August 5, 2024 • 55 mins
T TIME with Theresa - Season 4, Episode 40 “Roxanne”. Hosted by Theresa Farrell. Tonight's guest is Writer, Director, Actor, Dancer, Model and Licensed Film Critic Roxanne Alese. T TIME with Theresa is aired live on Strong Island Television from Paradise Studios NY - www.strongisland.com
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
Good evening and welcome to tee Time.
Speaker 2 (01:24):
Hey everybody, welcome to tea Time. I'm so glad you're
joining me tonight. It is the last Monday of July.
Can you believe it? It is July twenty ninth. It's crazy.
Speaker 3 (01:34):
Okay, I'm gonna talk about my weekend real quick and
get some in studio guests.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
I'm so excited she's here. Friday, I spent the day
with my girl, Donna Morales. Yes, we were poolside, just
hanging out.
Speaker 3 (01:43):
And then that night I went on the lines because
I'm actually filming a week from today next Monday. Saturday,
I did Murdered by the Mob at the Iron Bar.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
In the secret room. I normally play Bunny.
Speaker 3 (01:56):
There, I am as Bunny, but the oh gee Bunny
came up. Shout out to my girlfriend Ali Mulrain came
up to play her original role as Bunny, and.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
I played Donna Rosella. There.
Speaker 4 (02:10):
I am Donna Rosella, Big Paulie's widow, and it was
a little challenging because I haven't played her in about
a year.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
But it was a lot of fun and I have
a great cast. Thank you.
Speaker 3 (02:21):
And we went out afterwards and we hung out and
Allie's going back to South Carolina and she's like, you know,
the next time I see her, I think I'm gonna
have to go down there and visit her.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
But it was so good to see her. We had
a great show.
Speaker 4 (02:32):
We had people from Australia and Arizona and Jersey and
Staten Island.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
It was great.
Speaker 3 (02:37):
And then Sunday's laundry day because we only need clean underwear.
And I spent the day at the beach with my
sister Janny, my cousin Nancy, and my girlfriend Marquelle. Fell
in love with my sister's beach.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
It's called Crab Middle Beach.
Speaker 4 (02:50):
It's considered Northport and it is I'm not an ocean girl.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
I like the sound. I don't like big waves.
Speaker 3 (02:56):
It's like nice glass, calm, serene, lovely, never too crowded.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Quiet, It's great. I love it.
Speaker 3 (03:03):
Okay, so let me get to my guest, because I'm
so excited she's here in person.
Speaker 2 (03:07):
Took the right from Queens. She's a writer, director, she
is a actor, she's a model.
Speaker 4 (03:14):
She's also a licensed film critic and I can't wait.
Speaker 2 (03:16):
To hear how how she got into that. Roxanne Elisa
is he Hello, Roxanne, Hello, and thank you for having
me on the show. Oh, I'm so excited you're here again.
Thank you and your friends for bringing you Victoria. Yes,
my people, Yes, they took me here too. I love it.
Speaker 4 (03:35):
I love it, and so let's get into it. I'm
a Queen's girl. You're a Queen's girl.
Speaker 2 (03:40):
Yes.
Speaker 4 (03:40):
Originally from born in Brooklyn, Brooklyn, New York, and then
went to Ridgewood, went Ridgewood.
Speaker 2 (03:49):
I'm born in Brooklyn, New York.
Speaker 4 (03:52):
At the age of ten, my family and I moved
to Queen's.
Speaker 3 (03:56):
Okay, okay, maspit mas spith okay cool.
Speaker 4 (04:01):
And when they passed away, I moved to Ridgewood, the Hood,
the Hood.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
Ridgewood Queens.
Speaker 4 (04:08):
And you know you you have a very.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
Moving story of your life. Your life moved.
Speaker 4 (04:19):
It really did move me because you were you were
born actually crypt deformed.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
You had your one leg.
Speaker 4 (04:28):
And foot both both turned inward right, and years ago
we called that like pigeon pigeon, pigeon toad exactly. Yeah,
but it also affected your legs as well.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
It wasn't it was like effected.
Speaker 4 (04:43):
I was in a body cast in the first week
of my life, a body cast and I felt so bad,
not for myself because I don't remember.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
No, and thank god you don't.
Speaker 4 (04:55):
But my parents were young. Yeah, and my poor mother
had this deformed baby.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (05:02):
And you know, the first thing you want to do
is count the fingers, count all the toes. You had
them all there, they were there, they were face in
the right way, so you they.
Speaker 4 (05:12):
Had you in a cast, and then you you had braces.
Speaker 2 (05:16):
Braces until three years old.
Speaker 4 (05:19):
Like freaking Forrest Gump, Harris Gump. There I was, and
and and the three. We were able to get them removed.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
They were removed when I was three and a half. Okay,
three and a half.
Speaker 4 (05:31):
But I had to wear those high black shoes with
the orthopedic orthopedic shoes all the time, all the time
until what age did you have to wear those ten Yeah?
And I'm sure the kids, you know, made nice, not
nice all the time.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
Yeah. Yeah, it was horrible.
Speaker 4 (05:52):
I had a really bad it's it's hard, yeah, disabled, Yeah,
it's it's it's not it's not fun.
Speaker 3 (05:59):
But you, oh my god, you're such an overcomer because
here you're telling your parents you want to dance.
Speaker 4 (06:06):
Yeah, I was three, I want to dance old and
we were sitting in the living room.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
Like, wet were you watching like Lawrence Welk or something?
Because I used to watch Lawrence Welk with my grandmother. Yes,
and I used to love watching them dance and move.
Speaker 4 (06:20):
No, wasn't Lawrence Well, who was the other one on
Sunday nights?
Speaker 2 (06:26):
Oh, I don't know.
Speaker 4 (06:27):
There were so many back There were so many back
then to watch. Well, it was one of those shows
right right, There was dancers and singers. And I was
just three years old and I said to my parents,
I want to do that. And my father, being a
strict Sicilian Italian, I know what that's like, unfiltered completely.
(06:50):
He turned around and he said, you're crippled. You can't
do that. Yeah, And my mother said yeah, yeah, she
said you can do whatever you want to.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
Do, and that's what you needed to hear.
Speaker 4 (07:03):
And she took me to the Lyceum School for Dance,
which was run by a group of former Rockets. Wow,
they were my instructors. But they said to my mother,
she's not old enough. She's only three and a half.
It has to be five. Where my parents put me
(07:24):
Robert Mann Dancing School in Baside.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
I was four. Well, it took me at four. This
school you had to be five. And I carried on.
Speaker 4 (07:33):
I hung on the rock at and I cried. I said, please, please,
I want to be a dancer like you. And they
gave in. And I was the youngest child in the recital.
And my first recital was do you remember because I remember,
I remember it. So I was four years old Carnegie Hall.
(07:56):
I played the hole at four years old. Now do
you remember the name of the name of the song
of the dance or oh no, but I remember the steps.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
Okay, okay, we have a pick of you. We have
a pick of you in your tap. I think you're
in your tap shoes. Oh that's me. That's when I
danced at Radio City. I love it.
Speaker 3 (08:14):
I love it there well, six years old, that's fantastic.
I never danced at Radio City or Carnegie Hall. I
don't remember where Bob used to book the recitals, but
I just remember I was a bumblebee and the song
was be my Little Baby, bumble Bee. That was my
first four That was my first tap because I love tap.
Speaker 2 (08:35):
I love to make noise.
Speaker 3 (08:36):
I think I took jazz for like eight years and
I only took ballet for one year.
Speaker 4 (08:39):
I hate it. I hated it. I like to make noise.
My dream was to dance with Gregory Hines. Oh my god, passed,
but oh my god, I wanted a tap with him
so bad. But yeah, but you remember, I remember, yeah,
and the whole Carnegie Hall. What I remember was I
was behind the curtain getting ready to go on.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
It was a solo tap dance. Wow. And the curtains
were so high.
Speaker 4 (09:04):
Right now, as an adult, the whole looks big.
Speaker 2 (09:09):
Imagine as a four year old child, right.
Speaker 4 (09:12):
So the curtains were so high and the stage was
so huge, and I went out there and I had
no fear whats So you know, when you're younger, you
don't no fear whatsoever.
Speaker 2 (09:25):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (09:26):
As a matter of fact, I remember at the end
of the dance, I blew kisses to the audience and
my father said, oh, dear God, she's going to be
in this business discreet.
Speaker 2 (09:38):
Well, you definitely, I do not. I a vertically challenged
at five to two.
Speaker 3 (09:42):
So my dreams of being a roquette were shot down
because I think you have to be five six or five.
Speaker 2 (09:48):
Seven seven, five to seven, you have the height. I'm
five eight. Yeah, you were blessed with the height. So
that's my dad. Yeah, that's six foot two. Oh wow,
my mom was five foot two. Wow. Yeah, that's me
five time.
Speaker 3 (10:02):
But Connegie Hall and then Radio City, I mean, that's
that's that's.
Speaker 2 (10:07):
I mean to start out as a child. I mean,
come on, where do you go from there? Where do
you go out there?
Speaker 4 (10:12):
You're never ever afraid of a stage again after those
two places.
Speaker 3 (10:17):
Amazing, really amazing. You end up going to Grovella Cleveland
High School?
Speaker 2 (10:21):
Yes, I did, and.
Speaker 4 (10:22):
You left actually your last year because you were touring
with a theater company.
Speaker 2 (10:27):
Yes, Grease, I was Chacha the dancer. I was jan
one of the pink ladies.
Speaker 4 (10:36):
I can't tell you how many twinkies I had to
eat during that show, and.
Speaker 2 (10:40):
I haven't touched one since I was Chacha.
Speaker 5 (10:43):
Oh.
Speaker 2 (10:43):
I could totally see you as Chacha. It was great.
Speaker 4 (10:46):
I loved it because it was the first musical I
was ever in.
Speaker 2 (10:50):
I was in twenty five place in my career.
Speaker 4 (10:53):
Yeah, but I never was in a musical until Greece.
Speaker 2 (10:56):
Love It, Love It. And then we went on tour.
So I left.
Speaker 4 (11:00):
I left high school before I graduated. Yeah, then I
went after touring, I went back to school. You got
you ged, I got my ged and then I went
to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.
Speaker 2 (11:15):
Yes, you studied, you did you? You you got fifty
years old.
Speaker 4 (11:20):
You studied a long time, because you said you never
You're never too old.
Speaker 2 (11:23):
To learn something new. There's always something. But you did.
Speaker 3 (11:26):
You studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in
New York and LA. Yes, and you as well went
to the actor studio HB Studios, all of the private coaches.
Speaker 4 (11:36):
And you have a master's degree in theater arts, theater arts,
and you've and you've also been teaching acting for many
many years as well. You know, so you've touched so
many lives when you think, I hope, so of course
you have. Really are you kidding me?
Speaker 2 (11:53):
Are you kidding me? So, let's go back to nineteen
seventy eight.
Speaker 4 (11:57):
Oh my goodness, way back way back, your professional dancer. Well,
what happened was I studied ballet, yes, tap and jazz. Right,
could become a professional ballroom competitive dance.
Speaker 2 (12:13):
Yes, and we have pictures of that too.
Speaker 4 (12:15):
Let's put that up shally, Oh my god, that's doing
the tango with my ex husband, and we have two more.
Oh that was my first dance partner. Uh huh, I
was about twenty years old.
Speaker 2 (12:31):
Love it.
Speaker 4 (12:31):
That was my ex husband. He was my dance instructor,
and then they asked me to become a dance teacher.
Is amazing, and then I became a professional.
Speaker 3 (12:43):
We have that one pick, the one pick of her
solo that I love.
Speaker 4 (12:47):
Oh, what a picture that's to that's points, right, that's points.
Speaker 2 (12:52):
I did points for us for a quick minute twelve years, wow,
twelve or fourteen years. That's beautiful. I did point for
a hot second.
Speaker 4 (13:02):
I went up bottom and I came down and I
was like, that's it. I did so many years of
point and had so many surgeries. Yes, I've had yes,
seven surgeries on my feet.
Speaker 2 (13:16):
Wow. Yeah, walking around and where is baby? You're not
ready to retire in those puppies, No, no way.
Speaker 4 (13:24):
But you were a professional dancer and instructor for the
Fredi's Dance studio.
Speaker 2 (13:29):
Yes. For that's where I met my husband. Yes, and
that's what you want the dancing right.
Speaker 4 (13:35):
He was the only street man, well, thank god in
fredi Sales Dance Studio and all the other guys were
wonderful I love them, yes, but my first dance partner
was more feminine than me. Okay, so that didn't work out.
And then I met my husband. There you go, and.
Speaker 2 (13:57):
I guess I said, are you gay too? Are you straight?
And you dance?
Speaker 4 (14:02):
And are you looking for a partner? We became partners,
and we became partners in life. Yeah, and we're still
very very good friends. That's good my one and only husband. Oh, okay,
that's the way I like it, all right. And then
in nineteen ninety four, you are founded, Oh, your founder
(14:24):
and artistic director of Vision Repertory, a Vision Repertory Company,
which was a theater company. I wrote and directed seventeen plays.
And what happened was when I was married, I was
by coastal. I write agent in la and agent in
New York, and I was traveling so much. I was
(14:48):
getting a lot of work in both places. And my
husband said to me, were like roommates. He said, this
isn't a man. You need to make a decision. And
I must say that I loved him dearly, but my
passion in this life was for the arts.
Speaker 2 (15:11):
So it broke up the.
Speaker 4 (15:12):
Marriage and I continued on with my career. But there
was so much competition. I remember going to an audition
and I was so excited. My agent got me an
audition for a Steven Seagal's film Nice. And I walked
in and there was two hundred women, including Gina Gershon.
(15:37):
We all looked exactly alike, exactly okay, And I said,
Jesus Christ, how am I going to this role? I
don't know how you stick out? How you stick out?
We all looked like each other.
Speaker 2 (15:52):
We had dark hair back then. Yes, as a matter
of fact, we have your head shot that's black and
white because that's how we did it. Back in day
we did it. That's my I was twenty eight or
thirty stunning, and you still are, thank you very much.
Love it haven't changed much except for the color. Love it.
Speaker 4 (16:12):
So it was hard to get work, and I wanted
to work. So I said to myself, you know something,
the only way to work consistently is to start your
own theater and film company. But I needed to raise
around twenty five thousand dollars to rent out a theater,
and back then that was a lot of money. Back,
(16:34):
a lot of money, and to get a staff. Right,
I raised it. Okay, good for you girls, I raised it.
I sold everything I possibly could.
Speaker 2 (16:43):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (16:44):
My parents helped, family helped, friends helped, and the Vision
Repertory Company came into existence. Nice.
Speaker 2 (16:54):
So what an accomplishment.
Speaker 4 (16:56):
I was able to act in the place. I was
able to write them, I was able to direct them.
I was working consistently. We would start one play, it
would run for a certain amount of time, it would
close down next one right away. We went on for
years and years. We're still the Vision Repertory Company. Just
(17:16):
the staff has changed over the years. And is it
in New York now? Yeah, this is still in La No,
New York. It's in New York.
Speaker 2 (17:23):
It was always always in New York. Okay. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (17:26):
I used the Producers Club oh a lot. I had
my auditions there for and I had my plays there
in the large theater.
Speaker 2 (17:37):
Nice.
Speaker 4 (17:39):
Yeah, that's a special place to me because I did
a lot of work there and I taught out of
the right the Producers Club.
Speaker 2 (17:48):
That's fantastic. Hey, we're gonna take my first break.
Speaker 3 (17:51):
Please don't go away more, Roxanne when we come back after.
Speaker 1 (17:54):
This wonder Woman was everything to little girls, especially that
looked like me.
Speaker 2 (18:13):
She stands for being.
Speaker 1 (18:14):
A voice for people that need a voice. My organization
renovates homes for people with disabilities, and when I come
home a self care routine makes me feel my best.
Speaker 2 (18:27):
I'm very proud of the difference that we're making.
Speaker 4 (18:29):
It.
Speaker 2 (18:29):
To see that impact in my community.
Speaker 1 (18:31):
Inspires me to work even harder for everyone around me.
All right, is everybody having a good time to time
a wife?
Speaker 6 (18:45):
That's what I thought.
Speaker 5 (18:47):
All right, So we are live Paradise Studios from New York.
Speaker 2 (18:54):
Keep yourself around with plus coming out tonight.
Speaker 5 (19:06):
Well, Hi there, Teresa, It's jian Yorick from General Hospital.
I am just checking in because apparently you have a
great talk show called Tea Time on Strong Island TV.
I want you to have continued great success and have
a lot of fun. It sounds like you're having a
lot of fun, and that's pretty much the key to everything,
isn't it. So continued success. I'm proud of you. Have
(19:30):
a great day, Teresa. Bye.
Speaker 2 (19:34):
Hey everybody, welcome back to Tea Time. Get some shoutouts.
Michael Norton's watching from Florida. Thank you, my.
Speaker 3 (19:40):
Love, my biggest supporter, Ann and Bruno, Vic Franz, Cheryl,
thank you everyone for watching the show.
Speaker 2 (19:45):
Please like it, Please share it. We're live on YouTube
and Facebook, and then the show goes to Roku.
Speaker 4 (19:51):
TV, Amazon, Fia TV, Twitch TV, Apple TV, everywhere.
Speaker 3 (19:56):
Podcasts can be heard and seen every Saturday at ten
am on Channel twenty for people who live on Long
Island and get Optimum TV.
Speaker 2 (20:03):
I am with Roxanne Elise. The woman does it all.
Speaker 3 (20:06):
She's a writer, she's a director, she's an actor, a model, producer.
Speaker 4 (20:11):
She's also a licensed, licensed film critic.
Speaker 2 (20:14):
I can't wait to talk about that.
Speaker 4 (20:16):
And you know, we started out talking how she was
originally from Brooklyn, went to Queens, had this disability with
her legs and was in a full body cast after
like being a week old and then having braces leg
braces until she was three, telling a parent she wants
to dance, became a professional dancer, teacher, she's It's just
(20:37):
an incredible story.
Speaker 2 (20:38):
It's like a lifetime movie.
Speaker 3 (20:40):
You can't know anything you want, you know, it's so
important to know that it really is, it really is.
Speaker 2 (20:47):
And I want to fast forward now.
Speaker 3 (20:49):
We were talking about the Vision Repertory Company, which you
said is still going on.
Speaker 4 (20:55):
Nineteen ninety five to ninety eight, you actually worked as
a personal trainer for Lucille Roberts.
Speaker 2 (21:02):
Yes, right, well I had to have a job.
Speaker 4 (21:04):
Well, you know, we all have to have something we're
not always had in the arts.
Speaker 2 (21:09):
Even though I was working in the arts, Yes, yes,
and always.
Speaker 3 (21:14):
I actually belonged to Lucille Roberts that was on Bill
Boulevard and Bay Side.
Speaker 2 (21:18):
I was a member. I was a member. I remember
coming off the train and like going straight.
Speaker 3 (21:24):
They are trying to work out, and there was this
one time where they had us do floor work and
I ended up falling asleep.
Speaker 2 (21:30):
I was just so tired. I was just so tired.
So you taught like like step there was a step
was big back then. Remember step? Oh yeah, step was
the real big. You know.
Speaker 4 (21:42):
I didn't care for that job. No, I just did
it because I needed the money to live. I wasn't
making enough money, and I.
Speaker 2 (21:51):
Know, especially when it's when you have downtime.
Speaker 4 (21:53):
The only time I made really silly money is as
a mode. Yes, I modeled when I was in my
teens and my twenties. Those I couldn't find any picks on.
So I apologize.
Speaker 2 (22:08):
I have millions. I should have I should have asked,
but I didn't any But now I'm working for models
over fifty.
Speaker 4 (22:15):
Okay, the money is silly, it's ridiculous, and it's such
a nothing job. I mean nothing against models, right, but
it really it's so simple.
Speaker 2 (22:28):
How did you fall into that?
Speaker 4 (22:30):
I was a run runway model, okay, when I was
in my teens, right, and when I was in my twenties,
I was doing print work.
Speaker 2 (22:41):
You also did pageant? Did you do a pad? Yes?
I want that picture the pageant? Now? This was was it?
Miss Massbeth? Can you miss mask? Can it fill up
that pick? Please? Right? Miss Masbeth? Please? How old were
you there? Eighteen? Wow? Look at that hair? Oh my goodness,
(23:07):
it's great. They had just called my name and they
snapped the picture.
Speaker 3 (23:10):
I love it, thank you. Oh it's amazing. So how
did you get into this model's over fifty? How did
that happen?
Speaker 4 (23:18):
I found out about it? Yeah, through a friends, Yes,
and I went down.
Speaker 2 (23:23):
You have to be a certain height for that too, Yes,
I'm five to eight, just saying, and you have to
be what if I have to be? I went like,
how old are I? How old? How do you have
to be? I'd have to weigh like six inch?
Speaker 4 (23:43):
But yeah, I have to be one hundred and twenty pounds.
Speaker 2 (23:48):
They're very, very strict.
Speaker 4 (23:50):
Oh all right, now I'm one hundred and twenty five pounds.
Speaker 2 (23:53):
Huh. And they told me you can't work really five
pounds really really watch they weigh you, Yes, they do
every time. Oh my god. And then they send you
home if you're a pound over.
Speaker 4 (24:09):
Really, come on, people, for a pound for a pound.
Speaker 2 (24:15):
I got a problem with that. I'm sorry. I got
a big issue.
Speaker 4 (24:19):
Well, I'm a runway model because I fit in the
sample size, which is a two.
Speaker 2 (24:24):
Okay, I'm I don't fit into it too. Screw this.
Speaker 4 (24:29):
I'm not fitting in a two right now, and that's
why I'm not working. But I'm going to give use
that five pounds because, like I said, it's silly money.
I can do a runway show. It can be two hours.
Speaker 2 (24:43):
I can fit into it too. If it stretches, I
fit stretch material. If it doesn't stretch, forget about it.
Speaker 4 (24:55):
Two hour show, yeah, get get say eight hundred dollars.
Speaker 2 (25:01):
Oh nice, and you don't have to take it clothes off. Beautiful?
Loving about that. One of the things about what I
didn't like working in the business. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (25:14):
Now, I'm not talking about the independent business. This is
the real Hollywood business. Was I want people to know
this because it is true. There is a casting couch.
Speaker 2 (25:26):
Oh, of course there is. I don't think people twenty
twenty four went Away nine.
Speaker 4 (25:33):
I mean as a young woman, I went through horrible situations.
My first agent, Thomas Fiarello, told me, and I was
a young kid. He said to me, you can have
a job on a soap opera or a television show
in a week. Rights, yeah, he said, Or you can
(25:58):
work with your talent, and which you do have, but
you work as much and you'll get it in a year, right, right, right, right?
And I said to him, well, I'll wait right because
you can look in the mirror and that's right. You
know what we did. I didn't do, that's right. I
don't own me pants neither.
Speaker 2 (26:15):
Do you know a lot of women that do so?
Do I? Yeah? Okay, yes, it definitely does exist.
Speaker 4 (26:24):
Oh boy, that's one of the reasons why I left
and decided to do my own thing. Yes, yes, and
came back to New York and started the theater.
Speaker 2 (26:34):
How long were you in LA? Oh? I was back
and forth for five years. Okay, okay, yeah, I did.
Speaker 3 (26:42):
Yeah, did you like La? Because listen, I've been out
to LA. I did comedy there in the early nineties.
Speaker 2 (26:48):
It is a different. Oh, it's totally different.
Speaker 4 (26:53):
Very very different, pure perfection. Everyone is polished to a t.
Speaker 2 (26:57):
Yes, I didn't like it. I didn't like it, you know,
and just it's challenging. It's very challenging.
Speaker 4 (27:03):
And I think that, you know, it's it's just very
very different.
Speaker 2 (27:07):
I think in New York it's.
Speaker 4 (27:12):
It's uh, what's the word, more of a melting pot
for the actors here it is.
Speaker 2 (27:18):
Yeah, that's that's what I found.
Speaker 4 (27:21):
I have to go back to LA because I worked
for a big house LA and I critique their films
for the film festival. So I'll be going out there
in a few weeks. Nice, Okay, I like it because
you jumped there, so let's just jump Okay, how did.
Speaker 2 (27:40):
You become a certified film critic? Okay, let me put
it to you, because I need to know. Anybody can
be a critic.
Speaker 4 (27:48):
Anybody, everyone has an opinion, but Lincoln certified.
Speaker 2 (27:54):
I'm licensed.
Speaker 4 (27:55):
Lincoln Center was having a program okay that lasted for
six months, so you could be a license to film critics.
Speaker 2 (28:06):
Concerning that if.
Speaker 4 (28:07):
You went into New York, or you went into la
you could get into any theater with your license, okay,
and you could evaluate any film right and get paid.
Speaker 2 (28:23):
That's that's a beautiful thing.
Speaker 4 (28:25):
And I love film with a passion, so I love
to evaluate. But the bad thing is when I watch
a film, I cannot sit back relax with a bad
You have to look at continuity.
Speaker 2 (28:42):
Ay, You're looking at everything.
Speaker 4 (28:45):
You're looking at wardrobe, you're looking at hair, you're looking
at makeup, you're looking at I mean the plethora, lighting
and everything.
Speaker 2 (28:52):
I mean just everything.
Speaker 4 (28:54):
So it takes away from the enjoyment of just relaxing
and watching a film because I look at a film
and I start to take it apart.
Speaker 2 (29:03):
Yes, yes, yeah, it's not easy to do, it really isn't.
I mean, you can't blink, not for a second, not
for a second.
Speaker 4 (29:13):
You really cannot blink. And you've done this for Tribeca.
Tribeca and Sundance and Sundance. I went to Utah. I
went to the Sundance Film Festival because I was one
of the evaluators, not judges, evaluates, right, And I went
and I had a fantastic time.
Speaker 2 (29:32):
Yes, yes, so you went in twenty twelve, you went
to Sundance. In twenty fifteen, you went to Tribe.
Speaker 4 (29:38):
Nice and they pay, They pay for you to evaluate
their film.
Speaker 2 (29:43):
That's even nicer. That's why I go to them. Oh
my gosh, it's so funny.
Speaker 4 (29:51):
Well, you know, also two thousand and two, you were
an acting instructor at the Producer Club.
Speaker 2 (30:00):
Yes, and theater.
Speaker 4 (30:02):
I just rented the space there so I could teach
my students there.
Speaker 2 (30:05):
That's amazing. You just needed a space.
Speaker 4 (30:07):
I just needed you know you mentioned before, because I
have it here that you've you've written and directed seventeen
plays and performed in over like forty of them.
Speaker 2 (30:18):
Right, But I want to.
Speaker 4 (30:20):
Talk about and you've written six screenplays, but number seven,
which I think it is still seven unless you're up
to eight, is about your dad.
Speaker 2 (30:30):
And it's called the p pd PD Legsy Legs.
Speaker 4 (30:35):
And I want to know because according to my research,
you base all your plays on real people and actual
events that either happened to you or people who are
close to you.
Speaker 2 (30:50):
Is about your dad, So tell me about it.
Speaker 4 (30:53):
Well, it's it's controversial, it's it's the hardest thing I'm
ever going to write. Because my father was a phenomenal
human being. He was charitable, he was generous, he was kind,
he was warm, But he also was a criminal. So
(31:19):
I want to tell the truth. I believe in honesty
and everything I do. I want to tell the truth,
but I don't want to make him look bad. And
are you getting he's a wonderful person, but he was
a master thief, a master thief.
Speaker 2 (31:40):
And the stories are tremendous, and they're the planning that
had to be done and the brilliant mind that it
took to do the blink because if he was legit right,
if he did things that would knows what he could
have done, what he could have read.
Speaker 4 (32:00):
She said, you are brilliant, but you're a criminal. Now
I'm getting flock from the family right because they're saying
to me.
Speaker 2 (32:11):
Why do you want to tell this story. It's kind
of like there, you.
Speaker 4 (32:14):
Know, if your father was a criminal, I said, but
he was also a wonderful man when he died, Yeah,
I was his caregiver. Okay, Also for my mother. My
mother passed first. My parents were married over fifty years.
It's a real love story. She stayed with him through
(32:36):
the bed. Oh, they were so much in love.
Speaker 2 (32:39):
Yes, she did. She died first.
Speaker 4 (32:41):
When she passed, he said to me, I'm sorry, my darling,
he said, but I'm going to have to go too,
because I can't live without her. Yeah. They were teenageeart sweethearts.
Speaker 2 (32:59):
Yeah, so he was gone six months after her. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (33:05):
When he was gone, they left me their house. And
one day I was going through everything in his room
and the phone rang and I picked up and it
was a charity for animals. And they said, is mister
(33:25):
Peter Lasi there? And I said, no, he's deceased. And
they said, well, he has been sending us money for
many years. Can you continue his work? And I said
to them, well, how much was he.
Speaker 2 (33:43):
Giving? And they said one thousand dollars a month? Wow.
Speaker 4 (33:49):
Now, well we're I'm talking a couple of dollars here.
Speaker 2 (33:52):
Here's where the wonderful part of my father comes in.
As a thief. It was for the thrill of the ride. Right.
He didn't keep the money. He was like Robin Hood exactly. Yes.
So now I get the call from them, right, you
must have got more than one call.
Speaker 4 (34:14):
I got thirteen calls from thirteen charities.
Speaker 2 (34:18):
Wow.
Speaker 4 (34:19):
My mother and I and my sister never knew he
was doing this the Diabetes Foundation, the MS Foundation, right,
Saint Jane's dude. Yeah, it goes and and thousands, thousands
of dollars. So, in other words, he was taking from
(34:39):
the very rich and giving to the meeting.
Speaker 7 (34:42):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (34:42):
Amazing.
Speaker 4 (34:43):
And I have another great story that's in the script
that I just want to tell because it's just so beautiful. Yeah,
there was a homeless man. My mother, my father, my sister,
and myself were going out for dinner and my father
saw this homeless man on the street and he said
(35:05):
to him, you're coming to dinner with us. He took
him into the restaurant. The owner of the restaurant said,
get that bum out of here. My father was one
of the toughest men I've ever known, and.
Speaker 2 (35:20):
My father said, don't curse.
Speaker 4 (35:23):
I would never My father said, I don't care what
you say. He's eating with us. And I remember watching him.
The poor man was starving and he was eating everything
(35:44):
so quickly, had the bread, and my father was trying
to talk to him, but he was too busy eating.
And I remember I was just a child, but I
thought to myself, what a wonderful thing to do. Yeah,
and today myself with homeless people. I always take them,
(36:07):
take them. When I was working for a restaurant, there
was a homeless man on the corner and my boss
wasn't there that day, and I said to the homeless man,
I made him come in. I said order whatever you want,
anything you want. And I got that from my father.
(36:27):
My father was a wonderful human being, but he was
he loved.
Speaker 2 (36:32):
He told me, he said, I don't rob to rob.
He says, I robbed for the thrill.
Speaker 4 (36:39):
He said, you're an actor, he said, when you're he said,
the same thrill when the curtain opens is what I
get when I get through a theft that we've worked
on for six months. Wow, the planning took six months.
I mean we're talking about robbing this. We're talking about
(37:01):
artwork and jewels from India and big heist, huge tis
with professionals.
Speaker 2 (37:11):
What a story. It's a tremendous history. It's a tremendous story.
Speaker 4 (37:15):
He was a tremendous human being and I idolize him
and I have no judgment on.
Speaker 2 (37:23):
Did he ever go away? Did he ever have to
go to school? He went to college. Yes, he had
to go to college.
Speaker 4 (37:29):
My mother told me when I was a very little girl,
because he went away when I was very young, that
he was a soldier in the army.
Speaker 3 (37:38):
My cousin went away for work, Yeah, they told me.
Speaker 4 (37:42):
But was he away when you were older or just
as a child, because I'm sure that's something he didn't
want to happen in your later.
Speaker 2 (37:49):
Years, right. He was away several times when I was.
Speaker 4 (37:55):
A very young child, and then when I was in
my early two twenties, which was very difficult for me,
I'm sure, and for my mom and for my sister.
But I remember being in the courtroom and him being sentenced,
(38:18):
and he was a strong, strong man, and he looked
at me and he winked and he said I'll see
you soon, and I was crying. And he was away
for quite a while. But what was the longest stint
he was away?
Speaker 2 (38:35):
The first one when I was a baby. That was
the longest. Yeah, that was five years. That was for
robbing a bank. They did that, and back then there
were no cameras, so crasy.
Speaker 4 (38:51):
He never told me what he did until he was
on his deathbed and I was his caregiver and I said, Dad,
you know that I'm a writer. I said, you have
to tell me the details and he said, well, I'll
be dead, so it won't matter. He said, But he
(39:12):
told me about the robbery of the bank and how
it was done, and he said, back then, no cameras,
just security guards. He said it was easy, yes, but
he was just a teenager and he got caught. It
was him and his crew, and then forty years later
(39:35):
that same crew did another robbery and they were all
in the same court room.
Speaker 2 (39:45):
I can't wait for this movie, people.
Speaker 4 (39:48):
I can't who I want my wish list? Yes, Adrian Brodie. Ah,
my father was tall and thin and he had that
sicilian Yes, yes, yes, it's very very hamd.
Speaker 2 (40:01):
We gotta put in make it happen.
Speaker 4 (40:03):
Adrian Brodie, if you're out there, there's a part for you.
Speaker 2 (40:07):
And my man Tom Hardy. There's a my father's bod.
Speaker 4 (40:16):
So it goes through years from when he was a kid.
He started robbing when he was a young child, and
it goes through his entire life.
Speaker 2 (40:28):
Oh my gosh, hey listen, we got to take my
next break. But please don't go away. Isn't this intriguing?
I love it. We'll be back after this.
Speaker 1 (40:50):
Wonder Woman was everything to little girls, especially that looked
like me. She stands for being a voice for people
that need a voice. My organization renovates homes for people
with disabilities, and when I come home a self care
routine makes me feel my best. I'm very proud of
(41:10):
the difference that we're making, and to see that impact
in my community inspires me to work even harder for
everyone around me.
Speaker 7 (41:21):
Hi, I'm Georgia Rose, founder of Zancuda. You can watch
me on the Soul Space podcast every Friday at noon
on Channel twenty for spiritual guidance. And as you all know,
that is how I first opened into my own psychic
gifts was through the angelic realm astrology. And so we've
got Mars and the Sun together in scorpio, which creates
a lot of combustion, and the astrological world we call
(41:42):
it akazini and taro. When the four cups right side up,
it means we have a lot of choices.
Speaker 2 (41:47):
To make, and we're not looking at what's really being
divinely given to us.
Speaker 7 (41:50):
We're too busy in the busyness of the choices to
really see the divine intervention of divine timing and defined
diving where the place watch the Soul Space podcast.
Speaker 6 (42:12):
I ain't doing Salva Voice, Valentinati. Why are you watching me?
You should be watching Teresa Condis, Tracy Tea Time with
Teresa Kindas, Racy far make sure you follow Teresa on Facebook.
Tea Time with Teresa Kinnis, Jracy.
Speaker 2 (42:29):
We'll see you there the way you say my name.
Speaker 3 (42:34):
Hey, everybody, welcome back to Tea Time. Sava Voice, Valentinati.
I'm trying to get him back here, people. I've had
him on about five six years ago.
Speaker 2 (42:41):
I'm trying. I'm really trying.
Speaker 3 (42:44):
Roxanne Elise is with me. She has done such amazing
work over the years. Writer, director, actor, model.
Speaker 4 (42:53):
Licensed film critic and professional dancer as well and tea teacher.
You could follow her on Facebook and Instagram. She's there
to see what's going on. Let's fast forward a little
bit to twenty sevente. You were the executive producer and
(43:15):
co writer of The Choice. Oh yes, I started with film. Yes,
my start with film was with The Choice. I wrote
The Choice and it was about the death of my
family and the effect that it had on me, which
(43:37):
was awful. I had gotten sick when it was time
to film it, so I called the phenomenal independent filmmaker
Deborah Marcos to help me, and she came right on board.
And what she did was she did some rewrites on
the script and she cast it and she directed it
(44:00):
and it did so well in the film festivals. I'm
so grateful to her. She's a marvelous, marvelous woman. She's
a good friend, very good friend, and very talented. Twenty eighteen,
you did The Rocking Chair, which was a TV.
Speaker 2 (44:18):
The Dancer the Rocking Chair series.
Speaker 4 (44:22):
Right, it was a series, but the dancer the Dancer
is different.
Speaker 2 (44:27):
No, it is the dancer for the Rocking Chans series.
Speaker 4 (44:30):
Parlayed parlayd okay, okay again executive producer and writer. So
this same year, twenty eighteen, you did the Dancer right
after the producer. I did the Dancer because I didn't
feel like I made a film.
Speaker 2 (44:45):
Let's show. We have those two picks. Thank you.
Speaker 4 (44:47):
There's the Dancer Victoria Guthrie, tremendous guy.
Speaker 2 (44:52):
And Peta Sky. Yes, the next one, thank you. Yep,
that was.
Speaker 4 (44:59):
Golden Door. I believe, thank you wonderful actresses.
Speaker 2 (45:06):
Yes, again, did very very well. I watched it. I
loved it. Oh you liked it? Yes, I did the
Dancer was controversial. Well, it was dark. It was dark.
It wasn't a comedy. I mean, I didn't laugh when
I watched it, but I'm called the Dark Night. But
I liked it. I did like it, and I think
(45:27):
that everyone. What I took away from it is that
everyone hits some kind of pothole in.
Speaker 3 (45:37):
Their life and it depends on how you deal with
the aftermath of that pothole.
Speaker 2 (45:44):
And she didn't deal well. Correct? Correct? She lost her mind?
Yes she did. She lost her mind. She did, and
I listen, I know people have done that too.
Speaker 4 (45:54):
But I have to give credit also once again to
my editor, to Rob Riley. Okay, this film was mine,
completely mine. I cast it, I directed it, I wrote it,
I re rote it. Rob Riley came aboard and took
(46:16):
that film and made it so rich.
Speaker 5 (46:19):
Oh.
Speaker 2 (46:20):
Editing, it's magic. Editing is magic. Magic. Editing is the
thing that makes the film.
Speaker 4 (46:27):
Absolutely, I had no idea that that film was going
to come out as well done.
Speaker 2 (46:36):
It's all in the editing.
Speaker 4 (46:38):
Yeah, it's all ed You did a movie which we're
gonna show once a week for.
Speaker 2 (46:43):
Life, which is our friend George Zufalows.
Speaker 4 (46:46):
And leave that there please, And that is Al Sapienza.
You had a scene with Al Sapienza, Alan, I'll be
sending this to him.
Speaker 2 (46:54):
OW lovely to work with this man. I love him.
Speaker 4 (46:57):
We had a great chemistry. The scene went very, very
very well. I also want to thank George Zuphalus for helping.
Speaker 2 (47:05):
Me, giving me the part.
Speaker 4 (47:09):
I was recommended by the beautiful and talented Diana Durango
Valera and George Zuphalus said, come on down, I'm in
it too. I know we didn't have a scene together,
but I'm in it also, and I'm excited to one
day see the screening with you.
Speaker 2 (47:27):
Yes, I gotta beat. I can't wait.
Speaker 3 (47:29):
And we have another mutual friend, Rob and you were
at the Pancakes and Syrup premiere premiere. There you are
and it was a lot of fun.
Speaker 4 (47:42):
Good friend Rob, who I actually met over twenty five
years ago. He worked for the Vision Repertory Company. I
cast him in a play called Exit to Miami where
he played an alcoholic drug addict.
Speaker 2 (47:59):
So oh, he's been.
Speaker 4 (48:02):
Well, he's had a lot of experience, a lot of
experience in that.
Speaker 2 (48:05):
That's what he plays in Pancakes and Syrup too, right,
But I reviewed Pancake you did review it and what
did you think of it?
Speaker 4 (48:12):
And I gave it five stars, and I don't give
five stars to any film. Let me tell you something,
I did not know what to expect. And as you
mentioned before, it's all in the editing now, Rob and Tom,
they're so amazing, amazing, amazing.
Speaker 2 (48:34):
I had a great time.
Speaker 3 (48:35):
Working with Tom and Rob was fantastic. We filmed our scene,
the bar scene in Astoria, and then we filmed the
car scene right here in front of Beautiful Paradise Studios.
Speaker 4 (48:49):
Well, what I wanted to tell you was that when
I was reviewing the film, I didn't realize that was you,
and I said that girl is the quintessential Italian girl
that gets thrown out of cars by men.
Speaker 2 (49:10):
You were great, Thank you, terrific. There is no small roles.
I believe that there is no I totally agree with you.
I totally agree with you.
Speaker 3 (49:19):
I I I believe there are no small roles. And
I really believe obviously in giving one hundred percent of
me at all times, absolutely and leaving the audience remembering.
Speaker 2 (49:30):
Me absolutely, I agree. That's what I try to do.
Speaker 4 (49:34):
But I appreciate that I noticed you right away and
I said she's good, She's really good.
Speaker 2 (49:40):
And Tom was being a typical.
Speaker 4 (49:44):
I can't use any but that typical rick.
Speaker 3 (49:49):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, throwing prick.
Speaker 2 (49:53):
We say prick, let's say crick. But yeah, another word
for Richard. But but it was really really I did
not know what to expect. I had a couple of
friends there. Oh my goodness. They loved it. They loved it.
It was so good. It was really everything.
Speaker 4 (50:09):
You're in something and you don't know how it is
until you see it, right, it could be a bomb.
Speaker 3 (50:13):
I was in something else. It was a rom com.
It's Love Bro George Masamillo, and I took my mom came.
Speaker 4 (50:19):
It was the first time my mom ever saw me
in anything on the screen. And I said to her,
I know, I'm funny.
Speaker 2 (50:25):
I don't know how the rest of it's going to be.
And it was. It was good. And she said you
were You were fantastic and it was very funny, and
I said great.
Speaker 4 (50:34):
And I was felt like I could walk on water,
you know.
Speaker 2 (50:38):
Of course. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (50:39):
My father was my critic. Yeah, he would tell me
he was unfiltered. He would say, you didn't do a
good job as you did the last time in the
last show.
Speaker 2 (50:49):
Right, he would tell me.
Speaker 4 (50:50):
And I all always have appreciated the criticism I learned
from the criticians. Absolutely, I like brutal honesty me too,
I really really do, because you are in my honesty.
Speaker 2 (51:03):
But that's good. I love that.
Speaker 4 (51:04):
Hey, listen, we have like O loo. Kathy asked, this
went three minutes left. But you had said that you
were diagnosed with something, and I know you wanted a
multiple sclerosis MS.
Speaker 2 (51:16):
Yes. I've been living with it for thirty years and
it's literally killing me. But I want people to know
that you can win. You can win. You have to fight.
Speaker 4 (51:36):
This is the strongest organ that we have, and I've
studied mine over pain for many, many years. Right now,
I am in tremendous pain. I'm always in chronic pain,
and I'm somewhat iconoclastic towards doctors and medications. So I
(52:02):
use this to help me to get through every day.
But I just want people to know that you can
live with it and you can.
Speaker 2 (52:14):
Enjoy your life. You just have to learn how to
deal with it. Absolutely. Absolutely, it's a process and it is.
Speaker 4 (52:23):
It is keeping a positive frame of mind all the time.
You know, even when the pain is brutal, just say no,
I'm in control of my body. It doesn't control me.
I don't give life to my illnesses because then they
will take over your absolutely absolutely, So before we go,
(52:47):
it's been so fast, and again I want to thank
you for doing this.
Speaker 2 (52:50):
Oh thank you. I appreciating it. But I just want
to ask you real quickly, pet Legs.
Speaker 4 (52:55):
Yes, already done. No, so it has to be finished
and then it's in the beginning stage.
Speaker 2 (53:02):
Okay, that's what I was going to say. It's in
its infancy.
Speaker 4 (53:04):
It's in its infancy. I need a team to write
this film. Okay, this is a tough one. I know people, Okay,
I'm sure you know people.
Speaker 2 (53:12):
We know people, we know people, we know people.
Speaker 4 (53:15):
I know a guy.
Speaker 2 (53:20):
But you would definitely get this done.
Speaker 4 (53:22):
I am, I'm you know I I hear the passion
in your voice and the love for your dad, and
you know, and I and I relate in many ways
and other facets from my life that I could pull from.
Speaker 2 (53:34):
So I definitely want to see this happen for you. Oh,
thank you. I want to see it happen so bad.
Speaker 4 (53:39):
Adrian Brodie, if you're out there, but listen, I want
to thank you again, really Roxyanne for doing this.
Speaker 2 (53:49):
It was my pleasure. Don't we get to work together.
Speaker 4 (53:52):
One day next to me?
Speaker 3 (53:57):
No no no, but you know we did once a
week for life, but not together but in the future hopefully.
Speaker 2 (54:04):
Listen. I want to thank everyone for watching the show.
I appreciate you supporting me and Tea Time.
Speaker 4 (54:09):
I am going on hiatus for the month of August.
You'll still see Tea Time on Monday nights for the
month of August, but I will be back live in September,
my big birthday month.
Speaker 3 (54:21):
So remember everyone, tell everyone you love you love them,
and I'll.
Speaker 2 (54:26):
See you in September. Chow everybody, good night. Six
Good evening and welcome to tee Time.
Speaker 2 (01:24):
Hey everybody, welcome to tea Time. I'm so glad you're
joining me tonight. It is the last Monday of July.
Can you believe it? It is July twenty ninth. It's crazy.
Speaker 3 (01:34):
Okay, I'm gonna talk about my weekend real quick and
get some in studio guests.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
I'm so excited she's here. Friday, I spent the day
with my girl, Donna Morales. Yes, we were poolside, just
hanging out.
Speaker 3 (01:43):
And then that night I went on the lines because
I'm actually filming a week from today next Monday. Saturday,
I did Murdered by the Mob at the Iron Bar.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
In the secret room. I normally play Bunny.
Speaker 3 (01:56):
There, I am as Bunny, but the oh gee Bunny
came up. Shout out to my girlfriend Ali Mulrain came
up to play her original role as Bunny, and.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
I played Donna Rosella. There.
Speaker 4 (02:10):
I am Donna Rosella, Big Paulie's widow, and it was
a little challenging because I haven't played her in about
a year.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
But it was a lot of fun and I have
a great cast. Thank you.
Speaker 3 (02:21):
And we went out afterwards and we hung out and
Allie's going back to South Carolina and she's like, you know,
the next time I see her, I think I'm gonna
have to go down there and visit her.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
But it was so good to see her. We had
a great show.
Speaker 4 (02:32):
We had people from Australia and Arizona and Jersey and
Staten Island.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
It was great.
Speaker 3 (02:37):
And then Sunday's laundry day because we only need clean underwear.
And I spent the day at the beach with my
sister Janny, my cousin Nancy, and my girlfriend Marquelle. Fell
in love with my sister's beach.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
It's called Crab Middle Beach.
Speaker 4 (02:50):
It's considered Northport and it is I'm not an ocean girl.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
I like the sound. I don't like big waves.
Speaker 3 (02:56):
It's like nice glass, calm, serene, lovely, never too crowded.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Quiet, It's great. I love it.
Speaker 3 (03:03):
Okay, so let me get to my guest, because I'm
so excited she's here in person.
Speaker 2 (03:07):
Took the right from Queens. She's a writer, director, she
is a actor, she's a model.
Speaker 4 (03:14):
She's also a licensed film critic and I can't wait.
Speaker 2 (03:16):
To hear how how she got into that. Roxanne Elisa
is he Hello, Roxanne, Hello, and thank you for having
me on the show. Oh, I'm so excited you're here again.
Thank you and your friends for bringing you Victoria. Yes,
my people, Yes, they took me here too. I love it.
Speaker 4 (03:35):
I love it, and so let's get into it. I'm
a Queen's girl. You're a Queen's girl.
Speaker 2 (03:40):
Yes.
Speaker 4 (03:40):
Originally from born in Brooklyn, Brooklyn, New York, and then
went to Ridgewood, went Ridgewood.
Speaker 2 (03:49):
I'm born in Brooklyn, New York.
Speaker 4 (03:52):
At the age of ten, my family and I moved
to Queen's.
Speaker 3 (03:56):
Okay, okay, maspit mas spith okay cool.
Speaker 4 (04:01):
And when they passed away, I moved to Ridgewood, the Hood,
the Hood.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
Ridgewood Queens.
Speaker 4 (04:08):
And you know you you have a very.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
Moving story of your life. Your life moved.
Speaker 4 (04:19):
It really did move me because you were you were
born actually crypt deformed.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
You had your one leg.
Speaker 4 (04:28):
And foot both both turned inward right, and years ago
we called that like pigeon pigeon, pigeon toad exactly. Yeah,
but it also affected your legs as well.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
It wasn't it was like effected.
Speaker 4 (04:43):
I was in a body cast in the first week
of my life, a body cast and I felt so bad,
not for myself because I don't remember.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
No, and thank god you don't.
Speaker 4 (04:55):
But my parents were young. Yeah, and my poor mother
had this deformed baby.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (05:02):
And you know, the first thing you want to do
is count the fingers, count all the toes. You had
them all there, they were there, they were face in
the right way, so you they.
Speaker 4 (05:12):
Had you in a cast, and then you you had braces.
Speaker 2 (05:16):
Braces until three years old.
Speaker 4 (05:19):
Like freaking Forrest Gump, Harris Gump. There I was, and
and and the three. We were able to get them removed.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
They were removed when I was three and a half. Okay,
three and a half.
Speaker 4 (05:31):
But I had to wear those high black shoes with
the orthopedic orthopedic shoes all the time, all the time
until what age did you have to wear those ten Yeah?
And I'm sure the kids, you know, made nice, not
nice all the time.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
Yeah. Yeah, it was horrible.
Speaker 4 (05:52):
I had a really bad it's it's hard, yeah, disabled, Yeah,
it's it's it's not it's not fun.
Speaker 3 (05:59):
But you, oh my god, you're such an overcomer because
here you're telling your parents you want to dance.
Speaker 4 (06:06):
Yeah, I was three, I want to dance old and
we were sitting in the living room.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
Like, wet were you watching like Lawrence Welk or something?
Because I used to watch Lawrence Welk with my grandmother. Yes,
and I used to love watching them dance and move.
Speaker 4 (06:20):
No, wasn't Lawrence Well, who was the other one on
Sunday nights?
Speaker 2 (06:26):
Oh, I don't know.
Speaker 4 (06:27):
There were so many back There were so many back
then to watch. Well, it was one of those shows
right right, There was dancers and singers. And I was
just three years old and I said to my parents,
I want to do that. And my father, being a
strict Sicilian Italian, I know what that's like, unfiltered completely.
(06:50):
He turned around and he said, you're crippled. You can't
do that. Yeah, And my mother said yeah, yeah, she
said you can do whatever you want to.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
Do, and that's what you needed to hear.
Speaker 4 (07:03):
And she took me to the Lyceum School for Dance,
which was run by a group of former Rockets. Wow,
they were my instructors. But they said to my mother,
she's not old enough. She's only three and a half.
It has to be five. Where my parents put me
(07:24):
Robert Mann Dancing School in Baside.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
I was four. Well, it took me at four. This
school you had to be five. And I carried on.
Speaker 4 (07:33):
I hung on the rock at and I cried. I said, please, please,
I want to be a dancer like you. And they
gave in. And I was the youngest child in the recital.
And my first recital was do you remember because I remember,
I remember it. So I was four years old Carnegie Hall.
(07:56):
I played the hole at four years old. Now do
you remember the name of the name of the song
of the dance or oh no, but I remember the steps.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
Okay, okay, we have a pick of you. We have
a pick of you in your tap. I think you're
in your tap shoes. Oh that's me. That's when I
danced at Radio City. I love it.
Speaker 3 (08:14):
I love it there well, six years old, that's fantastic.
I never danced at Radio City or Carnegie Hall. I
don't remember where Bob used to book the recitals, but
I just remember I was a bumblebee and the song
was be my Little Baby, bumble Bee. That was my
first four That was my first tap because I love tap.
Speaker 2 (08:35):
I love to make noise.
Speaker 3 (08:36):
I think I took jazz for like eight years and
I only took ballet for one year.
Speaker 4 (08:39):
I hate it. I hated it. I like to make noise.
My dream was to dance with Gregory Hines. Oh my god, passed,
but oh my god, I wanted a tap with him
so bad. But yeah, but you remember, I remember, yeah,
and the whole Carnegie Hall. What I remember was I
was behind the curtain getting ready to go on.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
It was a solo tap dance. Wow. And the curtains
were so high.
Speaker 4 (09:04):
Right now, as an adult, the whole looks big.
Speaker 2 (09:09):
Imagine as a four year old child, right.
Speaker 4 (09:12):
So the curtains were so high and the stage was
so huge, and I went out there and I had
no fear whats So you know, when you're younger, you
don't no fear whatsoever.
Speaker 2 (09:25):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (09:26):
As a matter of fact, I remember at the end
of the dance, I blew kisses to the audience and
my father said, oh, dear God, she's going to be
in this business discreet.
Speaker 2 (09:38):
Well, you definitely, I do not. I a vertically challenged
at five to two.
Speaker 3 (09:42):
So my dreams of being a roquette were shot down
because I think you have to be five six or five.
Speaker 2 (09:48):
Seven seven, five to seven, you have the height. I'm
five eight. Yeah, you were blessed with the height. So
that's my dad. Yeah, that's six foot two. Oh wow,
my mom was five foot two. Wow. Yeah, that's me
five time.
Speaker 3 (10:02):
But Connegie Hall and then Radio City, I mean, that's
that's that's.
Speaker 2 (10:07):
I mean to start out as a child. I mean,
come on, where do you go from there? Where do
you go out there?
Speaker 4 (10:12):
You're never ever afraid of a stage again after those
two places.
Speaker 3 (10:17):
Amazing, really amazing. You end up going to Grovella Cleveland
High School?
Speaker 2 (10:21):
Yes, I did, and.
Speaker 4 (10:22):
You left actually your last year because you were touring
with a theater company.
Speaker 2 (10:27):
Yes, Grease, I was Chacha the dancer. I was jan
one of the pink ladies.
Speaker 4 (10:36):
I can't tell you how many twinkies I had to
eat during that show, and.
Speaker 2 (10:40):
I haven't touched one since I was Chacha.
Speaker 5 (10:43):
Oh.
Speaker 2 (10:43):
I could totally see you as Chacha. It was great.
Speaker 4 (10:46):
I loved it because it was the first musical I
was ever in.
Speaker 2 (10:50):
I was in twenty five place in my career.
Speaker 4 (10:53):
Yeah, but I never was in a musical until Greece.
Speaker 2 (10:56):
Love It, Love It. And then we went on tour.
So I left.
Speaker 4 (11:00):
I left high school before I graduated. Yeah, then I
went after touring, I went back to school. You got
you ged, I got my ged and then I went
to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.
Speaker 2 (11:15):
Yes, you studied, you did you? You you got fifty
years old.
Speaker 4 (11:20):
You studied a long time, because you said you never
You're never too old.
Speaker 2 (11:23):
To learn something new. There's always something. But you did.
Speaker 3 (11:26):
You studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in
New York and LA. Yes, and you as well went
to the actor studio HB Studios, all of the private coaches.
Speaker 4 (11:36):
And you have a master's degree in theater arts, theater arts,
and you've and you've also been teaching acting for many
many years as well. You know, so you've touched so
many lives when you think, I hope, so of course
you have. Really are you kidding me?
Speaker 2 (11:53):
Are you kidding me? So, let's go back to nineteen
seventy eight.
Speaker 4 (11:57):
Oh my goodness, way back way back, your professional dancer. Well,
what happened was I studied ballet, yes, tap and jazz. Right,
could become a professional ballroom competitive dance.
Speaker 2 (12:13):
Yes, and we have pictures of that too.
Speaker 4 (12:15):
Let's put that up shally, Oh my god, that's doing
the tango with my ex husband, and we have two more.
Oh that was my first dance partner. Uh huh, I
was about twenty years old.
Speaker 2 (12:31):
Love it.
Speaker 4 (12:31):
That was my ex husband. He was my dance instructor,
and then they asked me to become a dance teacher.
Is amazing, and then I became a professional.
Speaker 3 (12:43):
We have that one pick, the one pick of her
solo that I love.
Speaker 4 (12:47):
Oh, what a picture that's to that's points, right, that's points.
Speaker 2 (12:52):
I did points for us for a quick minute twelve years, wow,
twelve or fourteen years. That's beautiful. I did point for
a hot second.
Speaker 4 (13:02):
I went up bottom and I came down and I
was like, that's it. I did so many years of
point and had so many surgeries. Yes, I've had yes,
seven surgeries on my feet.
Speaker 2 (13:16):
Wow. Yeah, walking around and where is baby? You're not
ready to retire in those puppies, No, no way.
Speaker 4 (13:24):
But you were a professional dancer and instructor for the
Fredi's Dance studio.
Speaker 2 (13:29):
Yes. For that's where I met my husband. Yes, and
that's what you want the dancing right.
Speaker 4 (13:35):
He was the only street man, well, thank god in
fredi Sales Dance Studio and all the other guys were
wonderful I love them, yes, but my first dance partner
was more feminine than me. Okay, so that didn't work out.
And then I met my husband. There you go, and.
Speaker 2 (13:57):
I guess I said, are you gay too? Are you straight?
And you dance?
Speaker 4 (14:02):
And are you looking for a partner? We became partners,
and we became partners in life. Yeah, and we're still
very very good friends. That's good my one and only husband. Oh, okay,
that's the way I like it, all right. And then
in nineteen ninety four, you are founded, Oh, your founder
(14:24):
and artistic director of Vision Repertory, a Vision Repertory Company,
which was a theater company. I wrote and directed seventeen plays.
And what happened was when I was married, I was
by coastal. I write agent in la and agent in
New York, and I was traveling so much. I was
(14:48):
getting a lot of work in both places. And my
husband said to me, were like roommates. He said, this
isn't a man. You need to make a decision. And
I must say that I loved him dearly, but my
passion in this life was for the arts.
Speaker 2 (15:11):
So it broke up the.
Speaker 4 (15:12):
Marriage and I continued on with my career. But there
was so much competition. I remember going to an audition
and I was so excited. My agent got me an
audition for a Steven Seagal's film Nice. And I walked
in and there was two hundred women, including Gina Gershon.
(15:37):
We all looked exactly alike, exactly okay, And I said,
Jesus Christ, how am I going to this role? I
don't know how you stick out? How you stick out?
We all looked like each other.
Speaker 2 (15:52):
We had dark hair back then. Yes, as a matter
of fact, we have your head shot that's black and
white because that's how we did it. Back in day
we did it. That's my I was twenty eight or
thirty stunning, and you still are, thank you very much.
Love it haven't changed much except for the color. Love it.
Speaker 4 (16:12):
So it was hard to get work, and I wanted
to work. So I said to myself, you know something,
the only way to work consistently is to start your
own theater and film company. But I needed to raise
around twenty five thousand dollars to rent out a theater,
and back then that was a lot of money. Back,
(16:34):
a lot of money, and to get a staff. Right,
I raised it. Okay, good for you girls, I raised it.
I sold everything I possibly could.
Speaker 2 (16:43):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (16:44):
My parents helped, family helped, friends helped, and the Vision
Repertory Company came into existence. Nice.
Speaker 2 (16:54):
So what an accomplishment.
Speaker 4 (16:56):
I was able to act in the place. I was
able to write them, I was able to direct them.
I was working consistently. We would start one play, it
would run for a certain amount of time, it would
close down next one right away. We went on for
years and years. We're still the Vision Repertory Company. Just
(17:16):
the staff has changed over the years. And is it
in New York now? Yeah, this is still in La No,
New York. It's in New York.
Speaker 2 (17:23):
It was always always in New York. Okay. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (17:26):
I used the Producers Club oh a lot. I had
my auditions there for and I had my plays there
in the large theater.
Speaker 2 (17:37):
Nice.
Speaker 4 (17:39):
Yeah, that's a special place to me because I did
a lot of work there and I taught out of
the right the Producers Club.
Speaker 2 (17:48):
That's fantastic. Hey, we're gonna take my first break.
Speaker 3 (17:51):
Please don't go away more, Roxanne when we come back after.
Speaker 1 (17:54):
This wonder Woman was everything to little girls, especially that
looked like me.
Speaker 2 (18:13):
She stands for being.
Speaker 1 (18:14):
A voice for people that need a voice. My organization
renovates homes for people with disabilities, and when I come
home a self care routine makes me feel my best.
Speaker 2 (18:27):
I'm very proud of the difference that we're making.
Speaker 4 (18:29):
It.
Speaker 2 (18:29):
To see that impact in my community.
Speaker 1 (18:31):
Inspires me to work even harder for everyone around me.
All right, is everybody having a good time to time
a wife?
Speaker 6 (18:45):
That's what I thought.
Speaker 5 (18:47):
All right, So we are live Paradise Studios from New York.
Speaker 2 (18:54):
Keep yourself around with plus coming out tonight.
Speaker 5 (19:06):
Well, Hi there, Teresa, It's jian Yorick from General Hospital.
I am just checking in because apparently you have a
great talk show called Tea Time on Strong Island TV.
I want you to have continued great success and have
a lot of fun. It sounds like you're having a
lot of fun, and that's pretty much the key to everything,
isn't it. So continued success. I'm proud of you. Have
(19:30):
a great day, Teresa. Bye.
Speaker 2 (19:34):
Hey everybody, welcome back to Tea Time. Get some shoutouts.
Michael Norton's watching from Florida. Thank you, my.
Speaker 3 (19:40):
Love, my biggest supporter, Ann and Bruno, Vic Franz, Cheryl,
thank you everyone for watching the show.
Speaker 2 (19:45):
Please like it, Please share it. We're live on YouTube
and Facebook, and then the show goes to Roku.
Speaker 4 (19:51):
TV, Amazon, Fia TV, Twitch TV, Apple TV, everywhere.
Speaker 3 (19:56):
Podcasts can be heard and seen every Saturday at ten
am on Channel twenty for people who live on Long
Island and get Optimum TV.
Speaker 2 (20:03):
I am with Roxanne Elise. The woman does it all.
Speaker 3 (20:06):
She's a writer, she's a director, she's an actor, a model, producer.
Speaker 4 (20:11):
She's also a licensed, licensed film critic.
Speaker 2 (20:14):
I can't wait to talk about that.
Speaker 4 (20:16):
And you know, we started out talking how she was
originally from Brooklyn, went to Queens, had this disability with
her legs and was in a full body cast after
like being a week old and then having braces leg
braces until she was three, telling a parent she wants
to dance, became a professional dancer, teacher, she's It's just
(20:37):
an incredible story.
Speaker 2 (20:38):
It's like a lifetime movie.
Speaker 3 (20:40):
You can't know anything you want, you know, it's so
important to know that it really is, it really is.
Speaker 2 (20:47):
And I want to fast forward now.
Speaker 3 (20:49):
We were talking about the Vision Repertory Company, which you
said is still going on.
Speaker 4 (20:55):
Nineteen ninety five to ninety eight, you actually worked as
a personal trainer for Lucille Roberts.
Speaker 2 (21:02):
Yes, right, well I had to have a job.
Speaker 4 (21:04):
Well, you know, we all have to have something we're
not always had in the arts.
Speaker 2 (21:09):
Even though I was working in the arts, Yes, yes,
and always.
Speaker 3 (21:14):
I actually belonged to Lucille Roberts that was on Bill
Boulevard and Bay Side.
Speaker 2 (21:18):
I was a member. I was a member. I remember
coming off the train and like going straight.
Speaker 3 (21:24):
They are trying to work out, and there was this
one time where they had us do floor work and
I ended up falling asleep.
Speaker 2 (21:30):
I was just so tired. I was just so tired.
So you taught like like step there was a step
was big back then. Remember step? Oh yeah, step was
the real big. You know.
Speaker 4 (21:42):
I didn't care for that job. No, I just did
it because I needed the money to live. I wasn't
making enough money, and I.
Speaker 2 (21:51):
Know, especially when it's when you have downtime.
Speaker 4 (21:53):
The only time I made really silly money is as
a mode. Yes, I modeled when I was in my
teens and my twenties. Those I couldn't find any picks on.
So I apologize.
Speaker 2 (22:08):
I have millions. I should have I should have asked,
but I didn't any But now I'm working for models
over fifty.
Speaker 4 (22:15):
Okay, the money is silly, it's ridiculous, and it's such
a nothing job. I mean nothing against models, right, but
it really it's so simple.
Speaker 2 (22:28):
How did you fall into that?
Speaker 4 (22:30):
I was a run runway model, okay, when I was
in my teens, right, and when I was in my twenties,
I was doing print work.
Speaker 2 (22:41):
You also did pageant? Did you do a pad? Yes?
I want that picture the pageant? Now? This was was it?
Miss Massbeth? Can you miss mask? Can it fill up
that pick? Please? Right? Miss Masbeth? Please? How old were
you there? Eighteen? Wow? Look at that hair? Oh my goodness,
(23:07):
it's great. They had just called my name and they
snapped the picture.
Speaker 3 (23:10):
I love it, thank you. Oh it's amazing. So how
did you get into this model's over fifty? How did
that happen?
Speaker 4 (23:18):
I found out about it? Yeah, through a friends, Yes,
and I went down.
Speaker 2 (23:23):
You have to be a certain height for that too, Yes,
I'm five to eight, just saying, and you have to
be what if I have to be? I went like,
how old are I? How old? How do you have
to be? I'd have to weigh like six inch?
Speaker 4 (23:43):
But yeah, I have to be one hundred and twenty pounds.
Speaker 2 (23:48):
They're very, very strict.
Speaker 4 (23:50):
Oh all right, now I'm one hundred and twenty five pounds.
Speaker 2 (23:53):
Huh. And they told me you can't work really five
pounds really really watch they weigh you, Yes, they do
every time. Oh my god. And then they send you
home if you're a pound over.
Speaker 4 (24:09):
Really, come on, people, for a pound for a pound.
Speaker 2 (24:15):
I got a problem with that. I'm sorry. I got
a big issue.
Speaker 4 (24:19):
Well, I'm a runway model because I fit in the
sample size, which is a two.
Speaker 2 (24:24):
Okay, I'm I don't fit into it too. Screw this.
Speaker 4 (24:29):
I'm not fitting in a two right now, and that's
why I'm not working. But I'm going to give use
that five pounds because, like I said, it's silly money.
I can do a runway show. It can be two hours.
Speaker 2 (24:43):
I can fit into it too. If it stretches, I
fit stretch material. If it doesn't stretch, forget about it.
Speaker 4 (24:55):
Two hour show, yeah, get get say eight hundred dollars.
Speaker 2 (25:01):
Oh nice, and you don't have to take it clothes off. Beautiful?
Loving about that. One of the things about what I
didn't like working in the business. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (25:14):
Now, I'm not talking about the independent business. This is
the real Hollywood business. Was I want people to know
this because it is true. There is a casting couch.
Speaker 2 (25:26):
Oh, of course there is. I don't think people twenty
twenty four went Away nine.
Speaker 4 (25:33):
I mean as a young woman, I went through horrible situations.
My first agent, Thomas Fiarello, told me, and I was
a young kid. He said to me, you can have
a job on a soap opera or a television show
in a week. Rights, yeah, he said, Or you can
(25:58):
work with your talent, and which you do have, but
you work as much and you'll get it in a year, right, right, right, right?
And I said to him, well, I'll wait right because
you can look in the mirror and that's right. You
know what we did. I didn't do, that's right. I
don't own me pants neither.
Speaker 2 (26:15):
Do you know a lot of women that do so?
Do I? Yeah? Okay, yes, it definitely does exist.
Speaker 4 (26:24):
Oh boy, that's one of the reasons why I left
and decided to do my own thing. Yes, yes, and
came back to New York and started the theater.
Speaker 2 (26:34):
How long were you in LA? Oh? I was back
and forth for five years. Okay, okay, yeah, I did.
Speaker 3 (26:42):
Yeah, did you like La? Because listen, I've been out
to LA. I did comedy there in the early nineties.
Speaker 2 (26:48):
It is a different. Oh, it's totally different.
Speaker 4 (26:53):
Very very different, pure perfection. Everyone is polished to a t.
Speaker 2 (26:57):
Yes, I didn't like it. I didn't like it, you know,
and just it's challenging. It's very challenging.
Speaker 4 (27:03):
And I think that, you know, it's it's just very
very different.
Speaker 2 (27:07):
I think in New York it's.
Speaker 4 (27:12):
It's uh, what's the word, more of a melting pot
for the actors here it is.
Speaker 2 (27:18):
Yeah, that's that's what I found.
Speaker 4 (27:21):
I have to go back to LA because I worked
for a big house LA and I critique their films
for the film festival. So I'll be going out there
in a few weeks. Nice, Okay, I like it because
you jumped there, so let's just jump Okay, how did.
Speaker 2 (27:40):
You become a certified film critic? Okay, let me put
it to you, because I need to know. Anybody can
be a critic.
Speaker 4 (27:48):
Anybody, everyone has an opinion, but Lincoln certified.
Speaker 2 (27:54):
I'm licensed.
Speaker 4 (27:55):
Lincoln Center was having a program okay that lasted for
six months, so you could be a license to film critics.
Speaker 2 (28:06):
Concerning that if.
Speaker 4 (28:07):
You went into New York, or you went into la
you could get into any theater with your license, okay,
and you could evaluate any film right and get paid.
Speaker 2 (28:23):
That's that's a beautiful thing.
Speaker 4 (28:25):
And I love film with a passion, so I love
to evaluate. But the bad thing is when I watch
a film, I cannot sit back relax with a bad
You have to look at continuity.
Speaker 2 (28:42):
Ay, You're looking at everything.
Speaker 4 (28:45):
You're looking at wardrobe, you're looking at hair, you're looking
at makeup, you're looking at I mean the plethora, lighting
and everything.
Speaker 2 (28:52):
I mean just everything.
Speaker 4 (28:54):
So it takes away from the enjoyment of just relaxing
and watching a film because I look at a film
and I start to take it apart.
Speaker 2 (29:03):
Yes, yes, yeah, it's not easy to do, it really isn't.
I mean, you can't blink, not for a second, not
for a second.
Speaker 4 (29:13):
You really cannot blink. And you've done this for Tribeca.
Tribeca and Sundance and Sundance. I went to Utah. I
went to the Sundance Film Festival because I was one
of the evaluators, not judges, evaluates, right, And I went
and I had a fantastic time.
Speaker 2 (29:32):
Yes, yes, so you went in twenty twelve, you went
to Sundance. In twenty fifteen, you went to Tribe.
Speaker 4 (29:38):
Nice and they pay, They pay for you to evaluate
their film.
Speaker 2 (29:43):
That's even nicer. That's why I go to them. Oh
my gosh, it's so funny.
Speaker 4 (29:51):
Well, you know, also two thousand and two, you were
an acting instructor at the Producer Club.
Speaker 2 (30:00):
Yes, and theater.
Speaker 4 (30:02):
I just rented the space there so I could teach
my students there.
Speaker 2 (30:05):
That's amazing. You just needed a space.
Speaker 4 (30:07):
I just needed you know you mentioned before, because I
have it here that you've you've written and directed seventeen
plays and performed in over like forty of them.
Speaker 2 (30:18):
Right, But I want to.
Speaker 4 (30:20):
Talk about and you've written six screenplays, but number seven,
which I think it is still seven unless you're up
to eight, is about your dad.
Speaker 2 (30:30):
And it's called the p pd PD Legsy Legs.
Speaker 4 (30:35):
And I want to know because according to my research,
you base all your plays on real people and actual
events that either happened to you or people who are
close to you.
Speaker 2 (30:50):
Is about your dad, So tell me about it.
Speaker 4 (30:53):
Well, it's it's controversial, it's it's the hardest thing I'm
ever going to write. Because my father was a phenomenal
human being. He was charitable, he was generous, he was kind,
he was warm, But he also was a criminal. So
(31:19):
I want to tell the truth. I believe in honesty
and everything I do. I want to tell the truth,
but I don't want to make him look bad. And
are you getting he's a wonderful person, but he was
a master thief, a master thief.
Speaker 2 (31:40):
And the stories are tremendous, and they're the planning that
had to be done and the brilliant mind that it
took to do the blink because if he was legit right,
if he did things that would knows what he could
have done, what he could have read.
Speaker 4 (32:00):
She said, you are brilliant, but you're a criminal. Now
I'm getting flock from the family right because they're saying
to me.
Speaker 2 (32:11):
Why do you want to tell this story. It's kind
of like there, you.
Speaker 4 (32:14):
Know, if your father was a criminal, I said, but
he was also a wonderful man when he died, Yeah,
I was his caregiver. Okay, Also for my mother. My
mother passed first. My parents were married over fifty years.
It's a real love story. She stayed with him through
(32:36):
the bed. Oh, they were so much in love.
Speaker 2 (32:39):
Yes, she did. She died first.
Speaker 4 (32:41):
When she passed, he said to me, I'm sorry, my darling,
he said, but I'm going to have to go too,
because I can't live without her. Yeah. They were teenageeart sweethearts.
Speaker 2 (32:59):
Yeah, so he was gone six months after her. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (33:05):
When he was gone, they left me their house. And
one day I was going through everything in his room
and the phone rang and I picked up and it
was a charity for animals. And they said, is mister
(33:25):
Peter Lasi there? And I said, no, he's deceased. And
they said, well, he has been sending us money for
many years. Can you continue his work? And I said
to them, well, how much was he.
Speaker 2 (33:43):
Giving? And they said one thousand dollars a month? Wow.
Speaker 4 (33:49):
Now, well we're I'm talking a couple of dollars here.
Speaker 2 (33:52):
Here's where the wonderful part of my father comes in.
As a thief. It was for the thrill of the ride. Right.
He didn't keep the money. He was like Robin Hood exactly. Yes.
So now I get the call from them, right, you
must have got more than one call.
Speaker 4 (34:14):
I got thirteen calls from thirteen charities.
Speaker 2 (34:18):
Wow.
Speaker 4 (34:19):
My mother and I and my sister never knew he
was doing this the Diabetes Foundation, the MS Foundation, right,
Saint Jane's dude. Yeah, it goes and and thousands, thousands
of dollars. So, in other words, he was taking from
(34:39):
the very rich and giving to the meeting.
Speaker 7 (34:42):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (34:42):
Amazing.
Speaker 4 (34:43):
And I have another great story that's in the script
that I just want to tell because it's just so beautiful. Yeah,
there was a homeless man. My mother, my father, my sister,
and myself were going out for dinner and my father
saw this homeless man on the street and he said
(35:05):
to him, you're coming to dinner with us. He took
him into the restaurant. The owner of the restaurant said,
get that bum out of here. My father was one
of the toughest men I've ever known, and.
Speaker 2 (35:20):
My father said, don't curse.
Speaker 4 (35:23):
I would never My father said, I don't care what
you say. He's eating with us. And I remember watching him.
The poor man was starving and he was eating everything
(35:44):
so quickly, had the bread, and my father was trying
to talk to him, but he was too busy eating.
And I remember I was just a child, but I
thought to myself, what a wonderful thing to do. Yeah,
and today myself with homeless people. I always take them,
(36:07):
take them. When I was working for a restaurant, there
was a homeless man on the corner and my boss
wasn't there that day, and I said to the homeless man,
I made him come in. I said order whatever you want,
anything you want. And I got that from my father.
(36:27):
My father was a wonderful human being, but he was
he loved.
Speaker 2 (36:32):
He told me, he said, I don't rob to rob.
He says, I robbed for the thrill.
Speaker 4 (36:39):
He said, you're an actor, he said, when you're he said,
the same thrill when the curtain opens is what I
get when I get through a theft that we've worked
on for six months. Wow, the planning took six months.
I mean we're talking about robbing this. We're talking about
(37:01):
artwork and jewels from India and big heist, huge tis
with professionals.
Speaker 2 (37:11):
What a story. It's a tremendous history. It's a tremendous story.
Speaker 4 (37:15):
He was a tremendous human being and I idolize him
and I have no judgment on.
Speaker 2 (37:23):
Did he ever go away? Did he ever have to
go to school? He went to college. Yes, he had
to go to college.
Speaker 4 (37:29):
My mother told me when I was a very little girl,
because he went away when I was very young, that
he was a soldier in the army.
Speaker 3 (37:38):
My cousin went away for work, Yeah, they told me.
Speaker 4 (37:42):
But was he away when you were older or just
as a child, because I'm sure that's something he didn't
want to happen in your later.
Speaker 2 (37:49):
Years, right. He was away several times when I was.
Speaker 4 (37:55):
A very young child, and then when I was in
my early two twenties, which was very difficult for me,
I'm sure, and for my mom and for my sister.
But I remember being in the courtroom and him being sentenced,
(38:18):
and he was a strong, strong man, and he looked
at me and he winked and he said I'll see
you soon, and I was crying. And he was away
for quite a while. But what was the longest stint
he was away?
Speaker 2 (38:35):
The first one when I was a baby. That was
the longest. Yeah, that was five years. That was for
robbing a bank. They did that, and back then there
were no cameras, so crasy.
Speaker 4 (38:51):
He never told me what he did until he was
on his deathbed and I was his caregiver and I said, Dad,
you know that I'm a writer. I said, you have
to tell me the details and he said, well, I'll
be dead, so it won't matter. He said, But he
(39:12):
told me about the robbery of the bank and how
it was done, and he said, back then, no cameras,
just security guards. He said it was easy, yes, but
he was just a teenager and he got caught. It
was him and his crew, and then forty years later
(39:35):
that same crew did another robbery and they were all
in the same court room.
Speaker 2 (39:45):
I can't wait for this movie, people.
Speaker 4 (39:48):
I can't who I want my wish list? Yes, Adrian Brodie. Ah,
my father was tall and thin and he had that
sicilian Yes, yes, yes, it's very very hamd.
Speaker 2 (40:01):
We gotta put in make it happen.
Speaker 4 (40:03):
Adrian Brodie, if you're out there, there's a part for you.
Speaker 2 (40:07):
And my man Tom Hardy. There's a my father's bod.
Speaker 4 (40:16):
So it goes through years from when he was a kid.
He started robbing when he was a young child, and
it goes through his entire life.
Speaker 2 (40:28):
Oh my gosh, hey listen, we got to take my
next break. But please don't go away. Isn't this intriguing?
I love it. We'll be back after this.
Speaker 1 (40:50):
Wonder Woman was everything to little girls, especially that looked
like me. She stands for being a voice for people
that need a voice. My organization renovates homes for people
with disabilities, and when I come home a self care
routine makes me feel my best. I'm very proud of
(41:10):
the difference that we're making, and to see that impact
in my community inspires me to work even harder for
everyone around me.
Speaker 7 (41:21):
Hi, I'm Georgia Rose, founder of Zancuda. You can watch
me on the Soul Space podcast every Friday at noon
on Channel twenty for spiritual guidance. And as you all know,
that is how I first opened into my own psychic
gifts was through the angelic realm astrology. And so we've
got Mars and the Sun together in scorpio, which creates
a lot of combustion, and the astrological world we call
(41:42):
it akazini and taro. When the four cups right side up,
it means we have a lot of choices.
Speaker 2 (41:47):
To make, and we're not looking at what's really being
divinely given to us.
Speaker 7 (41:50):
We're too busy in the busyness of the choices to
really see the divine intervention of divine timing and defined
diving where the place watch the Soul Space podcast.
Speaker 6 (42:12):
I ain't doing Salva Voice, Valentinati. Why are you watching me?
You should be watching Teresa Condis, Tracy Tea Time with
Teresa Kindas, Racy far make sure you follow Teresa on Facebook.
Tea Time with Teresa Kinnis, Jracy.
Speaker 2 (42:29):
We'll see you there the way you say my name.
Speaker 3 (42:34):
Hey, everybody, welcome back to Tea Time. Sava Voice, Valentinati.
I'm trying to get him back here, people. I've had
him on about five six years ago.
Speaker 2 (42:41):
I'm trying. I'm really trying.
Speaker 3 (42:44):
Roxanne Elise is with me. She has done such amazing
work over the years. Writer, director, actor, model.
Speaker 4 (42:53):
Licensed film critic and professional dancer as well and tea teacher.
You could follow her on Facebook and Instagram. She's there
to see what's going on. Let's fast forward a little
bit to twenty sevente. You were the executive producer and
(43:15):
co writer of The Choice. Oh yes, I started with film. Yes,
my start with film was with The Choice. I wrote
The Choice and it was about the death of my
family and the effect that it had on me, which
(43:37):
was awful. I had gotten sick when it was time
to film it, so I called the phenomenal independent filmmaker
Deborah Marcos to help me, and she came right on board.
And what she did was she did some rewrites on
the script and she cast it and she directed it
(44:00):
and it did so well in the film festivals. I'm
so grateful to her. She's a marvelous, marvelous woman. She's
a good friend, very good friend, and very talented. Twenty eighteen,
you did The Rocking Chair, which was a TV.
Speaker 2 (44:18):
The Dancer the Rocking Chair series.
Speaker 4 (44:22):
Right, it was a series, but the dancer the Dancer
is different.
Speaker 2 (44:27):
No, it is the dancer for the Rocking Chans series.
Speaker 4 (44:30):
Parlayed parlayd okay, okay again executive producer and writer. So
this same year, twenty eighteen, you did the Dancer right
after the producer. I did the Dancer because I didn't
feel like I made a film.
Speaker 2 (44:45):
Let's show. We have those two picks. Thank you.
Speaker 4 (44:47):
There's the Dancer Victoria Guthrie, tremendous guy.
Speaker 2 (44:52):
And Peta Sky. Yes, the next one, thank you. Yep,
that was.
Speaker 4 (44:59):
Golden Door. I believe, thank you wonderful actresses.
Speaker 2 (45:06):
Yes, again, did very very well. I watched it. I
loved it. Oh you liked it? Yes, I did the
Dancer was controversial. Well, it was dark. It was dark.
It wasn't a comedy. I mean, I didn't laugh when
I watched it, but I'm called the Dark Night. But
I liked it. I did like it, and I think
(45:27):
that everyone. What I took away from it is that
everyone hits some kind of pothole in.
Speaker 3 (45:37):
Their life and it depends on how you deal with
the aftermath of that pothole.
Speaker 2 (45:44):
And she didn't deal well. Correct? Correct? She lost her mind?
Yes she did. She lost her mind. She did, and
I listen, I know people have done that too.
Speaker 4 (45:54):
But I have to give credit also once again to
my editor, to Rob Riley. Okay, this film was mine,
completely mine. I cast it, I directed it, I wrote it,
I re rote it. Rob Riley came aboard and took
(46:16):
that film and made it so rich.
Speaker 5 (46:19):
Oh.
Speaker 2 (46:20):
Editing, it's magic. Editing is magic. Magic. Editing is the
thing that makes the film.
Speaker 4 (46:27):
Absolutely, I had no idea that that film was going
to come out as well done.
Speaker 2 (46:36):
It's all in the editing.
Speaker 4 (46:38):
Yeah, it's all ed You did a movie which we're
gonna show once a week for.
Speaker 2 (46:43):
Life, which is our friend George Zufalows.
Speaker 4 (46:46):
And leave that there please, And that is Al Sapienza.
You had a scene with Al Sapienza, Alan, I'll be
sending this to him.
Speaker 2 (46:54):
OW lovely to work with this man. I love him.
Speaker 4 (46:57):
We had a great chemistry. The scene went very, very
very well. I also want to thank George Zuphalus for helping.
Speaker 2 (47:05):
Me, giving me the part.
Speaker 4 (47:09):
I was recommended by the beautiful and talented Diana Durango
Valera and George Zuphalus said, come on down, I'm in
it too. I know we didn't have a scene together,
but I'm in it also, and I'm excited to one
day see the screening with you.
Speaker 2 (47:27):
Yes, I gotta beat. I can't wait.
Speaker 3 (47:29):
And we have another mutual friend, Rob and you were
at the Pancakes and Syrup premiere premiere. There you are
and it was a lot of fun.
Speaker 4 (47:42):
Good friend Rob, who I actually met over twenty five
years ago. He worked for the Vision Repertory Company. I
cast him in a play called Exit to Miami where
he played an alcoholic drug addict.
Speaker 2 (47:59):
So oh, he's been.
Speaker 4 (48:02):
Well, he's had a lot of experience, a lot of
experience in that.
Speaker 2 (48:05):
That's what he plays in Pancakes and Syrup too, right,
But I reviewed Pancake you did review it and what
did you think of it?
Speaker 4 (48:12):
And I gave it five stars, and I don't give
five stars to any film. Let me tell you something,
I did not know what to expect. And as you
mentioned before, it's all in the editing now, Rob and Tom,
they're so amazing, amazing, amazing.
Speaker 2 (48:34):
I had a great time.
Speaker 3 (48:35):
Working with Tom and Rob was fantastic. We filmed our scene,
the bar scene in Astoria, and then we filmed the
car scene right here in front of Beautiful Paradise Studios.
Speaker 4 (48:49):
Well, what I wanted to tell you was that when
I was reviewing the film, I didn't realize that was you,
and I said that girl is the quintessential Italian girl
that gets thrown out of cars by men.
Speaker 2 (49:10):
You were great, Thank you, terrific. There is no small roles.
I believe that there is no I totally agree with you.
I totally agree with you.
Speaker 3 (49:19):
I I I believe there are no small roles. And
I really believe obviously in giving one hundred percent of
me at all times, absolutely and leaving the audience remembering.
Speaker 2 (49:30):
Me absolutely, I agree. That's what I try to do.
Speaker 4 (49:34):
But I appreciate that I noticed you right away and
I said she's good, She's really good.
Speaker 2 (49:40):
And Tom was being a typical.
Speaker 4 (49:44):
I can't use any but that typical rick.
Speaker 3 (49:49):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, throwing prick.
Speaker 2 (49:53):
We say prick, let's say crick. But yeah, another word
for Richard. But but it was really really I did
not know what to expect. I had a couple of
friends there. Oh my goodness. They loved it. They loved it.
It was so good. It was really everything.
Speaker 4 (50:09):
You're in something and you don't know how it is
until you see it, right, it could be a bomb.
Speaker 3 (50:13):
I was in something else. It was a rom com.
It's Love Bro George Masamillo, and I took my mom came.
Speaker 4 (50:19):
It was the first time my mom ever saw me
in anything on the screen. And I said to her,
I know, I'm funny.
Speaker 2 (50:25):
I don't know how the rest of it's going to be.
And it was. It was good. And she said you
were You were fantastic and it was very funny, and
I said great.
Speaker 4 (50:34):
And I was felt like I could walk on water,
you know.
Speaker 2 (50:38):
Of course. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (50:39):
My father was my critic. Yeah, he would tell me
he was unfiltered. He would say, you didn't do a
good job as you did the last time in the
last show.
Speaker 2 (50:49):
Right, he would tell me.
Speaker 4 (50:50):
And I all always have appreciated the criticism I learned
from the criticians. Absolutely, I like brutal honesty me too,
I really really do, because you are in my honesty.
Speaker 2 (51:03):
But that's good. I love that.
Speaker 4 (51:04):
Hey, listen, we have like O loo. Kathy asked, this
went three minutes left. But you had said that you
were diagnosed with something, and I know you wanted a
multiple sclerosis MS.
Speaker 2 (51:16):
Yes. I've been living with it for thirty years and
it's literally killing me. But I want people to know
that you can win. You can win. You have to fight.
Speaker 4 (51:36):
This is the strongest organ that we have, and I've
studied mine over pain for many, many years. Right now,
I am in tremendous pain. I'm always in chronic pain,
and I'm somewhat iconoclastic towards doctors and medications. So I
(52:02):
use this to help me to get through every day.
But I just want people to know that you can
live with it and you can.
Speaker 2 (52:14):
Enjoy your life. You just have to learn how to
deal with it. Absolutely. Absolutely, it's a process and it is.
Speaker 4 (52:23):
It is keeping a positive frame of mind all the time.
You know, even when the pain is brutal, just say no,
I'm in control of my body. It doesn't control me.
I don't give life to my illnesses because then they
will take over your absolutely absolutely, So before we go,
(52:47):
it's been so fast, and again I want to thank
you for doing this.
Speaker 2 (52:50):
Oh thank you. I appreciating it. But I just want
to ask you real quickly, pet Legs.
Speaker 4 (52:55):
Yes, already done. No, so it has to be finished
and then it's in the beginning stage.
Speaker 2 (53:02):
Okay, that's what I was going to say. It's in
its infancy.
Speaker 4 (53:04):
It's in its infancy. I need a team to write
this film. Okay, this is a tough one. I know people, Okay,
I'm sure you know people.
Speaker 2 (53:12):
We know people, we know people, we know people.
Speaker 4 (53:15):
I know a guy.
Speaker 2 (53:20):
But you would definitely get this done.
Speaker 4 (53:22):
I am, I'm you know I I hear the passion
in your voice and the love for your dad, and
you know, and I and I relate in many ways
and other facets from my life that I could pull from.
Speaker 2 (53:34):
So I definitely want to see this happen for you. Oh,
thank you. I want to see it happen so bad.
Speaker 4 (53:39):
Adrian Brodie, if you're out there, but listen, I want
to thank you again, really Roxyanne for doing this.
Speaker 2 (53:49):
It was my pleasure. Don't we get to work together.
Speaker 4 (53:52):
One day next to me?
Speaker 3 (53:57):
No no no, but you know we did once a
week for life, but not together but in the future hopefully.
Speaker 2 (54:04):
Listen. I want to thank everyone for watching the show.
I appreciate you supporting me and Tea Time.
Speaker 4 (54:09):
I am going on hiatus for the month of August.
You'll still see Tea Time on Monday nights for the
month of August, but I will be back live in September,
my big birthday month.
Speaker 3 (54:21):
So remember everyone, tell everyone you love you love them,
and I'll.
Speaker 2 (54:26):
See you in September. Chow everybody, good night. Six
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