The Spirited Actor - Mitchell Ugwuezi

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Episode Transcript

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 transitioned to
a celebrity acting coach after I cast a film New
Jersey Drive with executive producer Spike Lee and director Nick Domez.
I auditioned every rapper from biggiees Balls 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 Yee 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. Raise your words, not your voice.

(01:09):
It is rain that grows flowers, not thunder Roomy.

Speaker 2 (01:14):
Words have massive power.

Speaker 1 (01:17):
You have to understand that words create and manifest.

Speaker 2 (01:22):
Right.

Speaker 1 (01:23):
So a lot of times when actors used to say
to me, I'm a struggling actor and wonder why they
were struggling, it's because of the words that they're using.

Speaker 2 (01:31):
If you say you're a working actor and next thing
you know.

Speaker 1 (01:33):
You get a phone call, somebody recommended you, someone saw
your work. You want to elevate your dialogue. You want
to create words that are positive and that will create
and manifest positive things for you. This is the most
challenging thing. And I learned this in the movie called

(01:54):
The Secret. If any of you have ever seen that movie,
it's a phenomenal movie, and I suggest that every body
at least see at once.

Speaker 2 (02:03):
But in The Secret, one of the.

Speaker 1 (02:06):
Spiritual leaders talks about how we create.

Speaker 2 (02:10):
Every experience in our lives.

Speaker 1 (02:12):
And I think that's the most difficult thing for human
beings to accept, is the fact that we create, whether
it's good or whether it's bad. Our thoughts and energies
are the things that create. Right, So if I'm having
great thoughts, I'm going to manifest great things because I'm
feeling good and I'm on that vibrational level. Right, If
i'm feeling bad, I'm going to create bad things. And

(02:35):
the thing that the spiritual Leader said in the spirit
in the Secret that was so challenging for us to
digest is that we are responsible for that bad step too,
and it's energies. So you want to be conscious that
the energies that you're putting out there, whether you feel
you know, and this is what's important, You've got to
feel it. So you've got to feel positive to create positive.

(02:58):
So you want to place yourself If I say in
a happy thought, that takes you to a happy, positive place,
and then your mood shifts, and then in that moment
start creating you know what, and claim it. I want
to go to Hawaii. Don't try to figure out how
you're going to get there, when you're going to get there,

(03:18):
just claim it. Because you're feeling good, You're at a
place of maniftation and watch how these things happen. You
have to experience it for you to know it. Today
I will focus on positive words, positive energy to manifest
positive things. Before we get started, I'd like to remind

(03:41):
everyone to look out for my new show Inside the
Black Box.

Speaker 2 (03:46):
I'll be co hosting with the Great Joe Morton. We'll
be on Crackle Network real soon. I'll keep you posted.

Speaker 1 (03:54):
Welcome to the Spirited Actor Podcast with me Tracy Moore.
I am very excited today about our guests. Not only
is he spirit Actor alumni, but I have the pleasure
of beating him at Inside the black Box on our
show and he participated in an exercise. I get excited

(04:16):
when actors are because all of you are creative beings.
But when you tap into that creativity and instead of
looking at the glass specifically right now during these strikes
half empty, he's choosing to look at it half full.
And that's why he's here, because he's going to tell

(04:37):
us about this really exciting event that he's having next Tuesday.
So ladies and gentlemen, I want you to stand up,
put your hands together.

Speaker 2 (04:46):
From Mitchell oohgwazy.

Speaker 3 (04:48):
Welcome Mitchell, Thank you, Thank you, Tracy.

Speaker 2 (04:51):
How are you I'm great. How are you doing.

Speaker 3 (04:54):
I'm doing fine. I'm doing fine. Thank you for asking.

Speaker 2 (04:57):
So Mitchell, I'm excited because is well.

Speaker 1 (05:00):
First of all, I just want to say thank you
for supporting Inside the black Box and being.

Speaker 2 (05:08):
Present in the audience.

Speaker 1 (05:10):
And I remember you know you don't forget talent, and
you don't forget unique creative individuals.

Speaker 2 (05:16):
I remember when you first said your name, I was like,
what's today? And you hit that base.

Speaker 1 (05:23):
I was like, yeah, okay, I would heard lou Rawl's
ish very white Ish took me back to the seventies.
But tell the audience what your experience was, because you
are honestly one of the first people that I've had

(05:43):
who has been on the show and is a guest,
because I have spirit actor alumni, you know, who come
on and do scenes and monologues in class and session,
but actually sitting down and interviewing you. So how was
that experience for you on inside the Black Pots.

Speaker 4 (06:02):
So as an actor, first and foremost, you've always wanted
to be in those rooms where you're surrounded by creatives.
And not only is it that, but you're surrounded by
creatives of color. So you get to see like the
different because people always.

Speaker 3 (06:21):
Like to put us.

Speaker 4 (06:23):
In a box and we all may have the same
you know, hair texture or similar skin complexion, but there's
so many things that are defining and when you get
to meet so many people, it kind of broadens your awareness.
So I kind of go back to the James Lifton
days when he was doing It's at the actors studio
when you look at that audience and you see all

(06:44):
these diverse faces and things like that, but then you
get to hear all the jewels that are being dropped
from the guests that are being interviewed. So it's like,
this is my version, you know, of that experience because
I didn't get too because James Liften you know, rest
and peace, yes, but this is my version of that.
So I'm like, I was just happy to be in
the room and then get to participate, meet you, meet Joe,

(07:08):
you know, Spruce Elsa, all those people. It's just it's
one of those things that if you look back and
you take a kind of time capsule of that time
to be able to open it up and just see like, oh,
that's how rich the time period was, especially coming out
of a pandemic then going into a strike. So we're
talking about two pauses in one particular season of life.

(07:32):
And I always tell people, I said, listen, if you took,
if you didn't take the opportunity to learn a new trade,
a new skill, gain some knowledge, strengthen your body, your mind,
your spirit. During that pandemic, you wasted your time, you know,
because that was an opportunity for you to take that
pause and use it for something to prosper, you know.

(07:53):
So it's it's an amazing experience, I say, and amazing
experience being present because it's still going to continue and
people are going to be moved and wild and inspired
and motivated through that course. So I'm happy to see
what excited to see what's coming next for Inside the
Black Box.

Speaker 1 (08:13):
So am I? So am I, because we too are
on cause. However, like you said, we are continuing through
and still having conversations and still creating, so it keeps
that momentum going. I was talking to a producer yesterday
who said that something really great is going to come

(08:36):
out of this, and I agree with him that, you know,
take the time like you and utilize all of your
creative skills, create something, you know, create opportunities for yourself
and other people. So before I talk about that event,
I still want to talk in reference to you as

(08:58):
an actor. Our audience are actors, and we all share
this experience together. I look at your resume and it
is filled with theater.

Speaker 2 (09:11):
Which my heart is just like, I'm so.

Speaker 1 (09:14):
Sensitive, but I was like all the most are like, yeah, mitual,
of course you would do all this theater. But when
you think about theater and you think about film and
TV two different experiences, do you gravitate to theater more,
film and TV?

Speaker 2 (09:30):
All of it?

Speaker 4 (09:34):
So before I answer it, Before I answer that question,
what I'm learning now in life that is that every
avenue or every turn in life calls for a different
what's the word I'm looking for modus operandi only thing

(09:55):
that comes up to me at the moment, because like,
like if you're in the gym and you have weak glutes,
like it's not going to do you any good to
only work work on your chest. You know you're going
to have to get get on that squad machine to
de leg press things like that because your glutes are
week you know you need to focus on that. So
I think when it comes to film and theater and

(10:17):
television things like that, they're all you know, they're all performing,
but they all train different parts of your of your talent.
So there are seasons where I'm just like, I really
want to do a play. There are seasons where I
want to be still in a frame, having the frame
focused on me while I deliver certain lines and being
able to operate in that stillness but have all this

(10:38):
fire coming through, you know. So I think it really
depends on where you are in your journey as a
creative at that time, and then using each medium to
hone in sharpen those particular skills. So that's how I
you know, that's how I believe. But for me, I've
always been a person who gravitated towards stillness, and it's

(11:02):
hard to translate stillness on a stage. You can do it,
but it's a little bit more difficult than when you're
on a screen because the screen can, when you're on camera,
can zoom in and gets to and blow everything out
and then you're the main focus.

Speaker 3 (11:17):
But when you're on stage and.

Speaker 4 (11:19):
You're still like to be able to capture an arena
or an audience with just stillness on stage takes.

Speaker 2 (11:30):
It takes the air out of the theater.

Speaker 1 (11:34):
Because for me, I think the connection with theater, which
is my first love, is it's live and I feel
whatever I entrust you guys on this journey, I go
with you, and I feel sad, I feel happy, I
feel all these things, and there's a connection just like comedians, right,

(11:55):
And so I think for me and for working with
theater and more in theater, that the immediate gratification is
there as soon as you leave that stage drawer. You
got people waiting to just tell you what you've done,
how you've inspired and all of that. Like, there's nothing
like that, there's nothing like that feeling. Even if you
go to a premiere and go to the screening, it'll

(12:19):
take at least a year for that film to come
out Before that happens and you're on to the next
or something. But in that you talk about stillness and
presence in that moment. I've seen it. I've seen the
authenticity of a person who was on stage and was huge,
right and then they come off and you can just

(12:40):
their hearts. We're just like holding on every single thing
that you're saying to them, so you know. And I
also think theater is powerful in terms of training, where
it's a discipline. You can't call the script supervisor out
for a line, you.

Speaker 2 (12:55):
Can't cut, you know.

Speaker 1 (13:00):
So, and then the other thing, of course mental izz
training on here, but special skills ladies and gentlemen like
I have to say, I went to Africa in two
thousand and eleven. I think it was no. Yeah, around
twenty eleven I went to Africa. I went to Ghana

(13:22):
and Nigeria for the first time in my life and
it changed my life absolutely. What I do know in
coming back to America in my observation that we definitely
have different lives. The appreciation for education in Africa was outstanding, phenomenal.
I've never seen anything or felt anything like that in

(13:43):
my life. And just the focus and discipline on you know,
the occupations which people pursue, engineering, know, lawyer, doctors. I
say all this to say that the language was one

(14:09):
of the most impressive. To talk to an eight ten
year old kid that tells me they can speak seven
to ten languages was beyond impressive. So, ladies and gentlemen,
just to read off a few dialects that Mitchell has, Spanish,
of course, the English, French, African, Creole, Chinese like. I

(14:34):
just think that if we were to were you born
and raised in Nigeria.

Speaker 3 (14:41):
And then I was born and raised in Atlanta.

Speaker 1 (14:43):
Okay, So but your connection, your bloodline, everything is Nigeria.

Speaker 2 (14:48):
It's still that discipline is in you. I don't care.

Speaker 4 (14:51):
So what I like to tell people is that in
my generation, first generation African daughters and sons. You are
house was the embassy. Whatever country you came from, your
house was the embassy. Outside of that house was America.
But inside the house, music, the food, the discipline, all

(15:11):
of that, that's what happened. So like whatever was was
going back home in your original country, you brought that
to your particular house. So people always like, well you
were born in Atlanta. I'm just like, yeah, you don't understand.

Speaker 3 (15:23):
We weren't.

Speaker 4 (15:23):
We weren't living life like you guys are living life
in America. Like we were living in Nigerian household life
in America.

Speaker 3 (15:31):
That's how it was.

Speaker 4 (15:32):
Like my connections are like I like when I talk
to somebody and I hear their accent and I can
tell that they're from Nigeria, like a coach, which immediately
like I was in Miami recently and I heard a
guy talking and he was Nigeria and I said, oh,
well I'll find out and I say ah.

Speaker 5 (15:51):
I was like ah, I said, look you look like
yeah American. I said, no, be American. I know I
got that you won't see me. And he was just
sitting there like and the bartender was looking at us
like like what is going on here.

Speaker 4 (16:08):
But it's like it's that connection to it is you're
your heritage that just kind of just kicks in at
any moment in time.

Speaker 1 (16:14):
So that is so true, ladies and gentlemen. So Yvonne Orgy,
her first acting class was with me. Right, So Yvonne
wanted to be a comedian. Yvonne, for those of you
who don't know, she plays the best friend on Insecure
with Issa rag And so we were doing this monologue.

(16:35):
We were doing a monologue and I had an actor
sit in as her mom, and she was telling her
mom that she wanted to be a comedian.

Speaker 2 (16:42):
She didn't want to be a doctor or engineer.

Speaker 1 (16:44):
Right, Yvonne is talking and then all of a sudden
in her monologue she goes ooh, or she makes a sound.

Speaker 2 (16:52):
And I said, after.

Speaker 1 (16:53):
It was over, I was like, I wasn't sure if
you were coughing or I didn't know, and she was
like Tracy Nigeria. I was like, oh my god, but
she said the same thing. Those gems, those traditions, those
identities are instilled in that African home, regardless of what's

(17:15):
going on outside in the Shenanigans of America. Because that's
what continues on right the legacy, you'll do the same
thing with your family. So I one of the things
that there were so many takeaways, but I can tell
you that one of the things before I left America,

(17:40):
I never felt my birth certificated says well.

Speaker 2 (17:44):
Let me start with my older brother.

Speaker 1 (17:46):
My older brother's first certificate says colored, my versus certificate
says Negro, and my youngest brother says black. So when
we switched over to African American, I never felt comfortable
saying American.

Speaker 2 (18:00):
I just never felt that connection.

Speaker 1 (18:03):
When I went to Africa, after I walked through the
Elmina slave castle, I called my children up and I said,
man up, Man up, because our ancestors mine they survived
that ship. That wasn't a cruise ship. They survived that
and you we are here. So what does that say
about who we are? Because not everybody survived, and not

(18:29):
everybody wanted to survive. Lots of people they don't talk
about jumped off that ship. However, they have that beautiful monument,
I don't know where it is, but underwater with all
of those slaves carved, you know, in those sculptures. So
that was a huge takeaway. And then when I came

(18:50):
back to America, my friends said. I was like, I
just I'm trying to settle in, but I couldn't. She said,
that's because your soul has changed. And one thing an
older gentleman told me in Africa, he said, we family
is everything. We are so angry with the Africans in

(19:10):
America because they don't revere family. Baby Mamas, hear this,
that family is, it is so the foundation. I'm not
just you know, I look at your me as a
casting director, I look at your resume and it's a

(19:30):
conversation what actors don't know now who are in the
zoom world. When we used to be live, you know,
we would really look at your resume and pull things off.
That's why it's important to put things on there where
our eyes will go. Oh, Benny Booman cis director ten story.
So I would have talked to you about these accents

(19:52):
and dialects and given you mad props on that. Because
while actors are waiting for the strike to be over,
there are digital resources that can help you with dialects
and accents. So how about you come back into the
game with a British accent that you never had before?

Speaker 3 (20:12):
Did get me in it.

Speaker 2 (20:15):
I just so I applaud you for that.

Speaker 1 (20:19):
And so what I want to let's talk about because
I don't want any time to pass and I don't
know where we are in time, but I want to
talk about This is one of the reasons why I
wanted Mitchell on the show Ladies and Gentlemen, because, as
I said, in terms of not wasting time and looking
at this glass half full, Mitchell has put together which

(20:41):
I think is an amazing idea. It's Taco Tuesdays and
it's a monologue Slam that he has created that is
going to actually begin tonight to September nineteenth tonight, where
first of all, where can they get the information?

Speaker 2 (21:02):
And then you could tell us about the event.

Speaker 4 (21:05):
I can put a link for the event right. You
can also follow me on Instagram Mitchell Luke Guaisi. I'm
the only person in the world that exists with that name,
so pretty easy to find. But yeah, a monologue Slam
tonight September nineteenth something that I wanted to do because
I coming from Atlanta and live in New York. Now

(21:25):
when you look at New York, what you remember about
New York is, especially in that particular space is you know,
Deaf poetry Jam, Deaf comedy Jam, Apollo, you know these
types of context where people got up and it was live,
and it was in front of front of the people,
and it was and it was raw, and I used

(21:46):
I used the presence of a vacuum a way to say,
how can I feel this vacuum? And the monologue slams
seem like it would be the perfect opportunity for not
only creatives, but people who of live performance theory to
come and get a taste of what New York has

(22:06):
been missing for some time. In my opinion, If they
have others, I haven't seen them, and I'm pretty I'm
pretty out there when it comes to these types of things,
I haven't seen them in a very long time. That
comedy jam has gone, that poetry jam is gone. Power
doesn't have the same a lord that it once has.
So I'm like this, this, this needs to happen. And

(22:29):
you know, people need to get a chance to sharpen
their sharpen their skills and be awarded for it because
there is a five hundred cash price. It's like you're
just coming and you're just you're just performing. You're getting
a trophy like you're actually getting cash in hand for performing.
And we have a couple of celebrity judges who will

(22:50):
be released at at a later time. So it's an
opportunity for you to come and sharpen your skills and
then get to hear from the judges on like different critiques,
because a lot a lot of times we want the
critiques ourselves, or we want someone to give us that,
but you can always learn from somebody else or what
somebody else is going through. The saying is a smart

(23:14):
person learned from their mistakes, a wise person learns from
other people's mistakes. And not that you're going to get
up there and make mistakes, but if you're up there
and you're listening to how someone is being critiqued on
a particular thing, you can take that and use that
for yourself, you know. So it's an opportunity for everybody,
whether you're a performer, whether you're in the audience, you know,
to get the chance to meet other creatives, come together,

(23:36):
you know, phone that community, because I've always wanted community.
I look at you know, Samuel Jackson, Lawrence Risburn, Denzel Washington,
you know, all those people back in the day, they
would always talk about when they were in the eighties
going from audition to audition together.

Speaker 2 (23:52):
Yep.

Speaker 4 (23:53):
And if somebody got an audition for something that they
felt was not right for them, they call up their
home and say, listen, I just did this. Think you'd
be better for it. This is a chance to create
that community again because we need it.

Speaker 2 (24:05):
We do need need it.

Speaker 1 (24:07):
You also needed for a morale as well, because what
in the eighties. I got here in the eighties and
we had nec Negro Ensemble Company, National Black Theater, Henry
Street Selliment, like I can name at least five other
you know, black theaters that were alive and kicking in
the eighties. Here they have the grants, they have the philanthropists.

(24:29):
Now they don't have that. So they all had to
where Chris Rock shot his show for HBO is where
Nigro Ensemble Company Company used to be, okay, and then
they had to move because of rent and they're in
a space, So we lost a lot of theater and

(24:50):
definitely community because that's where people would go or you know.

Speaker 2 (24:56):
Because of COVID.

Speaker 1 (24:57):
I think we need to, you know, be around each other,
you know, just be in that you know you're going
when you feel like somebody else is going through the
same things. There's a sense of relief and it can
empower you. So I think that that's what's missing. Also,
you're really right. I used to go to the Nigro

(25:18):
Ensemble Company and the National Black Bead all the time.
And Denzel Washington had a best friend who got restissol.

Speaker 2 (25:27):
He passed.

Speaker 1 (25:28):
But if Denzel when he went to auditions, he took
him with him and then they would automatically his name
escapes me right now, I apologize, but he they would
talk to him and then you know, he eventually started
getting auditions and working as well. But it wasn't that
we didn't have Instagram influencers, I'm better than you, that

(25:51):
overflow of competition that we could actually see. We didn't
have access to that in the eighties. So it was
all about, like you would put on then you put
me on. Sam Jackson. There's this guy I do know, Leonard.
Shout out to Leonard, but Leonard is an actor and
he was Sam stand in the loyalty that Sam had

(26:14):
for him. He was Sam stand In from like let's
say die Hard up until like he was definitely on
the set of Shaft with me, and that was two thousand. Wow,
so yeah, we I just what do you just in
a gauge because you're an actor, what type of advice

(26:35):
would you give actors right now? Like, you know, the
energy that's out there, your stillness and your presence is
so soothing. What would you tell actors like to how
they can handle what's going on right now? If we
have I mean, they're talking about going to July, but

(26:56):
just in general handing.

Speaker 3 (26:57):
This right July on July next year, I mean.

Speaker 1 (27:00):
I'm sorry, sorry January January two y, twenty four, twenty.

Speaker 4 (27:04):
Four, Yes, what would I what would I say to
an actor? Or I mean, well, I'll take something from
Sandy Meisner. He said it takes twenty years to be
an actor. Now, somebody will hear that and think that's daunting.
But from year one to year ten, from year ten

(27:29):
to year fifteen, from year fifteen to it's all time.
It's all training, it's all deepening. And one of the
reasons why I said I believe that he said that
because there's so much life that you're going through as
a person, just not even being a performer, but as
a performer and going through life like you're getting experiences

(27:50):
that are changing and shaping and molding the way your
mind looks at things, and where your mind looks at
the world, and where your mind looks at people. So
I would say to somebody like, don't waste your time.
Don't waste your time. For me myself, I made it

(28:10):
come in a long time ago that every single day
I'm going to progress in some area of my life
every single day. And when I first heard that quote,
I was like, well, I've been acting for ten years now,
you mean I got another ten before I officially become
an actor. Then I realized that there are parts of
me now that when I get to my thirtieth year

(28:33):
in this game, I could be a completely different person.
I had that much more grounding, I had that much
more activity happening in my being when I get in
front of an audience. And that only comes over time.
Like you can drink a bottle of wine from seven
to eleven, or you can drink a bottle of buljelai

(28:54):
from two thousand, It's going to be some different experiences
and that's because time has happened. So as time goes on,
just think about it that way. You're getting better with time,
and not to look at time as an enemy, but
as a gift.

Speaker 1 (29:12):
So then how can you calm them down? Because you
know with this sense of urgency there. For me, I
deal with the sense of urgency, and I'm like, what's
the urgency to.

Speaker 2 (29:24):
Get where.

Speaker 3 (29:29):
We're going? Into spiritual territory?

Speaker 1 (29:31):
I know because I need that right now because your
spirit is so soothing. They need you speak their language,
and this is the time our last guess. I'm so
happy that people are coming on and soothing extra souls
right now, that's what we need.

Speaker 3 (29:50):
So there's a quote that I always use.

Speaker 4 (29:55):
In how I manage the world and things around me.
I always say, if the world is being pushed in
a certain direction, do the opposite, because peace and chaos
can't exist in the same place. So if you see
a place of chaos, whether it's inside of you, whether

(30:17):
it's outside of you, if you see that, go the
opposite direction, because the opposite of that it's like water
and fire, like you can't have them both. So if
you see fire here, go where the water is. Whatever
that may look like for you. Some people might take
take a walk in nature. They might need to listen to,
you know, a speaker, a preacher, They might need to

(30:39):
listen to you know that that grandparent or that or
that uncle or that mentor who has that.

Speaker 3 (30:45):
But you have to.

Speaker 4 (30:47):
Stop being so mixy, because here's a thing, like we're
all creatives in this together, but we all have our
different ways of doing that. You know, you may do
it through you know, writing, or you may do it
through you know, drawing, or you may do it through
you know, acting or working on a monologue or something
like that. Like we all have different ways. So it's

(31:09):
like there are different different mediums for you to find peace,
but you can't. You can't try to be so mixy
and then get peace at the same time. Like it's
like it's only going to confuse you more so like unplugged,
Like take those times to unplug. You know, if your
phone is bringing off the hook, cut your phone off,
your Instagram is buzzing, disconnect even if it's for.

Speaker 3 (31:33):
Three days a week.

Speaker 4 (31:34):
I'm not saying to do it forever, but until you
can find that place of peace, like you're never going
to be in a clear mind to be able to
see with sober thought the things that you need to
do to help you get to the next place. Because
I get it, like as a creative, as a as
a writer, as a directors, as an actor.

Speaker 3 (31:51):
You get anxious and you're just like, I need want,
I want this now, I want this now, on this now.

Speaker 4 (31:55):
But like like I said, time as a gift, like
it's not up to you don't own it. You don't
as you want to say that, you like, you can
talk about manifestation all that type of stuff like that,
but you don't own what happens. You can own how
you react to these things, right, you don't own what's
going to happen, you know, So take the time to
just take a deep breath, sit back, find whatever it

(32:18):
is that brings you peace, you know, and do the
opposite of what's causing chaos.

Speaker 3 (32:23):
And that's the simplest way to put it.

Speaker 2 (32:27):
Yeah, I mean that's stellar advice. It's stellar.

Speaker 1 (32:30):
Like I'm embracing that in this moment now, you know,
because it is.

Speaker 2 (32:37):
It's I don't like to argue.

Speaker 1 (32:39):
I don't like confrontations and things like that, and there
are people out there that do, and so I always
feel like I'm just talking lower than you. I'm going
to take those breaths, like you said, I read this,
I want a Mitchell quote but I read this quote
the other two because you've got great quotes. I read

(33:01):
this quote the other day that basically said, oh, actually
I'm going to I'm going to do the quote today,
but I'll read it for you right now. It's called
it says, raise your words, not your voice. It is
rain that grows. It is rain that grows flowers, not
the thunderstorms. So and it's Rooney and so I just

(33:27):
felt like, you know, again, the louder you talk, the
more animated you get, the lower.

Speaker 2 (33:34):
You have your energies.

Speaker 1 (33:35):
It just you start to sort of like, you know,
downsize that energy, so to speak. But I just we
we have five minutes. We don't even have that.

Speaker 4 (33:50):
Sorry, I want to say, I want to say something ahead,
go ahead. I think this would be the easiest way
for someone to find that place of still miss clarifying
your why, clarifying clarifying your why, because your why is
your mission, that's your purpose. And as a creative, if

(34:12):
you don't have a clarified why, then you're going to
be jumping around trying to find something to attach yourself to.
And that's going to keep you in the moments where
things are quiet and nothing's happening because you know why.

Speaker 3 (34:25):
You're doing it.

Speaker 4 (34:26):
You know your mission. When you know your mission, that's
going to hold you over in those times when it's lean,
because we all we all want the fat times, we
all want those bountiful you know, those those prosperity times.
But when you clarify your why when it's when it
when you're when you're going through it in the middle,
you're just like, why am I going through to? Because
I have a mission right what I'm trying to get

(34:48):
to and what I'm trying to leave. You know this legacy.
When you clarify that, that's the easiest thing is going
to keep you in the ground you and put you
in that place like, Okay, now I understand, I understand
why I'm here where I'm now, I remember why I'm here.

Speaker 3 (35:03):
Let's keep going.

Speaker 1 (35:04):
Wow, Mitchell, I can only imagine as a young young
boy growing up, people often said to you, you're an
old soul, You've been here before, you have wisdom of
the elders. And I think those are outstanding compliments. And

(35:25):
I feel like that is what continues to support and
ground your career. You know, and ground you because I
see a starting gate and I see people just waiting
for to strike to be over, and once that gun
goes off, it's going to be a mad rush. And

(35:45):
the stillness and the calmness is also the knowing because
I always say I sit in the knowing. I just
like sitting there. I don't need to know when, I
don't need to know how. I just need to stay
in knowing that it is. So I just want to
applaud you for beautiful gyms, like seriously, like thank you

(36:05):
for adding that part of it. And ladies and gentlemen,
you need to be there tonight at Taco Tuesday Monologue
Slam and we're going to have the information and the
link up where you guys can go. But the door's
open at six thirty and the show starts at seven
point thirty. And also I wanted to say this, Mitchell.
Someone called me yesterday about another event that's happening. But

(36:30):
they said to me that where this is right, this
is happening. This particular event is International nine Bistro and
it's AD fifty three Bruckner Boulevard, Bronx, New York. He
said that area is really coming up. It's almost you guys,
like Dumbo in Brooklyn. But he said it is the

(36:50):
place right now. So I'm so happy that you're a
part of that big come up that's happening over in
the Bronx.

Speaker 2 (36:57):
It's good to see that.

Speaker 3 (36:58):
So it was like right across from Harlem. It's like even.

Speaker 1 (37:03):
Wow there, I mean, he was raving and I was like,
oh my god, I know another event next Tuesday happen.
He was like, I'm not surprised because that is the
new place right now, the South fron So congratulations on that.

Speaker 2 (37:20):
I'm gonna yeah, I'm gonna.

Speaker 1 (37:22):
Bring Elsa on right now so that she can bring
on our two actresses today.

Speaker 2 (37:27):
And they have questions for you, Mitchell, So Elsa.

Speaker 6 (37:32):
Hello, Hello, Hello, thank you Mitchell. That was you already
know that was that was wonderful. You looking forward to
the event tonight. So we have two questions from audience members,
Stephanie Charles and Kara Muhammad. You can come on and Stephanie,

(37:54):
E're up first with your question him Mitchell or guazy?

Speaker 3 (38:00):
How are you doing good?

Speaker 2 (38:01):
How are you?

Speaker 3 (38:02):
I'm all right? Thank you.

Speaker 7 (38:03):
My question for you is after the audition process, what
is your way of letting go? What is especially when
you don't have too many auditions coming in at the scene.
So how do you not dwell so much on one
and try to move on to the next one. You
don't know when the next is coming. What is your
process of the letting go?

Speaker 4 (38:24):
Okay, So we're talking about rejection right. Some years ago
I did a show. I got to listen to Anthony
Anderson and I got to ask a question similar to
what you're saying, and he told me, he said, what's
mine is mine, what's yours is yours? What is meant

(38:49):
for me, It's not going to go to you. What's
meant for you, It's not going to come to me.
And then he said something that I took.

Speaker 3 (38:59):
To my soul. And they said, if you're not seeing it,
create it period.

Speaker 4 (39:06):
If you're not seeing it created you know. So I
mean I had an audition for Raising in the Sun
a couple of weeks ago, and I was and it
was for Osagay, which is a Nigerian you know Nigerian character,
but we know the typical Osagay character. He's dark skinned,
you know, he doesn't have a beard. So I was

(39:28):
like surprised that they even wanted to see me for
that because I don't fit the archetype of osa God.

Speaker 3 (39:32):
But I worked.

Speaker 4 (39:34):
I worked, and I worked and I worked until I
was able to get it in my bones. And once
I in the audition, I could tell that they were
feeling what I was saying. And when I left, you know,
they said, like Mitchell, And then this is what she
said to me. She said, Mitchell, it was a pleasure
meeting you. And I walked out, and I'm just like, listen,

(39:58):
even if I don't get it, I did the work
one and I know I gave them my best shot,
right And because a lot of times auditions are not
like the role doesn't go to you know, the best
or whoever right, It goes to whatever fits their particular vision.
And if it doesn't fit their particular you don't partict
fit their particular vision.

Speaker 3 (40:19):
And that's okay. Somebody else will period. Somebody else will.

Speaker 4 (40:23):
Somebody else will see it, somebody else will see you,
somebody else will, you know, gravitate towards you.

Speaker 3 (40:28):
And that's not it's not a not a knock on you.
You know, all you can control is the work that
you put in. That's it. That's it.

Speaker 1 (40:37):
And I just want to pigyback off that. Stephanie yes,
thank you Mitchell. As a casting director, there are so
many situations that you guys have no idea about. Like
there are times when casting directors are auditioning and the
and the show is already cast. They have no role
for you. They're just seeing what's out there. Or they

(40:58):
have to hook up a girlfriend for a director or producer.
There's so many shenanigans that happen behind the table that
you guys don't know about.

Speaker 2 (41:06):
But I agree with Mitchell. You gotta let it go.

Speaker 1 (41:08):
The most important thing is your craft. You guys need
to be focusing on getting better and better and better,
because if you don't do that, these auditions are kind
of pointless because you're not growing in the auditions, you're
not growing as an actress.

Speaker 2 (41:24):
So Mitchell is exactly right. Hold on to what is
yours is yours. Nobody else can take that away from Stephanie,
and and you will be seen. You will be seen,
That is a guarantee. So just let it learn to
just because.

Speaker 1 (41:43):
What else are you going to do if you don't
know a casting director and you all have time in
your head.

Speaker 2 (41:49):
Time is precious, man. I'm saying, thank you, thank you, Stephanie.

Speaker 6 (41:57):
Thank you, Stephanie, And next up we have Karaia Mohammed
Hi Karia.

Speaker 1 (42:01):
Welcome, Hi, Hi Rayah, good, thank you.

Speaker 8 (42:07):
So it was a yeah, I'm really uh inspired by
some of your words that you were saying. But when
you talked about like clarifying your mission and your why
and how actors have a lot of like I would
like creative juices flowing and any like project that they
do or role that they go into, like how do

(42:28):
you yourself stay grounded and figuring out what's like the
best route to go when it comes to a character
on the script?

Speaker 3 (42:41):
What's the best route to go when developing a character?

Speaker 8 (42:44):
Yeah, because I know, like we could have so many
ideas and so many places that we want to take it,
and so yeah, how do you like stay grounded?

Speaker 2 (42:52):
And no, you know you're very peaceful like she was
talking about.

Speaker 4 (42:59):
So I go back to different mediums create different results.
If you've studied you know, there's the classic Stanislavsky, the
Hagen uh Meisner, you know, hud Hagen has a certain
way of breaking down a script. You know, uh, person,

(43:22):
place thing, Why what are you trying to get? What's
your objection? Why aren't you getting things like that. But
then you have myers new which is very response oriented,
like what that person gives you a quick response? What
they say again quick response? So like it really takes reading,
reading the script, finding out how it flows, and then

(43:43):
using the correct medium or the correct tool. Let me,
that's a better word, the correct tool. You can't.

Speaker 3 (43:50):
You can't. You can't.

Speaker 4 (43:52):
You can't eat a salad with a with a with
a hammer, m Like you need a ford. You need
a particular tool to eat that salad. But if I'm
putting together a bookcase, a folk can't go do me
no good, I'm gonna need a hammer. So it's like
you have to figure out what the task is once.
Once you clarify your task, then you can figure out

(44:13):
what tool is going to be best for completing that task.
And that goes back to clarifying the why. I think
why is the why is the most important question you
can ever ask. Because you can see the what that's
that's that's easy. You can see what it is, but
understanding why it is, I think it is the most
important question that we could always ask. And then once

(44:35):
you understand what the like why was this piece written?
Which takes you to having to go research. You know,
like if you look at you know, autobio autobiography of
Malcolm X, like why was that written? You look at
Raising his Son? Why was that written? You look at
Langston Hughes and some of this poems, why was that written?

(44:55):
Once you start getting that, then you'll understand. All right,
now I understand why I was written. Now I can
he constructed and build it up in a way that
will translate from my creativity.

Speaker 2 (45:06):
Thank you, good life and Matavi narch.

Speaker 1 (45:09):
All right, okay, thank you ladies, great questions, and thank
you so much.

Speaker 2 (45:18):
Mitchell. I feel very at ease and peaceful, and ladies
and gentlemen, I'm gonna blow sprinkle dozen ask you to
remain the same. When we come.

Speaker 1 (45:27):
Back with class in session, we're going to have a
Spirited Actor alumni do a monologue. So don't go anywhere,
Please stay put because Mitchell Ugazi is going to stay
with us. Give them around regards. Thank you, Welcome back
to the Spirited Actor Podcast with me Tracy Moore, and

(45:49):
you are still blessed to have Mitchell Ugwazi here today
with us. Yes and tonight, in the spirit of his
Taco Tuesday monologues, Lam and I have to emphasize that
it's a five hundred dollars cash prize. Yeah, I want
to say that he has a purpose, there's a goal.

Speaker 2 (46:09):
Okay.

Speaker 1 (46:10):
So I want you to sit back and and Elsa
is going to introduce you to our spirit actor alumni
who's going to perform a monologue for you.

Speaker 2 (46:21):
Mitchell, How cool is this?

Speaker 3 (46:25):
Thank you crazy?

Speaker 6 (46:28):
So today we have our spirited after alumna. We have
Miss Stephanie Ah Charles. Welcome Stephanie, Thank you for having me.
Thanks monologue. What's your monologue's name?

Speaker 2 (46:42):
And author?

Speaker 7 (46:44):
The flight attendant by Alison Williams.

Speaker 6 (46:48):
Fantastic. So when you are ready on your on action.

Speaker 7 (46:58):
Welcome to Northwest Airlines which are service from Minneapolis to
Tokyo and Narita. Our flag time today is twelve hours
and fifteen minutes. Take out the card from the seatpack
pocket in front of you and following along as we
detail the safety features of this aircraft. There are eight

(47:18):
emergency exits on this aircraft. Take a moment now to
locate the closest exit and keep in minded. Maybe behind you.
If there's a changing cabin pressure, oxygen masks will fall
from the ceiling. Place the mask over your nose and
secure by pulling on the straps on both sides. So
you're traveling with small children, why place the mask on

(47:42):
yourself first, then secure the little beggar that's least likely
to put you in a home. In the event that
the cabin loses pressure and we do make a water landing,
do you know no commercial aircraft has ever made a
water landing on one piece? What you can use your
seat cushion as a flotation device, place your arms through

(48:03):
the straps and kick paddle your way to shore. Now,
in the event that you survived the impact and make
it to the afterlife of your choice, there will be
an interest example on the safety features of this aircraft. Now,
I will not be joining you back in Minneapolis. Instead,
I will be remaining in Tokyo to become a Buddhist nun.

(48:26):
Please note that my vow of nonviolence does not begin
until we land in Tokyo.

Speaker 9 (48:33):
Have a safe flight and scene.

Speaker 1 (48:44):
Okay, Stephanie, So Mitchell, I'm gonna let you come in
and give her some feedback.

Speaker 3 (48:52):
So well done, well done.

Speaker 4 (48:58):
And what I want to say is that there is
I fly a lot like I like I fly a lot,
so sometimes you get good five attend sometimes you get
bad out of attendance. And what you did really well
was giving us that I don't give an f right now,

(49:21):
Like from the moment you started, I was just like.

Speaker 3 (49:22):
Yeah, she does not really care.

Speaker 4 (49:25):
About this job at all, and it was it was
it takes you back to when you're on that flight
and you're just like, yeah, this is not going to
be I'm not going to get the great service. And
I think you really played that very very well and
translated very very well. I'm not the only thing I
was I guess unclear about was.

Speaker 3 (49:49):
Was she.

Speaker 4 (49:51):
Drinking beforehand or was that her first drink? I was
trying to because I was thinking, like, why doesn't she care?
Again Steven Sipplin, So yeah, I think it would have
been interesting to see a little bit more of because like,
when you're playing drunk, it's always difficult. That's one of
the biggest actors hiccups is playing drunk because people want

(50:14):
to be all extra sloppy with it and slurring their words.
But it's really when you're drunk, you're trying to get sober.
So it's like you're in the process of trying to
find that sober place but you're still under the influence.
So I think just seeing just seeing how you could
play with it, just so that reads a little bit more.
But as far as like you're not giving a damn

(50:36):
about what's happening on this flight, I think was spot on.
Like it's really it was. It was really amusing to
watch what you're just sitting there like as a like
I was. I was transported to the plane and I'm
sitting there like here we go like we've all been there,
Like we've all been there. So yeah, definitely, I just
got off a lot yesterday, so it definitely took me there.

Speaker 3 (50:58):
Definitely do a good job.

Speaker 2 (50:59):
Well done, Thank you, Thank you Mitchell. And I wanted
to say Stephanie Mitchell.

Speaker 1 (51:04):
Said something in this interview which I loved in terms
of like characters, like you want to know where you're going,
your character has a purpose in a direction as well, right,
and so the purpose of this is one of my
favorite monologues. So I can say I know this monologue
very well, and you want your purpose, your direction is

(51:25):
you are getting ready. This is your last flight. You
don't give up. This is your last flight. You don't
give up. And I personally would have preferred you to
drink in the beginning because that's unorthodox, that's out of character.
And as a on the plane, I'm like, well, she
drinking is the pot by wait.

Speaker 2 (51:46):
What's going on?

Speaker 1 (51:47):
Like that's my reaction to what's happening, right, And be
conscious of that reaction because, like Mitchell said, we've never
seen a stewardess like you before.

Speaker 2 (51:57):
And then just make.

Speaker 1 (51:58):
Sure that you know, like you said, there are levels
of intoxication, and so there is a way that you
could show Mitchell how many drinks you have hack And
so if it's just in the beginning, how cool is
it for us to see the evolution of the intoxication
along with the dialogue that you're doing. Because when people

(52:20):
are drunk, they're trying to convince you that they're not.
That's why they want to drive. That's what's engaging to
watch is them, like you said, fight that's trying to
get to that place is sober, but they're so far
gone to keep missing it, keep missing it. And that's
the comedy in watching a drunk right. But I thought
you did a great.

Speaker 2 (52:39):
Job with it.

Speaker 1 (52:40):
As soon as you started talking, I was like, oh
my gosh, she's got the voice down. I feel like
I'm in the airplane like that was great. You created
the environment definitely. Oh my god, Mitchell, this has been
a amazing, amazing interview and just your presence has really
added to the show as well. I'm so grateful for
the stillness. I'm so grateful for the present, and I'm

(53:04):
so grateful for the emphasis you guys, ad time is
of essence. It is a major valuable source and we
should respect it and not waste it. Don't waste it,
don't waste your time on thoughts and energies. So thank you.
Aside from all the creative stuff, so once again, I
do want to promote Taco Tuesdays tonight monologue slam. If

(53:29):
there's a five hundred dollars prize. If you need to
know what your direction and your purpose.

Speaker 2 (53:33):
Is, go be motivated by that.

Speaker 1 (53:37):
And also just a great networking, which I feel is
that Mitchell is also an environment he's creating for you.
And you never know who your judges are, so you
know that's another they're surprise. So ladies and gentlemen, please
once again Mitchell Uguaisi, please Mitchell Lazy and now it's

(53:59):
time to of love trust in order for anyone to
trust you, It's about.

Speaker 2 (54:06):
Your word and how you hold your word.

Speaker 1 (54:09):
I love when Sarah first came back from LA with
her mom. She was two and a half, almost three
years old, and I hadn't spent two years with her,
and she knew me, but she had to.

Speaker 2 (54:22):
Re introduce herself to me.

Speaker 1 (54:26):
And one of the things that Siah held on to
at such a young age was Grandma. If I said something,
then I had to do it. I had to stick
to my word. Sarah made me accountable for that, and
I'm so grateful for that. Because children hold on to
our words. Children emulate us, and it's our job to

(54:49):
set examples that are positive, empowering and that allow them
to use their imagination and dream. They need us to
keep our word in order for them to know how
powerful the words are.

Speaker 2 (55:05):
Don't forget to look out for us.

Speaker 1 (55:06):
On our new show, Inside the black Box, my co
host will be Joe the Legend Morton. It's going to
be The Spirited Actor Podcast on Steroids. We'll be streaming
on the Crackle network. I'll keep you posted. Thank you
for joining us on The Spirited Actor Podcast with me
Tracy Moore. I look forward to our Next Spirited Podcast.

Speaker 2 (55:29):
Thank you,