July 30, 2025 • 61 mins
In this heartfelt and inspiring episode, actor and Air Force veteran Chris Allen shares how his journey through the military, motion capture, and fatherhood shaped his values and his career. From working on sets like Jane the Virgin to managing post-production at Disney, Chris talks transparency, resilience, and redefining success. This is a masterclass in servant leadership, legacy, and living with intention.
Discussion Links:
Chris Allen IMDB
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3074123/
https://www.instagram.com/teamchrisallen/?hl=en
https://www.facebook.com/TeamChrisAllen/
SAG AFTRA
00:00 Chris reflects on how his military experience shaped his acting career
02:00 Intro: from Air Force to NCIS to Disney and beyond
05:00 The value of adapting to life’s unpredictability
08:00 Chris on parenting: preparing kids for both stability and flight
10:00 Leadership through transparency, service, and honesty
14:00 Balancing humility and excellence in corporate and creative life
19:00 The spark: how community theater unlocked his purpose
26:00 The wild journey from mall arrest to military to acting
30:00 How military roles launched his Hollywood career
32:00 Joining SAG and finding support through the veteran entertainment network
34:00 Why integrity and service matter more than talent alone
36:00 Saying hello: why kindness opens more doors than you realize
38:00 The truth about acting—it’s not glamour, it’s emotional labor
39:00 Behind the scenes on Jane the Virgin and being invited back
42:00 How to build trust and long-term relationships in any industry
44:00 Redefining wealth and legacy: success beyond shiny things
48:00 The #1 mindset shift Chris wishes he learned as a child
51:00 Kat reflects on teaching mindset and self-worth to kids
53:00 Chris’s message to educators and caregivers: plant the seed of worth
55:00 What it means to live a “Wildly Wealthy Life”
57:00 Where to find Chris and what’s next in his career
Mentioned in this episode:
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
I did not know how much the militaryor my military experience would pay
off or play a part in my acting career.
Mm-hmm.
Like the first slew of roles, itwas always young military, young cop
police, and I figured out, okay, I knowwhat Hollywood views as military guy.
(00:23):
I get it.
That's not true.
We're all different.
We're all unique.
Right.
You know, NCIS, this NCIS, that, andthere's a new NCIS, which I just booked
again, so I'll be shooting that next week.
Thank you.
But this particular character, I'mlike, oh, I know this character.
In this particular case, this wasliterally me like 10, 15, 20 years ago.
(00:45):
You know, it's all by God's design,but when you're going through life.
There's a lot of peaks and valleys thatwe go through, um, but we don't realize
how a lot of those things that mayseem to bring so much doubt or fear or
confusion will be some of those momentsthat really become pillars and foundations
(01:06):
of the great things that are to come.
Coming to the show, we have Mr.Christopher Allen, a good and amazing
friend, father, husband, actor, veteran.
(01:27):
He has so many titles, it's unbelievable.
But he has blessed many, a stage TVand movie screen that many of you
have been able to see and witness.
Some of you played video games,uh, using him as a character.
It's pretty amazing.
But he hails from Nashville, Tennessee.
Also traveled through Memphis, Tennessee,Atlanta, Georgia, and then, uh, all
(01:49):
the way up until high school, uh,or his senior year of high school,
he ended in Baltimore, Maryland.
From Baltimore, he went to MorganUniversity and after his first year,
decided to pivot and joined theUS Air Force, uh, where he was an
air traffic controller for severalyears before he, uh, decided to.
(02:13):
Get out of the military andcome to LA to study acting.
And he has been acting, uh,since his move out to la.
He's been blessed in many differentways and, uh, most importantly,
his family and his wife.
He thanks them all and gives them all thesupport for all the success that he's had.
And right now we get to welcome Mr.
(02:35):
Christopher Halen.
Stay tuned.
Hey, my name is Kat.
And I'm Lee.
And welcome to the
Wildly Wealthy Life Podcast.
In this show, we explore the journeyof what it means to live a truly
exceptional and fulfilling life.
Each episode focuses on how afoundation of brilliant minds and
(02:56):
brave arts nurtured through thearts leads to lifelong success.
Get inspired with actionabletips to foster a growth mindset,
leadership values, and creativityin children and adults turning
their potential into lastingcontributions for their communities.
We hope that you embrace the challengeto shift your perspective as we equip
you and the next generation foray.
(03:17):
Wildly wealthy, wildly wealthy life.
We just had our conversationwith Christopher Allen.
It was so fun.
Babe, what's some ofyour biggest takeaways?
Well, I love Christopher, number one.
He's an amazing man.
Mm-hmm.
(03:37):
Christopher, if you'relistening, you are amazing.
Thank you for everything that you doand really his leadership through.
Servitude mm-hmm.
Is such an important lesson and youguys really need to listen from start
to finish to hear this whole story.
And, uh, what about you?
Uh, yeah, I think same thing.
Uh, his outlook on the heart for serviceis something that is really worth noting,
(04:01):
and I think that something that we shouldall apply in our lives and the way he
just shares it is really incredible.
And like the experiences he'shad because of his heart.
For service is really wonderful.
So we'll bring him in.
Here we go.
(04:23):
So Chris, you have such aunique experience of different
roles, both now and like the.
Quote, unquote, professionalDisney World side of things.
You have the actingperformance side of things.
You've got motion capture, air force work,
fatherhood,
fatherhood, husband hood, like,there's just such a, a broad, uh,
(04:48):
approach to life or, uh, broad, uh,experience of life that you, you've had.
Um, as you look at your.
Now, what are some of the freedoms andwhat are some of the lessons that you're
trying to share with your kids to givethem that leg up that maybe you didn't
(05:09):
have or you wish you had experiencedwhen, when you were growing up?
Yeah.
Thank you for that.
For me, kind of like my lifetoday and over the past several
years, you know, things have.
On the outside looking in, beenall over the place in terms of not
having much traditional structure?
(05:32):
Yeah.
Or consistency.
So when I was younger, once my parentsseparated, even though I was always in
between Nashville, Memphis, Atlanta,and back, I was often in between
Nashville, Memphis, Atlanta, and backversus having one set of friends, uh.
(05:53):
Stable, same parental unitat home, whether it be mom,
grandparents, godparents, whoever.
There was a lot of shifting andmoving around and just doing life.
I used to say, wow, I wonder andsometimes still do think what it
would be like, what my life would belike if I did have that consistency.
(06:15):
Same school, same friends, youknow, same culture growing up.
But that wasn't my story.
I had the benefit and pleasure asI see it, of learning how to adapt.
Mm-hmm.
And
overcome in unfamiliarterritories consistently.
(06:35):
If so, now whether I'm faced withsituations or an opportunity in the
corporate world at Disney, or whichis very structured and it is a. If you
would like to, you have an opportunityto show up, look away, talk away,
dress away, and imagine being that way,literally for 20 to 25 to 30 to 40 to
(07:01):
50 years, uh, most people work there atDisney unless they're, you know, fired
or let go, or laid off or whatever.
Mm-hmm.
See the benefit of that.
I appreciate the consistencyin what that offers.
However, I don't like it.
Mm-hmm.
(07:21):
Now that it's offered to me, but I'm olderand understand, I would rather be able
to, okay, I can do the Disney thing, Ican hop on set and be fun and be free.
I can call back on my memory about theAir Force and remember what that was like.
And apply that today.
So as far as my kids are concerned, I'mglad that I'm able to say, okay, I would
(07:43):
like to provide you that consistencythat I did not have at home between
mom and I, and safety, and securityand faith and what we believe and why.
Mm-hmm.
And also so to you that thereis a world of possibility.
You have the foundation,you have the structure.
I've taught you how to fly, so when itcomes time for you to run and jump and
(08:05):
spread your wings off that cliff, hey.
Prep you the store, baby.
I am prep you the store.
You know what I mean?
You may rock two feet assoon as you get off, but just
remember you were made for this.
You know what I mean?
Yeah.
And those rocky, you know, shakytimes are guaranteed either way.
So just about our perspectiveand how we see them and how we
(08:26):
choose to adapt and overcome.
So, um, my goal iswhether I have two boys.
Mm-hmm.
Um, three, almost four.
The other one is seven one.
Came outta the womb.
More like, okay.
Boundaries, guidelines, yeah.
Cool.
The other one is more likeme, boundaries and guidelines.
(08:51):
He understands that they're there.
But he understands that they're therefor the average person, excuse me.
He, his guidelines are outside of everyoneelse's, uh, for his own logical reasons.
And I'm like that too.
But the beauty of just seeing who theyare and how certain approaches and, and
things can be applied to them is great.
So my goal is to take what I'velearned, uh, allow them to be them
(09:13):
themselves and just hopefully helpthem, you know, work out and steer this
thing called life the best they can.
That's awesome.
Yeah.
Wow.
And in all of your experiences, Chris,uh, I know you've had a lot, you know,
as we already kind of shared here.
Um, what has been the main, if youfeel like you, if you were to kind of
(09:34):
really expand on this one thing, themain thing that you feel that you've
held onto because it's the leadershipskill or the value that has really
helped you in everything you've done?
Yeah, I'll say.
Transparency.
Not that I've done these thingswell, but when I have work like a
(09:55):
trauma, transparency, honesty, andunderstanding what it means to serve.
Mm-hmm.
If you can grow to appreciate and justwork on those things, and by you I mean
we and myself included, you'll begin tosee the value of those things and how
(10:16):
the average person in the workforce.
I'm sure many of us have experienced,we'll get distracted by the wrong thing.
For example, we spoke about meworking at Disney and pursuing acting.
So acting is my passion.
Acting is the thing that I love to do.
Acting is something thatI've been blessed to do.
I. At a cool level, and I continueto be a part of those opportunities.
(10:41):
So I'm, I'm thankful to God for that.
Mm-hmm.
But I've always had a day job, evenin times in my career where I didn't
quote unquote have to, I've had aday job, so I'll go in entry level.
When I first got to la I, well, I don'tknow if I should tell people I'm an actor.
I don't wanna get fired.
I'm just gonna lie about it.
Um, and hope it all works out.
But then it got to the pointwhere I was like, wait a minute.
(11:03):
It wasn't even about being necessarilyhonest, like I shouldn't be lying, which
shouldn't have, shouldn't have been.
But it was more so about if I havethis thing in my heart that I feel that
I've been gifted and called to do, whywould I be shy or ashamed or say, this
is what I am and this is what I am.
This is what I do, and thenartistically and then hide it from you.
Mm-hmm.
(11:24):
I'm not giving my heart tojust do that it deserves.
Mm-hmm.
So then it got to a point to say, Hey,let me be honest with these people.
Companies, employers, whatever.
I am an actor.
This is my pursuit.
I wanna be transparent with you.
I also wanna be honest with you andsay, Hey, I may not hit the mark every
time, but my goal for you is to give you110% because I do have other pursuits.
(11:50):
I don't necessarily wanna be herein 15 years, so therefore I need
to show you that while I am here.
I wanna show up and, and aim fora hundred percent, 110%, even
if I only hit 80 consistently.
Let's be honest with each other.
People who do wanna be at thiscompany, on average, maybe you
get a good 75 to 80 period, right?
May or may not be striving for that 110%.
(12:12):
So the more I just had conversationswith people being open and honest
with them, they begin to appreciatethat honesty because the average
person, even if they do wanna workthere, is not necessarily gonna be.
Honest with you from the jump aboutwhat their goals, their dreams or
aspirations are definitely about thingsthat may keep me from getting this job.
Mm-hmm.
Right.
So people will say things like, youknow what, I appreciate your honesty.
(12:34):
Okay, cool.
Uh, we understand you havegoals because everyone does.
It's not just me.
Especially in a city like la,most people are not like really
wanting to be a valet friend.
Let's just be honest.
Okay.
Yeah.
So nothing
wrong with it.
I was a valet and it wasgreat while it lasted.
You know what I mean?
So again, it's not likewe're fooling anyone.
(12:55):
People get it.
And so that just shows, okay, ifI do hire this person something, I
also try to instill into my kids.
If I do hire this person, at leastI know what to expect, right?
That transl into security.
Expectation.
Less surprises.
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Less turnover.
If you wanna talk about budgetary things,you know, if this person leaves, well at
(13:18):
least I'll have an expectation of why.
Right?
We already talked about they're gonnawork hard and do those kind of things.
So, uh, that's just an example of whatI meant by transparency, um, being
honest and then what it is to serve.
Whether it's a valet or whetherit's a Disney Prime example, I'm a
manager of the Walt Disney Company.
I work on the corporateside in post-production.
(13:40):
Think of me as a liaisonbetween filmmakers and
post-production and the studio.
Once the filmmakers show up and say,okay, we got the footage from the
actors, everybody, now we need to putthis movie together, splice it together.
They come to us.
We give them a literal space to dothat, and if they need something
from the studio, they call my team.
(14:01):
So my day may consist of organizing theirequipment, making sure that they have
what they need to literally, uh, turnon the lights in the room, whatever.
Or it could mean the Cheeto box is emptyand the client really prefer hot Cheetos.
So can you take the hot Cheetos outand make sure you put the other Cheetos
(14:21):
in, or even just coworkers downstairs.
So imagine me coming from set.
Or from that motion capture, uh,experience that you spoke of being
ushered around and the big blacktrucks and new electric Cadillacs
and all that kind of stuff.
First class flights and thenI come back to Disney and as
(14:42):
soon as I get in the door, HeyChris, the fruit basket is empty.
Can you get on that for me, brother?
Thanks.
Let me know when you're done.
Yeah, it's very trippy.
Yeah, they're humbling.
Yeah.
So I, even with knowing the beautyof servanthood and in order to
be the a most impactful leader,you've gotta know how to serve.
To be, you have to be, have tobe an impactful, uh, servant.
(15:06):
Even with me knowing that andgoing through all this experience
that we just shared, it's harddepending on what that task is.
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
But to be able to show impressivefeel that you're willing
to do it when people know.
Again, honestly, people know,okay, we got this, we got this
brother out here doing this.
And the people I talk to, myleadership at the company,
(15:28):
they, they appreciate my acting.
They champion me there and they alsoappreciate what I bring to the company on
the professional corporate side of things.
And they're just waiting forme to say, okay, I'm all in, or
I'm gonna go act full time now.
So don't get me wrong, they're supportive.
They love me in terms ofall that kind of stuff.
Um, and they also understandthat, Hey Chris, we get it.
(15:50):
It's tough, but at the end of the day,we do need these baskets stacked, right?
And that's just what it is.
Um, but that's an example of reallyhaving to humble myself, oneself
and say, okay, I need to serve.
'cause guess what?
I'll conclude on this.
When I show up to set, I. Youbetter believe that I'm looking
for those welts fruit snack packs.
I go crafty becauseit's my favorite snack.
(16:14):
Well, hey, here we go.
I just wanna kind of share,'cause you saying that Chris,
about like transparency.
It just brought me back.
I haven't thought of this in a long time.
It just literally brought me back.
I was like, oh yeah, I remember thatwhen I first came here and I wanted to
be a dancer and I would like go lookfor jobs and I had another layer of um.
(16:35):
Difficulty added to that because atthat time I didn't have my papers.
So not only did I like, hi, I want thejob, can you pay me cash under the table?
Like
directions paper?
Yeah,
because yeah, yeah.
Like my immigration papers.
Oh, okay.
I
didn't have my immigrationpapers yet figured out, you know?
'cause I was actually on a touristvisa when I first came here.
(16:56):
So I had that another layer up oflike, uh, yeah, um, I actually need
to be paid in cash 'cause I don't.
I'm not legally not allowed to work here.
Mm. And then by the way, I'm a dancer orat least trying to be a working dancer.
And at any point I could just,I just need to call in and
say, sorry, I can't be there.
Right.
(17:16):
And that level of fear of like, I.Who, I need this job, but I can't let
them know that I'm a dancer becausethere's potential that I might call
out, you know, all these things.
Mm-hmm.
And there's a potential that itcould happen multiple times in a
week, and I have no control over it.
Right.
And, and then realizing.
(17:37):
The only way for this to actually workis to actually be truthful about it.
It's the only way, you know, and, and soyeah, it's, it's funny that it's a memory
that I have not thought of in a long time.
And you just saying thatreally brought all that back.
Yeah.
Um, and.
We've known each other for a while, Chris.
Yes.
And uh, your honesty and transparency is,is always like something I look forward
(18:02):
to, like speaking with you on, whetherit's, um, things that you're sharing,
you know, for me or just what, you know,whatever struggles you're going through,
your open, you do have that humility andit's such a beautiful characteristic.
But I. I can see that you justexcelling in so many different ways
from where you're at right now, becauseyou have such a balance of that.
(18:24):
The leadership, the, um, humor,humor, the ex, just the uh, the
excellence when you're on stage andyou go into that performance side
of things, but then also just the.
The gift that you're able to giveother people by stepping back and
having that humility, being ableto serve and to lift others up.
I try to echo that as much as I canin my, in my role also at at work,
(18:48):
where you have to get in the weeds, youknow, with, with the people that you're
working with and that you're serving for.
And that's such a greatposition that you're in.
I know you're gonna not be thereprobably your entire life by any means.
I know you're gonna excel in.
Blow up in different directions.
Um, but I do think that these aredefinite lifelong lessons that
(19:11):
you're gonna be carrying throughwith you, your, your entire life.
I wanted to ask though, too, youmentioned that, you know, acting, it's
who you are, it's what brings you life.
It's that mm-hmm.
What you feel you could,you've been called to do.
When did you start gettingexposed to theater and acting?
'cause it sounded like you, youknow, with the childhood you're
moving between Memphis, Atlanta,and every, what was the first
(19:34):
opportunity you had to get into acting?
And then when did you really feel likethis is the calling, like this is God
the divine, and everybody speaking to youand saying, you need to step out on this?
Yeah.
Yeah.
I just got a little emotional thinkingabout this question for some reason.
I don't know why.
I'll just keep talkingand we'll figure it out.
(19:55):
So when I was in elementary schoolor middle school, maybe freshman
year, you know, what do you wannabe when you grow up, doctor, lawyer,
football player, actor, whatever.
Seemed cool at the time, right?
Again, without having thatstructure and consistency, my
mind truly wasn't on the future.
(20:16):
My mind was on.
Right now.
Mm-hmm.
Whatever was in front of me and meas a, as a child, trying to grapple
with having, even though I didn'tknow what, how to word it or frame
it or process it with my world being
deconstructed in a very aggressive andviolent way, talking about divorce.
(20:38):
And as a child, not knowingwhat to do with that.
And you know, my mom doing herbest and she was very protective,
overprotective because she was asingle mom just trying to do her best
to raise me and do her thing, right?
So my life was just about the now.
So I didn't really have ahard goal of being anything in
particular when I was younger.
I think I did a play in highschool, which was not good.
(21:00):
Um, my ninth grade year.
So Nashville School of the Arts, Ihear, I haven't been back to Nashville
where I'm from in a long time.
Unfortunately, I hear Nashville School ofthe Arts is a very, very good school now.
Great school.
When I was there, it wasliterally first started.
They sent out letters in themail, Hey, check a box here if
you wanna go to this school.
That school, this school for highschool, Nashville School of the
(21:21):
Arts was one of the boxes I checked.
Mm-hmm.
There's a lot of thesesystem, as far as I know.
Mm-hmm.
Getting there, going there.
We did one play.
The drama teacher gotfired for some reason.
I don't remember.
It was in shambles, is what I'm saying.
It wasn't like a Julliardof the South by any anyways.
Okay.
It was just a play.
I was just doing it.
I was just hanging out.
(21:41):
I don't think I looked at anylines, you know what I mean?
I just think I just showed upfor the performance and you know.
Fumbled my way through the, it wasvery disrespectful of the craft itself.
It was disrespectful to the audience,to the teacher, to my classmates, you
know, just the kid doing whatever.
So that probably was my firstintroduction, but literally I
could have been playing kickball.
It, it really didn't matter.
(22:01):
Yeah.
Um, I think I may have auditionedalso before high school for a
a, a School of the Arts there.
And I do remember it notbeing a good experience.
Like the teacher was like, this kid.
No, it doesn't need to be here,doesn't need to be acting, doesn't
need to be doing anything artistic.
And it was quite negative.
(22:23):
And so we move on from that andjust go to school or whatever.
And then again, moving back and forth.
I was speed up to story myjunior year in high school.
Ended up moving to um, Atlanta fora little bit, and then ultimately
Baltimore for my senior year.
Why did I move?
Well, my friends and I thought it wouldbe a good idea to go to the mall and take
(22:48):
things that not belong to us clothing.
Listen to this story.
This go.
Okay.
Anyway, so you know how during promseason in school, well, at least in
the south anyway, they'll always have,uh, kids from the local community
or whatever, do a fashion show.
Yeah.
You know, Texas dresses, whateverI was doing that I thought it would
(23:11):
be a good idea to do what my friendsand I have been doing in full tuxedo.
Get up garb, walk aroundand basically steal clothes.
What we would do is we wouldgo behind the cash wrap.
Hey Kitty, go behind the cash wrap.
And you can be a part of the story too.
That's right.
I the actor here, Chris.
Um, go behind the cash wrap, take bags.
(23:33):
Right.
And then just put clothing in thebag to look like we were shopping.
I decided to, I love it.
Stuff as much, many things not thinking.
Well, a cashier would just give you.
Two or three bags versusstuffing all this stuff in here.
So I was looking like foolish and I wouldwalk outside, push stuff under a car.
(23:53):
Right?
Go back in, do it again.
The last time I came outsidewas like a team of security
guards waiting for me, whatever.
Okay son.
Ah, gotta go win.
So back during that time, if you,this was all like Ralph Lauren
and Tommy and all that kind stuff.
We used to work.
Yeah.
So you didn't need muchto get over $500 worth of.
Whatever.
Yeah, yeah.
(24:13):
It was over
500 bucks.
It's a felony, which meansyou gotta go to court.
It was Friday, the courts are closed, sonow that meant you have to go to juvenile
for the weekend until you can go to court.
So I had to call my mom andnot say, Hey mom, I'm done.
Can't come pick me up.
But hey mom, I'm, I got arrested.
(24:34):
So she was like, okay, well hey,I'm not gonna come pick you up.
Sorry.
You know better.
So I had to call my godfather.
He came and picked me up.
My mom was like, I gottaget this kid outta here.
So I ended up moving to Atlanta for abit with my uncle, and then ultimately to
Maryland, which is where my mom had moved.
Mm. Yeah.
(24:54):
The story's going somewhere.
Don't work.
Oh, I, I'm in, finished mysenior year in Baltimore.
Kind of fell into the local college there.
Just because I was like, oh, Iguess I should go to college.
I graduated high school.
I took like the SAT or whateverit was, or AC a CT at that time.
Mm-hmm.
Like the last possible time scored highenough, at least to get into college.
(25:16):
Went to college there, one of themembers in our friend group up and
left and went to the Air Force.
Mm-hmm.
Look, okay.
So I'm traveling, going back andforth to New York during this time,
just doing some different things,not really focused on school.
Uh, other things happen.
I'm like, you know what?
The only way I would stop going toschool if something crazy happened.
(25:37):
My mom was like, Chris,you're not focused.
Just come move this at this time.
She's moved to Florida.
She said, Chris, just come down here.
Get your life back together.
Figure it out.
And I'm like, the only way I'mgonna move is if I crash my car.
Something crazy.
She's, I crashed my car like a week later.
I'm like, all right, I guess I'm going.
Be careful what you say, I guess.
Yeah.
(25:57):
Yeah.
So I'm in Miami, southBeach every weekend.
In my mom's car until the sun comes up.
My mom is like, Hey man, this is notwhy I told you to come here in my car.
So I'm fussing, I'm yelling, I'm fighting.
I'm acting crazy.
Uh, and it got to the point where Icalled out my friend, I said, Hey,
Terrence, you like the military?
(26:18):
Said, yeah man, I love it.
So I literally went, didn't sayanything to my mom or anybody else.
I signed up for the military on a whim.
God was looking out for me.
I ended up being an air traffic controllerthere at the air traffic controller Tower.
One of the civilians, his wife neededsome volunteers for community theater.
I said yes, no one else did.
(26:40):
That is the true spark that kicked off.
Okay, maybe I want todo this thing for real.
Mm-hmm.
I did two plays.
Uh, one was a musical, one was astage play, traditional stage play.
I had a blast and I decided, um,when I got out was like a year later
to move to LA and give it a shot.
Wow.
(27:00):
Yeah.
Wow,
that's cool.
That's a cool story.
Like there's just so manyconnecting pieces to it, you know?
And just if you look back,you're like, it was it.
I mean, 'cause it's alwaysin hindsight, right?
Like we, we don't know until we're likepast it and we look back, we're like,
oh, okay, this is why this happened.
Almost like a consistencyand inconsistency and then.
The adaptability that you had to gothrough those different cities, different
(27:24):
friend groups, different experienceswith the shoplifting and the, uh,
getting into school or graduating andthen getting into college, and then
just all the, all of that is Yeah.
Yeah.
It's amazing.
What, first of all, as an airtraffic controller in the Air Force,
do you have a favorite aircraft?
(27:44):
Actually, by default, I do.
My favorite aircraft is.
The F 22 Raptor, they have like F 22 Aor F 22, whatever it is now, but mm-hmm.
So when the Raptor first came out.
We were one of the basicsthat they were testing.
So I mean, that thing would comeout and if it rained one, and this
(28:05):
is Florida, so it rains, right?
If it wonder just every day that thingto it, right back into the thing.
Everything had to be perfect.
Conditions had to be perfect, you know?
So we saw it like go and go back,taxi out and go back, and then
eventually got up in the air.
But the difference between, so, um.
(28:26):
My base, Tendo Air Force Base, air Forcebase in Panama City, Florida was, is a
fighter try fighter pilot training base.
So once the fighters or the pilots getqualified to test on the fighter plane,
um, they come to our base and they'll doall the practices and their approaches
and the dog fighting the pretendwars out in the airspace or whatever.
(28:48):
Um, but those are f fifteensfor the most part on our base.
Yeah.
So it was cool to see this brandnew fighter that was essentially.
Replace or be the new F 15.
Um, and the difference betweenthose two aircraft was amazing.
The F 15, for example, uh, if it takesoff to do a quick climb, which is where
they straight up, yeah, go on the runwayand man this way, then they kind of, yeah.
(29:13):
With the F 22, when they came out, itwas like, you know, and straight up.
So it was wild.
And so that's why it's my favorite plane.
That's amazing.
Yeah, they, uh, I'm a bitof a nerd and, uh, oh yes.
Love, love watching the,uh, F 20 twos fly around.
Um, do you know Fort Hill AirForce Base, did you ever spend
any time over there or No.
Where's that?
Uh, Utah.
(29:34):
Uh, my brother lives at the endof the runway basically, and they
have a whole fleet of those, sothey're always cruising around.
And he hates 'em only becausethey're loudest damn thing.
Yeah.
Um, but he, he workson the Air Force base.
He plane paints, planes andstuff, so he, he gets up close and
personal with a bunch of those.
Nice.
Um, sorry, that was atotal, like sidetrack.
(29:54):
I was just Oh, good.
In.
I did not know how much the militaryor my military experience would pay
off or play a part in my acting career.
Mm-hmm.
Like the first slew of roles, itwas always young military, young cop
(30:16):
police, and I figured out, okay, I knowwhat Hollywood views as military guy.
I get it.
That's not true.
We're all different.
We're all unique.
Right.
But I know what they perceive it as.
Yeah.
So you know, NCIS, all those, I've beenon NCIS, this NCIS that, and there's
(30:38):
a new NCIS, which I just booked again,so I'll be shooting that next week.
Thank you.
This particular character, I'mlike, oh, I know this character.
In this particular case, this wasliterally me like 10, 15, 20 years ago.
Wow.
Those were things, uh, you know, it's allby God's design, but when you're going
through life and a lot of that stuff ishard, you know, we talked about separation
(31:02):
and then this, and being at a new placeand being the new, new kid every time.
Right.
And all that kind of stuff.
Or just new adult, anywhere, newjob, new city, whatever it is.
There's a lot of peaks and valleys thatwe go through, but we don't realize how
a lot of those things that may seem tobring so much doubt or fear or confusion
(31:25):
will be some of those moments thatreally become pillars and foundations
of the great things that are to come.
Mm-hmm.
You know?
Mm-hmm.
Wow.
That's really awesome.
Could you talk on how the militarykinda set you up to get into sag?
'cause I know you did some work.
Yeah.
(31:45):
Um, how did I get into sag?
Oh, so there's a groupout in LA called, uh, VME.
It used to be VFT, veteransand Film and Television.
Now it's veterans andMilitary and Entertainment.
Mm-hmm.
Uh, they are a resource group basicallyfor veterans who have any aspirations or
who are in the entertainment industry.
(32:06):
Period.
Doesn't have to be active.
Whatever it is.
And so being able to connect withgroups like that, to have resources
with people who are working at thestudios or working as writers or
directors, uh, or just who have beenout here forever and are veterans with
connections, has been really a blessingand, um, quite impactful and helpful.
The way I got into Sac technicallythough, was I think I had a
(32:27):
couple of vouchers I needed maybeone more, uh, before SAG after.
Before SAG and AFTRA merged, anybodywho was AFTRA already, this is for the
union nerds out there if they mm-hmm.
Are any, uh, if you were aftra,once the unions joined, you
automatically became sag.
Mm-hmm.
(32:47):
Technically how?
Gotcha.
Gotcha, gotcha.
What's cool too is like with yourexperiences, just the amount of people
that you've been able to help, 'causeI've seen it like, you know, with the
theater company that we've been a part of.
And, uh, just in your life with reallyserving your community and lifting
others up, do you have guidelines,some approaches that you typically take
(33:11):
that would help other people kind ofexplore, you know, their passions, their.
Access to being able to get intolike the acting world as, or
the creative world in general?
Mm-hmm.
Actually, yeah, we can kind
of sum all of that up.
One, we have to remember thatwe're all human beings, right?
So we can focus on our differences.
(33:31):
Or what he has, or she hasand we don't, et cetera.
Or we can focus on the fact thatat the end of the day, I don't
need to let those things move me.
I don't need to worry, be worried aboutwhat someone else has, nor I need to,
nor do I need to spend time and energyfocusing on someone else who may be hating
on me or whatever because of what I door don't have, all that kind of stuff.
Hmm.
(33:52):
Whether it's working at Disney,whether it's being on set, we all
understand that when you spend.
What's the statistics?
Say you spend more time in the car betweenthe car and at work, you more time.
You spend more time in trafficand at work people, you spend
more time with them doing thatthan you are like at home, right?
So people wanna spend, ideally a lot oftime with people that they get along with.
(34:14):
So whether you walk into an audition room,whether you walking into an interview
setting or a workplace or whatever.
You wanna present and be someonewho is transparent, someone who
is honest, someone who's downto serve and dying to help.
Because people may say, okay,this is somebody I can stand
to be around for five minutes.
Mm-hmm.
For 12 hours if we're talking about beingon set 12, 14 hours a day or whatever.
(34:38):
So one, just a reminder to listen, wedon't have to be crabs in the bucket.
You can walk into an audition roomand feel like, listen, I am here.
I have this gift.
If this role is for me, if thisjob is for me, it's for me.
Doesn't really matter as much.
Who's the best in the room?
Yeah.
I'm gonna bring my best, whetherI've been acting for a day
(34:59):
or for 15 years, either way.
Yeah.
So I don't need to worry about that.
And people trust me, canfeel that in the room.
You walk into an audition room, youwalk into an interview, whether it's on
Zoom or in person, you walk into a room.
(35:19):
People often give off a vibe.
We either compelled to thatvibe or we're, what is it, re
repelled, repost, vibe, whatever.
We don't, we don't want that vibe.
Right?
Yeah.
And it's the same thing in aninterview, in an audition room.
So thinking about just beinga human serving, right?
What are some ways thatkeeps me in that mindset?
(35:41):
Well, serving can simply mean ifI'm online going to the commissary.
I'm gonna say hello to the personwho's cooking the food, handing me
the food, taking my money as I go.
When I got to Disney, um, I startedduring the pandemic, so everything
was shut down and I had time to haveconversations with people who worked on
the lot, tradesmen, janitors, whatever.
(36:03):
And I do remember a quick conversationwith someone who worked in the
commissary, in the cafeteria there.
She was like, you know, all these yearsI've been here, you are one of the first
people that consistently says hello.
Hi.
How are you?
I've only been there a year.
Again, I already said most people workat Disney for 20 to 50 to 30 to 40 years.
Mm-hmm.
(36:24):
Now, I wasn't surprised to hearher say that, but it's always sad
mm-hmm.
To
hear people say things like that.
One of the drivers when I was, uh, workingon a gig, same type of thing, like, look
man, I appreciate you being so nice.
Most people that sit in theback, they don't say nothing.
And I get that.
Maybe you're a person who'sjust quiet, introvert.
It's cool.
(36:46):
But if that's really true,that can read positively too.
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Versus you making a choiceto be like, you know what?
I'm taking my food, I'm gone.
Or maybe just subconsciously.
Being so focused on your meetingthat you have at two 30 that you
just forgot to look up and say hello.
Okay, fine, I get it.
But for those of us who make it apoint to recognize those things,
(37:08):
you'll find yourself being affordedmuch more grace and success.
Mm-hmm.
Oh gosh.
This is so good.
I love that you share that.
'cause I look at Lee,that's literally how Lee is.
He, he, he always says hi to everybody.
It's, it's awesome.
Um.
The serving, like in in the acting world.
Yeah.
I
think it's really awesome that you kindof, your heart is always about service
(37:33):
and I think that's a testament to the factthat you have been able to consistently
book jobs because exact It's exactly that.
I think that I realized, um, youknow, I think a lot of people think
about Hollywood and Los Angeles andthey're like, oh, I wanna be an actor.
And everyone is always lookingat the glitz and glamor.
Right.
(37:53):
And then you don't realize the workit takes to actually be a good actor.
It takes so much work.
And I didn't know that untilI took a Meisner class.
And, um, I would, I every weekit was just like, gosh, this is a
lot of like, shedding of yourself.
Mm-hmm.
And letting go of yourself.
(38:13):
Mm-hmm.
And actually not looking at like, oh.
Look at me and what I can do, but reallyactually connecting with your character
so that you can serve the audience.
It is, and I never saw it that way untilI was in the thick of those classes
and realized, gosh, acting is hard.
Wow.
Like, yeah.
(38:34):
You know, and realizing,um, do I really want this?
This is really difficult.
So I Thank you for sharing that.
I guess I'm curious whathas been like your favorite.
Job, like acting job.
I, I watched a TV show, Jane theVirgin, um, that was my, you know,
guilty flesher show and Lee didn'twatch pretty much any of it.
It was me binging it.
(38:54):
Okay.
And, and I love that show.
That show is crazy.
Just crazy out of this world.
Crazy, you know, all the,all the twists and turns.
And of course you were on that show,so when, when you, you came on, I
was like, oh, that's, that's Chris.
So, uh, any of your favoriteshops that you wanna share about.
What I like to say about Jane theVirgin, thank you, very kind of you
(39:16):
to, to bring it up, is one that's oneof those cool traditional Hollywood
stories where it was supposed to bejust, first of all, I auditioned for that
show six, seven times, which is normal.
Not necessarily fun all the time, butthat just means casting appreciates
you and they'll keep calling you backuntil they find the right opportunity.
(39:37):
Mm-hmm.
Addition for that show a lot.
It was only supposed to be a day ortwo, and then it ended up being like
two, two and a half, three seasons.
So always grateful, uh, toGod for that opportunity.
And for Gina Rodriguez and Jenny Irwin,the showrunner who basically, and again,
we just got through saying it, thatthey literally told me and one of the,
uh, writers was like, you know, Chris.
(39:59):
We saw you and your first day or twoyou came in, we saw you and Michael,
the other actor, or Brett doingyour thing, and we're like, huh.
Something about this guy
I didn't like.
Mm-hmm.
Around.
That's how it always goes.
Again.
One, yes.
Uh, Brett, who plays Michael, he and I,we did have good chemistry in that scene.
(40:23):
It did just fit, but also.
Jean and I, I think just through chattingor whatever, uh, had good conversations
and one, she's just a great leader on set.
It does make a difference.
It's just like any other job, whoever'snumber one on the call sheet or
like the star of the show mm-hmm.
They set the tone
mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Of the show.
And by the tone, I mean yeah.
(40:45):
Of the show that she's on tv, butlike the, the real life stuff.
Are they nice?
Are they kind?
Mm-hmm.
Are they respectful?
You have to be quiet and I'lllook at them when they come on set
or they're like, no, no, no, no.
Everyone's gonna be respectful here.
Whether you're an extra, whether theyhave one day, no lines or all the lines.
Mm-hmm.
The star of the show sets that tone andeverybody else kind of follows suit.
(41:06):
Mm-hmm.
And Gina set a very positive tone.
Everybody matters.
So it was really easy to vibe with her.
First of all.
Um, again, we had a cool vibe and soeverything just kind of worked well
again, and we all kind of envisioned.
I could probably work hereall the time and have a blast.
Mm-hmm.
I felt it.
They felt it.
That's why, along with the chemistrywith the other actors and the fun scene
(41:27):
and stuff, I was able to be called back.
But that's just, it'sthe same thing at Disney.
It's the same exact thing.
At Disney, I've been able tocome to know a number of key
senior executives at the company.
Mm-hmm.
And our rapport is not.
Oh, here comes the president of music.
(41:49):
Uh, I know what else?
And I get that.
And that's normal.
Uh oh.
Here comes the rock, Dwayne Johnson.
Oh, oh, oh.
Like it's normal.
Yes, I get it.
But if we spend this time being humble,honest, transparent, and realizing that
we're all people here at the end ofthe day, and you live your life that
way, it also comes off as refreshing.
(42:11):
When you do get aroundpeople who are used to.
Being put on a pedestal or maybe peopleare shy or nervous, it becomes refreshing.
Oh, again, here we go.
This is a guy I can havea conversation with.
Yeah.
But now, for example, with the presidentof music at Disney, he and I, I'll go to
his office and you know, we just chat.
Yes.
You know what I mean?
And, um, he's like, you know, Chris,I, I, I appreciate our dynamic.
(42:35):
You really seem like a Disney dude.
A Disney guy.
So if you find something that youlike, let me know whether it's here
or whether it's at a different studio.
I know people, and it's so interestinghaving these conversations 'cause
the, uh, the average employeeat Disney will make sense.
They're like, oh really?
Tom?
Like, oh yeah, great.
Like, here's a list of things.
(42:56):
But I've looked for that list.
I've searched for things at Disneythat I could possibly do despite
me knowing that acting are my thingthat I could possibly do to really.
Possibly fill my cup there.
It ain't happening.
I've honestly looked,you know what I mean?
But I think God is just like, nah, bro.
Like you're good where you are.
I'm tired.
(43:16):
And with these chills y'all, I'mtrying to find something else to do.
But God is like, no.
Okay, they're gonna be crispy and tastyand you gonna put 'em in a basket.
Alright, fine.
But no.
But seriously, whether it's being onset or being in a corporate setting,
if you could just work on being a.
As corny or crazy as it sounds, agood person who's confident in not
(43:38):
just what they do, but who they areand what it means and what value you
bring to the table and to the bottomline of the company, uh, by saying,
this is a person who I can trust.
Yeah.
This is a person who's transparent.
Mm-hmm.
They can talk in front of a room.
I can send them to Tokyo, Disney.
Or we can send him to Europe and he is notgonna embarrass production or whatever it
(44:01):
is, then that's worth his weight in gold.
And we can also talk about thisfrom a very like non spiritual.
Acty way.
We can talk about facts.
We can talk about dollars and cents too.
I can talk about what I bring tothe table from a corporate setting.
Mm-hmm.
I'll be bored with it, but if that'swhat somebody wants to talk about,
(44:21):
we can have that conversation.
Mm-hmm.
But I just been in the room and beenon set with so many people in power.
You realize that there are good peoplein power who game recognizes game
People see good people and that'sbe around at the end of the day.
Yeah.
So good.
I, yeah.
So nice.
Just to hear the continuationof what I already know.
(44:43):
You know, like Chris is the type ofguy who like randomly on like the time,
the day and time that you need it.
Like there's a text andit's just like, what's up?
Just checking on you, thinking about you.
And it's like, bro.
If I could only tell you how muchthis means to me right now, and,
uh, I always count on you to possiblysend back or reply something that only
(45:07):
Lee would send back or reply with.
Yeah.
I, uh, I'm happy to try to equalsmile in my own unique way, for sure.
Um, but you know, it's just, youdo have that, that attraction, that
charisma that draws people in and.
It's, it's your openness, it'syour willingness to serve.
(45:29):
It's your pursuit ofexcellence at the same time.
Like you're not just sitting,waiting to, um, do something.
You know, you're, you're constantly,my perspective, constantly working
on, I. Being excellent in what you do.
You know, seeing you onset when you're coming in.
You're not, um, trying to figure outyour lines like the day of, or at
(45:50):
least it doesn't appear that way.
If you are, you're excellent at it.
Uh, but you know, excellent
at acting like
you can see the work hasbeen put in, in that sense.
And I know in my heart of hearts, likewhen you go into to work, when you go
into, uh, the Disney world, when yougo into sets to do, uh, motion capture,
you carry that same excellence that.
(46:11):
Just, I'm here to serve.
I'm here to help, but I am also gonnawork my tail off to make sure, you know,
I, I produce something great and I, I,I bring something great to the table.
I have a follow up question to that.
So what I wanna know, Chris, is I. Myhope with our show right, is for this
to not just so inspirational to, to thegeneral, but also very specifically to
(46:35):
parents, educators, caregivers, um, whohave children in their lives like Lee.
And I don't have kids, but I teach kidsevery week and that's, that's my life.
I'm surrounded by kids and I love it.
It's, it's what I love to do andI, I want to be that educator that
really empowers kids and awesome.
And get to really, um.
(46:56):
Really help them work on their mindset.
So what I want to know is whereyou are now in life, and of
course, you know, there's somuch more that's in store, right?
Mm-hmm.
But where you are in all of yourlife experiences, if you look back,
is there a mindset shift or a beliefsystem that you feel, man, if I
(47:18):
only learn this as a child, if, ifsomeone taught this to me as a child.
I would have maybe, you know,again, it's all in hindsight, right?
Yeah.
But if only I taught, I, I learned thisas a child, would I have so much more,
um, tools in my toolbox as an adult?
Yeah.
(47:38):
It's the same thing todayas it would've been then
if I would've known myworth as a human being.
And what that means.
(47:58):
It has nothing to do with the tallest,the shortest, the lightest, the darkest.
We will deal with those things in life,but to know our worth, what worth means,
what value means, and how we were bornwith everything we need to be whatever
(48:19):
it is that we want to be or to attainwhatever it is we want to attain.
It's a game changer.
So whether it's me at seven or whetherit's me now being able to say, okay,
there's something I want outta life.
Even if it's just to wake up in themorning and have peace, there's something
(48:39):
I want in life and I'm not getting it.
Let me spend timefiguring out why that is.
Because that comes from insidejoy and peace comes from inside.
Mm-hmm.
So as a child and with my boys andany child that may volunteer with a
(49:00):
be around or whatever, my hope is tosow into them seeds of, of greatness.
Right.
We're not even sow into them seedsof greatness, but to, you know, bring
to light and help fertilize the seedsof greatness that are within them.
Hmm.
So we can continue to do that.
Continue to show young people.
(49:22):
That's what life is about.
For them to be able to really harnessand, and, and grapple with and get to know
how, how beautiful they are on the inside,how capable they are, what dedication
means, uh, what hard work means andrespect to whatever it is they want to do.
The hard work of just waking up inthe morning, sometimes that will
(49:43):
be the game changer, and that'sthe thing that's shifted me.
Um, and me as a man of faith,you know, I have the blessed.
Joy, even though it's not easy tofall back on the fact that I feel like
God has created me to be who I am.
Mm-hmm.
So therefore, I always havereason to, to have joy.
Um, even though I may not feel it, Ihave to continue, like I just said, do
(50:03):
what I need to do to focus in on that.
But yeah, I tell those beautifulbabies, man, that you, you're
here, you're alive, you're well,you're doing it and you're amazing.
And that it takes time,it takes dedication to.
Fertilize.
You know, you can't just throw one pieceof fertilizer and then leave it alone.
You gotta cut, you gottaprune, you gotta stay with, you
gotta wash, you gotta water.
Okay, this one likes this water uhoh.
(50:24):
This one's too much for this water.
Uhoh.
This one's going die.
Whoa.
Wait a minute.
You know, onto that TC uh, that'sbeen is the thing and, and I,
the thing that I wish I had
Yeah.
When I was younger.
Yeah.
I was just reallyencouraged by that, Chris.
Um, I've been teaching for 15 yearsover different disciplines, so I've
been always around kids teachingkids, and what I've realized is that
(50:49):
the main thing that sets apart onechild from the others is really their
mindset and who they believe they are.
That's it.
That's it.
It doesn't matter what discipline Iteach, whether I'm teaching dance or
aerial or piano or any other thing, right?
Like the thing that sets apart onechild and in their ability to succeed
(51:10):
is literally in their mindset andwhat they believe about themselves.
And so you saying that,like just going back to.
The thing that we really need toteach our kids is their worth.
It's, and, and a lot of that startswith the things that are going
on between their ears, right?
Because our minds, our mindis a playground, right?
(51:33):
Like it's a playgroundfor, for the good and.
The bad.
Yeah.
And it depends on what we are focusing on.
It depends on what we'relistening at, right.
And, and the voices that weactually allow into our, our system.
And then that affectsthe way we approach life.
And so it's just encouraging becauseme seeing that, uh, now after 15
(51:54):
years of teaching, that's why I,I got certified for this program
is called Adventurous in Wisdom.
And what that is, is it literallyteaches kids 27 life skills broken
down into these like five modules.
And the very first one is simplyteaching the kids the scientific,
the brain science about how our mindswork, the difference between conscious
(52:15):
and subconscious, all these things.
And then it goes down deeperand deeper and deeper.
It teaches kids the power ofresponsibility, integrity, um, respecting
their self, like who they are as a person.
Like actually.
Seeing their worth and teachingthem how to self-talk and, you
know, giving them these tools.
So I'm just, I, I, I just love what youshared because it gives me encouragement
(52:38):
to know that the decisions that I've beenmaking as far as like, you know, being
an educator is, is really important.
So thank you for sharing that.
Thank you and I do brieflywanna commend you for that.
And uh, also to, again, comingfrom a single parent household,
my mom was amazing and she didthrow those things into me.
And large part of the reason I am whoI am today is solely because of her.
(52:59):
Uh, but also she spent a fair amountof time doing things that she would
not have had to do, being away fromthe home or whatever, if, uh, the
situation would've been different.
So thank you for what you're doing,because even if my mom and dad
or whoever would have been theretogether, it still takes a village.
It still takes that dance teacher, thatpiano teacher, that teacher at school to
(53:19):
affirm and solidify and further fertilize.
I guess I'll just keep saying,'cause I have two plants outside.
It's my new thing.
What?
What?
One piano.
One 14.
I'm very proud.
Okay.
You're a plant dad.
What?
Yeah, I know.
Well, the first time, uh, butanyway, you get what I'm saying.
It does take that village.
So thank you.
Great job.
Kudos.
Keep it up.
Amazing.
Thank you.
Um, my final question for you,my great esteemed amazing friend
(53:44):
Christopher Ellen, if you were todefine a wildly wealthy life Oh yeah.
For our viewers, how would you do that
Wildly wealthy life?
I would have to stop and think.
Possibly not about the firstthing that comes to mind when I
think about wealth or success.
(54:08):
I possibly would have to take a momentand think a little bit deeper into that.
I've heard a lot of conversationswith people who have had all
of the things in the world.
Hmm.
But when time comes and they realizeuhoh, none of those things can save me.
Oftentimes, not a lot of time, butoftentimes I've heard people say things
(54:28):
like, wanna spend more time with family?
Maybe I would've just ostracizedmyself from so and so.
I would've maybe worked onthis relationship with whoever,
whoever, whoever, right?
So even though those shiny things, nothingwrong with the things, but when the things
take place of, you know, important thingsthat become an issue wildly wealthy life
(54:50):
for me and whatever it is for you orwhoever else, but you know, we'll get it.
Is my family happy?
Hmm.
Am I doing what I need to doto make sure they have, they're
set up for success to be happy.
Mm-hmm.
To feel safe, to feel secure, to knowthat no matter how far they go, 'cause
(55:10):
I pray they go as far as the Lord willtake them, that they always have a place
to come back to call home despite, orthese walls are structured at the time
that they can always come back to thesepeople who love them, who taught them.
Their value, their worth helps to bewild and wealthy all at the same time.
(55:36):
Um, to me that that's whatit, that that's what it means.
Legacy, you know, that's what it means.
That's what's important.
As, as much as I want to go andattain and get and keep acting and
working and doing the thing to getthe thing to help the family, yay.
To get more stuff and all that, which isgood in that, it's really to know that.
Listen, I have a house here.
(55:56):
I don't need a bigger one.
I have a car.
I don't need a faster one.
My kids don't care about that.
Mm-hmm.
My wife doesn't care about that.
Now, she may wanna do shiny Porsche,but she knows it's the one that we have.
Uh, the car that we have is justfine, but for all of us to be content
with where we are, understand ourvalue as people as we just shared,
(56:17):
especially our boys and my wife too.
Me too.
Mm-hmm.
Then listen, let's talk about it.
For that to be true is wild.
In today's society, especially withthe youth, their number one issues
are not, man, we're feeling so good.
We dunno what to do.
It's not that.
It's Oh, depression.
(56:39):
Mm-hmm.
Suicide effects of screen time.
What's happening?
People getting tired of the dating apps.
So now it's gonna be a new thingthat, you know, that's what's.
Real.
So what's wild?
It's not out to really care aboutany of that and understand, oh,
that's just what the world is.
Hmm.
At home and I know who I am and I cango out and affect change things versus
the world coming in and affectingand changing me and all the work and
(57:03):
Lee and Ka are doing with the kids atschool and with the classes or whatever.
Right.
The end.
Thank you.
And scene.
Perfect.
Thank you Chris.
With the world out there, uh, where canpeople check in and do, are any like
big gigs, any fun things coming up onthe horizon that we can find you people?
(57:26):
Follow me on social mediaat Team Chris Allen, uh,
Instagram and Twitter, you them.
Less active on Twitter,uh, and all that jazz.
I don't know when it airs, butyou can look at NCIS origin.
It's episode 1 0 9.
Mm-hmm.
So you can probably see thaton IMDB, like the schedule.
And then I'm waiting to hear back onthis potential contract role, like lead
(57:49):
role for, uh, young and the Restless.
I've auditioned for them also.
Mm. Many times I've beenon the show once or twice.
Mm-hmm.
But this time, uh, casting really, uh,likes me for this one particular role.
So casting producerstypically need to agree.
Mm-hmm.
And then we'll see what happens.
(58:10):
So hopefully you'll, you'll catch me therein a, in a, in a major capacity, but if
not, we'll see what God, what God has,and we'll all figure it out together.
That's right.
Awesome.
Well, Chris, thank youso much for your time.
This has been so lovely.
This has been great.
I miss y'all.
It's so good to see you.
I know.
So good to see you.
Come, uh, visit you soon.
(58:30):
Yeah.
Yeah, it's been awesome.
Yeah.
All right, good.
I'll give you back your
day.
Good.
And thank you for havingthis conversation with me.
I really appreciate it.
You two are the best.
Thank you.
Thanks.
You got some nuggets.
Love you.
Bye
bye.
Alright, friends, that's a wrap ontoday's episode of Wildly Wealthy Life.
We hope you're feeling firedup and ready to take on the
(58:51):
world with your brilliant mind.
And Braveheart.
If you love this episode, make sure youhit that subscribe button on YouTube
or your favorite podcast platform.
It helps us keep bringingyou the good stuff.
And hey, while you're at it,drop us a rating or review.
It takes like, what?
30 seconds and it makesa huge difference for us.
Also, if you know someone who coulduse a little guidance on growth,
mindset, leadership and creativity,share this episode with them.
(59:13):
Sometimes that one conversationcan spark up a whole new direction.
Thanks for hanging out with us today.
Go out there live wildly, be wealthyin all the ways that matter to you,
and we'll catch you on the next one.
I did not know how much the militaryor my military experience would pay
off or play a part in my acting career.
Mm-hmm.
Like the first slew of roles, itwas always young military, young cop
police, and I figured out, okay, I knowwhat Hollywood views as military guy.
(00:23):
I get it.
That's not true.
We're all different.
We're all unique.
Right.
You know, NCIS, this NCIS, that, andthere's a new NCIS, which I just booked
again, so I'll be shooting that next week.
Thank you.
But this particular character, I'mlike, oh, I know this character.
In this particular case, this wasliterally me like 10, 15, 20 years ago.
(00:45):
You know, it's all by God's design,but when you're going through life.
There's a lot of peaks and valleys thatwe go through, um, but we don't realize
how a lot of those things that mayseem to bring so much doubt or fear or
confusion will be some of those momentsthat really become pillars and foundations
(01:06):
of the great things that are to come.
Coming to the show, we have Mr.Christopher Allen, a good and amazing
friend, father, husband, actor, veteran.
(01:27):
He has so many titles, it's unbelievable.
But he has blessed many, a stage TVand movie screen that many of you
have been able to see and witness.
Some of you played video games,uh, using him as a character.
It's pretty amazing.
But he hails from Nashville, Tennessee.
Also traveled through Memphis, Tennessee,Atlanta, Georgia, and then, uh, all
(01:49):
the way up until high school, uh,or his senior year of high school,
he ended in Baltimore, Maryland.
From Baltimore, he went to MorganUniversity and after his first year,
decided to pivot and joined theUS Air Force, uh, where he was an
air traffic controller for severalyears before he, uh, decided to.
(02:13):
Get out of the military andcome to LA to study acting.
And he has been acting, uh,since his move out to la.
He's been blessed in many differentways and, uh, most importantly,
his family and his wife.
He thanks them all and gives them all thesupport for all the success that he's had.
And right now we get to welcome Mr.
(02:35):
Christopher Halen.
Stay tuned.
Hey, my name is Kat.
And I'm Lee.
And welcome to the
Wildly Wealthy Life Podcast.
In this show, we explore the journeyof what it means to live a truly
exceptional and fulfilling life.
Each episode focuses on how afoundation of brilliant minds and
(02:56):
brave arts nurtured through thearts leads to lifelong success.
Get inspired with actionabletips to foster a growth mindset,
leadership values, and creativityin children and adults turning
their potential into lastingcontributions for their communities.
We hope that you embrace the challengeto shift your perspective as we equip
you and the next generation foray.
(03:17):
Wildly wealthy, wildly wealthy life.
We just had our conversationwith Christopher Allen.
It was so fun.
Babe, what's some ofyour biggest takeaways?
Well, I love Christopher, number one.
He's an amazing man.
Mm-hmm.
(03:37):
Christopher, if you'relistening, you are amazing.
Thank you for everything that you doand really his leadership through.
Servitude mm-hmm.
Is such an important lesson and youguys really need to listen from start
to finish to hear this whole story.
And, uh, what about you?
Uh, yeah, I think same thing.
Uh, his outlook on the heart for serviceis something that is really worth noting,
(04:01):
and I think that something that we shouldall apply in our lives and the way he
just shares it is really incredible.
And like the experiences he'shad because of his heart.
For service is really wonderful.
So we'll bring him in.
Here we go.
(04:23):
So Chris, you have such aunique experience of different
roles, both now and like the.
Quote, unquote, professionalDisney World side of things.
You have the actingperformance side of things.
You've got motion capture, air force work,
fatherhood,
fatherhood, husband hood, like,there's just such a, a broad, uh,
(04:48):
approach to life or, uh, broad, uh,experience of life that you, you've had.
Um, as you look at your.
Now, what are some of the freedoms andwhat are some of the lessons that you're
trying to share with your kids to givethem that leg up that maybe you didn't
(05:09):
have or you wish you had experiencedwhen, when you were growing up?
Yeah.
Thank you for that.
For me, kind of like my lifetoday and over the past several
years, you know, things have.
On the outside looking in, beenall over the place in terms of not
having much traditional structure?
(05:32):
Yeah.
Or consistency.
So when I was younger, once my parentsseparated, even though I was always in
between Nashville, Memphis, Atlanta,and back, I was often in between
Nashville, Memphis, Atlanta, and backversus having one set of friends, uh.
(05:53):
Stable, same parental unitat home, whether it be mom,
grandparents, godparents, whoever.
There was a lot of shifting andmoving around and just doing life.
I used to say, wow, I wonder andsometimes still do think what it
would be like, what my life would belike if I did have that consistency.
(06:15):
Same school, same friends, youknow, same culture growing up.
But that wasn't my story.
I had the benefit and pleasure asI see it, of learning how to adapt.
Mm-hmm.
And
overcome in unfamiliarterritories consistently.
(06:35):
If so, now whether I'm faced withsituations or an opportunity in the
corporate world at Disney, or whichis very structured and it is a. If you
would like to, you have an opportunityto show up, look away, talk away,
dress away, and imagine being that way,literally for 20 to 25 to 30 to 40 to
(07:01):
50 years, uh, most people work there atDisney unless they're, you know, fired
or let go, or laid off or whatever.
Mm-hmm.
See the benefit of that.
I appreciate the consistencyin what that offers.
However, I don't like it.
Mm-hmm.
(07:21):
Now that it's offered to me, but I'm olderand understand, I would rather be able
to, okay, I can do the Disney thing, Ican hop on set and be fun and be free.
I can call back on my memory about theAir Force and remember what that was like.
And apply that today.
So as far as my kids are concerned, I'mglad that I'm able to say, okay, I would
(07:43):
like to provide you that consistencythat I did not have at home between
mom and I, and safety, and securityand faith and what we believe and why.
Mm-hmm.
And also so to you that thereis a world of possibility.
You have the foundation,you have the structure.
I've taught you how to fly, so when itcomes time for you to run and jump and
(08:05):
spread your wings off that cliff, hey.
Prep you the store, baby.
I am prep you the store.
You know what I mean?
You may rock two feet assoon as you get off, but just
remember you were made for this.
You know what I mean?
Yeah.
And those rocky, you know, shakytimes are guaranteed either way.
So just about our perspectiveand how we see them and how we
(08:26):
choose to adapt and overcome.
So, um, my goal iswhether I have two boys.
Mm-hmm.
Um, three, almost four.
The other one is seven one.
Came outta the womb.
More like, okay.
Boundaries, guidelines, yeah.
Cool.
The other one is more likeme, boundaries and guidelines.
(08:51):
He understands that they're there.
But he understands that they're therefor the average person, excuse me.
He, his guidelines are outside of everyoneelse's, uh, for his own logical reasons.
And I'm like that too.
But the beauty of just seeing who theyare and how certain approaches and, and
things can be applied to them is great.
So my goal is to take what I'velearned, uh, allow them to be them
(09:13):
themselves and just hopefully helpthem, you know, work out and steer this
thing called life the best they can.
That's awesome.
Yeah.
Wow.
And in all of your experiences, Chris,uh, I know you've had a lot, you know,
as we already kind of shared here.
Um, what has been the main, if youfeel like you, if you were to kind of
(09:34):
really expand on this one thing, themain thing that you feel that you've
held onto because it's the leadershipskill or the value that has really
helped you in everything you've done?
Yeah, I'll say.
Transparency.
Not that I've done these thingswell, but when I have work like a
(09:55):
trauma, transparency, honesty, andunderstanding what it means to serve.
Mm-hmm.
If you can grow to appreciate and justwork on those things, and by you I mean
we and myself included, you'll begin tosee the value of those things and how
(10:16):
the average person in the workforce.
I'm sure many of us have experienced,we'll get distracted by the wrong thing.
For example, we spoke about meworking at Disney and pursuing acting.
So acting is my passion.
Acting is the thing that I love to do.
Acting is something thatI've been blessed to do.
I. At a cool level, and I continueto be a part of those opportunities.
(10:41):
So I'm, I'm thankful to God for that.
Mm-hmm.
But I've always had a day job, evenin times in my career where I didn't
quote unquote have to, I've had aday job, so I'll go in entry level.
When I first got to la I, well, I don'tknow if I should tell people I'm an actor.
I don't wanna get fired.
I'm just gonna lie about it.
Um, and hope it all works out.
But then it got to the pointwhere I was like, wait a minute.
(11:03):
It wasn't even about being necessarilyhonest, like I shouldn't be lying, which
shouldn't have, shouldn't have been.
But it was more so about if I havethis thing in my heart that I feel that
I've been gifted and called to do, whywould I be shy or ashamed or say, this
is what I am and this is what I am.
This is what I do, and thenartistically and then hide it from you.
Mm-hmm.
(11:24):
I'm not giving my heart tojust do that it deserves.
Mm-hmm.
So then it got to a point to say, Hey,let me be honest with these people.
Companies, employers, whatever.
I am an actor.
This is my pursuit.
I wanna be transparent with you.
I also wanna be honest with you andsay, Hey, I may not hit the mark every
time, but my goal for you is to give you110% because I do have other pursuits.
(11:50):
I don't necessarily wanna be herein 15 years, so therefore I need
to show you that while I am here.
I wanna show up and, and aim fora hundred percent, 110%, even
if I only hit 80 consistently.
Let's be honest with each other.
People who do wanna be at thiscompany, on average, maybe you
get a good 75 to 80 period, right?
May or may not be striving for that 110%.
(12:12):
So the more I just had conversationswith people being open and honest
with them, they begin to appreciatethat honesty because the average
person, even if they do wanna workthere, is not necessarily gonna be.
Honest with you from the jump aboutwhat their goals, their dreams or
aspirations are definitely about thingsthat may keep me from getting this job.
Mm-hmm.
Right.
So people will say things like, youknow what, I appreciate your honesty.
(12:34):
Okay, cool.
Uh, we understand you havegoals because everyone does.
It's not just me.
Especially in a city like la,most people are not like really
wanting to be a valet friend.
Let's just be honest.
Okay.
Yeah.
So nothing
wrong with it.
I was a valet and it wasgreat while it lasted.
You know what I mean?
So again, it's not likewe're fooling anyone.
(12:55):
People get it.
And so that just shows, okay, ifI do hire this person something, I
also try to instill into my kids.
If I do hire this person, at leastI know what to expect, right?
That transl into security.
Expectation.
Less surprises.
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Less turnover.
If you wanna talk about budgetary things,you know, if this person leaves, well at
(13:18):
least I'll have an expectation of why.
Right?
We already talked about they're gonnawork hard and do those kind of things.
So, uh, that's just an example of whatI meant by transparency, um, being
honest and then what it is to serve.
Whether it's a valet or whetherit's a Disney Prime example, I'm a
manager of the Walt Disney Company.
I work on the corporateside in post-production.
(13:40):
Think of me as a liaisonbetween filmmakers and
post-production and the studio.
Once the filmmakers show up and say,okay, we got the footage from the
actors, everybody, now we need to putthis movie together, splice it together.
They come to us.
We give them a literal space to dothat, and if they need something
from the studio, they call my team.
(14:01):
So my day may consist of organizing theirequipment, making sure that they have
what they need to literally, uh, turnon the lights in the room, whatever.
Or it could mean the Cheeto box is emptyand the client really prefer hot Cheetos.
So can you take the hot Cheetos outand make sure you put the other Cheetos
(14:21):
in, or even just coworkers downstairs.
So imagine me coming from set.
Or from that motion capture, uh,experience that you spoke of being
ushered around and the big blacktrucks and new electric Cadillacs
and all that kind of stuff.
First class flights and thenI come back to Disney and as
(14:42):
soon as I get in the door, HeyChris, the fruit basket is empty.
Can you get on that for me, brother?
Thanks.
Let me know when you're done.
Yeah, it's very trippy.
Yeah, they're humbling.
Yeah.
So I, even with knowing the beautyof servanthood and in order to
be the a most impactful leader,you've gotta know how to serve.
To be, you have to be, have tobe an impactful, uh, servant.
(15:06):
Even with me knowing that andgoing through all this experience
that we just shared, it's harddepending on what that task is.
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
But to be able to show impressivefeel that you're willing
to do it when people know.
Again, honestly, people know,okay, we got this, we got this
brother out here doing this.
And the people I talk to, myleadership at the company,
(15:28):
they, they appreciate my acting.
They champion me there and they alsoappreciate what I bring to the company on
the professional corporate side of things.
And they're just waiting forme to say, okay, I'm all in, or
I'm gonna go act full time now.
So don't get me wrong, they're supportive.
They love me in terms ofall that kind of stuff.
Um, and they also understandthat, Hey Chris, we get it.
(15:50):
It's tough, but at the end of the day,we do need these baskets stacked, right?
And that's just what it is.
Um, but that's an example of reallyhaving to humble myself, oneself
and say, okay, I need to serve.
'cause guess what?
I'll conclude on this.
When I show up to set, I. Youbetter believe that I'm looking
for those welts fruit snack packs.
I go crafty becauseit's my favorite snack.
(16:14):
Well, hey, here we go.
I just wanna kind of share,'cause you saying that Chris,
about like transparency.
It just brought me back.
I haven't thought of this in a long time.
It just literally brought me back.
I was like, oh yeah, I remember thatwhen I first came here and I wanted to
be a dancer and I would like go lookfor jobs and I had another layer of um.
(16:35):
Difficulty added to that because atthat time I didn't have my papers.
So not only did I like, hi, I want thejob, can you pay me cash under the table?
Like
directions paper?
Yeah,
because yeah, yeah.
Like my immigration papers.
Oh, okay.
I
didn't have my immigrationpapers yet figured out, you know?
'cause I was actually on a touristvisa when I first came here.
(16:56):
So I had that another layer up oflike, uh, yeah, um, I actually need
to be paid in cash 'cause I don't.
I'm not legally not allowed to work here.
Mm. And then by the way, I'm a dancer orat least trying to be a working dancer.
And at any point I could just,I just need to call in and
say, sorry, I can't be there.
Right.
(17:16):
And that level of fear of like, I.Who, I need this job, but I can't let
them know that I'm a dancer becausethere's potential that I might call
out, you know, all these things.
Mm-hmm.
And there's a potential that itcould happen multiple times in a
week, and I have no control over it.
Right.
And, and then realizing.
(17:37):
The only way for this to actually workis to actually be truthful about it.
It's the only way, you know, and, and soyeah, it's, it's funny that it's a memory
that I have not thought of in a long time.
And you just saying thatreally brought all that back.
Yeah.
Um, and.
We've known each other for a while, Chris.
Yes.
And uh, your honesty and transparency is,is always like something I look forward
(18:02):
to, like speaking with you on, whetherit's, um, things that you're sharing,
you know, for me or just what, you know,whatever struggles you're going through,
your open, you do have that humility andit's such a beautiful characteristic.
But I. I can see that you justexcelling in so many different ways
from where you're at right now, becauseyou have such a balance of that.
(18:24):
The leadership, the, um, humor,humor, the ex, just the uh, the
excellence when you're on stage andyou go into that performance side
of things, but then also just the.
The gift that you're able to giveother people by stepping back and
having that humility, being ableto serve and to lift others up.
I try to echo that as much as I canin my, in my role also at at work,
(18:48):
where you have to get in the weeds, youknow, with, with the people that you're
working with and that you're serving for.
And that's such a greatposition that you're in.
I know you're gonna not be thereprobably your entire life by any means.
I know you're gonna excel in.
Blow up in different directions.
Um, but I do think that these aredefinite lifelong lessons that
(19:11):
you're gonna be carrying throughwith you, your, your entire life.
I wanted to ask though, too, youmentioned that, you know, acting, it's
who you are, it's what brings you life.
It's that mm-hmm.
What you feel you could,you've been called to do.
When did you start gettingexposed to theater and acting?
'cause it sounded like you, youknow, with the childhood you're
moving between Memphis, Atlanta,and every, what was the first
(19:34):
opportunity you had to get into acting?
And then when did you really feel likethis is the calling, like this is God
the divine, and everybody speaking to youand saying, you need to step out on this?
Yeah.
Yeah.
I just got a little emotional thinkingabout this question for some reason.
I don't know why.
I'll just keep talkingand we'll figure it out.
(19:55):
So when I was in elementary schoolor middle school, maybe freshman
year, you know, what do you wannabe when you grow up, doctor, lawyer,
football player, actor, whatever.
Seemed cool at the time, right?
Again, without having thatstructure and consistency, my
mind truly wasn't on the future.
(20:16):
My mind was on.
Right now.
Mm-hmm.
Whatever was in front of me and meas a, as a child, trying to grapple
with having, even though I didn'tknow what, how to word it or frame
it or process it with my world being
deconstructed in a very aggressive andviolent way, talking about divorce.
(20:38):
And as a child, not knowingwhat to do with that.
And you know, my mom doing herbest and she was very protective,
overprotective because she was asingle mom just trying to do her best
to raise me and do her thing, right?
So my life was just about the now.
So I didn't really have ahard goal of being anything in
particular when I was younger.
I think I did a play in highschool, which was not good.
(21:00):
Um, my ninth grade year.
So Nashville School of the Arts, Ihear, I haven't been back to Nashville
where I'm from in a long time.
Unfortunately, I hear Nashville School ofthe Arts is a very, very good school now.
Great school.
When I was there, it wasliterally first started.
They sent out letters in themail, Hey, check a box here if
you wanna go to this school.
That school, this school for highschool, Nashville School of the
(21:21):
Arts was one of the boxes I checked.
Mm-hmm.
There's a lot of thesesystem, as far as I know.
Mm-hmm.
Getting there, going there.
We did one play.
The drama teacher gotfired for some reason.
I don't remember.
It was in shambles, is what I'm saying.
It wasn't like a Julliardof the South by any anyways.
Okay.
It was just a play.
I was just doing it.
I was just hanging out.
(21:41):
I don't think I looked at anylines, you know what I mean?
I just think I just showed upfor the performance and you know.
Fumbled my way through the, it wasvery disrespectful of the craft itself.
It was disrespectful to the audience,to the teacher, to my classmates, you
know, just the kid doing whatever.
So that probably was my firstintroduction, but literally I
could have been playing kickball.
It, it really didn't matter.
(22:01):
Yeah.
Um, I think I may have auditionedalso before high school for a
a, a School of the Arts there.
And I do remember it notbeing a good experience.
Like the teacher was like, this kid.
No, it doesn't need to be here,doesn't need to be acting, doesn't
need to be doing anything artistic.
And it was quite negative.
(22:23):
And so we move on from that andjust go to school or whatever.
And then again, moving back and forth.
I was speed up to story myjunior year in high school.
Ended up moving to um, Atlanta fora little bit, and then ultimately
Baltimore for my senior year.
Why did I move?
Well, my friends and I thought it wouldbe a good idea to go to the mall and take
(22:48):
things that not belong to us clothing.
Listen to this story.
This go.
Okay.
Anyway, so you know how during promseason in school, well, at least in
the south anyway, they'll always have,uh, kids from the local community
or whatever, do a fashion show.
Yeah.
You know, Texas dresses, whateverI was doing that I thought it would
(23:11):
be a good idea to do what my friendsand I have been doing in full tuxedo.
Get up garb, walk aroundand basically steal clothes.
What we would do is we wouldgo behind the cash wrap.
Hey Kitty, go behind the cash wrap.
And you can be a part of the story too.
That's right.
I the actor here, Chris.
Um, go behind the cash wrap, take bags.
(23:33):
Right.
And then just put clothing in thebag to look like we were shopping.
I decided to, I love it.
Stuff as much, many things not thinking.
Well, a cashier would just give you.
Two or three bags versusstuffing all this stuff in here.
So I was looking like foolish and I wouldwalk outside, push stuff under a car.
(23:53):
Right?
Go back in, do it again.
The last time I came outsidewas like a team of security
guards waiting for me, whatever.
Okay son.
Ah, gotta go win.
So back during that time, if you,this was all like Ralph Lauren
and Tommy and all that kind stuff.
We used to work.
Yeah.
So you didn't need muchto get over $500 worth of.
Whatever.
Yeah, yeah.
(24:13):
It was over
500 bucks.
It's a felony, which meansyou gotta go to court.
It was Friday, the courts are closed, sonow that meant you have to go to juvenile
for the weekend until you can go to court.
So I had to call my mom andnot say, Hey mom, I'm done.
Can't come pick me up.
But hey mom, I'm, I got arrested.
(24:34):
So she was like, okay, well hey,I'm not gonna come pick you up.
Sorry.
You know better.
So I had to call my godfather.
He came and picked me up.
My mom was like, I gottaget this kid outta here.
So I ended up moving to Atlanta for abit with my uncle, and then ultimately to
Maryland, which is where my mom had moved.
Mm. Yeah.
(24:54):
The story's going somewhere.
Don't work.
Oh, I, I'm in, finished mysenior year in Baltimore.
Kind of fell into the local college there.
Just because I was like, oh, Iguess I should go to college.
I graduated high school.
I took like the SAT or whateverit was, or AC a CT at that time.
Mm-hmm.
Like the last possible time scored highenough, at least to get into college.
(25:16):
Went to college there, one of themembers in our friend group up and
left and went to the Air Force.
Mm-hmm.
Look, okay.
So I'm traveling, going back andforth to New York during this time,
just doing some different things,not really focused on school.
Uh, other things happen.
I'm like, you know what?
The only way I would stop going toschool if something crazy happened.
(25:37):
My mom was like, Chris,you're not focused.
Just come move this at this time.
She's moved to Florida.
She said, Chris, just come down here.
Get your life back together.
Figure it out.
And I'm like, the only way I'mgonna move is if I crash my car.
Something crazy.
She's, I crashed my car like a week later.
I'm like, all right, I guess I'm going.
Be careful what you say, I guess.
Yeah.
(25:57):
Yeah.
So I'm in Miami, southBeach every weekend.
In my mom's car until the sun comes up.
My mom is like, Hey man, this is notwhy I told you to come here in my car.
So I'm fussing, I'm yelling, I'm fighting.
I'm acting crazy.
Uh, and it got to the point where Icalled out my friend, I said, Hey,
Terrence, you like the military?
(26:18):
Said, yeah man, I love it.
So I literally went, didn't sayanything to my mom or anybody else.
I signed up for the military on a whim.
God was looking out for me.
I ended up being an air traffic controllerthere at the air traffic controller Tower.
One of the civilians, his wife neededsome volunteers for community theater.
I said yes, no one else did.
(26:40):
That is the true spark that kicked off.
Okay, maybe I want todo this thing for real.
Mm-hmm.
I did two plays.
Uh, one was a musical, one was astage play, traditional stage play.
I had a blast and I decided, um,when I got out was like a year later
to move to LA and give it a shot.
Wow.
(27:00):
Yeah.
Wow,
that's cool.
That's a cool story.
Like there's just so manyconnecting pieces to it, you know?
And just if you look back,you're like, it was it.
I mean, 'cause it's alwaysin hindsight, right?
Like we, we don't know until we're likepast it and we look back, we're like,
oh, okay, this is why this happened.
Almost like a consistencyand inconsistency and then.
The adaptability that you had to gothrough those different cities, different
(27:24):
friend groups, different experienceswith the shoplifting and the, uh,
getting into school or graduating andthen getting into college, and then
just all the, all of that is Yeah.
Yeah.
It's amazing.
What, first of all, as an airtraffic controller in the Air Force,
do you have a favorite aircraft?
(27:44):
Actually, by default, I do.
My favorite aircraft is.
The F 22 Raptor, they have like F 22 Aor F 22, whatever it is now, but mm-hmm.
So when the Raptor first came out.
We were one of the basicsthat they were testing.
So I mean, that thing would comeout and if it rained one, and this
(28:05):
is Florida, so it rains, right?
If it wonder just every day that thingto it, right back into the thing.
Everything had to be perfect.
Conditions had to be perfect, you know?
So we saw it like go and go back,taxi out and go back, and then
eventually got up in the air.
But the difference between, so, um.
(28:26):
My base, Tendo Air Force Base, air Forcebase in Panama City, Florida was, is a
fighter try fighter pilot training base.
So once the fighters or the pilots getqualified to test on the fighter plane,
um, they come to our base and they'll doall the practices and their approaches
and the dog fighting the pretendwars out in the airspace or whatever.
(28:48):
Um, but those are f fifteensfor the most part on our base.
Yeah.
So it was cool to see this brandnew fighter that was essentially.
Replace or be the new F 15.
Um, and the difference betweenthose two aircraft was amazing.
The F 15, for example, uh, if it takesoff to do a quick climb, which is where
they straight up, yeah, go on the runwayand man this way, then they kind of, yeah.
(29:13):
With the F 22, when they came out, itwas like, you know, and straight up.
So it was wild.
And so that's why it's my favorite plane.
That's amazing.
Yeah, they, uh, I'm a bitof a nerd and, uh, oh yes.
Love, love watching the,uh, F 20 twos fly around.
Um, do you know Fort Hill AirForce Base, did you ever spend
any time over there or No.
Where's that?
Uh, Utah.
(29:34):
Uh, my brother lives at the endof the runway basically, and they
have a whole fleet of those, sothey're always cruising around.
And he hates 'em only becausethey're loudest damn thing.
Yeah.
Um, but he, he workson the Air Force base.
He plane paints, planes andstuff, so he, he gets up close and
personal with a bunch of those.
Nice.
Um, sorry, that was atotal, like sidetrack.
(29:54):
I was just Oh, good.
In.
I did not know how much the militaryor my military experience would pay
off or play a part in my acting career.
Mm-hmm.
Like the first slew of roles, itwas always young military, young cop
(30:16):
police, and I figured out, okay, I knowwhat Hollywood views as military guy.
I get it.
That's not true.
We're all different.
We're all unique.
Right.
But I know what they perceive it as.
Yeah.
So you know, NCIS, all those, I've beenon NCIS, this NCIS that, and there's
(30:38):
a new NCIS, which I just booked again,so I'll be shooting that next week.
Thank you.
This particular character, I'mlike, oh, I know this character.
In this particular case, this wasliterally me like 10, 15, 20 years ago.
Wow.
Those were things, uh, you know, it's allby God's design, but when you're going
through life and a lot of that stuff ishard, you know, we talked about separation
(31:02):
and then this, and being at a new placeand being the new, new kid every time.
Right.
And all that kind of stuff.
Or just new adult, anywhere, newjob, new city, whatever it is.
There's a lot of peaks and valleys thatwe go through, but we don't realize how
a lot of those things that may seem tobring so much doubt or fear or confusion
(31:25):
will be some of those moments thatreally become pillars and foundations
of the great things that are to come.
Mm-hmm.
You know?
Mm-hmm.
Wow.
That's really awesome.
Could you talk on how the militarykinda set you up to get into sag?
'cause I know you did some work.
Yeah.
(31:45):
Um, how did I get into sag?
Oh, so there's a groupout in LA called, uh, VME.
It used to be VFT, veteransand Film and Television.
Now it's veterans andMilitary and Entertainment.
Mm-hmm.
Uh, they are a resource group basicallyfor veterans who have any aspirations or
who are in the entertainment industry.
(32:06):
Period.
Doesn't have to be active.
Whatever it is.
And so being able to connect withgroups like that, to have resources
with people who are working at thestudios or working as writers or
directors, uh, or just who have beenout here forever and are veterans with
connections, has been really a blessingand, um, quite impactful and helpful.
The way I got into Sac technicallythough, was I think I had a
(32:27):
couple of vouchers I needed maybeone more, uh, before SAG after.
Before SAG and AFTRA merged, anybodywho was AFTRA already, this is for the
union nerds out there if they mm-hmm.
Are any, uh, if you were aftra,once the unions joined, you
automatically became sag.
Mm-hmm.
(32:47):
Technically how?
Gotcha.
Gotcha, gotcha.
What's cool too is like with yourexperiences, just the amount of people
that you've been able to help, 'causeI've seen it like, you know, with the
theater company that we've been a part of.
And, uh, just in your life with reallyserving your community and lifting
others up, do you have guidelines,some approaches that you typically take
(33:11):
that would help other people kind ofexplore, you know, their passions, their.
Access to being able to get intolike the acting world as, or
the creative world in general?
Mm-hmm.
Actually, yeah, we can kind
of sum all of that up.
One, we have to remember thatwe're all human beings, right?
So we can focus on our differences.
(33:31):
Or what he has, or she hasand we don't, et cetera.
Or we can focus on the fact thatat the end of the day, I don't
need to let those things move me.
I don't need to worry, be worried aboutwhat someone else has, nor I need to,
nor do I need to spend time and energyfocusing on someone else who may be hating
on me or whatever because of what I door don't have, all that kind of stuff.
Hmm.
(33:52):
Whether it's working at Disney,whether it's being on set, we all
understand that when you spend.
What's the statistics?
Say you spend more time in the car betweenthe car and at work, you more time.
You spend more time in trafficand at work people, you spend
more time with them doing thatthan you are like at home, right?
So people wanna spend, ideally a lot oftime with people that they get along with.
(34:14):
So whether you walk into an audition room,whether you walking into an interview
setting or a workplace or whatever.
You wanna present and be someonewho is transparent, someone who
is honest, someone who's downto serve and dying to help.
Because people may say, okay,this is somebody I can stand
to be around for five minutes.
Mm-hmm.
For 12 hours if we're talking about beingon set 12, 14 hours a day or whatever.
(34:38):
So one, just a reminder to listen, wedon't have to be crabs in the bucket.
You can walk into an audition roomand feel like, listen, I am here.
I have this gift.
If this role is for me, if thisjob is for me, it's for me.
Doesn't really matter as much.
Who's the best in the room?
Yeah.
I'm gonna bring my best, whetherI've been acting for a day
(34:59):
or for 15 years, either way.
Yeah.
So I don't need to worry about that.
And people trust me, canfeel that in the room.
You walk into an audition room, youwalk into an interview, whether it's on
Zoom or in person, you walk into a room.
(35:19):
People often give off a vibe.
We either compelled to thatvibe or we're, what is it, re
repelled, repost, vibe, whatever.
We don't, we don't want that vibe.
Right?
Yeah.
And it's the same thing in aninterview, in an audition room.
So thinking about just beinga human serving, right?
What are some ways thatkeeps me in that mindset?
(35:41):
Well, serving can simply mean ifI'm online going to the commissary.
I'm gonna say hello to the personwho's cooking the food, handing me
the food, taking my money as I go.
When I got to Disney, um, I startedduring the pandemic, so everything
was shut down and I had time to haveconversations with people who worked on
the lot, tradesmen, janitors, whatever.
(36:03):
And I do remember a quick conversationwith someone who worked in the
commissary, in the cafeteria there.
She was like, you know, all these yearsI've been here, you are one of the first
people that consistently says hello.
Hi.
How are you?
I've only been there a year.
Again, I already said most people workat Disney for 20 to 50 to 30 to 40 years.
Mm-hmm.
(36:24):
Now, I wasn't surprised to hearher say that, but it's always sad
mm-hmm.
To
hear people say things like that.
One of the drivers when I was, uh, workingon a gig, same type of thing, like, look
man, I appreciate you being so nice.
Most people that sit in theback, they don't say nothing.
And I get that.
Maybe you're a person who'sjust quiet, introvert.
It's cool.
(36:46):
But if that's really true,that can read positively too.
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Versus you making a choiceto be like, you know what?
I'm taking my food, I'm gone.
Or maybe just subconsciously.
Being so focused on your meetingthat you have at two 30 that you
just forgot to look up and say hello.
Okay, fine, I get it.
But for those of us who make it apoint to recognize those things,
(37:08):
you'll find yourself being affordedmuch more grace and success.
Mm-hmm.
Oh gosh.
This is so good.
I love that you share that.
'cause I look at Lee,that's literally how Lee is.
He, he, he always says hi to everybody.
It's, it's awesome.
Um.
The serving, like in in the acting world.
Yeah.
I
think it's really awesome that you kindof, your heart is always about service
(37:33):
and I think that's a testament to the factthat you have been able to consistently
book jobs because exact It's exactly that.
I think that I realized, um, youknow, I think a lot of people think
about Hollywood and Los Angeles andthey're like, oh, I wanna be an actor.
And everyone is always lookingat the glitz and glamor.
Right.
(37:53):
And then you don't realize the workit takes to actually be a good actor.
It takes so much work.
And I didn't know that untilI took a Meisner class.
And, um, I would, I every weekit was just like, gosh, this is a
lot of like, shedding of yourself.
Mm-hmm.
And letting go of yourself.
(38:13):
Mm-hmm.
And actually not looking at like, oh.
Look at me and what I can do, but reallyactually connecting with your character
so that you can serve the audience.
It is, and I never saw it that way untilI was in the thick of those classes
and realized, gosh, acting is hard.
Wow.
Like, yeah.
(38:34):
You know, and realizing,um, do I really want this?
This is really difficult.
So I Thank you for sharing that.
I guess I'm curious whathas been like your favorite.
Job, like acting job.
I, I watched a TV show, Jane theVirgin, um, that was my, you know,
guilty flesher show and Lee didn'twatch pretty much any of it.
It was me binging it.
(38:54):
Okay.
And, and I love that show.
That show is crazy.
Just crazy out of this world.
Crazy, you know, all the,all the twists and turns.
And of course you were on that show,so when, when you, you came on, I
was like, oh, that's, that's Chris.
So, uh, any of your favoriteshops that you wanna share about.
What I like to say about Jane theVirgin, thank you, very kind of you
(39:16):
to, to bring it up, is one that's oneof those cool traditional Hollywood
stories where it was supposed to bejust, first of all, I auditioned for that
show six, seven times, which is normal.
Not necessarily fun all the time, butthat just means casting appreciates
you and they'll keep calling you backuntil they find the right opportunity.
(39:37):
Mm-hmm.
Addition for that show a lot.
It was only supposed to be a day ortwo, and then it ended up being like
two, two and a half, three seasons.
So always grateful, uh, toGod for that opportunity.
And for Gina Rodriguez and Jenny Irwin,the showrunner who basically, and again,
we just got through saying it, thatthey literally told me and one of the,
uh, writers was like, you know, Chris.
(39:59):
We saw you and your first day or twoyou came in, we saw you and Michael,
the other actor, or Brett doingyour thing, and we're like, huh.
Something about this guy
I didn't like.
Mm-hmm.
Around.
That's how it always goes.
Again.
One, yes.
Uh, Brett, who plays Michael, he and I,we did have good chemistry in that scene.
(40:23):
It did just fit, but also.
Jean and I, I think just through chattingor whatever, uh, had good conversations
and one, she's just a great leader on set.
It does make a difference.
It's just like any other job, whoever'snumber one on the call sheet or
like the star of the show mm-hmm.
They set the tone
mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Of the show.
And by the tone, I mean yeah.
(40:45):
Of the show that she's on tv, butlike the, the real life stuff.
Are they nice?
Are they kind?
Mm-hmm.
Are they respectful?
You have to be quiet and I'lllook at them when they come on set
or they're like, no, no, no, no.
Everyone's gonna be respectful here.
Whether you're an extra, whether theyhave one day, no lines or all the lines.
Mm-hmm.
The star of the show sets that tone andeverybody else kind of follows suit.
(41:06):
Mm-hmm.
And Gina set a very positive tone.
Everybody matters.
So it was really easy to vibe with her.
First of all.
Um, again, we had a cool vibe and soeverything just kind of worked well
again, and we all kind of envisioned.
I could probably work hereall the time and have a blast.
Mm-hmm.
I felt it.
They felt it.
That's why, along with the chemistrywith the other actors and the fun scene
(41:27):
and stuff, I was able to be called back.
But that's just, it'sthe same thing at Disney.
It's the same exact thing.
At Disney, I've been able tocome to know a number of key
senior executives at the company.
Mm-hmm.
And our rapport is not.
Oh, here comes the president of music.
(41:49):
Uh, I know what else?
And I get that.
And that's normal.
Uh oh.
Here comes the rock, Dwayne Johnson.
Oh, oh, oh.
Like it's normal.
Yes, I get it.
But if we spend this time being humble,honest, transparent, and realizing that
we're all people here at the end ofthe day, and you live your life that
way, it also comes off as refreshing.
(42:11):
When you do get aroundpeople who are used to.
Being put on a pedestal or maybe peopleare shy or nervous, it becomes refreshing.
Oh, again, here we go.
This is a guy I can havea conversation with.
Yeah.
But now, for example, with the presidentof music at Disney, he and I, I'll go to
his office and you know, we just chat.
Yes.
You know what I mean?
And, um, he's like, you know, Chris,I, I, I appreciate our dynamic.
(42:35):
You really seem like a Disney dude.
A Disney guy.
So if you find something that youlike, let me know whether it's here
or whether it's at a different studio.
I know people, and it's so interestinghaving these conversations 'cause
the, uh, the average employeeat Disney will make sense.
They're like, oh really?
Tom?
Like, oh yeah, great.
Like, here's a list of things.
(42:56):
But I've looked for that list.
I've searched for things at Disneythat I could possibly do despite
me knowing that acting are my thingthat I could possibly do to really.
Possibly fill my cup there.
It ain't happening.
I've honestly looked,you know what I mean?
But I think God is just like, nah, bro.
Like you're good where you are.
I'm tired.
(43:16):
And with these chills y'all, I'mtrying to find something else to do.
But God is like, no.
Okay, they're gonna be crispy and tastyand you gonna put 'em in a basket.
Alright, fine.
But no.
But seriously, whether it's being onset or being in a corporate setting,
if you could just work on being a.
As corny or crazy as it sounds, agood person who's confident in not
(43:38):
just what they do, but who they areand what it means and what value you
bring to the table and to the bottomline of the company, uh, by saying,
this is a person who I can trust.
Yeah.
This is a person who's transparent.
Mm-hmm.
They can talk in front of a room.
I can send them to Tokyo, Disney.
Or we can send him to Europe and he is notgonna embarrass production or whatever it
(44:01):
is, then that's worth his weight in gold.
And we can also talk about thisfrom a very like non spiritual.
Acty way.
We can talk about facts.
We can talk about dollars and cents too.
I can talk about what I bring tothe table from a corporate setting.
Mm-hmm.
I'll be bored with it, but if that'swhat somebody wants to talk about,
(44:21):
we can have that conversation.
Mm-hmm.
But I just been in the room and beenon set with so many people in power.
You realize that there are good peoplein power who game recognizes game
People see good people and that'sbe around at the end of the day.
Yeah.
So good.
I, yeah.
So nice.
Just to hear the continuationof what I already know.
(44:43):
You know, like Chris is the type ofguy who like randomly on like the time,
the day and time that you need it.
Like there's a text andit's just like, what's up?
Just checking on you, thinking about you.
And it's like, bro.
If I could only tell you how muchthis means to me right now, and,
uh, I always count on you to possiblysend back or reply something that only
(45:07):
Lee would send back or reply with.
Yeah.
I, uh, I'm happy to try to equalsmile in my own unique way, for sure.
Um, but you know, it's just, youdo have that, that attraction, that
charisma that draws people in and.
It's, it's your openness, it'syour willingness to serve.
(45:29):
It's your pursuit ofexcellence at the same time.
Like you're not just sitting,waiting to, um, do something.
You know, you're, you're constantly,my perspective, constantly working
on, I. Being excellent in what you do.
You know, seeing you onset when you're coming in.
You're not, um, trying to figure outyour lines like the day of, or at
(45:50):
least it doesn't appear that way.
If you are, you're excellent at it.
Uh, but you know, excellent
at acting like
you can see the work hasbeen put in, in that sense.
And I know in my heart of hearts, likewhen you go into to work, when you go
into, uh, the Disney world, when yougo into sets to do, uh, motion capture,
you carry that same excellence that.
(46:11):
Just, I'm here to serve.
I'm here to help, but I am also gonnawork my tail off to make sure, you know,
I, I produce something great and I, I,I bring something great to the table.
I have a follow up question to that.
So what I wanna know, Chris, is I. Myhope with our show right, is for this
to not just so inspirational to, to thegeneral, but also very specifically to
(46:35):
parents, educators, caregivers, um, whohave children in their lives like Lee.
And I don't have kids, but I teach kidsevery week and that's, that's my life.
I'm surrounded by kids and I love it.
It's, it's what I love to do andI, I want to be that educator that
really empowers kids and awesome.
And get to really, um.
(46:56):
Really help them work on their mindset.
So what I want to know is whereyou are now in life, and of
course, you know, there's somuch more that's in store, right?
Mm-hmm.
But where you are in all of yourlife experiences, if you look back,
is there a mindset shift or a beliefsystem that you feel, man, if I
(47:18):
only learn this as a child, if, ifsomeone taught this to me as a child.
I would have maybe, you know,again, it's all in hindsight, right?
Yeah.
But if only I taught, I, I learned thisas a child, would I have so much more,
um, tools in my toolbox as an adult?
Yeah.
(47:38):
It's the same thing todayas it would've been then
if I would've known myworth as a human being.
And what that means.
(47:58):
It has nothing to do with the tallest,the shortest, the lightest, the darkest.
We will deal with those things in life,but to know our worth, what worth means,
what value means, and how we were bornwith everything we need to be whatever
(48:19):
it is that we want to be or to attainwhatever it is we want to attain.
It's a game changer.
So whether it's me at seven or whetherit's me now being able to say, okay,
there's something I want outta life.
Even if it's just to wake up in themorning and have peace, there's something
(48:39):
I want in life and I'm not getting it.
Let me spend timefiguring out why that is.
Because that comes from insidejoy and peace comes from inside.
Mm-hmm.
So as a child and with my boys andany child that may volunteer with a
(49:00):
be around or whatever, my hope is tosow into them seeds of, of greatness.
Right.
We're not even sow into them seedsof greatness, but to, you know, bring
to light and help fertilize the seedsof greatness that are within them.
Hmm.
So we can continue to do that.
Continue to show young people.
(49:22):
That's what life is about.
For them to be able to really harnessand, and, and grapple with and get to know
how, how beautiful they are on the inside,how capable they are, what dedication
means, uh, what hard work means andrespect to whatever it is they want to do.
The hard work of just waking up inthe morning, sometimes that will
(49:43):
be the game changer, and that'sthe thing that's shifted me.
Um, and me as a man of faith,you know, I have the blessed.
Joy, even though it's not easy tofall back on the fact that I feel like
God has created me to be who I am.
Mm-hmm.
So therefore, I always havereason to, to have joy.
Um, even though I may not feel it, Ihave to continue, like I just said, do
(50:03):
what I need to do to focus in on that.
But yeah, I tell those beautifulbabies, man, that you, you're
here, you're alive, you're well,you're doing it and you're amazing.
And that it takes time,it takes dedication to.
Fertilize.
You know, you can't just throw one pieceof fertilizer and then leave it alone.
You gotta cut, you gottaprune, you gotta stay with, you
gotta wash, you gotta water.
Okay, this one likes this water uhoh.
(50:24):
This one's too much for this water.
Uhoh.
This one's going die.
Whoa.
Wait a minute.
You know, onto that TC uh, that'sbeen is the thing and, and I,
the thing that I wish I had
Yeah.
When I was younger.
Yeah.
I was just reallyencouraged by that, Chris.
Um, I've been teaching for 15 yearsover different disciplines, so I've
been always around kids teachingkids, and what I've realized is that
(50:49):
the main thing that sets apart onechild from the others is really their
mindset and who they believe they are.
That's it.
That's it.
It doesn't matter what discipline Iteach, whether I'm teaching dance or
aerial or piano or any other thing, right?
Like the thing that sets apart onechild and in their ability to succeed
(51:10):
is literally in their mindset andwhat they believe about themselves.
And so you saying that,like just going back to.
The thing that we really need toteach our kids is their worth.
It's, and, and a lot of that startswith the things that are going
on between their ears, right?
Because our minds, our mindis a playground, right?
(51:33):
Like it's a playgroundfor, for the good and.
The bad.
Yeah.
And it depends on what we are focusing on.
It depends on what we'relistening at, right.
And, and the voices that weactually allow into our, our system.
And then that affectsthe way we approach life.
And so it's just encouraging becauseme seeing that, uh, now after 15
(51:54):
years of teaching, that's why I,I got certified for this program
is called Adventurous in Wisdom.
And what that is, is it literallyteaches kids 27 life skills broken
down into these like five modules.
And the very first one is simplyteaching the kids the scientific,
the brain science about how our mindswork, the difference between conscious
(52:15):
and subconscious, all these things.
And then it goes down deeperand deeper and deeper.
It teaches kids the power ofresponsibility, integrity, um, respecting
their self, like who they are as a person.
Like actually.
Seeing their worth and teachingthem how to self-talk and, you
know, giving them these tools.
So I'm just, I, I, I just love what youshared because it gives me encouragement
(52:38):
to know that the decisions that I've beenmaking as far as like, you know, being
an educator is, is really important.
So thank you for sharing that.
Thank you and I do brieflywanna commend you for that.
And uh, also to, again, comingfrom a single parent household,
my mom was amazing and she didthrow those things into me.
And large part of the reason I am whoI am today is solely because of her.
(52:59):
Uh, but also she spent a fair amountof time doing things that she would
not have had to do, being away fromthe home or whatever, if, uh, the
situation would've been different.
So thank you for what you're doing,because even if my mom and dad
or whoever would have been theretogether, it still takes a village.
It still takes that dance teacher, thatpiano teacher, that teacher at school to
(53:19):
affirm and solidify and further fertilize.
I guess I'll just keep saying,'cause I have two plants outside.
It's my new thing.
What?
What?
One piano.
One 14.
I'm very proud.
Okay.
You're a plant dad.
What?
Yeah, I know.
Well, the first time, uh, butanyway, you get what I'm saying.
It does take that village.
So thank you.
Great job.
Kudos.
Keep it up.
Amazing.
Thank you.
Um, my final question for you,my great esteemed amazing friend
(53:44):
Christopher Ellen, if you were todefine a wildly wealthy life Oh yeah.
For our viewers, how would you do that
Wildly wealthy life?
I would have to stop and think.
Possibly not about the firstthing that comes to mind when I
think about wealth or success.
(54:08):
I possibly would have to take a momentand think a little bit deeper into that.
I've heard a lot of conversationswith people who have had all
of the things in the world.
Hmm.
But when time comes and they realizeuhoh, none of those things can save me.
Oftentimes, not a lot of time, butoftentimes I've heard people say things
(54:28):
like, wanna spend more time with family?
Maybe I would've just ostracizedmyself from so and so.
I would've maybe worked onthis relationship with whoever,
whoever, whoever, right?
So even though those shiny things, nothingwrong with the things, but when the things
take place of, you know, important thingsthat become an issue wildly wealthy life
(54:50):
for me and whatever it is for you orwhoever else, but you know, we'll get it.
Is my family happy?
Hmm.
Am I doing what I need to doto make sure they have, they're
set up for success to be happy.
Mm-hmm.
To feel safe, to feel secure, to knowthat no matter how far they go, 'cause
(55:10):
I pray they go as far as the Lord willtake them, that they always have a place
to come back to call home despite, orthese walls are structured at the time
that they can always come back to thesepeople who love them, who taught them.
Their value, their worth helps to bewild and wealthy all at the same time.
(55:36):
Um, to me that that's whatit, that that's what it means.
Legacy, you know, that's what it means.
That's what's important.
As, as much as I want to go andattain and get and keep acting and
working and doing the thing to getthe thing to help the family, yay.
To get more stuff and all that, which isgood in that, it's really to know that.
Listen, I have a house here.
(55:56):
I don't need a bigger one.
I have a car.
I don't need a faster one.
My kids don't care about that.
Mm-hmm.
My wife doesn't care about that.
Now, she may wanna do shiny Porsche,but she knows it's the one that we have.
Uh, the car that we have is justfine, but for all of us to be content
with where we are, understand ourvalue as people as we just shared,
(56:17):
especially our boys and my wife too.
Me too.
Mm-hmm.
Then listen, let's talk about it.
For that to be true is wild.
In today's society, especially withthe youth, their number one issues
are not, man, we're feeling so good.
We dunno what to do.
It's not that.
It's Oh, depression.
(56:39):
Mm-hmm.
Suicide effects of screen time.
What's happening?
People getting tired of the dating apps.
So now it's gonna be a new thingthat, you know, that's what's.
Real.
So what's wild?
It's not out to really care aboutany of that and understand, oh,
that's just what the world is.
Hmm.
At home and I know who I am and I cango out and affect change things versus
the world coming in and affectingand changing me and all the work and
(57:03):
Lee and Ka are doing with the kids atschool and with the classes or whatever.
Right.
The end.
Thank you.
And scene.
Perfect.
Thank you Chris.
With the world out there, uh, where canpeople check in and do, are any like
big gigs, any fun things coming up onthe horizon that we can find you people?
(57:26):
Follow me on social mediaat Team Chris Allen, uh,
Instagram and Twitter, you them.
Less active on Twitter,uh, and all that jazz.
I don't know when it airs, butyou can look at NCIS origin.
It's episode 1 0 9.
Mm-hmm.
So you can probably see thaton IMDB, like the schedule.
And then I'm waiting to hear back onthis potential contract role, like lead
(57:49):
role for, uh, young and the Restless.
I've auditioned for them also.
Mm. Many times I've beenon the show once or twice.
Mm-hmm.
But this time, uh, casting really, uh,likes me for this one particular role.
So casting producerstypically need to agree.
Mm-hmm.
And then we'll see what happens.
(58:10):
So hopefully you'll, you'll catch me therein a, in a, in a major capacity, but if
not, we'll see what God, what God has,and we'll all figure it out together.
That's right.
Awesome.
Well, Chris, thank youso much for your time.
This has been so lovely.
This has been great.
I miss y'all.
It's so good to see you.
I know.
So good to see you.
Come, uh, visit you soon.
(58:30):
Yeah.
Yeah, it's been awesome.
Yeah.
All right, good.
I'll give you back your
day.
Good.
And thank you for havingthis conversation with me.
I really appreciate it.
You two are the best.
Thank you.
Thanks.
You got some nuggets.
Love you.
Bye
bye.
Alright, friends, that's a wrap ontoday's episode of Wildly Wealthy Life.
We hope you're feeling firedup and ready to take on the
(58:51):
world with your brilliant mind.
And Braveheart.
If you love this episode, make sure youhit that subscribe button on YouTube
or your favorite podcast platform.
It helps us keep bringingyou the good stuff.
And hey, while you're at it,drop us a rating or review.
It takes like, what?
30 seconds and it makesa huge difference for us.
Also, if you know someone who coulduse a little guidance on growth,
mindset, leadership and creativity,share this episode with them.
(59:13):
Sometimes that one conversationcan spark up a whole new direction.
Thanks for hanging out with us today.
Go out there live wildly, be wealthyin all the ways that matter to you,
and we'll catch you on the next one.
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