Running Mates

We don't even really have the words. When we found out the other day, Mike and I were just like, we went to dinner and we're like, wait what what? Like I would have never imagined no, never like. So just thank you guys for all your support for just you know. I wrote this on Instagram post the other day. I said it was, um, it was scary because I'm like, who are we? Like, we're not authors? Now we are and no one can say otherwise, but do you know

what I mean? Now, I'm like, I'm afraid it's not going to be enough because we're not like a you know, Glenn and Doyle or Emily Giffen the people that I look up to as authors. I'm like, what if we people are like they suck? And you know, so I was so afraid that. I mean, I know, you're an amazing writer and I always encouraged you, but it was just scary. I'm like, you know, who are we to like put out a book? And so I was scared

of the rejection. But I feel like, you know, yes, it's amazing that we got the title of New York Times bestseller, but I feel like the win and the victory has been from all the dams and comments that we've gotten. Oh yeah, I mean even if we didn't get it. Sure, we set out personal goals and we put our goals very high and we achieved it, which was awesome. But that's not what you know dates us. That's not what you know encourages us on why this

is a good thing to do. It's like Jenna said, it's all the d m s. It's all the messages and and everything and support that we've gotten, you know, from this adventure. Now the ticket is so we're not one hit wonders. Just back it up, back it up, back it up, back it up with part but we're excited because um, we want to celebrate with you guys tonight. Um well, if you're listening to this on Monday, the event is October five, five pm Pacific, eight pm Eastern,

unwind with us. We've got Tyler Rich performing. We're going to have a UM Live Q and a performance couple's panel. It's gonna be really fun, so you guys can get your tickets available at TiSER dot com, t i x R dot com. It's all the laughs, the tears and all the drama well that you've come to expect the show and here and read from the Good Fight. But the tickets are ten dollars and we really hope that you guys join us because it's going to be a lot of fun. You can also get a signed book too.

If you didn't get a signed book, you can buy a signed book along with your ticket as well if you want. So we're excited and just thank you again for just reaching out to us and for telling your friends. We just we hope this book. We we hoped that this book touched y'all and helped you and made you not feel alone and made you laugh and made you cry. And again, like we said, it's amazing to be called

New York Times bestselling authors. But the win is that y'all received it, received it and gave us a gave us a home to feel safe, good fight to us. Pass it on to your friends. No, no, but just for if you guys got something out of the book, you know, pass it on to others. So you know, we want we want people to a massive people to be um, you know, helped from this book. If possible, and can grow from our misery, that would be a

amazing All right, well we're gonna take a break. And then Mike said he have a topic wants to talk about something. I have no idea what it is, so staging. Okay, so we're gonna get to Mike's topic. Um, but we just want to tease that we have Iron Zering coming on the show, um from Nano too, and oh he's got a new show coming out. We're really excited to talk to him. But first, Mike, what's the topic you want to talk about? All right? We don't get political often,

and we watched the debates their night. People are laughing. They're like, look, he's too babbling it. It's like, guess, um, but what that whole watching the debates just made me think of Okay, you know, because every campaign runs on a certain um several messages, but usually there's one or two things that like, this is what they're gonna change. They're gonna reduce taxes, they're gonna care about the environment,

they're gonna whatever. And so my question, we have our good friend Catherine Onto that's going to join us because she loves everything politics, which this topic scares me on so many levels because I feel like we can't have opposing um, what's the word, like, we we can't have different sides without conflict. What do you mean? Well? I mean like let's say you're a Republican and I'm a Democrat.

I feel like we can't say that without getting crap or someone's upset or they're angry and they want to push and like why would you, you know, vote for this person that's stupid or why would you It's like we can't have our own Yeah, we can't have our different opinions without just and so, but it stinks that you can't say who you want to vote for because you're gonna get trampled if you do one way or

the other. I mean, Catherine, she's also my you know, our our manager and you know day to day, and she's like, it's a suicide. Yeah, you really can't do it right now. Unfortunately, it's sad. It's very volatile right now though you get. I mean, it's always been a taboo subject, and it's always kind of been one of those like be careful if you touch it, because you'll piss off half the country. But now, more than ever, it's like, oh yeah, like don't touch it, but you

get for not touching it, excuse my language. That's the other thing. If you don't post stuff for certain things, then you get crap from the other side. So it's it's really kind of a lose lose, I feel like at the end of the day, though, you know, and this is I've never voted before, but I I am Michael, and I both registered to vote, and I think the most important thing is no matter who you're voting for, just vote because your vote does matter. And I'm now

so excited to vote. I've never been more excited in my life. Let me ask you a question on that before I get on my topic, because I've always been this is the first dame voting, because this is the most I paid attention to it. Right in the past, I've chosen not to just out of my own personal interests.

I wasn't interested. And then I always grew up in a house where like politics was when the family get togethers got ugly because like parents and uncles and aunts started yelling and talking over each other, and as a kid, I'm like, I don't want any part of this. So I just kind of stayed away from politics. So my question is, would you rather somebody vote just to vote, or if they're uneducated, not through their vote in the ring? So good question. Well, just let me just say two things.

What's interesting on my side growing up, I remember sitting at the dinner table with my mom and my dad and it was elections, and I was like, who are you guys voting for? And they would not tell each other who they were voting for. So I've never known what side my mom or my dad was on. I've never known. Is that like in your family too, because we didn't talk about politics and religion, Like you don't talk about politics and religion. That's what we were how

we were brought up. Like that's just like those subjects you stay away from. So that was oh, that was a thing for sure, So it wasn't like still probably couldn't tell how my parents would vote. It's just it's just so interesting when you said that, because I'm like, we I be like, mom, are you voting for? You know what was that? Al Bush or al Gore or whoever it was? And you know, oh, my dad loved Ross Parro because he's always the impersonate Ross Parrot um.

But like that's as far as I knew, you know, besides my dad like doing impersonations. But um, so to go to your question, you know, I've seen a lot of things going around lately, and again I don't want to get political because I think people don't like if we go political. But they say, even the Democrats will say, or they've said, and again I'm not saying which side I'm on, but they have said that don't vote for

the candidate, vote for the issues. So well, which is which is why that's a that's a principle that goes back, you know, decades and hundreds of years really because that's why people identify as one or the other, because even if they don't like the candidate, you know, it's either the lesser two evils or even probably four years ago when Trump and Hillary both of them seemed like terrible candidates, so they so both Democrats probably voted for Hillary and

Republicans probably voted for Trump. So I think to answer your question, I think people like, if they have, you know, if they feel strongly about this way, they're going to vote Democrat regardless of the candidate. But if they don't know, that's that's what I'm saying. But I feel like I feel like they might know enough. But again, I don't know why I never did. Maybe I didn't feel like. I don't think I felt like my vote counted. I don't know, cat, what do you think. I think it's hard.

I think I would rather to answer your question, I think I would rather people vote UM because I think it kind of takes away your ability to and I there's been several years I haven't times I haven't voted, but I kind of kind of gives it takes away your ability to bitch about everything, you know. I mean it kind of like if you didn't cast your vote, you kind of can't complain kind of um. But the whole voting for the issue versus I think a lot of times it's like when you're more in the middle,

then you're kind of voting for candidate. But if you're a Democrat, you're voting democrat. If you're a Republican, you're voting Republican. It doesn't matter whether you like the candidate or not. And can we just be nice about it? Like, can we not just cast our own? I mean, but I guess that is why you don't talk about it. I don't know, but why why can't we have a healthy debate? And honestly, I was so disappointed that debate

because I wanted to understand both sides. I truly was like, like, sway me one way or the other, you know, and I couldn't hear anything. It is terrible debate, but it's entertaining television for the thirty minutes that we watched it, and we're like, we can't take this anymore. Shut up, man, Come on, men, just shut up man, I will say when I've asked this question before. You know, people, I remember my grandfather asked him me years ago, why why

did you vote Mike? So when I'm on Educi, I couldn't tell you because he was in he was a marine marine. Yeah, So I'm just curiously. I don't know. I have to ask him, um, but you know, i'd say, well, I'm educated, so I don't want to just vote just a vote, and you called me out a little bit. He was like, well, it's your kind of civil duty to be educated as a citizen of this country. I was like, touche, fair enough, you know. So I still

didn't vote after that, I didn't educate myself sagrams. But now I'm taking more of an interest to it, I think to having kids and finally growing up a little bit, I guess I'll say start listening to politics. But back to my original topping question, I will just say, though, to end to end that little thing, just vote and you that is I'm super excited, And I like such a hypocrite for saying that since I've never voted before, but I'm so excited to register vote and be nice everyone.

Watch out for Jan's Instagram post. I'm so excited. I've never done able to do that, to have the sticker and like say I voted. Anyways, So the topic is, if you were a presidential candidate, what would be your UM platform issue? Like, what would be that thing that you stand behind the most that's like you're just driving home day after day. So can I just have a

SCOREL moment for a second. Sure. This brings me back to middle school because I ran for president and I was like, I remember the drawing, I remember the big poster board, and I was like, We're going to get a swimming pool in our cafeteria and we all get fretty ice cream and pizza every day. Um. I didn't win, sadly because we couldn't get a swimming pool in the cafeteria. But it reminds me of that. Um, I have to

think about that. You you're start with mine, I do okay for me, just my personal interests and belief would be especially after the way would be all around schools, so you know, finding funding for teachers salaries so we can get the best teachers, so we can get encourage more teachers to work somewhere, so you know, schools can have the resources they need from the schools and the suburbs to the inner city schools, just we can supply

them with what they need with teachers. While you're doing this right now, you have like the presidential like you got them minds like the hand, the back, the back hand to the Palm America is really going to trust you get it done. Um, so yeah, that would be my thing. It's just like security around schools because of school shooting stuff in the past, would be having teachers being able to pay them. So we encourage more young people to become to teers. So it's like a career

that people. You know this, A lot of teachers want to become teachers, but we encourage even more to become teachers because financially it's beneficial and it should be as we all we've all learned, we all have a greater appreciation for teachers after So mine would be based all around schools in our future. I like that since our kids are a future. Katherine, do you have a debate to that or would you like to add your own. I like that one. I would have said years ago,

health insurance or health care. Um, not going to like the whole thing, but I just don't feel like we've gotten there at all. I don't know what the answer is exactly, but something with health care. But now it would definitely be the sex trafficking, hands down good one that the top now he has a debt. Both those do involve the kids. I'm gonna have to. I'm going to be in the middle here, and I'm gonna say both of those, can I steal both of those? That's

not fun? World Peace are either independent party in this? I am I feel so independent anyways. No, I mean, but because those I mean sex trafficking, that's that's insanely problematic. Yes, so obviously with schools too. UM, I would honestly say, I will say this, if there was a way to clean up like California, there was homeless people and um needles and everywhere in Studio City. So if there's a way to somehow clean that up a little, some kind

of programs which there, then there might be. But if so, let's put some more money into it or to just help or how we can help homeless people maybe get on their feet, Like I know in Nashville we do the homeless UM paper and so you don't see as many homeless people. It's growing a little bit more Nashville right now. But UM, just being able to um not enable but help them. You know what sucks about that?

That's one of those issues that no matter which way you swing it, you're gonna get backlash because uh, because people are going to complain number one, that there's a homeless problem or that there's you know people in the valley like where we live. They're like, oh, there's homeless everywhere. But then they're gonna start doing these programs and they're gonna be like, this is where tax dollars are. They

had their chance, they failed in society. Why are we gonna spend our tax dollars and put these programs and do this housing for the homeless. And so that's what I'm saying. It's just one of those topics which unfortunately

people are going to complain no matter which way. So then instead, I mean the underpass where we used to live in California, there's now they put they gave them for um bathrooms, And I mean there's just the entire I mean the entire place is just like and then across the streem like I don't joually walking across the street into this Like it's I totally get your side, but there's got to be something. No, I agree with you. I'm just saying that's what it's gonna happen. But if

you offered them all jobs, would they take them? I bet you probably half wouldn't. It's like When we offered the kind bars, They're like, I can't eat that, And I'm like, what're living on the streets you don't want I have. I have a box of kind bars them. So I mean to answer your question, I don't know. That's the hard I don't know how you Yeah, those bars don't agree with my palette. I'm going to pass. I was just like, what only in West Hollywood? A

good question though, what about Easton? Yeah? Easton would what would you do? Marvel movies free for everyone? You know, Janet when you were saying, like, I ran for president too in junior high school, and I like, I looked up what you actually have power to do as like a student body president, and it was like and I told him, I'm like, I'll make the rallies more engaging. I'll try to keep him brief, not much more I

can do other than that. And then my opponents like, we're getting ice cream for lunch every day and I'm canceling school on Fridays. And he won the election, and I was like, he can't do any of that stuff. And it was actually a pretty good lesson in how politics work, because that's that's who ended up waiting but um, if if I were running for president, uh in general, UM, I mean I would like to see some of our budget be directed maybe, you know, away from national defense

and more towards uh. You know, we can get rid of those student loans that are making everybody crippled. We can brief up our health care. But there's a lot of problems we have in this country that could be fixed with a lot of money, and that money is available. So that's something I would like to that I would try to influence. Uh. And of course I screamed for everybody and canceled school on Fridays. That's what I would do. Yeah, I love it. All Right, that was a great topic.

And again, let's all just just be kind to each other. Uh. Let's take a break, and then Iron Zering is going to join the show. I'm excited to talk to him. I can't wait all nine o two. And now you have the loudest swallow swallow. What are we talking about here? My husband's swallows so heavy into the microphone that I'm just like, it's just like he even tries to back away, but it's just she's at that point. I could drink water right now. She'd be like, I hate how you

drink water. Oh no, it's just like you're you're like, you're swallow is just so loud. You guys been married for a long time, so sorry to hear your swallow is irritating to you. You and me both we have the whole new thing of worms to open up with our therapists. Now, I mean, seriously, I mean, how many do you do you get annoyed that how many times people probably call you Ian? You know, what's happening less and less as I get older, I'm changing the norm,

Like everybody knows who you are. But it's like, can you because I mean people even will be like they'll call me Jana and I'm like, it's Janna, But that's fine, Like, since you can call me whenever you want, that's fine. You know, I am what my mom named me, you know, and Janna Jana. You know you are what your mom named you so exactly in your eye. And I'm not just just to ask to be called what you were named, right,

you know? People always so stuck up. Well, listen, idiot, my name is not in it's I. That's when my mom called me, My friends and family called me. You can call me whatever you want. I've been called a lot worse than me in I don't care. I passed over it right, take it up with mom if you have an issue seriously. Um, well, if you guys don't recognize that voice and you can't see his face like weekend, fortunately that's Mr Iron's earring, the one and only. So

welcome to the show. Thanks for coming on, man, thanks for having me. It was so nice to h get a glimpse into the Mary dynamic between you two before I signed on it. It's what you're missing, you know, Like you're like, oh, thank god, this is why. This is why I got divorced. Like, um, similar situation, different reasons. But you know what, marriage is difficult, you know, but at the end of the day, the work is can be challenging, but it should feel like working in a garden,

not necessarily schlepping boxes of fifty flights of stairs. And at the end of the night you can agree to disagree, but you know in your heart you've got the right person if they're the one you want to wake up next to the next morning. So that's what it takes. I mean, it's it's so true. And because you were married for how long, I mean a long time, right about nine and a half years before we filed. Yeah, and I just I don't know, it's it's just, I

mean we always obviously it's a relationship show. We talk a lot about our relationship, and it's marriage is just work. It's hard. Some days you're just like like, would I just be happier alone? Would he be happier alone? And it's just it's it's just difficult, and especially when you have kids mixed into it, Um what we have to And then how old are your kids? Six? I'm sorry, seven and nine? Second grade and fourth grade? Two little girls,

they're just the best? How are they? How is co parenting? How is that going with them? It's you know, it's it's they don't know better, they don't know differently their entire world, there's not one thing that's been the same since we broke up. Very quickly, Aaron moved out and after that school became virtual. They can't see their friends, so there's two homes that they're going back. Like every foundational building block, uh, every support system hasn't been turned

on its side. So it's they they're incredibly resilient, you know, they roll, They roll with this a lot, honestly, a lot better than I do. I. You know, I worry about my kids. They don't worry about anything. They want to go roller skating or whatever. They don't want to go on to zoom, and they don't want to do any school work. But that's the same for me. It's, you know, it's the struggle to make sure they're getting

everything they need and then some. And that's where because of this global pandemic, because of the social unrest, because of the fires, because of everything, the divorce, it just feels like there's really no way for me to win as dad. It's like the system right now is is kind of stacked against me. And it's not for any fault of mine or or my exes. It's because of the situation that we all find ourselves in. But right now it just is a particularly heavily downpour of a storm.

Is there any piece of you that you're like, you know, obviously you didn't foresee any of this happening, you know, before you file, But is there any part of you there was like, man, I wish I wish I had stuck it out or did more, even though you've probably did so much work, but so that this yeah, I mean, is is there any regret with that at all? Or? Um? You know, creatoring your family is not an easy thing

to do. It takes a lot of courage. Um. I you know, we tried to make this work as long as possible, and it got to the point where you know, nothing was changing. You got to have matched energy in pursuing a happy marriage and and there there just wasn't that. And uh, you know, Aaron is an amazing mom. She's so good to my girls. Um, you know, got a lot to be thankful for. I'll always love her. She gave me the kids, and uh, you know, we talk,

we're civil. It's uh, you know, disappointment is going to be stinging for for a while, but life has to go on. I want to show my kids what a loving relationship is, and there just was not enough of that, you know, I wanted. I want my kids to see to not see disrespect. I want them to see functioning relationship. And I know that, you know, with the right person, myself and Aaron will be able to show that we just did. We just didn't have what it takes. And

life doesn't give you a dress. Rehearsal So what's one thing that you'll take into your next relationship that you learned from your path that you that you can do better and you can look in the mirror and be like, Okay, I can own this and I can do better when this conflict arises. Uh. You know, it's interesting because when we got married. As an actor, you know, there's no job security and husband and father is no fail endeavor to me. So I started a business. I got involved

with a network marketing company to build a business. I've been an employee my whole life and it still hasn't created the kind of wealth that would allow me to dictate how I want to spend my time. Only business owners create that kind of wealth. And I started a business. And in building that business, um, you know, it involved me being away you know a little bit. I'm the

woman who was mentoring me. Was on the East Coast, and it necessitated me flying to the East coast for five I would leave Sunday night red eye out of L A X and I would fly to Land at six in the morning at JFK, where I'd get in a rental car and I would drive to Connecticut and over then so I would leave, Uh, Saturday morning the next week on a seven am flight, because I wanted to maximize my time there and minimize my time away, so I would take a red eye Sunday night, but

I would get back as early as I could on Saturday, having the whole week to drive five miles to different people's homes explaining about the products and trying to build consumers and other business builders. And you know, it took its toll on me. And you know, I got a lot of blowback for that, uh during that time, because you know, Aaron didn't appreciate me being away, and I understand that, Um, she thought I was there selling soap.

Why am I going to women's homes. I mean, I got to think there's a little bit of what's going on there. But I was building a business, and when you build a business, there's no elevator to success. You got to take the stairs. And I had faith that I could do this. I burned my boats. I committed I was going to make this happen. The people do it, I can do this, and if I could use the

celebrity leverage, then it's gonna happen a little quicker. And you know, it took a few years, but it took its toll and I wasn't as present as I could have been. And when I get home from traveling, I was a freaking zombie and Aaron having a nothing but babies to talk to, like, so you just lay there, I'm gonna talk And I felt so bad. But you know, you know, you gotta be present, but you gotta find

a way to juggle. And while I was doing everything I could to provide for my family, while I didn't have money in the bank, I mean there was no sharknado at that time, two or oh that money comes and goes. Um, this was a way to provide. And then working on sharknadoes would take me out of the country, or working with the Chippendales, I was away two summers, but they came to visit me. It's just, you know,

it just it just takes its time. I think that the lesson to be learned is to be able to juggle your time so you can always be present for your spouse, but yet have enough individuality to do what you need to be a provider. I think ultimately I got punished for doing what I felt I had to do to provide for the family and now, you know, eleven years later, I'm at the top tier of this company where now they're looking to me to talk to the corporation, to talk to other countries and how I've

built my business. So I made I made it to that level of success, but it had a had a price. I'm not saying that that's what cost me my marriage.

There are other variables, but you know, you asked me what I would do differently, what I'm taking out of this and finding, uh you know two point oh, it's that you've just got to find a way to always be present and pick up the cues that your spouse or love one gives you, because when you don't, you know, you put yourself in a position where you become disposable to your spouse. You never want to go to sleep wondering if the person you're lying next to loves you.

It's the worst. HM. That's such a tough Thanks for sharing it amazing and definitely captivating. And it's so hard

that balance because all your intentions are pure. People's intentions are pure, like you said, like when they want to provide or or be successful, and you know, it's it's so much easier in hindsight, which I'm sure it's easier for you in hindsight now having made you know, turn this business into a success and being in position you are now to even look back and probably been like, oh, maybe I could have been more present. You know, I'll

think that way about things I've done. It's like, you know, and up days, maybe I could have worked a little harder. But in that moment, if I take myself back ten years, I'm like, no, I was working my ass off, and yeah, you might be doing the same thing. It's like, maybe I could have been more present. And again hindsight, but baby, at that time, you were doing the best that you could, judgling everything you know, and it's that there's no there's

no playbook, there's no instruction manual. You know. Um, but it it takes tolerance by your spouse. It takes understanding and acceptance. And again, you know, I'm not saying this was the only reason that we had broken up. There were some other significant uh flows in our ability to communicate. But again, you asked me what I would what I learned. I think the most important thing I would that I've learned was to always try to cater to the needs

of my spouse. You know, I and I never felt like I wasn't not doing that, but I think I could have done it better, or if I had more of an understanding of what was happening because of what I was doing. You know, I'm a very driven person. My father taught me a work ethic that you know is relentless. And when you're building a business, you have to burn your boats, especially if you're in a financial vehicle that you know as a ferrari, and it takes you to step on the gas. Once you do that,

you're gonna have the forward motion. But again you got to take the stairs and hopefully your your partner in knowing what you're doing, will appreciate what you're doing. And

Aaron did, although it continued to be challenging. You know, I'd come home, like I said, I'd be a zombie after like driving five or six hundred miles in five days and taking red Eyes out and you know, taking a seven am flight at a JFK, waking up at four am on Saturday morning in netiquette to get to JFK to return my renal card and get on a

plane to get home. It's just like what the Silver lining though, I mean, besides your business becoming successful is I know your girls were probably too young to obviously experience this in the moment and really witness what you were doing. But what a gift that you can give them being able to instill that same relentinousness and work

ethic that your father instilled to you. To be able to share your adventure through building this business with your daughters when they're of age and seeing what it takes and being like, man, my dad was able to do this and this is how he did it. Yeah, it comes with sacrifices, but that's just something that I feel like work ethic is something our kids only see or only kind of received by seeing, you know what I mean. I don't think it's something that they just wake up

one day and oh yeah, work hard. It's it's they see it from us. So the fact that you have that and that story to tell them is just I mean, that's a gift in my opinion. Yeah, it's uh, it comes with tax but yeah, it's a it's a good gift. Um, well, my girls to be smart, independent thinkers, um and successful in their own right with whatever it is that they want to do, and having a good strong work ethic

is important. But I I think that what's important to know is that they shouldn't work hard for a living. They should work hard for a lifestyle. And if it's a lifestyle that incorporates that includes a spouse or a loved one, you've got to find a way to make all the layers, uh, synchronous, synchronous. They all have to work together. Um. I think that's what maybe was missing from my build out. But I'll be sure to instill

that in the kids. And you, you know, you have this successful business, um, but you know you you're also acting. You have a show coming out on c W Right, Yeah, so you still love to act then, I mean, I know we saw Sharknado, loved it. I mean obviously nanotono, I mean, hello, like obsessed, Yet this is so exciting. Swamp thing was originally we finished shooting that in April and it aired originally on the d C Universe. It was a streaming app but nobody saw it. They just

didn't have a lot of eyes on it. The DC Universe still exists, um, but this kind of quality content cost hundreds of millions of dollars, so they weren't getting the return on their investment, because the eyeballs in that universe were small. Now that it's moving two c W network, there's gonna be millions of eyeballs on this thing, and it's so worthy of this attention because this is industry disruptive programming. When was the last time you talked saw

a TV show or a horror movie or whatever that was. Yes, they're scary, they might be frightening, but spooky like spooky is delicious, Spooky smolders, spooky like is what makes your skin like. Look at go goose pumps right now. The

swamp thing is spooky. It's delivered in a way that when you put the best writers in Hollywood together with top tier producers and some of the best directors and the cutting edge visual effects special effects production company together and you hire a cast like I'm working with just unbelievable actors Jennifer Bals, Kevin Duran, Will Patton, um Maria, Stan Henderson Wade. Did they call you and You're like, Hey,

We've got this part for you, or did know? What happened was my agent calls and says, hey, you have an audition for a DC superhero And I was like what because inside of all this, I'm still an eight year old boy. I mean most men are. Most women will agree to that always it's a child inside. But yeah,

we are in this cater to that. This brought back all the excitement that I remember in reading the Swamp Thing comic books and seeing Adrian Barbou and Heather Lucklier clown the whole property way back in those ridiculous movies or fun. But I have an audition for the first of all d C comic superhero to play the Blue Devil. It's really yeah, and it's at you know, nine o'clock tomorrow morning. Here's a script. Good luck, don't you love that? One day to prepare, I'm like a called a friend.

Another actor came over, helped me workshop it. We tore it up, tried in different ways, got it on its feet, got it to the point where I owned it, where all the words were inside that I could start making it my own. Went in the next day. And it wasn't a typical audition where you stand in front of

a camera and the casting director says, slay your name. No, this was in a small theater on the Warner Brothers lot, and the producers were there, the writers were there, people from Warner like, this was the room and you were testing, you were testing it was It was basically street testing, and I didn't expect that. But you know, I've been doing this long enough that I'm not going to let that slow me down. I don't get nervous. I get excited.

They manifest themselves in the same physiology and understanding that I'm able to separate it, and I'm like, I'm all right being excited, even though my malbourn's dry, and when you're nervous, it's the same thing. But when you think about what's really happening inside of me, I was more excited, So it kind of takes the fear, gets rid of the jitters. You can be excited about something and still and still have the cotton mouth going in. But I

tore it up. I did the best I could. I drive home from my audition, and typically after an audition as an actor so much rejection. Can't be the guy every time, but you can control. You can be in charge of what you present, and that's what I always strive for perfection in my presentation and I accomplished that. But driving home from this audition, I couldn't let it go. This was so special, the eight year old boy, and

so I kep knocking on my leg. Dude, if you get this, oh my god, you're gonna be a superhero. Batic happening down, Like, shut up, get out of my head. I want to think about this anymore because there's a very high degree of failure as an actor, failure to get the role. Can't be the guy every time, I don't take it. Personally, I do the best I can. I'm too tall, too short, wrong color, need a uh,

you know whatever. You don't always fit. I'm okay with that, but I'm not okay if I blow the audition, then it's on me. I didn't blow the audition, did the best I could that night, no call m next morning they called me. My agent called and say, hey, you

got the part. And I was like, okay, all right, hold on, I get no callback because from a project where they're spending hundreds of millions of dollars, I kind of would think they'd want to call back just to cross the t's and dot the eyes, make sure that this is the guy. Like, no, you got it, I said, Glenn, do me a favor calling back and make sure it's iron zering that they're booking. Suppose I'm not doing it.

I said, you're doing it because I'm just having a little trouble thinking that without a call back, I'm the guy. So he did not to confirm. I just need to confirm that it's my client. It wasn't like that. He was more sly in getting the confirmation, and I booked it, and then I started reading the scripts and I talian the scripts were so powerful. With this kind of programming, typically it's run run run, huge action piece run, run run, huge set piece, run, run, run explosion. There's not enough

time for quality development of the characters. Very superficially, you don't get an understanding of any kind of pre life. You don't get an understanding of relationships. They use some of the best writers in Hollywood to deliver some of the most poignant, well crafted scripts I've ever read, whether it's romantic comedy or science fiction or horror or whatever. There are so many layers inside of all of these scripts that really help you just get immersed in in

the characters you're already starting to feel. You get the backstory delivered in a way that you don't even understanding that you're getting backstory, but it's it's happening and you're absorbing. You suddenly know, oh, Abby ar Cane used to come from this town. And Alec Holland, boy, why doesn't he wear like shoes in the swamp? Why is he wearing flip flops in the swamp? Dude? What's gonna get me? Like, you just start sending your mind in these different ways.

When you couple that with directors that Lenn weissman, Oh my god, Underworld. You see all those and a ton of other movies that like my husband, like the Marvel d c just like he's like, right, he's you know, why don't you know that? It's like these dudes delivered. James One, the guy that directed Aquaman, produced this. His company produced this, so he brought that level of quality content.

Two swamp thing. All these variables are falling into place, and I'm real I saying that I'm working at the top of the food chain here. Actor Jennifer Balu, Will Patton, you know, Will Patton might not know the name. You know this guy's face and he is amazing. I mean, you're talking, you're talking us into it. I mean, I mean you don't even have to because for him, because he's like as a as a Oh, I don't know, you gotta I'm telling you sample this, you're gonna want

them well. And it's it's coming out this Tuesday, October six, Swamp Thing on CW. Check it out, guys, Ian, thank you so much. We're sold. I hope our viewers are too. This is gonna be amazing. Thanks so much. Thanks for having me on guys nice chatting with hey. Thanks for just being vulnerable as well and sharing your story. We really appreciate it. Thanks appreciate all right, Bye Gian bye.

I love his passion, and I think the silver lining and all of that is, you know, especially with how things went down with his relationship and what he um could maybe go back. I think it's just a good reminder to all of us who are maybe yes, it's still important to work and work really hard, but you also need to work on the relationship that your family is in and just to remember that that is there, um and that it still needs nourishing in, you know,

And but that's it's a hard balance. It's a hard balance, especially when you're you know, trying to run a business or do this or go back to school or or you know. But I think it's just still important to as someone who you know, potentially not regrets but would if he could go back, that would be the thing. And I think that's something that i've you know, we've obviously heard before a lot too from other people who have you know, are very successful, but they missed the

time with their family. Um. And I think it's just learn balance, you know, to learn balance it all comes with a price, and just living in moderation. But I love his excitement about the projects he's doing that gets me excited. I love his vulnerability he had with opening up you know, around his girls and his marriage situation. So don't forget to check out that show swamp Thing October six on the c W And we love you guys well, so excited again Unwine with Us October. Tickets

are at t I x R dot com. See you next week.