It was a very weird existence for a teenager and everything that went I went through in my life. They wrote it, And Who's the Boss Man?
What's hand him?
Man?
You got mar Shaw, Bismall Lynch.
Doug Hendrickson and Gavin Newsome.
And you're listening to politics.
You know to be you known to be.
Gavin.
Uh. We have in the waiting room a long time actress from childhood on epic shows like Who's.
The Boss to a producer, a writer, director, a Broadway star.
Activist, activist, ah, you know, someone that has been involved in incredible things forever.
H and I you know what.
She's also a big fan of the NFL more sean, she's also a big fan of the Dodge.
That Dodger. We'll hold that not again. Well, we'll hold that slightly against her, Yeah, slightly. The great Alissa Milana Alyssa. How are you, Alissa?
Hi? I am great? How are you?
I mean, you know, as well as people can be doing. Right with the Dodgers winning the World Series, I'm still having fully recovered from that. You're busy as a governor, right, you have nothing? I know, I actually feel pretty good about that. I was happy they beat.
You wait, so wait, you're not a.
Daughter's fan from San Francisco. I know I'm the Governor. I did a go Dodgers video. Okay, look, I'm all in with the Governor of New York. I won the bet. It was a great thing.
The Giants had enough World Series championships. It was our time where we've had a good run. I have no doubt that the Giants will be back up there at some point. But give us our moment for really.
Your moment, and you're gonna have so many moments coming up. It means crazy. Wait to listen, are you Are you a Bronx screw or Brooklyn girl.
I'm a Brooklyn girl. So my dad used to sneak into Ebbitts Field from under the bleachers. So yeah, so I have no choice.
We had a blueprint, huh on how to get the fuck down.
It's right, we ain't paying that high ass cost to get in there for the fifty dollars hot dog, twenty dollars boxes of popcorn, is sue.
He had a system. He had a system.
So, Lissa, you grew up as a kid as a as a sports fan. Then your younger years six seven, eight, you grew up a Dodger fan?
Was it Yankees? What was it?
Was a Yankees? I was a Yankees fan because my dad was rebelling against the National League because they moved the Dodgers, and I lived in New York still at the time. When I got through the Boss, we moved out to California, and of course the Dodgers became more geographically convenient, and my dad became a Dodgers and so literally the way I connect I wrote a book about this called Safe at Home. The way that I connected
with my dad throughout my childhood was through baseball. And I used to, you know, fall asleep to the sound of Vinceculley's voice calling games. And my son now plays pretty competitive, I mean as competitive as you can be at at thirteen.
So did you sneak into any games?
I may have snuck into a few clubhouses.
Oh okay, we won't go there. That's scary. I love that you love.
One up like a motherfucker.
You come home, you've got the whole vibe, and then.
You vibe sneaking.
Yeah, So listen, you love the baseball players, any any any football players?
Hockey? Was it always baseball? The love of baseball?
My first boyfriend was a hockey player. He actually was on the Kings, got traded for Kelly Rudy. Remember that trade?
I do remember that?
Yes?
Wow, Well you know more. Sean Alyssa is part owner of the Seattle Kraken. So he's a he's a he's a big hockey guy.
I love hockey. I love hockey. My brother went to shot at Saint Mary as a kid, which is a boarding school in Minnesota, on a ice hockey scholarship. We're a big hockey family. My son just didn't. He gravitated more towards baseball, but we gave him both opportunities.
Yeah, you got to be a different type of individual to get out there on that ice.
That ship is you know what I mean?
I got out there on the ice and got one of them sticks and got the fucking around a little bit, and then I was like, you know what, I got a different level of respect for them dudes like I.
It's incredible. The athleticism is incredible.
Yes, that's that's what really uh opened my eyes? Like them motherfuckers that get up and be skating full speed forward? Is it then slide on a die and start doing that ship backwards? You know what I got them. And then they have come and run and to your will, slide into your ass and hit you.
Into the and then they have to take this little black look and shoot it into the net with how many defenders on the ice.
I mean, it's not and they're tough and they want to hit you and they want to fight and afterwards.
The only thing I'm said about where hockey is. I was a mighty duckt fan growing up. I used to love the flying v Yeah, and when I found out that that wasn't it, Yeah, man, I was. I was fucked up. That crushed all my you know what I mean. But I'll get out there and fuck around. If I could, I could go skate like really fast. It's just the stopping it.
By the way, it can't be surprised. On the West Coast California, there's no where do you play hockey as a kid, understand the base everywhere.
As soon as Gretzky came to California, I mean it was it was a big deal. And all of these you programs started turning up.
Must be more selling case it must because I don't you know it's here. It's more sol Morris so Kel yeah.
Interesting.
So did you any sports?
No I had. I didn't have a childhood. I was working from the time I was nine years old.
Damn marshat she started. And by the way, Alyssa is this is a true story. Your babysitter takes you to an audition without even telling your parents. It's seven years old to an anti audio.
Correct, that's correct. There. It was an open antie audition and fifteen hundred kids showed up. Four were picked for the National Touring Company and I was one of the four.
But will you prepare? I mean? Is that is all?
I mean?
She just said hey, or may have been a hit, I don't know, it said hey, let's let let's come down. I got an idea. Spend some time with you today. Instead of going to the park, We're going to do an.
Audioly she she was going in on the audition because she was an equity member and they were also auditioning for the ensemble. So she took me with her and look at me and I was like, you know, sort of mimicking what the kids were doing on the stage. And she was like, do you want to go up there? Do you want to audition? And I have no idea. What the word audition meant? I just knew that, like I love to sing and dance, so I was like sure.
It was this huge, long, fourteen hour process, and finally as groups started getting cut down, she called my parents and she was like, I think you probably should have should come down here. And then they weren't going to let me do it because they were like, what are you talking about. We have a life, we have our you know, we have business and we have things to do, and the way they tell it, I basically locked myself in my room and was so depressed that I couldn't
do it. And then they finally said okay, So my mom and I went to you know this on this touring company and we left my dad, which was bone crushing. But then when I got Who's the Boss, we moved to California, just me and my dad because my mom was like, well this is never going to work a series.
Listen, So what age were? What age was? Who's the Boss? When'd you start?
What? Age?
Eleven? I was eleven to nineteen, so.
Eleven years old and your parents like and then like, how do you I mean it's hard to say no.
To that, right, my mom said no. My mom was like, there is no way I am moving this family out to California. You guys can go, because she was like, there's no way this is going to work. And this is a time there were only three stations, you guys. There was ABC, NBC, and CBS and that was it.
Yeah. But listen, were you would you you actively trying to get that role? I mean, was your mom was out there? She was touring with you for Annie. She was obviously she bought in enough to your being an actress on stage. You must have gone to an audition with her for Who's the Boss.
I went with my dad, But I don't think they really knew what they were doing. I mean, mind you, they were in their early thirties. Yeah, So, I mean it was such a different you know, and I think New York represented a lot of struggle for them, Like my mom didn't have, you know, we came from very little, and so for them, I think it was opportunity and I think it was you know, for me, it was just like my creative outlet and I've been so blessed to still be able to to do it all these
years later. And then what it's what it's afforded me.
Marshaun, you may not remember you were, probably wouldn't been born yet. But Who's the Boss was a freaking monster hit, and I grew up watching Who's the Boss? Does come on and Alyssa, here's a funny thing. I kind of forgotten my calling. My call was probably to be.
An actor as well, and as a few.
He just showed us a revisual take from one of.
His But but Alissa, my claim to fame.
I was an extra that turned into an actual role in the movie Angels Nowfield and your co star Tony Danza was the other picture in the movie Father.
It was Matthew McConaughey claimed to Fame.
Danny Glover was in it, and I was the other picture with Tony Danzer and I'll never forget. We're like day eleven of shooting and Tony literally takes all the non actors like myself and everybody, and we went to Larry Blake's in Berkeley and he bought all of us drinks and food and the greatest guy in the world. But every day between sets he would roller skate around the Colisseum yeah, or his rollerblaze, whatever it may be.
That for exercise that crazy like ten like ten miles a day in the colisseum doing was.
In amazing shape and tap dancing too. Did he tap dance for you?
He did tap dance?
Yeah, yeah, you know what.
You've been tap dancing around this one little thing your entire life. Doug. By the way, listen, just say you know no, Bs and Marshan could attest to this. Doug just two days ago sent Marshawn and I had text and it was his residual text check of like two.
Dollars and eighty seven cents for your role in this damn movie. No, that was talking us the episode of the League with more, Shawn, I.
Got some more regrets that you didn't pursue it further.
Jesus No, because Marshawn will tell you. I'm very I was very bad at it and was it though, No, but it was it was fun. So I've been an agent for ever. But anyways, I did that kind of I was struggling starting out agent and it was kind of fun. And then they asked me to be in another baseball movie and I said no because I had to go make a living and recruit players and da da da. But a little bit of regret, like, Wow, this would be pretty cool to kind of kept doing it.
And now more Shawn is a big movie star kind of movies.
Have you ever seen what is that movie called Jerry Maguire?
I love that movie so much.
That is exactly who Doug is. He's that on like on stereo.
I was Tom Cruise.
Moreshawn was Cuba Gooding Jew Jesus, and he'd be like, mother, know me my money.
It's not exaggerated speaking of money. And by the way, I'm serious about this, Alyssa. I mean, at such a young age and here you are come. I mean, I'd forgotten it was that long. That show lasted that long, which is amazing.
You're Charmed too, charm same time eight years too.
Yeah, just crazy. So you were able to have two huge runs. So you're so young. And we had Demi Lovato on a few weeks ago and we were talking about child stars and we were talking about the struggles and the sort of the the energy with parents. Sometimes it's all about the parents. Sometimes the parents are taking
all the money. H Sometimes that pressure and all the stress of fame at such an early age, and you seem to I mean, in hindsight, I mean, I look at you today, but you weathered that pretty well, didn't you.
Yes, for sure. But my parents have been together since they were fifteen. There, you know, I have a brother. There's very big in my life. Community. Family has always meant more than anything else. And my mom didn't go to set with me. She actually had she hired a guardian on Who's the Boss because it was so important for her to be home for my brother. So I think that that was, you know, an indication that that
was my life and she had her life. But the other thing about you know, pop stars have a totally different complexity to it because child actors there's actually something called the Jackie Coogan Law where we're protected as far as financially, whereas pop stars don't really have that because there's not a union, so they're not protected by you know, any sort of union. So parents, managers can come in and take a lot of their money as a kid and they don't know.
And you know, it's interesting, Alyssa, what we were able to do, the reason we were a DEMI was we actually signed a law in the state of California replicating the Cougan Long Accepting extending it to content creators, folks on YouTube, et cetera.
Amazing.
That is amazing trying to address precisely the example that the exception you just referenced.
Oh and so many parents use their kids for views and for you know, advertising dollars, and yeah, that's that's a really important thing. Good for you.
But you so you never had that, So you had a great So I love to hear that you had such a stable family, so that relationship to fame, to money and youth, you were able to weather that pretty well.
My parents, at a very young age instilled to me that like part of being a fan and by the way, fame was very different then. You know, I got trolled, but it was through fan mail, so like I didn't have to see it because they went through it all. But you know, part of that was an era where you know, we grew up idolizing people like Audrey Hepburn and Jane Fonda and celebrities that actually did john people that did something with their fame that was important to society,
to community. And so that's how I grew up. So my parents always instilled in me, like, you have this incredible opportunity to really create change. And I think It's why I've continued my activism to this day because I don't I don't understand the point of being famous if you're not going to do something positive or use your voice for you know, marginalized communities or human human rights issues. And that started for me at fifteen, during the AIDS epidemic.
I was friends with Ryan White. To look him up, google him if you don't know who he is.
I still remember the philadel hum interview. I mean, by the way and Marshawn what Alyssa did or she's about to and she can express it better than I, but it's so indelible. I mean, this was a time when people with HIV and AIDS, people didn't even want to touch them or be in the same room. And here's Alyssa tell us the story. You go on Phil Donahue with Ryan.
And I kissed him to prove that you couldn't get HIV AIDS from casual contact, which at.
The time was just like nobody was just before magic or after magic.
This was before before.
Magic, yes, the beginning the beginning of the yes.
And that was the moment I mean I Ryan White really changed my life because I realized, oh, this is this is the power of storytelling. This is the power of what I can contribute. And so it took my career to like a different place in my mind, and I think that that's been very helpful in not only just keeping me grounded, but also just the longevity, because
it's I find like the business is really hard. The people who have long careers are the people who are willing to deal with it, to deal with the hardship of the rejection, and you know, the resilience that you have to have to have a forty year career in the entertainment industry is rewarded with longevity in the career. In your career, and I guess it's a lot like athletes too, like what you have to overcome as a kid and then in high school sports and in college
sports and the competition. Like you know, I feel like you're you're rewarded for having resilience no matter what you do.
Well, it's interesting more, Shawn, that's a great question for you because obviously you've been an athlete at the highest level and now you're in the acting business. Have you seen uh, maybe not you, but a lot of people, whether it be former players or even people you're dealing with now and casting calls and all that stuff. The rejection and whatnot you're seeing as as an athlete compared to actor.
To me is sort of the same, you know.
I mean considering like when I start in high school, like I want to be a quarterback, and you know, I mean I got beat out by uh by my cousin, and yeah, I mean I had to Yeah, I mean program my mind like Okay, I'm not going to be playing quarterback, but I love the game. So where am I actually gonna fit in and have to you know, I mean, uh learn a new position and you know,
I mean really uh get into that. A lot of individuals who don't you know, I mean to translate to them, you know, they can fall off, they can fall into a dark place.
And I mean or one bad coach. Yeah, so many athletes have that one bad coach and they're like, I.
Can't do this and they show I mean, you know, in it and it cut the their career short. So being able to you know, I mean adapt to that, Yeah, I mean as well like for a situation like I mean, I guess I picked that up from you know, from playing sports. But you know there's times where I've you know, read for a role and you know, I mean, uh, you know, I don't hear about it and you know, having to continue to go out there and you know, continue to do it, you know.
I mean it's more and so just you know, having the right.
Mindset when when you're doing these things, and you know, I mean I kind of don't look at it as a like a rejection type thing.
Is just more so like okay, what did not do?
Yeah, I mean in order to secure that uh that role, Like what can I work on? I mean, I take it as a challenge to myself where you know, I mean, I think I said it before, like, uh, I don't I don't take ls, you know what I mean.
I learned lessons and you know what.
I mean, the more that you know, I go out and I do that, and the more lessons I learned, I'm more seasoned the next time I get the opportunity to go and do it.
So, you know what I mean, capitalizing on.
Every opportunity that I have and whether I get the role or I don't get the role, being able to learn something from it, I mean to help me.
But the list is interesting. I mean, if you look at like you and more Shawn the thick skin.
Everyone thinks you guys are drinking champagne and has fires on every day on a Friday in your office and life is great.
However, you guys got a battle.
Man. It's a tough business in terms of the entertainment business and sports and everyone, all the fans just think, oh my god, the life you of than no plan, attent and charmed and this and that.
But like, it's a tough.
It's a fucking tough business. You guys are in every day the battles and the grind.
And I'm going to push back on that a little bit. I'm going to push back on that a little bit only because listen, I live a very privileged life. But I think the important thing to remember is that I didn't come from privilege. That I've been working my entire
life to achieve this. And I feel like you know, so often we are we are looked upon in the entertainment industry as people who are out of touch or elite, whereas really artists, athletes, we are more in touch because most of us came from somewhere we had to get out of. We had to and so we are I feel like, even though the privilege is here, now we
understand the struggle. And that's part of I think why I feel like I have to fight so hard for marginalized communities or from you know, for for working families, is because like that that was us. And I think the the the whatever the opposition is has done a really good job is painting us as elite and that we're out of touch and that we don't know what it's like to struggle or to come from nothing. Most artists and athletes do, so we relate. And we're all
from all over this country. I mean, I'm from Stoaten Island, but.
Listen what I mean. It's so I mean every and you've been out front, I mean, and Marshawn Doug, I mean, Alyssa, trust me because we've we've been in contact for many years on so many different issues. And I can attest to a lot of specific issues on gun violence, and work you've done on gender equality which has been next level, the work you've done, and you even Ukraine and issues obviously with healthcare, and and then even going back on H and B and Ah's and so many different things.
But how often you get that blowback and you get it. You're the tip of the spear. A lot of this saying stay in your lane. Like I mean, to your point, you're in Hollywood, you're out of touch, and so I appreciate your reflecting on that, and I think you're right for athletes to get the same damn thing. Well, it's like it's like shut up and drip, don't dribble.
Or shut up and drill up and dribble.
Yeah, yeah, unless you're a conservative, and then you're revered from those same folks.
I think there was a very specific campaign to paint those of us on a certain political side who are celebrities, as being out of touch. And I think they did a really good job at that. By the way, I only text Gavin when he pisses me off, So I.
Guess I'm referencing a lot of text messages. So you're not alone.
Every show we have somebody, we all say, get out them, get out and get out of get them, get it, go out of open pulpit.
Yeah. So this so this has only texted me once in ten years, is what she's still saying.
I have a question for you. Why is the proposal for an amendment in the Constitution, which is a great idea to end Americans.
I know she hates this twenty eight.
Why is it still listed on your website as the twenty eighth amendment?
I told you we took, we killed all that.
Is it still your website?
All right, I'm gonna check it out. I haven't looked at the website. Well, tell nobody terms expectacy, we're not talking about she's been running this twenty eighth amendment for aut fit how many years now? How many serious? Well?
Me are the shoulders that I stand on? One hundred and one years? But I've been specifically involved in the Equal Rights Amendment since twenty seventeen, which would be.
The twenty eighth amendment. And we propose a constitutional amendment as relates to gun safety, which if it were approved, would be the twenty eighth, and so it came out as a twenty eighth. She texted me immediately. I said, I'm totally with you. I totally respect that we pulled back on the rhetoric in the campaign, but apparently the website has not.
So let me look at that.
Okay, sit there, you go.
Well done proving your advocacy. By the way, when you were with when you went on that Donahue show and and you kiss Ryan, did you get a ton of hate and blowbacks?
Yes, I did, I mean, and and the trolling at that at that time it was what was the hat about? Oh, people started saying that I was HIV positive and that I am you know, that I was going to die of AIDS and like all the things. Because at that time, you have to understand, like fear was such a big part of how politicians the country socially culturally addressed HIV AIDS because it was painted as a disease just for
the lgb TQ plus community or IV drug users. So when Ryan White came along and here was this kid who was in school who got HIV from aug a blood transfusion, he literally became the the reinvention of the storytelling of how HIV AIDS is spread. And he was a saint and you know, spoke in front of Congress, he got kicked out of school, fought for the right to go back to school. I mean, just really a
special fifteen year old kid. You know. Citizen activism is to me the most powerful and so at that time it was a really big deal. I don't even know if you can equate anything to it now.
And then listen, did he take me back? Did he live a pretty lonely life then? Because I mean people kind of ostracize him and whatnot. Was he was he really kind of like on his own?
Well, yes he was, but again this is he has an incredible mother at an incredible mother, and she gave him the strength and the wherewithal to know that like he could really do something and gave his tragic situation real purpose. And he changed the world.
Quite literally changed. There was laws in his name, Doug and laws Marshaun. I mean, like literally it started a march of a movement and an organizational construct and his life, you know, was made visible and continues to be visible to this day in terms of movements aground the world,
not just here in the United States. And and back to sort of building on shoulders, I mean, so many of the laws we have enshrined today for LGBTQ community come from his fight in his example and his advocacy and his mom's advocacy and legacy as well, which is powerful. But Alica, that's I'd forget. I mean, honestly, I'd forgotten until we were getting together today you're you're being there. I mean, and you guys don't even remember Phil Donniue.
It was like that was it back to there was three networks back in the you know, the old days. I mean Phil Donahue was, I meant God back then and all eyeballs on it. So when you know he was, that was That was a hell of a moment, especially for a teenager, the two of you as teenagers in
this this amazing moment. But I love what you said and let me I want to build on this, this notion of your mind getting stretched at that moment, and it's never gone back to its original form, that you identified yourself as something bigger than just an actress at that moment that you felt compelled to share your voice.
It gave my fame because you have to realize, like you know, born and Brokelyn moved to Staten Island, all of a sudden, I was famous, right. I was eleven years old. I was on TV top ten show and it was very uncomfortable for me. I didn't understand, and much credit to my parents, even though we struggled financially, I never felt that. So for me, it was a lot like why me, Like why am I famous? Like
why can't? And you know, it was the height of all the teen magazines and posters on people's walls, and it was like it was it was very isolating. It was a very weird existence for a teenager. And everything that went I went through in my life, they wrote it and Who's the Boss? So like I started developing breasts all of a sudden, We'd show up on Monday and there was an episode called Sam's First Bra and it was like so humiliating. I couldn't even I was,
I couldn't wrap my head around it. And what it did was what Ryan did, was it gave it purpose where I was like, oh, this is why me, this is why like I understand, I understand now why.
Not me?
Right exactly?
And you had the mindset for too. As as as as big especially being young, it was.
A different again, it was a different time. It really was a time where, uh, celebrity involvement in causes mental meant a lot, meant a lot of awareness.
But you still do you still don't see I think, do you still do? You see a lot enough in celebrities, entertainers, musicians now, I know, athletes get very involved to a degree, but you still don't see as much as you probably should from people that have the power to do things, which is unfortunate.
Yeah, it's but I get it. I get it. It's you know, you're putting yourself out. I mean, I just I think about the twenty twenty four election and how you know, you had Taylor Swift and and Beyonce and all of these these huge people endorsing Kamala and then she lost, and so I would think there's an element
of like does my stock go down? Like I don't feel that way, but I would imagine, you know, when you're sort of paraded out almost like a show pony, and an election you know, is on your shoulders, I feel like when you don't win that it's not only devastating, I would think, but also does your stock go down?
So that's why I consider myself more of an activist because I will always be boots on the ground, and there are there are a group of us, I mean, whether it you know, be athletes or actors or celebrities that just don't give a shit, you know.
But but Melisten, that's but that's exactly what our partner, Morshawn's done. His wll career too, Like you know, he looked to be honest with you. We started this podcast more Shan got a lot of shit like the fuck you doing this with Gavin, Dad or d and Marshawn's like, listen, man, that's my brother, my family. I've known him, I know who he is. So you might want to give me shit, but fuck you. And so the point is, like, you know, like we have people, some people like I don't want to come.
Meanwhile, we had Marshan's back when he's kneeling on the sideline, you know, and then I fell and expressing his quiet point of view of.
Course sitting down, not kneeling, yeah, sitting there. But listen, where Shawn's always done the same thing. He's going to believe in what he believes in and do it no matter what anybody says. And I appreciate that about you as well, because you've done that since a young kid, which is really rare because you've got a young kid. Now we got young kids, and and and my kids, some of my kids have done some of the stuff. But when you see it at that young of age, it's pretty cool to see.
Well.
And also I think going back to like the fear factor. I think when you're a kid, it's you're not afraid of losing an audience or losing money, you know. I think the the the more established artists, movie stars in particular, that you you would think would be more vocal during this time of political divide. I think there is an element of like, well, if I'm not making twenty million dollars a movie, how am I? How am I gonna How am I gonna live?
Like?
How am I going to pay for everything that I have to pay for? And so I think there is like a fear that people are afraid to speak out because they're afraid of alienating half the country. But I have to tell you, I have never been. I get a lot of shit online. I have never been, and I go to cons. I was just on Broadway for three months. I have never met anyone face to face who has ever except for at an NRI convention when I was protesting and this guy came over to me
with an AR fifteen wrapped around his back. But other than that, there has never been anyone that has confronted me in person about the political stand that I take or the cultural stand that I take. And so I wonder how much of it is just really having that keyboard warrior mentality, or maybe maybe there are tual forms like maybe that's a real the.
Online versus offline world. By the way, Marsham just curious and just building out that. I mean, you know, without reliving when you decided to just quietly express yourself on the sidelines, did you get anyone in your face, anyone ever confront you face to face? Yeah, face to face, like Alyssa just said about her experience nine.
I mean, you know, the thing is, I don't think it's going to confine you, but it's more so like you know, you have maybe some individuals from the organization who probably want to understand, you know, I mean, where you're coming from or why you're doing what you're doing.
But what I do notice a lot of the times, like a lot of people is not a which is why I don't mind sitting down having conversations with you, but a lot of people not a knowledgeable enough to understand and you know, I mean when it's a lot of issues and shit going on, a lot of people, I mean they're afraid to ask questions because they don't want to feel like I mean not knowing or if I'm asking a question, I'm not asking a dumb question.
And then I mean just the just the fact where you know, it's you know, all these type of issues going on and then you I mean, they they'll look at you for you know, your response to you know, what you got going on or the way you feel, and because you know you don't think that you know, maybe your thought process will be accepted the same way
that I mean. Another individuals is, uh, you know a lot of people will tend to you know, shy away from or not speak up because you know, I mean, go back to that same thing like.
Not being very knowledgeable about it.
I also think that there's an element of like the fact that we can educate ourselves on issues is a testament to how we are okay in life. I think there's there's a certain amount of people in this country who can't put food on their table, right so that is the issue that is concerning them. It is not you know, the the the umbrella of why that issue is. It's the immediacy of like I can't feed my kid.
So in a way, it is a sort of a luxury and a tech to be able to have to think and to educate yourself and to have these conversations because a lot of people can't even you know, they're one financial dilemma away from being completely bankrupt.
Amen, But just you know, go back, just because you know, just sort of the origin story, which I appreciate Ryan being a big part of that, and and sort of the spark of your advocacy because you're so defined in this context. And that's why this conversation is so appropriate we're having in the dialectic we're having around the benefit, the pros and cons at a time of such polarization, perhaps even more than any other time in our respective lives.
But was there You mentioned Audrey Heppern, you mentioned the people that sort of iconically you looked up to it when you when you were a young actress. But was there a mentor in particular? Was there someone in particular from an advocacy perspective that you really identified with that sort of became a north star for you when you were growing up?
Oh? So many people. I mean, I think, you know, Ruth Badery Ginsburg was hugely.
Even years ago. Listen, years ago, way back.
Way back, way back, I think. But again, I grew up in a family that was very politically aware, like my parents were part of the student strike in the sixties. So I think there's I don't know. I think that there was a different level of civic responsibility that we
don't really have anymore. And I think that there were so many, so many activists were a steinum, so many people to look up to as a kid, as a young person, you know, and to be sort of at the cusp of you know, I was born in seventy two, so the cusp of the idea of feminism, you know, and how you know, when you look at textbooks on feminism, it didn't it didn't happen until the seventies. There was not one textbook on feminism before a certain time, which
is so crazy. But you know, as I've gotten older, Angela Davis, Martin, Luther King, you know, all of the people, all of the people guy.
But look at look at by the way, look at the athletes, Alssa, you got, you know, from Jim Brown back in the day to Kareem Bill Walton Alli. I mean that was the forefront of what these guys did was amazing. You don't have Jane, but you don't have that level of star power that's involved, like these guys were back to the day. I remember mar Sean the famous photo of it was it was Jim Brown, Ali Kareem and I think it was camera was But for fourth, I mean, just a level people.
How about this. Does anyone remember how Roberto Clemente died. He was a UNISEF ambassador and he died on a plane crash. Unis delivering supplies after an earthquake.
That's right now.
They wouldn't even if there was any un ambassador there was any danger, they would not be sending anyone anywhere, especially not on a small plane.
So Leslie, you you as a mom now with your kids, are they into I mean, I know one's a baseball player, but are they do you have would you want them to follow your same path in regards to the entertainment stuff.
So before I had kids and I was asked that question, I was like, Oh, there's no way they need to go to school, they need to go to college, blah blah blah. But then I had kids, and I I realized that they kind of come out who they are and it is our job as parents to give them other experiences than to to you know, hopefully plant other seeds of wonder. But like my daughter came out a performer and she's doing musical theater, oh wow. And I
can't imagine taking it away from her. It's her people, it's it's what she identifies with, it's how she expresses herself. So at this point I got to kind of be like, now, mind you much different time. Like when I was a kid and you were an young actor, it was all about you know, I wanted to be on TV or be in the play Annie or whatever. Now it's like, I want a YouTube channel. That's the goal.
Because I have to ask dyslexia. You and I share that in common. Not easy in your profession, not easy in any profession. But I mean take me back, I mean you did you you have a difficult time reading? Was it writing, spelling? Did it impact your confidence? Have you overcome issues of dyslexia? Your kids experiencing any signs of that, which often is the case.
It was very difficult. But this is like one of those weird conversations where I think that, like being a child actor was actually very beneficial for me because I was tutored on the set, so I didn't have to worry about catching up with the rest of the class or learning at a specific pace, like the tutor recognized it.
My mom's dyslexic, so she was always watching out for it, and I got to learn at my own pace with a tutor, so she not only you know, made me feel like a genius, but also gave me such a love of learning and an understanding of the learning difference that I have. And it was hard in the business as far as like auditioning and having to read side, so I'd go into sides or like the scenes, so I'd usually go in for auditions completely off off the script,
so I'd have everything memorized. I'm actually oddly good at math, which there's certain people in that are dyslexic that can do math.
Davin Field is geometry statistics, I mean absolutely true.
So so yeah, I mean I think that, uh, you know, it is my superpower. I say, because oh I like.
That, see Doug, because of superpower, don't look down on us with dyslexia.
Well, I think it's how we look at even problem solving because we see things in a different order or a different perspective or so I love it. I love it creatively too. I mean, it's I think it's been a part. It's part of why I'm me.
Well, listen, you've loved it, love it. We can talk to you for hours. I got to be honest with you.
I've always been a huge fan of years, and now I know why because you've I mean, what you've done and where you came from.
And how long, Doug, how long she's done it. Resilience and longevity, that's the next level, and especially starting that young, how so many people don't have this exact ample, and how she keeps coming back in terms of standing on principle and standing on purpose, and I admire the hell out of that. And thanks for taking Sorry to cut you off, Doug, but just thanks for taking so many hits for so many other people. Thanks for being a voice for a lot of voice people that don't have
a voice, and having the courage your damn convictions. It's, as we say, increasingly rare.
So thank you for saying that. It is. It has been the honor of my lifetime to be able to do what I do. So thank you, and thank you.
Look to see you.
We look to see your son as thirteen and the bigs one day and I want to represent them.
Okay, great, check them out a transaction chat Myla Buliari on Instagram. I think you'll be impressed.
That's it.
That's why he asked you about your agent. I guess he was trying to subsect and what that was about.
Listen, if you ever need a female host guest host to come in for you know, for all the obvious reasons.
Well not what are you suggesting three of us?
What do you mean?
Not only that, We're gonna invite you to a cracking game as a hockey guru.
With Sewan in Seattle some time.
In the new year.
I would love to do that. I've no for me, love love, love to do that. Thank you so much, great, thank.
You, great to be with. Thank you for doing this. Hey, Doug, we love hearing from our listeners and if you have any questions or comments, you can email us. Doug, where do you email us?
It's Politicken at iHeartRadio dot com. That's Politicken at iHeartRadio dot com. We want all the questions, good, bad, and different ugly to Doug to beast mode.
Send your questions to Politicking at iHeartRadio dot com.