DISCLAIMER:
The following output was transcribed from our audio recording.
Although the transcription is largely accurate, it may be incomplete or inaccurate due to inaudible passages or transcription errors.
It is posted to aid in understanding the interview but should not be treated as an authoritative record.
Mindy Cohn 00:02
Hey everybody welcome back to season three of Mondays with Mindy, hey Christian!
Christian Brescia 00:08
hi everybody!
Mindy Cohn 00:09
again i'm i'm we're both very tickled that we have sponsors this season so I want to give a shout out to one of my favorite hotels of all time. If you find yourself in upstate New York would stop while you go down, just putting it out there. Anyway, today's episode features a conversation with actor writer stand up and musician Malcolm Barrett Malcolm was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, studied at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. nabad immediately started working on several new york based television shows law and order and the sopranos, as well as roles in the feature films where he crowned The Hurt Locker swim fan and Dear White People. Malcolm moved west to Los Angeles and continue to wrap up the credits in both television and film while simultaneously becoming an equity member and working his magic onstage. Malcolm is also talented in poetry, improvisation and stand up comedy. He was a founding member of the nonprofit Theatre Company real theater works in New York City and is a founding member of the ammunition Theatre Company in Los Angeles known as ammo to those of us members. It produces original work and reimagined classics. In fact, Malcolm was nominated and won many innovation award with his affiliation with mo in 2018. He was nominated for the original play bring problems which he wrote and started under amas banner, and I actually met a couple years earlier workshopping the musical together for the center theater group here in Los Angeles and we immediately fell in love with each other. He's truly a remarkable actor and performer. Musically, Malcolm is also known as verbal or verbal, the rapper or verbal, less vigorous, he's recorded numerous tracks but his live shows are not to be believed they're out of this world. From 2016 to 2018. Malcolm starts simultaneously in two series, both of which I watched that are amazing, NBC timeless as Reavis and AMC preacher, as the character Hoover most recently can be seen as Seth read in the series The boys and up next for Malcolm, I'm so excited for him. This is huge, because starring with Cynthia arrivo in genius, Aretha, the limited series about the life of Aretha Franklin, it's set to debut on National Geographic early next year. Huge, right? Wow. He also himself has a podcast called goi ng live with Malcolm with Malcolm, and I'm looking forward to having conversation with him today.
Christian Brescia 02:41
Me too. I mean, it doesn't sound like he has a lot of accomplishments, but maybe we'll find a few once we start talking to him.
Mindy Cohn 02:47
Yeah, hopefully he'll redeem himself.
Christian Brescia 02:49
Yeah, a little bit. Ladies and gentlemen, it is our pleasure to welcome to the show, Malcolm Barrett. Heyyyyyy!
Mindy Cohn 02:56
hello. me so happy, me so happy.
Malcolm Barrett 03:01
I'm so happy. I don't remember the last time actually saw your beautiful face. Oh,
Mindy Cohn 03:06
that's too long. That's all I know. So anyway, here, we jump right in with just randomly asking you a few questions, we'll get to know you. do a deep dive. It's just the wheel. Yeah, from the top. Okay. Now, what do you do when you're stuck creatively?
Malcolm Barrett 03:24
When I'm stuck creatively, I think there's two strategies to do something when you're stuck creatively, which is just completely do something else. Which sometimes works like you'll start like, I don't know, like, try hitting things are reading something or blah, blah, so that your mind just starts thinking about other things. Because then all of a sudden, one of those things that happens over here suddenly feeds an idea that you were thinking about that, like you're just stuck in a rut about and the others that just, you know, just sit in a room and do the thing, right? Like whatever it is, you just like go to the room like today I was supposed to right? And so I like sat I came into this office, right to see the hall. Yeah, thank you. Thank you. So I came into this office and like sat at a laptop and like sat there. And I wrote like a word, but it got me into mode for what it would be like if I started writing.
Christian Brescia 04:12
You got to put your seat in the chair otherwise,
Mindy Cohn 04:14
and it's muscle memory.
Christian Brescia 04:15
Yeah, yeah.
Mindy Cohn 04:17
That muscles your brain. Exactly. Okay, dude, where are you grew up or were raised, probably help you define your or, or create your creative.
Malcolm Barrett 04:26
It's 100% my company that's, you know, you become your own business. A lot of times when you're in an entertainment industry is called Brooklyn bound. You know, because I feel bound to Brooklyn in so many different ways that affected how I am affected my sense of community. You know, I did so many soup kitchens and church there. It's also where you know, I was broke a lot of my life, right. So like, you know, by the time I got to doing theater in college, I knew how to make a play, how to direct how to produce a play using absolutely nothing because I knew how to do stuff with nothing. You You know what I mean? So in a lot of ways, it also it affected the stories I told, because the plays that I immediately wanted to tell when I started making plays, we're talking head plays, you know, plays where people were just literally were motivated. It was just people talking to each other and interacting with each other,
05:15
and characters.
05:16
So I think, you know, in a lot of ways that don't seem obvious, it changed how I approach character, how I approach acting, and the story that I want to tell because
05:26
not to be a tangential Trudi, but I am. Before we get to the next question, I just want to ask you say that about you know, being poor and just starting out after college, etc. But you started to work in New York? Yes. I mean, you worked on good stuff. And I'm just curious what led you to move out to Los Angeles.
05:46
So this is what happened. So I was in college. And like I said, I was working. But it was also one of those things where I was in school on scholarship, and in a lot of ways I was paying for school with active because we were kind of struggling. So it was also one of those things where, you know, I was almost making the decision between going to school and actually trying to act because it looks consistent. Now, looking back, do you know what I mean? But when you're 19, and you're, you know, heating your place with a stove, and you're going, Hey, do I travel for six months to do this play? Right? Where I could possibly get paid? Or do I do a law and order episode, but then they like, want to throw me out of school or throw me out of class because I went and did law and order. And so now I'm failing school because I'm booking work, which is paying for school. And none of it is as consistent as it looks right now. Do you know what I mean? Because, you know, it was a very long compensation. I left school three times. And the very first time was in 1999, when I went on tour with wit, and that was a long conversation with my mother and with myself. I remember smoking a cigarette, and I don't smoke cigarettes. Because I was trying to decide, I mean, I'm 1819 years old deciding my future, because I don't know that that plays going to take me anywhere past that, you know what I mean? And, and up until then, my whole life is school. And my school life wasn't art. It was math and science. You know, it wasn't until college that art became the thing where I said, I'm going to do that. And even when I did it, it felt very selfish. Do you know what I mean? Because it wasn't a stable job. You know what I mean? It wasn't anything that I could count on getting me paid every Friday, right? in any way, shape, or form. And around that time, once I got paid, I became the breadwinner of the family. You know what I mean? And so it's a very hard transition, when you're not sure everything's gonna line up the way they line up when it goes positive.
07:52
Listen, I'm 54, it still doesn't. You know, the thing is, I'm a free agent, like, it's life I've chosen, so I'm okay with it. You know, I still have to make everybody else Okay, within a time even, you know, 45 years later, I'm sorry, I cut you off. Tell me about your trajectory to LA then what was the deciding factor? any opportunity?
08:13
Both of those things? I think by that time, I had an agent and he lucky. And I think around that time, I actually auditioned for pilot season, which again, was looked down upon in my school. Do you know what I mean? They didn't want you to be acting program. They didn't want you going out to act, but it's how I was paying for anything. So that's what happened. And then what winds up happening is I auditioned for a show called Louie Luis with Luis Guzman, and I got the part and it took me to LA and you know, we bonded because he's from the Lower East Side. And I used to do poetry at the new Rica and he's performed there, john Leguizamo house, a bug and all of that, yes. Like, really what happened is I got the audition, I booked the gig. And then like, it was one of those things, you know how quickly these things happen, where it was like one of those things where I'm in LA to screen test, I'm hanging with my boy. And I'm like, hey, there's a possibility. If I get this, I'll have to move here. I hope you mind if I stay with you a couple, whatever the hell blah, blah. And then I booked the gig like, literally, I'm at a diner sitting with him and I booked the gig. And I'm like, I think I'm moving in with you.
09:20
Yes, you know what I mean? Yeah,
09:22
yeah. And so that became my life. And then it was one of those things of, you know, that show wound up getting cancelled, but it wound up being one of those things where you sort of kick the ball and wind up going wherever the ball goes. And so luckily, it went in the right direction. And I'm still kicking.
09:37
Yeah,
09:38
Yes, you are. And Louis was great because Louis would call me at like, six something in the morning. Be like, bro, you want to get some eggs? Yeah, man. Sure. Okay.
09:50
It's so interesting that you say that because a couple of my first experiences with people still resonate with me how I moved to my career in my world, and It's so fascinating to me that I, I hear that that's kind of I look for that I look for the same things that were given to me early on.
10:06
Exactly, exactly. Yeah.
10:08
Yeah. All right. Of course, taking myself out of this question is a possible answer. Who is the most fascinating person you've met
10:17
Mindy Cohen. And then second to that. I'm sure there's like a really like, famous name that like really pops that I can't think of right now. That's really fascinating to work with. And, but one of the most fascinating individuals I know, is a band guy, a band member, we'd always compare him to Prince and he's just one of those guys who's just rock and roll guy, musician, he, you know, sings he doesn't play with me. He played with my boy, Brandon, who I formed with, but they had a group called yellow Alex name is Alex Gideon, I feel like he'll be okay with me telling the story. And we all went on a retreat a bunch of bucks him Brandon, Brittany, mine are a bunch of singer, musician, folks, whatever. So we were just trying to create stuff. And I don't know whose house it was, or if it's a mansion, or whatever it is. But me and Brandon, we're going downstairs. And it's this beautiful place the architecture, and it's got these glass walls, right, and through one of the glass walls of the bath. And so from the outside, you can see people using the bathroom. And so it was a boy Alec sitting on a toilet using the bathroom, and we turn around, and me and Brandon are shocked. But he isn't. He's like totally cool. And he's I swear to you, he just goes right. And it was so cool. It like threw us off. Like we were just like, I don't Yes. Do we stay? I don't. We're gonna
11:49
present and accounted for. Yeah.
11:54
It was like, all right. I feel weird. Be cooler. I don't understand that.
12:04
This individual Yeah.
12:07
Besides your mobile phone, which is something you never leave home without,
12:11
I'd say my keys but I like 5050 I leave home without something I never leave home without something to write on. I think for the most part, I've always got a piece of paper or something to jot and idea if it wasn't my phone, I'd be carrying my book bag with like my laptop or there's always when it was when I was in high school, I'd always carry a composition book and a little book bag. And then when I became a poet, and you don't carry composition books anymore, I'd carry a laptop and a laptop case or and then when I was just broken, my laptop broke. I carry composition book in a laptop case. Yeah, you got to think outside the box.
13:04
What's your favorite place to travel to and why
13:06
I actually don't go traveling enough and everyone in my life complains about that. So I always feel like I have to work. I have to work all the time. All the time. It's probably too much. I mean, half the time. I'm just sitting here playing video games and the idea of a job right and right now, I'm okay. You know what I mean? But you know, the only place I've gone to Jamaica and I like that I'm going to Cancun and that was good until it went bad. So I'm gonna put your makeup there
13:38
what parenting can code is it is it interesting Do I need to know
13:42
whatever you think it is how what happened?
13:48
I like it I like so what's so crazy about Christian and i doing this Mondays with Mindy is kind of came to me with this idea. The one thing that I was missing in the pandemic, because truth be told, I'm a loner. So this was March April May was not a true hardship for me when I knew we had fresh air, fresh water and groceries. But I missed obviously talking to people but especially creative. And I cannot believe we are in season three and it's still happening. I mean, it's so nuts so I'm finding these conversations I don't know about you Christians so much more necessarily, because I think I'm having a harder time now than I did in the beginning of just not being able to create be with other creatives. Um, so have you been doing
14:35
you know what's funny enough is I feel like in some ways I started doing my podcast the show around the same time for the same reason. Okay, it was really to you know, it was happening started after the lockdown after lockdown started, I had no idea what to do you know what I mean? But it was also dealing with black lives matter. And so I didn't know what I was doing with that and and with luck down and a pandemic and so there's a lot of things pulling you and a lot of things telling you to stay home at the same time.
15:07
You wrapped a reason.
15:10
I personally have wrapped but a reefer the TV show hat. Oh, yeah, but I was done or so I thought dot dot dot live. Okay, okay. Yeah, yeah. Yeah.
15:29
We all did it. Yeah.
15:32
Yeah, yeah, there. And then so they brought they brought me back and so I had to do some some reshoots when I came back. And then and, and, and all of that sort of stuff. But so I, you know, I was just kind of chillin. And then, and then actually, yeah, I found out I got work while I was in the pandemic, I was like, okay, whatever, you know, whatever, give me some stuff. So I started the cast, going live with Malcolm with Malcolm, my calling to deal with all that I was dealing with, and I and the first guest I had on the official version was Marquis Richardson, because I just knew me and him who folks know from the white people from antebellum, because I just knew me and him could talk publicly and not give up. And be very honest, and have it be interesting, and go anywhere. And that's kind of been the theme of the show, no matter who the guest is, is that we kind of just have it go anywhere. Because that's kind of how I think everyone's feeling amidst all of this. It's like sometimes you feel really absurd, silly. And sometimes you just need somebody to ground you and say like, this is really happening, right? Like this is yes, we're all living in the same Mad Mad World. Yeah, yeah.
16:38
I mean, same thing. Christian. I both felt, you know, we don't need to have people talk about you know, what they're doing in the next project. Like, there's talk shows.
16:48
Yeah,
16:48
just miss connecting to like minded, like, hearted, like, sold people. And let's do it. And like, just put it out there. So okay, so that's fair. That's really, yeah. So my work is, and I booked pre COVID the film that I was on God, you know, they decided just not to continue. And then it booked something. And then it was like, We're going, we're not going we're going, we're not. What's your situation?
17:15
Are you going this next thing we were going and then now we're not going
17:22
to be, you know, not be working. But I think God, someone else.
17:32
rightfully so it was one of those things where it was a project, I forgot about them, they gave it to me, and I was like, great. And then it was like a hold. And then Oh, and I can talk about this cuz I put it on my tippy top. And well, so I'm not gonna save the name of it one because I think it wasn't official and to the name we had was horrible. So but yeah, so we got a COVID scare, because I got a test. And it said that I was positive. And literally, I was like, super safe, blah, blah. And it wound up being a false positive as positive. And so we had shut down and done all the things and it was fake. And then we had come back, or we ready to come back. Or it wasn't fake. It was just it was a false positive. And so I got retested twice after that, and everybody got retested and we were all negative. And then it was like, we were ready to come back. And then it stopped again. And that's what's been happening with a couple folks, a couple folks, it's been folks are trying to persevere, but like, you know, the world finds away.
18:37
Everything,
18:38
everything. So I don't know, cuz it's funny, because it's like, when this started, I was just kind of like, I was like, I don't want to do anything until we have Blackfeet or so. You know, but then like, people are like, no, we're going to work. And you're like, Alright, let's see how this goes. And so, so now I'm just chilling. Now, the super positive part for me has been, I've been able to write a lot more, you know, I usually, I stayed writing or come from writing I just I, you know, been playwriting just Yes, it stops whenever I start to do the acting thing. And I get caught up and all of that. And so yeah, the
19:10
one positive what's inspiring you right now, like, in general, what inspires you what's inspiring you now?
19:16
Yeah, I think, you know, for me, the most interesting stories that still aren't told are just I love magical realism and I love underdog stories. Right? So I love I love the guy who who perpetually gets beat down and does the right thing anyway, and then every couple times does the wrong thing. You know, so that's always inspiring. And then also seeing inside of his mind, and inside of it is a dream of when he was a child and he had superpowers and was scared and had a little friend who came a life and was made out of matchsticks. Like that's what's interesting to me as a creator and I think it's probably behind everything I do.
19:55
What's going on with ammo during this time. I know you all are very tight crew.
19:59
Yeah, you Yeah, well,
20:00
that was one of the the other obstacles. When we started with the pandemic, it's figuring out how to put on theater when you're not allowed to be in the same space at the same time. So one of the things was we formed a network with about 40, other smaller theaters, local theaters. And we had put on our first virtual show where we had a number of different plays. But we also had people who introduced it and people who talked afterwards, so that part of it was live. And we've been collaborating with a couple theaters, we did pass the mic festival, we worked with pay per view, and then got money for Color of Change. And for Kendrick Sampson's company to you know, all these sort of social change programs that are happening and then for the next year, we've got the two biggest things that we're going to do consistently are something from Carolyn rad array called the therapy hour. It's less than an hour. It's got a cast of about eight right now, but she changes the cast. We're looking at doing it monthly, if not every two months. It's a little comedy. It's a little drama. And you know, it's written, directed and acted with Carolyn Rattray as the psychiatrist. She's been a professor she's been writing and directing for years. I've known her for 20 years she can do it all. So it feels perfect to be able to repeat virtually over the next year. And then the other thing we have is a virtual show called La Bo M or lm something very friendship pretentious. It's a zoom thing but we're having breakout rooms it's being written directed by Ahmed best we know as judge our banks and is now shed I on on a show. Jedi Temple nights. We also have Claudia dummett. co writing it who people know is my girlfriend from or my wife from timeless and lovely. musician. Name I'm blanking on and shorts, Robert are john. Jason Jason curry. He's got our music for past shows. He's done all our stuff. We love him. He's amazing. So that's going to be another show. That's interactive, that's improvised, slightly written. And those are going to be our main shows. And we have a couple other shows that we're going to do. We're gonna wait and see exactly, it's out. It's gone. Yeah, it's gone. Awesome.
22:09
Oh my gosh. Cheers
22:10
to that. Yeah, I do have to say I was really grateful. I didn't think for playbill.com did a couple of readings of Wendy Wasserstein plays. And I just thought Bravo. on a dime, you know, yeah. theater community. I have to say always, I look in that department to just show
22:29
Yeah, it's hard. I mean, you know, the two most innovative people during this time is theater people important people were the cutting edge of innovation.
22:39
Sometimes they're on both sides. Yeah.
22:43
Yeah. What's what's happening or not happening? Where? Where are you with that?
22:47
Yeah, the latest was a music video that you can see right now. Okay. Yeah, he pluribus unum. And it was it was basically about all the social that was going on was a real departure for what I did. It went back to my slam poetry days. I had my girlfriend amber Ruffin, who's a classic the soonest play I had. Yeah, I had my my homegirl Bonnie Mackintosh, who plays with like Selena Gomez, and all these people. She's also in my band, she plays keys. And I had a brother of mine, a DC Cassidy, who runs capital. Yeah. Oh, awesome. Yeah, we had this cartoon company create this cartoon. And so that's our latest one is this sort of cartoon classical poetry thing that sort of spoke to the moment and with the issues and the elections and all this sort of stuff. That was my big outlet other than my last hip hop album, called funhouse with
23:41
Yes, I there's the tracks that are ridiculous. Thank you, please, you know, I'm just fan girl over here. Yeah, help you get verbal verbal the rapper isn't verbal plus, like Tell me Yes.
23:56
I feel like we were comfortable making slight changes because we're still not famous anyway.
24:00
So we're
24:03
so what happened is me and him were actually separate, right? Like I for a while was rapping under verbal and he was rapping under Icarus or Icarus v datalist. And so okay, when we joined together we were known as that individually but then we changed their name to Sin City as a rat group and that's what was on our, our music and apple and Bo blah, but then I don't know if you know this synesthete is a very popular pseudonym for everything
24:34
cannot be found.
24:35
Yeah, so after a while.
24:40
The name of it became verbal and Icarus or verbal plus Icarus and I think it's like slightly different depending on where you check. And then I had to change my name because there's like some big time European asian rapper name like verbal who like had like one song. Yeah, who had like one song, so it was just like, a lot easier to find him. I was like, Lightly change it.
25:04
You know
25:05
you are my verbal.
25:08
Whatever, I
25:09
appreciate it. I
25:10
appreciate. Yeah.
25:13
Oh my gosh. All right. So do you have visions of going back to New York?
25:18
I do. I do. I wish I could go back. I know I want to go back to New York all the time. That is like my number one thing I always want to go I'm always thinking about it. You know, my theatre company before this one was in New York. You know, even when I was in LA,
25:32
is that defunct? Or is it still is theater work? Still?
25:36
Oh, no. Oh, good
25:36
job. You will know it's the phones but a lot of us are still working together in one way, shape, or form are still doing movies or writing or stuff like that. But yeah, it's, it's down there. Now. It's just my mom and my brother there. And, and, you know, sometimes I work with my cousin we try and do he has unsigned hype, and we do. I work with him because he'll, he'll do these projects for basketball teams to get people signed. And we try and do like bookbag drives and things for the neighborhood and things like that. So I come back for stuff like that, but not too much, especially now because we're in a pandemic so mostly just at home.
26:16
Whenever Oh, my God. Many Delta waivers to job canceled.
26:25
Um,
26:25
what are you currently obsessed with right now? Or Beijing on?
26:29
I'm watching a lot of TV right. I'm watching a lot of TV for a while Lovecraft country was the big talk. For a while we were doing a we were doing a lot of that. Now we're on Titan are on Teen Titans. DC comic book TV show. We're also on Fargo which just ended that was fun.
26:45
Yeah. What do you think of this season? It was so such departure
26:49
is getting Wilder and Wilder like Know why? He's just like, no, Holly. He's just like, he's like, Look, they gave me a show again. I'm gonna do what I'm gonna do. That's it.
27:00
It really is impressive.
27:01
It's amazing. I love he's just like, Look, they gave me aliens. I don't even have to wrap up the aliens are. I don't care. My show.
27:09
Yeah, I mean, look, it's up and down. Right? There's like, yes, like that. But I'm like, and then there's other points. I'm just like, Oh, I love seeing like, folks do crap. Like I love Timothy Olyphant. You know what I mean? Or worse, or such and such and who's whatever's you know what I mean? I just but I'm a dialogue guy. You know what I mean? I like Yes, I like diatribes and things like that, too. Like I'm fascinated by stories that do that. And also still do other things. I was talking about that. What about the Mandalorian? Because the Mandalorian is, is usually written by the director. And we were talking about how it's, you can almost tell because the dialogue is it works almost the way Mad Max it like Mad Max, it made sense to me that it was storyboarded before there was ever
27:53
a storyboarding out and then they put a little dialogue in there.
27:56
Yeah, there's no like, huge line in there. Like their big lines are like we gotta go.
28:04
Watch out. Or
28:13
I tell you, here's like the hugest name I've worked with.
28:16
There's there's some huge names.
28:18
There's some big names. Here's the two biggest stories that come away or immediately that I think of, which was I worked with, I want to get it right. I think it's Mike. It's not Michael Madsen. It's the other one. It's the
28:31
other Michael Madsen.
28:33
It's the other guy who's who has issues with drugs and alcohol and is a great actor.
28:44
Talking about that is not helpful.
28:49
At all first and look up Calico skies in Calico skies right now. Okay, and while he does that, I'll tell the positive story while he looks that one up. I I did a movie with Robert DeNiro. And by I did a movie with Robert DeNiro. Movie. Robert De Niro. Was it
Christian Brescia 29:11
Tom Sizemore. Yes. That was a very good description.
29:20
If you're gonna
29:23
it's gonna be downsized.
29:26
Yeah, yeah.
29:32
Please.
29:32
So Robert DeNiro. I get to do this movie with Robert De Niro show up on set. And there's like a couple of them that are there. Zach Braff is there. Tommy Lee Jones is there it's all of them. Basically. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, and basically this scene is it's three directors who are pitching this movie to these guys totally Jones's sleep deck Rafa De Niro. They're over there. It's almost like a producer situation, right? And so, basically, you know, I was brought for the day, so my involvement is literally just the rehearsing of that team and the shooting of that scene, right. And I'm there with the Writer Director, who's also awesome, everybody, everyone's, but it's a really crazy thing because I go in, I rehearse my thing, and it's slightly ad lib, and so excellent. And so I kind of do it and you're like, and it feels really weird, because the scene is you just doing the scene, but it feels like you're
30:25
auditioning for Robert De Niro. There's other people in the room, and I have the job. But literally, they just bring me into doing it. So feels like I'm auditioning for Robert De Niro. And I do it and I do my thing. And I you know,
30:39
it goes fine to like, great, boo, but he enjoys it. And then I add live a little bit, which is a I come in I do the scene, which is crazy, because I think I was just like, militant black director. And I was like, I'd love a name if you could just give him a name. But I'm saying Wilde to Robert De Niro. Excellent. And some of its good. But I also know who I am. And I know there's not I'm just not great because I'm just because I'm just going for it, right? Yeah, the white man and this bad boy. But there is a great feeling which is to succeed in front of your idols. But there's also no better feeling than to in any way, fall on your face in front of your idols
31:19
because it's just kind of like, well, there's nothing anyone can tell me. There's nothing I put, I put my balls
31:25
in the wall. Also, they are terrified. Don't get it twisted, right. Good. Grades. Yeah, I
31:32
think there's two great moments. And like, Look, it would have been great if I didn't start at all, like maybe one or two studies. And it's Robert DeNiro. So I'm like, Ah, right. But my two greatest falling and I think that went well. Like when you see it. I'm hilarious. But my two gravy fallings are stuttering in front of Robert De Niro in any way, shape, or form. And the time where, because this was for the theater, folks, I went to the callback for rent. But I can't sing. And I and this was in high school because I worked at MCC theater with Bernie tells he the phone knows in meetings and Bible upon was like, he was like, Hey, can you sing? And I was like, No, he was like, hey, if anyone asks if you can sing, you say yes. Can you sing? And I was like, Yes, he's a great. He's like, you're gonna audition for rent. I went okay. And, and so in my head, like, you know, I have not been to a lot of musical auditions. But I don't know if most people know this. But like nine out of 10 times, the whole first parts of auditioning is the singing part. Right, like very little bit of acting. And so I act, I don't think so. I was like, Alright, I'll just kill the was Bobby forgot to tell to put me for the audition. So now we're just at callback of people who always wanted to be in rent, and who beat other people to be in rent, and who sang for rent. And so he's like, he's like, he's like, hey, we'll just have you in a callback that way. For so long with a music teacher. And anyone knows rent is like, you want to create songs, write songs, you need somewhere to do it. But we've always dreamed about think twice before you poopoo it you'll see boy, as well as I am right now is 30 times better than I sounded when I was 18 year old going to the callback to rent and I literally it was just like, and I think I can my tambor is like sleeve him. Like, I don't think so like, I sang I put up the words I took the notes.
33:37
And,
33:39
and felt so good. Probably not that day. But afterwards in general, because I was like, I'm up in the callback for it. Y'all Like what? Who cares? I get a call back. I should have never been to. I can't believe it. Let's do this. I can do anything.
33:59
I have still been where you are. I will just say similar story involving Greece.
34:08
Yeah.
34:10
And I've said but basically, I'm on stage naked at this point. I don't blame you. I embarrassed myself so fully that truly, there is nothing that I'm afraid of anymore.
34:26
So perfect.
34:28
Okay, now before we wrap up, you just can't leave me hanging. Or Christian hang without
34:34
Tom sighs worse. Okay. I typically show I'd have a Tom Sizemore story,
34:45
right? Yes. Hello.
34:48
And it was written directed by Valerio Esposito. got I got it, doing a play with Jimmy Simpson. I think he saw us it was just like, he was like, I want you And the thing and I was like, sure, and we drove to I don't I don't know. It's New Mexico. I don't know we were on some ranch somewhere. Everybody spoke Italian except for me. Right. Larry, I think luckily spoke English and Italian I think his producer, but everyone spoke Italian except for me.
35:16
So I was kind of chillin, but then I think they made dinner later. Like it was like, very like, Man this one day. I don't care man. Like this is cool as hell. So I go, there I go. Yes. Okay, I totally forgot this part. And this is the part that you'll won't believe I forgot. He sent
35:37
me all these things about how great things are going with him and this and that. Blah, blah. I'm like, Alright, awesome. Like, yeah, sure. I mean, I don't really care. I just assumed things are going good until I get there. You know what I mean? He's like, yeah, boo, bah. And then I'm like, 30 seconds late. They're like, come down. We're all staying at I think literally a motel. Right? Yeah, we come down. It's fine. Everyone who knows you do projects you do it for the experiences that you that they're not all glamorous, right? They're not all Tom Hanks. I got Tom Hanks stories. So we come downstairs, I'm 30 seconds late to the lobby of the motel six, and this pa there? And she's like, Oh my gosh, wait, what took you so long? Oh boy. Since then, I'm like, I'm sorry. He's like, you know, cuz. I'm like, all right. I don't know. So finally, he comes in there. schrom smiles more,
36:22
let's say it's someone else. Right? He comes down there. He's like, yeah, I get it. And they're, like, kind of arguing about something. And he's, I remember he's like, he's like, yeah, you know, you can't do that, like, Oh, this and that talk about? Yes, they had an incident that
36:37
like a 711 or someplace. It was like, you know, they can't blog, you know, because, you know, they thought I was messed up. You know what I mean? Because, you know, they tested my hair, if I'm on drugs, they test, you know, they test me and it's not mobile, you know, Bull by this map. And I'm like, he's like, yeah, and then, you know, so I was like, you know, I asked her to pay and, you know, we didn't pay in in like, I'm gonna get in trouble. You know, it's a whole thing. You know, they'll film it. Well, but then like, the other guy, you know, the guy from the other thought he's calling him queers. Whatever, cuz I'm with, you know, my friends late at night. In a hotel. He's like, you know, blah, say, you know,
37:08
he's like, calling me He's like, you know, he says, like, 30 you know, boba. And this is going on, and then finally go. Hey, I'm
37:15
Malcolm.
37:21
Yeah, yeah.
37:26
Yes. What's happening? way too much.
37:32
Oh, that's, that's the part of the story. I almost forgot. By the way, which was the whole day of like, just being there. And I remember, like, we rehearsed one time, and I remember he was like, you can act that was like, Yeah, I mean, so can you I mean, you know, acting. And it was this whole thing. I hardly remember. But there was a thing where they were trying to get them outside and he wouldn't come outside. They weren't sure why. And I was like, but they wouldn't tell me like, this is me finger. Yeah. I was like, I was like, what's happening to her? Like, you won't come out? And I was like, oh, I'll just get him. Uh huh. Like, I'm here for one day, like, I probably would have took it if it was like, I'm here for weeks and pay and whatever. Right. But I was like,
38:16
I mean, one day, dude, like, I'm not coming back here. Like, yeah. Like, just like, come out. He comes out. He's like, Alright, let's do it.
38:31
Of course, of course. Yeah. Oh, my gosh. Yeah. Yeah. And sometimes those reputations are so deserved. You know, you just think there is no way this person is what these stories are. And God bless them. They are
38:46
immediately and I really appreciate them for that. I'm thankful it was one day. It was. It was really, it was a fun day. It was a fun day. Great food.
39:00
You're really an environment with people who all openly speak a language you don't know. And also feel at home. Like I was like, oh, maybe I'll learn it. At some point. I don't know. Yeah,
39:14
yeah. Well, I think your next thing should be to create something. That's just my shame. Shameless plug.
39:25
We need to get you working with ammo. We need to get you play. I'm working on a pilot. So all I try and do is get my friends in it. You know what I mean?
39:33
Just saying?
39:34
Absolutely. We got to be like Seth Rogen. And then where we just Oh, my IRA buddies.
39:39
Yes, please.
39:42
Welcome.
39:42
Thank you. Thank you.
39:46
I adore you. I'm such a fan. Thank you so much for sharing your time with us.
39:51
Thank you. I love you. Thank
39:52
you, Ross.
Christian Brescia 39:52
This is amazing. Ladies and gentlemen. A round of applause for Malcolm Barrett, euro euro Christian All right. So
40:08
I can see it.
Christian Brescia 40:12
This episode of Monday's with me is brought to you by the cocktail party. Love Mary.
