The Spirited Actor - Monet Dunham

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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 producers 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. Control how you respond to things

(01:10):
sent to destroy your peace, stand up for yourself. Why
do we waste time? Thinking about what others think about us.
A very, very wise man who was my grandfather told
me in nineteen eighty. He said, Tracy, when I was
complaining about some friends talking about me, he said, Tracy,

(01:34):
I guarantee you they are not thinking about you right now.
They are not talking about you right now.

Speaker 2 (01:39):
They don't care about you.

Speaker 1 (01:41):
And he said, when you live as long as I have,
and my grandfather lived until he was ninety four, he said,
when you live as long as I have, you begin
to understand, and you begin to learn that people are
really not in your business and really could are less
about your business. And if they do step in your business,

(02:04):
and if they do say things that hurt or offend you,
instead of keeping it.

Speaker 2 (02:10):
In and letting it fester, let them know.

Speaker 1 (02:16):
Because we have the power to teach people how to
treat us. So today I will teach you how to
treat me and be a reflection of you. Before we
get started, I like to remind everyone to go to
Crackle Network to view seasons one and two of my

(02:39):
show Inside the Black Box that I co host with
the great Emmy Award winning Joe Morton. Look out for
news on season three soon. Welcome to the Spirited Actor
Podcast with me Tracy Moore, I am beyond thrilled. Like

(03:03):
I said to myself this morning, what I'm not gonna.

Speaker 2 (03:06):
Do is get emotional.

Speaker 1 (03:09):
That's the first thing I said, right, But then I
heard Spirits say, whatever happens, just allow it to happen,
and so I was like, well, if that's the case,
then I'm gonna tell my truth.

Speaker 2 (03:22):
Ladies and gentlemen. Oh my god, dang it.

Speaker 1 (03:25):
I started to feel that, Okay, ladies and gentlemen, I
want to introduce you to my sister friend. On so
many levels, she literally changed my life. Literally the first

(03:54):
film I did in a career where nobody helped me,
nobody gave me anything, nobody supported me, and as a
young black woman in the entertainment business at that time
in the mid eighties, it was challenging. Leslie Harris, director

(04:24):
Award winning director Leslie Harris came to me and asked
me if I could help her find a lead in
her What she thought at the time was just going
to be this independent film, maybe even on a short
film level. But everybody that touched the script, including me,

(04:47):
we knew where it was going to go and what
it was about. And how it was going to affect
lives and generations.

Speaker 2 (04:56):
Literally.

Speaker 1 (04:56):
Kevin Thigpin and Arion Johnson, the leads. They auditioned in
my bedroom, not like that, it's just said, you know,
we didn't have space and money back.

Speaker 2 (05:11):
Then, so you know, we did what we had to do.

Speaker 1 (05:14):
And I lived in a studio, so it was technically
my living room too, and they were cast, and then
I had to cast this other lead and I was
getting ready to have a session, but this woman called
me and asked me to speak at the Paul Robertson

(05:36):
High School.

Speaker 2 (05:37):
And I was like, oh my god, speak at a
high school to kids, shared my information. Yes, I'd love
to do that. So I came and her name is Monet.
Charie's done them.

Speaker 1 (05:52):
And this woman didn't even know at that time how
much I wanted to do this, and this was my
first gig speaking. And after that, we were in the
process of getting ready to shoot. Just another girl still
having castles Lee and I said, do you know what
we need a high school? Maybe we can use your

(06:13):
high school as a location to shoot.

Speaker 2 (06:17):
Found out she was an actress.

Speaker 3 (06:20):
This one.

Speaker 1 (06:23):
Ladies and gentlemen, I just want you to put your
hands together for Monette Cherise done him who was instrumental
in my casting career, starting with the award winning to
this day. Last year, Sun Dance twenty seven years honored
just another girl on the IoT, one of our lead actresses, number.

Speaker 2 (06:47):
Three on the coal sheet, Monet Cheris done. Jeez ye
that's a lot.

Speaker 4 (07:02):
And how many years later Sun, I know, right, kids
playing looking silly grandmother. Yeah, beat me, but you have
been through it all.

Speaker 1 (07:14):
And can I say this you guys when when my
son Miles was hit by a car and you know,
very traumatic time in my life, the only person that
could get me, after four days in the hospital NonStop,
to go home and take a shower was Monette. They

(07:37):
chose her and I did it reluctantly, but I did it.

Speaker 3 (07:43):
Wow wow right, yeah, yeah, a lot, a lot.

Speaker 1 (07:52):
God knows, well, we are here to celebrate you man,
We're here to celebrate just another girl out of tea.

Speaker 2 (07:58):
You got to tell them the backstory like we did
Gorilla making back then.

Speaker 1 (08:06):
Right to this day, you are recognized by like tell
them about that.

Speaker 3 (08:12):
God. Well, it's interesting you know when people realized that,
oh yeah, that was Wait a minute, that's you. They're like, wait,
I gotta go back and watch it. You know, it's
it's it is fun. I'm not gonna lie. It's a
lot of fun because I'm like, what I can't stand
and I'm like, that's so fun because my nephew is
the thing, which is always a trip. And then we
were a New Jersey drive but that's like, who what?

(08:35):
I kind of got lost. That was Gorilla too. That
was Gorilla. Yeah, like this mm hmm run got cut off,
but just no girl was fun. Shot that in like
two weeks. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I don't.

Speaker 2 (08:54):
My apartment was a holding the area.

Speaker 3 (08:56):
Yeah. Well you know that's when people, you know, have
a little bit of money because we we we we've
been we shout our film in four days. Yeah, I
said it.

Speaker 2 (09:09):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (09:09):
I don't know how certain people, namely Shamika Antoine felt
about it. To mention just a couple of people because
not only are they in it, they kind of they
do a lot. They kind of became the leads. I
like theird a whole lot of leads. But that's the
fun of this, of the of the whole project, you know,
is that it's real stories and gorilla filmmaking is definitely

(09:32):
not done it's not dead, it's very much alive.

Speaker 1 (09:35):
No no quality quality you know what I'm saying. Quality
work like that exists because you know, we we literally
ladies and gentlemen. It was by any means necessary because
we were borrowing from people's trucks, friends who were shooting

(09:56):
music videos, getting gels and you know, maybe lens like whatever.
We had to do to finish that film, and we
were able to do it. And then in terms of
getting money, there were no investors. There were no funds
that we could tap into. It literally was like what's
on your credit card? What's on your credit card? Who
could we can? Your uncle Wright?

Speaker 3 (10:18):
Absolutely, but see a few things have happened now versus then,
so like then we needed all that stuff, right, We
had to have, you know, the amazing cameras, and we
had to have the sound man, and we had to
have all this stuff. And I would love to have
it now, but because it takes me right, if you
have a partner that you're working with, for example, our

(10:40):
guys got this amazing camera. Don't ask me the name
of it because I'm gonna embrass myself, but right, okay,
super high quality. I know it was well over ten k,
you know, and he works on a lot of different projects.
That's the various La wins and yeah, you know, okay,
get out there and kill it. And he's got there.
So we've got that home shots you know, going on.

(11:03):
We just we just go for what we have. And
then the special effects person I use is amazing. That's
dead mister dead. Chris Dage's he's got gat you know,
he's really good. And so we're able to create a
lot of stuff with not a huge budget.

Speaker 1 (11:19):
You know, so well, but you know what you bring
to the table when you do stuff like that, You're
bringing the production value to the table, right, because somebody
can look at this and say, wow, they spent about
one one fifty two hundred thousand, right, But the reality
is you may have spent like forty you know what

(11:42):
I mean. But because of the people that you are
working with and you hire, they are experts in what
they do to make. And then that continues to put
you in a powerful position because studios look at it.
Since the independent film started, if you could do that

(12:03):
and get money to do that, imagine if you have
money and that's where the production deals come, right. So
that's what you're moving in the direction because oh my god,
when they give you the money, you're going to know
every They're going to love you because you're going to
be underbudded all the time, like because you know how

(12:27):
to one negotiate, you know, please, you know how to
you know, not I don't want to say cut costs,
but you definitely know how to allocate the money in
a way that things get done right.

Speaker 2 (12:42):
It's true, and you know what I mean. So it's like,
that's a producer.

Speaker 1 (12:46):
That's an executive producer by any means necessary. So please
please tell us how did this award winning film?

Speaker 2 (12:53):
What was the inside? What was the moment of inspiration?
That's what I want to know.

Speaker 3 (12:59):
So I come I think just life first of all,
but I also come from a family who is involved
with like military, a lot of military things. They're either
active duty or they've worked like my mom was at
the Merchant Marine Academy. So I grew up like looking
at those guys like walking into the walls and turning
and the next in turning, you know, that's how they

(13:19):
had to walk around on the on the which was
really interesting because here I was this little, you know,
melanated chick. With braids, probably with a turtle or a rabbit,
maybe a puppy or something. Yes, yes, my fins by
the pool. You know, as long as the guys weren't
doing what they do by the water, I was always there.

(13:40):
I'm pretty much by myself, caught up in my own mind.
But so the operation would come from having a lot
of time to just you're just sitting with yourself. You know,
you're reading. You know, I've been. I've been fortunate enough
to travel and to live life like I love the

(14:00):
people I love. I really love them. I really I
really love them and they know it. Yeah, yeah, I do.
Thank you, but you know, and you can't. You're welcome
and thank you, but you can't spread yourself around, you know.

(14:20):
So this project literally is it's just it came from
my family, from my friends, from listening to stories about
what was happening to people, you know, from having friendships
and relationships with folks who went through a variety of things,
maybe went through some abuse, maybe went through some serious neglect.

(14:44):
You know. Maybe I have more stories, but we can't
fit all into the little bit of time that we
have to work. Because one of the biggest things I
want to do is I want to be able to
pay my talent, you know, I want to be able
to do that's important.

Speaker 2 (14:58):
Wow.

Speaker 3 (14:59):
We took my mom's place and turned it into like
three different sets. It was crazy. One of the actresses
has this really cool car, so we were able to
go on top of her through the top of the
roof of her car and get a whole bunch of
fabulous footage and sound that way. Oh yeah, we got

(15:20):
some good stuff really, and we have everything you shouldn't have.
Like we've got a kid and he runs in and
does something and we were like, Okay, this kid is
good and I go over there. Yeah, very talented.

Speaker 1 (15:32):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (15:33):
No, I think the only thing we didn't stick in
here was an animal, which is like strange, but we didn't.

Speaker 2 (15:37):
Yeah, that's yea for you, not a dog.

Speaker 3 (15:41):
No, I think my I think my cast was sick
of me.

Speaker 1 (15:45):
Okay, let me tell you that is she loves animals.

Speaker 2 (15:53):
What to get her an animal? No matter? So one
of the live in the wall or land. Yeah, one
of the guests.

Speaker 3 (16:02):
Here threatened me and I'm gonna I'm gonna put him
on blast and wow, he was like, don't get no
more dogs. Mo. I was like you know what looks
like you come over here and over there. I don't
talk to.

Speaker 1 (16:16):
Them right right, but you know what like and that's
the thing, that's the thing to you guys that I
gravitated because money has always been love piece and soul
to me for real, like it like even when I
met you, I was like, you're so different, Like it
doesn't seem like you belong here, Like you're like me
this energy, right, But I saw the way you work

(16:41):
with the children, your compassion. This makes sense for you
to do, you know, and it makes sense that this
is why.

Speaker 2 (16:49):
Is award winning.

Speaker 1 (16:50):
Just tell them just a little bit.

Speaker 2 (16:53):
We don't want to give too much, but.

Speaker 1 (16:55):
Where where are you at in terms of distribution or
you know, where they can.

Speaker 3 (17:05):
Because I don't know if they can see it not yet.
So we're so the show is still in rotation. That's
what's when we're excited about it. Yeah, con but we
didn't go, But there's always next year with the feature. Yes,
by the Essence Film Festival, we made it into the finals,
but we didn't make it to the festival, but there's

(17:25):
always the feature. So fun with that, we're actually going
to have an online screening and I have to just
figure out what to do with that, because it's not
in my budget to do a screening in you know,
somewhere as far as the we're post so we're editing,
you know, and it's not we're definitely going to have

(17:47):
a screening. I have to think about it what we
want to do exactly, because you know, doing the festivals
is really pricey.

Speaker 2 (17:54):
Yeah, but while this is where.

Speaker 1 (17:59):
You know, I mean, we never know who's listening to,
you know, the program however program Wow, I really just
told my age just now podcasts, podcasts. But I feel
like you should think in terms of sponsorship because when
I tell you, I don't even know how many palms

(18:19):
she has on the flyer on her poster, but she
has a lot, like I believe, over ten. And so
I'm just saying that that right there, Garner's support and
knowing who you are now, you know, I think that
in my experience as a casting director, I feel like

(18:39):
the best part of being a casting director is that
we start with white pages where we have to believe, right,
and then we cut to being on the red carpet
with you, and so we really have to hold that
vision that this is possible right. So then you get
to a point in your career where it's like, you

(19:00):
know what, I want to be empowered. I want to
do my own thing. I got stories, I can do this,
I know the acting, I know actors, right, And then
you do it, and then you first time out, I
want to say that again, first time out as a writer, director, producer, actress,
Like first time out right, and she has over ten pounds.

(19:22):
I believe whatever your religious belief is, but I'm spiritual
and I know you are too, and I know that
I believe that God drops these breadcrumbs that are just
nothing but confirmation, like, don't let me drop any more
bread comes here.

Speaker 2 (19:38):
No got to say it, but I'm just saying, like
he does.

Speaker 3 (19:41):
He's gangster.

Speaker 1 (19:42):
The feature, it's not supposed to happen with the short
in terms of the bigger picture. The feature is the
confirmation for studios to say.

Speaker 2 (19:53):
Yep, she got this.

Speaker 1 (19:55):
How much you need for your production company, will put
you up on the lot, will give you a you know,
will pay for all of your overhead, create, build.

Speaker 2 (20:07):
And let us see it first.

Speaker 3 (20:10):
You know.

Speaker 2 (20:11):
But that is that's what the journey is, you know,
Because it's not.

Speaker 1 (20:19):
One of my favorite actresses, and I hope she's listening
to this, but she put on IG this morning that
she almost felt like giving up in act one of
my favorite actresses. And I hit her back and said,
why would we even think a given it? Like, why

(20:40):
is that even in the equation when I know, but
you know what it is. It's a noise, you know that.
And this business when you don't have the value and
I can speak from experience with Inside the Black Box,
when you do not have that value of you've done
television before, you show before, if you are not a

(21:03):
strong person, it will make you question yourself because everything
you do is measured.

Speaker 2 (21:11):
Mh, I'm gonna get such a set, Lonet. You can
get such a set. Yes, yes, I can get such
as as my friend Silky move Net exactly.

Speaker 4 (21:25):
M hm.

Speaker 2 (21:26):
Right, has that been your experience?

Speaker 3 (21:28):
Yeah, well sure people want to when you're working on things.
I was working on another project, as I know, you know,
I was co authoring a piece and no Duke was
looking at it and you know hasn't thrown it away,
but excitement that he liked what I presented to him.
It was a script leaving out all the details, but

(21:51):
one of the biggest things that he says is you
have to figure out how you're going to get eyes
on your project, you know. And so it wasn't that
sis PTSD. I'm not as concerned, believe it or not,
because it's such and peace. It's it's such an important work.
The performances are really good. I'm very pleased. I think

(22:12):
you'll be smiling. I think, you know, folks will be smiling.
You will be steah, you know folks, Yes, but we'll
all be happy. Yeah, guys, we're proud. You know. They
were really nice work. The fun for me too this
time around is we had more bilingual people, so there's
a lot of other energies going on on set as well.

(22:36):
You know.

Speaker 1 (22:36):
Oh that's great, And I mean that's the it's no
longer USA, it's the global appeal. So this now has
because I told you once you get I'm a part
of Duff and that is a film festival. It's an
urban film festival in Amsterdam that I'm going to just

(23:00):
ver six of the night that I'm so excited.

Speaker 2 (23:01):
But I can get that into the pestle.

Speaker 3 (23:07):
Okay, Well, it's all about you, you know.

Speaker 1 (23:09):
I mean, that's something that you know over our lunch
we can talk about and I can get that started
for you. But I think it's important, Monet that you
know this set as an act when you were coming
up as an actress, you could just be an actress.

Speaker 2 (23:27):
And be happy and satisfied.

Speaker 1 (23:29):
And I'm not saying people are not happy and satisfied
just being an actor or an actress. I'm saying that
in this day and age, because of digital and the
way life is, everyone is multi hyphenated.

Speaker 2 (23:42):
You include it.

Speaker 1 (23:43):
And so now I feel like that is so inspiring
to actors who are like, I want to write a
short film, but you know, I don't know what to
do with it or doesn't mean anything or should you know,
like give them advice on that.

Speaker 3 (23:58):
Listen, the first thing I say, I was even talking
to a couple of folks. You have great guests, by
the way, but you're welcome, y'all.

Speaker 2 (24:10):
You can't.

Speaker 3 (24:12):
Thank you. But the short film, a real short film
is like short. It's like five minutes, ten minutes, three minutes.
And I'm like, come on, you can do a beginning, middle,
and end. To sit down, you have something to say,
you want a flex, you want to work that muscle.
To sit down, do three pages, five pages, Oh, go
for it, do ten whole pages. You know you have

(24:33):
a short let's go break it up. Think about the
seven second theory. Let's go move it, you know, get
your wide, get your status.

Speaker 2 (24:42):
What the seven second theory is.

Speaker 3 (24:44):
People's attentions man's are really short, especially mine, but a
lot of folks, you know, And so when you're we
don't stagger shots, so literally, you might do an establishing
one two, three, four, five six seven. Then you might
cut to a close up one too, three foot five
six seven, then back to the establ wishing for seven
a seven second count, right, and then back to you're

(25:04):
moving around because people's minds need to be triggered. They
need to be triggered. You need to know what's going on,
you know. And if it's just a long shot, which
you know, sometimes end up with a long shot and
you're like, oh damn, you know, but you can try
not to do that, you know, right, you shouldn't, And
that's a movie shots are so important. You know a

(25:26):
lot of people do music videos too. There's a time
you want to shoot music videos and I'm like, so
do it. Shoot the freaking video. Shoot it as a storyline.
I did it. I shot for Criminal Minds. There was
a placement in Criminal Minds. The song is called hold
Me Sweetly, and that is yeah, I know.

Speaker 1 (25:49):
That's the musician side side. You guys, we have to
talk about that. She's the floutest.

Speaker 3 (25:55):
Yeah, and I sing I sing I did just do
a musical, which.

Speaker 1 (25:58):
Yeah, yeah, yeah yeah.

Speaker 3 (26:00):
Back to the film, diagnosis ptsd V two is is super.
I don't know, it just was. It was just a
gorgeous journey just watching the people that I cast bring
their all and then some and then to watch these
people body the characters like really bring them three dimensionally

(26:23):
front and center. You know. I had one knucklehead. Yeah,
I'm talking about everybody. And now I can't get this
MF for to stop crying. I mean, I'm like, I'm like,
if you don't stop crying, I'm gonna knock you on
your knee and that would be painful. But you have

(26:44):
people like really open up. We had just like I mean,
everybody thinks that they're so stoic, and I'm like, you
wayne stoic, I mean just opened up. The floodgates just open.
And while we were filming, I'm busy talking about cut
right going. It was beautiful. It was really beautiful. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (27:11):
I mean, and you set the tone too, you know
what I mean, Like you set the tone for the work.

Speaker 2 (27:15):
And I just remember.

Speaker 1 (27:22):
In you come into the first class and I just
felt like, Yeah, however, I just felt like, hmm, there's
so much more in you, you know. I mean, I
know the musical side, which is brilliant. You guys, you

(27:43):
got her music unbelievable, Thank you. But stories because even
when I first met you, the kids that you work with,
you would tell me stories. I mean, and nothing detailed
you guys, because she is confidential. But I'm just saying, like,
you know, there's therapists in you. You know, there's so

(28:06):
therapist in you. And for me, it was human behavior,
you know.

Speaker 3 (28:11):
It is, It's a lot of it.

Speaker 2 (28:12):
You know.

Speaker 3 (28:13):
One of the kids that I was fortunate enough to
work with, unfortunately was executed in the street. There is
a center named after him. It's the Ali Fournee Institute
for LGBTQ Youth. I remember just being with him and
him just being stuck to me like glue. It was
just it was a real trip. But I felt like

(28:36):
I felt kind of special because he felt that I
was the person that he should be talking to NonStop.
I used to be PSCHE coordinator for the Atlantic Transitional
Center for guys twelve to twelve.

Speaker 2 (28:49):
Oh wow wow yeah yeah.

Speaker 3 (28:51):
It was deep. It was it was It was a
beautiful experience. I loved them. It was crazy watching how
they chose to survive or needed to survive. I was
happy I wasn't with the girls because the girls were
doing what the boys were doing, and some of the
guys were boosting, you know, they'd go hit forty second
Street to make some money and then there and I
was teaching, So sit there in class like knocked down,

(29:14):
and I was like, what were you doing? It's like, oh,
I was working last night. I was like, wow, you know,
and this is what our city was doing at that time,
very very time. You know, people good people. We're trying. Yeah,
directors were trying. You know, people were trying.

Speaker 2 (29:33):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (29:35):
I want to I just feel like Andy's about to
tell me I have five minutes, but he hasn't. So
I want to ask you what is the what's the
takeaway that you want for this audience?

Speaker 2 (29:48):
Because I was having.

Speaker 1 (29:51):
A conversation with somebody, you know, one of my other
like I have relationships in this business. So you know, Ayana,
my assistant, and I first started out.

Speaker 2 (30:02):
She's a grown woman now. But I was talking to Ayana.

Speaker 1 (30:05):
The other day and she made this really great point.
She was saying, how much people of color are traumatized
right and in this trauma but like generations, and then
on top of that, it's not like in the sixties
that black people going to therapy was acceptable, known whatever.

(30:28):
So the trauma on top of the trauma, on top
of the trauma on top that we have and have
to deal with everyday life.

Speaker 3 (30:38):
Like, yeah, people don't really realize how much folks hold
things in and you know, people of color. I am
a mixed raced person, but I don't get into all
of that. But specifically, when you look at folks, you
think about black people, you think about Latino people. Some
people may say people in those ways all courage privacy,

(31:01):
They encourage you know, shit, don't don't tell, don't tell,
and they encourage particularly the guys don't don't, don't, don't
be emotional, you know, don't do that. You know, you
got to be tough. You can get home and do whatever,
but when you're out in the street, you know you
have to take it. You know, somebody's gonna cut your
finger off. Oh well, just stand there, you know, be tough. Also, yes,

(31:22):
concerning generational trauma, one of the things that happened is uh,
I'm not gonna get into details, but my daughter had
a situation where she uh had had to deal with
a great deal of pain. And one of the things
that pissed me off is the fact that the physician

(31:42):
doesn't seem to think that she should experience the pain
that she's experiencing. And that's where I get pissed off
because I'm like, no, people of color are not animals.
Animals are not even the animals that you think they are.
They feel pain. You can't sit there and tell somebody
they're not in pain.

Speaker 1 (32:02):
Wow.

Speaker 3 (32:02):
And I can't get into because we're doing a podcast,
I'm not doing it. But it's so very important for
folks to have opportunities where they can like connect and
they can feel like me too. I'm not wheny phrase,
but it's very important to see yourself. You know, you
have to see you have to hear yourself. Which is

(32:23):
why I'm exciting about the languages. You know, if I
could have had somebody speaking in African tongue. I would
have had that too, you know, but we don't have it.
We have as much as whatever I had access to,
you know, and everyone was so good and so present,
you know. I would say ninety nine percent of the time.
There's that one percent where people are like, hey, what
am I doing? You know? But what folks.

Speaker 1 (32:45):
Yeah, you know, and listen, when you have no money
and you have you know, no studio, I mean to
pull that off.

Speaker 2 (32:53):
I'd say, bravo, my sister standing.

Speaker 1 (32:56):
Ovation Seriously, I are are The interview part just as
I said, is come to a close.

Speaker 2 (33:06):
However, you guys.

Speaker 1 (33:07):
Know, we're going to have her back on, you know,
for we've got to talk to her again for part two.
So Elsa's going to come on and she's going to
introduce you to the two actors that are going to
ask you questions.

Speaker 5 (33:20):
Hey, Elsa, Hello, Hello, thank you so much for that money.
It was awesome looking forward to seeing your film. So
today we have pacts that I think you might be
familiar with. We have two of your fellow spirited actors
as well as actors that you've used in some of
your projects.

Speaker 2 (33:40):
We have missed.

Speaker 5 (33:41):
Shamika Nelson and we have mister my newness, you can
come on cameras one.

Speaker 3 (33:50):
No, oh, my goodness.

Speaker 2 (33:53):
So Shamika, what's your question?

Speaker 3 (33:54):
You're up first.

Speaker 4 (33:56):
Yes, So you have mentioned earlier that you had several
stories need to be told, and I wanted.

Speaker 2 (34:01):
To know what is your overall vision for a diagnosed PTSD.

Speaker 3 (34:05):
I mean, would you like it to be like a short.

Speaker 2 (34:07):
Series or something along those lines.

Speaker 3 (34:10):
What is your overall vision? Good question. So diagnosis PTSD
one and Diagnosis PTSDV two. My ultimate love and joy
would be for it to be a series, at least
a mini series. There are way more stories to be told,
There are way more scenarios to be presented. There are

(34:32):
way more situations where we can show vulnerability, where we
can show that someone may appear to be We have
a beautiful we have a couple of beautiful fellas up
in here, and you see them open up. You see
one guy, as you know, he becomes totally like bananas.
He goes from like mister you know, Superman, so like
he's toast and he just loses it, you know. And

(34:53):
I think it's important for folks to have a chance
to connect. I think people need to see themselves. They
need to hear themselves. You know. I'm very excited. So
the hope is perfect, perfect world, a series, not bad
world to see us a distribution that'd be a nice
world for us, you know. Most importantly, I want people

(35:15):
to be seen. I want stories to be heard, and
I really really want people to feel. And I don't
think you're going to walk away from this film not
feeling something. There's literally something for everyone to connect on
and I would say almost every level, unbelievable.

Speaker 2 (35:36):
That's excellent, great question.

Speaker 5 (35:41):
Thank you, and Swan, what's your question?

Speaker 3 (35:46):
I thank you?

Speaker 6 (35:47):
So my question is what drew you to write a
film about PTSD? So many problems that we have in society,
But why PTSD?

Speaker 3 (36:01):
That's a good question too. So the problems in society
unfortunately leave many, many, many many people traumatized. So I
can't think of a better way to address a lot
of the problems. You know, we have things, We have abuses,
we have molestations, we have things I didn't get to

(36:22):
talk about because I have money and time and I
couldn't pull you guys in anymore than I did. You know,
but there's so many stories to show, and folks always
think about PTSD as a war story, and it's not
a war story only certainly yes, watching people get blown
up and affected and things, of course, you know, so
of course we're going to play that. But then we

(36:44):
let it go right and we do other things. There's
long standing traumas, you know, watching yourself not get a
job because someone comes in that's not melanated so on.
That could be a bit traumatic for you. You're sitting
there knowing you're fully qualified, union and everything, and here
comes mister blondilocks. No offense, My blondie lots is love
all of y'all. I got some of my familia. But anyhow,

(37:04):
and just because of that, they probably didn't even they're
not even union or they just got in the union
like last week, and their skill is way smaller than yours.
You know, same thing. I look at Shamika, I'm like,
there's so many people they walk in there and they're
going to get the job over her. Why she's mean it?
Why she got braids in her hair today? Oh really? Yeah,
no we don't want that. No no, no, no, no,

(37:26):
you would have been out hair. Where's your wig? You know,
stuff like that. We need people.

Speaker 1 (37:32):
Tumas sighs right right, And I want to say I
was one of those people, like because I thought it
was based on the connection with war, right, and you know,
we talk about it with soldiers and veterans, but like
you know, in knowing, you know.

Speaker 3 (37:54):
Your own stories.

Speaker 1 (37:56):
Yeah, all of this stuff stays where it is. Thank
God we're in a different world right now and society,
but it just feels like it's for me growing up.
It just stayed right there. But I thank you for
allowing people to be introduced to it, to be reintroduced

(38:17):
to it, to understand that, you know, there are ways
in coping with it and being able to function and
have a normal as normal life as you can, you know,
or just to be happy, find happiness and peace, you know.
So wow, thank you, Elsa, Thank you Shamikha and Swan.

Speaker 2 (38:40):
But they are going anywhere.

Speaker 1 (38:41):
They're not going anywhere. Money, They're in class and session. Yes, yeah, yeah,
money's not going anywhere either, you guys. So when we
come back on the Spirit Actor podcast with me Chasing Moore,
I'm feeling very hippie today and you'll see a gim love.
But I just want to say Monnet done him. We'll

(39:02):
be back with us. You guys, don't touch anything. We'll
be right back on the Spirited act Podcast with me
Tracy Moore. Welcome back to the Spirited Actor Podcast with
me Tracy Moore, and you are still blessed to have
multi multi hyphenated.

Speaker 2 (39:19):
Let's start with singer loudest, let's.

Speaker 1 (39:22):
Start with writer, director, producer, actress, and just all over
spiritual being. Monet Donham is still here with us and
elsa co co executive producer with the spirit Actor Podcast,
has our actors lined up the Class and Session.

Speaker 3 (39:41):
Here we go.

Speaker 5 (39:42):
I do, I do, Thank you Tracy. So this week
on Class and Session, we have a special scene from
Miss Monette's film Diagnosis PTSD, and we.

Speaker 2 (39:57):
Have that mister.

Speaker 5 (40:01):
Swan new Ness, I can't talk today. We have back
today mister Swan Newness and Miss Shamika Nelson who will
be performing the scene for us Diagnosis PTSD written by
Monette Dunnaugh. Exterior by the ocean at the pier, Marco
and his wife sit by the water in the car.

(40:23):
Marco has a bottle of pills all dumped out in
front of him. His wife sits by his side.

Speaker 3 (40:33):
It's just it's so.

Speaker 2 (40:37):
Destiny, Okay, it's okay.

Speaker 3 (40:44):
I'm here.

Speaker 2 (40:46):
I know you went through a lie. I know it
was a lot.

Speaker 4 (40:50):
Babe, baby, please please help me.

Speaker 2 (40:58):
Baby, I don't want to leave you. It is just
I know, I know you're not running from me.

Speaker 3 (41:04):
I know.

Speaker 2 (41:04):
It's the memory of.

Speaker 5 (41:06):
How you felt when thehammer sank into that water, how
you felt that no one was gonna find you, let
alone save you.

Speaker 2 (41:15):
I was so I'm so afraid.

Speaker 3 (41:19):
I thought, was it come home?

Speaker 2 (41:22):
You did? You came home to me, You came home
to your family, You came home to live.

Speaker 3 (41:30):
See what I feel, You're so his friend. Takes time, helink.

Speaker 2 (41:38):
It takes time, baby, It takes time. You're gonna take
all the time you need. Okay, but I mean it.
I'm here and we're gonna ride this thing into the
whingels fall off. Maybe I love you, I love.

Speaker 1 (42:03):
No bad.

Speaker 2 (42:10):
See.

Speaker 1 (42:11):
Wow, this is why you got. This is part two.
This is part two. Money is this part two?

Speaker 2 (42:18):
Part two?

Speaker 3 (42:19):
Oh my god?

Speaker 1 (42:19):
Yea. Yeah, it's very emotional, very and and you know,
I have to say thank you Swan for being emotionally
available at you two, Shamika, because.

Speaker 2 (42:33):
Yeah, it's for you, beautiful to see.

Speaker 1 (42:35):
You know, I'm so glad that you are allowing men
the space to be that.

Speaker 3 (42:41):
Oh yeah, so.

Speaker 2 (42:42):
Your worst what do you want to give them? Director?
As she's crying, you.

Speaker 3 (42:47):
Guys, I am, I am. They did we well. First
of all, these two are just amazing. I mean I
love them, Tracy, I do. I love them.

Speaker 1 (42:58):
Found should be good inside the black and it's found
swam you listen, tell her.

Speaker 3 (43:03):
Yeah and yeah. And then we organically developed relationships and
it's it's it's just such a gift. It really really
is a gift. We worked hard, we worked hard, they
worked hard. I love them paired together. If I could,
if I could get other people to pair them, might

(43:25):
be like, take them, let them work with you. They're
they're lovely, they're delicious, they're emotional, they're available. They've opened up,
they've connected, They've done the work. It's been a process.
This has been months and months of work. So even
though we only got the film for four days, these
two worked and worked and worked and worked. They worked
with me, We did readings, they worked alone. We worked

(43:46):
together a lot of it on zoom. As you know,
we're all in different places. These guys are so amazing though,
like they take direction beautifully they're open. They're what you
want as a as a direct you know, as a writer,
as a as a asking person. You want these guys
because you want people who are going to be there,

(44:09):
you know, I mean, and quite frankly, I was kind
of jealous. I couldn't act with them, but you know
it was.

Speaker 2 (44:15):
The next one, the feature, the feature. Yeah, this was
a righteous character.

Speaker 1 (44:20):
But I have to say this first of all, everybody
put your hands together for Shamika and also Swan. Great
scene and great writing is written and directed by Money
Shari Stunham. I want to say this because I want
to stress this. Looking at you Swan and looking at
Shamika being emotional right now. Is this is why I

(44:44):
was emotional in the beginning in the introduction, because the
joy is in the journey. It's not at the destination.
You know where you guys are going. You know where
this storm is going. It's already been laid out and
bread drumbed. What's happening now is that you will be
to sit back in another ten twenty years where your
careers are going to be somewhere else and be able

(45:06):
to thank Monette talk about this. And it started off
with just a short film, and this short film has
cataball with my career to blah blah blah. So it
all comes back around just seeing you guys emotion, I
was like, you guys, think you crying, Now wait until
y'all in ten years and then you turn around. That's
why I couldn't get the words out this week. Got

(45:27):
thirty something years, like, it's crazy how much many years.

Speaker 2 (45:31):
Money and I have.

Speaker 1 (45:33):
And she, you know, she just asked me to come
speak at her school to some high school students, and
I'll never forget. I said, do you guys want a
million dollars or do you want knowledge?

Speaker 2 (45:44):
And they all said million dollars, million dollars.

Speaker 1 (45:47):
I said, if you have the knowledge, you'd have ten
and twenty and thirty go after knowledge. And that became
a staple of my speaking platform because that was my
first speaking engagement. So again, thank you, guys, thank you,
thank you. Elsa ladies and gentlemen, put yousolute, stand up,

(46:07):
legendary icon momay cheris dune Yes, amen, amen, love you guys, madam.
When we come back on the Spirit Podcast with me
Tracy Moore, all of this equals me giving your love.

Speaker 2 (46:22):
And now it's time for Kudo's Corner. Kudos Corner is
where we support our.

Speaker 1 (46:27):
Spirited actors and we celebrate them and we just love
on them and introduce them to you. This week's Kudos
Corner puts the spotlight on the spirited actor Lea Mitria Starks.
Lea Metria has been seen in the featured film Urban
Ed and television shows The Eric Andre Show, People Magazine, Investigates,

(46:49):
and My show Inside the black Box. She has also
starred in the place Pieces of Us and Shane Kudos
to Leah Me, Trea Starts and now it's time to
give up. I just want to say this because this
has been on my mind for a while. I just

(47:11):
and I may have said it before, but I just
want to reiterate it that the Instagram and Facebook and
all these things are really super great, but sometimes they
can be overwhelming and the information can be so saturated
that people make jokes of it. So I say this
to say because the other day I said to my granddaughter,
be careful, and I told her that the quote is

(47:34):
be careful with what you think or wish for. I said,
but I want you to be conscious of what you
think of and what you wish for, because when you're conscious,
you're aware, and you are specifically focusing on what it
is or you want, and you're putting that intention out there.
You're holding that vision and then the next thing you know,
you're going to manifest it. And my daughter and my

(47:56):
granddaughter say, Grandma, I don't believe in that hokey pokey.
That's all on Instagram, you know, affirmations and this and that.
I just wanted to say, ladies and gentlemen, I am
disheartened to know that the keys to life, the truth
to life. Your words create what you what you what

(48:16):
you manifest. Those things are real. It's not hoky dokie.
It's not an Instagram or TikTok cliche.

Speaker 2 (48:26):
It is the truth. What you think and what.

Speaker 1 (48:31):
You say matters. Believe that bear witness to your life.
If you don't believe me, bear witness to your own life,
and say I want a lemon bar, and see yourself
get a lemon bar. Say I want to buy a house,
and then see yourself buy a house. They magically happen
because they fester in your soul. They magically happen because

(48:55):
they just need the words to help get them out
and guide them into tangible things. Conscious of every word
that comes out your mouth, every thought that enters your mind.
Be conscious of where you are in that moment of creation,
because right after that is manifestation.

Speaker 2 (49:18):
Hi.

Speaker 1 (49:19):
Everyone, The Spirited Actor Podcast with Tracy Moore now has
a YouTube channel. You'll get to see exclusive video footage
from our podcast taping, as well as your favorite segments
from the show. Make sure to like our videos, subscribe
to our channel, and share with all your friends. Don't

(49:41):
forget to also follow us on Instagram at the Spirited
Actor and at both Tracy Moore and at the Spirited
Actor Podcast with Tracy Moore on Facebook and X. Thank
you for joining us on The Spirited Actor Podcast with
me Tracy Moore. I look forward to our next Spirited podcast.

Speaker 2 (50:03):
Thank you.