Welcome everybody to this Park Copper episode of Magical Rewind.
I am once again six Sabrina. It just keeps happening.
Just get you again.
This is my life. This is my life now. Is not being able to taste or smell or anything else.
Well, it's a good thing. You don't need to use your voice very often.
Right, which is good. It's a good thing. I don't make a living using my voice, which is a good thing.
Oh well, I'm sorry.
I know it sucks.
But you know what's gonna make me feel better is another incredible special guest. And I think we've got one because, as you know, we just watched d coom fave Now You See It, and the star, the amazing lead magician from Now You See It, has joined us today on this Park Copper episode. I can't wait to talk to him. We are not going to wait any longer.
Please help us. Welcome Johnny Pacar.
Nice to meet you, guys.
You as well, thank you for joining us.
We're very excited to talk to you about this movie. And the first thing we want to know though, we always like to ask people because we know you grew up in Michigan, right right, and you were a big hockey player. So how did how do you go from growing up in Michigan and playing hockey to becoming a Hollywood star?
Take us on that journey.
I don't know. I don't know how it happens.
Did you start weird right at a younger age or was this something like you were in your hockey era and all of a sudden, just boom, Disney Channel gives you a call and says, hey, do you want to be a big star?
A big star? You know, I think it just happened really like organically in a weird way of Like, so I played hockey. I was always sort of slender for my age, you know. So as I came up through like the youth hockey program, like all the guys were like surpassing me, not only height, I guess I'd say I was a late bloomer. They were passing me, and not only height but weight as well. So here I am, you know, around my mid teens, things like that, I'm like a five. I'm five eleven. So I was like
a file on like like one three five at the time. Okay, And so there's these guys that are just packed on muscle. They're just like and I got to the point where I'm like, I just I don't know how much I want to. I don't want to do this anymore, which.
Is now dangerous, it's approaching.
Yeah, this is now something that has was so fun that's now just like such a It just wasn't fun. And it was like I loved watching it, I loved playing it, but it was like the upkeep of of of the training and all that other stuff. So and then it's like, you know, you're that's saying your friends influence you a lot. So you know, one of my one of my good friends back then, we just got really into music, and when I started playing the guitar, we started a band. So then I just didn't really
want to play hockey anymore. And in high school, my high school had this program where it was called like a vocational thing where you could do both high school and certain trades and vocational things. And I went for like film video animation at.
The tophy great idea, so.
I wanted to be like an editor. So that's how I started off with the whole Like I got into the sync because I loved the music, and then like you know, I was really good with camera work. And things like that. Funny enough, I couldn't get the zoo. So you know, back late two thousands, there was a flatbed editor and all that other stuff, and so I got really into like behind the scenes stuff. And then like this movie just came through Michigan and my teacher
was like, you can get on set. You should audition for it. And I was like, I don't want to act. I have no desire to be an actor. And he was like, oh, I think you'd be great. You know that you can get on set and learn about directing and all the other stuff that you enjoyed doing. I'm like, all right, I'll give it a shot. So I wrote this monologue myself because it's like prepare monologue. I'm like, what is a monologue? I ask how a monologue was?
I wrote this monologue and I was like okay. And I got narrowed down to like three people for this movie and I was like, oh, it's acting things kind of fun. Go to my senior year. I'm like, I had an elective I had to take. I'm like, I'm gonna take drama. I'm gonna learn more about acting if I'm going to like do behind the scenes stuff. I gotta learn this whole acting thing. So I got into drama. And then my teacher was like, you should try to go in l A for a while. And you know,
I grew up in Michigan. It was cold, got tired of the winters. I was like, you know what, and pack it up and give it a shot and go there. If it works out, cool, If it doesn't, you know, at least I know I tried, or I tried something that most people don't try. You know, Like back then, I was like, I'm gonna move to LA to be an actor. They're like, what do you want to do this eight tables? Yeah, yeah, it's really funny, and so I was like, yeah, I know, I'll give it a shot.
We'll see and long story, longer story short, and so yeah, moved out here and then within a few months started I got rolling. I got a commercial, got an agency, and then about probably year or two after I moved here, this agency that had a lot of youth, the Abrams at the time. Yeah, yeah, genmar Yeah, Wendy Green, Gemma. They signed me and then see it came about maybe
a year after that. So wow, that was the journey, and like little things here and there in the hustle and acting class, and sure the group of friends, which surprised I haven't met all you before because this industry is so small, but yet this town's so large. And so we had this little acting click in house parties because we all weren't twenty one yet, so it was just we just went out and did the thing. But so, yeah,
so I got now you see. I was actually supposed to do a different Disney Channel before Now you See It, and then I scheduling stuff fell through.
Which one were you supposed to do? You remember it was.
Called Zenon of course. Yeah, it was called.
The third of the franchise.
Wow, we haven't gotten there yet, but we watched the first one. Yeah, we've we've interviewed to do the guy that that and yeah, wow, that's incredible. That'd have been amazing to do too. What a great movie that woud have been.
Yeah, But then I think if I would have done that one, would I have gone to do now you See It? Because you know Disney Channel sometimes sometimes they'll keep using you and sometimes.
They don't you too close, too close to home.
Yeah, so it's like, oh, we know him from that, so like and now you see it for me was when I went in for it, like I read with Ali, and just the concept of the movie was just the magic was so cool. And they hired a magician to like teach me stuff and Franklin Jella, who I really enjoy Yeah, And so I was like, dude, I get to work with Franklin Cello. So on the flip side of had I done xenon what I've got? The experience we shot New Orleans, it was like really cool.
Yeah, well that so were you a fan of magic before you got this this role or was this a world that they kind of opened up for you.
Opened it up? Yeah, I was a fan of it, but I didn't study it or try to learn magic. You know, maybe the simple card trick here and there that you see your friends doing. But no, I was always fascinated. But I'm still fascinated by it. And when they hired this magician, the teacher, he took me out like the Magic Castle that was really cool places and I was just floored.
Do you remember his name by the chats, Bobby Borgia?
Okay, cool?
Yeah, And he came and just yeah, he was really cool. And then they flew him the set to like teaches some stuff. But the funny thing is is he went through this teaching me all this stuff, and then I didn't They didn't use any of it, right, right, So you know.
What's crazy is wee.
That's sort of something we keep coming across, like when we you know, interviewed, uh, some of the actors that have been in a movie of let's say, like they're supposed to ice, skate or be hockey players, and they like go through this rigorous training and it says and then they end up getting stunt doubles anyway and like use nothing of what the actors are except for that full like headshot face, which they could have already done
anyway without learning any kind of you know, skating. So it's interesting how they'll they'll try or for whatever reason, they go against all the training that they make you go through.
Yeah, yeah, it's it's I feel like maybe it's a well, just in case.
Case we need you to actually be a magician, we're going to put you through the magician school, but somebody else, in.
Case the director wants to close down you doing this card trick, you gotta know it, or if it's a hockey like we need to see you skate and stop and shoot the puck a little bit.
So yeah, I think it's cool though that because like one of the things we're seeing are these like micro worlds, and I think it's cool for you to learn because I'm sure that helped you as an actor really, you know, dive into this kid who's super into magic, like this is like his world and is you know, what he's being called to do. So I'm sure that helped you too, like just to really dive into this world you had nothing like no prior experience with.
Yes, yes, very much so. And I think that's what That's what I liked about it because in that mind frame too where I was at that time, I wanted really cool interesting things, as everybody does. You know, you move out here, you think you're gonna be like Johnny Depp or something like, I want to play all these eccentric roles, right, And so I was like, oh, it's a really cool dark magic movie. I can I can
only do so much that they'll let me do. But you know, so yeah, but what you yeah, what you said, it let me go completely off off the map of what I was used to, like a world that I didn't know that I can kind of explore and learn, and going to the Magic Castle and learning all that stuff and seeing these guys and how they present themselves and and so it was. It was a really neat experience. In Frank, who's a very interesting you know, he's a
stage actor, was very uh. He took a sort of like all the especially all the guys there's you know, all the guys in the movie. He would take us out in New Orleans and like like, you know, go to movies and stuff and tell us all these cool stories. And his process to acting was really cool, Like he never learned his lines the night before. He wrote him down on a napkin and his trailer every morning and kept him in his pocket. So whenever he would flow up a.
Line, it was a very calm geez. And so he put his napkin back in his pocket, naked a napkin. He was like, I don't go over my stuff in the morning.
I don't write it. He's like, I write it down in the trailer every morning, or I don't go over myself at night. I write down on a napkin a trailer every morning. And we walked a set sometimes and it'd have his napkin with all thought.
One of the things that we noticed a lot about most of the dcoms is they tend to be shot either in Utah or in Canada. So you are in one of the special ones is shooting in New Orleans. We heard you had to evacuate at one point because of the hurricane.
Yeah, that's true.
So can you tell us what's going on as you're shooting? And then next thing it's like, all right, we got we got a bail.
What's what's up.
Yeah. So I had a feeling that story would come up, and if it didn't, I was gonna tell it. So yeah, So we weren't even shooting that, so they had flown us out. We had been there, and this is one year prior to Katrina. So they flew us out there and we went through wardrobe, camera testing and all that stuff, and they're like, well, this hurricane's coming, we might have to evacuate. And this is before we even shot any scenes.
So we were supposed to shoot that following every Monday, and the hurricane kind of came in that weekend, so I think it was Sunday morning. They're like, they want us, they want us out of here, and so what happened was in the hotel we were staying at there was another Disney movie called Glory Road and there was a bigger budget movie. Josh and Lucas I think was in it. And so they had the two of us here cluttering a hobby of the hotel. They're like, Disney's got us
a little a small bus so to speak. They're driving us to Baton Rouge, which shouldn't take very long. Normally took us six and a half hours. And so we get to Baton Rouge. We're at the airport at like two o'clock in the morning and Josh, Lucas and a
bunch of the castmates have a guitar. It's like this airport's desolate except for us, and I had my guitar because you know, we were just Alley's was singing along and he comes over and he's like, yeah, I should just join our little jam circle year and so so there's like just people playing guitars in the airport and bad Rouge and then they fly us to Dallas. We get to Dallas, spend the night, fly back to la
literally twenty four hours later. All Right, it's passed. Never really hit back on, back out and he started shooting.
Oh man, but.
They had to take that proption. But it was of.
Course, of course, yeah, yeah, better safe than sorry. But how did that? I mean, so then how did the shoot go? Was the rest of the shoot kind of smooth or everything.
Else was great? Hot? Really hot? So that was you know, it was August September, October of Yeah, ninety degrees with humidity.
The main set you guys were on, was that an actual building or was that like a made a made upset? It was it was an old bank because it looked so cool that, I mean, the just architecture that you guys were like surrounded by, it looks just awesome.
Yeah. One was one was a castle. The exteriors there was this not cap it was like this really cool building, and then the interiors of where like a lot of the magic shows and stuff. That was a bank. Yeah, they converted this old bank that I guess a lot of movies shot there.
Wow, it looked cool. I loved the when you guys were in.
The vault room.
The vault room that looked so rad. I was like, wow, it does make sense.
It's kind of perfect for for what you're going.
It brought such a great, like eerie just kind of like real mysterious vibe.
I loved it.
Yeah, and that director in DP, Dwayne Donald.
I was just about to ask you about him, dude.
He was so good. He was very well. He was an editor.
That's what I was gonna ask, is do you did did you get to talk about I mean he edited Return of the Jedi?
Yeah, so he he So it was you know, this was still one of my first projects, so to speak. I had done a couple of guest spots, you know, here and there, and so he was like things moved. He was really intense, really intense, and things moved really fast. So there was times where I was like, I mean, is he is that good? Are redone? Yes? Redone? And then you know he'd come in and I'm like, God, there's probably more we're gonna do. And he was. He
was like his editing mind through the whole shoot. He was like, no, I don't need that because here, it's gonna come in here, I got a two shot here, I'm gonna cut right here, so that's just gonna be gone. And he was like cutting the movie while he was shooting it.
I think apparently it's the same way where it's just like he's like, you do it twice. He's like, no, I got I'll do it at editing. Don't worry, I do it editing editing.
Yeah, I don't need that. I'm not going to use it. I don't need that angle. It doesn't work. You know. It's like they already know.
Hard to keep focused though, because you're like, are you sure? Because did I am? I? Okay? Was that okay?
Yeah?
Like I probably could do it better if you just give me like one more shot. You know, they're like no, no, no, you're good.
No, we're good. We got it. It's like, all right, that's that's scary. But okay, I.
Know they're so blunt. They're like, we're not going to use that take. It wasn't that good anyway. So we got the first one.
I've had directors do that. I've had them do that. I had.
I had one director that was after certain takes would just go are you kidding me?
Really?
Are you kidding me? It's like all right, sorry, y try that again.
So we always like to ask growing up in Michigan playing hockey, were you a Disney fan when you were growing up or was this something.
That you didn't because a lot of people.
When they step into the world of especially D coms, don't really know what they're getting into. Some are like, it's all I've wanted to do, Like Sabrina was like, I wanted to be in a D com. It's all I wanted to do. I knew the world I was getting into. And there's some people that are like, I had no idea, what the hell I'm stepping into?
Which camp were you in?
Uh?
A little in between, maybe I had an idea. I wasn't because, like I said, I never really wanted to act, So it was like I was never like, oh, I want to just be in a D com and so, but yet I would watch I had seen some along the way, like you know, not too long before, you'd just be flipping through the channel symptimes like oh, what's this movie like that? I saw one with my name. Man, I'm like Johnny Tsunami, So I was like, oh, you have the same name.
Yeah, yeah, it's a good one. I was one of my favorites. And and honestly too, if you had the Disney channel, if you were flipping by it at all times, chances are a d COM was on because they were playing those guys on repeat, just over and over again, putting in the shows here and there.
But it was such a heavy enforce.
Of dcom's constant so you definitely caught some good ones, especially right around.
This movie was done in.
Either before or during two thousand and five, so like any height, yeah, six seven years prior to that.
I mean, it was just decombination.
It was just awesome.
Yeah, good time, good time to watch TV, great time.
I feel like there was a rollerblading one too, I really yeah, titles, but like I'm saying, like you see those things and I saw the Mighty Ducks movies growing up, so sometimes beyond Disney channels. Yeah, but uh but yeah, So it was a world that was familiar but not brid you know, trajectory or objective.
Before I ask you when you guys first met had you known Ali at all? Or was like your guys' first meet the first time you ever really heard about her?
First time? And while you were filming the first cuts of her for their first album okay, they were getting while we were on set, oh cool, Okay, and her mom was sort of playing it for people in the cast and crew and things like that, and I was like, oh, Ali's like she's like yeah, and her sister putting on an album, and and she was like Ali was like, here's what I'll say about Ali. She was she's like fifteen or sixteen at the time, but yet very mature
for her age. I feel like, kind of like an old soul in a sense where she wasn't like that, like she down played a lot of stuff. So can you guys have a band? You hear your sister putting out a record, She's like, oh, yeah, yeah, it's cool, it'll be fun, not like, oh my god, you should hear our album.
And she was just so.
Like, oh yeah, definitely mature.
Yeah, cool, yeah, it's it sounds good so far. We'll let you hear some of the songs. So for this scene and back in the movie. So it was like she was like I will say she and even in an audition, and apparently I learned later on we just like maybe our acting style just played off each other pretty well. You know, I don't know, but you know her her mom was like yeah, with you know, when they narrowed down the guys, you know, you were you were her choice. And I was like and so I
thanked her. I was like, oh, thank you so much. Like they got they they asked her who, so who do you want? Who do you want to give? Yeah, and she was like you're audhere so good and like you know so and I was like, oh, thanks likewise and so we just like you know, it was it was cool. She was really cool. And then then I after that movie wrapped, we sort of I would see
her at like events and things like that. But and then she and her sister kind of like took off with the movies and stuff, and I guess they had talked about doing a sequel.
Well, that's what we wanted to ask you about.
There's a similar apparently that was called now you Don't Ye, Now you see Me and then now you Don't Had you heard about this when you were filming or no.
It was afterwards they were going to do a sequel. Yeah, but I think she wanted to do music, or she wanted to do a different project that she Yeah.
I think there was another another project that we'd also watched that she did with her sister called cow Bells.
Cow Bells.
Yeah, yeah, And apparently the timing would have been she could do one or the other, and since this was a project with her sister and they were also trying to promote their music together, that it made more sense for them to go off and do do cow bells.
The script definitely set it up for there to be like a sequel for you and yeah, you know older guy like you guys were you know, I mean that, I was like, oh, I can't believe this never ended up happening because they set it up so strong. Yeah, you know that, it seemed like that would have absolutely been in the works quickly.
Yeah, I was actually quite surprised. I had I started a show right after that and why and it was like a Saturday morning show, so I think, and Stan Rogo was the producer who was like a big Disney producer, and he tried to pitch that show to Disney Channel, but they were like, it doesn't mean because it was more of like a Kids Lost kind of show, Little You're Trapped on an Island and it was like NBC Saturday Morning, and so they timing wise, he'd pitch that show,
They're like, it doesn't work. And then like, you know, with the cow bell thing, I'm just like I wonder where it would have You're on getting older too. You know.
It's like, so were your characters supposed to be dating the end because it kind of ends where you almost it seems.
Like you're together story in a spark, And that's what I wanted to see.
Is a sequel when we're going with these two.
Yeah, they kind of left it like are they aren't they? Where is this relationship? It's like are they just like these close friends now or are they a couple? And I thought the same thing I thought, And I had ideas for a sequel later on after it had been a few years and now with all these like rebooth things, like my head's like, how could I pitch a sequel where I'm now the older mentor to somebody else stories timeless? Yeah, we get this new kid, possibly my kid, that could
be trained to take you know. So I got the wheels turn and I emailed Ali about it, but she just had a baby. She was like, maybe a few years ago this would have worked out. She's like, but I just don't think now, you know, and be so I don't know, maybe maybe maybe I can do something with that. I don't know.
I've got to pitch where you don't have to use Alley too much.
So what happens is the older magician, Franklin Jealo's character came back and has trapped Ali's character in like a different demand bubble, so she's not in most of the movies. So you're training the new magician to help you get back your wife essentially. So it's just the last scene, yeah, you only really need her and the last scene where you actually get to the final dimension and you you're able to like to free.
So there you go, well done, You've got the credit.
Ran So okay, So the movie comes out, we always ask because people we've talked to some people that are like, my dcom came out, My life didn't change all that much. We've talked to other people that are like my dcom came out. I went to the mall the next day and I couldn't go anywhere.
So when when the movie came out? How much did your life change?
I mean, did you notice kind of right away you were getting recognized places or where you were people you know, hey do a trick to try to get you to do magic for them, or how did your life change?
Yes? Recognized, yes, uh, not so much asking me to do tricks. But just a lot of the audience to you know, as you guys know is sometimes kids are reluctant to approach. So oftentimes it was like the mom or the dad. I was like, hey, your son's a big fan. He didn't want to say anything. So there was a lot in it like yeah, so the being recognized. And I was still in Hawaii when it came out, so we were still filming that show, and so we
were on the North Shore. I don't know if I had a laptop then, like it was like went to the ball and bought a laptop and like I was reading like just you know, that was before social media really read like message boards and like the movie they never want to see me again. So so yeah, but yeah, it was. It changed. It changed a bit, but nothing like you know, nothing like crazy like high school musical, right, which I auditioned for right when I got back.
Did you because you're a musician, right, So that ye makes sense.
And and my in my stupidity when they go this, Kenny Ortego was like, okay, so you know I played I think I played the Guns and Roses cover. I went in there like playing Anti Juzy and I played Sweet Child of mine austic guitar, and I was like, great Gray whatever, He's probably like just we don't really, I don't know if you speak of this guy. But so she runs out, like one of the producers runs out, and she was like, how are your dancing skills? And
I was straight up honest. You know some people lie, just I was blottly. I was like, I can't dance. Really, I'm not good, because I knew there would be like a choreographed dancing audition and it would be like if I said, sure I dance and they were like batch step five, the big Johnny, what do you do? He said, you could dance, and then they would just see me as like he doesn't know how to dance. No fair,
It would have wasted everybody's time. The guy who got the role and funny enough, the show I did in Hawaii Corbyn Blues. Another he was in place was on the show in Hawaii Okay, second season we come back, and he had gotten that show and talk about life changing. Yeah he could.
He was.
He was one of the ones I was talking about where he said he went to like a concert right afterwards and was just mobbed everywhere. Also he had he had the hair at the time, and was he he was very hugely recognizable.
Yeah, even with the hat on, You're like that, yeah.
Yeah, yeah, and talk about somebody else who can't dance.
I mean, Carbon Blue is right there and that just a terrible dance.
I know. I was did you get there.
Of the womb dancing?
That guy he's in one of our show before High School Musical. He was the little condos they put us up and we were all hanging out in my room one day and he was just dancing and I was like, holy crap, this guy can dance. He's like standing on his head, like doing flips.
Yeah.
A year later he gets that movie.
Yeah yeah, yeah, but what's crazy with the movie?
When we interviewed him, he was like, I can't play basketball, And I'm like, you are kidding me. I mean, because it was a dance with the basketball one hundred made me think this kid has been playing basketball since he was five years old, right.
It just a rhythm at that point. He had such a rhythm where it's like, just give me the ball. I'll figure it out.
Just give me the I was like, what, that's just not well.
Wait, Corbon Blue being in a dancing movie makes full sense to me. Did you ever have the opportunity, with the myriad of projects that we've seen, to audition for a hockey movie for Disney?
No? No, what God, I don't know if they ever made one. I feel like they maybe did. I was in one.
Everybody everybody's made Disney hockey movies.
Yeah, yeah, skating in it.
I couldn't skate.
So I did a movie called h Double Hockey Sticks, but with Matt Lawrence where he was the hockey skater.
He was the hockey player. But there's been There's been a bunch of skating movies.
I'm just curious why you never got the shot to audition for a skating movie.
It seems perfect, I know.
I I yeah, I never never did. I I remember when I first moved out here, I was too late. They had already cast the movie. It was already the auditioned but miracle.
Yeah, there you go.
And I had some friends I had been here way before me, and they're like, dude, I got to audition. They're like, just wanted anybody who could play hockey.
And I'm like, yeah, I just missed, Like no, I just missed it.
Yeah, but that's so cool. You got to play a hockey league.
Yeah, I play the Devil, so I'm the minion of Satan. But but Matt Lawrence plays a hockey player who sells his soul to win the Stanley Cup.
Yeah, okay, it's it's I'm sure I can find it right.
It's really grainy on YouTube, so good luck. Because we watched it too, We're like, wow, this this looks terrible. So okay, so we're what twenty years later, and you were talking about the idea of the idea for the sequel that you would have, So that answers my question, Then what do you think your character would be doing? Now?
Do you think you'd be mentoring another young magician?
That's what That's what my I had rowe a small pitch. I never got it off the ground because I was like, who do I contact? Do I who do I shop this dude? It's been so long and so yeah, that's where that's where my mind was. Where I had this idea of like I think what I just said, it's like where I would mentor either like somebody else or like, you know, there's another kid who's you know, has these powers. He's kind of being picked on, he doesn't know what's
going on with his life. A little similar where but it's not a competition, like because now you see it used to be called it was originally called The Search for the Greatest Kids and Magicians or something.
Okay, the banners behind the Marquees.
Yeah yeah, yeah yeah, So so my pitch, yeah later would it would be somewhere along those lines where I would be the mentor, you know. And I sort of thought of, like most of the movie with Nicholas Cage.
Oh yeah, yeah, he was a magician.
They tried to do that. It's basically Fantasia.
It had a similar it had a similar thing as that, and like, I feel like it's so broad now it could go either way. So it's still in the back of my mind. I I just got to find the right pitch and the right people, like, yeah, get behind me.
That's it's it's Disney. So you just got to find the right people at Disney to go and.
Pitch it to.
But you're right, it's hard.
So many of the people that were at the at the Channel while you did this movie are now gone, like they they moved on, they're not there at the Channel anymore. So it's tough because you're like, dang it, all those contents.
Are You're right, all the reboots are coming back.
They are wanting them, they love them in this movie.
I'm not gonna lie this movie, Like when I do you still hear about it? I get so many messages, especially around Halloween, you know, people get really into it for some reason because it's just the dark kind of feel like, but yeah, it's still And I've had the same thing, people being like, why where's the sequel? Why didn't they ever make a sequel? That movie was like the jam whatever. I don't know. I don't know why there's not a sequel. I really thought there would have been.
I heard there was gonna be. Yeah, we didn't know what was true and what wasn't true, or what the timing was, and.
So you know, it sounds like both of you guys were so busy and they probably felt like without either, like without you guys as like the main drive of it.
It wasn't worth it for them, you know, to recast.
Yeah, I agree, And I think she was. She was, you know, the lead, So I think if it was more about what she wanted to do, I think if like if she had said after cow Bells will do a sequel, they probably would be like, great, let's do it right, right, And so I think it was more because you know how people get I feel like, especially young actors in this industry, it's like you do a certain thing and then you try hard to do the opposite.
Of course the next thing. It's like if you're known as like you know, as you guys both know, if you're known as like a teen idol and you're on that genre in your mind frame as the actor, you're like, now, how do I be the adult, serious person and get taken seriously? So I feel like or music or you want to do something else, Whereas for Ali, I think it was more like I want to do stuff with my sister, or music's the main thing, because she was
on a show for Disney Channel that the Future. Yeah, And so I think and her also kind of being an old soul in a sense, maybe she wanted to just focus on you know, because when I wrote her years years years later, she was like, it been like a few years ago, Yeah, I would have been more open to it, but like right now, I just you know, I don't think it's really what I want to do, and she's like, music's my main focus. Like I think she focused on acting much anymore. So there's that, you know.
And I was in that mind frame too, even after kind of like why I didn't just lie and say it was a dancer. I had done the Disney thing, I had done the teen show on you know, ABC, the Saturday morning show. So I was kind of like, well, I want to do something more serious now, right, And you always get that frame, and it's it's if I can give advice, as you know, we could all agree,
if we could give advice to our younger selves. It's like, take what's in front of you sort of and run with it, because I think you sometimes overthink where you are and you're like, I want this stuff, but that's that's not coming to me. So why would I not do this hold out for something that's sort of not in my path right now? I'm not giving those offers, and so it's it's it's weird and it's sad. You see a lot of careers sort of just it's true.
I heard I heard a great saying the other day, which is the grass is always greener if you're not watering your side of the lawn great saying which is which is so true? So it's it's you know, that's it's exactly what it is. Well, I mean, are you still playing music?
I still play music? Yeah, still play music. I was in a I was in a band for a while. We released some stuff. It was like a thirty seconds to Mars Thye band called Forever the Day. It's very pop pop rock release some solo stuff. It's stuff for soundtracks. Still acting. Just wrapped the two B movie a couple of weeks ago. R I'm finally playing you know, the older Secret Service. So it's like I got to do a lot of like attack gear swat type stuff.
When's that coming out?
You know, I don't know. It's a to be original, I think, so I don't know exactly when you know, what their turnaround is.
But but it was fun.
So, you know, it's been it's been, you know, trying to figure out other stuff too. Along the way of like what I want to do. I've gotten in the other things, other you know, side things that had nothing to do with the industry. But you know, it's music. Music. I would love to continue to do. But I think at the end of the street, the music industry is just so as both industries are just so.
Entertainment industry, Yeah, the whole entertainment industry, it doesn't know what it is. It doesn't know what it is.
It doesn't know what it is or what it wants, and everything is just so especially music. I feel like like social media driven and it's like if you're not super huge on like TikTok or whatever, it's just hard to get your music and streams. Sure, you can get stuff out there the stream, but I mean it takes so many streams to a forward to like be worth it. It's like right, And as a musician, you want to tour, Like I my buddy, my bandmate, who was the drummer in our band, he was like, dude, I want to
play music again, let's record. I'm like, why are we going to play live? Because I don't want to do it if we're not going to play live, because that's that's the fun concerts and playing live. I'm like, I don't want to just be one of those musicians that throws a song up on Spotify and.
Right that's it.
Yeah, all right, So last question, while we have you twenty years later, what are your overall thoughts on the movie.
Now you see it, Oh.
Man, it's been a while. It's been a while since I've seen it.
You watch it in a while, Okay. Showed it to my.
Niece, who's now a little bit older. When she was a little younger, she was still too young at the time, I think to really clock it. And I don't know if you guys noticed this, but sometimes I feel like when you show like a younger generation in your family something, they're kind of like, yeah, yeah, it.
Doesn't look as slick as everything now, and why is it brainy?
What is this? Yeah? How'd you like that movie? It was pretty neat? Yeah.
Generation, it's also like not only five minutes, so they lose their trade of thought and their care in the world at four minutes and thirty five seconds, so you know, the rest of your ninety minute movie is gone.
Yeah pretty much, Yeah, pretty much.
And it's your family. You're just you're just you know, rap person. So it's like, yeah, totally, person on the screen is.
Just kind of like, well, yeah, you're just uncle Johnny. I don't I don't care, some a weird job. What is this?
I think Johnny Depp said that one time he was like, you know, he tried to make movies his kids could his kids could watch, and they were just like, you know, just he was like, I'm just a guy with a weird job.
Yeah, it's absolutely true.
Yeah, because it's like they're not phased by it, but if it's they are phased by people they don't know that are doing the same kind of thing, you know, the cars. It's like, so you know, you get it. It's funny. But twenty years later, you know, it's my thoughts on the movie. I still enjoy it. I think it's fun. I think it's I I'm glad I got to do it. It was such a blessing and I'm
so brain for that opportunity. And you know, I look back out of a lot of the projects that I did, and you know, it still stands up because not only was it one of my first sort of bigger roles, but just the whole experience was really really neat, like from cast crew, story to location to like it was just a really fun and I thought it turned out really well. I thought Dwayne did a great job. And I still, you know, with all these reboots going on,
like I still I still think it so happened. I'm like, series is a little mini series for Disney plus I don't know, let's see what we can do with it. But who knows. You know, it's like I said, it's getting the people behind it, you know, whoever wants to bite. I'm telling you.
If people loved it so yeah, we would. We would certainly be here for it if it was to happen. Thank you so much for joining us today.
Yeah, thank you guys so much.
This is really cool to get some of them behind the scenes snippets and yeah, good luck with everything. Let us know you know what you're doing, what you're up to. We'll throw up on our social media stuff.
Cool sounds good, guess thank you.
You have a great day too.
Man.
That's just it's so interesting because it's there's just so many multi talented people that work for Disney Channel. I mean, there's so many kids they find that can kind of do anything. And the idea that he never got to audition for a hockey movie is.
That is wild wild.
But he's so right to think too, because we've really seen from a lot of our interviews some of the actors that kind of just get pushed into Corbyn Blues. One of them, you know, goes on Hannah Montana, you know.
Has his own movie. Is it part of the High School Musical franchise? Like all of that.
And then they also have actors that they use but like for whatever reason, don't feel like, oh, no, we.
Can't use you for that because you're you're this, you know.
So it's interesting to see how the Disney Channel has kind of bobbed in and out of, you know, reusing or not using ever again other actors, you know, pulling them in there just shows that just didn't end up being the right thing.
Again. Man, he should have said he could dance.
No, you can't know because you can't, because I would have done the same thing, because there's some of us that can't dance to the point of absurdity.
But you knew you couldn't skate.
But I didn't have to. I didn't I didn't have to play. I just had to be on.
Nancy Kerrigan put you on Blast? What was that movie? Did you lie?
So that was that was?
Oh they knew.
I was literally on a wheelchair, kneeling on a wheelchair where they shot underneath me and wheeled me around from behind.
So in all fairness.
Nancy Kergan in every right to make fun of me, but no, you can't lie about certain things.
It's tough to be. Like, if you're going to be in a singing movie and you can't sing, yeah, you shouldn't say you can sing yeah, because it's like you can't sing. I can't. I'm not I'm not a good singer. So if it's I'm not going to go on Broadway.
So it's one of those things where it's like if you can't dance and it's high school musical and you know one of the auditions is going to be just.
Dancing, it's like you you really are I would you be wasted people's time? I guess yeah, I.
Know even you're amazing. I could give you six months, ten hours a day, and you will never ever be able to.
Teach me how to dance. I can guarantee you that, because I can't dance.
Would take you up on that offer. I really would.
I can't anyway.
Really, you couldn't do probably technical stuff. But I could get you to move, I know I could. I could get you to like move somewhat and be a little bit like fluid. I couldn't get you to do like crazy technical no like.
No, you know, but you could do it the way that people got me to run my first time, which is just to hang a twinkie in front of me and I just run after it like I'll get it.
I know I can get it. I did get that twinkie eventually, I did. All right, good for you, Thank you everybody for joining us. So thank you Johnny for joining us. Don't forget you could follow us and.
Dm us on the Instagram machine at Magical Rewind Pod and join us over on our other feet.
I think the next time we're doing Zobies too. I'm so excited and if it couldn't get any cooler. We're not even doing it alone.
We are doing it with friend of the podcast, friend of mine, Danielle Fischel TV's Tamanga, who is a huge Zombies fan.
Has been for a long time.
Yes, rock paper scissoring to see which one of them got to you know, I get to do the first one, I get to do the second one.
So we're very very excited. Don't forget to join us over there, and thank you again, Johnny. Go check out now you see it, because now you don't never came out and hopefully it will someday we'll see Thanks everybody, Bye,