Matt Drago, Actor (Somewhere in Montana)

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What does it truly mean to live with a character? Matt Drago, the breakout star of "Somewhere in Montana," takes us deep into the transformative journey of method acting in this candid conversation about artistic sacrifice and unexpected opportunity.

Drago shares the remarkable story behind landing his "role of a lifetime" opposite Graham McTavish and Michelle Hurd—a full circle moment that began when he helped another struggling artist years earlier. With refreshing vulnerability, he details his approach to character immersion: losing 25 pounds, creating character journals, and assembling cross-genre playlists that help him emotionally align with his roles. "When you've got a cast and crew like we had on Somewhere in Montana, and you just get the space to live and breathe in the character for a long amount of time, it's a very joyful experience," Drago reflects.

The conversation reveals how Drago's lifelong martial arts practice (Okinawan Shorin-ryu) provides the disciplined foundation for his acting work. This parallel path helps him maintain centeredness during career uncertainties and the emotional roller coaster of pursuing acting without industry connections. His journey from closing New York City bars at 4 AM to filming pivotal scenes in Montana barns illustrates the persistence required when following artistic dreams.

Perhaps most moving are Drago's reflections on artistic mentorship and the family formed during production. From breakfast conversations with McTavish to sunset heart-to-hearts with Hurd, these relationships transcended the project itself. "Matt, you are an actor, don't forget that," Hurd told him in a moment of doubt—words that continue to sustain him. His gratitude extends equally to the crews who transform creative visions into reality: "Crews are what make films great."

Ready to discover the magic of "Somewhere in Montana" and the actor bringing Fabian to life? Follow Matt Drago on Instagram @mattdrago or visit mattdrago.com to learn where his journey leads next.

Links

• Jay Franze: https://JayFranze.com
• Matt Drago: https://mattdrago.com/

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Episode Transcript

Tony Scott (00:05):
Welcome to The Jay Franze Show, a
behind-the-curtain look at theentertainment industry, with
insights you can't pay for andstories you've never heard.
Now here's your host, JayFranze.

Jay Franze (00:33):
And we are coming at you live.
I am Jay Franze and this isyour source for the latest news
reviews and interviews.
So if you would like to join in, comment or fire off any
questions, please head over tojayfranze.
com.
All right, folks, tonight wehave a very special guest.
I said it once, I will say itagain a very special guest.

(00:53):
We have an actor folks Get thatAn actor Hailing from the great
state of California.
We have Matt Drago.
Matt sir, how are you?

Matt Drago (01:06):
I'm doing great, Jay .
Thank you so much for having meon the show tonight.

Jay Franze (01:07):
All right, sir, let's just jump right in.
Can you tell me how muchartistic license do you take
when you're taking on a role?

Matt Drago (01:14):
It really depends on the project.
Honestly, you really can be ina TV show.
That's kind of a system, youknow, where you're just kind of
plugged in.
You've got a little bit lesstime to kind of prepare for, so
that can be a little bit of adifferent beast.
But you know, for the film thatI'm in right now Somewhere in
Montana, it was a two yearprocess where I just got to live

(01:34):
with the character, really kindof do my work as a character.
I went a full method approachfor this one.
I lost 25 pounds for the role.
I really just kind of let thetwo the side of me and the side
of the character really justkind of merge into one and
really just got a lot of time tojust kind of work on my
backstories, which are thingsthat I like to do when I prepare
for the character and you knowcreate a playlist and you know

(01:57):
do all the stuff that kind ofmakes me tick as the character.
So it really just depends onthe project.
But when you've got a cast andcrew, like we had on Somewhere
in Montana, and you just get thespace to live and breathe in
the character and the story fora long amount of time.
It's a very joyful experience,for sure.

Jay Franze (02:14):
Let's take that a step further.
Can you tell us what it's liketo live with the character?
What's your process?

Matt Drago (02:20):
Absolutely.
I mean, you know, for me Ithink that the method approach
sometimes gets a bad rap, butyou know, the reality is you are
, you know, letting thecharacter into your psyche.
You're allowing your psyche tokind of merge into the character
.
I was very lucky in New YorkCity to study with the great
Terry Schreiber.
He's gotten a lot of actorsthere starts including Edward

(02:40):
Norton, and he really became agrandfather to me.
You know he knew Lee Strasbergand he was friends with them,
and so the Lee Strasberg methodis really just kind of about
getting that alignment and, youknow, just really allowing
yourself to find parts of thecharacter that are like you and
bringing that character reallyfully to your heart and to your
methodology.
And there's just ways that youdo it and everybody's different

(03:03):
with that process.
I would say For me, like I said,I get into journaling.
I write like thoughts andfeelings about how my character
is, what's going on in his life,little voice memos that I can
reflect on, because, again,there's a lot going on before
and after that hour and a halfof the story that is on the big
screen.
So you know you give yourselfall of the information that is

(03:23):
on the big screen.
So, you know, you give yourselfall of the information that you
need to really build afoundation.
So that way, when you'refinally in that moment where
you're on set and you're actingwith, you know, great actors
like I was blessed to have, youknow, my friend Graham McTavish
opposite me, michelle Hurd, kateOrsini, jonathan Stoddard,
kaylee Macchio, tasha Gates, Imean just these really wonderful

(03:43):
actors in Summer in Montana youreally just kind of let
everything go at that point andyou can really just kind of you
know, see what happens in themoment.
Because when you have a greatactor right next to you that
also has done that same type ofwork, that's when you just kind
of play and you just kind of letthe moment come as it should.

Jay Franze (04:01):
All right, you mentioned putting a playlist
together.
What type of stuff are youputting in this playlist?

Matt Drago (04:06):
Great question.
I mean, honestly, I was askedto share my playlist for my
character recently, so Iactually shared it on my
Instagram.
It was a playlist that I builtjust you know songs that really
hit me.
I'm a lifelong singer, musicianand so for me, songs really
kind of get me in the mood ofthe character.
So I'll just listen to a lot oftracks, a lot of artists that I

(04:28):
know, and I'll cherry pick thesongs that really feel like they
align with the character.
I don't really go into genrenecessarily.
I try to stay away from genre,like if it's, you know, a
country song, if it's a folksong, if it's a rap song, if
it's a rock song, it doesn'tmatter, as long as it aligns
with, kind of, where I feel likethe character is in different
moments of the story.

(04:49):
And so there was some Nirvanain there, there was some Tom
Petty in there, there was someEminem in there, like it's all
over the place.
There's even some Broadway showtunes in there.
I come from a Broadwaybackground and I'm, you know, a
theater kid, so you know, Ireally do try to put something
together that every single songkind of has a feeling for me of
the character.
And yeah, that's just somethingthat I've always done because

(05:11):
it really fires me up.
You know, it's no differentthan a football player, baseball
player, getting out on thefield and having the cans on,
like I have right now, gettingready for the game.
You know, it just fires me upand for me, I think, like
journaling just kind of ispeaceful.
It really just kind of gives methat, you know, alignment, but
it also gives me the feeling ofI'm putting in the work Because,

(05:32):
again, when you're granted arole, it's not just the role,
right, it's like you have toearn it.
And that's the way that I'vealways looked at it.
It's no different than, again,you can tell I'm into sports but
, like, draft day right, you canget drafted one-on-one, but you
still gotta be on the team, youstill gotta earn it in reps,
right.
So I like to feel like I'vebeen granted the role, but I
also feel like I like to earn itand when I feel like I've done

(05:53):
all the work necessary with myprocess, to feel like when I
come to set, I'm prepared andI'm able to serve the director,
I'm able to serve the producers,the writers, the crew members,
because, again, crews are whatmakes film great.
I mean, they are the onesbusting their butts like for a
month, two months, preparing alot of physical labor, moving

(06:14):
set pieces, moving lights andsound equipment.
So when I come to set as thatfinal piece right to the puzzle,
I really want to make sure thatI'm paying honor to everybody
that's putting in all that hardwork.

Jay Franze (06:27):
All right, just to close the loop on this playlist.
You make it seem as if theplaylist is get you inspired.
You likened it to athletesgetting inspired on the field.
Do you ever think of theplaylist as what the character
would be listening to?

Matt Drago (06:45):
Yeah, that's a great question.
I mean, sometimes it reallydepends on the song.
There are some songs where Ifeel like it could be something
that the character would belistening to, but other times it
could be the feeling.
So again, I would say theanswer to that question because
it's a very insightful questionis both.
It really just depends.
There are some where I feellike I'm in the character

(07:05):
listening to that song and it'ssomething that is hitting me at
that moment where I need it,because my character, fabian he
goes through basically the lossof his dream in this film.
I have a scene in the filmwhere I go through a complete
nervous breakdown because I feellike I'm losing everything, and
so for me I think about thosesongs that maybe he'd be

(07:26):
listening to in that momentwhere he is in his apartment in
LA feeling like everything'slost.
So yeah, that's reallyinsightful.
I think it's both.
But then there's other songsthat I feel like align with the
character's story, kind oflooking from the outside in as
well.

Jay Franze (07:42):
And then you were talking about the journaling and
you said you feel like you haveto put in the work in order to
prove yourself and to do yourbest in that role, to show that
you're giving your all.
So what other things do you dobesides journaling that feel
like you have to give it yourall?
What are some of the otherthings that make up your all?

Matt Drago (08:01):
Yeah, I think, honestly, it's really just kind
of sitting with the character alot of times.
You know, I think journalingfor me is the best way to do it,
because I can really go intospecific moments of things that
have happened in his life.
So I'm creating that massiveamount of backstory that I can
draw upon.
And then what I also do withwith the lines, with the words,
is I don't try to over rehearsethem, I over memorize them and I

(08:27):
write them down so I can seethem on a piece of paper.
But I don't over rehearse thembecause I don't want to make you
know, I don't want to lock inthe performance because, again,
when you're opposite someonelike Graham you know, in a 10
page scene which we have in thisfilm, which is very rarely done
in modern cinema, and it's aconversation between two guys,
just like we're having right nowyou want to be able to play off

(08:49):
of the other person.
And so if you lock yourself intoa performance, then you're not
allowing yourself to be genuineand authentic, and this scene
really warrants that authenticbehavior.
It's really based on a lot oflistening and I feel like when
you lock in a performance andyou are rehearsing your lines
over and over again.
You have a way that you want tosay them, you have a way that

(09:10):
you want to perform them, andthen you're not allowing the
other person in.
So acting is all about behavior, it's all about listening, and
so for me, when I do all of thiswork, the best part happens,
jay, which is I go to set and Ilet it all go, because then I'm
around other actors, like I said, that have done their work and
I can really just be in themoment.

Jay Franze (09:29):
All right, so the film takes place in Montana.
Have you ever been to Montanabefore?

Matt Drago (09:35):
I have.
I went twice.
I went with my dad.
It was kind of a road trip thatwe did.
We were seeing a lot ofbaseball stadiums growing up,
and so it's the first time Iever drove 100 miles an hour,
because it was right around thetime where I got my learner's
permit, so he let me drive asfast as I could.
And I remember going 100 milesan hour and having somebody I
think it was a girl with her legout of the window that like

(09:56):
zoomed past me at like 125 milesan hour and I was like, wow,
welcome to Montana, like itreally is different out here,
right.
And then there was just anothertime where I went to go see a
friend there and it's just Imean honestly, as far as being
an artist, it's God's country,like it really is.
It's an incredible place to bean artist, it's an amazing place

(10:16):
to let it in.
And I think the cast and crewbecause we really did, we became
a family in this one.
We really took time off screen,which I feel like interpreted a
lot of what was created onscreen going on hikes together,
getting our meals together.
You know, graham and I wouldget our breakfast together and
we'd have these like reallywonderful, rich conversations,
and I really feel like it's thatatmosphere that Brandon Smith,

(10:38):
who's the writer and thedirector, created for this film,
along with Eden Mattson, theproducer, is that they wanted to
give us the space to reallynurture these relationships,
because I think early on wereally understood that this was
a story that was bigger than allof us.

Jay Franze (10:53):
Did you go to Montana earlier than everybody
else to take any of it in?

Matt Drago (10:58):
I sure did.
I was there the longest amountof time and that's because, you
know, my character, fabian is adirector and I in real life am
not, and so I've directed alittle like web series, things
like, but but not to this scale.
And so what I really wanted todo is I wanted to show up to set
and really find out how he runsa set, Because you know,
writers write what they know andhe wrote himself into the two

(11:19):
characters the two maincharacters of the story being
john and Fabian in differentways and different facets of his
personality.
So I really kind of wanted tostudy how he ran a set.
So I showed up.
I actually drove all the way upfrom LA to Montana, making stops
, and in Vegas I actually got tosee Mad Apple the opening night
, which was pretty cool, whichis like a love story to New York

(11:41):
City and my family's from NewYork City.
So that was a pretty cool event.
And then I went right to Zion.
It was really kind of where Ilet go of the big city, which is
kind of of my method approach.
It's creating ways to reallyfeel the transitions between
different parts of my story asthe character, because he really
does.
He's got so many tempo changes.

(12:02):
You know, I was told by theeditor of this film that, like
you know, you really do you havethe hardest part in this film
because you really are theoutsider and you're coming into
John's world and you're tryingto figure it out.
Well, that was part of me.
Trying to figure it out was togo straight from Vegas to Zion
and hike the Crystal Lakes andjust watch a waterfall for, you
know, a half an hour and I can'ttell you, jay, the last time

(12:22):
I've done that, but the wholetime that I was driving up from
LA to Montana.
You know it was playing, it wasmy playlist.

Jay Franze (12:31):
Now you said it was John's world.
You mean John Alexander?
That's Graham's part in themovie.
Yes, another thing youmentioned in there is being from
New York.
I'm also from New York, myfamily's from New York, but I
actually grew up in Boston, sir.
So we do have a little bit of arub to deal with tonight.
I didn't realize till I wasolder that you're not supposed

(12:51):
to like the Yankees and the RedSox.
I didn't realize that.
My grandfather would take me toYankees games, when my dad would
take me to Red Sox games.

Matt Drago (12:58):
I think it's okay.
I think there are a lot ofsports fans out there like
myself that really do respectthe rivalry and love the rivalry
.
I mean, I'll tell you a quickstory.
I used to actually have seasontickets for the yankees right
behind home plate all the way up, and the red sox games were
sacred to me.
I had to bring a real red soxfan.
Like I couldn't watch the game,you know, with somebody that
didn't know baseball.

(13:19):
So I usually brought my reallygood friend, greg from college
and and he always would get theRed Sox tickets if my dad wasn't
in town, because I reallywanted someone that could shoot
the shit for a little bit,somebody who could understand
what you're truly going throughwhen you're sitting there
Exactly, and just how valuablethose tickets are.
Yes.

Jay Franze (13:38):
And then, when you leave the game, you have to turn
over a few cars.
All right, sir.
So we're talking about Montana,you're talking about entering
John's world.
Were you intimidated at all toact with Graham?

Matt Drago (13:51):
I think part of it is, you know, really preparing.
I think that's the first step.
And I do understand that I amquote, unquote, the unknown
actor, as it's labeled, you knowthe, the one that's getting his
break, and and I understandthat.
But actually, michelle, herhusband, garrett Delahunt, gave
me a really wonderful commentrecently and the way that he

(14:11):
said it I knew what he meant.
It really made a big impressionon me.
It meant a lot Basically.
He looked at me and he's likeyou've been acting your whole
life.
What he meant by that was youknow you have trained, like
you're prepared for this moment.
He meant by that was you knowyou have trained like you're
you're prepared for this moment.
And just because you know thisis your break doesn't mean that
you weren't ready for it.
And I think that's really trueof a lot of actors that I've met

(14:36):
over the years.
You know, even in TerrySchreiber's class in New York
City, it was a 12 person actingclass.
Some of the best performancesI've ever seen in my life have
happened in that little studio.
I hand to God.

Jay Franze (14:44):
Oh, I believe you.

Matt Drago (14:51):
Yeah, so I really do .
I give credit to actors becausesometimes it really is the
right part, aligning for you atthe right time, and sometimes,
honestly, jay, you don't evenknow why a role is meant to find
you.
But I feel like Fabian was, andI didn't even realize it until
after I was granted the role,and I feel like the evolution
happens sometimes because at acertain point in my life, like I
was wanting to book the role toimpress my agent or impress my
manager, and now that I likethink about that, I laugh

(15:12):
because, like you do the art foryourself, like it's a self
practice.
And so now I look at it from abigger perspective, which is
that the role found me and I wasgranted the role and it's such
an honor, and now I get to servethe writers and the directors
and the people that have workedand sacrificed so much to make
this film happen.
Just because you have an ideafor a film doesn't mean you're

(15:34):
going to take it from A to Z.
It's a lot of sacrifice,especially for indie films, and
so I want to make sure that I'mdoing everything humanly
possible to prepare myself.
But to your question, that'spart of the preparation I think
you can get to set and in mysituation, when it's come a
little bit harder to me I haveno connections to the industry,

(15:54):
you know, I've just kind of beena workhorse my whole life you
do kind of have that moment ofimposter syndrome.
But I got to be honest, thesecond that I met Graham, the
second that, like, we befriendedeach other and we became fast
friends because I think weunderstood we were telling a big
story together, that all meltedaway and then he was just
Graham.
And it was a really specialmoment for me when he left set

(16:16):
the final day and he got in thecar right after we had our
breakfast at Betty's Diner andhe looked back at me and he said
I'll see you, mate, diner.
And he looked back at me and hesaid I'll see you, mate.
And it really meant a lot to mebecause it showed like that
camaraderie that we had together, you know, and that that
ability to really work on thisstory together and making sure
that we weren't making anythingtoo precious, that we were
really telling a beautiful,authentic story together.

Jay Franze (16:40):
You say you're the new guy.
How did you get the opportunityto take on this role?
You say you're the new guy.
How did you get the?

Matt Drago (16:45):
opportunity to take on this role.
It's a beautiful story.
I really honestly, have alwaysbeen the kind of person where I
like to help out fellow artistsand friends as much as possible
in the ways that I can, becauseyou know, you don't have all the
answers.
Every artist path is a littlebit different.
But I was working in a steakrestaurant in my local neck of
the woods here in Valencia,california, working in a steak

(17:06):
restaurant in my local neck ofthe woods here in Valencia,
california, and there was a girlthat had moved down from
Montana with her husband and twokids at that time.
Now they have three kids and,you know, they were just really
trying to find their path herein LA and that can be really
hard to do.
And I understood that reallyhonestly, because I had recently
uprooted from New York City tocome to LA.
And it was just this you knowmoment where we were just kind
of talking shop and she was likeI just really wish I could get

(17:28):
an agent because I feel like Ican't, can't really make any
headway until I start getting inthe doors for some of these
casting directors and projectsand I literally without a beat,
said Well, I have an agent.
Why don't you send me yourstuff and I'll happily pass it
on and maybe they'll give you ameeting?
I'll happily pass it on andmaybe they'll give you a meeting
.
Long story short, you know theypicked her up, they signed her
and I believe actually she'sstill working with that agent

(17:48):
and she moved back to Montana afew years ago actually right
before the pandemic in 2019,moved back to Montana and they
started a production company upthere, so they were starting to
network with what was happeningup there, with local film and TV
.
And she got in touch with meone day and it was just a random

(18:11):
call a couple years ago thatreally changed my life.
Zuzu calls me and she says hey,matt, my friend Brandon wrote
this script and every time Iread one of the lead characters,
I see your face.
And it was just this moment ofpure humility Because, again,
you know, when you're looked outfor by a fellow friend, it
really does mean a lot in lifeand instantly I was like I mean
thank you so much.
Like you know, what can I do?
How can I, how can I put myselfon tape?

(18:33):
And she gave me all the infoand I put myself on tape and
then you know that's the actor'sjob is you make a few committed
choices.
I actually went down and studiedit a couple times with a
teacher and then a friend andput it on tape.
And now you can put somethingon tape, you know, 20, 30 times
if you want to, and take the15th take.
The person that I was taping itwith literally looked at me

(18:55):
after the first take and he waslike and I was like, what does
that mean?
He was like I wouldn't tell youto do it again.
Like you have a very clear takeon what you want to do with
this character and if you do itover and over again you're just
going to get in your head.
So I sent that off and you knowthat's part of the actor's job
is to let it go after that,because you have no control
after that.
You know, I felt like I reallyunderstood the character.
I felt like I was able to bringsome good choices to it.

(19:17):
But it's a limited amount oftime, so you just go go with
your instincts.
A few weeks went by and I got acall from Jared Brocksterman,
the local casting director, andhe said he wanted to set up a
producer session with EdenMattson and Brandon Smith, the
writer director, and a few weekswent by, we got on that zoom.
I think we only ran the scenemaybe once or twice, but it was
a conversation because I thinkat that point I really was so

(19:40):
committed to the story I hadread the script three times
already I just really loved it,I gravitated towards it, I felt
like it was a story that reallyneeded to be told, because it's
a story of divisiveness, it's astory of a lot of what we're
dealing with right now in ourcountry, in all realms really,
and so I think that these twoworlds colliding was something

(20:00):
that felt big to me and feltimportant and that's why I got
into acting was to tellimportant stories that I felt
like could affect change andmake people really, you know,
connect with their own emotionsand their own feelings.
I think that's what the power ofa good story is, and so I had a
really great conversation withthem.
We ran the scene and then againyou got to let it go and three

(20:20):
or four weeks go by and I got acall from Jared that really
changed my life and he had toldme that you know I'd been
granted the part.
You know, even with the 10,000submissions that came in for it.
You know, it just meant so muchto me.
But I got to be honest, jay, Imean the second.
I hung up the phone again likemy first thought was okay, matt,
it's time to get to work,because that's when the work

(20:41):
really starts and that's whenyou really earn it as an actor.
And so I really wanted to makesure that I was doing everything
that I could to make the castand crew proud.

Jay Franze (20:50):
Let's take a second to discuss the phone call.
Where were you when the phonecall came in?

Matt Drago (20:54):
I was in my bedroom.
I think I was doing laundry.

Jay Franze (20:57):
So glamorous.
So you're at home, you're doinglaundry and you get this phone
call.

Matt Drago (21:10):
What was the feeling when you got the phone call?
When you finally got the news,well beforehand?
I mean, I got the call and youknow, I think, picking up the
call, I just didn't know what toexpect.
I felt like, because it was aproducer session, I was probably
going to hear back.
Either way, you know whether itwas going to happen or not.

Jay Franze (21:19):
So were you nervous.

Matt Drago (21:20):
I think, because I've been through it so many
times in my life, like I wastrying to not be overly hopeful
but I really did.
I felt like very, verymotivated to be a part of this
story, if, if that was somethingthat they wanted to this thing
of.
Sometimes you don't even knowwhy you're granted a role until

(21:44):
you're in it and then you startto see really how much you align
with the role and how much itreally is kind of almost part of
your story too.
Especially a big role, I willsay, like in a lead type role in
a film, maybe not so much thesame in a one or two liner on TV
, but when there's dialogue andwhen there's moments, you know

(22:04):
you have to carry them and carrythem proudly and you really
want to make sure that there'san actor on the other side that
you're bringing into the worldthat's really committed to the
process.
And I think they saw that andthey saw that I was very
directable and very interested.
I mean, I was just curious andso when Jared called me, I think
my emotions were probablytrying to be, as you know,

(22:26):
centered and balanced aspossible, not to go one way or
the other.
But he's a friend now.
He kind of had a little funwith it, which was kind of cool.
He literally said you know,matt, we had 10,000 submissions
for this and we only called backa few for producer sessions and
unfortunately, matt, we've hadto tell the other actors that
they won't be paying.
Playing the role of Fabian, andyou are our Fabian for Dugo,

(22:48):
and it really just meant theworld to me.
I do joke with them all thetime because I think my
reactions on my face wereprobably like despair, to a
little bit quizzical, to likepure elation and probably the
matter of like a second.
Right by design Right, but itreally was.
It was something that I willalways hold dear.
I got a gift for Brandon at thepremiere that we had in Montana

(23:11):
and it's carved out of barnwoodand it says somewhere in
Montana and it's got a littlespot to put that Irish penny.
Because he gave me two Irishpennies.
Because my character has alittle nervous tick with rolling
an Irish penny it's like hisworry stone that his grandfather
gave him and he gave me two ofthem to work on.
You know, rolling the Irishpenny.
When I got the sign I carvedout a little area so I gave him

(23:34):
one of the Irish pennies back sothat he could put it right
there and on the back it reallydoes.
It just simply says thank youfor the role of a lifetime.
You know, Matt, Draco, Fabianfor Dugo, because it really did,
it changed my life, it gave me,you know, a lot of confidence
that I felt like is hard to getsometimes.
You do need validationsometimes for your work and I
feel like this did that.

(23:54):
And what was the really magicalpart was all of these
relationships that I that Igarnered out of it.
I mean, I do say this all thetime, but I feel like I've
already won with this film, justbecause of the people and the
relationships that I've gainedfrom it was your wife home at
the time?

Jay Franze (24:10):
Yes, she was.
How far away.

Matt Drago (24:15):
How many rooms away from you was she?
I think she was kind of walkingaround.
So she was around, she was.
I mean, I did, I started cryingand gave her a big hug.
I mean we've been through a lottogether.

Jay Franze (24:28):
What was her reaction?
Like?

Matt Drago (24:31):
What was her reaction like?
What was her reaction?
Just really happy.
It's not just like the joy inseeing me book the role, it's
the joy of seeing my workvalidated.
You know if that makes sense?
Because, again, we've beentogether for so long that I feel
like it's not even about theone role.
It's about the fact that I'mfinally being validated for the
long that I feel like it's noteven about the one role.

(24:52):
It's about the fact that I'mfinally being validated for the
years that I put into this.
I mean the teachers that.
I mean the long nights in thebar in New York City that I
would close at 4am.
You know the hundreds ofdollars that I would make, that
I would literally just put rightback into my career.
The you know headshots, thehours of auditions.
You know there's a lot thatputs you in that right place and

(25:12):
in the right time to be readyto meet that moment.
And I think when she had thatreaction and we both cried
together and we gave each othera big hug, she was just proud of
the fact that I was finallygetting some validation for
everything that I've fought sohard for.

Jay Franze (25:28):
That's awesome.
Before we leave the subject,what's your wife's name?

Matt Drago (25:32):
Laura.

Jay Franze (25:33):
Laura.
Thank you, Laura.

Matt Drago (25:36):
Ironically, it's my mom's name too.

Jay Franze (25:39):
All right.
Well, that's a whole differentstory.

Matt Drago (25:41):
We're not going to get into the meaning behind that
.

Jay Franze (25:43):
Laura, I'm sorry.
Whichever, laura, you want totake that to, I'm sorry.
All right, you mentionedrelationships that you developed
by working on this movie andrelationships, in my opinion,
are the the key thing toanything that you do, especially
in an artistic world that we'rein.
So what was the relationshipthat you find most important to

(26:06):
you that you've taken away fromthis, from this cast?

Matt Drago (26:12):
all of them I mean all of them have been so special
in in different ways, you know,I think in in different ways
they've all taught me somethingabout myself, my artistic
journey.
I do specifically with peoplelike graham and michelle Graham
and Michelle, because I am anactor.
I think that they really showedme really why they're pros.

(26:36):
You know why they have thesecareer durations and, yes, you
do still need that opportunity,you still do need that quote
unquote break, right, but a lotof it is giving space to actors
and directors and writers andcrew members you know that are
getting their start, as mostpeople do in the indie world.
So I really just go back tothose really deep, meaningful

(27:00):
conversations that I had withGraham leading up to this really
big scene and justunderstanding that like he was
there for me, know, and feelingthat, and, and michelle, you
know, just kind of passed the uhpast the, the, the, the, the,
the production because you knowobviously we, we knew it was, it
was going to end right, andwhen it was going to end it

(27:22):
ironically ended on my birthday.
That's when we wrapped the, themovie.
But you know it was just kindof getting her advice on kind of
like my next steps and thetypes of things that I should be
doing.
And when I say like, just on onset, we had these conversations
, well, we still have them now.
Graham, two months ago, checkedin on me when there was two

(27:42):
fires next to me in LA, michelleand I had a great conversation
when we met up at a premiere atPalm Springs, and so you know,
these relationships are stillthere and you know, I think
that's what's so special aboutit is, if I need any advice, you
know I have more people to goto that have been through more
than I have, and I think I'vealways really been a student of

(28:05):
the game.
I think that's what is sospecial about being around my
people and why it brings me suchjoy to be an actor is it's just
being around.
You know my tribe people thatare actors.
You know they give so muchspace to each other and I say
this all the time but actors aresome of the most selfless
people that you'll ever meet inyour life, like as a totality as
as a unit, because we'reprogrammed to really empathize

(28:28):
and to hear each other and tolisten and react, and so all of
these things that we've beentaught.
I do feel like make us justkind of more adept to be there
emotionally for each other.
And that's why I say for anyparents listening right now,
like get your kids into actingclass, like it's a great tool.
It doesn't mean that you haveto pursue it as a career, but it
is a great tool to get in touchwith your humanity, to get in

(28:51):
touch with your psyche, likeit's a beautiful art form.
I actually just watched a filmthat you should check out called
Sing Sing with Coleman Domingo,and I saw him on Broadway more
times than I can count and it'sthe truest love letter to acting
that I've ever seen in my lifeand it's about a program called
RTA, you know, rehabilitationthrough the arts and it's just,

(29:14):
it's incredible because it'sit's.
It's based on Sing Sing, thefederal penitentiary, and it's
about, you know, these peoplethat are in jail refinding their
humanity through acting andit's just powerful and I think
that we know that as actors andso those conversations to me
will always resonate.
But you know they they arerelationships, they're just a

(29:34):
phone call away and that's whatreally makes it so special.

Jay Franze (29:37):
Right, you started that with your conversations
with Graham when you were on set.
Can you share what some of thetopics may have been for those
conversations?

Matt Drago (29:47):
Yeah, we talk all over the place.
I mean, you know, we we talkedabout kind of his uh, his, his
bourbon label you know what thename of the bourbon is?
yeah, mctavish spirits, allright, it's really good, it's
very, very good.
He's got, I mean, you look itup right now and he's doing
different labels.
It's interesting that weactually talked and focused

(30:08):
really about legacy, becausethat's a big topic in somewhere
in Montana and the new bourbonthat he just came out with, his
newest, is called legacy.
So it's just, you know, it's,it's, it's pretty fun.
You know, I at one point, at anafter party I had him, I picked
out a bottle of bourbon for himbecause he had never heard of
Jefferson's Ocean and and so itwas.

(30:29):
It was, uh, yeah, it was I, I'ma bartender, so I I know my
bourbons because I I drank a lotof them for free, you know.
So I, I know I know the goodones.
And so it was pretty funnybecause I told him I said you
know you're an actor, right,you're pursuing getting your own
brand of bourbon.
Like, make sure, because you'rean actor, that you're telling a
good story behind it.
And so I got him to read thelabel of the Jefferson Ocean and

(30:53):
he's like orating it in his bigGraham Scottish accent.
It was just, it was reallyspecial.
But, like you know, these arethe types of moments that we
would have offset.
That really kind of built thecamaraderie that we needed to
tell the story together.
And same with Michelle Hurd.
I mean, she is, you know, she'slike a spirit animal to me.

(31:14):
She's a New Yorker, she's alover and a fighter of actors.
She quickly became like a bigsister to me and you know, I
really did.
I felt very like, I just feltlike I could, that I continue to
learn a lot from her justbecause of who she is.
She's just very, you know,she's on the, the SAG board, and

(31:34):
so I was, you know, talking alot about the different things
that were going on with ourindustry and things like you
know, kind of outside of justthis one production.
And again, those are where theconversations go.
When you connect with people.
Like like, I connected withreally every single person on
set with summer in montana.
I did, I really hand to god, Ifelt, going to the set, like

(31:56):
somehow, some way, it was goingto become a family and I was
completely right about that.
And so all of us really justreally I think we needed this
movie, I think we really neededit and I think that's kind of
why we all were fully in it allthe time.

Jay Franze (32:09):
So they truly have become mentors to you In some
ways.

Matt Drago (32:13):
Yes, I really remember a moment where I was
starting to doubt my next job asan actor and I said I just need
to make sure that, because Ilove this so much, it's my first
love in my life.
And I remember this reallymeaningful conversation that I
had with Michelle while the youknow sun was setting on the
Montana mountains and we're justhanging out together and she

(32:35):
looked right at me, you know,with her fiery eyes, and she
said Matt, you are an actor,don't forget that, and I think
that's something that you needto remember sometimes.
So it really is, it's it's just, it's just constant love and
support.
And I really do feel likethat's really.
What keeps you in the sweetspot in your career is when you
have people around you that liftyou up and never let you down,

(32:57):
and I feel like for me, it'salways been actors and artists
that do that constantly andconsistently in my life.

Jay Franze (33:05):
You know, you're the new person here.
So yes, of course you're goingto take some mentorship and you
probably even take mentorshipfrom people who are peers of
yours.
However, do you feel it'simportant now for you to become
a mentor to others?

Matt Drago (33:18):
In the ways that I can be.
You know, I'm still at theplace that I'm in now, but I do
think that there are things thatI would say to young actors to
try to get them past thatmentality that I had when I was
in New York and I was reallytrying to book things to impress
people.
Get out of that as much aspossible, understand that the
journey is the destination inmany ways and that you don't

(33:39):
have all the control in theworld, and appreciate that,
appreciate the work that you'veput in, appreciate, you know,
the things that you've done tosacrifice for that, like I do, I
, at this point in my life, like, honestly, I take pride in the
fact that, like I closed bars inNew York City until 4am.
I take pride in the fact that Ihad no connections to this
industry whatsoever.

(33:59):
I take pride in the fact that Iknew that this was a dream that
I had my whole life, but it wasgoing to take work and I was up
for the challenge.
And so for me to get thatvalidation back to that moment
with Laura, it was just.
It was her kind of reallyfeeling like, you know, I'd I'd
gotten something that I'd workedfor and she was proud of me.

(34:19):
But it validated again allthose long nights, all those
sacrifices that we made, youknow, all those times that you
know we were broke, you know wewere really, you know, like
trying to figure out how to payrent or whatever it was, and so
there are a lot of challengesthat we face together and

(34:40):
because of that, I think thatthat's why, you know, I'm so
grateful to have her in my life,because she has seen it through
and through and she's kept megoing, and so, when, when you
get these moments like this, you, you really revel in them for
sure.

Jay Franze (34:54):
Well, I think it's important for people to have
others in their life that aresupportive, whether it's you
giving mentorship to somebodyelse or whether it's you getting
to be mentored by somebody.
Those type of relationships areimportant.

Matt Drago (35:07):
But for sure.

Jay Franze (35:08):
I'd like to shift gears for a second now.
You mentioned earlier when youreceived that phone call in your
bedroom that you kind of hadthat centered feeling of you and
your face was kind of pokerfaced until they played their
little prank on you.
Do you feel like being into themartial arts plays a part in

(35:32):
your ability to stay centeredduring these situations?

Matt Drago (35:35):
Absolutely, it's definitely a part of who I am
and, honestly, I think it reallydoes affect a lot of my acting
Because, again, martial arts inthe truest form is an art.
It is a self-practice, it's aself-discipline.
And my father I'm very luckyyou know that he was a sensei
that understood that he wasn'tabout kids getting into sparring

(35:57):
matches and getting trophies,like your belt is your trophy
and the movement is your own.
And there are still times thatI say, again, in terms of
mentoring a younger generation,like find things that you're
passionate about outside ofsomething that really is, like
something that you want to beyour career, right, like you
know, for me, like I go out in apark and I still do katas, you

(36:19):
know, to clear my mind Because,again, I know what my passion is
in life but in order to be init, like and still pursue it,
you have to have other thingsthat you also love or you'll
burn yourself out.
So you know, for me it's alwaysbeen martial arts.
It's a safe place to go to.
I practice Okinawan show andrue, which is a very traditional

(36:40):
type of karate, and that twoand a half weeks that I spent in
Okinawa with my dad as ateenager really did.
It changed my life.
It's one of the longestlifespans in the world, is
Okinawa and the people there arejust so genuine, they're so
pure and I think that that wassomething that really resonated
with me.
So I do.
I think that martial arts is abig part of my practice and it

(37:03):
also kind of taught me thatcamaraderie, that family.
You know, because you know theFront Royal Karate Club for me
was about family.
You know, it was like all theyou know aunts and uncles that I
grew up with.
You know whether it would beArt.

Jay Franze (37:15):
Daniels.

Matt Drago (37:25):
Sorry about family.
It is family.
If I needed them, I'd call themuncles, because they really are
, and I just think that becauseof that, it was really important
for me last year to go for myfourth degree black belt.
My dad's birthday is on May 3rd, so I actually went for my
fourth degree black belt on Maythe 4th, on Star Wars Day.

Jay Franze (37:44):
Did you do that on purpose?

Matt Drago (37:46):
It just worked out that way.
I mean, honestly, it happenedto be the Saturday.
My dad always has promotions onSaturday and the day before was
his birthday and it just feltlike a good weekend that we
could kind of try to geteverything in, and I only had a
week to do it.
But I remember people coming upto me afterwards and saying
like I don't know how you pulledthat off, because again, I'm
across the country, I reallycan't practice at the dojo.

(38:08):
It's 3000 miles away, right.
So so it was really just kindof about, you know, just kind of
understanding that I was thiskid on the dojo deck and just
hoping that it would all comeback to me and it did, and it
was just a really, reallyspecial night.
But again, I think a big partof that was the family, for sure
, awesome.

Jay Franze (38:29):
I can appreciate that.
I was in martial arts all theway through college.
I don't practice at all anymore.
However, I did have fun all theway through college and I can
understand the importance of itand how it can help you stay
grounded for sure.
One other thing you mentionedthroughout our conversation
tonight was the crew.
Is there anything you can tellus about the crew, looking back

(38:50):
on them in the importance thatthey have in the production of
this movie?

Matt Drago (38:55):
so much importance we couldn't have done it without
them.
There is, uh, something aboutthe crews in in indie films
specifically, because you haveto remember, you know where you
would maybe have a hundredpeople being part of the
lighting design team on a bigbudget film.
You know.
Know, we have like two, threepeople that are that are kind of
responsible for the sound.

(39:16):
We had a boom operator and amixer, so many things, but a
couple that come to mind are oneof the biggest scenes of the
film that 10 page scene.
We actually shot that in theday and that was a crazy thing
because we were actually runningout of night scenes, so we just
kind of had to flip and fitthat one day.
And that was a crazy thingbecause we were actually running
out of night scenes, so we justkind of had to flip and fit
that one in.
And so, basically, because ofthat, we had Jason who was our

(39:38):
gaffer, basically hang thislight, and we found this space
on the upper barn.
That again, aj Young, ourbrilliant cinematographer, and
Brandon went upstairs and it wasdirty.
There was some creatures upthere, I'm not gonna lie.
Uh, they, they cleaned it outand and and brandon brought me
up there and he was like we'regonna shoot this up here.
And I think it really madesense because the downstairs of

(40:02):
the barn was really nice but theupstairs felt like a cathedral
and in that moment of the storygraham's character, john, is
kind of bringing me into hissacred space for the first time
and to just have those archedyou know ceilings and the beams
that you know extending upward,it gave us a little bit more
room to play in.
The scene was just one of thosethings where I know that that

(40:24):
wouldn't have happened if thecrew and the DP and the director
weren't in alignment with eachother and they weren't willing
to clean it up because I mean,like there were like rat
droppings up there, I mean likeit was like it was like
biohazardous up there, and theyall went at it right away
because they realized reallyquickly how important it was to

(40:45):
actually shoot that pivotalscene upstairs.
But the last part was they hadto black it out.
They had to make sure that itlooked like night and they
blacked out everything and Jasongaffed this light right up in
the corner to make it look likea moonbeam and again, that's the
finished product.
It's like everybody is betterwhen we're all a team, and I

(41:06):
think that's really what I'velearned specifically about film
making from this process is itis wonderful to be an actor and
it's my first love, like I said,but even better it's great to
be a collaborator, and everybodyin the crew just collaborated
with each other.
They worked so hard and I givethem all the credit in the world
because I do I say this all thetime but crews are what make

(41:28):
films great.

Jay Franze (41:30):
No, absolutely.
Like I said, working in themusic business for so long, to
me it's the assistants and thepeople who set everything up.
That's the foundation of whatwe do, so I absolutely
appreciate them and I thank themevery chance I can, a hundred
percent.
Speaking of music, we talkedabout your playlist earlier.
We did not mention this, butcan you tell me the parallel

(41:52):
that you can draw from TaylorSwift and how you apply that to
your art?

Matt Drago (41:59):
I I honestly love, uh, taylor swift, because she's
jumped genres so much and I feellike that's what you have to do
as an actor is you have toadapt to different genres and
different roles.
I also just kind of like thespace that she's created and
it's a space that because mywife and I got, you know, eight
eighth row seats at sofi andstill on the credit card man,

(42:19):
but we, we paid it offeventually, um, but it was
totally worth it because, again,that's kind of like one of
those things that she didn'teven realize what atmosphere she
had created.
Taylor Swift, like you know,whether you like her music or
not, she really does bringpeople together that are genuine
, that are kind, that areexperiencing something together.
It's no different thanexperiencing something at a

(42:40):
football game, experiencingsomething in the movie theater.
I think good art brings peopletogether.
It brings them to a place wherethey can feel together, where
they can be in touch with theiremotions, and when you see
people like trading friendshipbracelets, I mean like it feels,
you know, just kind of thiskumbaya world that we all really
want, right, we don't want allof the dissonance that we're
having in the world.
So I do.
I think her music reallygravitates to me.

(43:03):
There's just some powerhouseballads that she has.
Exile is one of my favoritesongs.
It's one of those things whereI see her constantly reinvent
herself, and I think it's whatmakes me appreciate her so much
as an artist, because as anactor we have to constantly
reinvent ourselves, and so Iunderstand that parallel.

Jay Franze (43:26):
I agree, you know, working in Nashville, I was
there when Taylor first came toNashville and it was rough
people.
People did not give her therespect that they would give
another artist and it was kindof sad that it was like that and
I can understand how she wouldhave to keep inventing herself
and keep moving on and keepreinventing and reinventing.
And she's definitely shown thatshe is the picture perfect

(43:49):
person for success.
And now that I have threedaughters, trust me, I can't get
away from her, so it's a goodthing.
It's a good thing I like her.
She's great.

Matt Drago (43:57):
She's incredible.

Jay Franze (43:59):
All right, sir.
Well, we do this thing here wecall unsung heroes, where we
take a moment to shine the lighton somebody's work behind the
scenes or somebody who may havesupported you along the way.
So do you have anybody youwould like to shine a little
light on?

Matt Drago (44:11):
I shine all the light on my wife because,
honestly, I wouldn't really be,I don't think I would be where
I'm at in my life without her,and it it's too many things that
she's done for me.
It's, you know, little momentsthat she's she's had to pick me
up.
It's it's us really pickingeach other up because we've had
both of our challenges and ourbattles.

(44:31):
You know she was an actress andshe, you know, went to I say
she was an actress.
She went to NYU Tisch.
She once an actress, always anactress, but now she's writing.
You know she's gotten more intowriting and she's one of the
five fellows and projectinvolved with with the film
Independent, the IndependentSpirit Awards, and so I think
within that we found ways ofbeing artistically in alignment

(44:54):
to really support each other.
But nobody knows you like yoursignificant other.
And you know she knows my, mypluses, my minuses, but she
keeps me on the up and up.
And you know she knows mypluses, my minuses, but she
keeps me on the up and up.
And you know I'm just sograteful for her behind the
scenes because that moment againthat you brought up, that we've
talked about tonight, where Iwas granted this role, that
really did change my life.

(45:15):
It was just the look in hereyes, honestly, more than
anything.
That really just meant theworld to me, because she knows
and she knows the things thathave gone into it to have that
moment even be possible.
And for that I'm just sograteful that she's in my life
and that we met in a little 12person acting class in New York

(45:35):
City to find out we grew upthree blocks away from each
other in a small Virginia town.
I mean, you can't write thatstuff.
So just really really gratefulto have her.

Jay Franze (45:43):
That's crazy.
You say she knows yourstrengths and she knows your
weaknesses.
So what would she say?
Your biggest strength is.

Matt Drago (45:51):
I think it's honestly my unwavering spirit to
fight for something that Ibelieve in.

Jay Franze (45:57):
Hold on, not what you say it is.
What does she say it is?
She would say that she wouldsay like you know yeah, she
would agree with me.

Matt Drago (46:06):
I really have I.
I I have, you know when, whenwe moved to LA, for example,
like I did not have a job and,um, I don't know if you know
what task rabbit is, but I wasthe top task rabbit in all of LA
, and it's that kind ofmentality where I haven't been
given things, I've had to fightfor them, I had to work hard for
them, and she knows that.
So, you know, I don't knowexactly how she would say it,

(46:27):
but I think it's my fight.
I think it's the fact that,like I fought for things in my
life, and I think that's a traitthat she finds really
attractive in me, and I see itright back in her too, because
she's the exact same way.

Jay Franze (46:39):
What would you say your biggest weaknesses?

Matt Drago (46:48):
I think, probably getting down sometimes and again
, this is a roller coaster ridethat we're on.
You know, we understand thatit's just really, really hard.
You rely on other people andand you rely on, you know,
hopefully work, basicallypanning out in certain ways.
But you know, to be perfectlyhonest, it's it's okay to be
down, it's okay to have thosemoments, as long as you pick
yourself back up.
And so I think that you knowthat would be something that she

(47:10):
would say is like you know,sometimes you can get down and
you just got to pick yourselfback up and keep going and know
that you love this and know thatthere's not a plan B, and I
know that.
But you know we have our goodand our bad days and I think we
accept that right and it's okay.
And for anybody that's in thisindustry, there's no clear path
and I think that's what makes itvery, you know, difficult in

(47:32):
some ways but rewarding in otherways.
And so I say this to people allthe time, as I say don't burn
yourself out.
Have other things that you'repassionate about.
That way, you really do take onthat journey as the destination
approach and you understandthat this is something that you
love and you're not going togive up on it because it's your
dream, and if you give up onyour dream, then you'll be
giving up on a part of yourself,and so I think that, uh, that

(47:55):
Laura is in tuned with me andshe knows that.

Jay Franze (48:03):
All right, laura, put it in the chat, let us know,
sir, you mentioned all thisstuff.
You mentioned even the momentsof being down.
Can you tell us some challengesyou may have faced along the
way, there are too many to count.

Matt Drago (48:13):
I mean, I think that there have been times where
again, you know, we barely couldpay rent, we barely could pay
our mortgage.

Jay Franze (48:22):
So what do you do through those times?

Matt Drago (48:26):
Do what's necessary.
Get another job.
You know, do another realestate deal right now.
Like I'm in real estate, youknow, just figure out the ways
that you can support the dreamright.
I think it really does comeback to a time in my life where
I was 14, 15 years old.
It was my first professionalgig in dinner theater and I

(48:47):
think it's just always been mymentality, because I mean dinner
theater you're up on stage,you're singing your ballad and
then you're serving.
You know tables, you'reclearing plates, you know you're
refilling drinks, and so Ithink it's always been my
mentality that my dream wasgoing to be work, and so I do.
I take that approach witheverything that I do with this
career.
Is that you know, don't give up.

(49:13):
I know that it sounds trivialto some, but like you really do
have to look at that other sideof it and it's like, if you do
give up on it, what are youreally giving up?
You know, if you really love it, if you really love it, you
have to hold on to it.
You really giving up?
You?

Jay Franze (49:21):
know if you really love it.
If you really love it, you haveto hold on to it.
So does landing a gig likesomewhere in Montana?
Does that give you a certainamount of time financially that
you can live off of withouthaving to fight so hard until
the next role comes along?

Matt Drago (49:35):
I think it gets you exposure.
You know, I think that there'sdifferent phases of an actor's
career where, you know, again,you are building momentum for
yourself, you are showcasingyour work.
It gives you a little bit of abreather, sure, but you know,
every job pays different, everyjob has a different set of worth

(49:57):
.
I will say for this one, for me, I think, the worth was in the
opportunity to play along somereally just incredible actors
and to be part of an incrediblemovie and an incredible story,
and so the value in it comes forme with that, specifically in
this film, and we do say it asactors, I mean, they're your

(50:20):
money gigs out there, right, youknow, the ones that might not
necessarily feed your soul as anartist but that pay the bills.
You know I've booked commercials.
You know you'll say to me likeyou know, wow, matt, like great
acting in that commercial, andthey'll be like, yeah, you're
okay.
You know, like you know it'sit's, it's, it's a commercial,
like I understand that it's notsomething that I had to, you

(50:42):
know, you know, really divedeeply into, but it was
important and I'm grateful forit Because, again, everything
that you can do to be an actorand to bring value to a
production, whether it's acommercial, whether it's a short
film, whether it's a featurefilm, whether it's something on
the stage.
You know like you want to bringvalue wherever you can.

(51:03):
I think that's the mentality ofa good working artist is to
make sure that you're alwaysbringing value, first and
foremost, to every project thatyou're part of.

Jay Franze (51:13):
Well, we can't forget that even a commercial is
important to someone.

Matt Drago (51:17):
That's right.

Jay Franze (51:18):
I mean, yes, you give it your all because you're
a professional, but it's also,like I said, it's important to
somebody, whether it's thebusiness that's hiring you or
what the product you're lookingto promote.
There's always something, then,and that does mean something to
somebody.

Matt Drago (51:32):
Very true, and they're fun, they really are.
I mean I got to be in a SuperBowl commercial, you know, with
the great David LaChapelle,who's a great, insanely great
photographer, and I really did.
I loved the dramatic nature ofthe commercial.
It was done over opera music.
It was at the point where myhair was down to here, so I kind
of looked like a pirate and soI played a pirate in it and like
it's just this beautifullyartistically shot commercial,

(51:55):
and so you know that that is thereason why I literally was able
to buy a house.
So I mean, like it's, it wassuch a big moment for me.
So all of those jobs are someaningful and you have to be
grateful for whatever job comesyour way because, again, they
are so precious and they teachyou different things and, like
you said very insightfully, likethey are important to somebody.

Jay Franze (52:17):
All right.
Well, we have done it, folks.
We have reached the top of thehour, which does mean we have
reached the end of the show.
If you have found tonight'sshow enjoyable, please tell a
friend.
If you have not tell two, youcan reach out to both of us over
at jfrenzycom, where we will behappy to keep this conversation
going.
Sir, I cannot thank you enoughfor being here and.

(52:39):
I would like to leave the finalwords to you, sir.
I cannot thank you enough forbeing here, and I would like to
leave the final words to you.

Matt Drago (52:42):
Well, thank you so much, jay.
This has been a wonderfulconversation.
I always say this, but itreally becomes part of my
journey too.
You know, you only get so muchtime as an actor to you know,
showcase your work, but it'skind of these conversations that
showcase who I am kind of offthe field of play, if you were,
and so I really thank you somuch for allowing me to be an
honored guest on your showtonight.

(53:03):
Uh, for me, if you want to keepin touch with me and kind of
find out what I'm about, uh,follow me at matt drago on
instagram m-a-t-t-d-r-a-g-o atmatt drago.
Uh, from there I've got my linktree.
It's got my website for myacting, mattdragocom.
It's got my production companywebsite,
dragonhunterproductionscom.
Fun fact, my wife's maiden nameis hunter, so drago and hunter

(53:26):
makes dragon hunter productions.
And you've also got my imdb.
It's got all my past and futureprojects.
So follow me there, you'll see.
You know what I'm doing in myprofessional life, my personal
life as well, because they'reone in the same journey for me.
So again, thank you so much,jay.
It's been a pleasure and anhonor being with you tonight.

Jay Franze (53:44):
And tell your wife great work.

Matt Drago (53:47):
Yes, she is an incredible web designer.
She did a great job on mywebsite.
I'm very lucky she does so much.

Jay Franze (53:56):
She's incredible you sir are a lucky man for sure, I
really am All right folks Onthat.

Matt Drago (54:00):
sir are a lucky man for sure I really am All right.

Jay Franze (54:01):
Folks On that note have a good night.

Tony Scott (54:06):
Thanks for listening to The Jay Franze Show.
Make sure you visit us atjayfranze.
com.
Follow, connect and say hello.