March 13, 2018 • 11 mins
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
I had with Maria Littlepez. But up you're on Mario
Lopez joining me down studio actor and singer Jussie Small
And how are you, man? How you doing? I'm good,
always good to see you, and uh, you know I
always root. I always say I root for former child actors. Yes, man,
we gotta stick together, especially the former child actors with
the dimples right well, because you hear so many uh
(00:24):
stories of of careers gone wrong, where they've gone, but
you know you've managed to be very successful, so you know,
rooting for you. Happy for that now. I remember you
for Mighty Ducks and you were about what you were
about what eight years? Eight years old when I was
at the first thing? Or do you start even younger?
I started even younger. My first thing was a Hallmark
commercial when I was four years old. Dang four years
(00:47):
old and put you to work, Earliah, Yeah I was.
I was playing no games, but yeah, Mighty Ducks was.
That was my first feature film, and I've done one
movie before that. It was a TV movie called Little
Piece of Heaven with Course Twaman and Kirk Cameron. That
sounds like something that would come out right now with
Cameron R. K Cameron but not. It was called Little
(01:09):
Piece of Heavan, uh. And yeah, and then North with
Elijah Wood and Bruce Willis and and yeah, I remember
that movie. We were talking about that earlier, like I
forgot about it and then someone mentioned. I was like,
that movie was actually really good, that's all. That was
a good movie. Actually it was Rob Ryan Er, so yeah,
it was. It was a good movie. Did you go
to uh Performing Arts school a regular public high school?
(01:33):
I was home schooled um for a uh like the
majority of my school years, and then we went to
the French American school here in l A. And then
I went to Calabasa's High School, which at that time
was nicknamed calib Blacklis literally literally that was before right
(01:53):
took over the right and everybody had moved in, you
know what I'm saying. And and was that your first
real school experiences when you went to Hi, I'd say
so because I had gone to other schools, but I
was still working, so it's like I'd be pulled out
and things like that actually on mine, because I went
to a school named Carpenter Avenue Middle School in Studio
City when I was a kid, and I went to
Valley View, Uh. But it always was, you know, kind
(02:16):
of sporadic because we were working so much. So the
high school, I had gotten out of the business, so
I went there every day, So you took a little break. Yeah,
I had gotten That's why I always say like, I
wasn't a child star. I was a working child actor.
And I think that that's and you know, the scrutiny
on me was much different than the scrutiny and say
someone like a Lindsay Lohan who was a huge star.
(02:37):
You know, um, I didn't have that. I had a
different set of pressures, but I didn't have those pressures
that a child star has. And what made you want
to take the break? And how long was it before
you decided to get back in. I was like twelve
on our Own, which was a show that I had
with my siblings that had been canceled, and I just
I really just wanted to be a singer. I just
wanted to be a singer. And I was, Um, I
(03:00):
I just kind of learned how to be a musician,
how to write songs, and that's what I was doing
that whole time. And I was like, this is what
I'm gonna do. I wasn't like cute cute c anymore.
But I wasn't a leading man, so it was going
through puberty and all that type of stuff from like
like damn, everything is swollen. You know what I'm saying,
I don't everything, and I just you know, so I
(03:21):
took a little break and got back into it when
I was in like my my like probably mid twenties. Honestly, Wow,
good for you. That's probably such a healthy thing to do.
So I look, I look back, and I'm grateful, uh
that that was something that I did and something that
my mom allowed. You know what I'm saying. It wasn't
something like no, you gotta work, you know. Um, yeah,
(03:41):
that's so important that because that that means everything. That's
why exactly exactly exactly, so you know, it was all
good and I lived my life my life. I made mistakes,
you know. You know, we all did that doing wrong
things and stuff got in trouble. And I was eight,
but I was able to do that, you know, because
I wasn't in the public eye. Yeah, you learn how
those mistakes and you learned from them because that everybody does,
(04:02):
you know what I'm saying, But everybody gets to do
it without the cameras. Being on that. That's why I
have so much love and understanding to people that have
to go through that, and now I watch them just like, dang,
like that's not right, right, And well everything's worked out
because Cut to Empire obviously huge hit. Um it's returning
later this month. Um. And we were discussing off air too.
(04:23):
I know you directed a couple of I directed one episode.
I directed all of the visuals all of the videos
for my That's Where album, But it's as of now,
it's this one episode this season, and we've talked about it,
so hopefully it will be one or two next season
as well. And UM, how'd you like wearing that hat?
Is that something you'd want to do more on? Yeah?
I always say I want to be the Blackmail Barbera
(04:44):
streiching you feel me? Okay? I feel like if you
say you want to be anything like Barbara Streisen, you
gotta act at after you feel me. She's she's super talented,
ted and she's she's just as talented with everything that
she does. You know what I'm saying. We don't say, dang,
she can really sing, but yeah, to put another share
(05:09):
can do it too? Yeah, hell of it, right, actress. Absolutely, Absolutely.
I love the fact that Stripe saying though you know
she's she's politically charged, she's a director, she's a writer,
she's you know, UM will do scores and and singer
and actor, and there's all those things that I really
want to want to tap into. Yeah, that's why she's
an icon. Well, let's talk about music. You got your
new album out. Some of my music, UM would inspire
(05:32):
these songs. I love, love, love love. I always say
that love is the root of everything, the good things
and the bad things in the world. Love is the
root of everything. Yeah, they say money makes the world
go around? Is love? Love makes the world. You want
to make money so you can need to be in love,
and sometimes that money makes the world go around because
it's the love of money, it's the love of greed,
(05:53):
it's whatever it is. Love is the root of everything, wars, peace,
whatever it may be. Love is route. And you've got
a great voice talking about love. Like just your talking voice.
I'm already chill. It's all about love. We are on
with Mario Lope yea. I'd listen to that. He needs
a late night sponsored by Guy. We've actually had a
(06:15):
couple of like soothing guests. Recently. Maya was the other one.
Maya was in here and it was like, we're all
just like real chill. By the time she left. You
know who you should interview Forest Whitaker. He had nicest like,
just I love that, dude, but you got you got
good pipes, my man. So the first single, freedom kind
(06:36):
of sounds like a church him, huh, well, I could
see that. I could see that because it's the Organs.
It's definitely got that that gospel soul. Is that what
you were going? Just yeah, I mean it. The song
was written by um Brian Terrell Clark, who's one of
my really good friends, and he played it for he
was playing me a bunch of music and produced by
Andre Dennek, So he played song. And usually I write
(06:58):
all of my stuff, but if I hear a song
that just is killer, I'm going to record it, Like
I'm not that person. If it's good and it touches
me and I know that I could sing it and
be touched by it and touch other people that I'm
gonna record it. And that song just it did something
to me, and it just you know, I get emotional
every single time I get to that one note at
(07:18):
the end. UM, So, yeah, that's my that's that's definitely
could definitely be a church him I could see. And
in another track, catch Your Eye featuring Swizz Beats, How
did that collab happen? Um? I always say that I
was kind of in a I don't want to say
a bad place, but kind of a low. Just feeling
a little low. You just, you know, sometimes you get
creative blue balls where you know you're sitting there and
(07:40):
he's just like, You're grateful for everything that you have
and everything that you're doing, but at the same time,
you don't want to get so comfortable and content with
doing one thing because you know that there's so much
more that you have to give. UM. And I called
Swizz up and I was like, Yo, I just want
to record. I just want to quietly record. I don't
want to record label involved, I just want to record it.
(08:00):
And UM, he carved out five days and we went
into the studio and we just recorded, and we recorded
six songs and he had people just wrote like his
whole studio, the vibe is just it's beautiful, you know,
I'm saying. Alicia came in and Harry Belafonte was there
and I'm just like, this is Bannas. But Swizz is
one of those hip hop cats that just like one
(08:21):
of the kings of hip hop. So it's to get
his kind of stamp of approval. Has been really great
for me. Yeah, he's got good energy. Yeah, he has
dope energy. Um. You mentioned earlier that you did a
show with your with your family. How big is your family?
By the way, how many the six of us? There's
six of always say my parents had no hobbies. They
(08:43):
got it down each other, Oh my god, all the time,
all the time. Like they were all at the album
released party last night and it was it's it's great.
My family is. We support each other. We have a
cookbook coming out on April kind of Uh my mom
is from New Orleans, so it's it's it's uh, get
down that cooking man. That's one of my favorites. You
(09:04):
gotta come over there. But I'm telling you my mom, Yeah, yeah,
that's a New Orleans Southern cooking queens from Gumbo to
Jumpbala and that kind of food you can't really fake.
If you're like, you know, you don't run into too
many restaurants that have that kind of But I always
say that it's different from the rest of the South.
It's just because not everybody can do it. Not everybody
(09:24):
can do it. If you can cook, maybe you can
fry some chicken, maybe you can make some collar greens.
But can you can you get freaky with the creoles?
That rude. That's old Mama's black pot when you gotta
do it right. So yeah, my MoMA definitely grows down
(09:45):
with that. I want to put you on the spot.
Quick questions, quick answer, go to karaoke song, Um, California
Love but Dr Dre and too Fine? Okay, old Bill
for Shout of Jail, California Dream that soon there's a
step of the scene him here, who just come on? Yeah,
you need to do old Partner Man, you'd be r
I'll take that last show you binge watched uh Insecure?
(10:10):
Oh okay, yeah with the uh nickname growing up Smitty
Smitty or jets Man, but Smitty. I don't know why
it was Smitty, but that was my mom made that. Okay,
Smitty dream collapse Janet Jackson or Maxwell. We talked about
We talked about our love for both right there, all right,
what superpower would you like? Oh my goodness, damn. Would
(10:34):
you rather be able to fly or read minds? Read minds? Really? Yeah,
I think that's kind of a curse to really because
but being able to fly as a curse too. But
think about all the gigs you can do get there
like that. That's true at save time on on which
McCall it on jet Lag I fly, Yeah, totally change
your mind even mean too, you could teleport and then
(10:58):
that would say even more time. That wasn't enough now
you add stuff man right. Meanwhile, everyone check out The
Empire of Course, which returns to Fox Wednesday March, and
you can follow him on Instagram at Jussie Smullett. Congrats
on the album Man with Mario Lopez.
I had with Maria Littlepez. But up you're on Mario
Lopez joining me down studio actor and singer Jussie Small
And how are you, man? How you doing? I'm good,
always good to see you, and uh, you know I
always root. I always say I root for former child actors. Yes, man,
we gotta stick together, especially the former child actors with
the dimples right well, because you hear so many uh
(00:24):
stories of of careers gone wrong, where they've gone, but
you know you've managed to be very successful, so you know,
rooting for you. Happy for that now. I remember you
for Mighty Ducks and you were about what you were
about what eight years? Eight years old when I was
at the first thing? Or do you start even younger?
I started even younger. My first thing was a Hallmark
commercial when I was four years old. Dang four years
(00:47):
old and put you to work, Earliah, Yeah I was.
I was playing no games, but yeah, Mighty Ducks was.
That was my first feature film, and I've done one
movie before that. It was a TV movie called Little
Piece of Heaven with Course Twaman and Kirk Cameron. That
sounds like something that would come out right now with
Cameron R. K Cameron but not. It was called Little
(01:09):
Piece of Heavan, uh. And yeah, and then North with
Elijah Wood and Bruce Willis and and yeah, I remember
that movie. We were talking about that earlier, like I
forgot about it and then someone mentioned. I was like,
that movie was actually really good, that's all. That was
a good movie. Actually it was Rob Ryan Er, so yeah,
it was. It was a good movie. Did you go
to uh Performing Arts school a regular public high school?
(01:33):
I was home schooled um for a uh like the
majority of my school years, and then we went to
the French American school here in l A. And then
I went to Calabasa's High School, which at that time
was nicknamed calib Blacklis literally literally that was before right
(01:53):
took over the right and everybody had moved in, you
know what I'm saying. And and was that your first
real school experiences when you went to Hi, I'd say
so because I had gone to other schools, but I
was still working, so it's like I'd be pulled out
and things like that actually on mine, because I went
to a school named Carpenter Avenue Middle School in Studio
City when I was a kid, and I went to
Valley View, Uh. But it always was, you know, kind
(02:16):
of sporadic because we were working so much. So the
high school, I had gotten out of the business, so
I went there every day, So you took a little break. Yeah,
I had gotten That's why I always say like, I
wasn't a child star. I was a working child actor.
And I think that that's and you know, the scrutiny
on me was much different than the scrutiny and say
someone like a Lindsay Lohan who was a huge star.
(02:37):
You know, um, I didn't have that. I had a
different set of pressures, but I didn't have those pressures
that a child star has. And what made you want
to take the break? And how long was it before
you decided to get back in. I was like twelve
on our Own, which was a show that I had
with my siblings that had been canceled, and I just
I really just wanted to be a singer. I just
wanted to be a singer. And I was, Um, I
(03:00):
I just kind of learned how to be a musician,
how to write songs, and that's what I was doing
that whole time. And I was like, this is what
I'm gonna do. I wasn't like cute cute c anymore.
But I wasn't a leading man, so it was going
through puberty and all that type of stuff from like
like damn, everything is swollen. You know what I'm saying,
I don't everything, and I just you know, so I
(03:21):
took a little break and got back into it when
I was in like my my like probably mid twenties. Honestly, Wow,
good for you. That's probably such a healthy thing to do.
So I look, I look back, and I'm grateful, uh
that that was something that I did and something that
my mom allowed. You know what I'm saying. It wasn't
something like no, you gotta work, you know. Um, yeah,
(03:41):
that's so important that because that that means everything. That's
why exactly exactly exactly, so you know, it was all
good and I lived my life my life. I made mistakes,
you know. You know, we all did that doing wrong
things and stuff got in trouble. And I was eight,
but I was able to do that, you know, because
I wasn't in the public eye. Yeah, you learn how
those mistakes and you learned from them because that everybody does,
(04:02):
you know what I'm saying, But everybody gets to do
it without the cameras. Being on that. That's why I
have so much love and understanding to people that have
to go through that, and now I watch them just like, dang,
like that's not right, right, And well everything's worked out
because Cut to Empire obviously huge hit. Um it's returning
later this month. Um. And we were discussing off air too.
(04:23):
I know you directed a couple of I directed one episode.
I directed all of the visuals all of the videos
for my That's Where album, But it's as of now,
it's this one episode this season, and we've talked about it,
so hopefully it will be one or two next season
as well. And UM, how'd you like wearing that hat?
Is that something you'd want to do more on? Yeah?
I always say I want to be the Blackmail Barbera
(04:44):
streiching you feel me? Okay? I feel like if you
say you want to be anything like Barbara Streisen, you
gotta act at after you feel me. She's she's super talented,
ted and she's she's just as talented with everything that
she does. You know what I'm saying. We don't say, dang,
she can really sing, but yeah, to put another share
(05:09):
can do it too? Yeah, hell of it, right, actress. Absolutely, Absolutely.
I love the fact that Stripe saying though you know
she's she's politically charged, she's a director, she's a writer,
she's you know, UM will do scores and and singer
and actor, and there's all those things that I really
want to want to tap into. Yeah, that's why she's
an icon. Well, let's talk about music. You got your
new album out. Some of my music, UM would inspire
(05:32):
these songs. I love, love, love love. I always say
that love is the root of everything, the good things
and the bad things in the world. Love is the
root of everything. Yeah, they say money makes the world
go around? Is love? Love makes the world. You want
to make money so you can need to be in love,
and sometimes that money makes the world go around because
it's the love of money, it's the love of greed,
(05:53):
it's whatever it is. Love is the root of everything, wars, peace,
whatever it may be. Love is route. And you've got
a great voice talking about love. Like just your talking voice.
I'm already chill. It's all about love. We are on
with Mario Lope yea. I'd listen to that. He needs
a late night sponsored by Guy. We've actually had a
(06:15):
couple of like soothing guests. Recently. Maya was the other one.
Maya was in here and it was like, we're all
just like real chill. By the time she left. You
know who you should interview Forest Whitaker. He had nicest like,
just I love that, dude, but you got you got
good pipes, my man. So the first single, freedom kind
(06:36):
of sounds like a church him, huh, well, I could
see that. I could see that because it's the Organs.
It's definitely got that that gospel soul. Is that what
you were going? Just yeah, I mean it. The song
was written by um Brian Terrell Clark, who's one of
my really good friends, and he played it for he
was playing me a bunch of music and produced by
Andre Dennek, So he played song. And usually I write
(06:58):
all of my stuff, but if I hear a song
that just is killer, I'm going to record it, Like
I'm not that person. If it's good and it touches
me and I know that I could sing it and
be touched by it and touch other people that I'm
gonna record it. And that song just it did something
to me, and it just you know, I get emotional
every single time I get to that one note at
(07:18):
the end. UM, So, yeah, that's my that's that's definitely
could definitely be a church him I could see. And
in another track, catch Your Eye featuring Swizz Beats, How
did that collab happen? Um? I always say that I
was kind of in a I don't want to say
a bad place, but kind of a low. Just feeling
a little low. You just, you know, sometimes you get
creative blue balls where you know you're sitting there and
(07:40):
he's just like, You're grateful for everything that you have
and everything that you're doing, but at the same time,
you don't want to get so comfortable and content with
doing one thing because you know that there's so much
more that you have to give. UM. And I called
Swizz up and I was like, Yo, I just want
to record. I just want to quietly record. I don't
want to record label involved, I just want to record it.
(08:00):
And UM, he carved out five days and we went
into the studio and we just recorded, and we recorded
six songs and he had people just wrote like his
whole studio, the vibe is just it's beautiful, you know,
I'm saying. Alicia came in and Harry Belafonte was there
and I'm just like, this is Bannas. But Swizz is
one of those hip hop cats that just like one
(08:21):
of the kings of hip hop. So it's to get
his kind of stamp of approval. Has been really great
for me. Yeah, he's got good energy. Yeah, he has
dope energy. Um. You mentioned earlier that you did a
show with your with your family. How big is your family?
By the way, how many the six of us? There's
six of always say my parents had no hobbies. They
(08:43):
got it down each other, Oh my god, all the time,
all the time. Like they were all at the album
released party last night and it was it's it's great.
My family is. We support each other. We have a
cookbook coming out on April kind of Uh my mom
is from New Orleans, so it's it's it's uh, get
down that cooking man. That's one of my favorites. You
(09:04):
gotta come over there. But I'm telling you my mom, Yeah, yeah,
that's a New Orleans Southern cooking queens from Gumbo to
Jumpbala and that kind of food you can't really fake.
If you're like, you know, you don't run into too
many restaurants that have that kind of But I always
say that it's different from the rest of the South.
It's just because not everybody can do it. Not everybody
(09:24):
can do it. If you can cook, maybe you can
fry some chicken, maybe you can make some collar greens.
But can you can you get freaky with the creoles?
That rude. That's old Mama's black pot when you gotta
do it right. So yeah, my MoMA definitely grows down
(09:45):
with that. I want to put you on the spot.
Quick questions, quick answer, go to karaoke song, Um, California
Love but Dr Dre and too Fine? Okay, old Bill
for Shout of Jail, California Dream that soon there's a
step of the scene him here, who just come on? Yeah,
you need to do old Partner Man, you'd be r
I'll take that last show you binge watched uh Insecure?
(10:10):
Oh okay, yeah with the uh nickname growing up Smitty
Smitty or jets Man, but Smitty. I don't know why
it was Smitty, but that was my mom made that. Okay,
Smitty dream collapse Janet Jackson or Maxwell. We talked about
We talked about our love for both right there, all right,
what superpower would you like? Oh my goodness, damn. Would
(10:34):
you rather be able to fly or read minds? Read minds? Really? Yeah,
I think that's kind of a curse to really because
but being able to fly as a curse too. But
think about all the gigs you can do get there
like that. That's true at save time on on which
McCall it on jet Lag I fly, Yeah, totally change
your mind even mean too, you could teleport and then
(10:58):
that would say even more time. That wasn't enough now
you add stuff man right. Meanwhile, everyone check out The
Empire of Course, which returns to Fox Wednesday March, and
you can follow him on Instagram at Jussie Smullett. Congrats
on the album Man with Mario Lopez.
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