The Spirited Actor - Will Catlett (04/27/2021)

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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 Biggie Smalls 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.

Speaker 2 (00:54):
Now.

Speaker 3 (00:54):
I know.

Speaker 1 (00:55):
I know actors want to get the job. I get that,
but being remembered by casting director that is powerful.

Speaker 2 (01:04):
Meditation of the day.

Speaker 1 (01:06):
Surround yourself with people who are going to lift you up.
Oprah Winfrey. When I first started teaching twenty four years ago,
my heart broke to hear of the stories of actors
who had no support in pursuing their dreams of being
an actor. These were loved ones or close friends who

(01:28):
try to discourage them from being an actor. Now, I
would never tell anyone to disown their family or friends,
but what I will say is that you need a.

Speaker 2 (01:40):
Strong armor to be an actor.

Speaker 1 (01:43):
You need to hear the voice of encouragement because this
is a journey. When people speak of negativity, bless them
in your head and move on. Fear is what stops
everyone from living their true dreams. Don't let it stop
you today. I will pursue my dream unapologetically. Before we

(02:10):
get started, i'd like to remind everyone to look out
for my new show, Inside the black Box. I'll be
co hosting with the great Joe Morton. We'll be on
Crackle Network real soon. I'll keep you posted.

Speaker 2 (02:25):
Welcome to the Spirited Actor Podcast with me Tracy Moore.

Speaker 1 (02:29):
You know, the thing I love about this show is
that I'm always bringing you the best of the best,
the best working actors, and I have a wonderful team
that always introduces me to the best of the best,
and so I just want you guys to put your

(02:50):
hands together for actor, producer, director, writer, Will.

Speaker 4 (02:59):
Cat liv.

Speaker 5 (03:02):
Hey, Will, how you doing?

Speaker 1 (03:04):
I am excellent, and I'm so grateful that Lean introduced us, and.

Speaker 2 (03:11):
Also that you got up early for us. Thank you.

Speaker 3 (03:14):
Oh yeah, oh yeah, I've rolled out of bed, but
you know, well, I'm.

Speaker 1 (03:20):
Glad you're here, so listen. I just want to applaud
you for your work. You know, a lot of times
as a casting director, we know a lot of faces,
but we don't, you know, know you, because you know,
we see your work and we follow you. So I
have seen your work for quite some time. And to

(03:41):
have this pleasure of meeting you, I'm really excited that
you're going to share with our Thestians.

Speaker 2 (03:46):
Who are on right now.

Speaker 5 (03:48):
Amen. Amen today.

Speaker 1 (03:50):
So let's start from the beginning. Will, How did how
did acting start for you? Is this something that you
wanted to do when you were younger?

Speaker 2 (03:58):
Where did it all begin?

Speaker 3 (04:00):
Not?

Speaker 5 (04:00):
Really?

Speaker 3 (04:00):
I was playing basketball in college, and you know, my
thing was I was trying to be like Kobe, you know,
but then you realize you're not jumping out of the
gym like Kobe Bryant, You're not shooting the ball as
good as Steph carry which is on fire right now,
so you start thinking about different things.

Speaker 5 (04:19):
And I met a guy at the mall.

Speaker 3 (04:21):
I was buying some G units at the time when
he was fifty cent had his G units going out,
and the guy had the whitest teeth I've ever seen.
So I asked him to said, brother, how you get
your teeth? So White said, press white strips. I said, okay, cool,
Where are you from? He says, I'm from Maryland. I said, okay,
I'm from back that way. I'm from Alexander, Virginia to
DC or a DC Maryland area.

Speaker 5 (04:38):
He says cool. I said, well, what do you do?

Speaker 3 (04:40):
He says, I'm an actor And I don't know why,
but inside of me, he said, HM always wanted to
try that.

Speaker 5 (04:46):
Well, you should come to my acting class.

Speaker 3 (04:48):
So when I went to his acting class, the class
that he was going to as Bobby Chance Studios, expression unlimited,
and I just knew that that's that was the path
that I should go down.

Speaker 2 (04:59):
Wow.

Speaker 1 (05:00):
And you know, we all talk of we always talk
and stress on this show about training.

Speaker 2 (05:08):
Because in my.

Speaker 1 (05:09):
Experience as a casting directors, people think that they can
just say some words and that's it. How important is
training to you, even to you know, considering the fact
that you are a working actor today, how is it
How important is it even to today?

Speaker 5 (05:26):
Well? I think it depends, you know.

Speaker 3 (05:29):
You know, some people may just have the gift and
they can naturally fall into it and they might not
need all the technicality what comes with acting, right, But
every great artist must refine their gifts. So for me,
I remember my teacher Richie Chancey saying, well, man, when
your gift catches up with your talent. So what he

(05:50):
was trying to say, You have all this will of
gifts that you can naturally do things, but your talent,
meaning your skill level, has it called up with the
gift you So once that talent catches up with a gift,
then you get Michael Jordan in his prime because everything
makes sense. Now he can shoot the ball at will,
or he give you the fade away. He don't have

(06:11):
to go to the hole and dunk on you no
more because he knows the game. So that's the beauty
of studying. And you never stop studying. I'm always studying.
You know, different actors, different people, different behavior. Then it's
different levels of study. And you got class study, then
you got on set study. That's a whole other thing.
You know.

Speaker 5 (06:28):
That is its very important.

Speaker 1 (06:30):
That's an excellent point, and it's very rare that actors
talk about that.

Speaker 2 (06:37):
But that is you know, I say that doing your.

Speaker 1 (06:42):
Self tape, that's one thing, right, and then you do
a great job.

Speaker 2 (06:46):
You get a.

Speaker 1 (06:46):
Callback, that's another thing, and then you get the job.
But the work really starts when you're on that set.

Speaker 3 (06:53):
Actually, the work really starts even before the auditions. Oh true,
you know, it's how you show up in the world.
How did you feel about yourself? I was doing an
audition and my friend that was taping me in Atlanta, Tracy,
she was taping another young lady and I'm going over
my lines because I got to put the audition on.
I had just got it, but I wanted to turn

(07:14):
it in because I'm working at the same time. And
I hear the young lady reading and it disturbs my
spirit that I have to go down and take the
computer from Tracy, and I say, hey, listen, you're more
than enough. You keep trying to get the lines right.
It's not about getting the lines right. But see, in
your life, you feel like you never wanted an any
chan You feel like you're too old to accomplish the

(07:36):
things that you want to accomplish. So you haven't got
an audition in a while, so you're banking everything on
this one audition. You've already lost because now you're not
free as an artist to just go and explore. And
after we had that conversation, she begin to cry and
then she did the take and it was amazing because
now she didn't have all that weight on her that

(07:57):
I have to do this, I have to get this right,
I have ton't press the castle or if I have
to do this. The casting director is always going to
cast the role if the role shows up, not will
If the role shows up, then that's like, that's the role,
that's the person that I want. So when you have
that mindset before you even get the material, it.

Speaker 5 (08:16):
Allows you even free to make mistakes because.

Speaker 3 (08:19):
Some of the beautiful moments come from when they're not
rehearsed or when they're not you know, so planned out.
So I think that starts at the beginning and then
you work your way and then when you get on set,
it's about do you have a good attitude? Are you
going to show up when it's eighteen hour days? What
are you going to do when they keep calling you
out of your trailer, but they're not ready because they're

(08:41):
waiting on the number.

Speaker 5 (08:41):
One to show up to the set.

Speaker 3 (08:43):
Right, you know, how are you going to maneuver around
those things? Are you going to always hang your clothes
up the same way that they came to you? Are
you going to hang the trash up the same way
that that trash was empty before you put trash in it.
These are things that build excellence in yourself. It's not
about the person recognized and that you put the tracks
behind the door. It's not about the clothing department recognizing

(09:05):
that you're put the close up. It is strictly about
you and you being excellent and everything that you do well.

Speaker 1 (09:11):
You sound like you have an amazing spiritual foundation. You
also sound like you motivate and inspire other actors in
your work, which is great and so kind and generous
of you. I have to say, from a casting director's
point of view, there there's you know, there are thousands

(09:35):
of people who are cleverly disguised as actors, but very
few talented people.

Speaker 2 (09:40):
And that excellence and that.

Speaker 1 (09:44):
Work ethic that you are speaking of does not come
from everyone.

Speaker 2 (09:49):
And you know, just in my experience over.

Speaker 1 (09:52):
Thirty years in casting, you know, you wonder why there's
a certain percentage of actors that work and there are
certain percentages that don't and the ones that you talk about,
those are the ones that work. Because I believe, and
you know, a casting director, we don't have a power,
you know, unless we're producing. We strictly, highly recommend, strongly

(10:18):
courage and beg and plead. But there are too many
other element you know, producers and studio heads and all
of that involved. But blessed, our words are matter and
mean something. And I believe that the audition process is
fifty percent talent and fifty percent personality.

Speaker 2 (10:40):
Because we have to we have to like you, you
know what I mean.

Speaker 1 (10:43):
It is really come down to a director saying, out
of these two women Tracy, who has the better personality?

Speaker 2 (10:52):
And when you you made.

Speaker 1 (10:53):
A point about getting somebody out of the trailer, I
produced a film where our leading actor would not come
out out of the trailer because his eggs.

Speaker 2 (11:01):
Weren't cooked properly. It's eggs.

Speaker 1 (11:04):
So you know, I strongly I can't even emphasize enough
for actors to really take in what you're saying. Here
because work ethic is important, your personality is important. And
my company is called the Spirited Actor because my concern
is the spirit of the actor, is the morale of

(11:26):
the actor, and the work ethic because that is a
part of the process as well. So I'm grateful for
those words because it's very rare that we hear about that.
You know, it's always about, you know, chasing the job.
We're trying to get a job, and I believe, you know,
the joy is in the journey.

Speaker 2 (11:46):
That's what I believe, because you've got jobs.

Speaker 1 (11:49):
So now that you have a job, and let's start
with Black Lighting you know, because you've been on that
series for twenty two episodes.

Speaker 2 (11:59):
I believe. When I was doing my research, I.

Speaker 5 (12:03):
Don't even know how many episodes I've been on it.

Speaker 2 (12:05):
Well, let me tell you. Let me tell you. You've
been on twenty two episodes. You guys. Wow, Now you
talk about a work ethic.

Speaker 1 (12:15):
What is a day in the life of Black Lightning
and especially Will with the COVID situation.

Speaker 3 (12:23):
Yeah, I'm gonna put a pin in that, and I'm
gonna come back to that in a second. I didn't
want to run over the title of your podcast.

Speaker 5 (12:32):
The spirited actor. I believe that when.

Speaker 3 (12:35):
A writer writes down a character on the page, they
have written down spirit. That's why always tell actors, if
you get the spirit of the role, you know everything
you will need to know about that role. So it
it allows you to tap in beyond what is written
on the page. You actually get into the spirit of
what the way the words came from. So I didn't

(12:56):
want to run over your title because your title is
so important. To always start in the spiritual first and
then't make it physical.

Speaker 5 (13:04):
The words go in, then they must come out, you know.

Speaker 3 (13:07):
So I think that's very important and kudos to you
for that because.

Speaker 5 (13:11):
That is a divine title.

Speaker 3 (13:13):
Now as far as Black Lightning and COVID, the process
right now is I'm in La like Lightning was shooting
in Atlanta. So you would test at Warner Brothers maybe
three or four times before you get on the plane,
or forty eight hours before you get on the plane.
If your test is negative, then you get your flight,

(13:35):
itenter aarya. It's all depending on if that test is negative.
All your contracts are depending on if that test is negative.
So you know, and right now, COVID is what I'm
hearing is about ten percent of the overall budget, so
it's a big part of the whole thing.

Speaker 5 (13:49):
And then you get there and right now what you're doing.

Speaker 3 (13:53):
You have to some shows, you have to you have
to quarantine for about five days and then you'll be
ready to go to the show. Then some if you're
testing in a protocol, then you'll be able to go
straight to set. So each each each production company has
things a little different, but you're going to be taken
to anywhere from three to three to four times a week,
and that's pretty much that process, which is.

Speaker 5 (14:14):
Not bad, you know what I mean. I mean, you're
guest star.

Speaker 3 (14:17):
You're getting paid two hundred and fifty dollars for it,
so they compensate you for your time.

Speaker 5 (14:21):
If you're seriously regular.

Speaker 3 (14:22):
They don't put it in your contract already, so they're
not gonna pay you for that.

Speaker 5 (14:26):
But you know, it's good that you know people are working.

Speaker 3 (14:29):
Sometimes it was a little difficult in the beginning because
you're rehearsing with the other act, with the other actor
with the masks. You know, that was a little difficult
to get used to it if you don't feel that connection.
But as it kind of rolled back, I think the
ads and the producers was letting it be a little
bit more lenient, because if we're on set, that means

(14:52):
that everybody's negative, that's in that rateting. So you know,
you might you won't really need the mask to run rehearsal,
and some actors do. So you just fill out the
comfortability level with different actors.

Speaker 5 (15:02):
Some people may be a little bit more concerned.

Speaker 3 (15:04):
You know, but once you know they call pictures up,
you know, the mask come off, you do your thing,
and then when they say cut with the mask back on.

Speaker 5 (15:11):
You know, it's just how how we go. But you
know it's beautiful, no, it is.

Speaker 1 (15:17):
I mean, you know, I love the fact that actors
are adaptable. I did a film in November and the
budget was one hundred thousand just for the COVID testing
of everyone, and so as a producer you start to think, wow, okay,
you know, in the olden days we have this budget.

(15:37):
Now we have to incorporate COVID. And then as actors,
you know, I even though like you're right, there's a
comfort that people have to have, whether wearing the mask
and being on set, but you know, the physical aspect
of being able to see the face to react and

(15:59):
to get that energy. Has that been a difficult transition
for you or you know, like I said, you guys
are adaptingable.

Speaker 5 (16:08):
Not really, because the eyes are the windows to the soul.

Speaker 3 (16:12):
Absolutely, whatever your eyes are saying, your mouth and ears
and face, your expressions will follow, you know. And even
if it doesn't follow, you can look into someone in
the eyes and tell that they're telling you the truth
or if they're lying to you. I remember over Opportunity
one of the greatest acts, you know, very great mentor
of mind, and he said, well, you know, acting is

(16:35):
just looking someone in the face and telling them the truth.
And you know, and it's like that is it? At
the simplits of it, That's what it is. How much
shop are you telling? Even if you're lying, it's still
your truth even in that line, at that moment in time.
So you know.

Speaker 5 (16:53):
Yeah. So I mean, when.

Speaker 3 (16:54):
People have the mask on, you just look and then
you go and then they take it off, you know, okay,
and they may give you a little more, little less.

Speaker 5 (17:00):
It just depends on the artist that you're working with.

Speaker 2 (17:04):
That I love.

Speaker 1 (17:05):
I worked with Obabapa Tende in a film Carl Weber,
The Preacher's son and got to know him.

Speaker 2 (17:13):
What amazing And then I got here. I got to New.

Speaker 1 (17:16):
York from San Francisco in eighty three and got a
chance to see him on Broadway and dream.

Speaker 2 (17:22):
Girls and fell in love.

Speaker 3 (17:23):
That was it.

Speaker 2 (17:24):
That was it. That was my dude, great, great, great person.

Speaker 1 (17:29):
I want to ask you, Will, what is your dream
role or what is that role that.

Speaker 3 (17:36):
You know?

Speaker 1 (17:36):
I don't feel like and this is just my first
introduction to you, but I really feel a peacefulness to
your journey. I don't feel a sense of urgency. I
don't feel you tapping out on your recent scratch him.
I feel like, you know, And it's such a pleasure.
It's such a pleasure to breathe that in because that

(18:00):
all of my friends are actors, all of them, and
so I'm always you know. That's why I name my
company The Spirited Actor. It's about the person inside the actor.

Speaker 2 (18:10):
That's our ar mantra.

Speaker 1 (18:13):
And so I feel like, man, I just feel at
ease with you.

Speaker 2 (18:22):
What is that role? What's that role for you?

Speaker 3 (18:26):
I think I'm still completing some of the greats work
that they laid down.

Speaker 5 (18:30):
It's like Sidney Poitier, he broke one part of the
color Brier I the other.

Speaker 3 (18:37):
It's a be a beautiful thing when an actor can
get on stage. And although I'm African American, you see
me as an artist, you see me as an actor.
I know the shell that I look, but all our
shells will passed.

Speaker 5 (18:50):
You know. What will remain is the spirit will remain forever.

Speaker 3 (18:53):
So my goal is when I do work, is that
you can see no color, because that allows me to
be free. So now when I look at Rose, it
may be Caucasian thirty five, but that may identify with
my spirit, you know what I'm saying.

Speaker 5 (19:10):
It may be you know, hey, yeah five.

Speaker 3 (19:13):
I may have to go to Spain get my Spanish
up real quick, you know, and then maybe I'll be
able to do that. So I want to be free.
And that's the same thing I told Mara in Love
Is when I was doing Love is Love and we
were talking about it and I said, Marrow, your story
means nothing if it doesn't touch somebody.

Speaker 5 (19:33):
That's right, And that's the goal.

Speaker 3 (19:35):
The goal is to go beyond what you're watching and
actually having an experience. That's always been the actor's goal,
even from when it was just theater back in Greece.

Speaker 5 (19:45):
And they was doing all that.

Speaker 3 (19:46):
They will tell you what was to come, what was
to come in politics, what was to come in social
what customs they wanted to introduce you to.

Speaker 5 (19:52):
And they still do it now with the news. They
trying to introduce things.

Speaker 3 (19:56):
They slowly program you to get used to things you know.
And so so the actor is so important to telling
the world's story, almost like the comedian is the last newscaster,
you know, because they able to say everything that the
people won't say. That's why I love Dave Chappelle so much,

(20:16):
because if Chapelle does not do his thing, then we
don't get to go to another level and get the
truth because there's no barriers on the comedian to do that.

Speaker 5 (20:26):
And so as the actor, the actor is the one that.

Speaker 3 (20:28):
Is holding the gems in the truth and the revelation
of where the world needs to go. That's why I
tell actors, never limit yourself. Never let nobody say, oh,
you're just the actor.

Speaker 5 (20:37):
You're not.

Speaker 3 (20:38):
You study people all that. You have to study different cultures,
different religions. You got to study so many different things
to be well versed into the work that you're getting
ready to do.

Speaker 2 (20:48):
So well said, so well said will. I met Dave Chappelle.

Speaker 1 (20:53):
When he was nineteen years old and I bought him
to MTV and they didn't get him.

Speaker 2 (21:00):
They were like.

Speaker 1 (21:01):
Oh, well he's okay, and this is Ted DEMI was
alive during then Joel Stillman who runs Hulu right now.
And then two years later they asked me to bring
him back for a show and I said, Robin Hood
Ben and Tights.

Speaker 2 (21:16):
That brother is gone, but he's still my friend and
blessed to this day.

Speaker 1 (21:23):
I've been on that journey since eighty five of you
know from the embryo stages, and I think that's the
beauty of the job of a casting director to know
people before anyone knows their name, and to have and
be that person to believe in you now.

Speaker 2 (21:39):
I believe in you now. I don't need you to
prove anything do anything. I believe right now.

Speaker 1 (21:44):
And how can I be of service to you in
terms of you know, as a casting director, I'll keep
calling you in every time I have something for you,
and I'll talk about you to my other casting difference
and directors and producers as well.

Speaker 2 (21:59):
I think that's what about.

Speaker 3 (22:00):
I want the actor to hear what you just said,
because as a young man, a younger man coming up
in this game. We sometimes will think that the casting
director is against us because they didn't we didn't book
the role. You guys are the gatekeepers that are fighting
for us when we don't see. So I want actors
to know that the casting director is on your side.

Speaker 5 (22:22):
The director is not against you.

Speaker 3 (22:25):
Just because you didn't book five years ago with Tracy
doesn't mean that you're not going to book today. Know
a lot of times it's saying, oh, when he get
this going, Oh, when she get this going, Oh, when
she comes into herself, Oh this happens, then she'll be ready.
Or sometimes they're just waiting for that right role because
you're fitting into the person's puzzle piece. And sometimes your

(22:47):
puzzle piece may just be too big, may just be
too much liked, and so you can wait for that
right puzzle for you to.

Speaker 5 (22:55):
Fit in, you know.

Speaker 3 (22:57):
And sometimes you know, when I'm in roles, I know, okay,
well you got to pull it back just a little bit.
You're not the lead of this. You must be in
service to the lead. I know, I know what I'm
capable of, but right now, it's just like when you're
playing football, you got to run up a post route
or you run up and out. Sometimes you just got

(23:18):
to run the route and the ball to be there.
It's not about you doing what you want to do,
just run the post the ball to be there. Aaron
Rodgers is going to hit.

Speaker 5 (23:26):
You if you're in your spot, and that's sometimes in life.

Speaker 3 (23:30):
You just need to be in your spot so that
things may open up for you.

Speaker 5 (23:35):
And you never know who's your door.

Speaker 3 (23:36):
Sometimes we pray all the time, God open a door,
open a door, open a door, and we think this
mystery door will open. What he's telling you the door
is Tracy. Tracy is your door for you to get
where you need to go. So you have to know
that people are doors. There was a door for me.
Bickie Thomas has been one of my doors, one of

(24:01):
my doors. Kim Coleman has been one of my doors.

Speaker 2 (24:05):
You know.

Speaker 5 (24:05):
So Kim Harden has been one of my doors.

Speaker 3 (24:08):
I haven't worked with him yet, but Kim had told
me something when I was abound twenty six. She said,
will don't wait on this game to live your life.
Don't wait on this game to not have children and
not getting married. And she told me something that was
so po I've been doing this over twenty years. A
lot of things I didn't do because I was so

(24:31):
focused on running my race with the cashing.

Speaker 5 (24:34):
Thing that I didn't do tonight.

Speaker 3 (24:35):
I didn't do this, I didn't do that, And all
those things will come for her. But she thought, well
enough of me to give me that gym that I
keep to keep with me to this day. Because you know,
the craftic comes. You know, you work six months, you
may not work for two years. You know, what are
you doing the meantime? You have more meantime than you
have victories or so called losses, because nothing than it

(25:00):
is lost, it just feels like a loss. But you
have more meantime in between that time. So what do
you do with that meantime? Just like oh by Betune,
they said this simmy, He said, will you had the
day that you arrived nineteen eighty two, you would have
the day that you depart, whatever that day is. But
the dash it matter in between those dates. God is

(25:23):
going to require what did you do with the dash?
The dash is important? What you spoke about journey, the
dash is important. The dash, the dash, the ups and
downs to saying no. The dash is what makes you
who you are and refines your character is in that dash.
No one's gonna say, oh, he's born in nineteen eighty two,
e the part of this time, but look what he

(25:44):
did in between those dates.

Speaker 5 (25:46):
That is what's that's what.

Speaker 2 (25:47):
Mappened, that's what matters.

Speaker 1 (25:49):
And I have to say, well, no one in nineteen
eighty seven, when I became a casting director, no one
gave me any insight, any tips. Really quickly, I called
five casting directors, asked them if they could give me tips,
if they could tell me how to be a casting director.

Speaker 2 (26:08):
They all hung up on me. I called them back.

Speaker 1 (26:11):
And said, I was a student at NYU. I was
writing an article how underrated casting directors were, and that's
how I got all the information to start to become
a casting director. And one of the things that I
used to always say, without actors, we don't have a production.

Speaker 2 (26:28):
I'm a casting director.

Speaker 1 (26:29):
I'm a liaison between you and the director, and I
bring the two of you together. Without actors, we don't
have anything. So who really has the power. And that's
when I started teaching. When I felt I needed to
empower the person inside the actor to be that actor
and to be the best that they could be. I

(26:51):
could talk to you all day. Now, I get it.
Lian was going on and on on and on, and
I get it. You are amazing. I have two more minutes,
will okay? And I want to give them all to you.
Whatever you have dropped the most amazing gems. If you
got some more you want to drop, I'm giving you

(27:13):
the two minutes.

Speaker 3 (27:14):
Well, I think the best thing that I can say
is that you know what I did for Lynn and
what I did for the other students in my Catlic
Academy class is I always pray for them in my
private time, and for people who will watch this, I
pray that you don't give up, that you don't sit
down on your gifts. Maybe you've been rejected, maybe you

(27:35):
felt that you're not good enough, or you don't fit
into the box that the world is calling.

Speaker 5 (27:40):
You to fit into.

Speaker 3 (27:42):
But there is a place for you, and you do matter,
and don't let yourself be pulled away from what it
is beating in.

Speaker 5 (27:50):
Yourself as a child.

Speaker 3 (27:52):
As a child, we're free to think and imagine all
the things that we want to do. But life happens,
meaning bills, meaning lost is Sometimes people dealing with COVID,
you lose family, members and you begin to close up.

Speaker 5 (28:05):
And I remember macting coach Richie Chance, who said.

Speaker 3 (28:08):
Will don't lose that kid like thing about you because
life was beating me up. And when life beats you up,
you can't cry on c because you're building blocks in
yourself because you're dealing with life. It's important as the artist,
as a human being, to stay flexible, to stay moldable.
Always be that potter and that clay on the wheel.

(28:32):
Let the potter mold you. Sometimes you have to be crushed,
but the crushing is the beautiful thing because after the
crushing comes to victories. That's why you can never ask
the cashier how much the olive oil costs. You have
to ask the olive because the olive went through the
crushing for the oil to come out.

Speaker 5 (28:51):
When TDJ spoke that.

Speaker 3 (28:53):
Message, I was in the crushing process of my life
and I had to go through the crushing for the
oil to come out.

Speaker 5 (29:00):
So maybe you may be.

Speaker 3 (29:02):
In the crushing stage, or maybe you're in this stage
where your oil is shiny, but there will always be
a crushing stage no matter what level you are at
in life. So be relaxed, be of service, and the
best is you have to come.

Speaker 2 (29:16):
You are the best. I am so grateful to have
this introduction to you.

Speaker 1 (29:23):
You have blessed my audience, you have blessed my team,
and continue blessing us.

Speaker 2 (29:28):
Will. I would love to reinvite you back to the show.

Speaker 1 (29:32):
You can talk some more, because there is a piece
within you that is settling and I can only imagine
that people who are fortunate to be your friend and
be in your energy are very very grateful and they
know what I'm talking about.

Speaker 3 (29:50):
So one more thing I'll say real quick, because you
made me think of an eagle. You know, when you're
going through storms of life, don't rebuke the storm because
the only way ego cleans its wings is in the
middle of a storm. The only way and ego tests
its pinions to see if they're strong enough is in

(30:12):
the middle of a storm.

Speaker 5 (30:13):
The only way Ego.

Speaker 3 (30:14):
Goes to the highest heights is in the middle of
the storm. Storms will come, but storms come to take
you to your next level. So don't rebuke the storm.
We all have storms of life, but the storm is
meant to take you to the next level, just like them.
Hater said, they didn't give you any information about being
a cast and the record, but that storm took you

(30:36):
to ask a question, took you to where you are
now so that you can remember, Hey, you need haters,
you need people to push.

Speaker 5 (30:43):
You to the next level.

Speaker 3 (30:45):
So be at peace, you know, because that storm is
meant to bless you, not the harmony.

Speaker 2 (30:50):
Amen.

Speaker 1 (30:51):
Amen, we welcome storms unapologetically because you know there's light
at the.

Speaker 5 (30:57):
End of the tunnel. Yes it is.

Speaker 1 (31:01):
Then everybody stand up, put your hands together for our guests,
mister Will Catlet and Will we are blessed to have him.

Speaker 2 (31:11):
He's going to stay with us, you guys for class
and session.

Speaker 1 (31:16):
Welcome back to the Spirited Actor Podcast with.

Speaker 2 (31:19):
Me Tracy Moore and you know where we are.

Speaker 1 (31:22):
Class in session my favorite, and we are still blessed
to have Will cat Lit with us. So sit down,
sit back, because you know he's going to drop some
more jewels on us.

Speaker 2 (31:36):
We have Spirit Actor loved I and our writer in residence.

Speaker 1 (31:40):
Lean Amado, heyleen Ry, and we have Julisa Caprie Spirit
Actor alumni.

Speaker 2 (31:50):
Hey guys, and Elsa is going.

Speaker 1 (31:52):
To put on her other cape and she's going to
read the narrative for you, Will.

Speaker 2 (31:56):
So is everyone ready? Hmm? Yeah, Okay, so on action Elsa.

Speaker 4 (32:04):
It's a stick up written by Leam a model exterior
sidewalk to day. Pam is following Jess down the street.

Speaker 2 (32:15):
I cannot believe you got me doing this. What happened
when we ride together? We die together? No?

Speaker 4 (32:22):
No, this is just dumb.

Speaker 2 (32:24):
Well what about laying in life out for bread? Are
you serious? I know you were not using a Bible verse.

Speaker 1 (32:31):
We're prepping a rob a candy store.

Speaker 2 (32:36):
No, I am not doing anything. Okay, so why did
you come in? I came to make sure that nothing
happened to you. Oh you really do rob for me? Whatever?
Just throw inside, Jess, ladies have arrived.

Speaker 4 (32:56):
Pam gets to the door, gets the door for Jess
and continues to follow her through the aisles.

Speaker 3 (33:02):
You know, all the years I've known you, this is
like the dumbest ship that you've put up with, all
because your man thinks that you don't have.

Speaker 2 (33:09):
A wild side.

Speaker 4 (33:10):
Like that's so stupid that you didn't follow this?

Speaker 2 (33:13):
Okay, whatever, Look, I wouldn't be so cracking yourself. Then
why I don't know how to be wild? Okay? Well,
can you just hurry up? My palms are sweating?

Speaker 3 (33:26):
Man?

Speaker 2 (33:28):
Oh, can you just shut up. Look, I am nervous
as it is you're nervous. I just saw my entire
career flash from my eyesing you're the one that's nervous.

Speaker 4 (33:38):
A simultaneously break convo to smile like the little girl
passing by.

Speaker 2 (33:43):
Career. Shut up, you should be thanking me, but you
need to loosen the hell up. Jess, I am good
the way that I am. Okay, why does she get
away from me? I don't want to be able to see
you around me in case you know what, Please, that
will be the best thing that happened to you. Look.

(34:05):
I just saw Marcus's new girl, and she looks like
a bad bitch. And you over here sticking up a
candy store in your librarian skirt. Everything just changed. What
kind of bad bitch? The type of does some shit
like this black eyeliner tat it up?

Speaker 5 (34:27):
Sure?

Speaker 2 (34:27):
A little titty Okay.

Speaker 4 (34:35):
Sam starts grabbing shit stuffing into her purse and pockets.

Speaker 2 (34:39):
Yeah, that's what I'm talking about.

Speaker 5 (34:40):
That's good.

Speaker 4 (34:43):
Jes laps Pam on the ass and they split up.

Speaker 2 (34:46):
It's a stick up. See wow, thank you ladies. Stick
up all right, I'm gonna throw it to.

Speaker 5 (34:55):
You will well.

Speaker 3 (34:57):
It's hard to kind of do it on this because
I can't see them on the same screen, you know
what I mean.

Speaker 5 (35:01):
So I'm flipping. I'm flipping back and forth.

Speaker 3 (35:04):
As you know, Lin gives her lines, and at least
it gives her lines. But it's it's cool though, because
I can hear it. Okay, the moments that I like
were the most quiet moments in this in this piece,
you know, before Lynn has grabbed the candy, because those
are the real moments. So what I would say is

(35:24):
that even in both of you guys as acting, it's
always find those moments that are the most truthful. And
if you find it when the script, it may be
way down in the script, but that would indicate how
you're supposed to play and what the transitions will be,
because if you find that real moment, then you'll know
as you're tracking what to get to from the top
to the beginning.

Speaker 5 (35:46):
So like you can tell.

Speaker 3 (35:46):
That the young Way doesn't really want to do this,
and blah blah blah they in the store, then they
want to stick up, you know. But when it came
to that real moment about being a bad d, I
t h to me that was the turn of the
scene and so you can have those moments even more
in the beginning. But other but other than that, I
thought I thought it was great from what I can see.
It's something I can't really bring it now because I

(36:09):
would have had to see y'all. You know, I can
look both of y'all at the same time and I
can say, Okay, she gave that line like this, he
gave this.

Speaker 5 (36:15):
Line like that.

Speaker 3 (36:16):
But uh, Jalisa, you you have great instincts, you know
what I mean. It's just a matter of time before
things really pop off for you.

Speaker 5 (36:24):
And I've seen you because I've saw one of your monologues.

Speaker 3 (36:26):
This is actually the first time me seeing Lynn and
you got this thing sense, this this this flair, this beauty,
this rulnerability you know which is which is interesting and
I believe that will be your ticket to get to
where you need to go the writing and all that too.
But you just pop when I'm watching you. You pop
off the screen, you know, So don't put the acting down.

Speaker 5 (36:50):
It's there.

Speaker 3 (36:51):
It's just a matter of walking into the right situation
for you, you know what I mean.

Speaker 5 (36:55):
For both of y'all.

Speaker 3 (36:56):
You know when I saw because Jalicia is a piece
that she did. I'm like it was one that Viola
Davis did. Correct, Yeah, Princess, I'm like, I like she
gave Biola for her money in that audition, you know.
And so that's one of those things that I talk
about because sometimes you got all that fire, that's a

(37:16):
movie star fire, and sometimes we're trying to put that.

Speaker 5 (37:20):
Into a coach star and a guest star.

Speaker 3 (37:22):
It's not going to work there, right, So don't so
don't you know, be discouraged. It's just a matter of
a moment for the both of you. Yeah, I thought
it was great.

Speaker 1 (37:32):
Well, you are so generous and so kind because these
are words that I say to both of these I
don't both of these ladies.

Speaker 2 (37:40):
I'm not going to tell you how many years because
they live in ranges age range.

Speaker 1 (37:45):
However, I echo those words because I when you get
a chance to go to Alabama and see and go
to the museum and see the work that Julisa did
in this monologue, it bought.

Speaker 2 (38:01):
Elson and I to tears.

Speaker 1 (38:02):
We cast this museum for Byron Stevenson and literally just
she had there was no dry eye in the room
when Byron directed it and we filmed it, and amazing.

Speaker 2 (38:16):
So and Leenn.

Speaker 1 (38:18):
I just remember just a young kid and her dad
putting money in my hands, saying after a showcase, she's
doing your next class, and I.

Speaker 2 (38:26):
Was like, I don't know what my next class is.
He's like, I don't care. She's gonna study with you.

Speaker 1 (38:31):
And loved her as an actress and now as a
writer as well.

Speaker 2 (38:35):
So I just want to thank you again.

Speaker 1 (38:37):
Will you are wonderful, And ladies and gentlemen again, put
your hands together for our guests. Will cat Lit And
you know I'm gonna call him again, you guys, because
you know how we do we can we bring you
back on.

Speaker 3 (38:53):
More gym, one more Jim, one more gym, one more Jim.
The people that the people that ever watched this, and
I'll tell this to my students all the time.

Speaker 5 (39:02):
Don't wait on the job to celebrate.

Speaker 3 (39:05):
Go eat your favorite meal, go cook your favorite meal,
go to the restaurant of your choice, and celebrate before
the job comes. Every time I've done that, a job
has come to me. Me and my wife were saying,
I think it's time to celebrate. There's no job insight,
money baby low at the time.

Speaker 5 (39:23):
But as soon as we do that.

Speaker 3 (39:24):
We're now pushing the envelope for the celebration to come.
We just did it last night. You know where a
buddy of mine has been, you know, at that point
where he's been getting jobs, but it ain't really popped
off just yet. I said, brother, let's just celebrate. Let's
celebrate what is about to come. And we did that
last night. And I'm excited because I know he gonna
get a phone called hey.

Speaker 5 (39:43):
I got this.

Speaker 3 (39:44):
Yeah, yeah, you know, but we already celebration, so it
has no choice but to come.

Speaker 5 (39:47):
So don't forget to celebrate.

Speaker 1 (39:49):
Well, we're gonna celebrate you before we make off. We're
gonna celebrate. We'll tat with ladies and gentlemen. So we
will be back up the Spirited After podcast with me
Tracy Moore for Give Love and now it's time for
Give Love. Growing up in San Francisco, California, dreaming of

(40:11):
being in the entertainment business was just that a dream.
I didn't know how challenging it would be. All I
knew was prayer and I believe God would make away.
So in nineteen eighty three, when my two friends left
for New York City, that was my chance. I was scared,

(40:32):
but I did it anyway, I got on that plane,
faced my fears, and planted my feet in New York
City for now thirty nine years, no regrets and grateful
to know that when you allow fear to live in
your head, you miss out on the greatest life that
you can ever imagine. Be fearless, don't forget to look

(40:57):
out for us 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.

Speaker 2 (41:08):
We'll be streaming on the Crackle network. I'll keep you posted.

Speaker 1 (41:12):
Thank you for joining us on the Spirited Actor Podcast
with me Tracy Moore. I look forward to our next
Spirited Podcast. Thank you,