I Am all in You.
I Am all in with Scott Patterson, an iHeartRadio podcast.
Hey Everybody, Scott Patterson, I Am all in Podcast. One on one interview with Steve Braun one eleven Productions. iHeart Radio, iHeart Media, iHeart Podcasts. We have a fella who Let me tell you a little something about him. He was in one episode of Gilmore Girl, was a very memorable episode. He portrayed Trip cavanall like Logan's website launch party, was one who kept talking about his house in Tortola. And
let me tell you a little something about Steve. He's an acting coach and communication consultant, drawing on many years of acting training, Buddhist practice, and Mark Arts training to help his clients discovering express there unique emotional truth. While pursuing an acting career, Steve starred in movies such as How Kamar Go to White Castle, Wrong Turn Two, and The Trip, and he's a series regular on The Immortal and Twins. He gets started on CSI, Miami, CSI, New
York Bones, Gilmore Girls, The Closer, and CIS and The Mentalist. Steve, Welcome to the podcast Pleasure Having you. We have a lot to talk about let's start off by talking about how you got this part. How'd you get the role?
Yeah, I mean, like a lot of actors, I auditioned, but this series, as you know, was different in that the words needed to be spat out so unbelievably rapid fire. But also this guy like the douchiest of the douchees who shows up at this party, like you know, just going on and on about tortola and whatever else, Like it needed to be even faster than that. So I prided myself as being someone who could spit out words
the rapid fire. But this was a challenge. But so I remember in the edition was first up, and I went in there and I just I don't know that the planets aligned, and I got all these like just these these thick chunks of dialogue out rapid fire, And honestly, I think that was it, and you know, channeled some of that annoying, snobby douchebag that that might live in me.
Well, uh, you played Trip Kavanaugh. We met him at Logan's launch party. Was very memorable that now, when you got your lines, did it did it intimidate you? Because you were you were there, there were these long descriptions about your house and Tortsola was so much dialogue, Yeah, a little bit.
I mean I mean it's it's both an opportunity and like, oh, I gotta like actually spit this stuff out. So I mean the words were so beautiful because they're just hideous, like, I mean, who is this jerk? Right?
Like?
And and the reaction to the other actors just only made it even juicier. So I think mostly this number of years ago, I saw it as just more fun than you could possibly have doing anything else. Uh, and to be paid for it, I mean, what a joy?
M hm.
And so the speed of the diagalogue dialogue is usually what gets people. What was your what was your method for conquering that? You just you just ran it to death. You just get it over and over and you just.
Now this repetition like at that point with that level of speed and also that many words, to me, everyone's
got their own. It's just muscle memory. So if I can like my mouth to remember these things, then I can kind of go on autopilot and just deal with the actors in front of me while my mouth is spitting out this ridiculousness, which I suspect there is a disconnection and the character like this, he's not like you know, checking in to see whether his audience is okay or like whether they're you know, like connected in their hearts. He just spit. I think that's what worked for me.
So what do you remember about filming that day? What was your top It's the top thing that pops in y as.
A great group of actors. Everyone was really because, like you know, you'll have on a series like that, a lot of scenes with two people, three people, but like the energy of the background performers and the party scenario, a bunch of people, kind of comic characters coming in and out. There was energy there which was really exciting. Also just sort of anecdotally, then Senator Obama was kind
of on the scenes. I remember that there was there was conversations around who this new person was, who would buzzibly be president one day? That sticks out for me, But mostly like the the well oiled machine at that point of making great television consistently and quickly, like you could you could tell that everyone knew what the hell they were doing, happy to be there. It was a good environment.
Was it was it different from other shows that you did? The environment yeah, oh for sure. Well I tell you what, how I was to compare them, compare them?
Yeah, so all right, let's let's spill the tea. Like, so let's say you've got a series regular who is just not a happy person, but they've booked this series regular job with and with that comes an expectation that they should be happy, right, Like you're shot out at two pm, you got your health insurance, like, smile, right, But they're still miserable, and so they're trying to control their environment. And you know, there's a lot of that
can go around. If like the one, two, three in the call sheet are nasty and not having a good time of it, it really trickles down. It effects affect everyone else, right, So but here you at a situation where that that wasn't the case, Like there was just a lot of supportive energy. Everyone is really kind.
You know.
I've been on sets, particularly TV sets, where you're working with someone for a full week, fifteen hour days and they don't even introduce themselves, right, it wasn't wasn't the case here.
Like it was a good group really. So so you worked on shows where where the leads were wrapped at two pm.
Yeah, wow, because it's you know, like season twenty seven or like whatever it.
Is, right, the executive.
Cruisers and then whatever. They kind of show up with a little twinkle in their eye and they say their line and they go home and.
Oh, now I know what you're talking about. I know what you're talking about. Man, I know what you're talking about. Yeah, all right, so you know your character trips seem to be oblivious that Logan and Roy weren't into your story. Yeah, about your house in Toortle, How is it working with Alexis and Matt and those scenes so.
Great because I mean, I think it shows in the final cut like that they held all my ridiculous yammering with a beautiful container of awkwardness that made me look
even more ridiculous, which was terrific. So and I think, you know, the generosity, So you're in a situation like that and the other actor who's just walking on for a day, right, has a ton of dialogue you can if you have an understanding of like the overall picture and how like if everyone's good in the show, we all look good to try to offer something generously to that actor to help them get through all of this dialogue.
They didn't have to do that, but they did. And then again, I think what shows in the final cut is them just the internal eye rolls and the awkwardness around this idiot.
So your last role was sixteen years ago.
Yeah, I stepped away.
Why did you step away?
You know? The writer's strike hapen, the last writer's strike hap And I was sort of left without a paycheck and without an ego stroke. And I kind of realized, oh, like, this is really just a paycheck and an ego stroke for me. So I started working around that time on the first Obama campaign and just sort of helping staff and volunteers express their unique truth about the candidate and kind of spread the message. And that was a year
and a half two year process. I started leaning more into martial arts, internal arts that I've done for fifteen years at that point.
What kind of martial arts, what style.
Shell and kung fu? I've done sort of kung fu proper, krav magalo boxing, taiji twan, but mostly it went to internal arts, meditation sheng that'th work that sort of thing?
And is there a studio that you dojo that you go to in the area?
Uh, you know, I go to a bunch. But you know, for eleven discipleship of this the Shellon monk that I was working with and no kidding, now what I do Taichi with the elders in the park mostly.
And now where and what city are you in? Now?
Right now? I'm in Vancouver. I'm back in fourteen Los Angeles.
Oh you're in Vancouver. Oh that's so interesting.
I'm here got a place in August of twenty twenty in the middle of the pandemic.
Have you been to the Shallon Temple in China?
No, planning a trip just before COVID.
Boh they do incredible things there. Yeah, all right. So you're an acting coach as well. You got your own acting schools called BGB Studio. When did you start that?
I started that in twenty twelve. I mean I've been I've been coaching since two thousand and seven or eight. Just to tie this back to Gilmore Girls, my studio partner is Reesa braydmon Garcia, who uh has?
Who was so sure she's a she was? She's a big time casting person.
That's right. And she cast the reboot the Gilmore Girls. Year in the Life.
Does she really Reesa Brayman Garcia cast the reboot.
And Jamie Rodowski, who cast me in My who cast me as Trip in My episode of Gilmore Girls. She ended up working at our studio for a number of years and she she also cast the reboot with with Reesa. Yeah so recent. I started in twenty twelve and it's been going strong ever since.
How many students do you have?
You know? It sort of fluctuates as we've eight week classes and ongoing classes from like two four hundred depending on the month.
Oh, that's fantastic, but it's.
Uh, it's it's beautiful. I it's to be deeply in the work of human connection and it's it's so much more than just book a job for the actors at our studio, and it's a community. It's all sorts of great things.
You teach kids too, Yeah, we just started teaching kids. Yeah, you got to deal with their parents.
That's the trick.
There's amazing to do that too. And I had a Saturday class for kids and I my ex girlfriend is great acting teacher, great actress. I said, you do this Saturday thing. I can't deal with the parents because.
You set something up right. But then sorry, like we can't make it because I slept in or we got to go to soccer. Like the scheduling, it's like it's it's a nightmare.
But my daughter is a star. Do you not see that? Right?
That's right? You know what you know? What she needs is audition technive. That's what she needs.
I heard it. I heard it everywhere. I couldn't take it anymore. We drove from Florida. This girl is a star. Do you see it? Uh? Oh man sad? All right. So if there any actors listening who are just starting the careers, what's your first piece of advice you would give to them.
Yeah, I think less about booking the job and really get in right relationship to why you're doing it. I mean to me, And this sort of sounds like sacriligious or like I'm killing someone's dream, But there's nothing that the industry can give you that will be more important and deeper than what the art can give you. That level of human connection that you get to experience multiple
times a day, that's the actual goal of it. And if you focus on that, expanding yourself as a human being, you know, leaning into connection and vulnerability and presence, and if you can learn to love that for its own sake, Then the industry has, you know, the tendency to come back around and be attracted to you, but too lost. I'm trying to book work. You start spinning your tail.
You totally agree. Yeah, you got to be in it for the right reasons, for the love of the craft.
Which sounds ridiculous, Like it sounds so like something like Trip would say, But that's it, Like that's the audition's secret, right there, h it is.
Do you think there are more opportunities for actors now because of all the streaming content available? I don't. I agree, I don't think there are either.
Right, Like yeah, like it's and its it's antithetical to like what what you're you're seeing because you think, oh, there's more opportunity, there's there's not. But there's more opportunity with the technology that's available to you to be an artist, to be an actor, to write your own stuff, shoot your own stuff, be someone who is a creative person. But the industry proper, I think, is contracting and shifting and it's uh classic industrial model needs needs some work, you know.
Uh So, in your opinion, how can an actor stand out against hundreds of others who are going or an audition.
Yeah, you know, don't mean to get all like woo woo on you, but I truly believe that every human being is unique indeed to the universe. So leaning all the way in uh to your unique emotional more experience of that world of the play, then invariably your expression of the art will be unique and so like by definition, will stand out from others. Whether whether it's something that they want or not. That's different because we start monetizing things that it gets different. But to me, that's that's
the work of it. Consistently, it is.
It is so true, and so many young actors get caught up in the the fallacy that imitating Brando or imitating John Maclovitch is going to get them a job, and it just isn't because everybody's going to see it and they're going to go just shake their head and go, oh god, yeah.
But the nature of the industry is that, like it's meant to commoditize and process art. Right, So it'll say, but we want a John Malkovich type, but the actor can't hear that. They have to be uniquely them and when they are, oh yeah, that's exactly what we were looking for.
No, it's not.
But but you just someone offered a unique experience that was connected in true full and that's why you.
Gotta be yourself. Well, I want I want acting teacher head in New York. You say, if you're gonna play yourself all the time, you better be pretty interesting. But you know, I do think it's true. You have to tap into your own uniqueness. It's the only way to differentiate yourself because there's nobody like you. We're gonna play rapid fire. You ready, You're under no pressure to answer these quickly. How do you like your coffee?
Black?
Are your team Logan, Team Jess or Team Dean?
No idea?
It was your that's my favorite answer so far podcast. I have you know what Ted? And he said, he goes who cares? Yours is funnier? I have no idea. Who is your favorite Gilmore Girls couple? Luke and Lorelei or Emily and Richard? Of course? Would you rather work with Michelle or Kirk?
Michelle?
Uh? What would you order at Luke's diner?
Michelle? No, your burger, you know, the classic burger?
Uh huh?
Get a milkshake too?
Would you rather hang out with Paris or Lane Lane, Harvard or Yale, or drop out and live in the pool house. Pool House for Poolhouse. Probably get a better education there. Now. Anyway, would you rather attend a da ar event with Emily or a town meeting with Taylor Gilmore? Girl's character that you would want as a roommate?
Uh, Laura, l I.
Something in your life. You are all in on my daughters. Oh beautiful? Yeah, you have to how many daughters? Yet wonderful, wonderful children are a miracle. Stephen Brown, Thank you for your time. It was enlightening, It was invigorating. Thank you so much. You know what, we have a clip. I think before we go, we got to see a clip of your work. Yeah, Jackie, can you roll that clip? I want to see this clip again? Here we go.
True, hey man, glad you can make it. Mommywethell right, And this is my girlfriend Ry Gomo.
Nice to meet, just back from Tortola. He's building an incredible house.
Then, wow, congratulations, Well we'll see Construction on the island is such a joke. I mean, try getting anyone to meet a schedule.
Yeah, I've heard that.
Hey, Plus, my property is totally isolated. Which would be great once the house is built. But it's a construction nightmare. It turns out v bridge that accesses my land can't take the way to the truck carring the supplies. We have to offload the supplies onto a smaller vehicle. That necessitiated two four clips. No, this is covered in the estimate course.
That was brilliant work. How many takes did you have to do? You have to do all kinds of coverage too, didn't you.
Yeah, a lot of coverage there, But how many takes? It wasn't many? Just got a move right, So.
Yeah, you just kind of came out and nailed it though, didn't you.
Yeah.
I mean I remember stumbling a little bit and like I needed it to be game day, right, Like I stumbled a little bit in the rehearsal. I needed the thing to roll for me to actually step into it. But but yeah, and you can see those actors like really supporting it, which is really lovely.
Right, there's a lot there was a fun scene. Love those scenes. Anyway, Thank you so much for your time and sharing your thoughts with us, Steven Brown, Ladies and gentlemen, round of applause. Anyway, We'll see you next time, everybody, and remember we and I am all In stay safe everyone, Hey, everybody and Altoget. Follow us on Instagram at I Am all In Podcast and email us at Gilmore at iHeartRadio dot com