March 3, 2025 • 28 mins
Welcome to the Actor's Guide to the End of the World, Episode 18! This was recorded BEFORE the Academy Awards, that’s life when you release on Mondays. E-Kan and Rían take a look at the Oscar favorites and even betting lines, so now you can step back into the future and look at what could’ve been, and who really made some money on the upsets. And how much money would you have made if you bet on Mikey Madison to win Best Actress? And Anora? Be sure to stick around, you’ll hear the story of why Rían will never gamble again.
Also, more big things are coming out of Hollywood- two new bills (SB 630 and AB 1138) were announced to augment Newsom’s Film TV Tax credit proposal for CA, and just announced is the newest movement, Keep California Rolling, gearing up for lobbying to state lawmakers. This will be everything you will need to know about what Newsom and California are doing to keep productions in Los Angeles.
E-Kan and Rían will also discuss Sean Baker’s beautiful speech at the Film Independent Spirit Awards, which was a love letter to indie film but also a warning signal and rally cry for other independent filmmakers. Personal, candid, and eye opening, he talked about the troubling financial landscape as an indie filmmaker, Hollywood should take note. He also called himself an “indie film lifer” and the guys discuss if they can call themselves a “lifer” of anything. You'll also hear what E-Kan would do if he wasn't acting.
New episodes every Monday! All shows are on YouTube and Substack as well! Let us know what you think. Email us at actorsguidepodcast@gmail.com. Follow us on all social media @actorsguidepodcast
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/california-film-and-tv-tax-incentive-bills-1236148381/
https://www.actionnetwork.com/entertainment/oscar-odds-2025-betting-lines-favorites-for-best-picture-best-actor-more-at-academy-awards
Sean Baker Speech Film Independent Spirit Awards - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIxtMGRlx0k
Hidden Gems:
Riff Raff (2024) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNtKUBrNWNE
Han Dynasty (NYC) - 90 3rd Ave, NYC
Time stamps:
(00:00) Intro
(03:00) New CA Bills and Keep California Rolling
(05:00) Oscar favorites and betting lines
(07:13) Why Rían stopped gambling
(09:40) More Oscar favorites
(11:45) EGOT
(12:30) Sean Baker's epic speech
(17:00) What would do if you weren't acting?
(25:25) Hidden Gems
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
And he's like, "Put on a bet."
(00:00):
And I was like, "All right."
So I put on $25 on a number.
I picked a number.
And it hit, it hit the number.
The next day, and this is what,
The next day, and this is what,
I think this is why I
don't gamble anymore.
The next day I went down
past the roulette table
and I thought, "I'll play one more
and I thought, "I'll play one more
"and I'll put it on the same number."
And then I went, "No,
I'll flip the number."
So, you know, so it was
like 23, then it was 32.
I was like, "I'll flip the number."
And I put it on.
I was like, "I'll flip the number."
(00:21):
Hey guys, welcome to the Actors Guide
to the End the World podcast,
where we talk about acting in Hollywood
and why people understand.
I'm E-Kan Soong and this is--
Rían Sheehy Kelly, how you doing?
What's up, buddy?
All as well, I think.
Yeah, it's always good to check in there.
We got a great show.
If you're not following us,
(00:41):
follow us wherever
you catch your podcasts
at Actors Guide Podcasts
and on all social media
at Actors Guide Podcasts.
Also, if you want to give us a rating
or even a review if you're feeling,
especially generous or spicy,
that would really help us a lot.
Yeah, and they help
people find our podcasts.
Massively.
And we'll review you in return
(01:03):
for something that
you've done, whatever it is.
Anything you want.
We're gonna talk Oscars this week.
It's happening this Sunday.
We're recording before the ceremony.
Next week, we'll do a whole recap
and all the glitz and the glamor.
And I'm also gonna tease,
we're gonna have our own awards.
The Actors Guide to the
End of the World Awards.
(01:23):
You'd tell me this.
It'd be fine.
(laughing) No, we're doing it next week.
Don't worry, you have a whole week.
Anyway, so that's gonna be fun.
We're gonna talk
about a little pre-Oscars.
We're gonna talk about the favorites.
We might talk about some betting lines,
if you're into that sort of thing.
We're gonna talk also
about a couple new bills
(01:43):
coming out of California,
pushing to keep production in California.
And also, we're gonna talk
about Sean Baker's epic speech
at the Film Independent Spirit Awards.
Super speech.
It was raw, it was honest,
and also gave a great insight
to the state of independent film.
And we talk a little bit about the idea
(02:04):
of being a lifer in
film or in anything else.
Sean Baker talks about
being a indie film lifer.
being a indie film lifer.
It was a great speech.
I really enjoyed it.
Yeah, yeah.
And he's tipped to win an Oscar, right?
Yeah, exactly.
If you're a gambler like he can.
Are you a gambler, if you bet?
I am not.
I'm opening up to it,
(02:25):
but no, I'm not a gambler.
Opening up to gambling.
(laughing) I don't know if that's a good thing.
We'll see if we lose money
by the end of this episode.
Yeah.
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(laughing)
So word around town.
We talked briefly
about Newsom just proposed
a huge tax incentive late last year.
I believe it was $750 million.
So that was a proposal.
(03:07):
As you know, there's a lot of movements
being pushed after the fires.
We have Stay in LA,
which was specifically asking
for a commitment from
studios and streamers
to keep productions
and commit to production,
specifically in this
recovery time after the fires.
But we have a new movement this week.
It's called Keep California Rolling.
(03:28):
It's called the
Entertainment Union Coalition,
which launched Keep California Rolling.
As of this week, they
actually went up to Sacramento
to lobby and it's even more of an effort
to push to keep productions in LA.
So there's a lot of
things happening right now.
And then on top of it,
actually, there was two bills
being pushed to
(03:49):
augment Newsom's $750 million
tax credit from last year.
These bills are set to make the tax
credits more effective,
come up with a formula
to keep it competitive
with other regions in the
US, like Atlanta and so on.
One statistic that stood out to me,
(04:09):
which was very telling, I thought,
was, well, one, they're
emphasizing that this is,
this will support
critical middle-class jobs,
that this tax credit
program will support those jobs.
And they said,
"Hollywood's top labor groups
have recently seen a 40%
decrease in production."
They also said, "The
motion picture industry pension
(04:30):
and health plans tracked 88
million hours of employment
in 2024, compared with
123 million hours in 2022."
And that translates to
17,000 jobs that have evaporated,
which is pretty scary.
So when people say it's rough out there,
they're not joking.
Hopefully we're successful
(04:51):
and they could get
really strong tax credits
and improve things.
So we'll see.
So moving on, so we
got the Oscars this week.
It's finally here,
the big show, everyone.
We're gonna talk about the big favorites.
There's people betting on everything.
Like if you really look hard,
you can bet on a minor
(05:12):
league hockey game in Russia.
As far as these favorites, there is
As far as these favorites, there is
action on the Oscars.
It's to put in perspective,
all of the Oscar action is equivalent
to say one football
game, American football.
So it's not huge money.
(05:33):
Wait, what do you mean by that?
When it comes down to it.
You mean the total debts?
The total amount of money, exactly.
It is interesting to think about it.
And next week when we do our recap,
we'll see who made money.
There's no real science.
That's part of the fun.
You kind of don't have
that much for say the Oscars
besides what happened in past ceremonies.
According to the variety,
(05:55):
the odds are overwhelmingly determined
by the outcomes of the
BAFTAs and the SAG Awards.
It actually swung.
It actually did swing
the favorites a little bit.
So we're looking at best picture here.
Actually, I guess
which one's the favorite?
Who do you think is the favorite?
Well, Anora, because I can see it.
Oh, okay, you already know it?
(06:16):
I already know.
All right, well, I
appreciate your honesty.
So we have Anora.
Man, you're good.
So we have Anora's the
favorite for best picture.
They swung.
I want to believe Sean
Baker just took awards
at the Film Independent Spirit Awards.
I just learned how these odds work.
So when you see minus 200,
(06:38):
it basically means
that if you bet $1,000,
you would win $800 back.
God, okay, you get your
original 1,000 plus 800.
Exactly, exactly.
Second up, so second,
as far as odds go for
best picture is Conclave.
Now, we're not gonna get into the,
if you're not into gambling,
(06:59):
we're not gonna get too far into this
because chances are you
guys aren't degenerates
like we are.
Well, hang on, before you
class me in that category.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Tell me your gambling story.
Tell me your gambling story real quick.
One, I hate losing money.
So I'm not a good gambler.
I don't really like gambling
because I hate the
thought of losing money so much
(07:19):
that kind of overshadows
the thrill of winning for me
because it feels like such a waste.
And the first time I went to Vegas,
I've been to Vegas twice in my life.
The first time I went, I was,
I had just moved to America and my pal,
a couple of my friends
came over from Ireland
and we drove to Vegas and we went to
(07:39):
Vegas for five nights.
Like not knowing any better.
Yeah, that's a disaster.
And in the first night, I pretty much,
we sat down and we
played three card poker
and I lost most of my money.
And then the next
time I went back to Vegas
was for my pal Emmett's bachelor party
and that was in 2015.
(07:59):
And I wasn't really going to gamble.
By this point, I wasn't drinking.
I was at the roulette table.
I sat down with a friend of mine.
He's like, put on a bet.
And I was like, all right.
So I put on $25 on a number.
I picked a number.
I'm not gonna give away my secrets.
Can't tell you the number.
(laughing)
As if that would matter at all.
As if that would matter at all.
Yeah, I know.
And I picked it up and it hit the number
(08:20):
and I got $875 back.
How much did you put down?
25.
And I got 875.
Wow, okay, that's pretty good.
I won 875, which I paid for a
chunk of the bachelor party.
We went to a fight as well.
That paid for the fight.
Then he was like, we have
to stay and play some more.
And I was like, I don't know if I do.
So I put down one more $25 bet.
(08:41):
And I lost and I went, all right, see ya.
The next day, and this is what,
I think this is why I
don't gamble anymore.
The next day I went down
past the roulette table
and I thought, I'll play one more
and I'll put it on the same number.
And then I went, no,
I'll flip the number.
So, you know, so it was
like 23, then it was 32.
As I flipped the number and I put it on
(09:02):
and my original number came up.
and my original number came up.
And I freaked myself out
And I freaked myself out
so much that I was like,
oh my God, like, cause I don't,
the odds of that have gotta be minuscule.
And it shook me so much that I was like,
I will overthink this
for the rest of my life
if I continue to gamble.
So that was my brief,
(09:23):
that was my brief history.
If you bet long enough, you'll realize
that you should stop gambling.
House always wins in the end.
It's a dark, dark rabbit hole.
Anyway, so back to betting lines.
What a fit, it's a dark rabbit hole.
Anyway, all right, so the favorites,
number one is Anora.
Number two is Conclave.
(09:44):
The third is the Brutalist.
Fourth is a complete
unknown at plus 4,000.
Okay, plus 4,000.
Meaning that if you put in $1,000,
they'll give you $4,000 back.
So four to one basically.
So that's a wild one.
All right, also interesting enough,
as much as everyone loves Wicked,
(10:05):
that's an underdog plus 4,000 as well.
So speaking of best director,
Sean Baker crept into the favorite.
He's a favorite at minus 165,
meaning that if you put in 1,000,
you'll make 8. 35.
8.35, yeah.
So he's the favorite.
Number two is Brady
(10:25):
Corbett for the Brutalist.
So that's gonna be neck and neck.
We have here a best actor.
Who do you think is the
favorite for best actor?
Adrian Brody, no.
Yeah, he is.
To be fair, he's been
sweeping up the best actor awards
until the SAG Awards,
which is really interesting
(10:45):
because I think he was
a heavy favorite before
and then the SAG Awards happened
and then Timothee Chalamet
just kind of jumped in there.
Adrian Brody is a favorite at minus 230.
Timothee Chalamet is
at a second at plus 150.
Then we got Ray
Fiennes, we got Coleman Domingo
and then we got Sebastian Stan.
So we have best actress, Demi Moore.
His favorite?
Demi Moore is the favorite.
(11:06):
Minus 250.
That's a pretty heavy favorite.
Obviously she won a lot of the awards.
So Demi Moore has been sweeping up
all the best actress awards.
Mikey Madison made it interesting
by taking the Spirit Award.
So the Independent Film
Spirit Award for best actress.
Spirit Award for best actress.
So she made it interesting.
We got Demi Moore is a
favorite at negative 250.
(11:28):
Mikey Madison is a second at plus 165.
Cynthia Riva was a pretty far long shot.
Her odds are plus 3,500 and
also the whole EGOT thing.
Do you know the EGOT?
Yeah.
Like if she wins, she'll get the EGOT.
That is incredible.
Which is...
For those who don't know,
an EGOT is an Emmy, Grammy,
(11:49):
an Oscar and a Tony.
I mean, the fact that it
actually sometimes happens.
Would she be the youngest EGOT?
Oh my God, you're right.
If Areva wins, she would
become the youngest person
to ever win the EGOT at just 38.
Currently the youngest
person to get the achievement
is songwriter Robert Lopez.
(12:10):
At 39 years old,
collected all four awards.
He is also the only one
to have a double EGOT.
That's just insane.
What?
That's just insane.
All right, so that's the odds guys.
Get out there and spend your money.
Turn it into more.
Triple it.
You know, that's how
gambling works, right?
Yeah, just don't lose.
That's some money and that just triples.
(12:31):
Yep, that's my experience.
Now bridging over to Sean Baker again,
he made an epic speech when he accepted
the Film Independent Spirit Awards.
He was speaking fast to
get all of it through.
You could still hear
how heartfelt it was,
how much he loves and
cares about independent film,
but also, it was also really educational.
(12:53):
We'll put the link in the show notes
and we want more people to see it
because I think it was
a really telling sign
for where independent film is.
And if Sean Baker's not
gonna help push it and save it,
then we're in trouble, but.
He called himself an indie lifer.
Like he was very proud
of it, which I loved.
Let's start with that,
that he's an indie film lifer.
(13:15):
This is a perfect example of a filmmaker.
His dedication is so clear.
He said the average amount of time
that it takes to make
a film is three years.
And for a lot of films, that's short.
And he says he's not making any films
to make it his calling card
to give him a Marvel franchise
(13:37):
or to give him a TV show.
Very much like the Tarantino comments
that we talked about a few episodes ago,
the state of film is just,
it's become increasingly difficult
for independent filmmakers.
Yeah, and there's a real purity too
because he said he wanted to
make films, independent films,
where he has complete creative control,
(13:59):
where he's not beholden to a studio
and telling him how
he should make a film,
which was a part of
being an indie film lifer.
There's a real purity to that.
Like it's just, it's
making films for the love of it,
for the joy of making films.
I have a deep love for indie film
because I mean, a lot of,
(14:21):
I think a lot of what you
do as an actor is indie stuff
because that's the sort of
the first accessible thing.
I had the opportunity to
be part of an indie movie
from start to finish
a couple of years ago.
And it was such a wonderful experience.
But there's a real
sense of camaraderie as well
that everybody's pulling
together to make this movie
because it's hard to get a movie made.
(14:43):
To put in perspective, think about,
last week we talked about how much money
goes into an Oscar campaign.
Okay, just think about how much money
is spent in these
campaigns, how much impact that has.
So you have smaller films like "The
Brutalist" and "Anora".
Brady corporate made $0.
All that money was on the screen
(15:05):
and he made very little of it.
So just think about trying to go against
Wicked, big studios, doing part two.
If you wanna look at like a sports team,
you're the small little sports team
and you're going against the Yankees.
That's another push for the
importance of independent film
and also the fact that
we have independent films
in this Oscars race.
(15:26):
Absolutely. It's just that much harder.
Absolutely, and he was saying,
and in that three years
and he said that was low,
that in his
experience, like he didn't get,
he made next to nothing
for those three years.
I mean, he made, and I
hope he wins for that.
I hope he wins the Oscar for
that and I hope "Anora" is.
And ironically,
that's gonna open the door
for so much for him as well.
(15:46):
I'm sure, you know what I mean?
He'll be getting
offers to direct everything.
He's gonna be directing our next
"Toestida" commercial.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
But that brings up a really good point
because Sean Baker talked about it.
If you make a WJ minimum for a script,
you're making that fee for
all of those three years.
(16:07):
So you take that fee and
you divide it in three.
That's not a lot of money.
And then you take out taxes,
then you take out fees for
your agents and managers.
So right off the bat,
we have an understanding
of what the finances are,
and I think that's why
it was very educational.
It's at the Film
Independence Bureau Awards,
he knew who his audience was.
It was proud, but also a plea.
(16:27):
He goes, "Guys, let's work together.
"Let's fight to keep this."
He also said, "I don't have kids,
"and I know with the
way that my career is,
"and if I did have kids,
"I would not be able
to make these films."
And for someone to just openly,
just bluntly, honestly
say things like that,
(16:48):
it was a very raw, it
was very honest speech,
but that's the life
of an indie film lifer.
A couple of things here, this
idea of the indie film lifer.
Have you ever thought of yourself
as being a lifer in anything?
Not in any one, well in acting I suppose.
(17:11):
Yeah, probably.
I've probably thought
of myself as a lifer.
I didn't wanna assume,
but that's kinda like what I asked,
because I thought that might resonate.
Yeah, I suppose so, yeah.
Actually, yeah, no, that I think of it.
As an actor, I was just
thinking more specifically
in terms of like, you know,
narrower streams of acting
like indie movies or TV or,
(17:32):
but I've never, you
know, felt limited or theater
in that respect.
But I think probably as an actor,
and I had to, a few times I've gone,
okay, well if this doesn't
work, what else would I do?
And I've never come up
with a compelling answer
or even a real viable
answer to be honest.
I sort of found this
(17:55):
when I was in my early 20s,
and I love it so much,
and I love it more
and more as I get older,
as I get to do more of it
and hopefully get better at it,
that I've never
really considered quitting.
Not in any real sense, you know,
not in any like, yeah, I'm
done with this, you know.
(18:17):
You know, it's funny,
I've heard several actors,
and also a lot of famous
actors probably said this,
but a lot of actors are like,
I can't really do anything else.
So when it comes down to it, you know,
obviously it's tongue in cheek, but
that's not a bad thing.
You know, your life can be
very clear when it's like,
I can't really do anything else.
So, you know, for the
(18:37):
most part, you know,
my life is pretty clear,
and I kind of love that.
I kind of envy that
almost, you know what I mean?
Do you feel differently?
I can't say for sure.
But the thing is, is I
can't say that I'm not.
Yeah.
I could drastically change my opinion
than four months ago.
But I do, there are a
(19:00):
handful, a small handful of things
that I could do and say, yeah,
I could do this with my life.
Would it be nearly as
content or as exciting or as fun?
No.
I can't actually say, well,
I can't do anything else than acting.
Like there are a couple
of things where I'm like,
ah, I could do that.
(19:24):
But could I act for the rest of my life?
I probably could.
I probably would never get tired.
I probably would never get bored of it.
Now, obviously, whether finances
and the money restrictions happen or not,
that's out of our control,
but the actual life,
career, ups and downs,
(19:47):
I'm telling you, if new
actors are listening to this
or people who are thinking
about getting into acting,
you know really quick,
if you're like, this is
too many ups and downs,
too many heartbreaks, too
many roller coaster rides,
regardless of how much talent you have,
a lot of the game is not about talent.
It's about can you
survive this type of lifestyle?
(20:09):
Now, personally, for
me and my temperament,
for whatever reason, I actually kind of
don't mind this life.
You know what I mean?
So it's like-- It's
because you're a gambler.
It's like a put in perspective.
It's the hardcore gambler in here.
Yeah, exactly.
To put in perspective, Sean Baker,
you say I'm gonna make a
film every three or four years.
(20:31):
I'm, finances are going to be tough for
this stretch of time,
but I'm devoted to something I love.
I'm not able financially to have kids.
And he's been making movies
for what, 15, maybe 20 years?
That is a long
(20:52):
commitment right before our eyes
that we see perfectly.
This is what an indie film lifer is.
And I know a handful
of indie film lifers,
personally, they're coming
up, they're not Sean Baker yet,
but I know what that life looks like.
And for an outsider to be
like, wow, that's really hard.
We don't know what it's like
(21:13):
because they would
prefer it no other way.
And then that's kind of
like the way I look at acting
where it's like, not a
lot of people can do this
roller coaster ride that
we're doing, but for us,
it's like, I can't really
see us doing anything else.
Yeah.
So that's how I look at it.
So who knows, I might be a lifer.
Obviously I have side
pursuits that I enjoy,
(21:35):
but I don't know, we'll see.
Yeah, I like that, you know,
cause I like the possibility, you know,
I think that's probably a
healthy way to look at it.
Like I could do this forever.
I'd be really happy doing it forever.
But if something
comes along or, you know,
if I choose one of the other interests
for whatever reason, that's okay too.
I think for me, I'd like to do,
(21:55):
there are other things in this industry,
like I'd love to direct.
I think I'd really enjoy directing.
I'd like to write more.
I write a bit, but
I'd like to write more.
So there are streams of it
that I'd like to try as well.
But as far as acting
goes, I really love it.
I can really enjoy it.
You know, my enjoyment of it
has grown with my
(22:15):
experience of it, you know.
I think in the beginning, you're just
trying to figure it out
and go, what is this thing?
And then you're, you
know, trying to get jobs
and I'm trying to sort of
figure it out as you go.
But the more, the more I experienced it,
the more I really enjoy it.
So on the side, I've been
trading stocks over years.
As years went on, I was teaching myself
(22:36):
how to trade and also invest.
That was a nice compliment
to letting me do my acting.
And so that is one of the few things
that I could see myself
going into that world.
I also was a math and
econ major, as we know.
I could do that, but would I do that
(22:57):
as a profession later
on for the entire life?
I don't know.
So that's a side
compliment that came up to mind.
But when you talked about the
directing and writing thing,
I feel like those are
tangential to acting.
It's very close, but it is different.
And to wrap up this whole
idea of a filmmaker lifer,
(23:17):
I'm not gonna lie.
I wanna say I might get more of a buzz
from directing than actual acting.
And so this is the thing,
and it didn't make sense to me
until we actually had this conversation.
I made a good handful
of things over the years.
I don't need to be in
(23:38):
front of the camera.
I do enjoy it.
But when you're directing and or writing,
you don't have more control in that.
And I kinda like that aspect
where you have complete control.
I could see you enjoying that
because you like the details
and all of the things
that surround it, I think.
And I could see that being very
(23:58):
applicable to directing,
like all the different pieces of it.
Exactly, exactly.
So it's just like
another color in the toolbox.
Oh, no, I mixed up the metaphor.
Yeah, another way when you're like
on to a pair of
something, you open your toolbox
and there's just a lot of colors in there
and you just pick the
right color for the job.
(laughing) Yeah, exactly.
(24:18):
That's what happens
when you get an artist
trying to get in the real world.
We're trying to make a shelf with colors.
You know what I mean?
But that's also a nod
to a lot of directors
should get into
acting class and vice versa
because I feel like they help each other.
But my point is, is the actual directing,
I get a buzz.
I get a buzz off of editing.
(24:39):
I mean, editing and
directing at that point is like,
you're doing the final cut of the film.
But the issue is,
filmmaking has become so difficult,
like Sean Baker's talking about,
I don't know if I
could do that lifestyle.
I don't know if I could devote four years
to a passion project.
And there you go.
As much as I would love to do that,
(25:01):
I mean, who knows, maybe
it will happen later on,
but that's my confession.
I actually might like to do that stuff
more than actual acting.
Yeah, definitely.
But we'll see.
We're looking into it,
and in the meantime, you can
teach me how to trade stocks.
(laughing) Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Yeah, that'd be good.
We'll definitely do an episode.
When it gets a little
(25:21):
slower with the awards
and all that stuff,
we'll definitely do a finance episode.
All right, guys.
If you're new to the podcast,
we kind of give our hidden gems
at the end of the episode to say,
thanks for listening this long.
A little nugget from our week
or something that we
think you guys might enjoy.
You wanna go first?
Yeah, so my hidden gem
(25:43):
for this week is a movie
that I think just came out today.
It's a movie called Riff Raff,
and it stars Bill Murray,
I think Ed Harris is in it,
Jennifer Coolidge,
Pete Davison,
and my pal,
Emanuela Postikini,
(26:03):
who is a friend of mine
and just had a beautiful baby daughter
with my very good friend, Owen Machen.
So,
Oh, okay, yeah, I think,
I don't even sound familiar.
So I just want to say that that is,
because I can't wait to see it,
and it looks brilliant,
and Owen tells me it's brilliant.
So my hidden gem for
(26:25):
this week is Riff Raff.
Get out there and see it,
because it looks very funny.
It looks like Anna's got a stellar cast.
PJ Byrne is in there too.
Wow, that is a great cast.
That's my, get out there and
see Riff Raff, guys, go on.
Go.
Don't even wait for
Riff Raff's hidden gem,
just get out of the house.
Go see it.
(26:46):
All right, from my hidden gem,
and I forgot to mention,
so I'm doing a pop over here in New York.
I'm over in New York,
so I thought I'd give
a hidden gem over here
in the Big Apple.
So this restaurant,
a friend brought me over to it.
I never heard of it, I never been.
It's called Han Dynasty.
(27:06):
Really good Chinese restaurant,
decent size, plenty of space.
The food was great,
but the fun thing about it was,
the owner of that
restaurant was actually the basis
for the character in everything
everywhere all at once.
Wow, okay.
So when, I mean, when my
friend dropped that on me,
(27:27):
I was like, whoa, that's crazy.
I was like, whoa, that's crazy.
Long story short,
and apparently the
creators of that movie,
my friend's brother is
a local in that area,
the directors are friends,
has been there for years,
knows all about that little community
family friends with that restaurant.
So that's kind of like how the lore goes.
Nice.
Anyway, I thought that was really cool.
Love that.
My friend just casually mentioned,
I was like, how did
you not open with this?
(27:48):
It's Han Dynasty.
But anyway, Han Dynasty.
Okay, brilliant.
And then we'll put the
information in the description
if you're ever in New York,
but yeah, it's great food.
It wasn't too expensive.
And yeah, it's just a nice,
a nice solid Chinese restaurant.
Nice, all right.
So yeah, there you go.
All right, guys.
(28:09):
Well, there you go.
There's our hidden gems.
And so if you're in New York,
maybe get a bite to eat
and then go see Riff Raff afterward.
Yeah, that's your home.
And then there you go.
There's your whole
weekend planned out for you.
You're welcome.
There you go, we do it all.
We do it all over here.
All right, guys.
Well, have a great one.
(28:29):
Hope you enjoyed it.
We'll see you next week.
See you next week, guys.
Well, thanks for watching, guys.
If you like what you
saw, maybe give a like,
maybe subscribe.
It helps people find the podcast.
Also, if you didn't
catch last week's episode,
it's right over here.
Don't worry, we'll wait.
(31:05):
Anyway, so those are the favorites. We're
going to recap it next
week after the ceremony.
And we'll see who made money. We'll see
who made money. These
are not official picks from
Actors Guide Podcast. Just
need to put that out there.
All right, cool. So those are the Oscar
(31:26):
favorites. Now bridging over to...
(01:53:39):
baby daughter with my very
good friend, Owen Maccon.
So,
Oh, okay, yeah, I think
that name sounded familiar.
Yeah.
So I just want to say that that is,
because I can't wait to see
it and it looks brilliant.
And Owen tells me it's brilliant.
So my hidden gem for
this week is Riff Off.
Get out there and see it,
because it looks very funny.
(01:54:01):
It looks like, and
it's got a stellar cast.
PJ Byrne is in there
too, who I just worked with.
Wow. Yeah.
That is a great cast. Yeah.
So,
yeah.
Nice. That's Mike,
that's Mike.
Get out there and see
Riff Off guys, go on, go.
Don't even wait for Rickon's hidden gem.
Just get out of the house.
(laughing) Go see it.
(01:54:22):
All right, from my hidden gem,
and I forgot to mention,
so I'm doing a pop over here in New York.
I'm over in New York,
so I thought I'd give
a hidden gem over here
in the Big Apple.
So this restaurant, a
friend brought me over to it.
I never heard of it, I never been.
It's called Han Dynasty.
(01:54:42):
Really good Chinese
restaurant, decent size,
plenty of space.
The food was great, but
the fun thing about it was,
the owner of that
restaurant was actually the basis
for the character and everything
everywhere all at once.
Wow, okay.
So when, I mean, when my
friend dropped that on me,
(01:55:03):
I was like, whoa, that's crazy.
Long story short,
my friend's brother is
a local in that area,
has been there for years,
knows all about that little
community and also the owner,
and apparently the
creators of that movie,
the directors are friends,
family friends with that restaurant.
(01:55:24):
So that's kind of like how the lore goes.
Nice.
Anyway, I thought that was really cool.
Love that.
My friend just casually mentioned,
I was like, how did
you not open with this?
Han Dynasty.
But anyway, Han Dynasty.
Okay, brilliant.
And then we'll put the
information in the description
if you're ever in New York,
but yeah, it's great food.
It wasn't too expensive.
(01:55:44):
And yeah, it's just a nice,
a nice solid Chinese restaurant.
Nice, all right.
So yeah, there you go.
All right, guys.
Well, there you go.
There's our hidden gems.
And if you're new to the podcast,
we kind of give our hidden gems
at the end of the episode to say,
thanks for listening this long.
A little nugget from our week
(01:56:05):
or something that we
think you guys might enjoy.
So if you're in New
York, maybe get a bite to eat
and then go see Riff Raff afterward.
There you go, that's your whole weekend
planned out for you.
You're welcome.
There you go, we do it all.
We do it all over here.
All right, guys.
Well, have a great one.
(01:56:27):
Hope you enjoyed it.
We'll see you next week.
See you next week, guys.
(01:59:23):
covered a bit of ground there more than I
probably would get to.
Yeah, we get a lot. This was really
tight. This was good.
Yeah.
So, just to put a bow on that, you know,
Sean Baker made a plea
saying, "Hey, I know that
there are some indie film lifers in this
audience. Can we get
together? Can we work together?
(01:59:43):
Can we make a communal effort to make
sure that this is here
to stay in this industry
with the streamers, with the big
studios?" And that also ties into keeping
a lot of productions
in LA, in California, and keeping our
(02:00:05):
industry vibrant. So, I
think a lot of this kind of
goes hand in hand. It really does.
Yeah.
So, yeah. He made a really great push for
independent film and
we're here for it. So,
yeah. There you go.
Really?
There we go. Oscars.
That's our episode, everyone. So, do a
(02:00:27):
little wrap up. So, next
week we're going to recap
the big show, see who the big winners
were, and we'll have our
own AGP awards. So, stay
tuned for that.
Thanks for listening, guys.
I have to worry. I have to think about
that for a second. AGP.
I know. Exactly. I
(02:00:48):
want to get it out there.
I just died podcast. Okay.
Yeah. It just looks nice with the three
letters, but we'll see. Who
knows? We're not changing,
but yeah. AGP.
All right. I like that. I like that.
All right, guys. Have a good one. If you
get a chance,
subscribe and follow, and we'll
see you next week.
See you next week, guys.
(02:01:09):
And if you aren't following yet, follow
us on YouTube. Follow
us on Substack at Actors
Guide Podcast, and we're
on all podcast platforms.
(02:05:15):
(laughing)
If you're a degenerate like me.
You're like a flutter like Ikan does.
So, yeah.
So, this is recorded before the Oscars.
We're gonna talk about a
little of the action beforehand.
Next week we'll do a little recap
of all the glitz and the glamor
and also our own award show.
But yeah, a lot to dive into.
(02:05:36):
What are the prizes for our award show?
Are there prizes?
I mean, are they just
giving them to each other?
No, I mean, I guess, yeah.
We're awarding ourselves.
We're giving the awards and
we're also receiving them.
You know the big
winners is our listeners.
That's who the awards are for.
(02:05:56):
So, you gotta tune in for next week.
You hear that, listeners?
You are the real winners.
I say the prizes will be meager.
They're coming out of our own pocket.
Don't expect too much.
No.
But yeah, yeah.
Well, a lot to get into this week.
(02:18:02):
So most towns will have a
bookies, like a bookmakers,
and you can bet, you can go in there
and they'll give you odds on, you know,
any sports game or
whatever, the fighting, you know,
whatever, like, but I
think you can ask for,
I mean, they'll take odds
on pretty much anything,
and it's legal and it's everywhere.
In America, that's not the case, right?
You can't just go into a
bookies in America, right?
(02:18:22):
That's not, you have to go to Vegas
or you have to bet through,
how does it work in America?
Cause I've never understood this.
So you're completely right.
It's not legal in every state.
Ironically, it's not legal in California,
but there are certain
states that it is illegal.
I believe it's eight states right now,
which is kind of mind
blowing, but you're completely right.
(02:18:44):
Bookies is not exactly a open profession
here in the States yet.
You don't just put up a website,
hey, I'm a bookie, you
know, just come talk to me.
You would need to
find workarounds on that.
There are private bookies in LA
that is not going to be
one of our hidden gems.
And he's like, "Put on a bet."
(00:00):
And I was like, "All right."
So I put on $25 on a number.
I picked a number.
And it hit, it hit the number.
The next day, and this is what,
The next day, and this is what,
I think this is why I
don't gamble anymore.
The next day I went down
past the roulette table
and I thought, "I'll play one more
and I thought, "I'll play one more
"and I'll put it on the same number."
And then I went, "No,
I'll flip the number."
So, you know, so it was
like 23, then it was 32.
I was like, "I'll flip the number."
And I put it on.
I was like, "I'll flip the number."
(00:21):
Hey guys, welcome to the Actors Guide
to the End the World podcast,
where we talk about acting in Hollywood
and why people understand.
I'm E-Kan Soong and this is--
Rían Sheehy Kelly, how you doing?
What's up, buddy?
All as well, I think.
Yeah, it's always good to check in there.
We got a great show.
If you're not following us,
(00:41):
follow us wherever
you catch your podcasts
at Actors Guide Podcasts
and on all social media
at Actors Guide Podcasts.
Also, if you want to give us a rating
or even a review if you're feeling,
especially generous or spicy,
that would really help us a lot.
Yeah, and they help
people find our podcasts.
Massively.
And we'll review you in return
(01:03):
for something that
you've done, whatever it is.
Anything you want.
We're gonna talk Oscars this week.
It's happening this Sunday.
We're recording before the ceremony.
Next week, we'll do a whole recap
and all the glitz and the glamor.
And I'm also gonna tease,
we're gonna have our own awards.
The Actors Guide to the
End of the World Awards.
(01:23):
You'd tell me this.
It'd be fine.
(laughing) No, we're doing it next week.
Don't worry, you have a whole week.
Anyway, so that's gonna be fun.
We're gonna talk
about a little pre-Oscars.
We're gonna talk about the favorites.
We might talk about some betting lines,
if you're into that sort of thing.
We're gonna talk also
about a couple new bills
(01:43):
coming out of California,
pushing to keep production in California.
And also, we're gonna talk
about Sean Baker's epic speech
at the Film Independent Spirit Awards.
Super speech.
It was raw, it was honest,
and also gave a great insight
to the state of independent film.
And we talk a little bit about the idea
(02:04):
of being a lifer in
film or in anything else.
Sean Baker talks about
being a indie film lifer.
being a indie film lifer.
It was a great speech.
I really enjoyed it.
Yeah, yeah.
And he's tipped to win an Oscar, right?
Yeah, exactly.
If you're a gambler like he can.
Are you a gambler, if you bet?
I am not.
I'm opening up to it,
(02:25):
but no, I'm not a gambler.
Opening up to gambling.
(laughing) I don't know if that's a good thing.
We'll see if we lose money
by the end of this episode.
Yeah.
Now, a quick word from our sponsor.
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(laughing)
So word around town.
We talked briefly
about Newsom just proposed
a huge tax incentive late last year.
I believe it was $750 million.
So that was a proposal.
(03:07):
As you know, there's a lot of movements
being pushed after the fires.
We have Stay in LA,
which was specifically asking
for a commitment from
studios and streamers
to keep productions
and commit to production,
specifically in this
recovery time after the fires.
But we have a new movement this week.
It's called Keep California Rolling.
(03:28):
It's called the
Entertainment Union Coalition,
which launched Keep California Rolling.
As of this week, they
actually went up to Sacramento
to lobby and it's even more of an effort
to push to keep productions in LA.
So there's a lot of
things happening right now.
And then on top of it,
actually, there was two bills
being pushed to
(03:49):
augment Newsom's $750 million
tax credit from last year.
These bills are set to make the tax
credits more effective,
come up with a formula
to keep it competitive
with other regions in the
US, like Atlanta and so on.
One statistic that stood out to me,
(04:09):
which was very telling, I thought,
was, well, one, they're
emphasizing that this is,
this will support
critical middle-class jobs,
that this tax credit
program will support those jobs.
And they said,
"Hollywood's top labor groups
have recently seen a 40%
decrease in production."
They also said, "The
motion picture industry pension
(04:30):
and health plans tracked 88
million hours of employment
in 2024, compared with
123 million hours in 2022."
And that translates to
17,000 jobs that have evaporated,
which is pretty scary.
So when people say it's rough out there,
they're not joking.
Hopefully we're successful
(04:51):
and they could get
really strong tax credits
and improve things.
So we'll see.
So moving on, so we
got the Oscars this week.
It's finally here,
the big show, everyone.
We're gonna talk about the big favorites.
There's people betting on everything.
Like if you really look hard,
you can bet on a minor
(05:12):
league hockey game in Russia.
As far as these favorites, there is
As far as these favorites, there is
action on the Oscars.
It's to put in perspective,
all of the Oscar action is equivalent
to say one football
game, American football.
So it's not huge money.
(05:33):
Wait, what do you mean by that?
When it comes down to it.
You mean the total debts?
The total amount of money, exactly.
It is interesting to think about it.
And next week when we do our recap,
we'll see who made money.
There's no real science.
That's part of the fun.
You kind of don't have
that much for say the Oscars
besides what happened in past ceremonies.
According to the variety,
(05:55):
the odds are overwhelmingly determined
by the outcomes of the
BAFTAs and the SAG Awards.
It actually swung.
It actually did swing
the favorites a little bit.
So we're looking at best picture here.
Actually, I guess
which one's the favorite?
Who do you think is the favorite?
Well, Anora, because I can see it.
Oh, okay, you already know it?
(06:16):
I already know.
All right, well, I
appreciate your honesty.
So we have Anora.
Man, you're good.
So we have Anora's the
favorite for best picture.
They swung.
I want to believe Sean
Baker just took awards
at the Film Independent Spirit Awards.
I just learned how these odds work.
So when you see minus 200,
(06:38):
it basically means
that if you bet $1,000,
you would win $800 back.
God, okay, you get your
original 1,000 plus 800.
Exactly, exactly.
Second up, so second,
as far as odds go for
best picture is Conclave.
Now, we're not gonna get into the,
if you're not into gambling,
(06:59):
we're not gonna get too far into this
because chances are you
guys aren't degenerates
like we are.
Well, hang on, before you
class me in that category.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Tell me your gambling story.
Tell me your gambling story real quick.
One, I hate losing money.
So I'm not a good gambler.
I don't really like gambling
because I hate the
thought of losing money so much
(07:19):
that kind of overshadows
the thrill of winning for me
because it feels like such a waste.
And the first time I went to Vegas,
I've been to Vegas twice in my life.
The first time I went, I was,
I had just moved to America and my pal,
a couple of my friends
came over from Ireland
and we drove to Vegas and we went to
(07:39):
Vegas for five nights.
Like not knowing any better.
Yeah, that's a disaster.
And in the first night, I pretty much,
we sat down and we
played three card poker
and I lost most of my money.
And then the next
time I went back to Vegas
was for my pal Emmett's bachelor party
and that was in 2015.
(07:59):
And I wasn't really going to gamble.
By this point, I wasn't drinking.
I was at the roulette table.
I sat down with a friend of mine.
He's like, put on a bet.
And I was like, all right.
So I put on $25 on a number.
I picked a number.
I'm not gonna give away my secrets.
Can't tell you the number.
(laughing)
As if that would matter at all.
As if that would matter at all.
Yeah, I know.
And I picked it up and it hit the number
(08:20):
and I got $875 back.
How much did you put down?
25.
And I got 875.
Wow, okay, that's pretty good.
I won 875, which I paid for a
chunk of the bachelor party.
We went to a fight as well.
That paid for the fight.
Then he was like, we have
to stay and play some more.
And I was like, I don't know if I do.
So I put down one more $25 bet.
(08:41):
And I lost and I went, all right, see ya.
The next day, and this is what,
I think this is why I
don't gamble anymore.
The next day I went down
past the roulette table
and I thought, I'll play one more
and I'll put it on the same number.
And then I went, no,
I'll flip the number.
So, you know, so it was
like 23, then it was 32.
As I flipped the number and I put it on
(09:02):
and my original number came up.
and my original number came up.
And I freaked myself out
And I freaked myself out
so much that I was like,
oh my God, like, cause I don't,
the odds of that have gotta be minuscule.
And it shook me so much that I was like,
I will overthink this
for the rest of my life
if I continue to gamble.
So that was my brief,
(09:23):
that was my brief history.
If you bet long enough, you'll realize
that you should stop gambling.
House always wins in the end.
It's a dark, dark rabbit hole.
Anyway, so back to betting lines.
What a fit, it's a dark rabbit hole.
Anyway, all right, so the favorites,
number one is Anora.
Number two is Conclave.
(09:44):
The third is the Brutalist.
Fourth is a complete
unknown at plus 4,000.
Okay, plus 4,000.
Meaning that if you put in $1,000,
they'll give you $4,000 back.
So four to one basically.
So that's a wild one.
All right, also interesting enough,
as much as everyone loves Wicked,
(10:05):
that's an underdog plus 4,000 as well.
So speaking of best director,
Sean Baker crept into the favorite.
He's a favorite at minus 165,
meaning that if you put in 1,000,
you'll make 8. 35.
8.35, yeah.
So he's the favorite.
Number two is Brady
(10:25):
Corbett for the Brutalist.
So that's gonna be neck and neck.
We have here a best actor.
Who do you think is the
favorite for best actor?
Adrian Brody, no.
Yeah, he is.
To be fair, he's been
sweeping up the best actor awards
until the SAG Awards,
which is really interesting
(10:45):
because I think he was
a heavy favorite before
and then the SAG Awards happened
and then Timothee Chalamet
just kind of jumped in there.
Adrian Brody is a favorite at minus 230.
Timothee Chalamet is
at a second at plus 150.
Then we got Ray
Fiennes, we got Coleman Domingo
and then we got Sebastian Stan.
So we have best actress, Demi Moore.
His favorite?
Demi Moore is the favorite.
(11:06):
Minus 250.
That's a pretty heavy favorite.
Obviously she won a lot of the awards.
So Demi Moore has been sweeping up
all the best actress awards.
Mikey Madison made it interesting
by taking the Spirit Award.
So the Independent Film
Spirit Award for best actress.
Spirit Award for best actress.
So she made it interesting.
We got Demi Moore is a
favorite at negative 250.
(11:28):
Mikey Madison is a second at plus 165.
Cynthia Riva was a pretty far long shot.
Her odds are plus 3,500 and
also the whole EGOT thing.
Do you know the EGOT?
Yeah.
Like if she wins, she'll get the EGOT.
That is incredible.
Which is...
For those who don't know,
an EGOT is an Emmy, Grammy,
(11:49):
an Oscar and a Tony.
I mean, the fact that it
actually sometimes happens.
Would she be the youngest EGOT?
Oh my God, you're right.
If Areva wins, she would
become the youngest person
to ever win the EGOT at just 38.
Currently the youngest
person to get the achievement
is songwriter Robert Lopez.
(12:10):
At 39 years old,
collected all four awards.
He is also the only one
to have a double EGOT.
That's just insane.
What?
That's just insane.
All right, so that's the odds guys.
Get out there and spend your money.
Turn it into more.
Triple it.
You know, that's how
gambling works, right?
Yeah, just don't lose.
That's some money and that just triples.
(12:31):
Yep, that's my experience.
Now bridging over to Sean Baker again,
he made an epic speech when he accepted
the Film Independent Spirit Awards.
He was speaking fast to
get all of it through.
You could still hear
how heartfelt it was,
how much he loves and
cares about independent film,
but also, it was also really educational.
(12:53):
We'll put the link in the show notes
and we want more people to see it
because I think it was
a really telling sign
for where independent film is.
And if Sean Baker's not
gonna help push it and save it,
then we're in trouble, but.
He called himself an indie lifer.
Like he was very proud
of it, which I loved.
Let's start with that,
that he's an indie film lifer.
(13:15):
This is a perfect example of a filmmaker.
His dedication is so clear.
He said the average amount of time
that it takes to make
a film is three years.
And for a lot of films, that's short.
And he says he's not making any films
to make it his calling card
to give him a Marvel franchise
(13:37):
or to give him a TV show.
Very much like the Tarantino comments
that we talked about a few episodes ago,
the state of film is just,
it's become increasingly difficult
for independent filmmakers.
Yeah, and there's a real purity too
because he said he wanted to
make films, independent films,
where he has complete creative control,
(13:59):
where he's not beholden to a studio
and telling him how
he should make a film,
which was a part of
being an indie film lifer.
There's a real purity to that.
Like it's just, it's
making films for the love of it,
for the joy of making films.
I have a deep love for indie film
because I mean, a lot of,
(14:21):
I think a lot of what you
do as an actor is indie stuff
because that's the sort of
the first accessible thing.
I had the opportunity to
be part of an indie movie
from start to finish
a couple of years ago.
And it was such a wonderful experience.
But there's a real
sense of camaraderie as well
that everybody's pulling
together to make this movie
because it's hard to get a movie made.
(14:43):
To put in perspective, think about,
last week we talked about how much money
goes into an Oscar campaign.
Okay, just think about how much money
is spent in these
campaigns, how much impact that has.
So you have smaller films like "The
Brutalist" and "Anora".
Brady corporate made $0.
All that money was on the screen
(15:05):
and he made very little of it.
So just think about trying to go against
Wicked, big studios, doing part two.
If you wanna look at like a sports team,
you're the small little sports team
and you're going against the Yankees.
That's another push for the
importance of independent film
and also the fact that
we have independent films
in this Oscars race.
(15:26):
Absolutely. It's just that much harder.
Absolutely, and he was saying,
and in that three years
and he said that was low,
that in his
experience, like he didn't get,
he made next to nothing
for those three years.
I mean, he made, and I
hope he wins for that.
I hope he wins the Oscar for
that and I hope "Anora" is.
And ironically,
that's gonna open the door
for so much for him as well.
(15:46):
I'm sure, you know what I mean?
He'll be getting
offers to direct everything.
He's gonna be directing our next
"Toestida" commercial.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
But that brings up a really good point
because Sean Baker talked about it.
If you make a WJ minimum for a script,
you're making that fee for
all of those three years.
(16:07):
So you take that fee and
you divide it in three.
That's not a lot of money.
And then you take out taxes,
then you take out fees for
your agents and managers.
So right off the bat,
we have an understanding
of what the finances are,
and I think that's why
it was very educational.
It's at the Film
Independence Bureau Awards,
he knew who his audience was.
It was proud, but also a plea.
(16:27):
He goes, "Guys, let's work together.
"Let's fight to keep this."
He also said, "I don't have kids,
"and I know with the
way that my career is,
"and if I did have kids,
"I would not be able
to make these films."
And for someone to just openly,
just bluntly, honestly
say things like that,
(16:48):
it was a very raw, it
was very honest speech,
but that's the life
of an indie film lifer.
A couple of things here, this
idea of the indie film lifer.
Have you ever thought of yourself
as being a lifer in anything?
Not in any one, well in acting I suppose.
(17:11):
Yeah, probably.
I've probably thought
of myself as a lifer.
I didn't wanna assume,
but that's kinda like what I asked,
because I thought that might resonate.
Yeah, I suppose so, yeah.
Actually, yeah, no, that I think of it.
As an actor, I was just
thinking more specifically
in terms of like, you know,
narrower streams of acting
like indie movies or TV or,
(17:32):
but I've never, you
know, felt limited or theater
in that respect.
But I think probably as an actor,
and I had to, a few times I've gone,
okay, well if this doesn't
work, what else would I do?
And I've never come up
with a compelling answer
or even a real viable
answer to be honest.
I sort of found this
(17:55):
when I was in my early 20s,
and I love it so much,
and I love it more
and more as I get older,
as I get to do more of it
and hopefully get better at it,
that I've never
really considered quitting.
Not in any real sense, you know,
not in any like, yeah, I'm
done with this, you know.
(18:17):
You know, it's funny,
I've heard several actors,
and also a lot of famous
actors probably said this,
but a lot of actors are like,
I can't really do anything else.
So when it comes down to it, you know,
obviously it's tongue in cheek, but
that's not a bad thing.
You know, your life can be
very clear when it's like,
I can't really do anything else.
So, you know, for the
(18:37):
most part, you know,
my life is pretty clear,
and I kind of love that.
I kind of envy that
almost, you know what I mean?
Do you feel differently?
I can't say for sure.
But the thing is, is I
can't say that I'm not.
Yeah.
I could drastically change my opinion
than four months ago.
But I do, there are a
(19:00):
handful, a small handful of things
that I could do and say, yeah,
I could do this with my life.
Would it be nearly as
content or as exciting or as fun?
No.
I can't actually say, well,
I can't do anything else than acting.
Like there are a couple
of things where I'm like,
ah, I could do that.
(19:24):
But could I act for the rest of my life?
I probably could.
I probably would never get tired.
I probably would never get bored of it.
Now, obviously, whether finances
and the money restrictions happen or not,
that's out of our control,
but the actual life,
career, ups and downs,
(19:47):
I'm telling you, if new
actors are listening to this
or people who are thinking
about getting into acting,
you know really quick,
if you're like, this is
too many ups and downs,
too many heartbreaks, too
many roller coaster rides,
regardless of how much talent you have,
a lot of the game is not about talent.
It's about can you
survive this type of lifestyle?
(20:09):
Now, personally, for
me and my temperament,
for whatever reason, I actually kind of
don't mind this life.
You know what I mean?
So it's like-- It's
because you're a gambler.
It's like a put in perspective.
It's the hardcore gambler in here.
Yeah, exactly.
To put in perspective, Sean Baker,
you say I'm gonna make a
film every three or four years.
(20:31):
I'm, finances are going to be tough for
this stretch of time,
but I'm devoted to something I love.
I'm not able financially to have kids.
And he's been making movies
for what, 15, maybe 20 years?
That is a long
(20:52):
commitment right before our eyes
that we see perfectly.
This is what an indie film lifer is.
And I know a handful
of indie film lifers,
personally, they're coming
up, they're not Sean Baker yet,
but I know what that life looks like.
And for an outsider to be
like, wow, that's really hard.
We don't know what it's like
(21:13):
because they would
prefer it no other way.
And then that's kind of
like the way I look at acting
where it's like, not a
lot of people can do this
roller coaster ride that
we're doing, but for us,
it's like, I can't really
see us doing anything else.
Yeah.
So that's how I look at it.
So who knows, I might be a lifer.
Obviously I have side
pursuits that I enjoy,
(21:35):
but I don't know, we'll see.
Yeah, I like that, you know,
cause I like the possibility, you know,
I think that's probably a
healthy way to look at it.
Like I could do this forever.
I'd be really happy doing it forever.
But if something
comes along or, you know,
if I choose one of the other interests
for whatever reason, that's okay too.
I think for me, I'd like to do,
(21:55):
there are other things in this industry,
like I'd love to direct.
I think I'd really enjoy directing.
I'd like to write more.
I write a bit, but
I'd like to write more.
So there are streams of it
that I'd like to try as well.
But as far as acting
goes, I really love it.
I can really enjoy it.
You know, my enjoyment of it
has grown with my
(22:15):
experience of it, you know.
I think in the beginning, you're just
trying to figure it out
and go, what is this thing?
And then you're, you
know, trying to get jobs
and I'm trying to sort of
figure it out as you go.
But the more, the more I experienced it,
the more I really enjoy it.
So on the side, I've been
trading stocks over years.
As years went on, I was teaching myself
(22:36):
how to trade and also invest.
That was a nice compliment
to letting me do my acting.
And so that is one of the few things
that I could see myself
going into that world.
I also was a math and
econ major, as we know.
I could do that, but would I do that
(22:57):
as a profession later
on for the entire life?
I don't know.
So that's a side
compliment that came up to mind.
But when you talked about the
directing and writing thing,
I feel like those are
tangential to acting.
It's very close, but it is different.
And to wrap up this whole
idea of a filmmaker lifer,
(23:17):
I'm not gonna lie.
I wanna say I might get more of a buzz
from directing than actual acting.
And so this is the thing,
and it didn't make sense to me
until we actually had this conversation.
I made a good handful
of things over the years.
I don't need to be in
(23:38):
front of the camera.
I do enjoy it.
But when you're directing and or writing,
you don't have more control in that.
And I kinda like that aspect
where you have complete control.
I could see you enjoying that
because you like the details
and all of the things
that surround it, I think.
And I could see that being very
(23:58):
applicable to directing,
like all the different pieces of it.
Exactly, exactly.
So it's just like
another color in the toolbox.
Oh, no, I mixed up the metaphor.
Yeah, another way when you're like
on to a pair of
something, you open your toolbox
and there's just a lot of colors in there
and you just pick the
right color for the job.
(laughing) Yeah, exactly.
(24:18):
That's what happens
when you get an artist
trying to get in the real world.
We're trying to make a shelf with colors.
You know what I mean?
But that's also a nod
to a lot of directors
should get into
acting class and vice versa
because I feel like they help each other.
But my point is, is the actual directing,
I get a buzz.
I get a buzz off of editing.
(24:39):
I mean, editing and
directing at that point is like,
you're doing the final cut of the film.
But the issue is,
filmmaking has become so difficult,
like Sean Baker's talking about,
I don't know if I
could do that lifestyle.
I don't know if I could devote four years
to a passion project.
And there you go.
As much as I would love to do that,
(25:01):
I mean, who knows, maybe
it will happen later on,
but that's my confession.
I actually might like to do that stuff
more than actual acting.
Yeah, definitely.
But we'll see.
We're looking into it,
and in the meantime, you can
teach me how to trade stocks.
(laughing) Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Yeah, that'd be good.
We'll definitely do an episode.
When it gets a little
(25:21):
slower with the awards
and all that stuff,
we'll definitely do a finance episode.
All right, guys.
If you're new to the podcast,
we kind of give our hidden gems
at the end of the episode to say,
thanks for listening this long.
A little nugget from our week
or something that we
think you guys might enjoy.
You wanna go first?
Yeah, so my hidden gem
(25:43):
for this week is a movie
that I think just came out today.
It's a movie called Riff Raff,
and it stars Bill Murray,
I think Ed Harris is in it,
Jennifer Coolidge,
Pete Davison,
and my pal,
Emanuela Postikini,
(26:03):
who is a friend of mine
and just had a beautiful baby daughter
with my very good friend, Owen Machen.
So,
Oh, okay, yeah, I think,
I don't even sound familiar.
So I just want to say that that is,
because I can't wait to see it,
and it looks brilliant,
and Owen tells me it's brilliant.
So my hidden gem for
(26:25):
this week is Riff Raff.
Get out there and see it,
because it looks very funny.
It looks like Anna's got a stellar cast.
PJ Byrne is in there too.
Wow, that is a great cast.
That's my, get out there and
see Riff Raff, guys, go on.
Go.
Don't even wait for
Riff Raff's hidden gem,
just get out of the house.
Go see it.
(26:46):
All right, from my hidden gem,
and I forgot to mention,
so I'm doing a pop over here in New York.
I'm over in New York,
so I thought I'd give
a hidden gem over here
in the Big Apple.
So this restaurant,
a friend brought me over to it.
I never heard of it, I never been.
It's called Han Dynasty.
(27:06):
Really good Chinese restaurant,
decent size, plenty of space.
The food was great,
but the fun thing about it was,
the owner of that
restaurant was actually the basis
for the character in everything
everywhere all at once.
Wow, okay.
So when, I mean, when my
friend dropped that on me,
(27:27):
I was like, whoa, that's crazy.
I was like, whoa, that's crazy.
Long story short,
and apparently the
creators of that movie,
my friend's brother is
a local in that area,
the directors are friends,
has been there for years,
knows all about that little community
family friends with that restaurant.
So that's kind of like how the lore goes.
Nice.
Anyway, I thought that was really cool.
Love that.
My friend just casually mentioned,
I was like, how did
you not open with this?
(27:48):
It's Han Dynasty.
But anyway, Han Dynasty.
Okay, brilliant.
And then we'll put the
information in the description
if you're ever in New York,
but yeah, it's great food.
It wasn't too expensive.
And yeah, it's just a nice,
a nice solid Chinese restaurant.
Nice, all right.
So yeah, there you go.
All right, guys.
(28:09):
Well, there you go.
There's our hidden gems.
And so if you're in New York,
maybe get a bite to eat
and then go see Riff Raff afterward.
Yeah, that's your home.
And then there you go.
There's your whole
weekend planned out for you.
You're welcome.
There you go, we do it all.
We do it all over here.
All right, guys.
Well, have a great one.
(28:29):
Hope you enjoyed it.
We'll see you next week.
See you next week, guys.
Well, thanks for watching, guys.
If you like what you
saw, maybe give a like,
maybe subscribe.
It helps people find the podcast.
Also, if you didn't
catch last week's episode,
it's right over here.
Don't worry, we'll wait.
(31:05):
Anyway, so those are the favorites. We're
going to recap it next
week after the ceremony.
And we'll see who made money. We'll see
who made money. These
are not official picks from
Actors Guide Podcast. Just
need to put that out there.
All right, cool. So those are the Oscar
(31:26):
favorites. Now bridging over to...
(01:53:39):
baby daughter with my very
good friend, Owen Maccon.
So,
Oh, okay, yeah, I think
that name sounded familiar.
Yeah.
So I just want to say that that is,
because I can't wait to see
it and it looks brilliant.
And Owen tells me it's brilliant.
So my hidden gem for
this week is Riff Off.
Get out there and see it,
because it looks very funny.
(01:54:01):
It looks like, and
it's got a stellar cast.
PJ Byrne is in there
too, who I just worked with.
Wow. Yeah.
That is a great cast. Yeah.
So,
yeah.
Nice. That's Mike,
that's Mike.
Get out there and see
Riff Off guys, go on, go.
Don't even wait for Rickon's hidden gem.
Just get out of the house.
(laughing) Go see it.
(01:54:22):
All right, from my hidden gem,
and I forgot to mention,
so I'm doing a pop over here in New York.
I'm over in New York,
so I thought I'd give
a hidden gem over here
in the Big Apple.
So this restaurant, a
friend brought me over to it.
I never heard of it, I never been.
It's called Han Dynasty.
(01:54:42):
Really good Chinese
restaurant, decent size,
plenty of space.
The food was great, but
the fun thing about it was,
the owner of that
restaurant was actually the basis
for the character and everything
everywhere all at once.
Wow, okay.
So when, I mean, when my
friend dropped that on me,
(01:55:03):
I was like, whoa, that's crazy.
Long story short,
my friend's brother is
a local in that area,
has been there for years,
knows all about that little
community and also the owner,
and apparently the
creators of that movie,
the directors are friends,
family friends with that restaurant.
(01:55:24):
So that's kind of like how the lore goes.
Nice.
Anyway, I thought that was really cool.
Love that.
My friend just casually mentioned,
I was like, how did
you not open with this?
Han Dynasty.
But anyway, Han Dynasty.
Okay, brilliant.
And then we'll put the
information in the description
if you're ever in New York,
but yeah, it's great food.
It wasn't too expensive.
(01:55:44):
And yeah, it's just a nice,
a nice solid Chinese restaurant.
Nice, all right.
So yeah, there you go.
All right, guys.
Well, there you go.
There's our hidden gems.
And if you're new to the podcast,
we kind of give our hidden gems
at the end of the episode to say,
thanks for listening this long.
A little nugget from our week
(01:56:05):
or something that we
think you guys might enjoy.
So if you're in New
York, maybe get a bite to eat
and then go see Riff Raff afterward.
There you go, that's your whole weekend
planned out for you.
You're welcome.
There you go, we do it all.
We do it all over here.
All right, guys.
Well, have a great one.
(01:56:27):
Hope you enjoyed it.
We'll see you next week.
See you next week, guys.
(01:59:23):
covered a bit of ground there more than I
probably would get to.
Yeah, we get a lot. This was really
tight. This was good.
Yeah.
So, just to put a bow on that, you know,
Sean Baker made a plea
saying, "Hey, I know that
there are some indie film lifers in this
audience. Can we get
together? Can we work together?
(01:59:43):
Can we make a communal effort to make
sure that this is here
to stay in this industry
with the streamers, with the big
studios?" And that also ties into keeping
a lot of productions
in LA, in California, and keeping our
(02:00:05):
industry vibrant. So, I
think a lot of this kind of
goes hand in hand. It really does.
Yeah.
So, yeah. He made a really great push for
independent film and
we're here for it. So,
yeah. There you go.
Really?
There we go. Oscars.
That's our episode, everyone. So, do a
(02:00:27):
little wrap up. So, next
week we're going to recap
the big show, see who the big winners
were, and we'll have our
own AGP awards. So, stay
tuned for that.
Thanks for listening, guys.
I have to worry. I have to think about
that for a second. AGP.
I know. Exactly. I
(02:00:48):
want to get it out there.
I just died podcast. Okay.
Yeah. It just looks nice with the three
letters, but we'll see. Who
knows? We're not changing,
but yeah. AGP.
All right. I like that. I like that.
All right, guys. Have a good one. If you
get a chance,
subscribe and follow, and we'll
see you next week.
See you next week, guys.
(02:01:09):
And if you aren't following yet, follow
us on YouTube. Follow
us on Substack at Actors
Guide Podcast, and we're
on all podcast platforms.
(02:05:15):
(laughing)
If you're a degenerate like me.
You're like a flutter like Ikan does.
So, yeah.
So, this is recorded before the Oscars.
We're gonna talk about a
little of the action beforehand.
Next week we'll do a little recap
of all the glitz and the glamor
and also our own award show.
But yeah, a lot to dive into.
(02:05:36):
What are the prizes for our award show?
Are there prizes?
I mean, are they just
giving them to each other?
No, I mean, I guess, yeah.
We're awarding ourselves.
We're giving the awards and
we're also receiving them.
You know the big
winners is our listeners.
That's who the awards are for.
(02:05:56):
So, you gotta tune in for next week.
You hear that, listeners?
You are the real winners.
I say the prizes will be meager.
They're coming out of our own pocket.
Don't expect too much.
No.
But yeah, yeah.
Well, a lot to get into this week.
(02:18:02):
So most towns will have a
bookies, like a bookmakers,
and you can bet, you can go in there
and they'll give you odds on, you know,
any sports game or
whatever, the fighting, you know,
whatever, like, but I
think you can ask for,
I mean, they'll take odds
on pretty much anything,
and it's legal and it's everywhere.
In America, that's not the case, right?
You can't just go into a
bookies in America, right?
(02:18:22):
That's not, you have to go to Vegas
or you have to bet through,
how does it work in America?
Cause I've never understood this.
So you're completely right.
It's not legal in every state.
Ironically, it's not legal in California,
but there are certain
states that it is illegal.
I believe it's eight states right now,
which is kind of mind
blowing, but you're completely right.
(02:18:44):
Bookies is not exactly a open profession
here in the States yet.
You don't just put up a website,
hey, I'm a bookie, you
know, just come talk to me.
You would need to
find workarounds on that.
There are private bookies in LA
that is not going to be
one of our hidden gems.
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