On this episode we sit down and chat with actor, dancer and multi-hyphenate Gustavo Carr. He talks about challenges in being Latino and being raised by a single white mom and not learning Spanish at a young age. He also talks about how he is so tapped into his Mexican / Indigenous ancestors.
[00:00:00] [SPEAKER_01]: Hi, I'm Vergi Rodriguez. Welcome to A Race of Your Own where we talk about inspiration that leads to resilience and today's guest
[00:00:08] [SPEAKER_01]: I've worked with before I've had the pleasure of working with he's an actor a dancer and all around just multi hyphenate
[00:00:14] [SPEAKER_01]: He's appeared in the cult classic bring it on all or nothing
[00:00:19] [SPEAKER_01]: Was the role of eight played the role of Adrian on the Emmy nominated Eastlose High
[00:00:24] [SPEAKER_01]: He's appeared opposite
[00:00:26] [SPEAKER_01]: William H. Macy on shameless has worked with Michael Jackson Britney Spears and Katy Perry
[00:00:31] [SPEAKER_01]: Has also worked with filmmaker and photographer David LeChapelle, and this one's my favorite
[00:00:36] [SPEAKER_01]: This one's my favorite very first audition for a television commercial dancing for MC Hammer. Welcome Gustavo Carr
[00:00:43] [SPEAKER_00]: God you did your research. Yes, I did when you name things off. I was like I did that
[00:00:49] [SPEAKER_01]: Shit and I left one out which is you're in playground Robin Antons and Kenny warman's show playground. Yeah, yeah, that's the most
[00:00:57] [SPEAKER_01]: Sure, yeah, welcome to the show. Thank you so much for having me
[00:01:01] [SPEAKER_01]: I know thank you for like making some time in your busy obvious schedule to be here. I would
[00:01:09] [SPEAKER_00]: Basically never miss it for someone like you. I've felt your energy and your presence since we worked together
[00:01:16] [SPEAKER_00]: on Pepsi with Brittany which
[00:01:19] [SPEAKER_01]: Just a couple years ago, and that's why I'm like honor of that my jumper
[00:01:23] [SPEAKER_01]: I wore my little
[00:01:25] [SPEAKER_00]: Like is that like destiny or was that like happenstance?
[00:01:28] [SPEAKER_01]: How did that kind of was happenstance because I didn't even put two and two together. It's amazing
[00:01:32] [SPEAKER_01]: I just was like oh my god. She wore jumpy
[00:01:35] [SPEAKER_01]: We sure it's we're in the energy
[00:01:37] [SPEAKER_00]: In the flow. I'm gonna miss it anyway. See that's the prime example exactly so I
[00:01:44] [SPEAKER_01]: Want to know everything about
[00:01:47] [SPEAKER_01]: Dancing for MC Hammer and that was your very first audition
[00:01:52] [SPEAKER_00]: What I wish I remembered most things that I don't remember
[00:01:56] [SPEAKER_00]: How old were you? I was nine. Wow was nine years old
[00:02:01] [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, my
[00:02:03] [SPEAKER_00]: Hmm my mom's fiance at the time where I was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
[00:02:06] [SPEAKER_00]: Okay, and her fiancee and her from there and they came out here together kind of ish
[00:02:11] [SPEAKER_00]: That might be a little bit of a lie
[00:02:12] [SPEAKER_00]: But anyways his best friend and dorm roommate was
[00:02:18] [SPEAKER_00]: Brinketson oh
[00:02:19] [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, right interesting. I know so the plot thickens the plot thickens
[00:02:25] [SPEAKER_00]: And I've always been a ham and performing and dancing
[00:02:28] [SPEAKER_00]: I learned to dance from watching Michael and Janet mostly in Paula music videos. That's was my dance training
[00:02:34] [SPEAKER_00]: I came from a single mom didn't have anything so there was no dance class. I wasn't a competition kid
[00:02:39] [SPEAKER_00]: Right. It was all just me being myself and they wondered if
[00:02:44] [SPEAKER_00]: Me being myself was like something that was actually good or just you know me being myself
[00:02:49] [SPEAKER_00]: So they had Frank come down to watch me dance and I didn't miss you much for them
[00:02:54] [SPEAKER_00]: Did you do like the choreography? I did the hook. Yeah, and he was like, how'd you learn that?
[00:03:00] [SPEAKER_00]: I was like I wanted to watch it was crazy back in the day
[00:03:03] [SPEAKER_01]: We used to watch music videos like that and like pick up the choreography. Yeah, just no dance class
[00:03:08] [SPEAKER_01]: Talk
[00:03:09] [SPEAKER_01]: Where was that?
[00:03:11] [SPEAKER_01]: Where was that when we were dancing it didn't exist. Thank God actually because music no, I'm glad I can now
[00:03:18] [SPEAKER_01]: Selectively share what I'd like to share kind of yeah
[00:03:22] [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, yeah, yeah, we kind of have more of like a choice in that matter
[00:03:25] [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, but long story short he told me to audition for his agency which was Bobby Ball back then
[00:03:30] [SPEAKER_00]: Mmm, and I did and they signed me on the spills my first time learning
[00:03:35] [SPEAKER_00]: Choreography from somebody Wow, but I I really didn't have fear. I didn't learn that trait till my like late 20s
[00:03:41] [SPEAKER_00]: But I'm being in this industry for too long right and so yeah
[00:03:46] [SPEAKER_00]: I just did it and they booked me on the spot and then send me which was weird
[00:03:48] [SPEAKER_00]: They signed me then sent me to my first audition right from there
[00:03:52] [SPEAKER_00]: Wow, so it's just kind of like the day you signed audition literally from there
[00:03:56] [SPEAKER_00]: Like hey, can you go to this audition right now? Actually and my mom was like sure like just
[00:04:01] [SPEAKER_00]: completely new ground for both of us Wow
[00:04:04] [SPEAKER_00]: And Orange County is where we lived and were from so it's like LA wasn't our territory so to speak
[00:04:09] [SPEAKER_01]: Right you weren't familiar with it at all. No, you weren't familiar with it
[00:04:13] [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I know and I went there and I don't remember what I had to do next thing
[00:04:16] [SPEAKER_00]: I know that I got booked and my mom I could kind of remember my mom's face kind of being like
[00:04:21] [SPEAKER_00]: You know and then it just kind of started taking off from there
[00:04:25] [SPEAKER_00]: So thanks to Frank for seeing in me who I really am and my mom and wreak having the
[00:04:30] [SPEAKER_00]: Intuition and thought to think it that even put into play right and so
[00:04:36] [SPEAKER_01]: You get the job you book the job and I'm dancing on set with MC Hammer
[00:04:41] [SPEAKER_01]: What was it? What was it like?
[00:04:43] [SPEAKER_01]: Was he wearing the drop?
[00:04:45] [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I have a picture. I wish I could oh you have to send that yeah
[00:04:50] [SPEAKER_01]: I'm going to just little thing. Yeah, the little thing right there with your little and you took a picture with them
[00:04:54] [SPEAKER_00]: Thank you mom for being a hoarder because I have pictures sometimes
[00:04:58] [SPEAKER_01]: Wait, so you have a picture with MC Hammer on set. Yeah, that's just me with the drop pants
[00:05:02] [SPEAKER_00]: Were you wearing was wearing was I wearing overalls? Oh, I remember what I was wearing
[00:05:07] [SPEAKER_00]: I might have been wearing my own clothes even back home. You know like I remember the process right right. I just remember I
[00:05:14] [SPEAKER_00]: Remember not having any type of fear and just feeling like I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing nice
[00:05:20] [SPEAKER_00]: So I was just dropped right into it and do what I needed to do and you were like five six seven eight
[00:05:24] [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, and my mom used to always get these compliments and be like oh my god
[00:05:27] [SPEAKER_00]: He's so good and like I never paid attention to any that but she likes to hold on to that and kind of trying to remind me in my
[00:05:32] [SPEAKER_00]: down times like hi
[00:05:35] [SPEAKER_00]: Remember I'm like are you making this up?
[00:05:37] [SPEAKER_01]: And isn't that just it kind of just like life right like you're just flowing through life
[00:05:42] [SPEAKER_01]: And you're just doing what you love and you're just doing what you like and and you're obviously were kids
[00:05:46] [SPEAKER_01]: So at that age it's like well, this is just fun
[00:05:49] [SPEAKER_01]: I don't I don't I don't know right and so what was that you know this kind of where I'm staying on the theme with you know
[00:05:57] [SPEAKER_01]: these episodes is
[00:05:58] [SPEAKER_01]: Hispanic Heritage Month and what it's like being Hispanic being in the you know
[00:06:03] [SPEAKER_01]: Communities growing up in the industry etc. Well, that correlates perfectly for me especially because I was raised by a white woman
[00:06:11] [SPEAKER_00]: So
[00:06:12] [SPEAKER_00]: Being a little brown kid than I am my whole life
[00:06:14] [SPEAKER_00]: I didn't even realize like I did but as a child you don't realize really like oh, I'm not white until you get treated differently
[00:06:22] [SPEAKER_00]: You know being from someone like Irvine and having darker skin tones
[00:06:27] [SPEAKER_00]: People treat you different. They
[00:06:29] [SPEAKER_00]: Still to this day being like a new port. I'll still get looks like why are you on my street? I'm like interesting still there
[00:06:36] [SPEAKER_00]: So yeah, that was definitely a different
[00:06:40] [SPEAKER_00]: World for me. I used to go back once a year to visit my dad
[00:06:45] [SPEAKER_00]: And his family like during Christmas and Christmas Eve usually was the time that I got to be around my Hispanic family the Latino heritage
[00:06:52] [SPEAKER_00]: which is Mexican and
[00:06:54] [SPEAKER_00]: You know grandma making her tamales and her home a tortilla select
[00:06:58] [SPEAKER_00]: It was really awesome that I got to experience that once a year
[00:07:02] [SPEAKER_00]: Maybe twice growing up because it was a I was able to tap into that part of me that was in my soul
[00:07:08] [SPEAKER_00]: But yet didn't resonate because it wasn't my surroundings of which I was growing up in
[00:07:13] [SPEAKER_00]: So lots of lack of understanding it but also lots of intuitively feeling like I
[00:07:19] [SPEAKER_00]: belong but then from them
[00:07:22] [SPEAKER_00]: Not making me feel like I belong because I didn't have that same lifestyle as them. So that's just a part of like my unique
[00:07:31] [SPEAKER_00]: mental disorder
[00:07:33] [SPEAKER_00]: I'm just trying to find my own voice in this world of where I represent something
[00:07:38] [SPEAKER_00]: But I don't represent it to the level of which most people expect me anticipate or want me to represent it
[00:07:45] [SPEAKER_00]: Which is awesome when you get older because you're like oh awesome. That's why this is who I am
[00:07:50] [SPEAKER_00]: This is what makes me me. I did never had to fit into anybody's
[00:07:54] [SPEAKER_00]: Stereotype so yeah, I am like three-quarters, you know Hispanic essentially
[00:07:59] [SPEAKER_00]: quarter white
[00:08:00] [SPEAKER_00]: Polo
[00:08:02] [SPEAKER_00]: 23 mean like it's really confusing. Okay, that's all we have you done 23 me. Yeah, like I'm 38%
[00:08:08] [SPEAKER_00]: Native and then like the rest of it is like Portuguese or Italian or Spanish something like that like
[00:08:14] [SPEAKER_00]: European, you know when it goes back that but I've always been in short to the
[00:08:18] [SPEAKER_00]: Heritage of us and what we represented Latinos. I've always been just
[00:08:24] [SPEAKER_00]: And natively in tune with my indigenous side. I can feel my ancestors
[00:08:28] [SPEAKER_00]: I can hear my spirit guides talking to me like I'm a Scorpio the cancer rising so the intuition is on fleek
[00:08:35] [SPEAKER_00]: Like quieted at most of my life cuz I was like, what are you doing? There's enough voices in here
[00:08:40] [SPEAKER_01]: Right, you know right well the fact that you just sound really tapped in right and that that to me is like culture
[00:08:46] [SPEAKER_01]: It's it's all about heritage
[00:08:48] [SPEAKER_01]: Culture bloodline right in the importance of that and and knowing it sounds like you're very clear
[00:08:54] [SPEAKER_00]: You know who you are took a long time especially cuz I grew up in this industry like we just talked about
[00:09:00] [SPEAKER_00]: It didn't until I was 28 29 that I actually have a
[00:09:04] [SPEAKER_00]: Out-of-body experience when I was like, who are you?
[00:09:07] [SPEAKER_00]: Mm-hmm because you've been this for your whole life because you've been putting on your whole life
[00:09:11] [SPEAKER_00]: Is this what you're putting on or is it authentic to you?
[00:09:14] [SPEAKER_00]: It's about that time to grow up and figure it out solar return time, which is for most of us
[00:09:18] [SPEAKER_00]: Mm-hmm, and I'm into astrology. Yeah a lot. Yeah, okay like a lot
[00:09:23] [SPEAKER_00]: I'm like, I'm like no I'm not so my solar return happened
[00:09:27] [SPEAKER_00]: Saturday return see so people in strategy like he's not that into it
[00:09:31] [SPEAKER_00]: I'm like a seven out of the in out of a ten
[00:09:33] [SPEAKER_00]: Okay, there's a full moon meditation that I'm definitely gonna do tonight. Okay, you know like what's that like?
[00:09:38] [SPEAKER_00]: What does that look like? Okay, so I'm just gonna shout around there
[00:09:40] [SPEAKER_00]: No, I hope I get to like know
[00:09:42] [SPEAKER_01]: Leaders through a full moon meditation reiki Rachel
[00:09:45] [SPEAKER_00]: I go on her YouTube and she has a tune yourself to the energies of this full moon meditation
[00:09:50] [SPEAKER_00]: It's like a supermoon, okay
[00:09:52] [SPEAKER_00]: And she guides you through it and like what you essentially get to do why I think it's so great for creatives like us
[00:09:58] [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, is because she guides you through it and all you get to have to do is
[00:10:02] [SPEAKER_00]: Create your life experience that you want in this meditation feel it visualize it heal the shit
[00:10:08] [SPEAKER_00]: That doesn't work for you. You know address it
[00:10:12] [SPEAKER_00]: Love it. It's just it's such a guided
[00:10:17] [SPEAKER_00]: Therapy session nice that when you leave it, you just feel a little more in alignment with yourself
[00:10:22] [SPEAKER_00]: And she does this really beautiful way of
[00:10:26] [SPEAKER_00]: Allowing you to find the clarity that makes it so that it's real because in the picture of all of this
[00:10:34] [SPEAKER_00]: It is real and you become that clear with yourself, right?
[00:10:37] [SPEAKER_00]: So it's just awesome right reiki with Rachel reiki Rachel Oh reiki Rachel YouTube
[00:10:42] [SPEAKER_00]: You please text and then check it out if anyone's into meditation or you want to get into meditation. It's
[00:10:48] [SPEAKER_00]: It's been so transformative with me for the last couple years
[00:10:50] [SPEAKER_00]: I got into meditation and all of this astrology like you my early 20s
[00:10:54] [SPEAKER_01]: It's kind of what happens when you're an artist in your name last year. Yeah early 20s. Yeah
[00:10:59] [SPEAKER_00]: A couple months ago
[00:11:01] [SPEAKER_01]: Right, right. Um, I've been saying twenty teen forever
[00:11:05] [SPEAKER_00]: How old are you twenty teen twenty twenty teen I think I'm gonna start saying that like when I'm 60
[00:11:12] [SPEAKER_01]: If that ever I watched housewives Potomac, I love that show and I'm not into any of the housewife shows anymore reality TV to me is
[00:11:20] [SPEAKER_01]: Therapy Beverly Hills was fun. They're new York was fun. Yeah. Yeah, you know Miami, you know
[00:11:27] [SPEAKER_01]: I fell off. Yeah, it's hard. I just but I can't I don't keep up anymore. Yeah, I
[00:11:32] [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, before I forget because I will forget Karen Huger
[00:11:36] [SPEAKER_00]: I'm that's all I'm gonna say you'll know the rest of you watch it. She was like I am wait shit
[00:11:40] [SPEAKER_00]: I lost it now. It was like I'm turning 20 for the third time or the third any the way she worded
[00:11:46] [SPEAKER_00]: It was fantastic when she was turning 16. I need I want to bite that
[00:11:49] [SPEAKER_01]: 20 for the third time. I mean that's something like that's fun
[00:11:52] [SPEAKER_01]: I say twenty teen and I stick to it 20
[00:11:55] [SPEAKER_01]: Twenty-teen and then everyone's like what is that and they try to do the math and I'm like
[00:11:58] [SPEAKER_01]: I'm never telling you anyway good things and I go with math, right? Does it matter?
[00:12:04] [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, any who
[00:12:06] [SPEAKER_00]: Circles with when you deal with somebody like me my apologies and that's fine
[00:12:09] [SPEAKER_01]: And that's what that's I love this because it just keeps it really exciting and fun
[00:12:14] [SPEAKER_01]: But you know and I don't and then okay. It was another thing
[00:12:18] [SPEAKER_00]: That I pulled up did I answer your question? Let the Latin heritage though. Sure
[00:12:23] [SPEAKER_00]: Can I get into one more thing about it? Yes, which has been a little weird from because I don't speak Spanish
[00:12:29] [SPEAKER_00]: and
[00:12:29] [SPEAKER_01]: And see for me coming from the East Coast when I first moved out West. I was like you don't speak Spanish
[00:12:36] [SPEAKER_01]: Like I was I thought it was the especially I thought it was like what LA yeah, and I was like what do you mean?
[00:12:41] [SPEAKER_01]: You don't speak Spanish. You know what I mean because there's such a vibe to me
[00:12:45] [SPEAKER_01]: There's such a vibrant Latino culture huge huge. It's everywhere you go
[00:12:49] [SPEAKER_01]: I was some of the best Mexican food I've ever had ever besides Mexico besides my grandma
[00:12:53] [SPEAKER_01]: The whole makes the homemade Mexican cooking
[00:12:57] [SPEAKER_01]: If you can get if you can get fresh tamales when I tell you
[00:13:02] [SPEAKER_01]: Fresh tamales are it
[00:13:05] [SPEAKER_00]: Still to this day the best the malice I've ever had yeah
[00:13:07] [SPEAKER_01]: Well home cooking and I think that's a big Latino like Latino culture thing like any of the home cooking
[00:13:13] [SPEAKER_01]: But like fresh tamales. I see the frozen food section and I see them
[00:13:18] [SPEAKER_01]: I'm like I can't even I can't even spend my money on that
[00:13:23] [SPEAKER_00]: I can't I can't that desperate where I'm like I just want yeah corn right husk and something in the middle pretend
[00:13:29] [SPEAKER_01]: And like let me go back to like the memories of it. It's my grandma's do you have a Mexican dish or just a dish from like a
[00:13:35] [SPEAKER_01]: Grandma or something that that you make no no my grandma never really had any conversation
[00:13:41] [SPEAKER_00]: together ever besides like
[00:13:44] [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, but no but even around her it was like
[00:13:49] [SPEAKER_00]: And then
[00:13:51] [SPEAKER_00]: That's it. She spoke not one like a vinglish and I spoke
[00:13:55] [SPEAKER_00]: You know very little a quarter lick of Spanish, right? Hola, right? I used to call her
[00:14:02] [SPEAKER_00]: It's a it's a walita right yeah, I think I used to call her
[00:14:07] [SPEAKER_00]: Agualita or something completely off and nobody told me I didn't realize it was like 30
[00:14:12] [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I thought you were
[00:14:14] [SPEAKER_01]: Oh
[00:14:16] [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, even though I took Spanish in high school
[00:14:19] [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah Spanish in high school though. We all know we never had a relationship besides food which was
[00:14:24] [SPEAKER_00]: Enough I think because the love that she put into it is probably why it has such a
[00:14:28] [SPEAKER_00]: Deep resonance inside of me of right the memories that like spark in the chills
[00:14:34] [SPEAKER_00]: I get thinking about right that was all the love that she needed to give me really and it's interesting because I kind of feel
[00:14:39] [SPEAKER_01]: The same way like the resonating of the family like that not because yes
[00:14:42] [SPEAKER_01]: I speak yeah sure I speak Spanish, but my family lives in the Dominican Republic they live on an island
[00:14:47] [SPEAKER_01]: So I don't get I didn't get to see them all the time. I didn't get to connect with my grandfather or my grandmother a lot
[00:14:52] [SPEAKER_01]: I didn't get to spend that kind of time with them, you know
[00:14:55] [SPEAKER_01]: Where where's the kind of a similar thing? It's like hi hi
[00:14:58] [SPEAKER_01]: And then I'm off with like my one of my 50 cousins, you know what I mean
[00:15:04] [SPEAKER_01]: Like I'll be back, you know
[00:15:05] [SPEAKER_01]: But you know so there's and then I find that with other other friends too that have family wherever from wherever in the world
[00:15:12] [SPEAKER_01]: Where it's like there's this sometimes this disconnect with family, you know coming from other countries and other parts of the world
[00:15:18] [SPEAKER_01]: So, you know, but but keeping kind of culture going right keeping heritage going. Yeah. Yeah, that's definitely
[00:15:27] [SPEAKER_01]: And you said native is more of what you tap into I
[00:15:31] [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah
[00:15:31] [SPEAKER_00]: And I think that comes from like the true essence even of like my man Mexican ancestry before the Spaniards came over and instilled it with Christianity
[00:15:38] [SPEAKER_00]: you know that that
[00:15:41] [SPEAKER_00]: That ties to the spiritual world and to all of that is really in our blood at the core of all of it
[00:15:47] [SPEAKER_00]: So I'm grateful that I could tap into that more than anything else because well, we want to go there
[00:15:53] [SPEAKER_00]: I think that's why I'm here, you know at the end of the day your purpose my purpose
[00:15:56] [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, and I talk about that on on here too a lot with everybody like I just try to be like
[00:16:01] [SPEAKER_01]: You know what what is that purpose? Do you tap into that? Have you figured that out?
[00:16:05] [SPEAKER_01]: Did you realize through your life?
[00:16:07] [SPEAKER_01]: What your purpose may have been you know, what were the the things that happened to you there?
[00:16:12] [SPEAKER_00]: You were like oh it took a long time because I was living in this state of
[00:16:19] [SPEAKER_00]: Abnormalcy because that culture and what I'm describing isn't represented by my mother or what she does or how she thinks or she feels
[00:16:26] [SPEAKER_00]: So I didn't have any of that support around me
[00:16:29] [SPEAKER_00]: I did a little bit actually growing up
[00:16:31] [SPEAKER_00]: I had like this other mom and dad and my pseudo brother and sister who
[00:16:35] [SPEAKER_00]: Their mom was native American and Spanish and so they you know, they they sold
[00:16:41] [SPEAKER_00]: Drullery at powwows and stuff like that growing up
[00:16:44] [SPEAKER_00]: So there was that that essence there, but they were very devout Catholic
[00:16:47] [SPEAKER_00]: So those two things really kept me in this space of limbo of trying to figure out my own voice in all of this
[00:16:53] [SPEAKER_00]: And that's why I'm happy you're doing this because I I feel like and I don't want to say representation because I
[00:17:00] [SPEAKER_00]: Don't have that big of an ego surprisingly
[00:17:03] [SPEAKER_00]: Contrary to what people think it segments and so yeah, it comes in and out. Yeah
[00:17:07] [SPEAKER_00]: Give me like a bottle of wine it might come out, but okay
[00:17:10] [SPEAKER_00]: Just knowing that like I it's okay for me to exist the way that I am
[00:17:14] [SPEAKER_00]: I didn't wasn't supported in this heritage of what represents my blood. I don't speak Spanish, but yet there is me
[00:17:20] [SPEAKER_00]: I'm still alive. I'm still walking. I'm talking at this
[00:17:23] [SPEAKER_00]: However real this world is and there actually are many people like me and I feel like in our industry that
[00:17:29] [SPEAKER_00]: The representation is so far and few between because in my career, especially as an actor
[00:17:36] [SPEAKER_00]: If it was do you speak Spanish?
[00:17:39] [SPEAKER_00]: So then managers or agents wouldn't represent me because I didn't understandably business-wise
[00:17:45] [SPEAKER_00]: They're not gonna be able to throw me on a novella
[00:17:46] [SPEAKER_00]: And I'm not gonna be able to partake in that stereotype of what it means to be Hispanic
[00:17:52] [SPEAKER_00]: And it's nice to be in this space that we all are in now where it's like
[00:17:57] [SPEAKER_00]: What that means to be Hispanic is so much broader than it what it used to be
[00:18:01] [SPEAKER_00]: I mean after I did bring it on there were no roles for me
[00:18:04] [SPEAKER_00]: Right, I tried always my whole life actually because of us being minorities
[00:18:08] [SPEAKER_00]: right and I could kind of pass as being Italian or like some type of white because of
[00:18:13] [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah
[00:18:14] [SPEAKER_00]: Probably the way that I act and my surroundings and also my features maybe I was able to like I kind of always
[00:18:20] [SPEAKER_00]: Tried to be lighter skinned like my mom was like you're getting too dark
[00:18:24] [SPEAKER_00]: And to me that was like oh, yeah, I don't want to cut myself off of an opportunity and
[00:18:30] [SPEAKER_00]: There wasn't much space for us. I mean after bring it on it was like
[00:18:34] [SPEAKER_00]: Gangster role gangster role, you know like Vato and all the stuff
[00:18:38] [SPEAKER_00]: And I was like none of these that I am but I can play so I'd go in and cast me like
[00:18:42] [SPEAKER_00]: He's so good at playing that but like we want someone that's really it and I was like
[00:18:47] [SPEAKER_00]: Well, I mean I'm an actor so that's kind of the point
[00:18:50] [SPEAKER_00]: That I'm straight every day that's not real, you know, it's like what can you just let me do my fucking job
[00:18:55] [SPEAKER_00]: That's a whole another thing in this industry
[00:18:57] [SPEAKER_00]: So that's a whole other thing. Yeah, because that's also very discriminated against and like pigeon holed and we've come far
[00:19:05] [SPEAKER_00]: Leap some bounds into words accepted and I pushed against it my whole career is an actor
[00:19:10] [SPEAKER_00]: I was like one day this will be accepted little I know it'd be like when I'm older
[00:19:14] [SPEAKER_00]: And then even to even try to have space for me and being authentic
[00:19:18] [SPEAKER_00]: That's not there because I don't read that and that's not what I represent
[00:19:21] [SPEAKER_00]: So then you have all this different culture of what it represents in its portrayed in in
[00:19:27] [SPEAKER_00]: Lots of places in the world, but also I also exist in this world
[00:19:30] [SPEAKER_00]: And it's like where is my space to exist because there are many of people like me
[00:19:33] [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, so it's been interesting talking about heritage how it's not until now do I feel like I
[00:19:40] [SPEAKER_00]: Exist other people exist and maybe one day the industry will actually start to let us exist in that space too
[00:19:46] [SPEAKER_00]: Full heartedly without us having to put on something just to perceive an image right and and that's a great point because it's
[00:19:54] [SPEAKER_01]: It kind of ties into as we it's funny, you know
[00:19:57] [SPEAKER_01]: Or interesting to hear, you know your mom was like don't get too dark and it's like I was dark and I couldn't I
[00:20:04] [SPEAKER_01]: Could I could get lighter like you know what I mean
[00:20:07] [SPEAKER_01]: So and there were no
[00:20:09] [SPEAKER_01]: Hispanic people that looked like me on screen up like whatever unless I'm watching even even the telenovelas
[00:20:16] [SPEAKER_01]: Like even the telenovelas are blonde and fair right and it's just it's never so you know
[00:20:20] [SPEAKER_01]: We always thought I've talked about with other guests about white passing
[00:20:23] [SPEAKER_01]: You know in in the industry and in that sense and as we get dark and now Afro Latino to some people is a term
[00:20:29] [SPEAKER_01]: But that's Afro Latinoism has been around for a very long time, you know, and it's been spoken about for a very long time
[00:20:36] [SPEAKER_01]: Because we say Afro Cuban Afro music, you know after Latino music like that's all it's all a thing
[00:20:43] [SPEAKER_01]: So it's it's I feel like we're pushing towards that and past that right but there's still you know these spaces where we have to create
[00:20:53] [SPEAKER_01]: opportunities and
[00:20:54] [SPEAKER_01]: Places we can tell our stories the more we expand
[00:20:58] [SPEAKER_00]: The more it kind of does the opposite the more space we make available
[00:21:04] [SPEAKER_00]: The more people want to make it smaller for certain types
[00:21:08] [SPEAKER_00]: They want to make it secular when the whole idea of all of it is to make it universal to open it for all of us
[00:21:15] [SPEAKER_00]: I
[00:21:16] [SPEAKER_00]: Understand that perspective, but I think at the end of the day when we can
[00:21:21] [SPEAKER_00]: Really immerse ourselves as like one because we kind of really are this is just a meat machine, isn't it?
[00:21:26] [SPEAKER_00]: Like that's your skin color. This is my skin color
[00:21:28] [SPEAKER_00]: But at the end of the day like what's inside of us is a color
[00:21:30] [SPEAKER_00]: It's the same thing and that's not to take away from our heritage and our roots and our blood and what makes us who
[00:21:35] [SPEAKER_00]: We are as individuals but at the end of the day we're so much more similar than
[00:21:40] [SPEAKER_00]: Then we're not right
[00:21:42] [SPEAKER_00]: So I love the fact that we're moving into this broader picture of things
[00:21:46] [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, but then it also makes people want to be like but then I'm not being seen
[00:21:50] [SPEAKER_00]: I'm like you know actually your you are being seen more this way, right?
[00:21:55] [SPEAKER_01]: Right. Yeah. Yeah, that's and it's a great point. And yes
[00:21:58] [SPEAKER_01]: That's the point of all of this is to do no, right? Yeah
[00:22:01] [SPEAKER_01]: And so you know you had mentioned like bring it on and I when I was pulling up your one of your scenes
[00:22:08] [SPEAKER_01]: When I'm one of your scenes it was like crump battling
[00:22:15] [SPEAKER_01]: Talk to us about
[00:22:18] [SPEAKER_01]: It's pretty it's it's it. I mean pretty embarrassing. Um, I think it's great
[00:22:24] [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I think I think they need to bring crump battling back. Yeah first and foremost
[00:22:31] [SPEAKER_00]: Competition claims to be a crumper
[00:22:33] [SPEAKER_00]: Alright, cuz I get all of this like love and hate what should we all do just being in a public eye or representing yourself into any type of art?
[00:22:40] [SPEAKER_00]: Right, but one thing I never considered myself was a crumper
[00:22:43] [SPEAKER_00]: I do consider myself an extremely versatile dancer and that was my strength as a dancer
[00:22:46] [SPEAKER_00]: Right was that I could do everything so I could
[00:22:50] [SPEAKER_00]: So when they wanted me to crump I was like sure I can learn it and it was so new it was like
[00:22:56] [SPEAKER_00]: Started that like crumping is hard like to do it right just thinking about it. This is flaring up
[00:23:01] [SPEAKER_00]: An injury from back in yeah, it was just like cuz it wasn't like me being able to
[00:23:06] [SPEAKER_00]: Was went there and told some stuff about me that I probably see you know like okay
[00:23:10] [SPEAKER_00]: So I'll tell I'll give you this exclusive is what they would say when they talk about they haven't talked about you heard it
[00:23:15] [SPEAKER_00]: You're first we had underage nightclubs in Orange County
[00:23:19] [SPEAKER_00]: So we made my friends which were part most of my friends are black cuz that's just
[00:23:25] [SPEAKER_00]: We were the few minorities in Irvine and that's I think I'm lately
[00:23:29] [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, we always stuck together because we understood yeah, we get you just kind of get it right yeah
[00:23:34] [SPEAKER_00]: And that's just yeah, so we would go the underage and I would I was like a torquer like a full-on
[00:23:41] [SPEAKER_00]: Torque I bet you were and I would have line
[00:23:45] [SPEAKER_00]: I would have lines of girls lined up at the club work with you for me to give to work on their laps
[00:23:51] [SPEAKER_00]: I was giving lap dances
[00:23:54] [SPEAKER_00]: We charging I should have been I have a savings probably
[00:23:58] [SPEAKER_00]: So yeah
[00:24:07] [SPEAKER_00]: When I talk about it, it's awkward because it was so normal to me
[00:24:10] [SPEAKER_00]: You know like every Friday Saturday
[00:24:14] [SPEAKER_00]: And just like and that's just like who is this yeah, yep
[00:24:18] [SPEAKER_00]: That was me so I thought that would maybe lean itself into me being able to crump but it's opposite. It's hard
[00:24:23] [SPEAKER_00]: So it was different
[00:24:26] [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, honestly, it was it was a very challenging to learn how to do that
[00:24:31] [SPEAKER_00]: But as you learn when you start becoming actor like most and you're also working with actors who are
[00:24:36] [SPEAKER_00]: Dancers at that time
[00:24:37] [SPEAKER_00]: I guess I was more of a dancer who was acting and they are actors who were dancing dancing you realize like oh
[00:24:44] [SPEAKER_00]: Struggling with this a lot more than you are anyway
[00:24:47] [SPEAKER_00]: So I did my best and I had fun
[00:24:49] [SPEAKER_01]: Well, it's it's a viral moment for you
[00:24:52] [SPEAKER_01]: It's just want you to know that because I pulled up several videos and I was like crump battling
[00:24:56] [SPEAKER_01]: I was like what I wouldn't consider that battling
[00:24:58] [SPEAKER_01]: But yeah, and it literally was like Gustavo car crump battling set there. There's a whole segment
[00:25:04] [SPEAKER_01]: There's a whole search that
[00:25:06] [SPEAKER_01]: I'm okay crump see Adrian's pulling it up right now
[00:25:11] [SPEAKER_01]: Right now. Oh, let me find that yeah, no well
[00:25:17] [SPEAKER_01]: Congratulations, thanks
[00:25:21] [SPEAKER_01]: Moving on
[00:25:24] [SPEAKER_01]: What was it like working with William H Macy's he's one of my favorite meat like shameless I saw that scene
[00:25:31] Wow
[00:25:32] [SPEAKER_00]: He's awesome. Um it was
[00:25:35] [SPEAKER_00]: Extremely nerve-wracking and at the same time like everything I wanted in more in life, you know
[00:25:41] [SPEAKER_00]: I wanted to be an actor since I was a kid but my mom
[00:25:44] [SPEAKER_00]: Tia and Tamera's mom Tia and Tamera and Taj we grew up together
[00:25:48] [SPEAKER_01]: Darlene if I thought you were gonna say Tia and Tamera and I have the same mom
[00:25:54] [SPEAKER_00]: We used to carpool all the time growing up and their mom Darlene was their manager and all the time
[00:26:00] [SPEAKER_00]: Like can you please let me manage Gus? He's an actor because I'm crazy which actors are crazy
[00:26:06] [SPEAKER_00]: Don't say you don't say that and my mom was just like she was witnessing this world around her
[00:26:11] [SPEAKER_00]: That was so brand new and was like seeing the craziness. You know what I mean that can exist happen, right?
[00:26:19] [SPEAKER_00]: And she had enough on her plate
[00:26:21] [SPEAKER_00]: I'm sure it would just deal with me as it is just being myself and then being a see it
[00:26:25] [SPEAKER_01]: I don't see it at all totally who would not one bit
[00:26:29] [SPEAKER_00]: So she said no and so I was always like she would just she was like
[00:26:34] [SPEAKER_00]: I'll let him do these dance jobs and commercials or whatever else like throughout there
[00:26:37] [SPEAKER_00]: But I want to have a normal life and kind of had the balance and I'm grateful to you mom for that as much as she kind of regrets
[00:26:42] [SPEAKER_00]: Sometimes she's like, you know, you know still struggling to get back there again
[00:26:46] [SPEAKER_00]: Or you know, okay, I had the gigs flow and you get already I've been there
[00:26:49] [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I could have already been their mom right no, but I wouldn't have it
[00:26:53] [SPEAKER_00]: No, the way sure so no I'm grateful for that
[00:26:55] [SPEAKER_00]: So point is I always want to do it so when bring it on came into existence
[00:26:58] [SPEAKER_00]: I was like, thank God
[00:26:59] [SPEAKER_00]: So that opened the doors for me to be able to do that transition because if you're as a dancer
[00:27:03] [SPEAKER_00]: You know and as anybody else in a different avenue of this industry. Yes
[00:27:07] [SPEAKER_00]: I've been in the industry for over 30 years, but each pocket is a different world
[00:27:11] [SPEAKER_00]: So me trying to get into that world was always difficult
[00:27:14] [SPEAKER_00]: So when this opportunity came I was like this is my job. I'm taking it because I'm right
[00:27:17] [SPEAKER_00]: I want to move on to acting right hence. It just wasn't time obviously
[00:27:22] [SPEAKER_00]: As we are touched on so I still stuck with it and was like just trying to fight that identity of that guy who was a dancer trying to act
[00:27:29] [SPEAKER_00]: I was like, no, I'm a fucking actor
[00:27:31] [SPEAKER_00]: So when I booked shameless it was such a beautiful experience for him because you know, I love our peers
[00:27:37] [SPEAKER_00]: But they'd always be like, oh is it an acting role or dancer acting?
[00:27:40] [SPEAKER_00]: I was like, no, it's an acting role next day. Well, I made you may see right right, and you know
[00:27:44] [SPEAKER_00]: They kind of like what it was incredible
[00:27:47] [SPEAKER_01]: I can't imagine like somebody at that level right?
[00:27:50] [SPEAKER_01]: Is the walk because it's one thing to dance behind an artist or like a celebrity
[00:27:55] [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, you know and even if they're actors and they don't really dance, but you're dancing behind them
[00:27:59] [SPEAKER_01]: It's one thing. It's another thing to actually be face-to-face
[00:28:02] [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah talking to them giving your lines and they're they're acting they're really acting back at you
[00:28:07] [SPEAKER_00]: And you're like yeah, this is masterclassing
[00:28:10] [SPEAKER_01]: Proper on set camera budgets like like people show time. It's showtime for real what?
[00:28:16] [SPEAKER_01]: It was that like and what was he was he totally like just comforting the coolest
[00:28:20] [SPEAKER_00]: Most simple grounded man from what I experienced that it was a you know a day player guest star
[00:28:25] [SPEAKER_00]: Just me and him we were sitting on the chair and you know
[00:28:29] [SPEAKER_00]: I don't really get nervous because I've been doing this my whole life like audition and stuff
[00:28:32] [SPEAKER_00]: I can put maybe like literally count on one hand as
[00:28:35] [SPEAKER_00]: Maybe three fingers as a dancer where I like completely bombed an audition or as an actor
[00:28:41] [SPEAKER_00]: Maybe even like on one hand where I've completely bombed an audition or didn't show up or perform
[00:28:45] [SPEAKER_00]: That's the benefit of having it being grained in you since you were a kid
[00:28:49] [SPEAKER_00]: Right like something I never take for granted
[00:28:52] [SPEAKER_00]: But those nerves were on fleek. Let me tell you when you know when I was like
[00:28:58] [SPEAKER_00]: He sat next to me and I was like holy fuck like we're sitting there waiting to go on he sits next to me
[00:29:03] [SPEAKER_00]: He has his ukulele
[00:29:04] [SPEAKER_01]: No, thank you. I'm so you play you place you will image Macy plays you to leave
[00:29:08] [SPEAKER_00]: I'm assuming that is his process to just like getting character and to yeah to
[00:29:13] [SPEAKER_00]: To push away the nerves and not that he probably hasn't I think we all have nurse still but just just to ground himself
[00:29:20] [SPEAKER_00]: Smart smart just to like blah blah and in my head
[00:29:23] [SPEAKER_00]: I'm like please please rehearsals with me because I have no idea what we're about to do really like
[00:29:27] [SPEAKER_00]: You know like this I've never worked with you. I don't know how you as a person
[00:29:31] [SPEAKER_00]: I'm used to these type of people because I've been around them my whole life
[00:29:34] [SPEAKER_00]: And I don't know what kind of those you are right
[00:29:36] [SPEAKER_00]: Are you gonna be generous kind and gracious or you going to be?
[00:29:39] [SPEAKER_00]: narcissistic and self-absorbent and
[00:29:41] [SPEAKER_00]: Stand up right and you know how to handle all of them
[00:29:44] [SPEAKER_00]: But you don't know until that moment exists
[00:29:46] [SPEAKER_00]: So I was just like well, we'll see what happens
[00:29:49] [SPEAKER_00]: He was so kind that he just looked over to me
[00:29:52] [SPEAKER_00]: He's like hey, do you want to run it over and rehearse like yes. Thank you so much
[00:29:56] [SPEAKER_01]: William H. Macy just being like hey you want to rehearse our lines and you're like what thank God
[00:30:02] [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, and then we did it and I was just like the nerves though where they were nerving and just
[00:30:07] [SPEAKER_00]: and
[00:30:11] [SPEAKER_00]: Thankfully we are able to do that but then you know the cameras
[00:30:13] [SPEAKER_00]: I don't know what happens
[00:30:15] [SPEAKER_00]: I can't like maybe for you can tell me but like in other people in their process
[00:30:18] [SPEAKER_00]: But like they will happen and then as soon as its action. Thank God
[00:30:23] [SPEAKER_00]: It fucking exits and you perform
[00:30:25] [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, and everything goes out the window. Yeah the thought process of what you spoke of it like well
[00:30:30] [SPEAKER_00]: I'm a ways it did it all that's there beforehand
[00:30:32] [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, but then when it's time to do your job that all leaves a field and it's like yeah, but I'm Gus Carr
[00:30:38] [SPEAKER_00]: So let's play right and that's what happened
[00:30:40] [SPEAKER_00]: And I was really really happy with the work that we did together
[00:30:42] [SPEAKER_00]: It was really such a joy to be able to play with somebody like him
[00:30:47] [SPEAKER_00]: It was so much fun so much so much improv actually and I was taking everything and throwing it back
[00:30:54] [SPEAKER_00]: I think he was testing me maybe maybe not that eventually the director was like okay
[00:30:58] [SPEAKER_00]: You guys are great, but we got to stick the scripts through a visor like let's get back on board
[00:31:02] [SPEAKER_00]: They kept some of my improv lines and stuff
[00:31:04] [SPEAKER_00]: Not it was awesome
[00:31:05] [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, that's great when it because that's like a validity thing
[00:31:07] [SPEAKER_01]: That's a validation kind of thing when somebody's like we're gonna keep that improv
[00:31:10] [SPEAKER_01]: It was that good. We're gonna keep it for the scene and you know, I can only like for me
[00:31:14] [SPEAKER_01]: That was Prince it was working with Prince
[00:31:17] [SPEAKER_01]: It was it was you know walking through Paisley Park going to rehearsal going to the dance studio and and and then
[00:31:24] [SPEAKER_01]: Right chills and then there you know, you hear whispers of people being like don't look them in the eye
[00:31:29] [SPEAKER_01]: You'll get fired like you know what I mean?
[00:31:31] [SPEAKER_01]: You'll disintegrate and like you'll get fired and I was like
[00:31:33] [SPEAKER_01]: And I could see I'm like walking and his like little heels and like the heel had like the little symbol like on it
[00:31:43] [SPEAKER_01]: So they get like you know when he's walking so you kind of like he fucking makes music when he's walking
[00:31:48] [SPEAKER_01]: You know what I mean?
[00:31:48] [SPEAKER_01]: And then he has like the big like puffy jacket thing that was that era and so I remember being like don't look at him
[00:31:55] [SPEAKER_01]: Don't oh don't look don't look looked out and I could like I was like looking at his shoes
[00:32:01] [SPEAKER_01]: Don't get fired don't get fired but at those nerves, right?
[00:32:05] [SPEAKER_01]: Like yeah are there and they're really real
[00:32:07] [SPEAKER_01]: But then when you're like you walk into the dance studio his dance studio
[00:32:11] [SPEAKER_01]: And then he walks in to there to watch everybody and and not get fired and you're like
[00:32:16] [SPEAKER_01]: Okay, like I made it yeah, you know like I like I'm still making a page like I made it
[00:32:22] [SPEAKER_01]: I mean it's not acting you know at that time
[00:32:24] [SPEAKER_01]: It was dancing but it's still like like but I made it so there's this confidence thing right which which leads to purpose
[00:32:30] [SPEAKER_01]: And I know you know you said you also work with Michael Jackson
[00:32:33] [SPEAKER_01]: So like what was that like to what you know? What did you work on with Michael?
[00:32:39] [SPEAKER_01]: You're like I don't like I'm sorry
[00:32:41] [SPEAKER_00]: I'm just trying to like digest what you just said about like receiving the way that you felt when you work with Prince which is so cool and
[00:32:48] [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, you know, oh, I'm getting emotional this happens all the time. Sorry. That's okay
[00:32:53] [SPEAKER_00]: Just how lucky are we?
[00:32:55] [SPEAKER_00]: Like and I don't think it's all luck
[00:32:57] [SPEAKER_00]: But the fact that you get to like literally have that experience and live that in this short time that we're here on this
[00:33:02] [SPEAKER_00]: Place called earth and just and not just like be a part of his journey
[00:33:06] [SPEAKER_00]: But then feel that yourself and feel that like you've accomplished something
[00:33:10] [SPEAKER_00]: How many people get to feel that in a lifetime and then not just once or twice, but as many as we do like I
[00:33:17] [SPEAKER_00]: Just can never take for granted just this like that we live. Yeah, sorry. No, that's okay
[00:33:27] [SPEAKER_00]: With Michael I was so young and I've always had this really big ego essentially that was like this is where I belong
[00:33:34] [SPEAKER_00]: I'm still waiting for me to be there, but I've never had any other vision or understanding of me being somewhere
[00:33:40] [SPEAKER_00]: But the top
[00:33:42] [SPEAKER_00]: So gratefully able to do that as a dancer
[00:33:44] [SPEAKER_00]: But like I wanted to do that as an artist as a musician and as an actor like all the thumb
[00:33:48] [SPEAKER_00]: It's probably too late as in the musician at this point I'm too old
[00:33:51] [SPEAKER_01]: But still want to achieve that I can see you going viral on tiktok getting a song
[00:33:55] [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I would love to I mean I've recorded and written many of them
[00:33:58] [SPEAKER_00]: And I never think it's too late and I have this project that I wrote
[00:34:02] [SPEAKER_00]: Well created him still looking for the right writer to produce it because I don't think it's ever too late
[00:34:06] [SPEAKER_00]: And that's kind of a part of it all so yes, I shouldn't diminish that but there's just been this innate fire and knowing and
[00:34:14] [SPEAKER_00]: Something inside of me. That's basically kind of really get ready for this because it's gonna sound really
[00:34:19] [SPEAKER_00]: Idiotic but being like he's just Michael Jackson your guest car. I
[00:34:24] [SPEAKER_00]: Was a kid
[00:34:25] [SPEAKER_00]: The first time
[00:34:26] [SPEAKER_00]: So like that's kind of where I you know when then you get older you're like
[00:34:32] [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, a hundred percent but maybe just because of like all of the
[00:34:37] [SPEAKER_00]: The accolades I've received so quickly and getting the recognition of being good and all that stuff as a child
[00:34:42] [SPEAKER_00]: You don't notice a difference. You're kind of like well, I'm doing good too, right?
[00:34:46] [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, you're his dancer and this is his not Pepsi campaign
[00:34:51] [SPEAKER_00]: It was sorry I was Pepsi so it was it was it was it where
[00:34:55] [SPEAKER_00]: Didn't get released correct. Yeah
[00:34:57] [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, oh my god, there's a bunch of us kids dancing around in togas next to him
[00:35:01] [SPEAKER_00]: I think Wade was doing with me. I think Kevin. Yeah did it just all of us kid
[00:35:06] [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, that worked a lot of other ones that I'm forgetting. I'm sorry my peers
[00:35:09] [SPEAKER_00]: I love you all that I've known for ever ever
[00:35:12] [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, we're just dancing around in togas with them and it was so cool
[00:35:14] [SPEAKER_00]: There was a part of me that was like hi
[00:35:16] [SPEAKER_00]: This is who taught you how to dance with his sister Janet
[00:35:18] [SPEAKER_00]: I feel Janet probably would have been different for me
[00:35:22] [SPEAKER_00]: Maybe I don't know this is all weird, but maybe there was that competition aspect
[00:35:26] [SPEAKER_00]: It's like I'm gonna beat you one day. Maybe he's what I felt
[00:35:28] [SPEAKER_00]: I don't know I'm trying to digress and like figure out why I didn't have this
[00:35:33] [SPEAKER_00]: Experience of every other kid that was like it's Michael Jackson. I was like what's up Michael like right?
[00:35:38] [SPEAKER_00]: We're gonna play basketball together. I was like I wanna have Michael's team
[00:35:40] [SPEAKER_00]: I was like I don't need to be on Michael's team and then our team won anyway
[00:35:43] [SPEAKER_00]: So I was like I didn't need to be on Michael's
[00:35:45] [SPEAKER_00]: No, I don't know I'm just trying to kind of go and figure this all out as I talked to you out loud about it
[00:35:49] [SPEAKER_00]: It's fine. It's all fine. Yeah, it wasn't that important to me like yeah
[00:35:54] [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah in that space and when I look on it now
[00:35:57] [SPEAKER_00]: I get teary-eyed as you talk about with Prince and I'm like you were around
[00:36:02] [SPEAKER_00]: The Jesus of our these icons like you know
[00:36:06] [SPEAKER_00]: Then he died I did the VMAs with in sync
[00:36:09] [SPEAKER_00]: We did pop and he came out and did that little he did that little that little thing. Yeah
[00:36:14] [SPEAKER_00]: I think that's when I was able to kind of really understand it more and I was like holy fuck Michael Jackson's on stage with you, right?
[00:36:21] [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, and that was like whoa, that's awesome
[00:36:23] [SPEAKER_01]: Were you in a because I don't know if it happened at that that later time you work with Michael on stage
[00:36:28] [SPEAKER_01]: Because it happened to me with Prince when we we did a performance at paisley and he was like, you know
[00:36:34] [SPEAKER_01]: MPG dancers come on stage and we were like
[00:36:36] [SPEAKER_01]: Like we were like and we looked at the choreographers and they were like
[00:36:40] [SPEAKER_01]: Let's go and we were like what we just learned a number two days ago
[00:36:44] [SPEAKER_01]: We're totally bumping into each other on stage dancing behind it
[00:36:48] [SPEAKER_01]: But I remember looking at him and it was this it was like the slow motion moment Wow
[00:36:53] [SPEAKER_01]: And and he was like jamming on the guitar and I and I was like
[00:37:00] [SPEAKER_01]: You know and I'm like doing a partner number
[00:37:03] [SPEAKER_01]: Trying to get through it
[00:37:05] [SPEAKER_01]: But so did you have like a similar thing with with Michael too because it was so surreal for me
[00:37:12] [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, even though we had already been around him for a while. I just I didn't I was like this is like I was just it was surreal
[00:37:20] [SPEAKER_00]: I think if I
[00:37:22] [SPEAKER_00]: By that by the time he did like that this is it tour and all those auditions
[00:37:26] [SPEAKER_00]: I already started transitioning out of dancing so I didn't audition for that tour Ernie that stuff
[00:37:30] [SPEAKER_00]: Right. I think maybe if I would have been like a dancer for him like
[00:37:34] [SPEAKER_00]: Maybe I would have dancing for in sync at the yeah, you know and I was just in that was such a flash and a blurb
[00:37:39] [SPEAKER_00]: And it was like in and out and a
[00:37:42] [SPEAKER_00]: Lot of my life was that way to be honest with you like I don't remember a lot of things or like I don't have
[00:37:47] [SPEAKER_00]: Specific feelings and memories with all those accomplishments because I've been doing it since I was a kid
[00:37:52] [SPEAKER_00]: It's been normalcy so
[00:37:54] [SPEAKER_00]: With Brittany when I was dancing right next to Brittany even then that didn't feel weird
[00:37:59] [SPEAKER_00]: There was no slow motion. It was like this is what you do. This is what you've done your whole life
[00:38:03] [SPEAKER_00]: This is normal. I guess and I hope that's not egotistical because it's I'm trying to actually come from a humble space of just being like
[00:38:12] [SPEAKER_00]: You were prepared this well, it's not even prepared. It was just normal. Yeah, there was no other that wasn't
[00:38:18] [SPEAKER_00]: If it was if it wasn't that it would be weird, right?
[00:38:22] [SPEAKER_01]: You know what I mean? Like if it was like this or any because we both work with Brittany together
[00:38:26] [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, and you know we've she's just like she's one of the few people that I got to work with
[00:38:32] [SPEAKER_01]: You know Prince being another and there's some others too, but you know you walk into a room with someone and
[00:38:40] [SPEAKER_01]: You know like you better be on your peas and queues because working with so many different artists
[00:38:46] [SPEAKER_01]: Some you're just like mmm. They kind of rely on the dancers and then there's a few there's those other top tier artists
[00:38:52] [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, that like no you need to keep up with them percent
[00:38:56] [SPEAKER_01]: They're not trying to keep up with you
[00:38:58] [SPEAKER_01]: You need to keep up with them and so I kind of definitely always with Brittany in a rehearsal
[00:39:01] [SPEAKER_01]: It was always like full out 110% like let's go don't even try it
[00:39:06] [SPEAKER_01]: And so I know we worked on the Pepsi commercial together
[00:39:09] [SPEAKER_01]: And that the first one right and it you know it was such I remember like being on that big stage and doing those
[00:39:16] [SPEAKER_01]: Pancake drops at the end like over and over and over again, but and wait. That's why I saw back problems
[00:39:24] [SPEAKER_01]: Right and then you know I just but it was such like I look back on that time and I'm just like wow
[00:39:31] [SPEAKER_01]: We really were like dancing. Yeah for the gods
[00:39:35] [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, but even like as you say it
[00:39:38] [SPEAKER_00]: It's not till now do I realize that like back then it was like it was just normal
[00:39:42] [SPEAKER_00]: And I also so to be fair at those years when we're doing Brittany
[00:39:45] [SPEAKER_00]: I want to be a pop star myself. So when she walked in the room, it wasn't like
[00:39:50] [SPEAKER_00]: It was to be fair it was like you can keep up with me
[00:39:54] [SPEAKER_00]: Like that was my mentality. I know that's probably why people hated me as a dancer
[00:39:58] [SPEAKER_00]: But you know, you were always funny. Oh, you always had me laughing. Yeah, I was just like you just make me laugh
[00:40:03] [SPEAKER_00]: Because I've always been crazy. That's never changed
[00:40:05] [SPEAKER_00]: But yeah, no it was so I never felt that what there was kind of like it was to me
[00:40:09] [SPEAKER_00]: It was actually it was a testament to seeing if I could really truly keep up with the best
[00:40:14] [SPEAKER_00]: So instead of feeling that weight it was like this is your time to show you are right, right?
[00:40:19] [SPEAKER_00]: I think that's always kind of been my mentality. I think Serena Williams is my Messiah for a reason because
[00:40:25] [SPEAKER_00]: No, she's just she I've seen her play once and I'm like about power. It's not even just her
[00:40:33] [SPEAKER_00]: athleticism and
[00:40:35] [SPEAKER_00]: Capabilities it's the mindset that she's carried with her to get to that and that's what I've always admired and I'm not Serena Williams
[00:40:42] [SPEAKER_00]: And I know my resume is not that and that's my alarm. Sorry for
[00:40:47] [SPEAKER_00]: But uh, it's I feel like I can relate to that never say die always figure out a way
[00:40:54] [SPEAKER_00]: You're always gonna get better and that person next to you is gonna help you get there
[00:40:59] [SPEAKER_00]: And you need to if you want to keep being there. Yeah. Yeah, and so I mean
[00:41:04] [SPEAKER_01]: Talking about no, it's okay. Sorry. It's gonna. We'll just have some music playing in the background
[00:41:09] [SPEAKER_01]: It's like Sabrina Carpenter espresso
[00:41:12] [SPEAKER_01]: That's what it sounds like. What song is that on your alarm? It's one of my songs actually
[00:41:16] [SPEAKER_00]: Oh, I lost the beat that I did years ago. Oh, did you is it is it on is it on YouTube?
[00:41:22] [SPEAKER_01]: I don't know if that was on YouTube. Okay
[00:41:25] [SPEAKER_00]: Other music up on YouTube. I took a lot of it down because at one point I transitioned into like a
[00:41:31] [SPEAKER_00]: Different type and a producer. I'd recommend me taking the other stuff down because it didn't represent me then and still trying to get
[00:41:38] [SPEAKER_00]: Represented it would have been confusing. Okay, but part of me is gonna start doing throwbacks
[00:41:42] [SPEAKER_00]: I'm like I used to do this and I don't like it enough, but I fucking loved and lived by it
[00:41:45] [SPEAKER_00]: I wrote it. I had the best time
[00:41:47] [SPEAKER_01]: You know some like dance music for like a little German label in Germany and some of the songs I hear now
[00:41:52] [SPEAKER_01]: And I'm like, I don't know what I was thinking
[00:41:55] [SPEAKER_01]: Like I was like, I don't even know you guys
[00:41:58] [SPEAKER_01]: I don't it's up and it's like on YouTube with like three views
[00:42:02] [SPEAKER_01]: But I have that playing behind. Yeah, exactly. That's what we should
[00:42:05] [SPEAKER_01]: Right that part but you know, so I get it
[00:42:08] [SPEAKER_01]: That's why I said multi hyphenate at the beginning because I think as dancers as actors as performers as creatives
[00:42:14] [SPEAKER_01]: It's like important to kind of explore all those avenues even if like we're not
[00:42:19] [SPEAKER_01]: The best at them or great at them. It's like good to just kind of get that expression out there
[00:42:26] [SPEAKER_00]: You know a million percent. I think being the best has been such a thing that doesn't make sense to me anymore because
[00:42:33] [SPEAKER_00]: Because for a lot of the time I was like, oh, I'm not good enough
[00:42:35] [SPEAKER_00]: I'm not good enough and then you watch these people that succeed and you're like they're actually not that good either
[00:42:40] [SPEAKER_00]: They just have a machine behind them
[00:42:43] [SPEAKER_00]: Telling people you are that good right and then everyone believes it right right?
[00:42:47] [SPEAKER_00]: So there's that kind of thing as an artist when you get older. You're like in another lifetime. Maybe you know
[00:42:55] [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I don't know where I was going with that but just okay
[00:43:01] [SPEAKER_00]: Welcome to my world. Yeah, no, it's all good. Sorry friends and family you have to deal with it every day
[00:43:05] [SPEAKER_01]: No, it's off and then I want to touch on you played the role of Adrienne and Emmy nominated Eastlose High
[00:43:10] [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, and you were talking earlier about you know
[00:43:12] [SPEAKER_01]: You play these roles that they were like kind of stereotyped you into these roles. So like, you know that
[00:43:19] [SPEAKER_01]: Being an on an Emmy nominated show and having you know a role where you're like I can play it. Well
[00:43:26] [SPEAKER_01]: Like this is me
[00:43:27] [SPEAKER_01]: Pardon me. I can play this, you know
[00:43:29] [SPEAKER_01]: How how did that kind of help you kind of make decisions moving forward when it came to like roles
[00:43:35] [SPEAKER_01]: Did you want to play or were you just kind of like open to everything?
[00:43:39] [SPEAKER_00]: I've always been open because I always felt like I didn't have a choice right because there was
[00:43:45] [SPEAKER_00]: Who could be choosy and picky if unless you I don't want to make this a route race
[00:43:49] [SPEAKER_00]: And this is not about race
[00:43:50] [SPEAKER_00]: But unless you're Caucasian back in those days that I've grew up in this industry most of the days and still kind of now
[00:43:57] [SPEAKER_00]: Right who can be picky, right? I had to take anything that was given to me. That's why I learned how to sing
[00:44:02] [SPEAKER_00]: That's why I'd never said that's why I was stayed fit enough to be doing to do a H&M campaign for somebody like
[00:44:09] [SPEAKER_00]: Modeling I had to be ready for any opportunity because I am not a trust fund baby
[00:44:13] [SPEAKER_00]: I didn't come from money. I came from nothing and I wanted to be an artist
[00:44:17] [SPEAKER_00]: So if I wasn't multi hyphenated I would have how how else am I going to survive and be an artist in this industry?
[00:44:25] [SPEAKER_01]: It's such a different mentality now, and it's so easy to just do one thing and go viral
[00:44:30] [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, you know and then create you know create a personality around it
[00:44:34] [SPEAKER_01]: And I'm like, oh, I just made a ton of money and it's like
[00:44:37] [SPEAKER_00]: Right, you know great, but that's fulfilling for them probably too. I think because we're of a different
[00:44:45] [SPEAKER_00]: Ideology the fulfillment is lacking there like for us would be like that wasn't really fulfilling
[00:44:49] [SPEAKER_00]: That didn't really make me feel like I did something with my craft right but for them
[00:44:53] [SPEAKER_00]: They're like I did what I wanted to do, you know, and it's it's the space and time that exists that makes sense for them
[00:44:58] [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, and I'm
[00:45:02] [SPEAKER_01]: Happy I'm kind of created a space here where people can come and talk and express
[00:45:06] [SPEAKER_01]: So, you know, I kind of like to wrap up each episode with you know
[00:45:10] [SPEAKER_01]: What what do you feel like is important for you to stay in a race of your own?
[00:45:14] [SPEAKER_00]: who
[00:45:17] [SPEAKER_00]: The older I get to just stay authentic to myself and not change myself to fit a narrative
[00:45:23] [SPEAKER_00]: I can't tell you how many roles I go out for where just recently even where my agent reached out and it was for a
[00:45:30] [SPEAKER_00]: Someone that was gay. They wanted to be authentic in my agent reached out
[00:45:33] [SPEAKER_00]: was like hey can Gus come in for this in the casting who's
[00:45:35] [SPEAKER_00]: pinned me some
[00:45:37] [SPEAKER_00]: Countless times and brings me in all the time for these shows was like, oh, I'm sorry
[00:45:42] [SPEAKER_00]: But we're looking for somebody that's authentic to being
[00:45:45] [SPEAKER_00]: LGBTQIA plus and he was like Gus is gay as fuck and they were like, okay
[00:45:49] [SPEAKER_00]: We'll keep him in mind. I didn't get an audition for it. Wow, so I
[00:45:54] [SPEAKER_00]: Think what's most important to me now was just being like yes
[00:45:57] [SPEAKER_00]: I am a gay man that plays what I play and it's
[00:46:00] [SPEAKER_00]: multi-faceted what I play and people like me exist
[00:46:04] [SPEAKER_00]: Right and their representation of us is always skewed to be something different to fit into pockets
[00:46:09] [SPEAKER_00]: Because those people need to feel like they exist and as they should because they do but people like me exist too
[00:46:15] [SPEAKER_00]: So I'm leaning really into just being as authentic as possible
[00:46:20] [SPEAKER_00]: so that I can shoot from the mountains I exist and let that be my success and hopefully
[00:46:27] [SPEAKER_00]: Spark something in some other person that says oh, I actually exist in this world. Nice
[00:46:32] [SPEAKER_01]: Well authenticity is huge for me too. So that's that's always a big plus for me
[00:46:36] [SPEAKER_01]: It's been hard. So thank you Gus for being I didn't touch on Adrian. I'm sorry
[00:46:40] [SPEAKER_00]: I ran a hodal girl. She reached out. They needed somebody last minute. I was in rehearsals for something else