Transcript of Jay Huguley: Causing Trouble in “Death on the Brandywine”

The one thing that I see that's very interesting with this film, the political landscape and society today, there's a lot of crazy things going on. So I think it is very timely. But then also it had to have been someone that was there, so they shut this party down. It plays on that game or that show Clue.

Yeah, it's the Eve of the announcement of a new political campaign, and terrible crime happens in the beginning, and they shut down this party because they know whoever did it must be there. It just spins from there.

Interesting.

Whatever happened doesn't have a whole lot to do with politics and has more to do with personal relationships. Everyone's a suspect.

You have an interesting cast star in there, the woman from Scandal, right?

She's awesome. I was really excited to work with her. She's a lifer actor. She's been around forever, and she's just really smart, and she's great in the movie.

Yes, she's awesome. What's up, everybody? Got a good one today. Got Jay Hugley here, starring in Death on the Brandywine. We're here to talk about this film, potentially a little bit of Landman Season 2. We'll see where he wants to go with it. But super happy to have him on the show. He's done some amazing things. A true detective, playing opposite of Matthew McConaher and Woody Harrelson. Just an overall well-rounded actor, true craftsman. So welcome to the show, Jay.

Thank you so much. Great to be here.

Oh, man, it's good to see your face, man, and talk about this new movie coming out. I watched the trailer, and I got to tell you, I'm sitting here and I'm on suspense, and I'm thinking, dang it, I hate watching these things because I want to watch this immediately.

Yeah, it's fun. I mean, as actors, we read so many scripts, and sometimes by... You know by the first few pages, and on page 10 of this thing, I was like, What? This is really twisting now. And yeah, it was a lot of fun to read, a lot of fun to work on.

The thing that I thought was really interesting is the whole thing was 100% shot in, was it Delaware?

Yeah, in Wilmington, Delaware. That's pretty cool. I had never really spent much time. I grew up in New Jersey, but I've only driven through those parts, so it was cool to spend time there. And I live in California, so it was great to have a winter. We were there all of February, and then we just start dumping snow. And then the next day. It was just a beautiful experience, all of it.

That's awesome, man. You mentioned by page 10, you were just locked in. What was it about the script? Again, because if I'm reading books or if I'm watching a trailer or watching a screener, I usually know within the first five minutes, too, of what I'm really going to be into. But what was it specifically about the whole script and then specifically about your character that you were like, This is it right here?

It's fun for an actor to play a character who's trouble and who has a secret and who messes up the whole equilibrium of the story. And that was Rye Reilly. A thing happens, which I can't really tell you about because of the spoiler. But I'm a neer-de-well son who may or may not be involved, and I drink too much, and I talk too much. And just from early on, he just seemed like trouble, and he really mess things up for the investigation, for the family. And that's a really fun thing to play for an actor.

Is it because you seem like the complete opposite, right? It's just in our early interaction, you have the opportunity to play something completely contrary to who you are in real life. How much of that do you look into when you're reading a script?

We all have to go around and obeying the rules and being a good guy, and we're trying to get ahead in our careers. So it's fun to play someone who just throws all of that in the garbage and says what he wants to say and gets in trouble. So it's a lot of fun to play someone who's totally contrary to who you are. Absolutely.

I can only.

My parents would not have tolerated Rye-Reilly for five minutes.

It's really cool. Do you find when you're playing that, because that's not who you are, right? You say you get to We're always trying to be on our best behavior, but then you get to play this character, like Rye-Reilly, that's just off the reservation. Do any of these underlying things that you wish you could do on a normal daily basis come out in that character? Because you're allowed to do that, right? You're allowed to be off the cuff a little bit.

No, I mean, I've never been one of those actors who brings their work home at night. So as soon as the work day is done, I'm good to go. I'm back to myself. That's cool.

That's interesting, though, because you hear a lot about actors getting caught in their character. How real is that?

It's never been very real for me. I will tell you one time, I did a play called Rabbit Hole by David Lindsay A Bear. It was a long run in Los Angeles, and it won the Pulitzer Prize, that play. It's really brilliant. It's about a family that lose a child. I played the dad. About four weeks into the run, I turned to another actor. I was like, I'm sad. I was like, I got to figure out. When I do something like this, I got to figure out another way to work on it because that was the one time I was bringing it home. I'd go home at night and think like, Okay, I got to figure out another way in to this character.

How did you work through that?

Luckily, I only had a few more weeks left But I'm lucky. I live in California, so I'd go for long walks on the beach. I dive in the ocean. Something to bring me out of it. Exercise always helps. Talking to a good friend always helps. And knowing that you're really having an impact on the audience, we had great audiences for that play. And so it felt like good work.

That's awesome because everything you're mentioning, I think the viewers, the listeners right now, even myself, can relate to grounding yourself in some way, shape, or form, right? Whether you're a sales professional, author, actor, all the things being equal, It's nice to reconnect with the Earth and just ground yourself, hop in the ocean, and move your body a little bit, man.

Yeah, for sure. Because you think you want to keep doing this thing that you love doing. So you got to figure out a way to to have your feet on the ground. I've never been one of those actors who thought you had to really have the feelings of the character. I'm not a method actor. If I play someone who's drunk, which I do in Death on the Brand New Wine, I've never felt like I had to go out and really get drunk or show up drunk. I think if you want to keep doing the thing that you love doing, you got to find a way to be in the world and continue to do it and happy.

I agree. With my job, even in an interview, I take on so much energy because I'm talking to so many different people, and I have to find a way on the way home to leave the briefcase at the mailbox, so to speak. The briefcase at the mailbox. It's like, okay, all the energy I absorb, I got to find a way to release it because it can affect me when I get home. It can leave me in a certain energy. So again, completely different industry and a different set of Execution Daily, but I really understand what you're talking about.

Yeah, no, we're talking about the same thing. And it's also not fair to the people in your life, your loved ones and your friends and so on. You got to figure that stuff out.

Yeah, absolutely.

You're nice to be around, if simply.

Yeah, exactly. I can't be a jerk. I got to be cool. I want my three kids to like me a little bit.

They haven't seen you all day. They want a good version of you when you get home. Yeah.

Yeah, that's a hard one, right? Because you have all the good intentions and you get home and one little thing, if it's on your mind and you have to answer something, you can get tied back up into it. But I always try to find this strategy. As soon as I start cooking is my phone goes away for about three, four hours. I don't try to pick it back up until my kids are asleep. That's the way I disconnect.

That's really smart.

That's really great. Yeah. We can't get into a whole bunch of stuff about the movie and what it's about because we can't spoil it. But what can you tell the audience? Just give the synopsis of the plot of the movie. Then I want to talk to you because you have an interesting cast star in there, the woman from, oh my gosh, what was it? Scandal, right? She's awesome. Yes, she's awesome. She's so intense and so good in what she does. It was a really cool casting job by putting her in this role from what I can tell.

Yeah, I was really excited to work with her, and she was even better than advertised. She's a lifer actor. She's been around forever, and she's just really smart and really interesting to talk to. And so we were able to spend a lot of time together, and she's great in the movie. Yeah, it's the eve of a political announcement of a new political campaign, and terrible, terrible crime happens in the beginning, and they shut down this party because they know whoever did it must be there. And that's where it starts. It just spins out from there. It's really, as you've received, great.

You're killing me here, man. I'm just so jacked up to see this. And I know I'm trying to be very calculated on the things that I talk about and ask. But the one thing that I see that's very interesting with this film, and just going Going off of what you just said, the political landscape in society today. There's a lot of crazy things going on. So I think it is very timely. But then also, you're saying it had to have been someone that was there, so they shut this party down. It plays on that game or that show Clue as well.

Yeah, and it becomes pretty clear early on that whatever happened doesn't have a whole lot to do with politics and has more to do with personal relationships within the family, within the community. And yeah, everyone's a suspect. Everyone's got their eyes on them, and there's a detective, and it's a lot of fun. It's a lot of A clue is a good analogy.

Yeah, I try, man. I'm wrong a lot of times, but I think I nailed that one. You did a great job describing it, too. Again, I've only seen the trailer. Hopefully, I can get a screener sometime soon because I'm dying to watch it. But the big thing is what I see so far is that it's high-paced. And in today's viewers, just in the audience in general, you have to continuously keep them engaged. What was it like being on set and really focusing on that tempo for all of you guys?

Yeah, it's always the director that sets the tempo or the mood or the pace of the film. And he always, nick Wilkinson, who's just brilliant, he put that all in our head early on that this thing's got to move. And you'll see, there's a lot of cameras whipping around and police cars and, you know, motorcycles. That's awesome.

I'm excited. I'm really excited. I know you guys have some early screening Screening's coming out in early November. Hopefully, I can catch one of them, man. Hopefully, there's one going on in my area.

I'm sure there will be. They have that tradition of premiering a film where they shot it. So we're going to premiere at the Rehoboth Film Festival next week.

That's awesome, man. I'm sure it's going to go well. I can't wait to hear about it.

I know. Me too. I'm looking forward to it.

Let's talk a little bit just about your journey as as an actor. As we all know, it's never an easy road, and no career is ever easy. But Hollywood in that type of industry can be very difficult. What are some of the things that you've early on overcame as far as adversity? Just tell us a little bit about that because I think the audience would love to connect with that.

The thing I tell young actors a lot of the time is that you're signing on for a weird life. It's not a linear career at all. You don't get promoted. If you work hard, that doesn't mean you're going to be vice president someday. There's not this linear ascent to this career. You've got to complete... You're just constantly starting over. And the other thing I always say is get very good at the acting part of the job, the craft, because that is a commodity that they all need. You're not going to hold on to your youth. You're not going to hold on to your Fame. You're not going to hold it. But if you're a good actor, and if you spend a lot of time in class and working on plays and working on scenes, if you get really good at the job of acting, they're going to need you. And that's a sustainable commodity.

One of the things that I really just enjoyed you saying, and I've heard from Frankie Faison and a lot of other actors that took a long time. I think it was 15 years before Frankie got his big break in Coming to America. But when you look at actors and actresses, they talk about practicing the craft. I mean, really diving in and understanding the process and what that looks like. Because I think to the outside world, actors and actresses, they go, they do a little audition, and And then they shoot the movie, and then it goes out and like, Oh, cool. That was great. But there's a big back into it and perfecting your craft. You guys are no different than professionals, just run-of-the-mill and corporate that are working to get better every day.

Yeah. Exactly. It's so important. And it's part of the thrilling thing about what we do is if you work hard... I go to an acting studio every Saturday, and it's all working actors, and we put up scenes from plays and stuff like that. I'm always working, trying to get better and better. And you feel yourself getting better. That's fun. That's a really fun lifelong pursuit, getting better in your craft.

Well, that's what I really enjoy hearing, right? Because you've had a long career of a lot of amazing things that you've done. But every Saturday, you're in with a bunch of working actors looking to get better. It just proves the point to people listening watching that, no matter where you're at in your career, no matter how good you think you are or how successful you have been, you have to continue to be a lifelong learner.

Yeah, for sure. It's called Workspace Hollywood. Whenever I bring a guest, people are like, Oh, whoa, they're in this class, or, Oh, wow. Because everyone wants to do... We all get these opportunities to play these big parts and plays, and we get the opportunities that we get. And so it's nice to go in and work really hard at something that you've wanted to do for a long time. And you do see people getting better and better all the time and working more, which is fun.

It means this community aspect, too, right? Because you can see other people grow, and I'm sure you guys are there for each other, communicating and encouraging each other.

Absolutely. And that's the other thing I tell young actors all the time. I'm like, as soon as you can get into a community of other actors, whether it's an acting class, do a play, because you want someone to call at the end of the day and be like, Oh, I didn't get that thing. Will you read this with me so I can better at it for tomorrow? It's a tough business sometimes, and you want to have a comrade for sure.

Yeah. What is the hardest part about doing what you do? That is a loaded question, I know.

Yeah, it changes all the time. I would say for me at this stage in my life, the hardest part is when you want something really, really bad and it goes to another actor, I'm the honest. You think, Oh, man, now I can't see it. But then you're like, That's ridiculous. And then you'll go see it. You're like, Oh, he's actually really good. All that This stuff is tough. And I've missed a lot of things. I've missed a lot of weddings. I've missed people's birthdays. I've missed christenings, all those things. They can't shut down a TV show because I want to go to my buddy's wedding. I can quit the TV show, but I can't do that. So I've missed a lot of important events. That's a big one, I think.

We're talking about sacrifice right now. In order to be really great at what you do, in order to have the sustainability that you had in your career, there's going to be certain things that you miss. I know a lot of people struggle with that. And I have to do it. And again, I have to do But in this business, too. There's times where I need to travel and go out to LA and film interviews, and I may miss a soccer game, I may miss a baseball game. In my previous life, that never happened before. And so at the very beginning, it was very hard for me, Jay, to be, I'm going to miss I miss something of my kids. This is really difficult.

I know. And part of me thinks that may be a generational thing because my dad's 92 and healthy and lives in Massachusetts, and he was just always missing stuff when I was a kid because he was always traveling internationally for business. But when he was home, he was home, and he was really present with me. And you get a little older and you realize, he was out making money. He was out having a career pursuing his passion so that I could go to college or so that I could go to school. You realize those things. They come later on, but yeah.

Yeah. How much of going back to that and reflecting on that, what your dad did traveling so much, in your words, that he wasn't around much because he was having a career, how did that shape your work ethic?

My father My father was really good at... I remember when I told my father I wanted to be an actor, he was like, That's literally the only thing I don't know anything about. I can't help you at all. Anything else, I could give you some advice, business, or But I think the way he shaped me the most in terms of my career is that he showed up for every single play I was ever in. He sat in the front row. He was proud of me. He Once he knew what I wanted to do, he was on board and supported me in every way he could. And that is huge. And I realized the older I get, the more I realized, had Why not had my dad even flinched, said, No, the acting thing, I don't know. I might have switched gears, but here I am.

That's important because there's two things here that I want to explore. One is being present when it matters. He didn't miss anything, excuse me, front row, and he didn't flinch when you mentioned what you wanted to do. Growing up, Jay, I played baseball my whole life. Went to college and played baseball. All I wanted to do was be a Major League baseball player. You could not tell me any different, bro. I was like, You're going to tell me I'm not doing this? Well, then I would write you off. I'd cut you out quick. I don't care if you're a family member. I didn't have any time to listen to people tell me I couldn't to do something. How important was that? Because that career, your career, is almost untouchable for a lot of people. When someone says, I want to be an actor, or even me, when I broke off from Corporate America saying, I'm going to grow this podcast, people looked at me like I had seven eyeballs. It's very important to be super comfortable with your gifts and what you feel your purpose is to move forward. Again, because your family supported you, but how about the other people in your life?

What were some of the things that they said to you when you became very public about what you wanted to do?

I mean, it is so important not to listen to people's opinions about what they think you should or shouldn't be doing with your life. I really believe that. I had an acting teacher early on that said, Pick three people. Pick three people that you completely trust and just turn to them and go like, Hey, was I good in that? Or, Should I do this? Or, What do you think of this? I think that's really important. You got to cut out all the noise because it's crazy. It's crazy what we want to do. Being an actor, you have to be partly insane, I think, because the nos that you hear along the way just keep coming. So you got to shut up all the noise and focus on what's in front of you.

That right there, that rejection aspect, right? There's so many people listening right now that are afraid to pursue their passion because they're afraid of the rejection. And in your business and in my business, rejection is multiple times a day. How would you, I would say, give them advice on to move forward with what they want to do despite the fear of all that rejection?

I mean, you have two ways to go. You can quit or you can jump back in and work harder. I've definitely gone on auditions, especially in my 20s, where I walked out of there and going like, I think I was good, but I don't think I got the part. I didn't grab that. I didn't get it. And then you pivot. You're like, Well, what can I do? What choice could I have made that would have made the room go, Whoa, that's weird. That's great. Or that was scary. Or he's the guy. So you just have to go back in and work harder. If you really want this thing, you've got to work really hard. And and not give up and don't listen to the noise.

Yeah. So I think there's always going to be a level of noise. I can remember going back when I left teaching to go into sales, people talked. When I left sales career to go into this, people talked. For sure. It's always going to be that way. And always think about this, and it could be completely off base, I could be wrong. But I always say, listen to the people that are doing what you're doing that have been very successful at what you want to do. And outside of your own opinion, those are the only ones that matter, because why would you turn to somebody that is not even doing what you're doing? And you're asking them for help, and you're holding their opinion and allowing it to impact your confidence in this It's just like, and a lot of times, too, the people that are going to come at you the hardest, it's not about you, it's about them. You're reminding them that they're not chasing their dreams and they're not doing enough.

I mean, 100 %. That's exactly right. I always had an acting teacher early on that said, If someone disparages your career or your choices or whatever, even if it's in a little joke or in a little aside or something really subtle, never let it go. Politely, confront it. And we all have them. We all have that uncle who says, It's a tough road you've chosen. I don't know. How long are you going to give this thing? Or whatever. And you can take it and let it depress you, or you can turn to them and say, Actually, what you do would be a tough road for me, working in a cubicle every day and going through law briefs. And that would be really hard for me. I'm pursuing the thing I always wanted to do. So every day, even if it's not a good day, it's great for me. Can you pass the potatoes? Yeah.

Can you give me the last piece of steak?

Exactly. You don't have to be a jerk about it. But you can say, I hear what you're saying, and I don't like that joke.

Do you ever keep that as fuel?

Oh, yeah. I don't hold grudges or anything, but I never However, if someone says something even slightly disparaging about what I do, I never let it go.

Yeah. Same, man.

Yeah. I'm proud of my job. I'm proud of the work that I do, and I've done it in my life to it. So I'm not going to let a dumb joke slide. I won't be a jerk about it. I'll politely say, I heard that, and, Nope.

It's so funny because Because I used to operate with this massive crater-sized chip on my shoulder. When people come to me, How's your little podcast doing? That pissed me off. I would always respond, Great. How are you doing? What are you doing? But for me, I always keep these comments as just, I always say, all you're doing is putting rocket fuel in the engine, bud. That's all you're doing. Now I handle it a little more gracefully. I think about it and I just smile, but then I always keep tabs. I always keep tabs because they always come back around. Hey, I'm really proud of you. What you're doing is incredible. I can't believe it. And I'm thinking, all right, dude. Three years ago, you were laughing at me.

Yes, exactly. And the truth is, if we're honest about it, anyone who says, anyone refers to your little podcast is not pursuing what they want to do. You got to feel bad for them because if they're hating on you, then something's wrong.

It's funny because people make jokes about people, but like me, right? They did like, what was the show, You People with Jona Hill? He quit his career and he started a podcast. I'm like, oh, my God. Me quitting a massive corporate sales career to start a podcast, that's the most douchey character in a series. They make fun of people like me.

I mean, if we're We're going to go through the long list of actors being made fun of and things. Yeah. No, no, no. Yeah, sure. We just got to let a slide off our back and go forward.

Yeah, I think it's always important, too, to think about why you're doing it, right? Why did I choose this career? Why did you choose your career? What was the path? What's the reasoning behind it? And when you can dive into that purpose every day, the noise goes away because you know you're on a different mission. They can't even comprehend what I'm doing, what you're doing. I'm going to give them some grace, but I'm going to take that foot and I'm going to put the gas pedal down. I'm like, You're going to feel me. You're going to see. I still operate like that a little bit.

Yeah, that's exactly right.

It's fun, man. It's fun. What has been the one job that you did not get, that you felt you were going to get that really just ate you up?

Wow. I don't have anything off the top of my head right now. I just know that it happens probably once a year. Sometimes it's a pilot that doesn't go, and you think, Would it gone if I was in it? I've definitely read for things tested for things where I was like, This is my part. I can bring everything I've learned along the way to this, and it's going to be good. And then they cast another actor, and then it doesn't go. And I think I'm confident enough to think I really could have done something with that, and it would have been different. But yeah, it happens all the time.

It's part of the job. The reason I asked that question is because most people cannot relate relate to what you do. They can't relate. They're not on the big screen. They're not sitting opposite of Matthew McConaher and Woody Harrelson. They're just not. They're not doing that. I always like to tie in these little anecdotes in there to where they can relate, wait a second, this guy gets this once a year, and maybe sometimes more. So they can relate to the fact like, hey, we're not all that different. And if they can push through it and still work on their craft, then why am I sitting here bitching and moaning about it. I need to move forward.

Right. That's right. The bitching and moaning thing, I was lucky. I had really good mentors and teachers early on that knocked the heck out of me because there's no way to live. Do something else. If you're going to bitch and moan your way through a career, then please pick something else because there's always another way to go. Always another way to pivot.

That's a good point. That's a good point because every career I've been in, someone's bitching and moaning. Yeah, for sure. Someone's asking, How come you have all this? How come you're getting all the press? How come you're signing with a big agency? How come you're doing this? I was like, I don't know the answer for you, but I can tell you something. The reason you're not is because you're asking me that question. That's something you got to explore. That's not for me.

Yeah. A teacher, the answer is in the question. Exactly what you're saying.

You mentioned mentors, right? Who has played the biggest role in your development that has inspired you the most in your career?

There's a great acting teacher, Milton Cuscellus. He died in 2008. I started studying with him right when I came to Los Angeles. He directed a bunch of movies in the '70s, Butterflies are Free, and did a lot of theater, and worked with a lot of the greats, Betty Davis, Jenna Rollins, all the way to George Clooney and Michelle Pfeiffer. He was just a really great teacher. He was a crazy old Greek guy who... I was this polite kid from New Jersey who wanted to be an actor. The way he talked to me, it's just no one had ever talked to me that way before. That was really important in my journey of an actor. I would do a scene for him and he'd say, Why the hell are you so polite? And stuff like that. He's like, Be polite in your life, your friends, in your family, whatever, but not up on the stage. We got to find out who this person is. He really believed in me He trusted me, and he beat the polite out of me in terms of art and my work, which I think I needed at the time.

So what I'm hearing is, is he just challenged the hell out of you.

He did. And he really would say, Do you want this thing? Because you're not going to get this thing by being this sweet New Jersey kid who's polite all the time. You can be polite with your agents. You can be polite with your colleagues. But on the stage, you need to be this guy that you're playing. And you got to find that thing. And it was really all about being an artist. He'd say the same thing to a painter or a sculptor, or, Toss that polite stuff out the window because you got to get to work.

What I'm really hearing is that he cared.

Yeah, for sure. I think my first scene I ever did for him, he said, You're good. He said, There's a bit of an apology in your work. I can smell it. I said, I'm sorry. And the whole class. I didn't even hear myself say it. I didn't think about it. I just apologize. And the whole class burst out laughing. And we were on our way.

Yeah.

That's pretty cool.

He's like, We got to get rid of it. We got to get rid of it. It's so funny because when you said there's a bit of apology in your work, I knew right where you were going. I knew you were going to apologize. That's a lot of deep work, though, too, right? That's a lot of getting through things. How did you work through that?

It's that thing of whatever you want to call it, fake it till you make it, or you act the part of someone who is not that long enough. I remember early on in auditions, I'd act a part of an actor who deserved to be at this audition in this room. I'd say, Hey, do you mind if I move this chair over here? And I would run the room. I'm like, I'm going to use this for the chef and use this for the lawyer. And I'm going to put this chair right here. And the casting director would be like, You can do whatever you want. And there was something about playing a character of an actor, even before the audition, who deserved to be there, who was right for this part. And it didn't It's still natural at first, but it doesn't.

How do you prepare for this specific role, Death on the Brandy Wine? How do you prepare on your own to get in this mindset of playing something completely opposite of who you I mean, everyone's different, but I always look at how are we similar is the first thing I look at.

How does he dress? How does he walk? And then you just bit by bit think about what he wants. He wants his father's life. He wants to stop drinking. He wants to be more successful than his brother. So with Rye Reilly, I really looked at where he had messed up, who he wanted to be, and you just build it bit by bit. And break it down scene by scene. You think like, what does he want in this scene? Does he want the drink that's sitting on the other side of the room? How's he going to get it? So, yeah, you just go very slowly and bit by bit.

That's I love that. And again, the audience listening, you just heard Jay say bit by bit. That sounds very small, but that's everything. That is everything in life. No matter what you're chasing, You have to go from stage to stage to stage. It's all in the little bitty micro movements. And I love that you brought that up.

Yeah. And you got to have patience. You got to know that If you go bit by bit, if you really take your time, the end product is going to be good.

But it takes time. You just melted down the whole audience with the P-word patience, because I don't think a lot of people have that nowadays.

No, it's very, very true. It's very true, and it's everything.

Yeah, I hear you. And it's hard. I'm not saying it's super easy to be patient. All my people that are my team, my production, everybody that's involved in my company knows that by nature, I'm an extremely impatient individual. I want it now. I want to grow now. But it's important for everybody to work backwards and go, Okay, here's the end goal, but what do I need to do every second of the day to move myself towards that and really fall in love, and I talk about this on every show, is the moments in the journey. Because once you hit that massive milestone, it's almost like there's this moment where, Oh, I'm What now? And what I realized is I love the chase. I love the work. So now I got to take this endpoint and move it way the hell up here and start to chase that.

Yeah, that's right. There's no other way around it. I mean, you have to put in the work. Then I always say to young actors, too, once you've done all the work, then you have to throw it out and grab it by the reins, especially in acting, I think. If you're rehearsing a play or rehearsing a part, you have to do all the preliminary work. How do they talk? How do they walk? How do they love? Who are their parents? Who raise them? And then you can come up with the character. And then on the day, you just have to throw all that by the wayside and get to work. But the work, it's in there. It's all in there. Yeah.

That's what's fascinating to me, right? Because it's easy for me to equate that to what I do. But what I love hearing you say is just like with an athlete, you're going to practice, you're going to practice, you're going to practice. As soon as the disco lights come on, you just go. You perform. You got to trust that all that work led you up to this moment, and then you're ready.

Yeah, exactly.

That's good stuff. Before Before we close it out, are you able to talk about Landman coming up, the new season?

Yeah. I mean, you sign a million things that says you can't give away any plot points, but my stuff is really fun to work on. It's a great set. I've worked on one of Taylor Sheridan's other shows, Lionet. I did four.

Yes.

I did four of those, so I was very happy to come back to his universe. And my stuff is with Demi Moore. I think I can say that. And It's interesting. That's about all I could say, but it's super smart and a great director, and I'm excited about it.

Well, Mr. Sheridan does great work, and it's One of the biggest shows on TV, man. That's a big deal.

He's the best. He used to be an actor, so boy, does he get it? He really knows how to work with actors. And on Linas, he came in and did a voiceover piece that they might have just had an intern do or something like that. He just cares so much about the product. He is like Orson Welles to me. I mean, he's just one of the most talented guys to come around in a long time.

Yeah, super. That is a very popular opinion about him. I mean, it truly is. It's really cool to see what he's created and what he's done and how So the light you're speaking of him in. I think it means everything.

Often, all those qualities don't come in one person. Sometimes you can technically have a real eye for what works and success and not have all the nuance and storytelling. But he's a great writer. He's a great director. I don't know. I'm a huge fan.

That's pretty awesome because a lot of I can use this analogy. Everybody looks back that Love Barry Bonds, great baseball player, but he was a shit of a person, right? To the media and to his teammates. That's the word. But Mr. Sheridan, he's very creative. He's amazing. But then he's also sounding like he's a great person.

Yeah. Yeah. He really is as an actor because he was one and is one. And so that's always a plus.

That's awesome. Well, look, Jay, I appreciate I appreciate you coming on and sharing with the audience. A little bit out of death on the Brandy one. I know we couldn't touch too much into it, but I'm super excited to see that. The audience, you need to go check it out. You need to watch that movie and support him and the cast when it comes out in theater. But more than anything, I just want to thank you for giving the audience a piece of you and talking about your process, the things that you went through, the things that inspire you, and giving them a real-life look into your life as a professional.

Well, thank you Well, thank you very much. I really enjoyed this. Same, man. Let me know what you think of the movie.

I can't wait, man. I'll definitely let everybody know, and I'll get the message to you. But for the audience, go check this movie out, like I said. Share this episode with somebody you know, love and trust. Get a group of people going, get some popcorn, get some candy, get your Coke Zero, and watch this damn movie. So until next time, guys, stay determined.