From The Mailroom To A Major Film Role: Wolfgang Bodison's Extraordinary Journey

Episode Transcript
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Robyn Cohen (00:00):
Well, hello.
Hello friends and welcome to theall new rebranded podcast,

Thriving Artists (00:05):
The Daily Joyride I'm your host, Robyn
Cohen, and today you're in foran Extraordinary ride.
So first, just a quick wordabout this exciting rebrand.
after recording over 25 episodesand coaching thousands of
artists, it became crystalclear.
The myth of the starving artistis done.

(00:26):
It just has to be.
This podcast now exists.
To shatter that lie and to usherin a new era, a space where
artists can thrive, wherecreativity equals abundance,
where joy is the truth, the way,and the strategy.
So how perfect that today'sguest is someone who proves this
with every fiber of his being.

(00:48):
Wolfgang Bodison started in themail room at Castle Rock
Entertainment not long after hewas cast by Rob Reiner in the
Academy Award nominated film, AFew Good Men, performing
Opposite Tom Cruise, JackNicholson, and Demi Moore.
with zero acting experience.
None.
No agent, no audition history.
He was simply showing up.

(01:10):
He wasn't chasing fame.
He was doing his job withpassion and precision as a
locations manager.
And when director Rob Reinerasked him to audition, he showed
up again and he delivered.
when opportunity knocked, he hadthe spirit, the presence, and
the inner knowing to say yes.
Wolfgang is now a master actingteacher, a director, a working

(01:32):
artist.
And his story reminds us thegame can change in an instant.
You don't have to suffer tosucceed, and your passion is not
something to postpone.
It's your launchpad.
if you are ready to get into theroom, to to stop waiting and to
start living your creative joyride.
classes begin Monday, June 2ndat 12:00 PM Pacific and

(01:55):
Tuesdays, June 3rd at 6:00 PMPacific.
Just DM me on Instagram@RobynCohenActingStudio.
Or email me atRobyn@cohenactingstudio.com.
Robyn's with a Y.
With the early Bird special,you're gonna get a hundred
dollars off, and that runsthrough Wednesday, May 28th at
midnight.
And if it's your first timeauditing, you are invited for

(02:16):
free.
Now buckle up and enjoy thisfantastical ride with the
amazing, the inspirational, themagnificent acting teacher
Wolfgang Bodison.
This is what thriving lookslike.
Well, hello.
Hello, and welcome back to theDaily Joy Ride.
I am so.
honored to have the amazingWolfgang Bodison on the show

(02:39):
today.
We have Wolfgang Bodison on theshow today.

Wolfgang B (02:45):
Thanks for having me, Robyn.
This is awesome.
Oh,

it is.
Such a joy and a lo long timecoming.
Yes.
We'll talk all about it in theepisode, but, to take it back
just for a moment, Many of youlistening to this podcast you
know about Wolfgang just becausehe and I both have been at this
a while.
Yeah.
And we ebb and flow in variouscreative communities.
Yeah.
But, for those of you who don'tknow Wolfgang yet, Wolfgang

(03:08):
graduated from the University ofVirginia, UVA, you know, my.
Late brother Adam Cohen
Uhhuh
actually got his PhD, his doctorate in
Shakespeare from UVA.
Wow.
And this podcast was actuallystarted in his memory.

(03:30):
It's called The Daily Joy Ride.
Right.
Uhhuh.
And it's sort of,
it's the
ups and downs of life itself.
Yes, absolutely.
and when he passed, before hedied, he.
It was his wish, uhhuh for methat I figure out a way to be
happy in this, this lifetime.
And so this podcast is really alove letter to him.

(03:52):
Oh, wow.
So it's remarkable that you, Ilove that.
Um, the first thing that I'msharing about you is the raison
detre for this entire thing.
Yeah.
Is my brother who also was atU-V-A-U-V-A.
Mm-hmm.
Um, and, uh, you were there earning a degree in
fine arts.
Yes.
Wolfgang, you have been seen in A Few Good Men,

(04:13):
little Big League, the ExpertFreeway, most Wanted Joe,
somebody, and American Skin.
These are just a few of yourever-growing film credits, along
with a long list of TV credits,guest starring roles and
recurring roles.
As a writer and director, you'veproduced the short films, Simone

(04:35):
Broken, Sarah's Wish, and theLong Wait, all of which have
screened at, major filmfestivals worldwide and have won
several awards, including BestShort Film, Simone, The Long
Wait Best Screenplay, Broken andBest Director.
Woo hoo.
That's you for Sarah's Wish andThe Long Wait.
And many of these I've seen atthe Playhouse West Film

(04:58):
Festival.
Absolutely.
And we've all been lucky to beable to see those at that
incredible event.
Wolfgang, it says in your biothat Wolfgang, you love your
job.
Yes.
Of mentoring young actors as theschool director at Playhouse
West, where you and I met lothose many absolutely.
Decades ago.
Playhouse West is actually anacting school and repertory

(05:20):
theater.
Along with your teaching duties,you also serve as the festival
director.
The one we were just talkingabout, the aforesaid, mentioned
Playhouse West Film Festival.
And you continuously provideopportunities for students to
develop their craft by castingthem in recurring productions
that you direct, such as theExtravaganza One Act Festival.

(05:42):
Amazing.
Been there.
Saw it.
Knocked my socks off.
I need new socks.
Yeah.
The Song To Scene show and theSpoon River Movie Mashup.
Yes.
Recent Play Productions thatdirected include Tape by Steven
Belber.
I also directed that show.
Yeah.
What A Ripper.
Proof by David Auburn.
Been in that show, MMF by DavidKimple, What We're Up Against by

(06:05):
Theresa Rebeck.
Meteor Shower by Steve Martin.
Men in Suits.
Fabulous.
By Jason Milligan And StandingBy h.
And of course the show that Ijust saw

Wolfgang B (06:17):
Yes.

Just a couple nights ago, which blew the roof
off what theater is and can bein its depth.
Humanity and amazingness,Gruesome Playground Injuries.
Yeah.
By Rajeev Joseph.
What a phenomenal job.
So that's a bio that you hadsent to me.
And that's also ai, by the way,corroborated much of your bio.

(06:39):
Oh, okay.
Because I looked you up.
The robots also talk about you,they Exactly.
In very glowing terms.
In fact, to be interesting.
Would you like to hear a littlebit about what the robots say
about you?
Ai Yes, please.
Just a little bit.
Sure.
Yeah.
This is, this is kind of neat'cause it talks about, he's
like, yeah, let's hear it.
it talks about, some of the waysthat you kind of got started in

(07:01):
this.
Yeah.
Yeah.
It
corroborates that you were born in DC You know, I
was born at the Bethesda NavalHospital.
Wow.
We're both DMV.
Oh, wow.
There you go.
Absolutely.
Yeah.
Yeah.
and as you know, in the show,what the Constitution means to
me, I say that my birth costs$14and 27 cents.
Wow.
And in fact, yeah, it did.
Yeah.
My mom told me this recently, and then after she

(07:24):
told me that it was$14 and 27cents, she looks at me and she
says.
Worth every penny.
Okay.
So, so the 27 cents.
Exactly.
so it says that you began yourcareer at Castle Rock
Entertainment, ascending fromthe mail room to become a
production assistant, andeventually the personal

(07:46):
assistant to Director Rob Reineron the film Misery Is that true?

Wolfgang B (07:51):
Yes, that is absolutely true.
So AI got

that right?
Yeah.
His foray into acting wasserendipitous.
Yes.
That's what the robots thinkthey say.
While serving as a locationmanager for A Few Good Men,
director Rob Reiner recognizedyour potential and cast you as
Lance Corporal Harold W.
Dawson, a role that marked yourimpressive acting debut in A Few
Good Men.

(08:13):
Uhhuh.
Following this Wolfgang appeared in film such
as Little Big League, theExpert, and Joe, Somebody, and
then it talks about beyondacting, you've directed
numerous.
Spectacular productions I mightadd at Playhouse West and
continues to mentor emergingactors emphasizing the
importance of dedication andcontinuous learning.
I like these robots and that's,I know these robots are very

(08:35):
kind and, uh, and they'rehonest, especially about you.
and then I just had to add thisbecause I actually have a, for
those of you watching this onYouTube, I have have a physical
copy of the program and I justwanna add this last little bit
from Wolfgang's, written bio,which is in the program for
Gruesome Playgrounds, which Ijust saw.
And which you all must seeeverything that Wolfgang ever

(08:57):
does till the end of time.
Thank you.
But I just love this.
you talk a little bit about yourcredits that, as a Playhouse
West staff member and the schooldirector, you're grateful for
the opportunity to work with themany talented students at the
school and.
When you see Wolfgang Smile,know that he's thinking of his
daughter.

(09:17):
Yeah.
Olivia.
Hey,
how wonderful is that?
Yeah,
thank you.
So,
oh my gosh, Wolfgang, I mean, the whole
podcast could just be a bio ofyou and the, the myriad of
things that you've done, thatyou're doing that is on, your
creative docket to do in thenear future and beyond.

(09:39):
Sure.

Wolfgang B (09:40):
I mean, even the start of my career, just, yeah,
I'd love to take it back.

so you're in the DMV area, you're right now a
premier teacher and instructorand mentor and director and
producer and actor in Hollywood.
But it didn't, you didn't startout that way.
And, um, for people listening,many of whom mm-hmm.
Are like, how do you forge acareer in this wackadoodle non

(10:05):
Yeah.
Non unconventional,non-prescriptive, yes.
Career in the arts.
And I'd love for you to share,how you got yourself here.
Right.
If you could go back a littleand take us on that ride a bit.
Well, you're

Wolfgang B (10:16):
absolutely right.
I mean, there's no sort oflinear path in this business,
you know?
Yeah.
I mean, it's not like you go tolaw school as undergrad and then
you go to a, you know, graduateschool, then you get into a
firm.
Yeah.
Or even with the path frommedical school.
Um, I thought I was going to getinto, graphic design and, my

(10:38):
goal was to be a, you know, anartist in that way.
but then I took.
I did a project at UVA where Itook pictures of kids playing
war, black and white pictures,and edited to the song, Bullet
To Blue Sky by U2.
And it was really turned outreally well.
And one of my instructors waslike, you know, have you ever
thought about film?

(10:59):
And I really hadn't.
I mean, I had always beenwriting and stuff and poetry and
short stories, and it was socrazy.
The, it's like the moment hesaid that, it was like, I'm
going to Hollywood.
I'm gonna, I'm, that's what I'mgonna do, you know?
What did your

family, I mean, was your family in the arts or
creative at all?
No.

Wolfgang B (11:19):
No.
Fortunately my mom is verysupportive.

Yeah.

Wolfgang B (11:22):
Uh, my dad had passed many years ago, but my
mom was like, you know, I don'tthink she also knew much about
it, what
that meant.
Yeah, exactly.
What did it even mean?
Right.
If she'd known more, shewould've been like, no, you need
to go get you a, an accountingdegree or something.
Right.
So, me and a buddy, I had, hehad a car called, ice cream,

(11:44):
which was a sunbird that had ahole in the gas tank.
We drove it up to Boston.
We got a you drive it car.
It was a service that you drivesomeone's car across the
country.
We left his car on the side ofthe road.
We drove that"you drive it" caracross the country and they gave
you six days to do it.
Well, we being silly kids, go,okay, well we're gonna get out

(12:07):
there as soon as we can and thenuse the car to drive around and
find, you know, a place to stayand all that kind of stuff.
So he drove, I slept, I drove,he slept.
We went from Boston to LA in twodays.

Oh my.
It was

Wolfgang B (12:21):
like, it was like nuts.
By the time we got here, wewere, so we actually ended up
out in Whittier thinking we werein LA Right.
And we go like, LA doesn't lookall that nice.
Right.
Where's the

Hollywood sign?

Wolfgang B (12:36):
Yeah, exactly.
Where the, I don't see no tallbuilding.
What's going on?
Uh, so, what I had done though.
Preparation for that move.
My spring break, before Igraduated that summer, I went to
the, counselor's office and theyhad a service where you could
find all the alumni who are inHollywood.

(13:00):
So I got that information and Isent a head letter to say, Hey,
I'm going to be coming out.
I'm gonna come out on my springbreak, can I meet with you?
That kind of thing.
And that's a great resource ifanybody is thinking about coming
out here, because you know, thealumni always want to help, you
know?
Yeah,
yeah.
And fortunately, there was some big executives

(13:22):
that, were willing to, I, Iprobably got meetings for people
and people like, ha ha, hey,how'd you get in front of the
line there?
But it was because, you know,'cause of the school
affiliation.
Yeah.
And.
through one of those meetingswhen I came out, I had a job at
Columbia Pictures in, in thefiling department.
Okay.

(13:42):
So at least had a job, and wefound a place to stay.
And I then did that for a while.
And again, through anotherconnection from UVA, was over,
there was two guys from UVA atthe mail room at Castle Rock,
and one of the partners is analum alumnus from UVA.
And so I was in touch with themand it was like, Hey, we have

(14:06):
this opening happening in themail room, why don't you come
over?
Come in.
And that company had juststarted with, like When Harry
Met Sally was coming out.
And so it was just starting toblow up, uh, The Princess Bride
that Rob directed, you know,classics.
Yeah, exactly.
And, Glenn Padnick they'd allcome over from Norman Lear's
company, you know.

(14:26):
Oh.
Yeah.
Legendary.
Mm-hmm.
So they were, you know, it was a really company
that was starting to reallygrow.
And so I went into the mail roomand just worked my way up from
there.

Geez.

Wolfgang B (14:38):
You know, just hustling.
How long,

how long were you in the mail room?
I was probably, they were likein mail room.

Wolfgang B (14:42):
Yeah.
About a, a year and a half orso.

Good for you.
Good for you.

Wolfgang B (14:46):
Yeah.
and then from there, I became aproduction assistant on a couple
of their TV shows.
Yeah.
and then like it says in the bio, got the
opportunity Rob Reiner'sassistant on Misery which, how

did that, was that another UVA something or other?
No.
You were already there.

Wolfgang B (15:04):
I was at the company and he needed assistant and
fortunately I had been hustlingmy butt off and really work hard
and someone said, Wolf, howabout Wolf?
And he was like, yeah, let's,let's go with wolf.
'cause, you know, and so,because.

he works hard.
He's got a great name.
Exactly.
He can, and he prob and he, andhe's sturdy.
He can probably, he like carry alot

Wolfgang B (15:25):
of stuff.
Right.

Which is what production assistants do.
Let, let's face it, that's whatwe do.
You know.
But

Wolfgang B (15:30):
what was great was I was his onset assistant and yes,
I, you know, took care of hisneeds.
But I got to stand there andwatch.
And I had a notebook Wow.
Watching him and BarrySonnenfeld worked with Kathy
Bates and Jimmy Caan and I hadlike six books of notes that,
you know, just the differentsetups, that kind of stuff.
Like, wow.
'cause at that time I was notinterested in acting.

(15:53):
I wanted to be a writer anddirector.
Okay.
So, whoa, this, this was sort ofinteresting.
An education in directing andwriting and stuff.
Oh
wow.
So then after that.
I, you know, went back to CastleRock, into the, uh, production
of things and then started towork.
I was kind of working up theproduction ladder and then got

(16:15):
into location managing.
Mm-hmm.
Right?
Mm.
And so just assisted a couplejobs.
And then the big coup was I gotto be the, the location manager
on A Few Good Men.
Right.
And I hadn't been doing it thatlong, so it was like, oh, okay,
sure.

And so, okay,

Wolfgang B (16:31):
I'm running around trying to find locations to this
big a-list movie, and I comeback to the company and I bump
into Rob in the hallways andwe're talking a few location
questions, and then he goes outof the blue, he goes, I look, I,
I know you wanna write anddirect, but have you ever acted
before?
I was like, no.
He goes, look, you know the,you, you've read the script, you

(16:53):
know the, uh, Harold Dawson andthe thing.
I said, yeah, I know the role.
He goes, look, I want you tocome in and read for that.
I was like.
Oh, okay.
Okay, sure.
He says, yeah, my, I havecasting, you know, and my
assistant get ahold of you setup an appointment, uh, they'll
send you the material and wejust want, I want you.
It's just, I don't know.
Trust me, I just want you tocome in and read.

(17:15):
And so, fortunately, my roommateat the time knew a, uh,
wonderful, coach who worked withme on it and prepared me for it.
And, I came in and, you know,auditioned.
And it's funny, the first, whenI first walked in, the casting
comes, she goes, uh, do youhave, uh, your picture, resume?

(17:36):
I was like, I, I, I, I don'thave none.
Whatcha
talking about?
Yeah, whatcha talking about,whatcha talking about whatcha
talking about
She kind of got this gr what she, she kind of got
this grin like, okay, I see whatthis is going to be.
Oh, Boise, Idaho.
Yeah.
Alright.
And so.
I came in and I read, and I, youknow, I guess, but here's the

(17:57):
thing.
They kept calling me back.
Right.
Kept calling me back severalrounds

of auditions.
They have several rounds ofthese things that Yeah, yeah.

Wolfgang B (18:04):
I'm in the waiting room with all these other named
guys that I'm like, oh I'm notgonna get this job.
I mean, this person's here.
This person's here.
That person's here.
You

recognize them.
They were like, oh yeah.
People that you were like, oh,I've seen them on tv.
I've seen in the movies.
Well, I had worked

Wolfgang B (18:17):
on another movie with a couple of them, when you
were the pa, when you theassistant actually was a picture
car coordinator on Boys In TheHood.

Okay.
You know, oh, I believe it.
Which, which

Wolfgang B (18:27):
is a, which is a whole nother story.
Nother story.
Whole nother story.
That's a whole nother story.
And

episode two, it's gonna be our second follow up.
It's Oh, follow up.
Oh my gosh.
That

Wolfgang B (18:35):
was like, uh, and so,

you're in the waiting room and there are these
guys are I, so, and then I go

Wolfgang B (18:40):
in and I do the audition, the final audition.
And I remember Rob stood up.
He goes, well.
I have a big decision to make,and I'm thinking, yeah, okay,
I'm sure those guys are reallygood.
I, every time I left the room oraudition, I was like, I, I gotta
find these locations, right?
So I'd go off and I'm like,you're like, see?
I'm like, see ya.

(19:00):
I got, I got, I gotta do thisother thing.
And I remember being out in, uh,west Hollywood and I get a call,
a page, this is back in the daywith the pagers.
I got a page from his, uh, fromthe company and I call in and I
remember, I know.
There was like a hospitalbuilding and there's no payphone
there anymore, but I got on thepayphone and, they connected me

(19:24):
to his office and the assistantsaid, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
She was like, giggling.
She goes, Hey, just gimme asecond.
And so she puts me on the phonewith him and she says, uh, uh,
Rob gets on the phone and hegoes, welcome to the movie
business.
I'm gonna offer you this job inA Few Good Men.
And, you know, it was one ofthose to this day, oh my, I

(19:45):
still don't think I, it, itreally happened.
Well, it, it hasn't landed on melike it really should.
You know, it was like, okay.
In fact, I went to the office ofthe head of production, Jeff
Scott, and I was like, Hey Jeff,do you think I can do the role?

(20:06):
First of, I go, you know, Roboffered me the role field, but
he goes, I know,congratulations.
I said, do you think I can stilldo the location managing job and
do the movie thing?
Oh, he was like, he was like,Wolf, I think you should focus
on the, on the acting job.
Oh my God.
And so I did, and I continued towork with the coach, Julie

(20:27):
Ariola is her name.
And um, and I remember the tablereading and I'm sitting there, I
come early'cause like, you know,I'm 30 minutes early, I'm gonna
be late.
And in comes, you know, uh, uh,uh, Kevin Bacon, uh, Demi Moore,
Kevin Pollock, uh, KeiferSutherland.
And then you hear a Russell, alittle boy, and then comes Tom

(20:47):
Cruise.
And then you hear more, Russellthen walks Jack Nicholson.
I'm like, oh, what am I doinghere?
What, what is, what ishappening?
And we start, as you know, soone of those situations in a big
studio is a big tables all theway up, you know, big circle of
tables.
And everybody starts reading andthey're like, fantastic, right?
And I'm like, oh my God.

(21:08):
And I got my finger on my pageswhere my scenes are right.
Oh, be right.
I'm just ready to.
I'm like, okay, I got five pagesleft.
All three pages away, twobabies.

Oh my God.

Wolfgang B (21:19):
And my, the first lines outta my right.
I'm sweating listening

to this.
No, listen, even just listeningto this, I'm sweating right now.
Hey, there

Wolfgang B (21:25):
was a drop of water that hit my page and I was like,
it must be a leak.
And I was like, no, there'ssweat coming off my head.
I'm like, and the first wordsoutta my mouth were like, blah.
Like
Shakespeare, Kingsley.
Exactly right.
And everybody was like, oh, okay.

(21:45):
But here's the amazing thing.
Everybody in that cast, andespecially Tom Cruise, was so
supportive.
They knew the story and theycould have taken the position of
like, who's this guy?
You know?
But they really, took me undertheir wing and were really
supportive.
And I remember Tom Cruise said,Hey, if you ever wanna run
lines, you ever wanna, you know,work on anything, let me know.

(22:08):
Well carve out some time.
I'm here for you.
And it was one of those man.
You know, this is a guy, eventhen, he was a-list person.
Uh, but he's smart.
He knows, hey, the every link inthe chain needs to be strong.
Oh, yeah.
You know, so you can't have oneweak link in the thing.
So he made sure that he wassupportive, anything supportive

(22:29):
and present and, and offer thistime to help me prepare.
Um, and then we shot it.
And, you know, it was just sucha, it was one of those things of
I had nothing to lose.
I had no kind of, so to me itwas like doing the work as pure
as I've probably had.
you know, as pure as I could be.
And it, the movie turned outreally well.

(22:51):
Ha.
And then the journey beganbecause now I decided, hey, I
wanna do this acting.

Whoa.

Wolfgang B (22:59):
But then here's the, here's the rub.
Once the movie came out, therewere a lot of expectations of,
oh.
This guy can do this thing.
But the truth is, I didn'treally have the training.
I had maybe seven months to goto class to kind of get ready
for this crazy, you know, shotout of the Canon business.

But this is your first professional Yes.
Acting job.
Yes.
With Tom Cruise and JackNicholson, A Few Good Men.
Robert.
Like this is your first pro Yes.
Acting job.
Numero uno.

Wolfgang B (23:28):
Yes.
Yes.

So people were like, but they're, they don't
know.
They're thinking like, no.
Oh, he's the guy.
He's the guy.
Well, which you are.

Wolfgang B (23:36):
Which you are.
But they, but they knew thestory also.
And it was one of thoseHollywood stories.
But, you know, look, there was awhole spectrum of how people
embraced it.
Some people were verysupportive.
Some people, you know, look,it's, you know, I kind of jumped
the line a little bit.
Okay.
And so there was some that didnot appreciate that.

(23:57):
I totally understand it, youknow, but for myself going into
this room with some of thesedirectors, that quite honestly,
yeah, I jumped the line.
It's like, well, I'm in a roomwith this director and that
director.
And sometimes I came through,sometimes it was, I was
overwhelmed and it was too muchfor me.
And I say to people at thispoint, it's like, look, it was a

(24:19):
great problem to have, but Idon't, I don't suggest you start
there.
You know, there's something todeveloping your craft,
developing your confidence.
I spent way too much time cominginto the room trying to prove to
them I could act not coming intothe room of this is what I'm

(24:42):
going to do with the role.
You know?
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
And so it just took the, youknow, the years of, the work
that I've done, auditions.
To eventually kind of get tothat place.
but it was a, it was a long,wacky ride.

You know, I'm so, first of all, this is just like
the most delicious story, right?
It is kind of, it's kind ofunimaginable and I'm moved by it
and there's a couple things thatare just standing out right now.
One, just because it's mostrecently you were saying, you
know, this idea of that maybeyou jumped the line.

(25:21):
I would assert Wolf that.
Yes.
You know, maybe it wasn't thelogical everyday order of
things.
Sure.
But you were also the guy thathad six to 10 notebooks of notes
that was doing a kind of duediligence, whether that was

(25:41):
right
in the mail room, whether that was scouting the
location, whether that wasassisting somebody being the
assist.
You know, in soccer worldsports, the assist is the, is
the true MVP.
Right?
True.
Exactly.
Whether
that was you at UVA, uh, doing what you were
doing to, develop yourself inthat craft at the time was
graphic design, which by theway, now it's all coming

(26:04):
together for me because Wolfgangalways has the greatest posters
and pictures and graphic designsfor his plays and everything
else.
But even before that, what youhad to do to even go to an
institution like UVA, I mean, soI just, I offer that to say
wherever you go.
There you are.
Right?
and your, your due diligence,even though it might not have

(26:27):
been a direct line.

Wolfgang B (26:28):
Yes.

That's all part of who you show up as.

Wolfgang B (26:34):
Yes.

which is this, which is just great.
And someone that does theirhomework means business about
their work, whether it's in themail room or scouting or acting
in a film.
And that is a vibe for people.
And a lot of people don'tnecessarily have that going on

(26:54):
for them.
And they're usually the onesthat are like, oh my God, you
jumped the line.
Not fair.
But at the same time, and I, youknow, some of those people are
definitely at home eatingCheetos, just kind of like
judging everybody else.
You know what I mean?
So I just, I just wanted toreflect that back to you.

Wolfgang B (27:10):
It's funny you say that.
Thank you very much.
the, actually, the.
The big, biggest thing aboutthis was, Rob Reiner, who, you
know, saw that in me in beinghis assistant in the whole
thing.
Yeah.
And him having the courage, hetook a big risk
Yeah.
To put someone who's never acted in before into a

(27:31):
movie.
As big as that.
As

big as that.

Wolfgang B (27:33):
And

it was the biggest movie of the day.
Yeah, it was, it was.
But he said,

Wolfgang B (27:37):
and he's talked about it, he says, but the role
was in him and he had theconfidence in his directing to
go, and I can pull it out ofhim, you know?
Yes, yes.
And so not every director.
would take that chance, youknow?
Yes, yes.
And I'm so grateful that he didsuch a thing.
Yes.

(27:57):
And then he's even said afterthe fact, I don't know if I made
his life or ruined his life,because it's to be determined.

to be, well, look,

Wolfgang B (28:08):
I was headed in a direction and he literally, I,
from that experience went thisway.
Yeah.
And who I, where I might be interms of the production ladder
and the whole thing, maybe a VPof something I.
And, but really set me more onthat creative path, which like,
you know, is no guarantee.

(28:29):
A lot of up and downs.
Yeah.
but I, you know, look, I'm sohappy in the creative world that
I live in right now.

Yeah.

Wolfgang B (28:37):
You know, I, I feel

that coming off of you like shooting stars and in
the work that you do and produceYeah.
Like, there's so much lovethat's poured into it.
It's something that we all feelanytime we, well, whether it's
me who've acted across from you.
Yes.
Or I'm watching one of yourshows like you love Your
Creations into life.

(29:00):
Like you love them from yourimagination into the physical
world in the manifestation of ascene or something you're acting
in or a play you're directing.
It's so obvious, and I'm sure itwas obvious to everyone that you
were working with and Tom Cruisewho was like, let's work
together if you need anything.
And Rob, you know, that, andthose energetics are felt.

(29:20):
They just are, you know, it'slike, uh, you know, when someone
walks into a room, the vibe youdon't have, it's behavior.
It's what we study, right.
As scientists of the heart andmind as acting teachers and
actors.
It's like they don't have to sayanything.
Right.
And, it's really a t testamentto

Wolfgang B (29:35):
you, but it's been a long road of getting absolutely
like, you know, with this, thisbusiness crazy business.
We've chosen a lot of ups anddowns and moments when I.
Have thought, why did I go thisway?
You know,

a thousand percent.
Thousand percent.
There's probably

Wolfgang B (29:50):
being a much more stable job right now.

Listen, I and I get it.
Well, like literally last May, Ihad come out of this,
conference.
It was actually for, women inbusiness, women entrepreneurs,
Uhhuh.
There weren't necessarily a lotof creatives there.
There were.
'cause I think everyone iscreative.
Sure.
Oh, absolutely.
I think everyone is creative.
Accountants are

Wolfgang B (30:09):
creative.

Exactly.
Exactly.
Everybody is creative.
Yeah.
Everybody is creative.
Yeah.
And so I walked out of thisconference last May and, just to
give you a little background,like I was, at the time I was
working for four differentprofessional theater companies
doing Shakespeare with one, Iwas doing What The Constitution
Means To Me I was doingsomething at a theater called A

(30:32):
Noise Within in Pasadena.
I was doing and that like I lovethat.
It's a great theater.
So I had like literally fivedifferent full length plays in
my mind.
Wow.
It was sort of a repertory typeof situation.
I was also working on Tartuffein repertory in Topanga.
So I had these five plays and Iwould go through them all the
time.
Every day I'm just going throughone or another in rotation so

(30:53):
that I know what lines to saywhen I get on stage.
'cause what the heck?
Wow.
and I walk outta this conference and my partner,
like who I, she was basically Iwas sitting next to her during
the conference and we wouldshare and talk about it.
Right,
right.
I
said to her and it just occurred to me and this
sort of winds back to what youwere saying about like being an
actor, but I said to her.
In the midst of all thiscreativity and doing all these

(31:14):
shows.
And I was like, I was like, youknow what?
I don't think I'm an actor.
Well, I was like, I was like, Idon't think I'm an actor.
And she's like, what are yousaying?
What are you

Wolfgang B (31:28):
talking about?
You just told me about all this.
You're acting more thananybody's acting, because

she's like, what are you talking about?
Yeah.
And I said, you know, and thisreminds me of you.
I said like, I am a human beingthat really loves to act.
And I'm a woman that reallyloves teaching.
Mm-hmm.

(31:52):
And I'm a woman that really loves connecting
creatives and projects and like,
yeah, yeah.
I'm a human being that loves to do all these
things.
And there was something aboutsaying that I was an actor,
which I felt was more narrow tomy, I,
I hear you purpose,
and I know you do, because you, as a multihyphenate

(32:15):
doing so many things all thetime in these various areas.
It's like we're human beings.

Wolfgang B (32:22):
Wow.

I think, you know, and well create

Wolfgang B (32:25):
creative beings.

Creative, creative human beings.
and so, yes.
You know, if you had started, ifyou had kept on without this
movie, and were going toward thewriting and directing and, you
know, VP of a studio, which
right.
I don't know that you wouldn't be sitting on
Magnolia Boulevard right nowdoing this podcast.
I don't know that even if youhad not done A Few Good Men,

(32:50):
that you wouldn't be sittingwhere you're sitting right now,
just because your love and yourheart is so big and your
imagination so wide that therealmost needs to be a container
for you in all of these areasand environments and facets.

Wolfgang B (33:05):
Sure, sure.

so it's interesting like that, the sliding doors
thing, like if I had done itthis way

Wolfgang B (33:11):
Yeah.

But when I look at you and experience you, I'm
like, he would've doneeverything anyway.

Wolfgang B (33:17):
Well, when I say, you know, there was those times
of doubt.

Yeah.

Wolfgang B (33:21):
You would've heard me a week ago talking to
somebody going, I have the bestjob in the world, you know?
Yeah.
Yeah.
I get to work with actors, I getto create these wonderful
productions.
Yeah.
I get to, you know.
Make the flyers work with themusic.
I'm like constantly beingcreative every single day in
some fashion or another.
Yeah.
And I'm my own boss.

(33:42):
Yeah.
I mean, you know, I work atPlayhouse with Mr.
Carnegie, who's been fantasticin Yeah.
Helping to mentor me and allow,and more importantly, allowing
me to, Hey, that should take theres, that's your playground.
Go ahead and play.
You know?
I love that.
Uh, yeah.
And so has given me thatpermission on top of the
training that he's given me.
to, you know, kind of have thatevery day, waking up, you know,

(34:06):
what am I, what's, you know,what part of this thing am I
working on today?
Yeah.
And never being bored.
Never being feeling stagnant.
Yeah.
you know, right now we justclosed that play and at the end
of May we're gonna be putting upwith by two advanced class that
extravaganza one-act fest.
Yeah.
Which is, I just.

(34:28):
Counted the one acts, it's 21acts.

Holy.
Right.
And some of'em are self, arewritten by the students.
No,

Wolfgang B (34:36):
nine 90% of them are Wow.

So cool.
Written by, by the students.
Amazing.
So what an opportunity.
We did a

Wolfgang B (34:41):
whole month of workshop, them coming in,
reading it, exchanging notes,they're going back, they went
away, came back.
And so that whole development,and it's still developing.
and I even thought they don'tknow this yet, but I'm going to
have them now.
Also the veterans.
Yeah.
Direct them as direct, not theirs, but other

(35:03):
people's, you know?
Yes.
So,'cause it's just, we learn somuch from, as an actor, I've
learned more towards my actingby writing, by directing and
teaching, you know?
Yes.
Hundred

percent.

Wolfgang B (35:17):
the last Extravaganza Fest was the first
time I had them write, and I wasjust blown away.

Yeah.

Wolfgang B (35:24):
It was remarkable about their creativity.
And it was like, so, you know,you always have that little bit
of fear of like, yeah, I don'tknow what I'm going to get, you
know?
Yeah.
Yeah.
But they really, you know, notsurprised me, but, really just
kind of blew me away with theircreativity.
Yeah.
And so now I'm like, Hey, welllet's, let's give them the reins

(35:44):
and Yeah.
You know, there's a, there's asystem that I work with called
Ebb and Flow that they, youknow, I want them to now start
to build it, you know?
Okay.
And, and so is it an

actual system?
Can you say more about that?
Like, it is a way that youteach, it's called

Wolfgang B (36:01):
Ebb and Flow.
Yes.
Ebb and Flow.
It's taking a scene or a oneact, whatever it might be, and
breaking it up into sections.
Right?
And each section, it'spredicated on the idea that if
it's my section, I'm making apoint to you that you don't want
to hear.
And then the section switches toyou where you then make a point

(36:25):
to me that I don't want to hear.
And at the end of each section,like in Spoon River work,
there's a punchline or pointthat is being made.
And it's crazy.
If you look in the text, you canthink of as attacking and
retreating.
Yeah.
It's in the words, you know,it's how we argue.
We a argue in sort of this ebband flow sort of, you know?

(36:49):
Yes.
And writers write that way,whether consciously or not.
Yes.
And so I break it down that wayso that we can utilize that in
the movement of the play.
You know, as like you saw in"Gruesome" it never was kind of
just standing there talking.
There was always kind of thisway I, or that way, how physical

(37:10):
it was.
'cause if it ain't

physical, it ain't really happening.
Right.
It,

Wolfgang B (37:13):
it's, the conflict is in the words, but we also
have to put it in the physicalmovement of things.
Yeah, yeah.
You know?
Yeah.
And you know, hey, you've gotyour back to, you know, your
shoulder to me and I'm trying totalk to you and you know, now
I'm trying to get your attentionor to make a point to you.
Yeah.
And from that we can do so much,Physical kind of, engagement

(37:35):
that keeps, that, tells thestory that Exactly.
And it keeps the audienceengaged.
Yeah.
A hundred percent.
You know, if there's thatmovement happening, they can't
look away.
Right.
You know Right.
They don't wanna look away.
So

yeah.

Wolfgang B (37:47):
What's been great is in teaching that when I will
give, you know, the guys creditfor, in"Gruesome", I'd say 80%
of what you saw is what theybuilt on their own from the work
that we had been doing together.
Good for them.
And then, and then I kind of,came up with some other things,
scenes they had trouble with.

(38:08):
And so from that I'm like, okay,well let's have another student
direct them and, develop thatebb and flow and, I think it's
gonna be really such anenriching.
Experience for these guys, youknow?
Yeah.
Because it's, yeah.
They came to an acting schooland then they worked on their
writing.
Right.
Now they work on theirdirecting, you know, so.
Right.

it's this place where people can meet their
talent.

Wolfgang B (38:31):
Absolutely.
Ooh, I like that.
I

like that I have it on my website because I think
that's,

Wolfgang B (38:36):
yeah.

I think there's a point when you come into contact
with certain teachers such asyourself, who have so much to
offer and that know how to pullit outta people.
Yeah.
Right.
Because as you said, ev they'veall, everyone has everything in
them.
It's already in
them.
Right.
The good teachers, yeah.
Pull it out and hold the mirrorup and let actors know what they

(39:00):
can do in the hands of goodwriters.
Yeah.
And, What a marvelous way to introduce
themselves literally to theseother talents that unless they
had been given the opportunityto direct these one acts and
write these shows.
Write these one acts.
Yeah.
Act together and work out allthe physical and everything
else.
They might not know they evenhad it in them.

(39:22):
Yes.
Yes.
So that, that is remarkable.
And I think it also, going offinto a slightly, but I think it
sort of speaks to what it is tobe a creative today, which is
It's different than it was beingan an actor.
You know?
I think it's why recently I waslike, I don't know if I'm an
I'm, I am a lot of things.

(39:43):
Right.
We have

Wolfgang B (39:44):
to be so many things.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Yeah.
and

I think we want to be, yeah.
So many things.
And sometimes it takes someoneletting us know that it's
possible.
giving them,

Wolfgang B (39:57):
giving them the opportunity.
The opportunity like you weregiven to work with

Jack Nicholson and Tom Cruise and everybody else.
Right, right,

Wolfgang B (40:04):
right.

it's, it's remarkable.
and I loved what you shared too.
Yeah.
There, there's

Wolfgang B (40:09):
one, there was in this recent extravaganza.
Yeah.
There's a student who is a goodactor.
He's very sort of shy andreserved.
And I remember it was like twoweeks ago, he came up and he, he
was reading a story and I'mlike.
I told, I said, this isfantastic.

(40:30):
You know, I had no idea hisstory.
Yeah.
he had written letter and youknow, there was development to
be done, but I was like.
you know, I, listening to her,I'm, I'm thinking, man, I had no
idea this was in you.
You know?
And I don't think he knew it wasin him.
I don't know.
So it's such the, the momentslike that, you know?

(40:50):
Yeah.
That you really go, wow.
You know, I'm glad, I hope thisis a beginning for him in some
way.
Yeah.
You know, of a new discovery inhis talents Yes.
That he can build on, you know?

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Who knows how far he might gowith this.

Wolfgang B (41:06):
Yeah.
You know, probably, maybe he isnot gonna be an actor, become a
great writer, or maybe a greatdirector, you know?
Yes.
that's how this business works.
Yes.
We tend to all start as actorsand end up in so many other
fields of creativity.

Yes.
You know.
Yes.
Why do you love being acreative?
What is it about this that hashad you dedicate your life and
spirit and efforts to this fieldof arts and crafts?
What keeps you, what keeps yourcreative, what keeps you on fire
about this?
'cause your work is so immediateand igniting.

(41:41):
Yeah.
And we've been doing this a longtime.
We will at some point talk aboutthis for this scene that we did
where you played my priest and Ihad to go to confession.
You guys, you guys.
No, I had to go.
I was a priest.

Wolfgang B (41:50):
We were lovers too.
That was no conflict.
Yeah.
It's a problem.
Listen, if there's no, if

there's no problem, there's no play.
No, exactly.
But this is a kind of a whackand doodle.
Yeah.
And I'm going to confession.
Yeah.
But what I'm trying to confessto you, and we put ourselves in
the little, this little areathat looks like a confessional.
Yeah.
And I'm trying to confess that Ilove you and you're my priest
anyway.
Oh my God.
Robert Carnegie, our teacher anda mentor, thought we did very
well.

Wolfgang B (42:16):
Yes, yes.
You shoulda put that up on arun, you know, may listen, it's
never too late.
There you go.
Although I am gonna,

we are taking suggestions.
Anyone listening out there,email me.
Let me know what you think Wolfand I should work on together
next.
Next.
Oh my gosh,
I would love that.
But what keeps you so integratedalive, bursting with this kind
of creativity and igniting thenext generation?
in a world that has gone mad,how, what is keeping you so

(42:46):
alive and vibrant andcontributing in this world?

Wolfgang B (42:49):
I, I think I have M mo in terms of.
Each project I do, I wanna raisethe bar from the last project.
Ooh, that's great, whether
each like you, the, the Spoon River show, the
evolution of it over the years,you know, to where it is now and

(43:11):
where it's going to be the nexttime we do it.
And with each play, and I hearfolks, and I love to hear people
go, gosh, I, you know, you'vedone it again.
I don't know how you can raisethe bar to the next thing you
know, in the theater here, wehave the, incandescent lights in
the park hands, which was greatfor years.
Yeah.
And then I was like, it was very limiting.

(43:33):
And then it was like, well, Istarted with some spotlights for
the Spoon River Show, and then Ihappened to get an LED, and then
I'm like, I got three LEDs.
Then I got six LEDs, then I got12 LEDs.
And then I'm getting the programto that.
And so there's these constantlearning curves that kind of

(43:54):
keep me engaged and keep meexcited of like, you know, okay,
oh, now I've got, you know, yousaw the screen with the video.
And so now, you know, I'mstarting to venture into that,
to kind of, you know, I wannabuild like A-A-L-E-D wall with
like four or five screens in theback Wow.
To kind of help, you know,augment, because I go to the
Pantages and you go to the, theAhmanson and you're watching,

(44:17):
I'm watching shows and I'm,sometimes I'm kind of in tears.
I'm watching at the, at thePantages, like Hamilton, and I'm
like.
Oh man, I wish I could do that.
You know?
Yeah.
I'm like, uh, look at that.
It's just I so envy thedirectors who have all of this
at their disposal.

Yeah.
And know that they've gone toschool.
There's now a major inprojections.
Just in projections Oh, wow.
At, uh, Yale School of Drama,Oh, wow.
What you're doing at PlayhouseWest is still like aiming for,
you're going for gold.
You're just going for gold withit.

Wolfgang B (44:50):
Well, it's funny because you saw the
merry-go-round.
We have Right.
that was in the play.
Yes.
And for years I wanted, I'vewanted to have that sort of
turnstile on the stage.
Yeah.
And it was like, I've looked upon YouTube how to do it, and now
I'm like, oh, so now I just needto build the stage around this
thing.
And you have the

turntable and have

Wolfgang B (45:11):
Exactly, exactly in the stage.
I'm gonna make it happen.
I'm gonna make it.
You already already did.
It's

hap It's happening.
It's happening.
It's, this is moving.
But I love that.
I love that it's like about theevolution.
Like you keep iterating.
And I think that's where we getstuck as creatives.
Like it has to be perfect.
No, we're gonna iterate.
Like if we're going with thefloat, we're gonna keep
expanding.
Let's keep, keep expanding,exploring, keep better and more.

(45:35):
And you know, just, and we had a

Wolfgang B (45:37):
great conversation after the play about being safe.
You know, a lot of times,artists, you know, it is like, I
want to be safe because I'mafraid of what criticisms I
might get.
And, you know, uh, fortunately.
it's something that, yes, I wantpeople to love it.
Yeah.
But
as I tell to the students, you're not gonna
please everybody.

(45:57):
That's right.

You're not, you know, there's no way.
And we don't want to, we're nottrying to please everybody.
Exactly.
Well, let me ask you this,because I know a lot of actors
that deal with this.
What do you tell your studentsand how do you deal with the
criticism?
Because, you know, as actors,we're supposed to be skin of a
rhinoceros, but we've got thehearts of butterflies, right?
Like Stella Adler said, theheart of a rose, the skin of a
rhinoceros.

(46:18):
Right.
So how do you deal with, youknow, like what are you telling
them and how do you get throughwhen there is a quote, unquote,
lot of rejection?

Wolfgang B (46:26):
Yes.

How do you keep going with this kind of fervor
and passion?

Wolfgang B (46:30):
It's in their training.

Yeah.
Okay.

Wolfgang B (46:32):
They have to train to, and I, I tell them, I'm
trying to get you to the pointwhere you are defensive.
Proof or as I say to them, Fyou, F you.
I'm good at this stuff.
Okay.
And so if you believe that anycriticism you get is not an

(46:53):
indictment on your craft.
Mm.
Okay.
Mm-hmm.
Or any adjustments you get,because a lot of times we might
get in the room or be on thestage, you know, on the set.
And we've, you know, we aredoing our work and we get
adjustments sometimes if we're,we get, we can tend to get
defensive at times.
Oh yeah.
It hurts.
It hurts because, because wethink that's an indictment on

(47:15):
our work.
Yes.
When all it is, is someone elsehaving a different point of view
about something.
Yes.
And the reason they have youthere is because you are good at
this stuff.
Yes.
So, yes.
So to then not let thatcriticism or adjustment or note
that, is maybe not what youthought of to be in that place

(47:35):
of, okay, hey, I'm a craftsmanthat is so confident in my work.
Let's, let's go.
Wow.
Let's do this.
You know?
I love that.
And, but that comes through thetraining that we have to do, and
hopefully through the years ofwork we do, you know, and
wherever it comes, you know,somebody who works on a series
for eight years develops thatconfidence.

(47:57):
You know what I'm saying?
and, you know, we hope to all,have that opportunity.
Yeah.
But for the students here, it'sin the work that I, you know, I
always try to challenge them.
Yeah.
You know, to, you know, we makea show date.
we're trying to figure out whichweekends at the end of May to
put up this thing.
Great.
And we're, that's where we'regonna do it.
There's no like, Hey, we will doit when we're ready.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And so now there's a wholejourney of excitement and doubt

(48:20):
and fear.
Yeah.
And, you know, yeah.
And people wanting to drop outand it's like, no, you're not
dropping out.

It's go time.

Wolfgang B (48:29):
It's go time.
Go time.

And we're never ready and we gotta go anyway.
I love that.
You gotta go this, this idea oflike, you get so good you're
unmissable with

Wolfgang B (48:39):
Exactly.
Ineffable

with Right.
Eff.

Wolfgang B (48:41):
Exactly.

And, also.
Falling in love with thatexcitement.
Like you just said, people areready to like go outta their
minds.
I'm dropping out.
It's too soon.
I'm not ready.
Yeah, yeah.
But actually reframing that likeno, it's go like this is the fun
part.
Yes.
This is the high flying trapezepart that attracted you
Right.
To
this whole game in the first place.

(49:02):
and I love what you shared aboutlike when you do drill down and
you do go for it, like Herculeswith creative joy in your
classes, you know, show aftershow, just putting it out there.
Try, try again.
Getting back on your feet.
Mm-hmm.
Even when they wanted adifferent way, you know, you
stop outsourcing approval.

(49:24):
Mm-hmm.
I don't need you to agree withme.
Yeah.
Right.
We can have a conversationbecause I already have approved
of myself.
I.
I've approved of myself.
You may not like my take and wecan talk about it and get into
the trenches and work itthrough.
I was on set in Hungary veryrecently, Uhhuh.

(49:44):
Congratulations

Wolfgang B (49:45):
again.

Oh, thanks.
Yeah.
It's airing tonight.
CBS, well this, this is gonnacome out way after the fact, but
for those of you who havestreaming, it's called,"They May
Get Their Wish".
That's the title.
It's FBI International and I wason set.
And their sparks, creativeSparks.
Yeah, were flying.
Wow.
Right in front of my face aboutwhat I was doing and my scene

(50:06):
Uhhuh,
and I'll tell you Wolf, there is something about,
I mean we've been doing this fordecades, since the dawn of time,
and there is something aboutlike.
all of that yelling andscreaming was creative, passion
and excitement, and we allactually want the same thing.
Sure.
They wanted, this was the cr,the director and the lead of the

(50:27):
show, and they're yelling aboutthis scene and I'm, I'm of two
feet in front of'em.
I'm just like listening.
I'm like, okay, Uhhuh.
Yes, yes.
They're working it out.
But some part of me was like,yeah, because what's the
alternative?
Apathy.
I don't care.
No, I sure.
I get that when people,everybody's passionate people
are coming at you seemingly.
Yeah.
What's behind all that is acommitment that I share with

(50:51):
you.
Fellow creative.
A hundred percent.
Like we actually want this to beawesome.
All of us here yelling andscreaming.
Right?
Yeah, exactly.
Actually want the exact same thing.
And I know you've, you generateenvironments like that where
people can explore theircreative passions and have this
safe space and you talk about itand Yeah.

(51:13):
It's just such a wonderful, andin some ways rare in a town
that's known for at times havingbig dips in integrity and
workability, right?
Sure.
So it's like, wow, that, um.
So you can't ever stop or everretire and you're gonna ha you
have a thousand more plays to doahead of you.

(51:35):
as I

Wolfgang B (51:35):
say, I'm going to be teaching their children.
Oh my god.

Maybe even their grandchildren.
Oh no.
My goodness.
Maybe.
Well, you know, Carnegie'steaching the grandkids now.
I think he has a couple of theHe has a, yeah, I think I heard
her.
A grand nephew or something.
Okay.

Wolfgang B (51:49):
Sure, sure.

Something that had us feel all had a grand in
Exactly.
Ancient ancients.
and I'm curious too, um, I stillhave a couple questions, so when
I went to see her show
mm-hmm.
This past weekend, yes.
Like, um, I'm gonna cry justthinking about,
I'm crying.
It was, um.
You know, as I said to you and Ispoke to the actors after the

(52:10):
show, it was really, it was sospecial, and unique in the depth
of humanity and thevulnerability.
And I could see so clearly I wasin the front row and I could
just feel how the strength ofthat show was in their
vulnerability.

Wolfgang B (52:27):
Yeah.
Yeah.
They were so good and,

so good.
And the way you directed it andthe way you let the set and
their movement, tell the storymm-hmm.
Additionally.
Mm-hmm.
In
addition to the words and the way they were
acting the words.
But the whole thing was, it wasextraordinary in the quality.
Thank you.
and so unique in the willingnessfor every person involved,

(52:52):
whether they were on stage ornot, to just go to the mat.
Everyone just went to the matliterally for this play.
So I've had some experienceslike that, Yeah.
In my life where you seesomething, you watch a movie,
you see a play, and you're justlike, not even the same
afterward or you read a book.
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
And I'm curious with you,'causeliterally last Saturday, like I

(53:14):
will never forget.
What you did.
Yeah.
Or that, thank you.
It's, it's sort of emblazoned,it's been imprinted Yes.
in my heart and I'll neverforget it.
And I'm curious, what work ofart or works of art have had the
deepest impact on you?

Wolfgang B (53:31):
Uh, that's interesting.
The, I, I guess people goeslike, what's your favorite
movie?
And I don't know why this is,but the movie Apocalypse Now.
Okay.
By Francis Ford Coppola.
Okay.
Or from the first day I saw itand through my days in high, uh,
college and afterwards, and.

(53:54):
Watching the documentary of themaking of it and then watching
the redo of it, you know, withthe additional footage.
Yeah.
And it was something, and then reading the
short, the short story of it,the man's journey within
himself.
There's just something aboutthat.
My imagination always tends tokind of go back to that thing.

(54:17):
You know, again, I, I don't knowwhy I can probably get
psychological about some of thewounds I have and how that kind
of applies to the whole thing.
but that movie I think has hadan impact on me, in ways that I
don't even know.
Wow.
Mm-hmm.
That, finds its way into my,into the work that I do.

(54:40):
So, you know, even just themaking of the movie was such an
ordeal.
Yes.
You know?
Yes, yes.
And it
was, and it was something I love about Francis
Ford Coppola's process in makingthat he was just totally, you
know, writing it and, and in theprocess of doing it.
And it's what I like about,Trent Resnor in Nine Inch Nails,

(55:01):
the musician.
And I love, I love his music andhe's always.
Tinkering with his songs.
Hmm.
You know, he has the album he puts out, but then he
puts out an EP that has thesesongs that he's remastered them
and reconfigured them andreimagined them, and then who do

(55:22):
another one?
You know, and it's just likethese guys who are always in the
laboratory in a way.
Yeah.
Who are always these madscientists that are just, and
it's kind of something actuallythe actors will laugh.
They'll go, just for the lastweekend I was like, okay, I want
to change the ending.

(55:43):
And they're like, oh my God,we're closing.
We're closing, we're the show.
Right.
and even the curtain call musicand they're like.
it was Marilyn Bass and GrantTarzackis were the actress who
were fantastic and phenomenal.
Yes.
And Grant was like, when did,when do you stop thinking about
this thing?
You know?
And it's like, I, I can never,even if I'm not.

(56:07):
It's going, it's like thatprogram that's still going on in
the back percolating.

Yeah.
Yeah, yeah,

Wolfgang B (56:11):
it's going on in, and that's what I kind of, with
Coppola in that movie.
and what I saw in thedocumentary of this, just, he
was like, on this, this oldtypewriter in the middle of the
movie, just working on thisscript.
And, you know, Trent Reznoralways, in the shop at the
studio, just working on thesounds of the songs that are
done, songs that are like wonawards.

(56:33):
He's like, uh, I, I, I hear itdifferently Like this, you know?
Yeah.
Sort of thing.

The so it never stops.

Wolfgang B (56:40):
Never stops

because the imagination never stops.
God willing.

Wolfgang B (56:43):
Yeah.
It's infinite.
And it's waking me up at four inthe morning.
I'm like, huh?
My girl's like, oh my God.
Just get out bed and godownstairs.
You're gonna keep me up.

You're like, sorry, my creative.
I'm sorry.
The creative gods doesn't, theywon't us all up.
Doesn't.
Right.
and they won't let us go back to sleep.
Go back to sleep.
So, get that.
I so get that.
so, oh my gosh.
We, we are gonna have to have afollow up episode to this.
Oh, please.
I love this.
Thank you.
but I gotta ask what do youwant, like, at the bottom of it
all, what do you want yourstudents to get?

(57:17):
What is it at the foundationallevel, like the must have where
you're gonna go full tilt boogiewith your students?
What do they have to get toexperience and explode what they
can do?
What do you tell'em To unlock it

Wolfgang B (57:31):
first?
Well, okay, that's just twoparts.

Yeah.

Wolfgang B (57:35):
I, I try to teach them in a way that they don't
need me later on.
Ooh.
You know?
And it's like, yeah, you havethe tools.
Great.
I'm always here if you want, youknow, want to reach out and we
can, creatively go oversomething that you're struggling
with.
But, a lot of times you hear of,you know, people who are being

(57:57):
taught that they need this otherperson to help them get there.
Yeah.
And it's like, look, I don'twant you, don't, I, I'm trying
to teach you so you don't have,you don't call me later on.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
You gotta graduate.
You're self
sufficient, you gotta graduate.
You're
sufficient.
You have the tools you need.
Yeah.
And you can do the work.
Yes.
And the, the second part is, andwe talked about this, the other

(58:19):
day, is listening to yourinstincts.
You know?
Yeah.
if there's anything I can.
Impart on them.
And I talked to this in thebeginners and all levels, is
that voice in our head?
Yeah.
It's always right.
And we have to listen andfollow.

(58:39):
And if you do, and if you dothat, you'll, like you said,
your work will be, and we talkedearlier where I have the
luckiest job because this is mylaboratory.
I hear things and I do thingsthat are like, anybody else?
We gonna, no, no, you can't.
You know, no, you can't do that.
But I'm like, here, I just doit.
And so I'm so lucky in that wayto have experienced that and to

(59:05):
now try to share with them,look, your ideas are never
wrong.
but they're like, yeah, but.
I had an idea and this wasn'tused when that, you know,'cause
this per director didn't want touse it.
I was like, well, okay, thatdoesn't mean it was wrong.
It means there was someone elsewho was, an arbiter of that
moment that could say, no, wedon't want to use that.

(59:27):
Sometimes it is ahead of itstime.
That that idea, sometimes it'san idea that will take you to
the next thought.
Right.
Once closer, that will take youto the next thought that will
take you to the thing that isthe thing,
you know?
Yeah.
Yeah.
And
so it's our, our instincts are never wrong in
our, you know, even actors whenthey're on the stage.
Right.

(59:47):
And I'll be directing them andwe'll go through the thing and
at the end I'll go, okay, but onthis line here, I want you to
get up and ebb away here.
And they're like, I knew it.
I felt that.
I said, well then you shouldhave listened.
You know, because it was tellingyou that voice is telling us,
it's speaking to us.
It's been speaking to us ourwhole lives.
Hmm.

(01:00:08):
And
the problem is society.
And it's gaslighting and it'scontrol, and it's, you know, we
no longer, you know, we doubt itand we judge it.
Mm-hmm.
And even still, it speaks to us.
It's like you leave the houseand you see a brush on the table

(01:00:28):
and you go, I should grab thatbrush.
The voice says, and you're like,I don't, I'm not gonna need
that.
Two hours later you're like, ah.
I need that brush.
That's so true.
And'cause it, it's, you know,call it the higher self, call it
the, you know, collectiveunconscious.
I don't know, it's, you know,colleague, God, whatever you
wanna call it.
I call it our, everyone has acreative genius in them.

(01:00:51):
Yeah.
That is always speaking to us.
Yeah.
That we have to just learn tolisten and follow
unconditionally.
Wow.
You
know?
Wow.
Wow.
And then the moment we start doing that is when our
work will, like you said,explode to

Robyn Cohen (01:01:06):
take off.
Take off, yeah.
Starts to soar.
Yeah.

Wolfgang B (01:01:09):
Yeah.

Uh, I love that.

I mean, you hear writers talk about it where
they're like, you know, I spentyears trying to write had this
idea, but I didn't think, Iwasn't listening to it.
And I tried to write what thestudios wanted.
Yeah.
And then they kept getting rejected and then I just
listened to that voice and Iwrote this thing and next thing
you know, it's an AcademyAward-winning project,

(01:01:33):
you know?
Yeah,
so that's, that's that thing on another level.
And I tell the students it's,it's like, I know I sound crazy
'cause I can't hold it.
I can't show it to you.
I can only tell you from myexperience and my passion about
it, and I know I sound like anutty kind of person, but you
just gotta trust me that throughmy experiences, I've, it's what

(01:01:55):
I have.
People go, man, you have suchgreat ideas.
And I go, no, I don't.
I have the same great ideas youhave.
I'm, I have just gotten betterat listening and following, you
know, making myself

available.

Exactly.
You know, to go with it.
And we all have it.
and I try to really attune thestudents to this by sharing my
own experiences and, constantlyharping on it.
Please just listen and followyour instincts, you know?
Yeah.
Um, that creative voice.
So, which is

scary because to do that you have to take your hands
off the levers of control.
Yes.
It's not even about giving up control.
It's about giving up theillusion that there is any

control.
Yes.
Very good.
Absolutely.
And that takes time

and trust and practice and repetition.

Yes.
Yes.

And what you're saying, it's just like the
truest words ever spoke becausewhy did we become actors and
creatives anyway?
Yeah.
But to share our unique once ina cosmos voice.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Authentically.
Oh, I love that.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And

so what you're talking about is letting
yourself be a channel.
Yeah.
And open to receive the impulsesfrom your imagination through
the filter that is you.
And to share that with theworld.
Not block it, not stop it.
Not constrain it.
Not constrict it, not get allemotionally congested about it,

(01:03:23):
but actually when it comes toyou let it you know, that
couldn't be more true, I thinkwhether you're an actor, a
writer, as you said, a humanbeing, that that had this
impulse, like, I should take mykeys.
That happened to me the otherday.
I got out my sewing kit.
I was like, I should sew thesebuttons on this lovely pink
button down shirt.
It's been sitting there forweeks.
I gotta sew this button thatnight.

(01:03:44):
I get the audition where I gottawear that shirt.
I mean, right.
I mean, I know it soundsridiculous,

but Oh, it's, but it's so true.
It's part of it.
Absolutely.

I know.
So I know.
ah, it's so good.
Okay.
Okay.
So.
Last thing before we Yes.
'cause I would keep you hereall, all, all day and night.
And I know you have classes toteach and people to direct and
plays to put on.
But I would

love to sit here all night with you all.

Oh my gosh.
It's great.
It's so good.
Like, um, your students are solucky to have you fighting for
them in this way to mm-hmm.
Be who they are.
No one's gonna do it better thanyou.
You being who You can't besomeone else.
They've already got the part asthem.
You gotta do it like you do it.
Yeah.
Right?
Yeah.
And so, to get even underneaththat well, what is the message

(01:04:34):
that you're trying to, what areyou wanting to give the world
wolf like?
What are you wanting to give theworld through this

world?
Wow, that's great.
Through this filter

of yes, we're creatives, but what's the bigger
picture for you?
Like, what would, what do youwanna give the world right now
through all this beautifuleffort and creativity and, and
all that you're doing?
What's underneath all that?

Wow, that's, that's, I don't know.

I know.
No pressure.
No pressure.
I know you have to, but it's,You

know, I guess just to give back what's, you know,
to share what I've been givenand, and hopefully affect and,
you know, as you know, asteachers, a lot of times we lose
sight of the effect we have onpeople.
You know?
Mm-hmm.
And to hear a student come backyears later whom you didn't

(01:05:24):
think you really, and they tellyou about the words you said and
that, how that guided themthrough and helped them be
prepared to do the job theyneeded to do.
And even ones who came back whowere mad at you because you
kicked them out'cause theyweren't prepared and that taught

(01:05:46):
them the lesson, I better beprepared.
And so I guess, you know,giving, being able to, have an
impact on people that, um, I, I,I guess would be the thing I can
say we, you know, to give back,uh, uh.
Yeah.
Yeah.

Well, that is, a mission accomplished.
And you oh, you know, the legacythat you leave and are, I mean,
the stadiums literally of peoplethat are affected by same with
you.
We, we lose,

we lose sight of that.
Mm.
the myriad of people who havecrossed our path Mm.
That we have.
Uh, and sometimes it's like, Isee pictures of old showcases
and I'm like, you know, wait,uh, who's this person again?
You know?
And, and I feel bad because it'slike, how do I not, yeah.

(01:06:40):
Remember that?
Yeah.
But it's the sheer volume ofpeople that Yeah.
we instruct and we work with,and we, you know, again, we just
lose sight of it and it takespeople like, you know, my
girlfriend tells me all thetime, it's like, you just have
no idea.
And other students are very Mm,you know, gracious and
expressing that as well.
So,

(01:07:01):
yeah.
Um,
yeah.
So that's, that's the thing, that I, that brings a
lot of joy.
uh, I.
In fact, I don't know what this,you know, I kind of, you know,
you get a lot of cards and thankyou notes and stuff.
Yeah.
And at first I didn't reallymake, keep much attention of it.
But then, you know, mygirlfriend is like, no, you
gotta keep all of these, youhave to keep all these and just,

(01:07:23):
you know, because in thosemoments of doubt Yeah.
When you don't think you areworth it, you need to just look
and see at all of this, youknow?
Yeah.
And know that you have, youknow, have, have made a
difference.

Wow.
Wow.
It's tremendous.
You know, we go, we come toHollywood thinking that, uh,
rich and famous, but this is thereal wealth, what you're talking
about right now.
Yeah.
That is priceless.
Yeah.
Like what the real spoils are and they're not
spoils is the.

(01:08:00):
Contribution.
Mm-hmm.
And the generosity and thehumanity that you share with all
these people that you touch.
Yeah.
Like that's for me at thispoint, that's what it is to make
it in Hollywood or anywhere elsefor that matter.
Because I think it's true, trueabundance, I think true wealth,

(01:08:22):
wellbeing when that, that'swhere you're really transacting,
not in I need a better contract,or this job or this tier of, or
this kind of, right.
it's so much bigger than thatand you're just, what you share.
And I mean in this, wholeconversation, you're just such a
living example of like, what issuccess really?
Like what is it we're reallyafter?

(01:08:43):
And you know, when you drilldown in a conversation like
this, you're like, yeah, all Iwant is just like to enjoy.
The wholeness of who I am andthe wholeness of other people.
And to make great stuff.
Yes.
And to go full tilt boogie.
Yes.
And to do what we love.
Like Hercules, rinse, and repeatyou know?

(01:09:07):
Yeah,

exactly.
Just again and again.
Now don't get, you know, hey, alot of money's good.
Well take it.
Yes.
I'm not saying

no to the jacuzzi.
I'm not saying that

universe.
I'm not saying I don't want themoney.
I'm not, listen, hey, come on.
Hey, arms wide open.
But I'm grateful.
I'm grateful

for,

that's it.
That's it.
I, I do have, that's it.
And I recognize what I have.
Yes.
Uh, so, you know, it's thatthing of, I, like I said, I'm so
grateful for the job I have.

Yeah.

Would I like to make more money doing it?
Absolutely.

Yeah.
Yes.
You know,

dobs of money doing it.
Yes, absolutely.

Yeah.
Yes.

You know, waking up every day, coming to the theater
every day, you know, teachingthe class, people go, I mean,
don't you get bored?
I said, no, I don't get whatchatalking about getting bored?
I, I could do this all day.
I think, oh, you know, can'tshut me up.
I just keep talking about whatthis, it's what this is.
It's never the

same day twice.
Exactly.
It couldn't be, it couldn't be.

Exactly.

Oh

yeah.

Fantastic.
And I do think ultimately thatit is that vibe that does
ultimately attract the abundancein terms of dollars and sense
ary.
Like there's a correlation.
Yeah.
And you being open, I love that you were just like,
yeah, as actors.
We have to remain receptive.
We have to remain porous, right?

(01:10:22):
Yes, yes.
And, not tell ourselves storiesabout starving artists and
street.
You know, we can't, we have to.
It's, we have to be done withthese stories about starving.
Yeah.
No, and just do what you did.
Like I'm open to receive.
Please God.
Thank you God.
Amen.
What you appreciate appreciatesRight, right,

right.
So, oh, I like that happen.
You can have it, have

all that.
I'm

gonna say it, I'm gonna say it tonight in class,
and I, and I'm gonna say whosaid that, and they're gonna
look around and I'm say I justdid.
Then I'll footnote Robyn andRobyn Cohen Yeah.
Take

it to the bank wolf.
Take it to the bank.
oh my gosh.
Thank you so much for this time.
Thank you.
Thank you for your incredibleheart and humanity and wisdom.
Same wisdom.
It's just, this is just such a

joy.
And every time I get off thephone with you and talk to, I'm
like, man, that was just a burstof energy.
Thank you very much.
'cause you, you know, you, it's,it's, you always just bring your
heart so full to stuff.
It's so awesome.
So amazing.

Thanks.
Well, well in the Meisner senseof the word, I am truly working
off of you, so thank you.
Thank
you.
Alright.
Alright, well I will see you so soon and, really
appreciate it.
Thank you very much Rob, andthanks for all you shared.
It's just awesome.
You, it's just awesome.
Okay, Wolfgang Bodison, we willsee you so soon.

(01:11:48):
Thank you.
Thank you.
God bless you.
Thank.
Oh my gosh, that was phenomenal.
Wolfgang Bodison.
You guys have to go back andwatch A Few Good Men because at
the end of that movie, it'sWolfgang's character.
When he's asked by his comrade,they've just lost the case.
They've just lost the case.

(01:12:09):
It's the end of the movie.
And uh, his friend says to him,listen, why?
Why are we in trouble?
We were just following orders.
We were just following orders.
And Wolfgang stands up and hesays, you know, man, we could
have done better.
We didn't protect people thatcouldn't protect themselves.

(01:12:30):
We knew better, and we didn'tstand up for someone who wasn't
able to stand up for himself.
And that's why.
Uh, that's why we've gotta go.
We're leaving the military.
and that's why we lost the case.
And it's such a beautiful momentand you guys are just gonna
like, get your socks knocked offagain and then you're gonna need
a new pair of socks after you,uh, watch or rewatch a few Good

(01:12:53):
Men and see Wolfgang'sincredible work in it.
And everyone's work.
But what a fascinating story.
And, I invite you to look in ourlives, we think that sort of,
how does this one thing connect?
Like, how is this getting meanywhere closer?
What we've learned from Wolftoday?
Like it's all one step closerwhen you are kicking it down the

(01:13:15):
road one step at a time, whichis how you kick it down the road
with passion and purpose andignited about your life and what
you're up to.
It's all one step closer to whatit is that we all want, which is
really, I think, To love people,to be loved by people, to love
what we do.

(01:13:35):
To love doing it with greatpeople.
getting to collaborate withawesome people.
Getting to make arts and craftsprojects with other like-minded
creatives.
just to be in the world of artsand crafts.
Partying on, partying on withlike-minded creatives.
Like that's a goal.
That's the touchdown.
And I could just hear that inWolf's story.

(01:13:57):
He was there in the mail roomdoing what he loved, whether
that was location scouting,writing, whether that was
learning to direct with RobReiner.
And then suddenly he's in themiddle of doing what he loves to
do with passion, purpose,integrity, and discipline.
And Rob Reiner is like, well, doyou.
Do you wanna act in this movie?

(01:14:18):
That was his first professionaljob.
A Few Good Men, he's, heshimmers with power and
vulnerability and excellence.
And it just goes to show youthat when we take our hands off
the levers of trying to controlevery step of the way, how it
goes, the infinite possibilityand what can open up as a result

(01:14:40):
is truly.
Magnificent and mind bending,and it's all in this episode.
Thank you so much for joining.
We have ample opportunities tocome on to the daily joy ride
inside of your creative pathsand your creative trajectory.
Please come to class, come to anopen house, come and audit for
free.

(01:15:00):
Just email me atRobyn@cohenactingstudio.com.
We will get you in.
It is such a privilege to be onthis creative joy ride with you,
and thank you for your hugehearts and your deep listening.
It is in the profundity anddepth of your listening, my
friends that has these episodesand these conversations arise.

(01:15:23):
So thank you.
God bless you.
Stay well and hydrated, and Iwill see you so soon.
Hallelujah.

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