, you
know the song. Great voice, you know I'm saying. So
it's hard to kind of separate and kind of decide
which is it. And if you're doing a self tape,
you ain't there ain't no time to figure out which
is it is next, you know what I'm saying. So
it's kind of like, really see, you know, step outside
(41:32):
of what what monologue you're doing to see if it
makes how will how will the viewers seeing, not how
you feel about it, because you probably like I love
this minlogue, but sometimes actors tend to make it more
about them than anybody else, when it, unfortunately ain't about
you when you're doing the audition is about what you've
given to the person watching. So so that's that would
just be my note in terms of figuring out is
(41:54):
there better monologue for me to see only your talent
and not try to suffer with the context of what's
going on, you know, So that's all I can focus on,
you know. Okay, Wow, that's a great point. I want
I thought about it in that way. That's a great point.
Thank you so much so, And I always asked, yeah,
(42:15):
I mean, um, I definitely want to have you come
back on in class and session and see a scene
and see the work and yeah, because that's all original
work as well. But everybody put your hands together and
send virtual hugs to our guest Mr Michael Boogie Pinkney
(42:40):
and we recalling this. That was fierce Okay, So we
will be back with the Spirited Actor Podcast with me
Tracy Moore and I will be giving you love. And
now it's time to give love If you want more
trust in your life, you have to be more trustworthy.
(43:04):
If you want love in your life, you have to
be of love. Whatever it is that you want in
your life, you have to be of that. If you
want people to trust your word and be of your word,
you have to be of your word. Whatever it is
(43:25):
that you want more of in your life, it starts
with you, and it starts with your thoughts, and it
goes into your words and it manifests into what it
is that you want. You must learn to trust your thoughts.
You must learn to trust your words, and you must
(43:48):
learn to use the words that are going to manifest
what it is that you want. If you want abundance,
you can't speak of lack. If you want happiness, you
can't speak of sad. This the things that you want,
the things that you will manifest in your life, are
the things that you speak clearly and stay focused and
(44:13):
hold that vision. Whatever it is that you want in
your life, be of it. Thank you for joining us
on the Spirited Actor podcast with me Tracy Moore. I
look forward to our next Spirited podcast. Thank you,
Hello, and welcome to the Spirited Actor Podcast with me
Tracy Moore. I was a casting director for film and
TV and commercials for over thirty years. I transition to
a celebrity acting coach after I cast a film New
Jersey Drive with executive producers Spike Lee and director Nick Thomas.
I audition every rapper from Biggie Spalls to Tupac, and
(00:24):
I realized that rappers and musical artists they needed help
transitioning to acting. My clients consist of musical artists from
Buster Rhymes to Eve, Missy Elliott, Angela Ye from The
Breakfast Club, and Vanessa Simmons, to name a few. I
also coach sports stars and host as well. I feel
(00:45):
I have the best of both worlds. As a casting director,
I know exactly what they're looking for, and as an
acting coach, I can coach you to be remembered in
that room. Now I know. I know actors want to
get the job. I get that, but being remembered by
casting director that is powerful. And now it's time for
meditation of the day. Though I am not naturally honest,
(01:09):
I am so sometimes by chance. William Shakespeare, I used
to have a big problem being honest with others about
how I felt. This problem developed in my childhood because
I was the kid who people enjoyed making fun of.
I wore a size ten shoe in third grade and
I was five six. In a strange way, I became popular.
(01:33):
Instead of letting them know the pain inside of me,
I went along with them and thought of myself as
a joke. As I grew older, I realized how important
it is to be honest with yourself. If you don't,
you will allow pain and anger to make a home
in your heart, and they don't make good company. Today,
(01:53):
I will learn to be honest with myself and express
my true feelings so I can learn to live in freedom.
Welcome to the Spirited Actor Podcast with me Tracy Moore.
And I can't even tell you how um. I always
tell you how excited I am with my guests, um,
(02:16):
and today is no exception, and so I just want
you all to put your hands together for my dear
friend and director extraordinaire, Michael Boogie Piggy. Yeah, Michael, I'm
having some technical difficulties with my phone right now. Do
(02:38):
you guys see me? Good? You guys see me? Okay? Good?
All right, yay, I see you, Boogie So Boogie, welcome
to the show. Welcome to this you're having. Thank you,
thank you so much for being on the show. Um.
I I wanted you on the show for so many reasons.
Because ladies and gentlemen, we go way back. They'll tell
how far back. I will tell the commercial. It was
(03:03):
a commercial. I think that the first time. That's so,
I was gonna just say that project. I wasn't gonna
say the yeah, OK, because we look good, you know, black,
don't crack. I'm just saying we have it. As you
could tell with our banter. We've known each other for
quite some time. And I do want to say this
(03:24):
about you, Boogie. One thing that I've always admired Um.
I met Boogie Um doing a Spike lead commercial and
Boogie was working um at forty acres in the mule.
He was already implanted there when I came, I was freelancing.
He was really working at right. And you have always
(03:45):
like you know, there's so much pressure and energy on
a set, and especially when you have a crew over
fifty and Boogie man like you maintain control. You you
maintain professionalism and even when you know like it would
get a little tend sometimes you have to use your
(04:07):
voice Steven when you right. But even when you did
that boogie, it was digestible because you know, growing up
in this business, because Boogy was when I met him,
he was a second a D second assistant director for
actors out there who don't know the terminology, and um
he rose. So we're gonna talk about his career. But
(04:30):
there's just a certain way you can handle people, and
I just always respected the way you handled people, and
especially I dealt with extras, casting all of those extras right,
and we know the history of that and how the
A D Department sometimes unfortunately deal with actors and background actors,
(04:51):
you know, as if they're not human. So that that
would always something for me, you know, everybody, you know,
was important to the say from the bottom, from the
top about it. You know, that was just my um
you know, my my my way of looking at things.
So that's how I approached it well, and I think
that that was important. You said, UM, teach treating them
like humans. Because when I was on New York and
(05:13):
the cover, um extras were addressed as skins. That was
the first time I had to term the youth for
the right. The paper that they named the owner is
called Skins, which is I never knew where it came from.
That was I was like, you know, because I was like, oh,
where do you want my actors? They're like, the skins
can go over there. I'm like, oh my god. You know.
(05:36):
So one of the things that um, I also want
X actors to understand is the power that a d
s have because as a second a d um you know,
you have a lot of jobs, but I know one specifically,
my relationship with you was making sure that the actors
were in place for the day of the shoot. All
(05:57):
of that. Um what sometimes a director may need someone
that has not been cast right and he's good for that,
and they go to the the first assistant director will
communicate that to you, and it's your job if you
(06:18):
could just explain to actors, you know, because you know
actors are oh, it's just extra work. Oh it's not important,
but you can tell them the importance of it. I mean,
you know, because sometimes some some doing background actually work
has laid the principal work. You know, if you have
a right look, if you you know, sometimes things are spontaneous.
Sometimes people have a very distinct look that they want
(06:40):
to kind of position no place, you know. So it
is a living, breathing animal when you're shooting. So you know,
you've got to be present at every moment because things
can change, and you you know, I think actors need
to really look at the set and really understand what's
going on to moving pieces of it because they are
integral part of it. They're not just a problem, you know,
so you can you can take advantage of that, you know,
(07:02):
like a collaborative thing with with the director and with
the a D. So if you're present, sometimes your presence
to be felt, somebody else can feel that presence and
and gravitate to you, and then all of a sudden
you got upgrades. That's great. That's an important I used
to stress actors on New York Undercover. Don't bring your
you know, Joan Collins novels, you know, like you know,
(07:23):
because you know, we didn't have back then, we didn't
have iPhones, So you know, actors were doing puzzles on set,
and I'm like, you, guys, every set is the same,
the protocol is in the process is the same. The
crew just ships, so understand what that template is. Understanding
the relationship between the A D s and you know um,
(07:45):
how you can get upgraded on the set um. What
were some of the in in situations where you, as
an eight UM and A D did upgrade actors. What
was this specifically that you were looking for besides actors
being present that drew you to them instead, you know what,
let's grab this person to bump in the Denzel Washington.
(08:08):
I mean, you know some you know when when the
background actor is understands that they're an actor. You know,
some background actors they really focus on the background as
opposed to the actors. Some background actors are actives. You know,
the actors. They move Black actors the attention to pay
attention like actors. They're hit a mark black and actor'll
do a background action the same every time. You know,
(08:30):
they'll be president. They're they're paying attention and they they
look and see what's needed before you have to tell them,
you know, And that's what you want to work with.
You want to work with people that could speak shorthand
with you because there's not a lot of times, you know,
so just be present and be collaborative, be you know,
see see if you see a need you know, and
ask questions, heyde should I go? You know what I'm saying,
(08:51):
Just be communicative and understand that you know, we all
we all we don't know it all. As a D
s you know, we listen to the director, was to
the DP. There's all this nois going on. We needed
much help that we can get and if the background
actor had a great idea, can do something to make
our job easier, We're gonna remember them and we're gonna
and if if there's somebody that could be upgraded, they're
the first person that we're gonna go, wow, you know so,
(09:13):
But can you share with our audience, like, um, tell
us how your journey began, um and and how um
you your work at forty acres and everywhere. Let's tell
us what you've been up to many moons ago, as
you know on the Spike job. You know, I started
(09:34):
out as the intern and rose up the ranks through
production assistant you know for many years, you know, and
then transitioned into being an assistant director and joining the
Directors Guild with with you know, director and a D
is all part of the same gil um and while
I was a ding, I was always writing and directing
(09:54):
on the side. Anyway. So then I was able to
kind of transition out of a DING to the directing
because what I thought when I first started was being
an a D. Next step was being a director. But
that's not how it works. Typically, assistant directors don't become
directors because assistant directing position is such a logistical managerial position.
A lot of producers and network exects don't see a
(10:17):
D as a creative position. It's not a creative position.
It's easier a script supervisor or director photography to move
into the directing position before an a D because the
ads it's in their mind is strictly logistical, you know,
So they don't they don't understand that they also can
have a creative vision. So that's what I thought in
the beginning. I said I'll be an assistant director and
(10:38):
then I'd be a director. And it was like, no,
that's not how it typically works. Why are you want
to direct? You know, because so it's different tracks, you know.
But I thank god I was directing while it was
a ding. I was writing a directing so that was
when I got to use while I was learning that
I didn't even know that I learned being on set
whether Owned with Speaker with Lee Daniels on pressures. It's
(10:59):
like you just making information and then until you apply,
you didn't even know that you have it. And you're like, oh, yeah,
i've seen that. I know how you know saying because
you've been doing it for so many years, you've seen
it done that. It's just it's just instinct after a while,
you know. And so while you were writing, you read
your first film. Let talk about that, well, my first
(11:20):
feature you know, yes, yeah, I was writing short films
leading up to that. Yeah, and then I wrote my
first feature film. You know, nobody said somebody kills me uh,
And I was working on Inside Man. I finished the script.
I working on Inside Man at a second a d
and uh. Detective Neil Carter wrestling Rest in Peace. He
just passed last year. He was a technical advisor. He
(11:42):
was a homicide detective. That was he was tasked with
teasing Denzel how to be a detective, basically how to
be so. And I gave to Detective Neil the script
and I was like, hey, just read this. I want
to make sure my detective verbiage is great. He ready,
He's like, I loved it. I love the script. I
want to help you get it made, and we raised
the money and that's how it happened, you know. And
(12:03):
Spike came on too. Epn It just you know, and
that's that's how that that happened. You know, that feature journey.
You know, you're doing your first feature. You have no
idea what audience. Let me just say, because there's some
humility here, Michael Kay Williams was in this as the star,
so like Shaun Kurse. Yeah, you know, Daniel was is
(12:29):
a great cast. You know, we didn't have a ton
of money, but it was a great cast and it
was it was my first feature. I'm still working on
the second one. The first one is always the hardest,
you know, coming from the world that I came from,
unions and big movies and having to kind of skim down,
you know, was was tough, you know, just because unions.
(12:51):
I'm a d j we got dj um, we got
stagged people, we got a yacht union, you know, say
so kind of you know, gets used up really quickly. Yeah,
so That's why I'm a lot meaner, leaner and niner
now after that experience, right and and and working on
such amazing films. He he mentioned inside man, UM, you
(13:14):
worked on UM, Malcolm, I'm best Man. That's the first
Best Man Yeah, additional second second, that's when I first
joined the guild, you know, around that time, and I
didn't work with you on that, but I coach Monica
Calhoun on Best Man. UM. But you know, I mean,
(13:37):
like I always encourage, I don't even encourage, I stress
my listeners to go to IMDb dot com and to
UM do their due diligence on you know who you are,
UM in terms of I have so many questions, but
I want to zoom it. I do because like it's
just so much you guys please go to IMTV dot
(13:59):
com and look at his credits UM, because we I
want to talk about, like, you know, the Denzel Washington
and working with such a great actor and what is
it that UM, because I I've never worked with Denzel before,
and UM, I I've had the pleasure of working with
(14:20):
the Viola Davis. So what is in the beginning of her?
What is what? What do you walk away with on
a set? What do you learned about watching such a
phenomenal actor. I mean, it's it's crazy, you know. I
worked on He Got Game with the first time and
then inside man. But what I walk away is that
you know his preparation, that he's always ready. He can
(14:43):
he he turned it on so quickly, you know, laughing
and talking to woman. And when you're ready, he's is
like so quick. It's so so much shorthand is so
about on. He just so present and intentional that he's
like he's like a surgeon. He's got the surgeon. And
it's like it's kind of like when you you're watching
(15:04):
the ball playing, just play and they just they move
with such grace, you know, and it's and it's easy.
You know, he people are yelling his name, Hey, come running,
making hugs, turn around, boom now the scene it's like
it's it's he can just turn it on and it's
um And he's just such a given spirit, you know,
it doesn't he'll make him in. He'll make him in
(15:25):
to greet somebody, just he'll make him in. He's so
humble and it's so seamless. It's just kind of like,
you know, and I've worked with actors that are not
as successful, that aren't that giving and don't have a
bigger heart, and you you know, and you you're like,
he has a big such a big heart, and he's
so giving, and he's so amazing, you know, And he
(15:45):
doesn't have to be he's dens out, but he is,
you know. So it's just it from what I got,
it just it made me step up my game to
know that, Okay, I can be who I am. I
could be, I could be giving. I don't have to
be someone else. I could be however I am and
excel and do it how I do it and be successful.
I don't have to imitate someone because and if I'm
(16:09):
a giving person, if I'm a soft spoken person, whatever
that is, I can be me and being successful. You know.
That's what I got from it because it was just
it was unlike any other actor, because the room changed
when he walked in it, right, you know, Well, I
can honestly say that, I mean, you've been consistent you
you are. When I met you, I felt like and
(16:29):
still feel like, you've always been yourself. But that's what
I have respected about your work, even like I said, like,
I mean, I've worked with yellers. I came in this
industry with right what and so to work with someone
who still you know, um, who engages with you one
(16:51):
as a human being, but who you know you have
that power and force and assertiveness, but you don't. You
just don't have to yell even you get it right,
you know. One just to say the a D. I
worked with an a D called named Joe Ready. I
was a p A. I was an additional KIA on
this film called Sleeper for Brad Pitt was not my
(17:14):
My job was to be on the roof and let
them know when helicopters are coming and no helicopter coming,
we can shoot in helicopter because we're near a heliport.
And he was the most soft spoken he a D
s for all Scar Safety films, you know Casino. He
was the most humble and soft spoken firm safety. And
(17:36):
I was amazing. I was just like, very gracious, thank
you very much, guys. And I was amazed because I
came from a world of screams. I was like, this
work and there's two hundred people on the crew. And
that was when I was like, Okay, you know, there's
so many different ways to do it. You just have
to be you in the midst of it. I because
I thought, in coming into this business initially that that's
(18:00):
what the process was. There just yellers and It wasn't
until I was on UM Kiss of Death and I
worked with the A D. And her name was Marlene.
I don't remember lasting, but the same way, same way,
And I was like, oh, wait, you don't have to
yell all this stuff. You don't have Let me tell
you another story I worked on UM. I forgot the
(18:22):
name of the TV show, the TV show that came
to New York from l A. And so I first
did the five Days in New York and so we shooting.
We shot in the studio, and the key grip came
up to me one day UM and he's his father
was the key grip on the Honeymoons. That's how long
his lineage. You went. And he told me he loved me.
He said, you know the A D. I love how
(18:45):
you A D because people don't understand that the A
D voice shouldn't be the loudest in the room because
once the A D goes loud, everybody else goes oud.
You know. He says he liked how I managed the room,
and I just you know, so it was just interesting.
I was like, your dad was the key grip on
Honeymoon crazy? You know that was funny. Yeah, So in
(19:07):
terms of, um, your relationship with actors as a director,
you know, um, we're moving more and more out of
the live auditions and you know we're on the self tape.
What advice can you give actors to stand out you
know on those because I mean, you know, I'm always
honest with actors and if I'm getting you know, six
(19:30):
hundreds or seven hundred submissions per character, and I got
take characters right, right, So I mean for me, it's
it's almost the same as when they come in the room.
Just be present. Just you know, nothing matters but that moment.
You know, to me, I find actor to be so distracted,
just it's just so distracted. It's like you had you
(19:50):
worked your whole life and paid money for headshots to
take classes off of this three minutes and you can't
shut the world off for three minutes and find myself
you know, watching self tape and not and they're not
even there. They're auditioning, but they're not even there. So
to me, just be present, just be intentional about how present,
(20:12):
and just really connect with the person that's gonna be
on the other side of that self tape, because somebody's
gonna be watching it, you know, and and and and
really give and become something and get and give up yourself.
Just give up yourself and stop being in control. They
just want to control everything, and they don't realize, you know,
sometimes you're trying to control everything. You don't realize some people,
(20:33):
how many people can see that you're not in control,
you know, and really just be vulnerable and just you know,
show show your passion, show your love for this, you know,
and just kind of, you know, just give it you all,
you know, not just enough that you think is good enough,
give it you all, right. And you know, I'm so surprised.
(20:53):
Well okay, let me just say this. I'm surprised that
you're saying this because are we trying keen about a
certain generation we're talking? Can you speak on that? Yeah,
because you know there's some actors that you know of
over the older generation that a season that a data,
actors that are just they get it. It's like it's
(21:16):
like Denzel is second nature. They just they know how
to turn it on. But this generation, a newer generation,
they don't really know how to turn it on. It's
kind of like you know, Alan iverson back in the
days where it's kind of like he didn't want to practice,
you know, but you have to practice like you're playing
in the game, right and they think that they can
turn you ain't there yet to be able to turn
it on. You know, if you're doing the stuff tape
(21:37):
in ten minutes, you better be getting ready for it
in a half hour. You know, you gotta get ready
for the game. Don't just turn the camera on and
now you're ready. You're not, you know so I think
this generation thinks that they're ready when they're not ready.
You know, they have to you have to practice and
you have to turn it on before it's turned on.
So those are types of those are that's information that
(21:59):
these actors would get in classes. Do you stress classes,
private sessions? I mean whatever you can afford classes, private sessions,
you know, I remember denzl All, I have always having
to having the coach having you know what I'm saying, sharpening, sharpening, sharpening.
Michael Jordan in the gym shooting free throw thatter win
(22:19):
in four rings. It's like like never stopped training. You
never stopped training, you know, so and let's and tell
you and let's until you get out of your business.
You know, so, if you can afford it, train and
get ready. What they say you get ready, you stay ready,
so you don't gotta get ready, you'd be ready, right right.
I just feel like there is in my experience, um
(22:41):
within I would say the last six to ten years,
there's this arrogance and actors and first of all, they
don't do their due diligence right, And so I'm not
asking for a parade or any type of accolades, but
I do want you to be familiar with my credits
and what I have accomplished and I and as a
(23:05):
casting director, I would be so you know, I had
to weed myself, but I would be insulted by the
fact that the actors didn't even take the time to
research the director, you know. So do you find that
there is this arrogance, this attitude of a media gratification
(23:25):
that I don't have to work as hard? Yeah, because
they you know. But the thing is, when we came up,
we had to really in order to get the knowledge,
we have to learn it right, couldn't google how to
be appear. I had to. I had to be in
a feeling I have to learn this stuff right now.
You know, the information so available they think that they
know there's no substitute for experience. There's exactly you know,
(23:48):
so you know, you don't know everything, you know, so
they have real life experience and then the book in
Google experience. You know, so they and they don't equate.
They're not equal, you know. So it's because you know,
you know some of the verbiage and you you know
what I'm saying, you just really have to They need
to respect the people that came before them and respect
(24:09):
the work. You know, um and and that's the IMDb
and and people's journey. You have to respect that work
because you know, and they and they eventually get it,
you know, but we want them to get it sooner.
You know, they get it once they're really like, wow,
this isn't easy, you know, but they have to you know,
it's important that that that they understand that you know
(24:29):
that this isn't easy, and that it takes time and
it ain't gonna happen tomorrow, and and in fact, you
don't really even wanted to happen tomorrow. It's kind of like,
you know, the journey, the bulk of the bulk of
it is the journey. The destination is going to be
like that, you know, so enjoyed this journey is as
a it's a long journey. But I wouldn't I would
I wouldn't rather do any other journey. But they you know,
(24:52):
and that's just what it is. It's a beautiful journey,
So enjoy it. Got stopped focusing on where you trying
to get, because once you get there, you're gonna be
trying to get somewhere else. Exactly. Such great jewels, you guys.
I pray that you've documented this in some way, write
it down recorded. Um, Boogie, we know what work ethic
(25:12):
is about. You know. Um, I know I have, and
I'm sure your experience. Excuse me. I've been on a
set for twenty four hours literally video video set. Right.
I'm a little older than Boogie, so on a music
video set with Lionel Martin. Do you classic concept? There?
(25:36):
You go? Okay, I plastic classes. So I'm saying that
to say that when I speak to this generation about
work ethic, even how you say, oh, I don't want
to sound like my parents, But there's a part of
me that feels like I sound like my parents. But
it's like I know what it's like to stand next
to a propane heater and negative fifteen degree weather in
(25:58):
Chicago shooting exterior barbershop on the thirteenth Hour with Tim Story.
M hmm. But if you say to these kids, you know,
we'll listen. We're gonna have to simulate winter in summer,
so you can wait, I have to wear a Parker
how many wait? How do you three? But I mean,
(26:22):
and that that's just that's just you know, I feel like, um,
that's just what it is. You know, they can't really
you know, we we came up another time. I remember
standing on the corner I worked in the film. I
forgot the name of the Devil's Advocate. I was an
additional Clubs the Devil's Advocate. I was an additional p
A starting out and the A D were the Screamer
(26:44):
and and co. Called time at six am. The p
as had to be on set at five am. On
the corners that they were locking up in. The trucks
didn't even arrive yet. Wow, in the dark on the
corner standing there, Yeah, no bag, nothing in your hand.
But like it is, like it was real deal. But
it builds character. I mean, that's some abuse now. And
(27:05):
the thing is that is a different time overall, so
nobody's doing twenty four hour with nobody's going to even
be doing fourteen hours anywhere in my opinion at the
PAVID although the call that came from the DJ is
like a lot of things gonna have to change, you know.
So that's that's the new world, and we've got to
relearn what we've learned, you know, and then pivot. So, um,
(27:26):
that's actually a great segue because actors are going to
have to make some major adjustments. I have a friend
who I spoke to the other day and said that
she was interviewed as an intimacy coordinator. That's a new
job that they're going to have, you know. So, um,
what what are some of the changes that maybe you
(27:47):
can speak about now that actors can start to mentally
prepare for. Yeah, I mean, you know, some of the
protocol they're talking about it. You know, everybody that's not
on camera wearing masks, you know, just the ppe that
available on set, and a couple of like you said,
a couple of new crew positions you know, that are
paying attention to self distancing. You know, all the prepackaged foods.
(28:09):
You know, you already talked about the auditioning remotely you know, Um,
and the rehearsals remotely, you know, just imagine zoom rehearsals,
you know, right, and then you know just having you know,
on site departments where the hair, makeup and wardrobe never
come to set. And you know what I'm saying, because
they just and then when active three actors come on
(28:32):
and set, three crew members leaving it said, it's just
this kind of thing that they had to move, you know,
where you everybody in the monitors director, like three monitors,
one for the director, one for the script provided, and
one for the producers. Like never remember the day with
video village is gone. No video village is you know,
(28:54):
it's gonna be social distance and there's nobody else other
than those three people, the DP, the director. But remember
days Well that's where I mean as an acting coach,
that's where I am. I'm in that where you're gonna
be there. And they might have they talked about having
remote like say bigger films like if they're a trailer
with you know where you can watch video village, So
(29:15):
very vis gonna be kind of transmitted places that we
need to see it. It's gonna be where you can
have see right, you know, So they and and all
of this stuff is gonna cost more money, but it
might be shorter hours. Yeah, so now these actors better
know that they've better hit it. There ain't no time
to be flooding. Lines, don't come in unprepared. We don't
(29:35):
want a lot of time. So they're gonna cut the
number of hours that that we're gonna shoot eventually, because
you know, the longer people say around each other, the
higher the risk of of right contamination. So they don't
want And the thing is what they also said for
that is that after the fourth teen, after certain number
of hours, resistance is is weaker. So yeah, I said
(29:56):
for sixteen hours, the resistance is week. So so it's
all of these things are gonna affect. You have to
be leaner, we have to be tighter, we have to
be more intentional and laughing. Hey, just you go there
and you do your business right, and you'd be about
it and that's it, you know, Well serious, now, No,
you're right about the hours because you know a barbershop,
(30:17):
I did sixteen hours sixteen days, and you can down
because the ministry returned. And then what will happen to
your your your immune system is it's jacked up. So
so they so they're gonna be shorter day, shorter page comedy.
So it's not gonna be shooting seven page if you
can't do it in ten hours. All this coverage, maybe
it's two cameras shooting all the time. It's just, you know,
(30:39):
nobody wants to spend as much time as we used
to spend on set anymore. Nobody wants because there's a
lot of people, so they want to get in. Yeah,
I don't even I'm not used to. I'm used to
being on cruise hundred and now. I mean, you know,
fifteen people, that's a small crew. But um, I don't
know a cruise that's less than two hundred. So um,
(31:01):
you know, we boggie. I'm gonna invite you back on
because I told you twenty minutes was gonna I'm getting
warning signs I didn't want to make. I did want
to give clarity to video village for actors who don't know,
that is the space in which the director where you
see the director chairs for the director, the DP, the
(31:22):
script supervisor, all of the producers writers. It's sort of this.
You know, we were we huddle around the monitor. I'm
usually um sitting on an apple box in front of
the monitor, trying to get distance, but they always they're
very gracious onset and they gave me a director's chairs.
So that's a video village. I just want you, and
(31:43):
I got a minute left, if you could just give
actors what is the best advice? Because you've given them
some amazing nuggets. What is your best advice that you
want to give them. I mean, I would say, just
continue to work and stay sharp. We're gonna come out
of this, you know. Are you gonna come out of
this better and sharper or not? You know? So continue now.
(32:04):
When you got time to get that monologue tight, you
got time to work on stuff. Because once things open
back up on things where I get back to whatever normal,
we find that time is lost. So use this time.
Rise you know, read some scripts, whatever if you want
the right just this, just utilize this time. You know,
take yourself and critique yourself, and you know, just just
(32:25):
do that work you know that you always wanted to
do in this time and shopping your tools. Wow, it
was an excellent twenty eight minutes. I'm holding on to
all of that. I want you guys to put your
hands together for a director extraordinaire, Mr Michael Boogae Pigney,
(32:46):
thank you for having me. Thank you so much for coming.
I really really am grateful to have you here. So um,
we'll be back on the Spirited Actor Podcast with you
know my favorite segment class in sessions. Welcome back to
the Spirited Actor Podcast with me Tracy Moore. And we
(33:09):
are still blessed to have Michael Boogie Pink me with
us Director extraordinaire. Uh yeah, we're applauding him. He gave
us some great nuggets. Man. I feel like I need
to just saturate my mind with all that he gave
us today. So embrace it. Actors. Um, I have missed
(33:32):
Jelisa Capri spirit act Alumni on with us. Hey, so hey,
I know my listeners know that you know. This is
my favorite segment to high light specter alumni, give them
a platform, an opportunity for our guests to see their
talent and give constructive criticism. So, Je, Lisa, you can
(33:54):
tell us the title of the monologue and then whenever
you're ready, Um, we still have gee. Uh it's called nuts,
and so I'll just get I'll get right into it. Okay.
When I was a little girl. I used to say,
I love you to the moon and down again, around
the world and back again. Then she used to say
(34:14):
to me, I love you to the sun and down again,
around the stars and back again. And I used to think, Wow,
I love mama and Mama loves me. What could go wrong?
What went wrong? Mama? I love you, you love me?
(34:37):
What went wrong? You see? I know she loves me
and I love her so what? So what? She's over
there and I'm over here. She hates me because of
the things that I've done her and uh, hey, huh
the thing that she's done to me? Ze he's staying
(34:58):
at b ask And do you love your And then
they say yes. You think you've asked something real and
they think they've said something real. Do you think because
you toss a love like a frisbee that we're also
pets to get all running? Oh, something happens to some people. Sometimes.
I love you so much, there's not noticing you're there
(35:18):
because their teems loving you. They love you so much.
Your love is like a gun and they just keep
fine and streaking to your head. I mean, they love
me so much you go straight into the hospital. Mhm, Bama,
I know that you love me. The what they ruin
(35:41):
your clock, I love is too much. It's too mumuch
matter see Okay, all right, So it was a little
choppy for me. I don't know how it was for
Boogie okay, Lottle, just a little choppy okay for me also,
(36:02):
but you know my connections that unstable on the thing
across the screen. So yeah, that's funny. You know, I
got it, I got I got it. Though he's a professional.
The interesting monologue, Um, it was an interesting monologue. Who
are you talking to? Were you talking to someone? Were you?
So she's on the stand talking to her mother's across
(36:26):
and then she's trying to convince them that she's not crazy,
even though she's been brought to a crazy house and
her mother is the impetus for a lot of stuff
is going on in her life. And so her mother
is there, she's confronting her, but she's also trying to
let them know, let me out of this space. I'm
not really crazy, okay, Okay, interesting because I was trying
(36:48):
to gauge you, and I knew it was a lot
going on, you know, So I'm you know, trying to
follow the story, which which I feel like, you know,
sometimes I feel like actors it's just like kind of
like those singing shows. It was like all better song selections.
Sometimes I feel like actors picked up all monologue that
because for me it kind of because there were so
(37:09):
many moving pieces, it kind of distracted me a little
because I'm trying to follow the story versus zero in
on on your acting ability. You know, I find myself
kind of like getting the gage because it was it
was kind of dnse you know, the story, the story
of the monologue. You know what I'm saying. That's just
that's just what I found myself trying to really follow
(37:30):
and and make sense of this story. Um, and that
took too much of my attention, you know what I'm saying.
I don't know if you ever experienced that, Tracy, Yes,
I mean we all see a lot of monologues, but
I think that um, um, this monologue is from the
film Nuts Barb Strate was the one that was in
(37:52):
the stand and I think for me it was more
of the jerkiness. Um because I do know them analogue,
so I can't really I don't care. Um, but you know,
one of the things that it is going to be challenging,
in my opinion, is the technology because we're all going
to be on it when we get back in, so
(38:15):
I don't know how that's going to be. Because casting
directors are saying to me now that most of the
auditions are going to be to callbacks are going to
be zoomed. When some Sinclair was on and she said
that she did a zoom callback with a director, so
you know, we are going to experience some of these glitches. Um,
(38:37):
you know perfectly, you know you you'll get another chance
to do it again. But that's something that I think
is really going to have to be a discussion because
zoom is not flawless unless there's another platform that is
created specifically for this. That's a good idea for something,
some technology to come from casting directors for it, because
(38:59):
you know, zoom is all we got, that's what everybody has.
So and everybody's on it. Everybody's been on it since
we've been down and even before that. But I think
that their needs because I really feel like the challenge
is going to be Um, the challenge is really going
(39:20):
to be, you know, the fluency that you have of
course in alive, I didn't you know, and being able
to and then you freeze. You know when you were
talking about rehearsal. I watched the rehearsal a couple of
weeks ago and it was great, but then it was freezing,
and you know that causes things. So we're gonna have
to work out those glitches. But you know, overall, like
(39:43):
I love this platform to be able to do this.
You know, And and you know her from the neighborhood.
You may not know her talent, but I knew I
came to the showcase, I saw her, you did. I
was talking about it, are you sitting or standing? I
am spit because I would just short sitting monologue. Okay,
(40:04):
is it sitting monologue? Okay, she's sitting. Uh see, I
guess you Another thing for me a lot of times
the monologues that have a lot of components from films
to help it along. If you don't have it, you know,
the witness you know what I'm saying. So it's like,
because now we it's hard for for me as the
viewer to with to visualize what the world is. So
(40:26):
if you pick a monologue that you know, you're doing
things based you know, uh, creatively. And as for the monologue,
based on the context. But I don't know the context.
I'm not gonna really get it, so, you know, so
whether it's good or bad, it's kind of like I'm
kind of lost in the context of where you know. So,
(40:48):
so for me, I find you know, monologues that work
best are ones that don't that kind of our stand alone.
You know, if you really young, you're familiar with the
film Nuts and you know what I'm saying. If you
are familiar, think you're got You're not gonna be as moved. Yeah,
it's kind of like the song people sing a song
on I really love that song, whether they did a
good job or not. I love that song, and that's
(41:09):
the focus versus somebody that picked a bad song. And
your voice is amazing and you're like, oh man, you
know the song. Great voice, you know I'm saying. So
it's hard to kind of separate and kind of decide
which is it. And if you're doing a self tape,
you ain't there ain't no time to figure out which
is it is next, you know what I'm saying. So
it's kind of like, really see, you know, step outside
(41:32):
of what what monologue you're doing to see if it
makes how will how will the viewers seeing, not how
you feel about it, because you probably like I love
this minlogue, but sometimes actors tend to make it more
about them than anybody else, when it, unfortunately ain't about
you when you're doing the audition is about what you've
given to the person watching. So so that's that would
just be my note in terms of figuring out is
(41:54):
there better monologue for me to see only your talent
and not try to suffer with the context of what's
going on, you know, So that's all I can focus on,
you know. Okay, Wow, that's a great point. I want
I thought about it in that way. That's a great point.
Thank you so much so, And I always asked, yeah,
(42:15):
I mean, um, I definitely want to have you come
back on in class and session and see a scene
and see the work and yeah, because that's all original
work as well. But everybody put your hands together and
send virtual hugs to our guest Mr Michael Boogie Pinkney
(42:40):
and we recalling this. That was fierce Okay, So we
will be back with the Spirited Actor Podcast with me
Tracy Moore and I will be giving you love. And
now it's time to give love If you want more
trust in your life, you have to be more trustworthy.
(43:04):
If you want love in your life, you have to
be of love. Whatever it is that you want in
your life, you have to be of that. If you
want people to trust your word and be of your word,
you have to be of your word. Whatever it is
(43:25):
that you want more of in your life, it starts
with you, and it starts with your thoughts, and it
goes into your words and it manifests into what it
is that you want. You must learn to trust your thoughts.
You must learn to trust your words, and you must
(43:48):
learn to use the words that are going to manifest
what it is that you want. If you want abundance,
you can't speak of lack. If you want happiness, you
can't speak of sad. This the things that you want,
the things that you will manifest in your life, are
the things that you speak clearly and stay focused and
(44:13):
hold that vision. Whatever it is that you want in
your life, be of it. Thank you for joining us
on the Spirited Actor podcast with me Tracy Moore. I
look forward to our next Spirited podcast. Thank you,
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