Cole Chapleski | Discussion Combustion Podcast | #283

[00:00:00] We'll have this discussion. Discussion? What discussion? This is a discussion. Combustion. Coming to you from Denver, Colorado, this is Discussion Combustion Podcast with your hosts Kevin Batstone and Arthur Rawe. The worst humidity is like Louisiana. Yeah. In the summertime. Speaking of Louisiana, do you see how much snow they got? Isn't it the first time they got snow in like 15 years? My mom's from Shreveport. Okay. She was telling me about it. It was like the first snow they had gotten like a long, long time.

[00:00:29] Yeah, but this is like seriously like measurable snow. Oh really? Like New Orleans, it was like first half since 1895. How much did they actually get? Do you know? I got to check in with Eric Michael. Maybe like an inch, inch or a half. No, it was more than that. Really? It looks weird with the palm trees. It does look weird. Like you're seeing the snow and the palm trees in the pictures. Like that's kind of odd. Yeah. And Florida's getting hit as we speak. Really? Florida. Like parts of Tampa, Tallahassee, you know, kind of that Pensacola area. Yeah. They're all getting blasted right now. I always think it's so funny when places like that that never get any sort of inclement weather snow like that. Like it's a national, not a national, it's like a state emergency. Oh yeah. They shut it.

[00:00:59] Shut everything down. Shut everything down. Like, nope, we can't do anything. They don't have the, they don't have plows. They don't have the salt, you know, mag chloride. I'm from the East Coast, so we put actual salt on the roads. It just rots your car out. Yeah. You'll get like, you know, the fenders will rot out. The paint will get chipped away. Out here they put that mag chloride on the roads. It's a little bit different, I think. When I was selling cars, when we would get to use cars, we would always see if they came from the East Coast. Yep. See, there you go. That's what I'm talking about. Yeah. What part of the East Coast are you from? New England specifically, New Hampshire. Cool.

[00:01:26] You grew up in central New Hampshire around a lake. I shot a film last summer in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Oh yeah. Dude, that is a cool place, man. Okay. Fun place, isn't it? Yeah. Did you get out and see it? I feel like that was the place where like they shot in Halloween Town. You remember that movie? Yeah. It just felt like an all-American old school, like New England town. But yeah, I got to hang out like right over on the pier and just like kind of peruse around. Yeah.

[00:01:45] We lived there for three days. We shot in like, we shot in the back of like this old, like, well, right next to the men's warehouse, they had like the public service radio station. Like they rented out a space in the mall to like, you know, kind of do the public service and we were able to use that space. But they either have like no money as far as what their rent was or like they just didn't plan well because literally right outside of that space was that little plastic playground that malls have, you know? Okay. So we're shooting this film and there's kids. Kids are playing out.

[00:02:15] On this thing. Oh, yeah. Which is also like a sad reality that like on a Saturday, these like, you know, families in Portsmouth are like taking their kids to play on the plastic playground. At the mall. At the mall. You know what I mean? Was it the Fox Run Mall? That sounds familiar. Yeah. It might be. It's been so long since I've been back home. But it was funny because we'd have to tell the director, we'd have to tell the PA like, hey man, can you go tell them to like, you know, kind of keep it down out there? And you'd overhear the PA go like, hey guys, start like we're shooting a film. Can you keep it down? And you know, these like kind of podunk New Hampshire fans are like, you know, what the hell am I supposed to do? Like, you know, the kids are playing. Yeah. But yeah.

[00:02:44] That sounds like New Hampshire. Yeah. That is too funny. It's a fun state though. Yeah. Good food. Also, New Hampshire is kind of like a lawless land in some ways. You cross the state line and the motto is live free or die. Hell yeah, baby. 603. Is this true? Is there not a seatbelt law in New Hampshire?

[00:03:01] It's changed over the years. You know, it's New Hampshire is like sold school with some of the things they do. Like, so for it, they're state run liquor stores for one. Right. So you have to buy your booze right off the highway. Right. Okay. You know, so you can get beer and wine and shit at gas stations, but it's all state run liquor stores. And then yeah, seatbelt laws are kind of optional there. Live free or die, baby. Full send it. That's awesome. No sales tax. Right. No sales tax. It's like Texas. Right. Yeah. It's a unique state for sure because people, when they think New England, they think Boston. Yeah. And then like you said, as you saw, you get 45,

[00:03:31] five minutes north, you cross it. New Hampshire. I flew into Boston. Then we drove in and we're driving to town. I'm like, did that say what I thought it said? Live free or die. Yeah. Welcome to the Granite State, baby. Yeah. I do like that motto. Yeah. I think it's cool. Yeah. Colorado is good too. Respect life. Isn't that our motto? Is that our state motto? Yeah. I had no idea. I should know that. I'm from here. You are from here. I moved here in 07 from New England. Okay. All my New England people are listening to this. They're like, yeah, the dude saw it in the back. What is it? Respect life? Respect life. Cool. That's Colorado. I cannot believe I did not know that. Yeah. It's a good motto. You were born in Boulder? I was born in Boulder. I read your profile. Yeah. I was born in Boulder and then I grew up in Broomfield. Okay.

[00:04:00] Yeah. I was born in a hospital in Boulder that I think is gone now. Boulder Community Hospital. Where was it? What part of Boulder? I couldn't even tell you. I think kind of closer on the north side, like North Pearl. Okay. But, uh, yeah. So I was born there and then I grew up in Broomfield, which, you know, is pretty much the next time over almost. Yeah. But I spent a lot of time still in Boulder growing up because my aunt and my cousins lived in Boulder while I was like growing up. Yeah. So you've traveled. Sounds like you've been around. You've done some films and filming in different locations. Yeah. I mean, the one in New Hampshire,

[00:04:30] was the only one out of town that I've done so far. Okay. Interesting it was there. Yeah. I know. All the other ones were local, uh, you know, local indie short films that I've done. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Handful of commercials too. And so, so that like start through college, like you were going to school for that. That was my first thing that I was really into when I was a kid. Okay. Um, I grew up, I was watching Jim Carrey movies and I was just like totally enamored by Jim Carrey. Do you have a, is it the mask? Is that your favorite? Oh, dude. Well, it was the mask. It was both the Ace Ventura. Yeah. Of course. It was Liar,

[00:05:00] Liar. Great movie. Oh, dude. He would love the pin. Um, I, I got Kevin the, uh, pin of where he's leaving the rhino. Uh, oh yeah. I'll show you. Oh, no way. Yeah. It's hilarious. I was like buying these pins one day and I, and I like came across it. Yeah. Oh, that's amazing, dude. So it was, yeah, it was Jim Carrey movies. And then I actually, I like was so obsessed with him.

[00:05:27] I wanted to like, you know, basically tell him how much I loved him in his film. So I just like did this deep dive and I was, dude, I was like eight or nine. I did the deep dive on the internet and somewhere on some dark corner of the internet, I found what seemed to me like Jim Carrey's address. So I typed up this letter and like sent it over there. Okay. And I'll never know if this is real, but I'm going to consider it like it is, but I got an autographed picture sent back to me in the mail and it's the Jim Carrey headshot. And it says, spank you very much. Really? Really? Yeah. Do you have a frame somewhere? Yeah. So what did you say, what did you say in the letter?

[00:05:56] I mean, I was so young. I think it was just like you inspire me or like, yeah, pretty much like you inspire me. I want to be just like, you have seen all these movies a million times. Here's my favorite scenes and jokes and whatever. Yeah. That's cool. Yeah. He's a talented guy. He's incredible. And he's also like over time his like view on life and spirituality, I think is like probably pretty similar to like kind of how I see things nowadays. And so it was cool to like, you know, it was kind of a full circle thing for that guy to be like, he was like,

[00:06:25] I think my first kind of idol and role model to then kind of also, at the same time that I was kind of arriving to some, I don't know, ways of seeing things, that he was kind of in the same place. But, yeah, so it was that when I was young, and I did theater in school. I did improv. I did a competitive improv thing called Destination Imagination. Okay. Yeah, and I took some acting classes when I was a kid. Yeah. And then soccer got, like, really serious when I was, like, 10, 11,

[00:06:55] and I played competitively, like, you know, all through middle school, high school, college. And, like, the older I got, the more that my life completely revolved around that. Around soccer. Yeah. Okay. So, I mean, I planned on, like, playing professionally, you know, while I was in school, and that was kind of what I was gearing towards doing. And then, you know, I got hurt, and I had to retire after that. And then I was, like, completely naked as a person at that point. Yeah. Because your whole life revolves around this thing.

[00:07:22] Your identity is so, you know, invested in it. And it was a crippling injury? ACL. ACL. Yeah, twice. Like, once a year later again. So, like, that was. Yeah. You got to be done. Blow your knee out. Yeah. I probably wasn't, like, I didn't come to the fact that I was done for long after that. Okay. But, like, I was definitely physically done at that point. Yeah. So, eventually, it just got to the point where, like, I realized how much I missed having, like, an expressive and creative outlet, you know? Because it's so important. It's crucial. It's crucial. Yeah.

[00:07:52] Whether you identify as an artist or not, I think it's super crucial to have that. Yeah. And just something that I could be passionate about and dream about and be really excited about and just express myself through. So, I was, like, the only other thing that I've had, you know, real fire for was acting. Now, was there ever, like, a specific role that you were, you're like, man, I feel like I would be perfect at this type of character? I get rather stumped when I get asked that question. Okay. That's kind of a common question. Okay. Yeah.

[00:08:22] I mean, I think comedy is a strong suit of mine. All right. So, I think anything that involves, like, you know, kind of witty, snarky, I don't know, comedic, leading man type stuff is something that I enjoy. But, I mean, I love drama, too. I love, like, kind of serious coming-of-age, you know, like, heartfelt stories, you know? Like, maybe the, you know, the neighbor that's, like, lived a whole bunch of life and is kind of counseling the kid that lives next door who's going through a hard time or something like that, you know?

[00:08:52] Yeah. But not, like, a specific role where I saw something and I was, like, you know, that. Did you ever, like, go into a role where you felt like you had already, like, developed the person, like, it was part of you already? Yeah. Yeah. I did this one in Colorado Springs called Gatudi Not Included. And it was a film about a couple of valets at a hotel. And I was a valet for five years. Okay. Oh, yeah. So, you, like, lived the role? 100%. Nice.

[00:09:20] And even who the guy was. It was, like, a guy that, like, doesn't really care about his job and is just there to, like, make his money and get out. And, you know, he's kind of screwing around on the job. Like, that was also totally me while I was working those jobs. I bet you got some good valet stories. Oh, yeah. Of, like, driving off with a car or something. Yeah. Yeah. I got those. Okay. But, yeah. So, they, I saw the casting for it and I submitted and I was like, guys, you know, I was a valet for five years. Like, I literally was this guy. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:09:49] And then we talked about it more when I auditioned for it and everything like that. And then, yeah, when I booked it, I mean, I think it's still probably to this day, like, the most comfortable performance I've had or the most vivid one because I was just able to so easily, like, just inject a lot of my own, like, organic self into it, you know? Yeah. Yeah. That sounds like a fun role. Oh, yeah. It was a lot of fun. What year did this come out? Uh, last year. Okay. Yeah. So, it was kind of a newer film. Yeah. And it's funny. We were, you know, I was dressed like a valet shooting the film and, like, three or four

[00:10:17] different times people would come up to me and be like, hey, sorry, can you, like, come and grab my car for me? And I'm like, oh, I'm actually, I'm just acting. And they're like, what? Like, what are you talking about? We're in Colorado Springs. Like, what do you mean? You're like, I'm acting right now. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Is it on, like, the independent film channel or where we're- This one was a student film. Oh, student film. Through Colorado College. Okay. Yeah. I think I've done four of those. I did two through CU Denver. I did one through Colorado Film School. I did one through Colorado College. So, it's a really good way to just get your feet wet when you're starting out. Build up a portfolio a little bit.

[00:10:47] Build up a portfolio. Build up experience. You know, just being on set and having to bring it when they call action and everything like that. Yeah. Have some footage for a reel. Like, most of my footage from a reel currently is, like, stuff that was from student films, you know? So, that's good for the portfolio, obviously. For sure. It's a good way to cut your teeth, for sure. And it's, you know, it's just an easy way to get booked and get work when you don't have much to show yet. They don't need to see that you have a ton of credits of this, that, and the other for them to, like, offer you a part. They're just, like, if they think that you're good and you'll bring something to it. If the shoe fits. Yeah.

[00:11:17] Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I always liked the John Krasinski story when he, you know, got into the office. I love John Krasinski where he's at, you know, I can't keep up with all his films and all the shit he does. But he was, like, you know- There's a role I would love. The office? Something like that. Yeah. Jim, specifically. Yeah. Jim Helper. That's something I think I feel like I identified with when I was watching that. What a great character. Okay. I could see you being, like, a Jim. Yeah. Yeah. You get that vibe. He's got the Jim vibes. Yeah. Witty, chill guy, like, you know. Little pranks here in there with Dwight. Yeah. A hundred percent. Yeah. That's the way to live. Yeah. It's a great show. I'm glad you said it because now I have an answer when people ask me that question.

[00:11:47] Because I've gotten that asked so many times before and I'm like, I have no idea. But, yeah. Jim's the one. That's the role. So, sorry. What were you saying? No, no. So, his story that he tells- Back to Jim, please. Well, to John Krasinski. He was bussing tables and shit in L.A. You know, typical acting, you know, inspiring acting story. Moves out there, yada yada. And there was all these guys that they had ahead of him that were going to play Jim. Like, some bigger names that have already established some credibility in Hollywood. And they went with him. Like, he's got the look. He's got- And that's the opportunity he took and it changed his life forever. Totally. So, it's like you just never know what could happen.

[00:12:17] What opportunities knocking on the door. That's all it takes, man. That's the thing about this whole hustle is it's kind of like paying for gold. You know? I mean, it's totally a lottery. And the only way you give yourself a consistent chance of, you know, striking and winning is if you just keep playing. Yeah. You know? So. The entertainment industry. Yeah. And, you know, all of the, like, bad things that happen, quote unquote, like, all the, like, foobar stuff or, like, you know, it's interesting.

[00:12:45] So, in what you've done so far, have you ever, like, ran into a weird scenario where it's like, you know, these guys want to, like, give me an opportunity but the opportunity feels weird? Weird. Not really. I don't think at the level that I'm currently at I run into a whole lot of that. You know? Like, weird in terms of it being shady or a little bit dicey. Like, not really.

[00:13:13] But, like, there's sometimes when you'll, like, people be like, oh, hey, I really want you to, you know, do this thing. And you can just tell that they're kind of putting the carts before the horse a lot and they're talking up, like, a really big game about it. Yeah. And they don't want to, like, reveal too much info about it. Because sometimes, like, sometimes directors will just want to secure a whole bunch of, like, you know, funding for something and then they'll cut loose with whatever money they've got from people, you know, donating the project or something.

[00:13:38] But, yeah, and then sometimes, like, you'll get the script for something and it's just, like, violently bad. And you're like, I can't even, I don't think I can do this thing justice. Yeah. So, no, not yet. Okay. You know? Because I'm curious. Like, you know, we've had our own obstacles because this is a form of entertainment, obviously, like, doing the podcasting. We've had some of our own obstacles. And then, like, I've known some people that got into the music industry and were, like, saying that, you know, there's people.

[00:14:07] And I was doing music too at one point. And, like, this guy got me to sign a contract because I was young, didn't know what I was doing. And I gave him, like, power of attorney over stuff. And, like, that was such a horrible decision. Fortunately, I got my mom read the contract and, like, and then I, like, redacted it before I did anything with these people. Yeah. But, like, it's really easy to get taken advantage of. Like, and you're trying to be ambitious. Look at every opportunity. For sure.

[00:14:36] But you kind of have to be careful at the same time. Yeah. The good thing is, like, in the early stages, you don't run into a ton of that, really. So there's not so much of a risk. And then once you get to the part where you might be starting to bark up the tree where it's a little bit of a bigger deal and people might be doing something like that, you've got an agent that's looking out for you now. You know what I mean? Like, my agents are great and they, you know, are kind of the first point of contact when it comes to mediate and any sort of stuff like that. And looking out for me, you know, like looking out for my best interests. Yeah. It's important to have a team. For sure.

[00:15:06] Definitely. Yeah, you have to have a team. So these guys kind of go through and, like, look for opportunities and go, you know, we've got a guy that would be perfect for this role or. Yeah, well, a lot of times, like, production for something or casting director will go to the agent and say, okay, here's a project I'm casting. Here's when it shoots. Here's how much it pays. Here's if it's a union project or not. Here's the roles that I need. And if it says, like, you know, Caucasian or any ethnicity guy from, you know, 30 to 40 years old, fit some qualities that maybe they know that is like a strength for me.

[00:15:34] Then they'll be like, oh, yeah, yeah, this is a guy that will submit and it'll have my headshot, my reel, maybe my resume. And if they like it, the casting director or the director, whatever, they're like, yeah, cool. Let's have them audition. So then I get told they want you to audition. And then luckily in today's day and age post COVID, that first round is always virtual. So I go back to my place and I have the script and I get it down and memorize it and then shoot it, you know, in my apartment basically with all the, you know, kind of set up and everything that I have. Send it back.

[00:16:03] Sometimes it'll go to the agent and then they'll send it. Sometimes it'll just have me send it directly to casting. And then it depends. I mean, there's sometimes where they'll just book you if they like your tape right there on the spot. More often than not, they'll have a callback, at least one. And those are more often not virtual, like, you know, via Zoom. Yeah. Then you go live action. And then, well, a lot of times they'll book after the callback, after the Zoom callback. They might have another Zoom callback after that.

[00:16:32] But then after that, they're like, okay, we're going to book the guy. And then, you know, things get rolling to, like, kind of make sure you're going to be there and you got, you know, all that wardrobe and all that. Yeah. Yeah. Gotta get your ducks in a row. Do you get to keep stuff? How do you mean? Like, your wardrobe? No. Well, more often than not, I'm bringing my own stuff. Oh, okay. Yeah. Unless it's something that's like a ghillie suit or like something random that I don't have. And then I don't get to keep that. Yeah. But no, more often they're like, here's the things that we have in mind for you.

[00:17:02] But they'll also be like, let us know if you don't have something like this. Okay. And then if it's a good enough level of production, they'll go and get it, like, the day before, like when you have your fitting or something like that. Or even if you do have something and they're like, that doesn't quite work, they'll go get something else. So I shot one film in fall where I was a homeless guy. Okay. Yeah. And there's actually a great story that goes with that. But I was a homeless guy and they needed to, like, dirty me up and make me look like a sketchy, you know, homeless dude. And I brought, like, some of my own clothes.

[00:17:30] But, like, one of my shirts got, I mean, totaled. And, like, one of my pairs of pants got, it was, luckily it was stuff that I was good at letting go of. But, you know, they kind of, like, ripped some holes in it and, you know, roughed it up and everything. But, yeah, so they were like, we need a guy to play a homeless guy that knows how to do tricks with a soccer ball. Okay. Oh, and you used to play soccer. Right. So I was like, listen, like, you know, I'm the best guy you can possibly find, but you better give me this. Yeah. So they booked me and we do it.

[00:17:58] And it's basically like I'm a sketchy guy that's juggling a homeless ball around town. And then, you know, this other guy is trying to get through town in his car. And I'm just juggling right in front of his car. And he's trying to, like, hey, come on, come on, get out of the way. And I'm kind of, you know, dismissing him and then runs me over, hit and run, leaves me there. Right. So, like, three years before that, there was this one homeless dude that I would always see up in Rhino on the north side of town. Okay. And he would have a soccer ball with him and he'd always be juggling around his soccer ball. And I'd see him all the time. And so one time I saw him and I was like, yo, man, kick me the ball.

[00:18:28] And at first he's like, nah, like, you know, dismisses me. I'm like, no, no. Like, I know what I'm doing. Kick me the ball. Kicks me the ball. He and I started just kicking it back and forth. One time I miss him and he's chasing it. This is real life. This is real life. Okay. In Rhino. Yeah, in Rhino. So before you even knew you were going to have this role, you just wanted to interact with the person with the soccer ball. I don't even know if I was acting. I think I just started. Okay. But yeah, I just want to kick the ball with this guy. All right. Okay. And so then I miss the guy left. He goes to chase the ball down. SUV comes, runs over his ball, pops it. Oh, no.

[00:18:58] And I'm like, oh, dude, that's the only thing this guy has. And that was your fault. It was my fault. Yeah. I'm like, I just ruined this guy's life. It was like Wilson. Totally. 100%. Yeah. But I had a ball in the back of my car. You didn't cry during Wilson. Like, something's wrong with you. Oh, no. I tried hard. I think we all did. Yeah, I hope so. When he lost Wilson, he's like yelling out the back. Yeah, well, that was like this guy's ball. Yeah. Yeah, totally. I had a ball in the back of my car, though. A nice one. So I was like, wait here, man. So I got him this new ball. And I was like, here, dude, take it. He's like, no, you sure? I'm like, trust me, dude, take it. Okay.

[00:19:27] So then for the next however many months I would see him, he'd be kicking my ball around. So after I shot this film, me and the director got coffee and we're talking. And I'm like, hey, man, where did you get the idea for this character? Because it's kind of a random thing for a homeless guy to be kicking a soccer ball. And he talked about that same guy, that homeless guy. Oh, really? So that inspired the writing. Yes. Yeah. Wow. So then the fact that. Serendipity. Totally. Yeah. So I told him that story. And he's going to have me tell it.

[00:19:56] We're going to have a screening for the film next month. And he's like, you have to tell that story. Because they'll have like a little Q&A panel of the directors and the people that were in the film. So it's shot. It's wrapped up. It's in post-edit. It's in post right now. Okay. Yep. It's called Rotten Sun. It was initially going to be called Hit and Run. Rotten Sun. But it's going to be called Rotten Sun. Yeah. Yeah. We're going to have a screening for it in February. I think at the Bug Theater. Okay. Yeah. And then it will come out to the public by March, April? Yeah.

[00:20:25] I mean, little indies like that, they're not going to throw them in the theaters. Right. You know, they might have a screening at a small theater like this. But like, you know, you can see it on Vimeo or YouTube or stuff like that, you know? I like those kind of films. Totally. You know? Good entertainment. People get their name out. Yeah. And I think stuff like that, like they're making art for art's sake. You know what I mean? Yeah. Creating for the right reasons. They're not trying to cater to anybody but their own creative expression. That's the best. Yeah. That's the best. And here's the reason why.

[00:20:48] It's because when you are present doing something that you enjoy, you are within that. When you're not chasing money over it, like when your passion, what your passion project becomes you chasing money for that, then you almost like lose like the essence of living and like being part of that because then you make it about something else. So there's kind of like, I feel like there's like that weird balance with a lot of this stuff where it's like, you know, you want to be able to sustain your life and like have

[00:21:18] a good life. Yeah. But at the same time, like at what point are you putting too much and like it loses its meaning? Yeah. I mean, maybe this is too idealist of a viewpoint, but I like to at least lead with it is like if you are consistently creating from like a kind of deeply personal space of something that you would want to make or something that, you know, means something to you for whatever reason, like that's always going to be the best shot you have of other people resonating with it.

[00:21:47] Like even if I did try and make something for other people's satisfaction or something that I think that they would like, they're actually probably not going to like it as much as they could because it's going to come from this contrived, like inorganic space, you know? It doesn't have the authentic touch. Yeah. And I think that's just like, I think that's making things from like up here in your head as far as something like making something out of your heart, you know? I think it's just like a bit of an egoic driven approach, which I think is, I mean, especially

[00:22:16] coaching creativity, I think is like always going to impede you to a certain degree. So I like how a lot of these real life experiences though, you got to play a role in like the ballet thing. Yeah. I feel like a lot of, there's been a ton of serendipitous full circle stuff that's happened since I've gotten into this. Um, and it makes me feel like I'm doing the right thing. It makes me feel like I'm on the right path. I mean, even the story of how I got back into it was pretty crazy. Um, my best friend that I played college soccer with, um, is a screenwriter in LA, right?

[00:22:45] He left like not long after we graduated college to go out there and pursue that. You know, he's been like grinding for a decade and he's, you know, he's starting to work out there now. Good. Uh, anyway, I had like back in 2019, I was coaching and everything like that, but I was just like so burnt out on still being involved in soccer. And my relationship with the game had gotten tricky, you know? Cause like I had gotten hurt and I had to retire and it wasn't my choice. And now I'm on just the other side of the sideline. It's like, you're so close to the game, but you're so far, you know, in a different role. And it was tricky.

[00:23:15] So anyway, I had gotten burnt out enough and I was like, I'm going to move to California and I'm going to go pursue the only other thing I've ever wanted to do, which is be an actor. Right. Um, I moved there on, so I was born on leap day. I was born on the 29th of February. Okay. Yeah. So I moved there on my seventh birthday, which was February. Yeah. February 29th, 2020. So I moved out there and like 10 days later, stay at home order. Everything shut down. Yeah. And I was, you know, I had all these things lined up to at least try and start to see

[00:23:43] about the acting thing, you know, but everything had obviously just totally shut down. Yeah. I came back after like seven months and I took that as like the timing that was so uncanny. I was like, that must not be the right path for me. Yeah. Southern California being an actor, all that. So anyway, long story short, I go back. Come back to town, get back into work in soccer. I'm in college soccer now and you know, doing all that. My friend is back in town. The guy's the screenwriter and we're hanging out, we're talking. And this has been, this has been two years since I'd come back, you know?

[00:24:13] And I'm like, yeah, man, this acting thing, I can't shake it. It's like itching at you. Like you're always thinking about it. Like you're going, you're taking a dump in the morning and you're like thinking about acting. Yeah. And I was in the soccer thing and it was, it was nice, but I was just kind of bored. Yeah. Yeah. So I was. It was like for spilling. Yeah. So I told him, I was like, I can't shake it, man. Yeah. And he's like, look, man, I think you just need to really go one way, one direction to the other. If I could tell you, you'd be like a general manager of the Rapids, you know, or you could be a leading man in Hollywood film, what would you do? Right.

[00:24:41] And I, I told him, I told him, I don't know. And he was like, well, whatever it is, you got to get clear on one of those directions and you know, just go. I was like, yeah, you're right. And he's like, you know, while you're here in Denver, you can still see about being an actor. You don't have to be in LA. You can take classes from the studio that I took classes from. Like they're a super hands-on, knowledgeable, passionate guys. I was like, great. So we look it up, but it had closed for good during COVID. Right. Okay. He's like, well, I haven't seen her talk to these guys in 10 years. I don't even know how I'd, you know, get ahold of him or whatever.

[00:25:10] And I was like, yeah, don't worry about it, man. Whatever. And we just hung out the rest of the night. The next day, it was just kind of irking at me that I told him, I don't know when he asked me that question. Cause I knew what the answer is. You feel like you should have known. I totally knew. Like you weren't making the commitment to yourself at that point. Exactly. You know, I wasn't giving myself permission to actually like want what I want and like vocalize it. So I called him and I said, you know what, man, just what it's worth when you ask me what I'd rather do. I know exactly what I'd rather do. And that is being an actor. He goes, well, there's your answer, man.

[00:25:40] You just got to find a way to go in that direction. I wish I could get ahold of these guys. But again, it's been like a decade. And I was like, yeah, I'll figure it out. He calls me like two hours later and he's like, what are you doing? What are you doing? And I was like, nothing. I'm just hanging out. And he was at the dispensary picking up some weed and the bud tender was the guy that ran that studio. Okay. Wow. Yeah. And he hadn't seen that guy in a decade. So dude, that's, that's like some intuitive. 100%. There's a lot of like energies at work constantly in this universe.

[00:26:06] I feel like when you tap, when you actually tap in and you start to actually listen and let it lead you and like trust your intuition and not second guess things. It's funny hearing these stories because I have a lot myself. Yeah. I feel like the, the energy of me wanting to do this was so pent up for so long. And once I vocalized that I want to do this and really gave myself permission, like really step into it. And I think that was literally in the form of choosing to call him the next day and be like, this is actually what I really want to do.

[00:26:34] Then I think those floodgates kind of opened. And that's why I think literally a couple hours later, the universe was like, cool, here's your first step. Like now you, now you're, if you're going to really step into this and it's something that's like a deep calling to you. Cause you know, I mean, it was also my first childhood passion, but that's not a deep calling. I'm not sure what is, you know? Um, yeah, I think those things that are like really deep to us, those things that really like resonate with us and call out to us.

[00:27:01] I think like life itself, the universe, whatever you want to call it, God wants those things for us just as bad as we do. But I think it's only going to come along and help us out if we take some initiative and give us self permission to really like step into it. Yeah. You know, full sun, commit to it. Yep. You got to have the grit to do it for sure. Because it takes risk. It does. You know, you got to make some uncomfortable decisions and go all the way in. I feel like for, you know, some people have opportunities and someone that knows someone and you know, that's, what's great about networking and trying to build partnerships throughout all of it.

[00:27:30] But just the fact of the way that unfolded, that's how you got back into it. Yeah. I mean, that's pretty, that's pretty amazing. Yeah. And I think that I kind of use that as a bit of a beacon because in this, in this field, maybe more than any other field, like I'm going to get denied and I'm going to hear no so many times. Yeah. What is it like you get 10% of the work? What would you say? That sounds high. Does that? Okay. Like, I feel like it's more like somewhere in the neighborhood of five as far as like stuff that I even auditioned for and stuff that I book.

[00:27:59] Five out of a hundred. I would say so. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And I still feel like it's, I feel like it's going to continue to be like that, honestly. But yeah, just how serendipitous that was, that helps me keep going in a way, you know, that gives me kind of a beacon of like, Hey, this is for you. You just got to keep on trucking, you know, keep riding the wave. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Opportunities will keep, he'll keep pouring in. Yeah. Right. Yeah. That's good. You got anything in the works now? You're getting ready to go do. Yeah. I'm shooting a little indie film, uh, probably in March, a little rom-com. Oh, nice. Nice. Yeah.

[00:28:29] I'm going to be the lead in that one. Uh, there's someone that I met through my acting studio where I take classes every week. She wrote this thing like six years ago or so. And she just like kind of put it on ice. And then when she met me and saw me start to, you know, act in class, she was like, Oh, that's that guy that I wrote that part for all those years ago. Wow. So she offered me the part and then I read the script and I was like, yeah, of course I'd love to do this. It's super fun. And so we're going to shoot that. That sounds, that sounds fun. Yeah. Cause like, look, they're corny and they're kind of predictable sometimes. They're entertaining. She's funny. So the writing's pretty funny.

[00:28:59] They're a lot of fun. Totally. They're a lot of fun. Yeah. And I like him. I like kind of, I don't know, hamming that stuff up a little bit too. So I got that one. And then the homeless film guy, the director, the reason we went to coffee that day, he offered me a role in a supporting role in another film that he's making. Nice. We're going to shoot that one in March. Nice. And then, um, I'm doing, I have a small role in an, a short indie film that we're shooting, uh, next weekend. Um, yeah. So I got, I got three on the docket. That's super exciting.

[00:29:29] Yeah. That's good. Yeah. Keeping you busy. Now, how do you feel about like the, uh, the method acting is, isn't that the method acting is where like outside of actually filming the person becomes that character? Yeah. Like, so how do you feel about how that affects people's psychology and like, what are your thoughts on that? I think it's probably pretty effective. Mm-hmm. I think it's probably pretty effective as far as like really inhabiting a character and a role and making it a really lived in experience.

[00:29:59] But I don't know how much of that you can totally shed when you're done. Mm-hmm. You know, I feel like that might have a bit of a tattoo on your psyche. Um, and this is coming from a guy who hasn't done it before. Mm-hmm. You know, so. I guess it depends how long you were doing the method acting for. Yeah. Like, cause if it's like, if you're shooting for years, then like you, you do become who you are after like a couple months of doing something. Totally. Like it does change who you are.

[00:30:27] I think there's a lot to be said about the people that I have heard of doing it. Like it's some of the strongest performances I've ever seen. Like Heath Ledger did that with the Joker. Mm-hmm. Daniel Day-Lewis has done that with multiple of his roles. And those are like huge heavies. Yeah. You know, so. It pays dividends. 100%. James Gandolfini is another one from the Sopranos. Yep. Totally. I mean, that took over his life. And you know, but the other thing, the other side of the coin too is like that in itself

[00:30:50] is a transcendence or like a totally seeing past your own like egoic individual self. I think that's important. And that's a spiritual act in itself. That is a very important thing to do. So I think whether it helps your performance or not, I think that's probably a pretty human thing. Cause then on the other side of it, you maybe see through your ego a little bit more when you come back. Which is so fragile. Oh, it's just a believed in thing. Yeah. It's not even a, I think it's a concept more than anything.

[00:31:18] So it's like you come back on the other side and you're like, well, if I was able to inhabit that other person so fully, how real is this other role that I'm playing in my regular life? You kind of start to see it as more of a role than like your identity probably. Oh, see, that's, that's pretty interesting. I feel like I'm on like version 8.0 of Arthur Raw right now. Yeah. Like I, I truly believe like how the ego can attach to an identity and like, and like, and

[00:31:43] then we want to identify ourselves as something like, but like who we are as people, like as far as our energy and like what we're about in life. I think that's fluid. Like we can change and I think it's fluid. Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I think the thing that we in our present moment experience refer to as I or myself is a way bigger thing than what can be represented by like an individual encapsulated ego. Like, don't get me wrong.

[00:32:11] I think the appearance of like Cole and the story and the body and all that like is, is there, but on a really, and I can, I can play that role to the point where it makes sense for like society and everything. But on a deep, deep level, I think the thing that I refer to as I is something a lot bigger, a lot more, yeah, just vast than that, you know, just the simple like consciousness that is aware of what's going on in life.

[00:32:39] And then you have, sorry, I'm kind of getting super interested over here, but because then I feel like when you can let go of the, like attaching your ego to something, then you become more open to receiving what is already around us. A hundred percent. And then you can tap into like that intuitive network at a greater level. Without a doubt. And if you're actually like listening to that intuitive network, it tells you to do some pretty difficult things sometimes.

[00:33:08] Sometimes like, you know, move to California or like go take this risk on that. Or like sometimes like it tells us to do this stuff that we don't want to do. But if you could actually just like act immediately and get into that kind of stuff, then all of a sudden your life will change. A hundred percent. And I've been doing that, like act immediately. I've been conscious on it for at least three years to where, like, if I have a decision, I just try to move on it within three to five seconds and act immediately on it. And doing that has like shifted a lot of things.

[00:33:38] So it's kind of interesting talking about that and like also how that relates to acting and, and like getting dialed in for a character. Yeah. And I mean, I think also like sports taught me that first in like a really cool way. Like I was always really, really ambitious in my athletics career. Right. So there was like all these things that I wanted to like accomplish and maybe like these accolades that I had wanted because these people that I had looked up to had also gotten those. Right. But I was able to make this mistake enough to make the clear distinction of when I was kind

[00:34:07] of like coming from this egoic self to try and achieve these things. And it was just, I wasn't doing that well and things were just kind of plunky and contrived. And then I would just be able to kind of look past that and see past that and come from like a, just a more place of presence and just kind of serve the, the bigger thing of what was going on, which, you know, is just the team. And I'd be like, I don't even care about myself individually doing well. I just want the team to do well. And I'm part of this. So I'm just going to like do my part.

[00:34:35] And then like the best soccer I had ever played in my life would just show up. I mean, sometimes like things would be happening that I wasn't even trying to do. I wasn't even like making a conscious decision to do. It was just kind of flowing through me. Yeah. And like, I mean, oddly enough, like in college, especially the best sessions I ever had, I was, I was either violently hung over or still drunk at training. Interesting. Yeah.

[00:35:02] Because I was so physically just like beat down and everything. I was like, I don't even care how this goes. I just want to get out of here. Yeah. You know, I just want to not get out of here, but I'm just going to get through this. Right. And so you just, you just completely let go. You just detach totally. You're just like, I'm just going to go along for the ride. But, and then things just happen. It's interesting. Yeah. And so times, times when I was like needing it to go well and I had this attachment to it and it was tight, it would never go well.

[00:35:29] But when you come from this like detached place of just like presence and it's, I mean, I think it's just different words for the same thing, faith and detachment and let go and acceptance and presence. And it's just this trusting place of something bigger than you to do more than your own like self can do. So I think that that's, you know, but it's tricky because then you can't be like, okay, cool. I'm going to put myself in that detached place so that I can do well. Cause then you're still doing something for your own individual gain.

[00:35:57] You know, you got to just be like just detachment for just attachment sake. Cause it feels good. And cause that's an easier way to go about it. Right. Rather than using a substance to detach. Cause like you were saying, I had a lot of success too, being hung over, whatever, still drunk. Cause you don't give a fuck as much you do, but you don't. Cause like you said, you're a little bit detached. I'm just going to get through it and then results start happening. Right. But then that's like a catch 22. Cause now it's like, at least for me, I was like, well, I'm going to need a couple of drinks to get through this, you know? So it's kind of a slippery slope. Yeah. Can be. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:36:27] And I think the same thing applies to acting where it's like when I, I'm not trying to impose my own will on something and I'm not trying to do it for me, but I'm actually just trying to help do my part of telling a story, whatever that may be, you know? And I'm just like, we'll see how this goes. I don't even know. I don't know how this person's going to say what they're going to say or how it's going to make me feel. I don't know how I'm going to say what I'm going to say, you know? And just kind of being in the moment and just rolling with it moment by moment by moment.

[00:36:55] It's just, it lets something, it makes you a channel and it just like makes something like really strong, just kind of flow through you. Don't overthink it. That flow state. Flow state, man. Yeah. I mean, I think if there's one reason why I'm in what I'm doing right now, I think it's, it's, it's the only other way so far. Because you're allowing it to happen. You're not being overcritical and like overthinking the stuff. It's really easy to talk ourselves out of great opportunities. Oh yeah.

[00:37:23] You know, well, what if, or if I'm not good enough for like, you know, well, maybe you're not good enough and you should still try and you should fail a couple of times. Then all of a sudden you get a little bit better. Yeah. With working out too. If like you're working out, like the workouts suck the first day one, but then you're in there for a month and you've been consistent. Like all of a sudden, like, you're like, you're doing it. No problem. Like what was struggling day one. It's about that consistency. I think that's been like failing. I think that's 100% being okay with sucking at something. Right.

[00:37:52] I think that's been like the biggest thing I've been confronting lately as a human is just like general vulnerability. And like, cause I think, I think when my soccer career went south and everything like that, and I, well, my life was kind of in a tailspin cause I didn't know who I was or what I wanted to do with my life or I didn't have my thing anymore. I built up so many ways to make myself like safe and like protected and guarded and makes, make it look like everything was neat and okay and nice, you know?

[00:38:18] And that totally created this like impasse to really like feeling things fully or like experience things fully enough. Or just getting into something that's going to really like, you know, change me and impact me. So it's like, it's just letting things be a little bit messy and not being good at something and letting, letting yourself look stupid and all that. Like, I think that takes like some vulnerability to, to do.

[00:38:45] But I think, I think in create creativity, I think in sports, I think in romance, I think in faith, I think in spirit, spirituality, you gotta like be willing to leave yourself a little bare and open and really like get a full experience out of it. I think that's a good point. That's something that should be undermined for sure. I mean, we've done 283 of these and plus, you know, many other shows. My number 283? You're 283. Sweet. 283. And we've cried on here. We've laughed. We've gotten angry, like real emotions. Yeah. You know, not just playing a character and showing up and playing the part like a WWE thing. And I think that goes a long way.

[00:39:14] Like people can resonate it with. They can inspire people to feel comfortable to be themselves. Yeah. You know, and just full send, own it. Because we, you know, we haven't even gotten into social media. We talked a little bit off mic about it, but that whole world now is very toxic. It's a big, dude. Super. It's a big, it's a big piece of it. But yeah, man, I think, I think more than anything, I don't think we're here to think. I think we're here to feel, you know? I agree with that. And I think the more open we can leave ourselves to feeling things. And even, I think we try and, I think society trains us to try and just go after the things that we think are going to feel good and try and avoid the things that

[00:39:43] feel bad. Exactly. But I think it's also like your mind often just tells you this one is good and you should go towards this and this one's bad. The intuition. When I think it's more just like, I just want to feel something deeply. Yeah. Whichever side of the spectrum. Whatever it is. You know? Because it's not always going to be rainbows and butterflies. Yeah. Like the soccer analogy I used to use was like, I'd rather get to the final, the championship game and lose than, you know, than not get there and win or something like that.

[00:40:12] Just because it's going to, it's going to hurt a lot, but it's going to feel really strong. And that's going to be a really like transformative experience. You know what I mean? Do you ever listen to Jocko Willink at all? No. He's like an ex-Marine guy. That's a huge podcaster now and motivator and all that stuff. And he kind of alluded to exactly what you just said. He goes, you put in all this time and this effort and you build up to something and you go, go, go. And you finally get that opportunity and you lose or you don't get the job or you don't get the part. And he goes, good. Now the real growth begins. Now you get the real test. Yeah. Now you get the real test. Yeah. You know?

[00:40:41] And that's that, that failing to succeed piece that a lot of people want to tiptoe around. Right. I say all the time, people will do more to avoid pain than they will to gain pleasure typically. Yep. Because we live in that protected little, you know, simulated princess programmed bubble to say it as nicely as I can. Yep. And it's easy there. It's, it's easy to stay on complacent street. Right. A hundred percent. People don't really want to get uncomfortable, you know? Yeah. And normalizing uncomfortability I think is a positive movement. I think it's crucial. Yeah.

[00:41:06] I got to the point where it was very clearly going to continue to impede my love life, continue to impede my artistic life. And I think even impede my, how I walk the spiritual side of my life by just being a little bit guarded and safe and closed off. And so finally I'm like, man, if you really want to live here, you gotta, you gotta open up. You gotta lean into it all the way. Yeah. You gotta open up. So true, man. Yeah. I know that when, and I, I liked, I try to use social media to like throw out some raw

[00:41:34] talk stuff where, cause I, I've overcame drug addictions and like I've lost weight and I've, I feel like I've really turned my life around. So I try to normalize that story of the struggle and like that there's light at the end of the tunnel, but you have to like keep going through the tunnel type of thing. And so I try to have like a little beacon of positivity on, on social media to the best of my capability. Yeah. But like, I've thrown a couple of likes here and there when I've seen him too. My man. Since I followed you. I appreciate that. Yeah, dude. I appreciate that. Yeah.

[00:42:03] And it's, and it's easy to give like. Try and stoke that fire a little bit. AGM ghetto kid. He showed me back in the, cause he like, he was a guest that we had on years ago and he just started liking all of our stuff. He's a good kid. Once I saw him doing that, he's a rapper out here, but once I saw him doing that, I was like, dude, he's just showing us love to show. And then I started doing that for a bunch of people too. So I try to get on there and throw a bunch of likes. Yeah. But one thing I was talking about, because there's could be like these big goals that we have and like all get overwhelmed. And so it's easy.

[00:42:31] It's, it's important just to focus on the now kind of like going back to your point and just focusing on what's in front of us right now. And like, I can handle what's in front of me right now. Like this is all I have right here. Like, even though I'm working toward a big goal, if I could just focus on today and like my tangible steps for today, which should be tangible and easier to accomplish than like, you know, tomorrow's problems. Yeah. Right. So, so it's like shifting your mentality almost to try to, you know, not overthink it in that

[00:43:01] sense too. If it's like a big project, like I want to be a big actor. I want to pay for my whole life off of acting like, like to, that is overwhelming if you don't even know where to start. And so, so you just have to try to start somewhere. One step at a time. Instead of getting nervous about your ambition. Yeah. Fulfill your ambition. Stop getting nervous about that ambition. That's how I feel. I think presence is everything. I think presence is the foundation, the cornerstone of any good life for so many reasons.

[00:43:29] I think, um, I mean, I think, you know, there's, there's obvious, I don't even think that the past, the past or the future don't even technically exist. Right. You can only really show me proof of that as far as like some mental, you know, machination. But, um, yeah, I think I almost lost my train of thought. The present, the power of the present. I have this tattoo right here. That's a tattoo for the present moment. Oh, nice. Yeah.

[00:43:56] So it's a two way water droplet with, uh, ripples around it. So one water droplet would be future. One would be past ripples would be 360 degrees. Okay. That's cool. That is cool. So that center dot would be right now in time and it'd also be right here in space. So yeah. Presence. Um, yeah, I think it's like, you know, not living in this place. Like, okay, I'll be satisfied when I get to that point in my life. And when those things look that way. Yeah, it's bullshit. Well, it's conditional living.

[00:44:24] That means like, okay, I'll be happy once things look that way. Someday. And also we have like, I think little to no control of most things that are happening, you know? So as far as even how tomorrow is going to look, no idea. You know what I mean? Yeah. Um, so it's like trying to control and trying to project and trying to get yourself ready for something in the future. I think it's essentially a total waste of energy. You know what I mean? You get sucked into the matrix living that way. Yeah. A hundred percent. Ah, okay.

[00:44:48] I remember where I was going, you know, uh, this, this living in the future and getting ready for the future, whether it's good or bad, or this living in the past and worry about the past, or it's, you know, this thinking about something that's going on somewhere else. You know, that all, that all lives up here, you know, in your mind space and your mental space and nowhere else. It really only lives in your head, but beyond this mental chatter that creates your ego, that creates things of the past, thinking of the past, thinking of the future underneath

[00:45:17] that is just presence. Like when that, when you, when that mind's quiet, there's something still there, you know what I mean? And that's a, that's a, that's a heart centered space. And I think that's where like the really strong things live, you know, like, like love and passion and kindness and, and, and things like that. And, you know, just, I think that's where we get our real, like human nature from, you know what I mean? So I think if you come from, and I think it's way more powerful than what your mind, you know, can kind of put out.

[00:45:46] Even I've, I've seen things where they show like an electromagnetic kind of, you know, map of someone that's really like doing a whole lot of thinking versus someone that's meditated and dropped down into this heart resonance space. Okay. And it's like way more expansive when they're coming from the heart space, you know? So just like how much more powerful living in that space is. So I think presence just like. And that, that energy and sorry, that energy will shift. A room.

[00:46:11] Like someone who is truly living life currently in the moment and is absorbing like, you know, the fruits of, of that presence, because honestly, it's a bit blissful and it's a, it's quite amazing that we even exist. Yes. And that we have this human vessel body to be able to process this reality. Incredible. Like it's, it's pretty cool. Yeah. And so when you are that type of person or someone like that type of person walks into

[00:46:40] a room, like energy shifting, it does do that. A hundred percent. Well, I think also too, like, you know, I believe that, you know, whatever like kind of frequency you're putting out, whatever kind of patterns with your thoughts or emotions is going out, you're going to get a match for that in some way or another, you know? So if you're coming from this place of, Oh, I'll be good when that shows up. When that looks like that, I'm not, things aren't great right now. I don't have enough right now. I'm not complete right now. That's where you're going to keep on getting more of that.

[00:47:09] Scarcity mentality. A hundred percent. Where if you come from this present moment of like, everything is so great right here, not because of even any conditions, even if I'm like kicking back on a hammock, sipping a, you know, virgin pina colada on the beach or something like that. I'm like, man, this is so great. That's still a little bit conditional, you know, but just being like so good with the present moment, just cause it feels good to be present. And just cause existence itself is pretty blissful. Then there's, you're putting out to the universe. I have everything. I have everything I need.

[00:47:38] I have everything I want. Life is so great. You know, you come from this place of gratitude. Abundance mindset. And then life's going to be like, right on. Here's more. Here's more that you're going to say that about. Here's more that you're going to feel really good about, you know, but it's, it's, that's such a catch 22, isn't it? It's so easy for humans to fall in the place of, well, if I don't, if I don't go out wanting something and trying to get something, I'm not going to get it. You know? Cause we just are so caught up in like the material world. Or like caring what other people are doing. Yeah. Yeah. That's a bad one. People get caught up in that all the time.

[00:48:08] And then they just hate on what other people are doing. Cause they're not doing anything or, you know, they haven't made peace with where they're at. So they'd rather project outwards. Yeah. You know, I heard a saying, what was it? Paul Roseberry speaking of New Hampshire. He had a saying where he said, when people, you know, are feeling low or whatever, they'll try and pull you down to the floor. So they're at the same level. Yep. You know, and that's toxic as well. You got it. And that's going to come from a lot of angles in life. You know? I told someone recently, a friend of mine had some, some boy troubles, right. And she was really kind of bummed out about it. And, you know, I, I told her, I like to tell people this when they're dealing with like

[00:48:37] what someone else is thinking about them or how they're treated by somebody is like anyone on this earth, no matter who it is, is only going to know like a very fractional part of what is actually me. You know, like they, they couldn't possibly, cause they're not there with me every moment of every day, you know? And they haven't been there every step of the way to make me who I am now. You know what I mean? Yeah. They get little snippets. Yeah.

[00:49:04] So just their, their idea of who I am or what I'm all about or what I'm doing and anything like that is always going to be like really, really tiny. So that already I think takes the air out of like caring about what other people think. They're just making a not even very educated guess. You know what I mean? And then you lay the filter of their own insecurities, like you said, and their own problems and how they're going to project that, you know? So it's like buying into that is just, I mean, that's a losing game. It's no good. No, it's no good. It sounds laughable when you say it like that. Well, it's right. It's absurd.

[00:49:32] It's a good way to, you know, spin it to where it makes a little bit more sense than it being so cut and dry. Right. Not letting other people's opinion or perception become your reality. Yeah. Because I think a lot of people do that, you know? And we see that with cyber bullying. We see that happening a lot with the, with the youth. I'm optimistic that that's going to get better with time, but you know, you're always going to have that yin and yang. That and the reality of like, how much can you even, no matter what you do, how much can you control what someone else thinks? Right.

[00:50:04] Yeah. That's just it. Most important relationship above. Love. Like, maybe that's like your relationship with God or whatever too. I'm more spiritual. I'm not religious.

[00:50:34] I do believe in that higher energies exist. And I feel like the universe has me tapped in on that and it's, it's, it's supplying it to me, but I did the groundwork. I did the self-awareness, you know, all these different things. And it took years and years. But there is a level of synchronicity that you get when you realize that the only person that I need to feel good about myself is myself.

[00:51:01] And then once you can do that and you know, at the end of the day that like you actually gave a shit and that you actually tried because like we're saying, you know, tomorrow's never promised. So like if I'm living present, like what did I do with my presence? And I do know if I like sit there and I scroll and I'm on social media for like, I think my time cap is like an hour and a half to three hours. If I'm, if I go over an hour and a half to that, like three hour mark of scrolling, like

[00:51:30] in a row, like you're like, you're killing hours literally of your day. Just looking at other people's bullshit. I'm glad I got hacked earlier today. Yeah. I like have to stay off it for a while. Speaking of the universe right there. Maybe that's, that's it. I think so. Cause I mean, that scroll, the way they call it the death scroll or whatever. But I think it's like how you spend your time. So yeah, I just wanted to end it with that. Like even, even though I've worked on myself, I still get sucked into these time losses and it's like, I never feel as fulfilled if I spent the day on social media. But you're aware of it. Opposed to a day.

[00:52:00] Yeah. Opposed to a day where I'm out there, like actually getting it, trying to make moves in life, taking some risks. But I think it's huge that you have removed, you know, kind of yourself from like that behavior pattern or thought pattern. Cause I think when you view things from like a little bit of a different viewpoint for a second, you're able to like view them with a lot more clarity. Whereas when you're like right up against it, when you're just like, you're not even thinking about it, you're just like, I'm just going to scroll cause I need to fucking distract myself or I need to, you know, get away or whatever. I don't want to be in my own thoughts.

[00:52:28] Like I know people that can't even think, they don't even want to be alone in their own head. No. Instant dopamine gratification. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I think it goes back to what we were saying about vulnerability, like, and how many things we have to distract ourselves from really feeling what we need to feel or like facing what we need to face or process what we need to process. Like, I mean, I had, you know, countless methods to do that, you know what I mean? But the more I have the wherewithal and the courage to put those aside and then just really

[00:52:57] like face life with a good amount of transparency and authenticity and vulnerability, the God, just like so much easier it is to process through things and like feel them properly and get on top of them and like relate to them more lucidly, you know? Very accurate for sure. I mean, me getting off alcohol, you know, feeling it to heal it kind of thing. Cause when you're, when you're on the booze, you're not feeling. Oh yeah, man. I mean, I was boozing, you know, in a lot of ways to distract myself from a, I think

[00:53:24] mourning that my soccer life, my life as a soccer player was over, you know, and also confronting what next, right? You know, it was, you know, that stuff, it definitely was a nice masking agent. You know what I mean? It's yeah. It's right there. Readily available. Nice cold. Ready to go. Every single corner. Cheapest drug out there. Totally. Other than oxygen. Oxygen. Cause oxygen is for free. And if you change how you breathe, like you'll change your anatomy. That's true. Yeah. That's true. Yeah. But man, like my, my life got just infinitely easier.

[00:53:53] It's been a little over three years now. Really? Yeah. And you haven't had a drink? I haven't had any, uh, alcohol or hard drugs in three years. And then it's been about two and a half months since I cut out everything else. Even cannabis? Yeah. Good for you. Yeah. Nice. I'm about three months off cannabis too. Yeah, man. Cause it was like the, I mean that stuff wasn't nearly as destructive as the stuff I kicked three years ago, but I was still kind of using it the same way. It was like, okay, well I could really sit here and like feel and process what's going on or I could just get high and you know, not worry about it.

[00:54:22] That's why I know this was happening to me. It was the same thing, you know? Yes. And so it already, it already got so much easier to process my life out when I, you know, kick the alcohol and everything like that. And then it's even ramped up even more, I think six cents since I've, you know, kind of kicked the other stuff. And I'm not saying that everyone is using that stuff as a distraction. It was certainly the case for me. Me too. You know what I mean? 100%. Everybody's different. Yeah. That's, that's another thing to, you know, throw out there as well. There's not one right way to do it. Don't drink this many. Don't smoke that. Totally. Everyone kind of needs to know themselves, know their limits and know where they're

[00:54:52] at. Yeah. And like, you gotta be in tune with yourself to know that. Yeah. And towards the tail end of my drinking, like, you know, with my, between me and me, like my conscience did not feel good about it. Right. It was just like, and it wasn't super. Disappointing yourself. Yeah. It wasn't even super extreme. Like I was like, you know, by myself, you know, drinking like in broad daylight or anything like that. But it was just like, I knew that I was bringing like 60% of myself to the table, you know, and I was getting maybe even less than that out of what I wanted out of life. And I'm just inherently really like passionate and ambitious guy.

[00:55:21] So I was like, man, if I want to do the things I want to do, if I want to chase dreams and if I want to really like show up in a way that I feel good about, this has got to, this has got to go. Yeah. Because it's just, and you know, I was never able to just like moderate it to the point where I was still going to feel like I was going about my life the way that I wanted to go about it, you know? So I was like, well, if I, if I can't have a little bit of it in the picture and still feel great about it, I just got to kick it. Yeah. All or nothing. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That's a good mindset. Yeah.

[00:55:49] I've been yo-yoing a lot with that. Like I'll go on, like, I don't drink for like several months and then like I'll drink like a little bit like for a couple of weeks and I've been doing that for like over a year or two years maybe at this point. I've been kind of doing that yo-yo drinking thing, but I think it's getting to the point where like I'm almost spending more time not drinking cumulatively than when I am. And when I do drink, it's less, but like I'm, I'm still working on that too. You know?

[00:56:18] And like, I don't know, am I drinking to get away from something? Like, you know, it's kind of like- I don't know that. Yeah. I've seen you over the past few years. Your drink has changed a lot. It has. You could be and that's okay too. Yeah. Like I think it's important to give yourself grace with stuff like that. Right. Okay. Yeah. I'm coping. I knew for a long time that I was coping and distracting myself and I was like, okay, yeah, this isn't going to work forever. This is how I'm operating right now and I'm not ready to quit. I know I'm going to have to if I'm going to really get after my own and I'm not saying this is the story with you. Yeah.

[00:56:47] But I was like, for me, I was like, I know I'm going to have to kick it at some point. I'm not quite ready yet. I'll know when it's the time to. And when people talk to me about if they don't have like a great relationship to it and they're wanting to get off it, I'm like, I don't know. I'm almost like don't self-impose when the time is to do that. I feel like life will just kind of show you like it did for me, you know? You knew when it was time. Yeah. Because I think there was times when I like kind of self-imposed when it was the time to.

[00:57:20] Yeah. And it makes you feel way more shitty. Yeah. Yeah. You feel like you're not in a clear head space. You're emotionally fucked the next day. It's just no good. Yeah. Yeah. That's true, too. Because then like I've been way more aware once you remove substances, you become sharper. Yeah. And so then you're hyper aware of how you're feeling and then you drink. And then the next day I would like my energy would be lower. You know, I would obviously have to process that. I probably didn't sleep as good. And you're noticing all this more. Your portable levels are shot.

[00:57:48] I mean, if we're really going to go there, too, like your vibrational frequency, if we're just totally composed of a whole bunch of energy, right? Stuff like alcohol or whatever it is, it lowers it, you know? Even for a temporary amount of time, it does lower it, you know? And the higher your frequency is, the more that things that are of that same frequency, maybe it's things that you really love and care about or want in your life, right? Like, again, like they kind of got to be a match, you know? So, like, I mean, there's been a – I told you guys two stories about it, but there's

[00:58:16] been a profuse amount of, like, synchronistic things that happened in my life. And I think there's a lot that goes into that, but I think a lot of it was, like, I just kept my vibrational frequency a little bit more consistently higher. And it kind of just opened the channel for things to just – So almost three years completely free off of everything? Two months of everything. Okay. Like, November 1st was that.

[00:58:42] But even starting to remove some of those things was increasing that frequency. Oh, yeah. So do you feel like you were, like, still in tune and, like, that synchronicity was around you prior or, like, it really started to kick in? It was there when I was – you mean when I was still, like, drinking everything like that? It was still there. There's always – I've always had just, like, a lot of serendipity happen in my life for whatever reason. I think that's down to just, like, the energy that I just give out of how I'm wired as a person in general.

[00:59:10] But there was still, like, room for improvement, I think, with cutting the stuff out of my life that I didn't feel like was jiving well with how I wanted to show up. Yeah. So it was happening then at the time. But then when I kicked it out, it went into overdrive as far as how much that stuff went on for sure. Because I think more than anything, I think – another thing that I think lowers your frequency is just, like, your own relationship to yourself, you know? And I didn't feel totally great about myself because of something that I knew wasn't quite

[00:59:40] working for me and it was still in the picture. And so I think once, like, my conscience got a lot clearer, I think that it just made more sense for things and good things in my – more good things in my life to happen. Not like there wasn't good things in my life happening before, but it was just like – it was almost like life brought me to things because I was more ready for them now, you know? That makes sense. Yeah. You had to get in the right place for these opportunities to start presenting themselves. And I say life brought those things. I needed – God brought those things into my life. Fair. Because I was ready. Because you were ready. Yeah. You went through the test. Yeah.

[01:00:09] You needed to get the test. Yeah. Yeah, 100%. Yeah. I think that's a great way to – that's what it is. Yeah. That's life. Yeah. Yeah. You know? So – Totally. We've covered a lot of ground. I mean, some good, good, you know, in-depth stuff. I like going into these kind of conversations. But I wanted to get one of the valet stories, at least one or two. Yeah. I've been thinking about it since you said it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. There's got to be some juice in here. Oh, yeah. We're going to end on a funny note. There's a couple good ones. I'm not going to say what hotel it was. That's probably best. It was in Denver. And it was a nice one.

[01:00:37] And any of the NBA teams would stay there when they'd come play the Nuggets. Okay. Okay. And I had not been working this – I was a bellhop, and I hadn't been working this place very long. And my manager was like, hey, the – there's an NBA team that's going to come play here. I'm just going to say who – the Thunder had come into town. Okay. Oklahoma City Thunder. And Russ was on the team at the time. And so they had come back from lunch one day. I think it was on game day.

[01:01:06] And it was Russ, and it was Oladipo, and it was one other guy on the team. I can't remember who it was. And they're walking by, and Russ starts patting his pockets. I'm just hanging out in the lobby waiting to see if someone needs something. Russ starts patting his pockets. Okay. And he's like, oh. He's like, I forgot my room key. Like, I think he forgot at the restaurant or something like that. So he was like, y'all go ahead. I'm going to get in with the front desk. I had a master key because I was a bellhop. So I was like, yo, Russ, like, I got a key, man. Like, I can get you up there. There's one part that I forgot to say.

[01:01:34] Before the Thunder got there, my manager was like, hey, the Thunder's here. Here's the reservation list, right? Keep it under wraps that they're here. But you look at the reservation list, and it's all aliases, fake names. Because they don't want people knowing that they're staying there, right? Smart. And it's very clear that these guys got to pick their own aliases. Okay. Because first name, last name. So it'd be like Kool-Aid Man, Oprah Winfrey, Chef Ramsay. Okay. Like Bruce Wayne.

[01:02:03] Like, all these, Mike Lowry. Like, all these great, you know. And they were so funny. I thought it was great. So anyway, Russ forgot his key. I'm like, yo, Russ, I got a master. I can get you up there. He's like, cool, let's go. Hop in the elevator. Me, him, all the depot, and whoever the other guy was. We're just chatting. Russ actually asked me about my tattoo, and I tell him what it is. And he was all about it. And he thought it was cool. So we get him up to the room. I take him up there, and I open the room for him. And I'm like, listen, man, I'm not supposed to do this.

[01:02:32] But, like, I saw the reservation list, and I saw y'all's aliases. And, like, I got to know which one is yours. Because he's Russell Westbrook, dude. He's the best player on the team. And he just kind of smirks. And he didn't say anything. And then he goes in the room, and I'm walking away. And as the door's closing, he turns, and he goes, I'm obviously Bruce Wayne, dog. And I'm like, the door closed. Yeah. So that was a good one. Gosh, I mean, what other ones can I tell without getting in too much trouble?

[01:03:02] No, it's, you know, I mean, the life of a bellhop. So, I mean, that was one of the cool stories. Like, was there some wild shit that happened? Some crazy shit? Yeah, like, I was working the overnight one time at that same hotel. And this one dude was just, like, drugged out on something wild. And he came down the lobby and had literally just, like, a potted plant. But, like, didn't have the pot anymore. Like, just the dirt and the plant. And he was using it to, like, you know, cover his junk. And he was going to the front desk and just talking a whole bunch of random, like, nonsense. So that was a wild one for sure.

[01:03:30] Yeah, when I was a valet, I may or may not have taken one of the nicer cars for, like, a little bit of a, you know, spin. A little spin, yeah. Yeah, yeah, may or may not have. How many miles? Like, just around the city? Are you talking, like? Get an I-25 and open her up. Take it out to, like, Idaho Springs or something like that? No, like a five, ten-minute cruise and then bring it on back. Okay. Just enough time where no one's asking questions. Yeah. But you still got to test her.

[01:03:59] I remember one time, it was the first time I had gotten in a Tesla. And I didn't know how fast those things were. Oh, man. And so I was, like, getting out of the garage still. And I just, like, punched it. Oh, no. And I just went, boom! I shot back in the seat. And I was this close to, like, nailing the side of the garage. Oh, my gosh. Because I had to, like, catch myself and hit the brakes. That's a scary moment. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah, I took David Spade's bags up to his room one time at that same hotel in Denver. And we just, like, chatted. He was super cool. He's a cool guy. Yeah. Yeah, he's a cool guy.

[01:04:28] Didn't he like some of our stuff one time? Yeah, David Spade's cool. Yeah. Awesome. Yeah, he's a solid lad. Yeah, when I was in L.A., I worked at a hotel in Beverly Hills for, like, a week and a half before it got closed down. I, like, took Mariah Carey's bags up to her room for John Krasinski and Emily Blunt, actually. Oh, nice. At the hotel. I bet they were super nice. They were super chill. That's what I've heard. Neil Blomkamp, the guy that directed District 9 and, like, Elysium and everything like that. Yeah. Yeah, I had a lot of brushes with celebrities working in there. It was fun. That's kind of one of the perks of the job. Totally.

[01:04:57] You know, driving nice cars, talking to cool people. Yeah. That's fun. Yeah. That does sound fun. I had a little brush with Jimmy Kimmel, like, a month ago. How was that? Well, how much time do we have? We're good? Whatever, yeah. We're over on time, but we're in overtime. Okay, cool. I went to – I did a modeling shoot for a friend of mine. She runs this restaurant – she does marketing for this restaurant group, so I did a modeling shoot for them.

[01:05:20] And she paid me in this gift card to STK, that steakhouse downtown. Okay. Because they're part of the same group. So I was eating dinner there by myself at the bar, like, you know, Steven Glansberg, just like, you know, kind of like a loser. And anyway, these people come and sit next to me at the bar, and they're dressed – to the nines. They're dressed super nice. And they're talking to the bar, and I'm like, oh, yeah, we just came back from this gala, and there was a whole bunch of celebrities there. You know, they're naming off, like, Jimmy Kimmel, Kevin Costner, Courtney Cox, Bill

[01:05:50] mary, whatever, all these people. And, you know, this is only a month ago, and, like, you know, I'm an actor, so I'm like, well, you're just kind of perk up. Yeah, you're like, what's going on over there? Yeah, I'm like, well, where was this at? And I was at the Sheridan downtown. I was like, okay, cool. So I get my check, and then I head straight over there. I'm going to get into something, dude. I'm going to see if I can meet some people and rub shoulders with somebody. And so I walk in, and literally right when I walk in, Kimmel walks right by me in the lobby, and a bunch of the people at the bar are like, oh, like, hey, Jimmy, hi, yada, yada.

[01:06:17] So I kind of hesitate for a second, and then I'm like, well, like, what did you come here for, dude? Like, he just walked by. Like, go, you know, go over there. So I walk over there. So I'm, like, 20 yards behind Kimmel and his wife, and they're getting in the elevator. Elevator, like, is about to shut right before I'm, like, at the elevator waiting area. And I'm like, damn, just messed up. And I'm like, nah, dude, like, you know, do something about it. I'm like, hold the elevator. So I hold the elevator. Okay. So I go in there. So you're, like, almost, you kept hesitating, and you kept talking to yourself about it

[01:06:47] hesitating. Exactly. Okay. Yeah. So then I get in there, and they're like, what floor do you need, man? And I'm like, what? I don't have a floor, actually, man. I'm just here to, you know, shoot the shit with Jimmy. And he looks over, and he just starts laughing. Him and his wife start laughing. So they're good sports about it. Okay. And I'm just, like, I'm just chatting with him, you know, cracking jokes. And then we get out of the elevator, and I'm like, hey, man, can I take a picture with you? And he's like, yeah, like, you know, sure. So he and I take a picture.

[01:07:16] And then I hear this old guy just, like, razzing us, like, you know, cracking jokes off, like, you know, about 10 yards to the left. I look over, and it's Bill Murray. Bill Murray's razzing you? Yeah. He's making fun of me and Jimmy. I don't know what he's saying. Okay. But I'm like, oh, my God. Like, you know, Bill, I got to get a picture with you, too, man. Like, you know, he's, like, the most elusive guy in America, basically. What? Bill Murray's epic. Yeah.

[01:07:43] And so I go over there, and, you know, I'm cracking, you know, jokes and everything like that. And I'm like, so, yeah, man, can I get a picture? He's like, ah, yeah. Kind of begrudgingly, he's like, all right. Okay. So I got my phone around, or my arm around him, and Jimmy's like, here, I'll take the picture for you. So I give Kimmel my phone, and Kimmel's getting ready to take this picture of me and Bill Murray, and Bill looks over at me and kind of looks me up and down, and then looks back to Kimmel, and he goes, Jimmy, there is something kind of fucking weird about this guy, isn't there? What?

[01:08:12] And so then I'm like, you know, I'm an actor, too, Bill. Would you believe that? And he looks me up and down again, and he's like, yeah, yeah, I would. So then Kimmel's getting ready to take the picture, but then my phone locked, I guess. And so he's like, oh, you got to punch in your coat. I'm like, oh, okay. I'm going to punch in my coat. And then Bill just goes, nope, too late. Took too long. Oh, shit. And he just leaves and walks away. Yeah. Which I think is classic Bill Murray, because he's just so, like, elusive. Yeah. Yeah. And I don't know if you guys have heard the stories of, like, he does all these random things with these strangers, like these really funny little stories.

[01:08:40] And then when he leaves, he'll be like, no one will ever believe you. He does that, like, every time, I guess. That's, like, his calling card. Wait, so he'll, like, meet with people. He'll do something random with some random people. Okay. And they'll be like, oh, my God. And then he'll be like, no one will ever believe you. And he, like, leaves before they can get evidence. Yes. Okay. Dude, there's, like, a website that has, like, so many of these stories of him doing that. That's funny. I never heard that. And I'm like, I guess no one will ever believe me, huh, Bill? And he kind of, like, chuckled, you know, after I said that.

[01:09:08] And then the funny thing is, Kimmel, I'm like, damn. I almost had a picture with Bill Murray. And Kimmel's like, well, you know, here, man, like, you know, you and I can take another picture. Which is, like, nice of him. But in my head, I'm like, Jimmy, I don't need a second picture with you, dude. Like, we just took one five yards away. You know what I mean? So, anyway, I was just thinking of that because we were talking about little Russian celebrities. No, that's a good story. That's good to hear that Kimmel was cool. He was super cool. Yeah. That's good to hear. Yeah. That's fun.

[01:09:34] I hope, like, it's, you know, there's, like, methods to, like, you have to get through the agent and you have to, like, find the way and find the contact. So, hopefully, this is a great platform and will be, it will be a great platform to help get you, your voice out there. Sure. Obviously, what you do is awesome. The type of energy that you're bringing is epic. I think it's undeniable. Appreciate it, man. So, super exciting.

[01:10:01] Before you plug all your stuff, we do have to ask you a question. Bring it. The DCPC question for the 283rd time. Okay. So, if you could offer, which I think we've already covered a lot of this in this episode, but if you could offer one piece of advice that when humanity hears this tomorrow, everyone's going to be better off for hearing it, what would it be? Be present. Be present. And make the journey from your head back into your heart.

[01:10:29] The present moment and presence and your heart space is going to show you everything that you need. Mm-hmm. It's going to teach you and show you absolutely everything that you need. And the good news is you don't need to go and find that. It's actually the most under your nose, right there thing. It's right at the very core of who you are. So, yeah. Yeah.

[01:10:55] Go back home to the present moment and to who you really are, which is the space that lies beyond your mind. It's the God that lives in you. So, go back to the God that lives in you and God will show you the way. Great advice. Yeah. I like that. Great advice. Great episode. It's important. No. Yeah. Being present because I've read some books on how to do that and focus. The Power of Now. Yeah. The Power of Now. Nice. Eckhart. Yeah. That's a great read. Dude.

[01:11:23] I listen to Eckhart Tolle frequently. Yeah. You read that like once a year. It's like one of those. That's one of the things that's kept me on my journey to better myself. Yeah. Is being in the present. So, great advice to humanity. I love that. And where can everybody check out what you're doing and get involved with you? You could go to my Instagram once I get it fixed. After I got hacked this afternoon. You go to my Instagram at Cole Chapleski.

[01:11:53] You could look at my IMDB. And it's like, do you have like videos on YouTube or is there like. I have my demo reel on YouTube. If you look up my, just my name on there. Okay. But, you know, there's also, there's a few films that I did that are on there too. There's Watchtower, which is the first film that I ever did, which I just found out got into the LA International Short Film Fest, got nominated for Best Horror Picture. Oh, nice. Excellent. Yeah.

[01:12:24] Yeah. You know what? Honestly, if you reach out to me, I'll send you some films that I did because I've got most of them, you know, on my device. Perfect. Sweet. Try and include some of those in the show notes down below for the viewers. They can just go down, scroll down, give it a look, get in touch. Yeah. Good stuff, man. Yeah. Appreciate you guys having me, man. I really enjoyed it. Yeah, this was fun. This was a good chat. We were just barely scraping the surface. So, we'll get you back on. Yeah. You know, six months to a year, whatever. Totally. See where you're at. Yeah. We didn't even talk about our Polish, you know, stuff. Oh, that's right. We'll save that for a round, too. There's too much. There's too much juice. There's too much juice. We'll get around to it.

[01:12:53] This one flew by for sure. Yeah. Thanks, brother, for being here. I appreciate you guys, man. Yeah. Absolutely. Yeah. Best of luck to you. And on that note, everybody, happy Friday. We'll be out tomorrow. I'm still in your line this week, Kev. And be good to yourselves. That's right. If you don't full send something you can't have says nothing, you deserve it. Awesome. See you.