Starring Khleo Thomas as Vincent Shu in “Going to the Mat”

Thank you everybody so much for joining us on this park Opper episode, and we are ecstatic to talk to our guests today because he starred in one of our favorite d coms that we've watched so far, but also one of my favorite movies from back in the day. So if you could do me a favor and please help us welcome Cleo Thomas.

Hey, heybody, thank you for joining us.

Now, I patroled. Thank you guys are having me.

Oh, I love the I love the room you're in. I'm already I already want to know what is what's the video game?

What is that?

That's the Marvel versus capcom to our gay Cabinet. Yes, and then we keep the Mortal Kombat one right there.

You know, this is the this is headquarters. This is it.

You know when you're a kid and you dream of what your office will be like, Yep, this is what you create.

Yeah, there you go there, you're gonna.

Need to make that happen. Well, thank you so much for joining us.

So we did an entire episode on one of our favorite dcoms ever that came up out of nowhere for us, and we both just.

Fell in love. Fell is amazing.

And we were talking, of course about going to.

The mat Yeah.

Man, yeah, classic film. Absolutely, it was an honor to be a part of it. Incredible story, incredible cast, such so much fun.

Wow.

Well, we just recently had the honor of watching it. I mean really, I had never heard of it at that point, you know, we were doing a lot of D coms, or I have heard of it, but I've never gotten a chance to watch it. Watched it for the first time, like we said, loved it, But when was the last time you've gotten a chance to review it?

And and.

That's okay if you say a long time, because you know, we get it.

We're the same way.

Yeah, it's been it's been a long time because I went back and watched it.

Actually, it's online actually right now for me.

I put up a I put up a post about certain dcoms I didn't get a chance to watch. So's some feedback as far as like, how have you not seen this one?

Have you not seen them? Oh?

My gosh.

But then I had to explain to people.

I'm like, hey, listen, well y'all all was at school and then coming home from school, you know, planning your entire day after school, dedicated to this dcom.

I was on set working, so I didn't I couldn't do it the same. Yeah, totally.

And it's just so great now that it's it's all offered on Disney Plus, right, because after the dcom's aired, if you didn't check it out and see it on the channel, you missed it, you know. And of course they do replay them over and over. But what's amazing about Disney Plus now is you can just look it up and.

See whichever one you want.

And then now for us, I mean I'm getting all the dcoms are constantly you know, offered and told this is something you should watch.

Yeah, for sure, I know it's an algorithm.

Now it is, oh man as so we should tell you that we every every one we watch, we then score out of ten and going to the map got our first ten out of ten.

What ten ten ten.

It was one of those things where we weren't expecting it.

The acting is phenomenal, the writing is incredible.

Yes, you were in the whole time. I mean, it was just we were sucked to the screen. It was great. It was a really really good movie.

Obviously, movies like Descendants and some of the like just big, big production value things or movies that we've watched you're kind of ready for, you know, your socks to get blown off.

This was really just story driven.

Your guys is acting in It was so good, and I mean all the characters were. It was just so top to bottom, such a great movie, and we were not expecting it and we loved your character.

Can you take us back to the beginning.

When's the first time you heard about the project and do you remember auditioning for it or was this something that was just offered.

No, this was something that I did have to all audition for.

I remember the characters named Vincent fly Shoe and I was like, okay, trying to get the backstory on exactly what was going on with his character, and his name went in for the audition, went in for the call back, and then was able to go ahead and get it booked, and then we flew out to Salt Lake City, Utah, I believe, to film it, which is a lot of you know d COM's got.

Filmed out Central.

Yeah really, and you know I have my siblings ou out there with me as well, because I believe it was around the time of their winter break. So if I wasn't on set, you know, I was back at the hotel playing video games, but getting a chance to meet Andrew Lawrence, wain't Brady and and really really lock

What was it like working with Andy oh Man?

Shout out to Andrew Lawrence Man.

I voted himself for him to be the baby brother of the trio.

Man, He's he's a star bro. He's a star period.

And we connected over his John Claude van dam impersonation.

I don't know if you guys ever seen it.

No asked him about his Don Claude van damn impersonation. We were talking about a movie blood Sport, and that's and I saw him do it.

I'm like, yo, can they please have him do the bio?

Wait a second, let me ask a question, because I know blood Sport like the back of my hand.

Does he do the impression of when he's blinded in the eyes and he's doing this thing? Is that what he? My God, you haven't seen him, but that's the impression that everybody does, is the whole thing.

Oh man, funny, Oh I love that so much. So you you mentioned that you loved wrestling. Did you wrestle at all before this film?

Did you? Did you train to do the movie?

Like?

How did it work with the wrestling?

Oh?

So?

So yeah, we get a chance.

So we booked the film and then they sent me to a school out here in Los Angeles, and it was where like the Olympic, the Olympians where they start training at. So the first day I walk in, you know, and I grew up playing sports, so it was nothing to me to get it right into the building and start learning and.

Picking it up very quickly.

But I immediately understood how much of a different physicality it was going to take for this.

And I was a slim kid. I mean listen, as soon as they put me in the wrestling sing that, I was like, yeah, everyone's going to see the sticks.

Everyone's going to see the sticks. But it was that for me, man, it was getting a chance to learn this new this new skill, and I absolutely loved it. Man, didn't get a chance to train wrestling beforehand at all other than just for this project. And uh, it made me appreciate the guys who I you know, watching the ring as far as the professional guys and the WWE or AW so much more. And then the guys who go out there, you know and compete at the Olympics to bring them their gold medal.

Wow, yes, that's so cool. Do you have any fun interactions with Wayne Brady?

We were so excited to talk to Andy about the movie and him saying telling us how their jam sessions were real jams sessions as they were actually filming, and that was awesome to see that. Wayne Brady, I mean, he is gosh, what can that guy not do? So what was your interaction with him on set?

Wayne Brady the Swiss Army Knife of pretty much anything entertainment. He can do anything in everything. So yeah, the jam sessions were real.

Man.

He really is musically inclined like no other, which I think was a perfect role to bring him in and help bring his character to life. And as you guys mentioned, the story of this is really really inspiring based on a true story, and he definitely helped bring the heart of this story to life.

For sure.

Oh yeah, okay, So we always asked this because we love to get the tea if there is any Do you have any fun kind of stories from the set, any anything you remember that really pops out? Of course, I already in my head feel like the ultimate story is just Andy's John foond vandamn impression, and I fear I can't believe I missed that, And the next time I see him, I have to ask. But any other cool stories that the behind the scenes stuff?

Man?

You know, one of the first days we finally get to Salt Lake City and they have some of the kids who were gonna be wrestling against us in the scenes, and my dad's on set with me that day, and the kid that they got me lined up against actually does compete.

So they call action, and all.

I remember is looking at this kid eye to eye, and then the next thing I know, I'm looking at the lights that you meet.

It was extremely quick.

It was so fast to the point where where they called cut, I get up and then I look at my dad.

In the corner and easy dying.

It's the first time I ever saw my dad like like like legit, happy about it, but also surprised they could enjoy the fact that his son just got whipped like that.

A big shout out to my dad for that moment. I'll never forget that.

Yeah, you're looking for your dad for support and he's like, dude, I blaked and you were down?

Yeah?

Yeah?

Were you? How often were you were you guys wrestling?

I mean was this like did you do all the wrestling in one chunk or were you guys wrestling the basically the whole shoot.

So physical training kicked off I want to say about three weeks before we got out to Salt Lake City to film the film. The movie, and then while we were out there it was broken apart in.

A few different scenes. I want to say maybe.

Four out of the days were dedicated to just getting the wrestling in and trying to nail it as best as we could. And man, big shout out to Andrew Lawrence Man for for dedicating to the role. For sure he came out he was He was definitely dedicated to making sure that he looked fit, that he looked the part, and he went in.

Man, I think that's the Jean Claude Van dam It is.

He took the blood sport round. I love that he took the blood so funny.

Was this the first Disney movie or first time you worked for or with Disney or had you done stuff for the Channel before?

Never anything for the Channel, and I you know, I tell this story quite a lot. Sometimes.

It's like for me, I didn't come through the traditional route of being underneath the Disney and brother, you know, my first production with Disney's holes.

Yeah, that happens.

And then Disney Channel Original Movie comes up to do this, and you know, I'm like, oh, wait, I get it. This is different now it's it's you're on the channel, so.

It's a little bit different.

I think there's movies and the Christy kralson Romano about this. I'm like, the Disney Channel guys like y'all got all the cool stuff.

Like what I mean by that.

It's like there's a game Boy advance that was like Disney Channel branded, and I'm like, I'm pretty sure.

They all got that as a gift.

Really, that was true.

They did end up getting that gifted to them in a few ways. And I'm like, see, this's a difference. There's a difference here.

It's a little bit more Disney Channel.

It's like it's it's a longer time. Right that you're you're celebrating the movies that you're doing, they continue to have you back and back and where if I would imagine it seems like the movies that you go, you go to the premiere and then you.

Know you're you're onto your next project and stuff.

So but you did have Shyff and Holes with you, so that he was a pretty big Disney.

Channel guy to be around as well.

So that's pretty that sounds like that.

That had to have been so much fun to film with.

Shy Yeah, man, you know, we spent three months bringing that project to life. Another one where there were a month of physical training a month in advance.

They had us.

Running miles, digging real holes, climbing ropes. Like they really put us through the ringer to kind of prepare us for what was getting ready to come. And big shout out to Andrew Davis, the director, for making that choice for us to make that happen instead of just getting out there and winging and just like trying to fake it all. Like no, he put us through the ringer for it for sure, and to get a chance to work with Shia, Like you said, obviously a Disney Channel legend,

It's it's such a good movie.

Holds to me is one of the is kind of the quintessential example of one of the quintessential examples of the difference between a kid's movie and a movie that stars kids. Yes, because Hole it's so good that it just happens to star kids. It's a phenomenal film that kids happening. It's like Goonies, where it's an amazing movie that happens to star kids.

It's not a kid's movie.

It speaks to such a huge audience. It's not just kid driven.

All young actors, especially usually can remember the feeling they had when they find out they booked their first big thing. Do you remember what it felt like hearing that you got the role in Holes?

Yeah, I could tell you exactly where I was. I was at a friend's house because this so screen test happens, and this is about two weeks later now, and my mom gets to call saying, hey, they wanted to see what Clear would look like with his hair out, because when I did the screen test, I kind of had it braided down. My hair was braided, you know, down to the sides. So they called and they wanted the

Now it's the weekend. I'm at my friend's house.

We're playing Final Fantasy eight on the PlayStation Broth on the N sixty four.

Like we're not you know, I'm just you know, you learned very early. You get tough skin. It's like, on to the next one. I didn't get it cool. You just learn and learn and learn. And then my mom.

Calls me and she's she's screaming at the top of her lung. She was like, they want you you booked it, congratulations And I kid you not.

And I shared this with both you guys. It's it still didn't set in.

It didn't set in for me that it was actually happening until the second week of filming, I still thought I was auditioning.

Gosh.

It didn't lock in until I saw Sigourney Weaver come around the coast warden, and that's when it finally made sense to me because I'm a huge sci fi guy, so I'm like, what is Ripley doing here?

Ripley. It didn't settle for so a whole week.

I'm done makeup.

I've been in the trailer, my name's on him, with the photos, the screens, all that stuff, and it still didn't set in until the moment I saw Sigourney Weaver as the ward That's when it happened.

And that's the answer your question. That's when I had to.

Oh my god, It's like, this is total delayed reaction. I love that tootal Bro. Yeah, where did you shoot? Where did you shoot?

We shot in the desert, We shot in Ridgecrest, California, and then everything that was based off of the camp Can Green Lake was at Disney Ranch.

That went to the ranch.

Yeah, that's where we were at for that. Yeah. Man, Okay, So.

I could talk holes all day because it is a phenomenal movie, but we got to go back to d coms a little bit here, because, as you said before, you recently watched some D coms that you had to be admit you had never.

Seen before, most notably one that well, I believe.

Let's just say I've had some issues with and people gave me some gripe for which is Brink.

Me too, Yeah, that's the way.

I am one of those people judging the hell out of both of you that you never saw Brink.

It's like the ultimate of ultimate D coms.

I hadn't seen it, and then when we did see it a review it, I said, it wasn't my favorite movie.

People were not happy with me.

It came after him hard, and it came after.

Him had badly rollerblade away fast enough. It was unbelievable. So what did you think of Brink? And be careful what you loved it?

Right?

It was your favorite movie ever. Here's what I'm saying.

I think haven't watched Brink yet. I'm all my morals about it. I've played my list. I know how I'm gonna play this.

I said, Okay, cool, y'all want to get mad. I put up my little four that I say I haven't seen.

The list is way longer. No, problem.

We're gonna wait this one out. The first thing out of my list, I watched Smart House. Every one kept talking about smart We have not.

Done Smart House yet, and neither Will or I have watched it. We haven't seen it, so we're excited to see it. Just give us a rating of your own then, so that we can remember and talk about it after we've watched it, because it's probably coming up for us soon.

Okay, rate everything out of ten? So for smart House, what would you rate on it?

And you can point five if you need.

To thank you for that, you know, for going to the mat to be the first magical rewind full ten it was. I think that's beautiful. For Smart House, I gotta give it a It's it's about a seven point.

Five eight okay, okay, and that's.

My first one watching, So now I get to base everything off of that. See what people love about these amazing stories that.

They absolutely Yeah, if you have forty seven minutes, I know what you're about to do.

I highly recommend fuzz bucket.

List.

It's a fuzz bugget.

You are not going to know what the hell's happening in front of you.

It was a wonderful world of Disney movie that will confuse the hell out of you, hell out of you.

It's forty six minutes and that's it.

So we find out that it was we're thinking, we're almost sure that it was a going to be a TV show that they ended up not doing, and then they just end it.

And called it a movie. At forty seven minutes.

Don't answer a lot of the questions.

It's the weirdest thing you've ever seen.

But you'll get to see what a fuzzbucket actually is.

And you're still not sure a fuzzbucket is the name of the species.

Or the guy.

We're not sure about that either.

We think, no, it's not it can't be that all over the place, y'all pushing it.

Ain't no way it's all over the place like this.

This is too many Listen, watch it and we'll talk about it after.

I'm already inviting you back. Yeah, after you watch fuzz Bucket.

It doesn't have to be a full episode quickly.

We could do a quick one, but you're gonna need to know. We're enjoying this journey. And that's why, yeah, especially, that's why movies like Going to the Mat really stand out because they just and these movies are not bad, not a bad movie.

These are not bad films at all. But then you.

Get one like a Going to the Mat where the acting, the writing, the production value, it just seems to kick it up like one little notch. Yeah, and that's why we see your performance in this movie, Andy's performance in this movie, Wane Brady's performance in this it just kind of takes it to the next level. So I'm excited for you to start watching these. And again, if you start with Fuzzbucket, everything.

Else it only goes up from there.

Is the most amazing film you've ever seen it. It's Citizen Kane after Fuzzbucket, So you are going to love it.

So in the movie you rap in this movie.

And your your musical abilities later on seemed to be kind of sort of the focus of your career, right, will you take us kind of into that journey and what you've gotten to do, like off of the movie life.

But more so into the music life.

Yeah, you've worked with some unbelievable people. Yes, I mean we're looking at the list of the people you've worked with. It's really ice Cube Bow Wow, Sean Kings. I mean it's like one after another.

Yeah, man, what is that like? It was great? It was great man.

You know, Luckily for me my breakout roll with Holes, you know, I got a chance to also jump in the studio and write the theme song for the film.

You know, we got a chance to all come together.

You wrote the theme song for the right song at the end, the one that you were all together.

But that was you that actually wrote that.

That's myself, that's Shy in the studio, that's x Ray in the studio.

That's all.

I knew you guys are rapping it, but I didn't know that you had actually like wrote the song itself.

Oh that's incredible.

And the origin story even for that is like, you know, it was an hour commute from the hotels and Ridgecrest to base camp while filming Holes. So on that hour ride, you know, we're all, you know, big fans of hip hop, so we're just in the back freestyling.

Yeah, And then the producer.

Teresa Tucker Davies heard about it and she just obviously she didn't have to sneak it's her production, so she just she got on.

The front of the bus one day with us, and she heard about it. The next thing, we know.

You know, they're like, hey, so that thing you guys were doing in the back, we want to make that as far as the rollout for this film. So we're gonna put you guys in the studio to create this thing. And big shout out to Dougie Fresh, who was also involved in making that song happen. A lot of people don't know that hip hop legend Dougie Fresh helped bring my you know, a breakout role was both in in on film and with the music when it came to uh to wholes.

So then I go do a film called Roll Bounce with.

You know, an incredible cast bow Wow and Nick Cannon and Making Good Wesley, Jonathan, Mike Apps, Charlie Murphy loved that film. So this is bow Wow now, you know at the at his third al So this is when he's already done for arena tours by this point. Yes, so me and him just became the closest of friends based off video games. We wrap production on Roll Bounds and then he's like, Hey, I need you to come

Beautiful Do you wait, how old are you by that time?

I'm sixteen? Yeah? Crazy, very crazy? Yeah.

I mean and he bowow like you said, so seasoned at that point in his career to sit and just learn as how he's doing things, how you want to create your own artistry all of that.

I mean, being on tour, that's.

One of the best places to really be able to see how far you can stretch yourself when it comes to performing.

So and going on an arena tour for your first tour, You're.

Not You're not opening and going to theater to after theater, man, you're hitting arenas.

Wow, that is nothing.

I Actually I got to actually talk to Wesley Jonathan about Roll Bounce and he was telling us just some incredible stories from the set and all the stuff that was happening and all the work that was necessary to make that film come to life.

I mean talk about I mean.

It seems it seems like almost every project you do is uber physical.

Okay, bringing it up just like that.

Cool, so holds we do a month of physical training. Uh, I just gave you the breakdown. As far as going to the matt Walking Tall a film I.

Deal with the Rock, they had to kiss me how to ride a motocross bike.

Well, they sent me to a ranch out here in Calabasa somewhere, and the guy pulls off the motocross bike and he just like he runs me through the ringer of it. Next thing I know, I'm riding the motor crossbike and I lovelast with that. I did this film called Dirty and I had to learn how to surf. So yes, it's great that you say it like that, because every project I've had to do is super physical. Get a chance to get a teaching yes, I love it.

I love it.

I pick up a new skill, renaissance actor. It's awesome.

Thank you.

If you're gonna learn a skill, why not have.

The best of the best teaching you right from the start.

That's the play and the studio paying for it is so rad.

That is so rad.

That's how it go.

Yeah, I cannot get over it. It does.

It seems like every film you're doing your roller skating, you're wrestling, You're I mean, one thing after another.

Have you found a new you said that you really loved wrestling and you know, motorcrossing, now surfing.

Did you find a new hobby? Or once the movie was done, that was it and we're done. We're moving on from it.

You know.

Video games, man, video games, video it's really my thing.

You know.

I was on a set of holes. I had my my my first per diem check. I I went to the Walmart and I bought the PlayStation one with the flip up screen. So that was like my first big boy purchase. You know, when you're a kid, your parents buy you consoles. I'm like, wow, Dad, I know what I want to buy.

So I went, yeah. Man. So here we are.

Years later, it's still a huge part of my life. I just competed in a tournament not too long ago yet now last year, and I get a chance to defend my championship title.

In Mortal Kombat this year.

So video game, wait till you're a champion playing Mortal Kombat.

Yeah.

So so dream Con twenty twenty three, I competed in the Mortal Kombat tournament and I competed as power Line.

I had my power Line costume still on.

So I win the tournament and then it goes viral and it says the headline, say zero from holes withins Mortal Kombat tournament dressed as power Line from a goofy movie.

That is the most nostalgic nineties.

Power bomb you will ever get in a headline. That is so great.

Yeah, while looking at his sidekick and flip phone. Right, there's nothing else you could have done. So it's such a weird transition. But would you ever consider going and creating a video game?

Yeah? I'm actually working on one right now.

Are you really away?

Yeah? Yeah? Yeah? Man?

Can you can you tell us a little bit about it? Or is that kind of a private thing.

I can give you a little details about it, man. So my I'm the oldest of my siblings. I got two little brothers and a little sister, and all of us artistic in our own significant ways. So we started a brand called the Four Controllers with a K because all of our names start with a K. Oh cool, And my little sister actually has been in charge of the art department for the video game. She actually has already drown up the sprites and the pixels for the game.

We're already there.

Bro, I've already got a chance to play the demo, so I'm really really excited to roll it up.

Wow, this is just so cool.

Okay, so we've.

Got your video game. Love acting and music. If you had to choose one, No, I don't want to music group acting, which one would you choose?

Oh? Man, you know I had my blast for music.

I'm so thankful for the experience, you know, getting to learn from underneath the tree of someone like we mentioned, like bow wow was something that it's not. You can't trade that in for anything. Man, it was such an incredible experience. But my first love will always be acting. I love to tell a story. I love to be on set with others just like myself who can get into character and create these epic moments, and I just love where we're at as far as creation.

Now.

You know, we all come from the entertainment industry where we had to wait for a phone call in order for someone to want us to come into audition for.

A role to create a character.

Now, because of where we are with technology, we can create whenever we want. There was no device in our homes that could record video and audio and edit it and put it up there for someone to look at the craft Yep. There was no device like that when we were kids. And now yeah, we can do it whenever we won't, right, so there's nothing we can't do.

Yeah, totally.

I'm going to continue on the little mean streak though that Sabrina just started with making you pick one or the other. What's your favorite film you've ever done?

The hard questions here on Magical rewind.

Yeah, I'm gonna split it for you. So it has to just be two. It's a tie between these two. The reason is the tie. So when I look at holes, right, it's I'm so very grateful and thankful to have that role on my resume because not only did it come from a book that's still in certain reading curriculums and schools, they get a chance to watch the movie directly afterwards. So we just celebrated the twenty year anniversary of it last year, and for twenty years, children have read this

Second film together incredible cast.

I got a chance to play basketball all summer in New Orleans.

And it healed.

It kind of healed a piece of me, like as a as a man. Because it's again, I didn't get a chance to go after those things in life.

My career kicked up very early on in life.

I get a chance to go to high school and compete, but I got a chance to play a high school basketball player for an entire three months in New Orleans and make the film.

Some of your buddies too, which is right.

We had a good.

Time, that must Oh that's incredible, dude.

You mentioned your twentieth anniversary New and Shire United.

What was that like?

And have you guys always kept in touch or was that after years of you guys not seeing or chatting too much?

Or how did that go?

Very touch and go between me and Shy throughout the years, but always you know when we.

Do see each other with actors. Yeah, it's the business.

It's just exactly nothing new.

But every time we did speak, it was a lot of love and a lot of respect and very special. I knew the twenty year thing was going to happen events like I could. I could count down the days. I'm like, that's gonna happen. In a wish, everyone will be in the same place to celebrate something so iconic, And I'm grateful that I have my team there to

You know?

Yeah, would you? Or I mean, when's the lesson you?

So?

Andy? Have you?

Have?

You and Andy had had a reunion since since going to the mat.

Yeah, I haven't seen mister Lawrence in a long time.

I can't wait to see Andy Lawrence.

Man, we've got to make that happen. I was just at their house not that long ago. We've got to make that happen.

He had so much great stuff to say about you and the whole cast and the filming of the production and how much fun you guys had all together, and just the vibe was amazing. So I'm sure he would love to reunite for sure, because.

Oh yeah, you love it.

I think this movie was one of his favorites, you know, of the productions and stuff that he's done. He definitely seemed like he had a really big place in his heart for this production.

Uber professional, you know, from from my perspective, getting a chance to see him be number one on the call sheet, that's a lot of responsibility, you know, to be not only number one, but also coming from the lineage of actors that he comes from.

You know, he's the baby brother out of those three.

So from my earliest memory, is nothing but an ultra professional and definitely someone to have modeled myself after seeing what it takes to be number one and the responsibility of that.

Yeah, that's really cool.

Yeah, you held up your phone to show what people could do nowadays, but not everybody takes advantage of that, but you really have, and you have kind of switched into I mean, you're still acting and obviously and an incredible entertainer, but at the same time, you've taken advantage of what you have around you and you've become really big on twitch, social media, You're creating content all over

Great question, man, Yeah, No, it was an instant switch that clicked right on for me, because again, we come from an era that people really don't they don't see it, they don't understand the fact that, hey, we had to wait. You feel me, if there was no if there was no camera, then we couldn't do anything.

So we're just waiting for the opportunity. So it was that for me, man, it was that immediate access to be able to just call.

Action whenever I wanted. I loved I've always been a huge tech guy.

So was my brother.

So the moment I launched into the Twitch streaming space, I was getting ready to have my own late night talk show. We're getting ready to shoot the pilot April fourth of twenty twenty, and then we all know what happened.

Yes, so we're getting.

Ready to shoot the pilot, and I had pitched them on the idea like we don't have a modern day arsenio hall, this, that, and the other. They're like, okay, bet let's go ahead and let's go shoot this pilot.

So boom, that gets taken away.

So the first two months of us being in lockdown, I'm like, you know, what I've always seen this platform, but I've never seen anyone who one looks like me, maybe as the same.

Skill set I have.

So I studied that platform up and down, the biggest, the smallest, and I launched my Twitch page like in the third month, and I had it fully fleshed out, the alerts, the emoes, everything, And big thanks to my brother for being the tech guy, because there wasn't there was nothing that I was I said I.

Need this, this and this, you said done, done and done. We were good and we just lost it ever since then.

Man, well, congratulations, and that's that's pushed you on.

Was that the start of something that kind of helped project you into starting to work towards that video game that your family's creating.

Absolutely, it was always a dream to make your own video game. You know.

I got a chance to be an NBA two K nineteen, So that's always a dream to be a gamer and then be in the game. So it's cool to have played the Nike representative in two K nineteen.

So people like if they were playing their my career mode.

Like I want to sign Adidas or I want to sign a Puma, I want to sign a Nike you gotta come talk to me, and.

I love that.

It was so cool.

I got, yeah, I got I got to do that with the with the Tony Hawk game. I'm the character that you build to play on Tony Hawk American Wasteland. So to be able to like play yourself or see yourself in the video game is just such.

A cool thing to do.

That's a cool thing. Man.

I'm getting getting mean. I'm getting mean again. I'm going back to the mean. Okay, favorite old school video game. You can only play one game. What do you play?

I'm gonna go with I'm gonna go with Final Fantasy seven.

Man.

I could play that game over and over and over and over again. You know it's it's the first game that you know, it was three discs long.

It's a very, very over extending story.

So Final Fantasy seven for me is my all time favorite number one video game.

I'll play that forever.

You're not asking me, but mine is missus pac Man.

Funny, wait, did she get married? I thought she was a misspackage. Did they get married?

Did they actually go to I just played it yesterday with my daughter and she loved it.

I gotta tell you, I actually won a pac Man tournament last year as well, so I would love to take you on in that too passage.

I played it forever on my game Boy. That was what I was because I've lived in Orangetown.

Disney Channel game Boy, No, did you have one?

No?

Did you have one?

I know there what Cheeah Girls was on was a video game of some sort at some point it was Yeah, I don't remember what it was. I feel like it probably was what you're talking about through the through Disney, but no, the game Boy Miss pac Man was what I played all the way up and all the way back on my drive from Orange County to LA on my auditions.

I played it.

That was like how I zend out and kind of you know before I start reading my reading through my scripts. That's that's something a memory I will have because it was thousands and thousands of times always.

I still love that game. Anytime it said an.

Arcade, I literally go straight to it and I will put ten dollars into a game I've played a million times.

But doesn't matter. I have to play. I love it so much.

Can I ask what color was your game Boy?

I had?

Originally I had a gray one. I think that's the original one, isn't that?

Yeah?

Yeah?

And then I had I think I had a black one at some point too.

It was like a shiny black one.

I was gray and then yellow, Okay, gray and then yellow.

I got my game Boy, my yellow game Boy color back there. Did you know there was a Tommy He'll Figure Edition one?

Is there?

Really? That's the one I have? Yeah, bro, I need to have that. That's the best. Yeah.

So you seem to.

Have your pulse kind of like you take the pulse of all pop culture. You know, what seems to be next or what's yes, what's something.

We should know about that we don't?

Oh, great question, something that we should know about that we don't. More video game adaptations in film and TV series.

That's gonna happen.

I mean, I don't know if you guys remember like some of the first early adaptations of some of these things, like they.

Were not great, like Super Mario Brothers exactly exactly.

I'm a huge fan of Bob Hoskins and John.

We don't we don't speak that movie's dame, no no no, but we got.

A chance to see what, you know, what they could do now and they told an amazing story with the newest Super Mario Brothers movie. Uh, the adaptation of a Fallout that just hit incredible of course, the last of us so more video game adaptations.

It's it's really amazing to see these stories.

Get told now with live actors, and I hope that continues to happen more and more.

That Immortal Kombat movie was good. It was violent, but it was good. That new Mortal Kombat movie, I can't it is.

It is very violent, but that was cool.

Well, thank you so much for taking the time to join us and just talk about I mean, I know we talked about everything, but we have. We started this way and we've got to end this way by saying we really loved going to the Map.

And you were amazing in it. The whole cast. You guys just knocked it out of the park. And it's so good to hear that you guys had a great time filming, that you enjoyed your time on the channel.

You guys just it's such a good job.

Yeah, phenomenal all the way around.

Thank you, guys, man, Thank you very much for having me today. It feels good to be the first ten on the show. I hope we can continue to have that. I definitely need to get a trophy made just for that, like I.

Was with the first day.

Yes, I think we're gonna do that. Thank you so much for joining us. We can't wait to see you next time.

I have a good day.

By thank you again, Bye, guys.

Wow, he just he's so cool, Like he would allow me to talk to him at talk to him at a party because he's such a nice guy that we would be able to have a conversation, but I'd have no and he'd make me feel like I kind.

Of knew what I was talking about, but he's so cool that I would have no idea what it like.

I've met him a couple of times now and he's never not that way. Really, He's never never doesn't have this giant smile on his face and making everyone around him laugh.

He's just an incredibly nice guy and I'm so glad we have a chance to talk to him.

Thank you everybody for joining us for this park Opper episode.

Thank you so much Cleo Thomas for joining us.

And remember to subscribe to our feed and you can follow us at the Magical rewind Pod on the Instagram machine and join us for our next film.

Thanks everybody, bye,