A Renaissance Man
The Sistas had the pleasure of welcoming Orville Cummings from Star Trek Discovery, who portrays LT William Christopher. We first encountered this talented young man at the Trek Long Island convention in 2024, and we were instantly captivated by his "Black Joy". Tune in to discover more about this gifted individual, and you'll find yourself just as enchanted!
Orville Cummings: IG: https://www.instagram.com/orville.cummings/ Threads: https://www.threads.net/@orville.cummings Watch "Bite of a Mango" : https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B0BXH31FB1/ref=atv_dp_share_cu_r Check out Orville's latest feature film "Morningside", in theaters February 2025
Check out Orville's custom art tote bag xoxoa tote bag Get 25% off with the coupon code SYFYSIS24 (thank you Orville).
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Thank you Dena Massenburg for our dope logo: @blackbeanz70 Thank you to our Associate Producers: Sailor Marj, Karen Dramera and Stephanie Baker. Thank you to our sound engineer DoS, the Anonymous: @dos_theanonymous_1
You can find the SyFy Sistas and our family of podcasts on The Trek Geeks Podcasts Network: https://trekgeeks.com FANSETS - Our pins...have character. We want to thank our friends at FanSets for being the presenting sponsor of the Trek Geeks Podcasts: https://fansets.com
[00:00:00] Hi y'all, Orville Cummings here and you're listening to the SyFy Sisters.
[00:00:04] Welcome to the SyFy Sisters podcast where we give you our point of view. I'm your host, Tamia Harper. I'm joined today by all my sisters. Yvette Blackman Tom.
[00:00:46] Hello.
[00:00:48] Sabrina Wood.
[00:00:49] Whoop whoop.
[00:00:50] And Fran T.
[00:00:52] What's happening?
[00:00:53] What's happening Fran, as always.
[00:00:57] What you guys know, we have a fantastic show.
[00:01:00] Yay!
[00:01:01] That's right. We know we gotta bring you something. Today, we're bringing you a brother that we love to pieces. His smile lights up a room. We've loved him since we first saw him on Star Trek Discovery as Lieutenant Christopher. And we see him in a lot of other things. And like Murdoch Mysteries, I knew I knew his face. So, you know, cause that's my jam.
[00:01:23] I like, that's one of my quiet jams. I love Murdoch Mysteries. But anyway, I bring you none other than Orville Cummings. Welcome to the show, my brother.
[00:01:32] Yay!
[00:01:32] Yay! Sorry, I just wanted to jump in on the...
[00:01:36] I know, right? You gotta have a thing, right? He wanted a thing. He wanted something.
[00:01:40] I love it.
[00:01:41] Now that's gonna be your thing now. Every time you come back to the show, you gotta remember that.
[00:01:45] Yay!
[00:01:46] There you go.
[00:01:48] I'll remember.
[00:01:48] He's good. He'll remember.
[00:01:50] I'll remember.
[00:01:53] Welcome.
[00:01:54] You know, we've wanted to have you on for so long.
[00:01:58] And it just feels like you are one of the family because I tell you, like when we say, y'all, that this brother gave us so much love at Star Trek Las Vegas.
[00:02:09] Yep.
[00:02:10] Am I right, y'all?
[00:02:11] Yeah, oh yeah.
[00:02:12] Totally right.
[00:02:13] He was hanging with us.
[00:02:14] Hanging with the sisters.
[00:02:15] That's right.
[00:02:16] That's it.
[00:02:17] Every day, running over to give his aunties some love and some hugs and some kisses and a big smile.
[00:02:23] And we were all like eating it up.
[00:02:25] That's right.
[00:02:25] Like, you know what, buddy?
[00:02:26] Another nephew.
[00:02:30] When it started at Trek Long Island.
[00:02:32] Yes.
[00:02:32] It started at Trek Long Island.
[00:02:34] That's right.
[00:02:35] Him and his Tribble.
[00:02:37] That's right, the Tribble.
[00:02:39] You still have that Tribble?
[00:02:41] I do have that Tribble, you know.
[00:02:43] I keep it.
[00:02:44] It's my room.
[00:02:45] It's on my desk.
[00:02:46] Awesome.
[00:02:46] And then I look over and I'm like, alright buddy, ready to get it?
[00:02:48] Hop on the flight.
[00:02:50] Hit the convention.
[00:02:52] Have you named it?
[00:02:53] Does the Tribble travel with you?
[00:02:54] The Tribble does travel with me.
[00:02:56] It was in Long Island?
[00:02:58] Yeah, this is like my side bag.
[00:03:00] Bam.
[00:03:00] And yeah, the name of the Tribble, I just gave it the name Milo.
[00:03:04] I had a pet cat named Milo and I loved it dearly.
[00:03:07] It's not dead, it's just not with me anymore.
[00:03:10] Because I kept sitting it for a couple of months and I kind of fell in love with it.
[00:03:15] Oh, don't you hate that?
[00:03:16] I'm back and I'm like, you can stay a little longer if you want to say no.
[00:03:20] We're in a Qatar.
[00:03:21] Qatar?
[00:03:21] Why are you in a Qatar?
[00:03:23] Qatar?
[00:03:23] Oh my gosh.
[00:03:24] Yeah, Qatar.
[00:03:25] On the other side of the world.
[00:03:26] Wow.
[00:03:27] Yeah.
[00:03:28] That was good.
[00:03:29] Milo, because a lot of us have Tribbles and we have names for-
[00:03:33] We all have Tribbles.
[00:03:33] Don't we all have Tribbles?
[00:03:34] I don't have a Tribble per se.
[00:03:36] Hey, there are Tribbles in the house, but I don't have a house.
[00:03:40] I don't own, you know, they're not mine.
[00:03:42] Ah, there were other people living in your house.
[00:03:44] Okay, right.
[00:03:44] I got it, I got it.
[00:03:45] Wait, what?
[00:03:46] Also, just a side note.
[00:03:48] Not just because of the cat is why I settled on the name Milo.
[00:03:51] It's actually because like, I grew up in Jamaica and every morning my mom would make
[00:03:57] me a cup of Milo.
[00:03:58] Oh.
[00:03:59] It's kind of like Coke or powder kind of like that we drink in the islands.
[00:04:01] And it has a special place in my heart because sometimes I won't even finish my breakfast,
[00:04:06] but I'm going to finish the Milo though.
[00:04:09] I'm going to finish that.
[00:04:11] Yeah, that.
[00:04:11] That's awesome.
[00:04:12] It always has a special place in my heart.
[00:04:13] Every time I hear that word Milo, that name or anywhere, it triggers that for me.
[00:04:16] So that goes into play.
[00:04:19] Oh, that's so cool.
[00:04:20] That's awesome.
[00:04:20] Okay.
[00:04:21] Do you get back to Jamaica a lot or no?
[00:04:23] The last time I went was 2018.
[00:04:26] Really?
[00:04:26] I haven't been since, but I do plan, I do intend on going back.
[00:04:31] I've always gone back with my family, like my dad, my mom.
[00:04:34] But I kind of want to do a solo trip myself or with my partner just so I can take in the
[00:04:40] island on my terms because it's up to someone else's schedule, you know?
[00:04:45] Yes, yes, yes, yes.
[00:04:46] I want to go and do my thing, you know?
[00:04:49] My family, you know, they want to go to the market.
[00:04:51] They want to do this and that.
[00:04:52] Maybe I want to go to Dunn's River Falls.
[00:04:54] Maybe you do.
[00:04:55] Oh.
[00:04:56] Maybe I want to go and take a trip up to the Blue Mountain, you know, and just drive around.
[00:05:00] Get some coffee.
[00:05:00] Get some coffee.
[00:05:01] Exactly.
[00:05:01] Get some good coffee.
[00:05:03] So, yeah.
[00:05:03] So where in Jamaica are you from?
[00:05:05] From...
[00:05:05] I'm from Clarendon, which is like the south side of Jamaica.
[00:05:09] Okay.
[00:05:09] So Jamaica is shaped like this.
[00:05:11] Yep.
[00:05:11] It's not a visual podcast, but it's a little...
[00:05:14] You're right there.
[00:05:15] But we can see it.
[00:05:17] We can see it.
[00:05:18] Okay, good, good, good, good.
[00:05:19] Yeah, yeah, yeah.
[00:05:20] Yeah, that's the parish I grew up in, Clarendon.
[00:05:22] It's a pretty well-known parish.
[00:05:24] A lot of...
[00:05:25] It has a big market there called Maypen.
[00:05:27] That's where everyone comes to market, socialize.
[00:05:31] There's malls.
[00:05:32] It's a giant hub.
[00:05:33] There's even a school there.
[00:05:34] It's like the...
[00:05:36] Well, Kingston would be the Toronto of Jamaica, but this is like a second close to
[00:05:43] like a city-like, but it's more like a village kind of like city hybrid.
[00:05:46] Okay.
[00:05:47] It's wild, but it's a fun place.
[00:05:49] It sounds really cool.
[00:05:50] Yeah, cool, cool, cool, cool.
[00:05:52] Yeah, yeah.
[00:05:52] I've never been there.
[00:05:53] I've been to Jamaica, but I've never been to that part.
[00:05:55] So next time I go, maybe I'll check that part out because I think I've done it all.
[00:05:59] Bring water.
[00:06:00] Bring water.
[00:06:01] Yeah, yeah, yeah.
[00:06:02] It's hot in the market.
[00:06:03] Yeah, yeah, yeah.
[00:06:04] Okay.
[00:06:05] See?
[00:06:06] Tips from the pros.
[00:06:07] That's right.
[00:06:09] That's right.
[00:06:10] So now, brother, let's, let's, let's check it.
[00:06:13] Let's, let's get the trek on.
[00:06:15] You know, let's, let's get that part of this, of the show out of the way.
[00:06:20] Okay.
[00:06:20] Yeah.
[00:06:21] It's always going to come back to trek anyway.
[00:06:24] Oh, don't worry.
[00:06:25] You know, never fear.
[00:06:26] It'll come back.
[00:06:27] We'll be back.
[00:06:28] It'll be back.
[00:06:29] Lieutenant Christopher, tell us about him.
[00:06:33] What did you love about him?
[00:06:35] What did you love about playing him?
[00:06:37] Cause we loved him as soon as we saw him on the screen.
[00:06:40] So his name is Lieutenant William Christopher.
[00:06:43] Cause I think we always.
[00:06:44] Yes.
[00:06:45] That's correct.
[00:06:46] Good.
[00:06:46] Um, I loved that role because well, first of all, just as the actor stepping into that
[00:06:54] role, it's a new role on the show coming in season four.
[00:06:58] So I'm just like, you know, I don't know how anyone's going to feel about this because
[00:07:01] I know how I am with, you know, like fresh Prince.
[00:07:04] And then season three, just like, oh, Viv.
[00:07:07] What happened?
[00:07:11] Yeah.
[00:07:12] Like no disrespect to the actress that played, but she did a phenomenal job as well.
[00:07:17] It was just different.
[00:07:18] So it's something to adjust to.
[00:07:19] So I was thinking that for myself.
[00:07:21] It's like, yo, how this, how these fans, cause I know the star Trek fans, you know,
[00:07:24] they are poor don't catch it.
[00:07:25] You know what I'm saying?
[00:07:27] Oh, this character slide.
[00:07:29] They'll be like, okay, okay, whatever.
[00:07:30] He's not essential to the plot or whatever, but like Star Trek fans, they don't let it
[00:07:33] slide.
[00:07:34] So, and I thought that too, coming into this family as the actor on set, I'm just like,
[00:07:39] yo, these people have already built a relationship that has been going on four years strong.
[00:07:44] I'm coming in at a very weird time where we can't be close to each other because of
[00:07:48] COVID and whatnot.
[00:07:49] So when I got there, I was surprised and very in awe of how well I was received both by the
[00:07:58] cast and the fans.
[00:07:59] I was like, it's like, it was such a smooth transition for me.
[00:08:03] And because of that, it allowed me to really step into the role as this, this new recruit
[00:08:09] on the discovery and try to prove myself.
[00:08:13] But with knowing what I, what role I play on the ship without overstepping or anything.
[00:08:18] So, and I feel like the cast and the other characters were very welcoming and we've had
[00:08:23] relationships on and off camera.
[00:08:25] And it was like a, it was a beautiful time.
[00:08:27] It's a beautiful time.
[00:08:28] Oh yeah.
[00:08:29] We love the bridge crew.
[00:08:30] That's for sure.
[00:08:31] Oh yeah.
[00:08:32] Yeah.
[00:08:33] It was funny too.
[00:08:34] Cause when we, I, when I first saw you, I was like, Oh, what is this going to be about?
[00:08:38] And then what's going on right off the bat?
[00:08:41] I was like, Oh brother.
[00:08:42] I was like, they just taken away Ronnie.
[00:08:43] What's happening.
[00:08:44] I know.
[00:08:45] I know.
[00:08:46] I was feeling that way.
[00:08:47] They do know we all don't look alike.
[00:08:49] Right.
[00:08:51] But then you came here, you had a new name.
[00:08:53] They made sure they had a story behind it.
[00:08:56] Right.
[00:08:56] Right.
[00:08:57] You sounded right away.
[00:08:58] You knew what you were doing.
[00:08:59] I was like, Oh, we're all right.
[00:09:00] We're all right.
[00:09:01] I wanted to make sure I was coming in.
[00:09:03] I was going to earn my keep.
[00:09:04] I was younger.
[00:09:05] I have one question I wanted to ask.
[00:09:07] I know it's not really said, but did you, did, did, did you, did Lieutenant Christopher
[00:09:13] come with the crew from the 23rd century or is he a 32nd century?
[00:09:20] That's a very good question.
[00:09:21] That's a really good question.
[00:09:22] Um, because I, myself, I was wondering for a long time, just like, guys, we're, uh, like
[00:09:26] 750 years into the future.
[00:09:28] I'm like, am I 750 years old or am I 30?
[00:09:31] Well, 900.
[00:09:32] I think.
[00:09:33] Oh my gosh.
[00:09:35] Right.
[00:09:35] So I, I, I, I thought too, um, there has been hints that I've seen throughout the, my
[00:09:44] time working on, on, on the show that has led me to believe that I am from the original
[00:09:49] era for one, because you know, we didn't know the show was going to get, right.
[00:09:54] Right.
[00:09:54] Right.
[00:09:55] Right.
[00:09:55] So there was plans for the future of what the next season would be.
[00:09:57] And I remember I had a fitting and in this fitting, I'm just like, I get fittings all
[00:10:01] the time because my body fluctuates a lot.
[00:10:03] So I'm like, ah, this routine.
[00:10:04] And then I go into my, my fitting room and I'm like, is this is my, my, my uniform.
[00:10:11] You guys got this.
[00:10:12] I looked at it and that says my name, but this is the original uniform.
[00:10:16] Yeah.
[00:10:17] I, I, I, I don't know.
[00:10:18] I can't.
[00:10:19] Well, I can't expose what I don't know.
[00:10:22] Right.
[00:10:22] Exactly.
[00:10:23] And I'm making assumptions.
[00:10:25] Yeah.
[00:10:25] I do another either mirror universe or going back in the past.
[00:10:29] And I was going to be featured in the past as a, I'm part of the original.
[00:10:32] Part of the crew.
[00:10:33] Yeah.
[00:10:34] Cool.
[00:10:34] I'm cool with either or.
[00:10:36] Cause I think, I think I was trying to find out if I, I think it was just a said that
[00:10:41] you had went to the Academy and I'm like, well, the Academy wasn't over.
[00:10:45] Yeah.
[00:10:45] Well, you guys, so I must, that's why I assumed.
[00:10:49] Yeah.
[00:10:49] You were.
[00:10:50] And then someone told me, no, he, I was like, Ooh, I don't know, but I could have
[00:10:53] sworn.
[00:10:54] There was a mention that you had been to the Academy.
[00:10:56] So I figured you were a part of the original crew.
[00:10:59] Yeah.
[00:10:59] Yeah.
[00:10:59] I remember.
[00:11:00] Yeah.
[00:11:00] It's just in the lower decks.
[00:11:03] Yes.
[00:11:04] The lower decks.
[00:11:05] Washing away.
[00:11:08] Like, yo, I need a break.
[00:11:09] Say, thank God.
[00:11:10] Okay.
[00:11:11] I mean, how art imitates life.
[00:11:15] I remember the first day I worked with Mr. Ronnie Rowe.
[00:11:17] Shout out to Ronnie.
[00:11:18] Hey Ronnie.
[00:11:20] Hi Ronnie.
[00:11:21] Ronnie.
[00:11:22] I, I have heard so much about Ronnie and I've seen his work before and I had the utmost
[00:11:26] respect for him just as an artist.
[00:11:27] So when I met him on set, I said, yo man, I love your stuff, blah, blah.
[00:11:31] It's been, it's an honor to like fill this role for you because it wasn't supposed to
[00:11:34] be like a complete switch.
[00:11:36] It was supposed to be for now until he comes back.
[00:11:38] Right.
[00:11:39] Um, and I remember I made a joke, uh, to him.
[00:11:42] I'm just like, I know you can't do this these days.
[00:11:45] And I'm just, I'm filling in because you know, you're working on this other project,
[00:11:48] but you know, man, I really, really, really hope this career treats you so well.
[00:11:54] So, a liberal like next month.
[00:11:58] Right.
[00:11:59] Let's just, you know, if the casting guys are listening.
[00:12:01] Cause I'm good.
[00:12:02] I'm good.
[00:12:02] Brother, I hope that.
[00:12:03] Wishing you all the best.
[00:12:05] And it's funny.
[00:12:06] And it's so funny because the next transition after that would be, uh, all it's in the yelling
[00:12:10] action.
[00:12:11] And my line to him is like, I, he said, I, you, it seems like you guys a lot of fun
[00:12:15] with the ongeling.
[00:12:16] And I'm saying, yeah, I should cover your shifts more often.
[00:12:18] So maybe.
[00:12:19] Yeah.
[00:12:20] It's just funny how that kind of like weep itself into the actual reality of what the,
[00:12:24] what it became.
[00:12:25] And I'm just like, wow, I guess this was meant to happen.
[00:12:28] There's such a smooth transition.
[00:12:30] He leveled up and I came in.
[00:12:31] I'm like, that's it.
[00:12:34] That was perfect.
[00:12:35] It was perfect.
[00:12:36] Yep.
[00:12:37] I love that.
[00:12:38] Now tell it.
[00:12:39] Is there something.
[00:12:40] That you know about Lieutenant Christopher that you created like in your head,
[00:12:45] like for your head cannon for him that nobody else knows.
[00:12:49] Yeah.
[00:12:50] Um, this is so funny because, um, on paper on document, I'm hired as a communications
[00:12:55] officer.
[00:12:56] So, uh, people have, uh, uh, a perspective of what that means.
[00:13:02] You know, this nerdy guy listening to radio waves from like a million light years away.
[00:13:07] Sure.
[00:13:07] That's a part of the job.
[00:13:08] But for me, I like to bring myself as a part of the characters and I'm a very active
[00:13:12] guy.
[00:13:12] So I see Lieutenant Christopher when he's on the bridge, he's back home.
[00:13:16] He's going on adventures.
[00:13:17] He's, he's going into rainforest.
[00:13:19] He's doing all these like fun adventure action stuff that you don't really get to
[00:13:23] see in the show, but that's part of the reason why I wanted to bring it in as he's
[00:13:27] someone that can manage the stress of being on the crew very well because of what he does
[00:13:31] in his personal life, all this adventure stuff.
[00:13:33] And I wish we got to see that because we, uh, we, we've hinted at certain things like
[00:13:37] near season 40 and the season four, we're breaching the galactic barrier.
[00:13:41] Um, and they were just, uh, the casting directors, the writers of the show were just like, you
[00:13:46] know, we're going to add stuff that these characters do to, you know, get these fans, you know,
[00:13:51] more connected with them.
[00:13:52] And, uh, I put some things forward and what they ended up using was, uh, skiing.
[00:13:57] I know how to snowboard not well now it's been a while, but just to show that Lieutenant
[00:14:02] Christopher is not just like, you know, at the desk all day.
[00:14:05] That would have been my guy.
[00:14:07] That's my guy.
[00:14:10] Yeah.
[00:14:11] I mean, you're in great company.
[00:14:12] I mean, there aren't many communications officers.
[00:14:15] I mean, there's, there's you, there's Bryce, there's Hoshi.
[00:14:19] And there's a horror.
[00:14:21] I mean, you can't get better than that.
[00:14:24] Right.
[00:14:26] You can't get better than that.
[00:14:28] Wow.
[00:14:29] I love it.
[00:14:30] I love it.
[00:14:31] Oh, okay.
[00:14:31] I thought it looked like Sabrina was about to be like, and no, I'm still stuck on skiing.
[00:14:36] I was like, that's the one thing.
[00:14:39] The ski bunny, the ski bunny over there.
[00:14:43] No, no, that's when I started like throwing down my gloves.
[00:14:46] It was, I was never a ski bunny.
[00:14:47] I was a ski bum.
[00:14:50] Oh, okay.
[00:14:50] Sorry.
[00:14:51] Sorry.
[00:14:51] Sorry.
[00:14:53] Major differentiation.
[00:14:56] My bad.
[00:14:57] Were the ski bunnies, were the ski bunnies, the ones like up at the, um,
[00:15:00] Sea bunny was sitting at the, I race, ski, not ski.
[00:15:03] And they were just sitting in the bar.
[00:15:04] That's me.
[00:15:05] I was a ski bunny.
[00:15:06] Right.
[00:15:07] I was working.
[00:15:08] I was on the mountain working.
[00:15:10] Okay.
[00:15:10] Okay.
[00:15:11] Oh yeah.
[00:15:11] That's the ski bum.
[00:15:12] Okay.
[00:15:12] I was a ski bunny watching you work.
[00:15:15] Right.
[00:15:15] Wait for my child.
[00:15:17] Like sitting with some hot cocoa and stuff going.
[00:15:19] Right.
[00:15:19] She must be cold out there.
[00:15:21] That would be me.
[00:15:23] No, look at her.
[00:15:23] She look cold.
[00:15:25] It's cold out there.
[00:15:29] Okay.
[00:15:30] All right.
[00:15:30] So you grew up in Jamaica.
[00:15:34] And then you went where to Canada.
[00:15:37] Yeah.
[00:15:38] Uh, uh, Jamaica straight to Canada.
[00:15:40] And this, uh, when, how old were you?
[00:15:41] I was 12 years old.
[00:15:43] Oh, when you moved to Canada.
[00:15:45] Yeah.
[00:15:45] That's correct.
[00:15:45] You grew up part Jamaica and part in Canadian.
[00:15:49] That's correct.
[00:15:50] Which part of Canada were you in?
[00:15:52] I was in, uh, Brampton.
[00:15:53] So it was still Ontario.
[00:15:54] Um, the small, still developing.
[00:15:57] Like when, as a kid, when my dad was telling me that he would come and get me to come to,
[00:16:02] uh, Canada, um, I had these like fantasies of what it'd be like.
[00:16:06] Cause I knew about America, but I didn't know what Canada was.
[00:16:09] Right.
[00:16:09] Right.
[00:16:10] I'm like, you know, it's right next to each other.
[00:16:11] Same must be the same.
[00:16:12] So I'm like, I'm gonna have a tree house.
[00:16:15] I'm gonna have a big backyard.
[00:16:17] I got to Brampton.
[00:16:19] There was a lawn.
[00:16:21] It was just dirt and mud.
[00:16:23] Oh, wow.
[00:16:23] The house was empty.
[00:16:24] Cause my dad just moved in.
[00:16:25] And I'm like, what is going on?
[00:16:27] And my dad, uh, he works, uh, he does the highways.
[00:16:32] He does like the tarring for the highway.
[00:16:33] So we work like crazy hours overnight.
[00:16:35] So I'd be alone in the house by myself.
[00:16:37] Oh my gosh.
[00:16:38] Now developing town.
[00:16:40] And I'm just like, this is terrifying.
[00:16:42] This is not.
[00:16:42] Oh my gosh.
[00:16:43] Yeah.
[00:16:44] But it, it, it, I got used to it eventually, but like, it was just like, this is, this is
[00:16:49] what under snow.
[00:16:50] I was like, I couldn't wait to see snow.
[00:16:51] I was like, this is going to be crazy.
[00:16:53] And I'm, and I forgot one key factor that comes with snow.
[00:16:56] Cold.
[00:16:57] Yes.
[00:16:57] I don't like being cold.
[00:16:59] And there's, as a kid, I'm just like, I'm not thinking about the negatives.
[00:17:01] I'm just like, right.
[00:17:02] So pretty.
[00:17:04] It's going to be so pretty.
[00:17:05] It's going to be so cool.
[00:17:05] I'm like, yo, that's crazy.
[00:17:08] It's falling down my back.
[00:17:10] Yo.
[00:17:13] Yes, I did.
[00:17:15] That was very big on manual labor.
[00:17:18] I remember one time when I came in, there's a bunch of dishes and I remember looking at
[00:17:22] and I'm just like, we, what, why don't we hook up this dishwasher?
[00:17:25] It's, it's just like, you're the dishwasher.
[00:17:29] That's right.
[00:17:31] I was the same way.
[00:17:32] We have a dishwasher.
[00:17:33] It's still not hooked up.
[00:17:34] Yeah.
[00:17:35] Yeah.
[00:17:36] What was it even there?
[00:17:38] It came with the house.
[00:17:39] It came with the house.
[00:17:41] I had three dish, I had D three dishwashers and I didn't need that.
[00:17:45] No.
[00:17:45] You want to, you want cash?
[00:17:47] They always ask for cash.
[00:17:49] You got to do something for this cash.
[00:17:50] Come on.
[00:17:52] Wow.
[00:17:53] Yeah.
[00:17:54] No.
[00:17:55] That must've been a major shock.
[00:17:57] Right.
[00:17:58] My mother came from a warm country and she came here think the same thing.
[00:18:01] She thought the snow was going to be wonderful.
[00:18:02] And she got here and it was like, when she came, okay, she was wearing yellow suede boots
[00:18:08] when she got here.
[00:18:09] I was like, okay, you know, mom, mom, no, that's only happened to Boston too, right?
[00:18:15] Yeah.
[00:18:15] She came from, uh, yeah, she came from Calcutta, India to, to London and to Boston.
[00:18:19] And she's wearing like all this wrong stuff, you know, the picture that we have of her.
[00:18:25] Oh, now you know.
[00:18:27] Yep.
[00:18:27] She got the galoshes.
[00:18:29] She got galoshes eventually.
[00:18:30] Yeah.
[00:18:30] Yeah.
[00:18:31] Yeah.
[00:18:31] Yeah.
[00:18:31] So when you, where you grew up, like, were there a lot of other black kids and, or was
[00:18:37] it a mixed community or what was it like?
[00:18:40] Uh, in Brampton?
[00:18:41] I'm, I'm just kidding.
[00:18:42] Uh, in Brampton.
[00:18:44] Yeah.
[00:18:45] In Brampton.
[00:18:45] Yeah.
[00:18:56] No, but in Brampton, when I went there, it was a pretty diverse, uh, like town when
[00:19:02] I was there because, you know, everyone was kind of moving in to see, you know, this is
[00:19:05] the vibe they want or not because Brampton didn't really have an identity.
[00:19:09] It just had land.
[00:19:10] So, uh, we get a lot of different, uh, settlers.
[00:19:13] We got Indian, we got Caucasians, we got Asians, we got, uh, blacks, uh, mainly Jamaican
[00:19:19] because there's a lot of Jamaican restaurants on there.
[00:19:21] There's a large population of Jamaican people that settled there.
[00:19:24] Uh, now going back to Brampton, it's developed so much.
[00:19:28] It's actually kind of crazy looking at the, the time map in my head and it's completely
[00:19:33] different now.
[00:19:34] It's not as diverse anymore.
[00:19:36] Um, but it's, it, the population has boomed to an astounded amount.
[00:19:42] It's crazy.
[00:19:44] Brampton used to be empty.
[00:19:45] You could hear a pin drop.
[00:19:46] Now it was just like, whoa, where did all these people come from?
[00:19:50] What is it?
[00:19:51] What's the big thing there?
[00:19:52] What is everybody doing there?
[00:19:53] I mean, what are you doing in Brampton?
[00:19:55] What are you doing in Brampton?
[00:19:56] What are you doing in Brampton, Canada?
[00:19:59] Honestly, honestly, anytime someone tells me they're from Brampton and they still live
[00:20:02] in Brampton, I'm like, what are you doing there?
[00:20:04] I want to know.
[00:20:05] If you're not working for the government, what are you doing there?
[00:20:09] It's a great place.
[00:20:10] Let me tell you something.
[00:20:11] Before preface this, Brampton is a beautiful, uh, place.
[00:20:15] Um, it has a lot of great, uh, lakes and, uh, little ponds, I mean, and, uh, flowers.
[00:20:22] And, and it's, it's a very, it's a very quiet and fairly safe, uh, place to live.
[00:20:26] If you want to go and settle down and raise a family, you know, get your real estate business
[00:20:30] booming, go there.
[00:20:31] If you're trying to be an artist, you kind of have to leave because the ceiling is pretty
[00:20:36] low for art there.
[00:20:37] Um, so it just wasn't a place for me.
[00:20:40] I know a lot of friends who are artists who still live in Brampton who are, who are thriving.
[00:20:44] It doesn't completely hold you back, but it's like, it makes it a little bit more difficult
[00:20:49] to network and to like be in the city where most of the action is taking place anyways.
[00:20:54] Right.
[00:20:55] Yeah.
[00:20:55] Toronto.
[00:20:56] Yeah.
[00:20:56] So Brampton is just boring.
[00:20:58] It's so easy to like fall in love with it and then not know 10 years later that you're
[00:21:03] just, you just been sitting in the same place for like, I get that.
[00:21:06] Yeah.
[00:21:07] Yeah.
[00:21:07] Yeah.
[00:21:08] The comfort I'm not at that phase in my life where that's what I'm seeking.
[00:21:13] Right.
[00:21:13] So yeah.
[00:21:15] I feel that that's a, such a good way to describe that.
[00:21:18] And so like, you got bit by the bug really early, right?
[00:21:21] Like you started performing, like how young were you when you started performing or were
[00:21:25] you always a performer?
[00:21:26] I felt like I was always a performer.
[00:21:29] I just never told anybody.
[00:21:31] And when that was, was at a very young age as a kid, I went through the typical, you
[00:21:36] know, I'm an only child, you know, I don't have any brothers or siblings.
[00:21:39] So, you know, all I got is these toys and these stories in my head, but just the length
[00:21:44] of how long those stories went on for that kind of said to me that, you know, maybe there's
[00:21:49] something there I should nurture.
[00:21:51] I just don't know what it is.
[00:21:51] Cause there's no one around me in that field of work to even say, yo, you ever thought about
[00:21:56] doing this?
[00:21:57] You ever thought about that?
[00:21:58] It was so much, it was more of my imagination.
[00:22:01] And it always came out in a performing kind of like way where I create these narratives and
[00:22:06] these characters and I'll try to act them out.
[00:22:07] Give, give my, my action figures, my toys, all these voices and different storylines.
[00:22:11] And it's always been something that's been kind of like an escape for me.
[00:22:15] And I loved it.
[00:22:17] And I was always a very shy kid, but for whatever reason, when it came to like performing or doing
[00:22:23] a presentation, I wouldn't have as much nerve as, be as nervous as to say, like, I go do
[00:22:29] a written math test.
[00:22:31] Right.
[00:22:32] Right.
[00:22:32] I've been studying for this test all night, but I'm just like, I'm so nervous.
[00:22:35] I'm going to feel it.
[00:22:35] But whereas performing, there was always a comfort I found in it, it being a shy kid,
[00:22:41] which is kind of like, you know, weird, but like, I know we've heard that so many times
[00:22:44] from artists.
[00:22:45] Yeah.
[00:22:46] It's almost like a, an outlet for them, you know, it's a way to, right.
[00:22:51] To not be themselves and get everything that they're feeling out.
[00:22:55] Um, so that's not unusual at all.
[00:22:59] When you decided to be an actor, performer and artist, was your family supportive?
[00:23:07] Uh, yes and no.
[00:23:09] And the yes is one side and no is the other.
[00:23:12] My dad was very supportive.
[00:23:14] Um, my dad just like, you know, as long as you're not stealing or scamming people, I
[00:23:18] support whatever you do.
[00:23:19] Um, you should just follow your dreams no matter what they are.
[00:23:23] I'm just here to support.
[00:23:24] I'm not here to dictate you.
[00:23:25] So he had a very good cause that's how he wanted his life to be.
[00:23:28] So he was fair and he allowed me to be that way.
[00:23:32] No matter what I chose, he was surprised I chose that because I said he was very shy.
[00:23:35] He's like an actor.
[00:23:39] I thought you'd be a veterinarian or something.
[00:23:41] You love animals, but like, but you want to go in front of people and talk?
[00:23:45] Wow.
[00:23:46] All right.
[00:23:47] What can we do about this?
[00:23:48] My mom, on the other hand, she's a very reserved.
[00:23:51] So her non support, uh, at the beginning was more so out of fear.
[00:23:58] Cause she didn't understand what it looked like.
[00:24:01] So she was more so not saying that I shouldn't do it, but I should consider doing something
[00:24:07] else so I can get X, Y, Z, uh, stability money, do this.
[00:24:12] This is like just that track of mine as a mom.
[00:24:14] Yeah.
[00:24:15] Yeah.
[00:24:16] Yeah.
[00:24:16] So I know a lot of people can see that as just complete.
[00:24:20] Your parents is trying to take over you and whatever.
[00:24:22] Oh, no, no, no.
[00:24:23] Like, but that's not what it is.
[00:24:24] That's not really what it is.
[00:24:26] Yeah.
[00:24:27] Exactly.
[00:24:29] Yeah.
[00:24:30] Exactly.
[00:24:31] Yeah.
[00:24:31] Which is why like the most powerful tool that we have in our arsenal as human beings is
[00:24:35] our perspective.
[00:24:36] And because I was able to see her through that perspective lens, I could understand what
[00:24:41] that was.
[00:24:42] And I know how to, you know, talk to her and have these conversations about it.
[00:24:45] And eventually it was just one day when I was telling her about on set that I was working
[00:24:50] and she's just like, Oh, that's good.
[00:24:51] That's great.
[00:24:51] Oh my God.
[00:24:52] I can't believe it.
[00:24:53] I can't wait to see you on the screen.
[00:24:55] I'm like, really?
[00:24:56] Just wants to make sure you could make some money and eat.
[00:25:00] Put my mom back on the phone.
[00:25:02] Yeah.
[00:25:04] But, but ever since then, she's been a super supportive.
[00:25:07] Yeah.
[00:25:08] That really kind of like fed into the success that I've gained or still gaining is because
[00:25:15] I have that support system behind me and we have a good understanding of each other.
[00:25:20] So when, you know, things are up, things are up and you know, it's easy to understand
[00:25:24] when things are up, when things are down, where the people are going to understand you?
[00:25:27] Because that's when it could be like a really, you know, it could really wear you down and
[00:25:32] kind of like put you out.
[00:25:34] But as they understand the industry, because I've had so many conversations between them
[00:25:38] when a strike is happening, they don't go, Oh, why don't you just go down to Netflix
[00:25:41] and tell them to stop that?
[00:25:45] And you're just like, well, I hope it goes well.
[00:25:47] They're even, I don't remember who it was, but it sent me an article.
[00:25:50] It was with my mom and my dad.
[00:25:51] I was like, Whoa, you guys are reading up on my industry.
[00:25:53] Yeah.
[00:25:54] Of course.
[00:25:55] Yeah.
[00:25:55] So the support has been amazing.
[00:25:58] And that extends to like all my other family members, my, my, my siblings, my aunts, my
[00:26:04] uncles, my grandparents, like everyone is like very on board.
[00:26:10] If, if anything, some of them, they come up to me and be like, huh, so you're an actor,
[00:26:12] huh?
[00:26:13] How can I get an agent?
[00:26:14] Oh my goodness.
[00:26:16] There we go.
[00:26:16] You're the connection.
[00:26:17] All right.
[00:26:18] All right.
[00:26:19] Okay.
[00:26:20] So did any of them turn into Trekkies?
[00:26:21] Yeah.
[00:26:22] Um, I think one of my, no, yes.
[00:26:26] One of my uncles, he, he watches Star Trek.
[00:26:29] He, he even got like the, he's gotten the Blu-rays since I've been on it.
[00:26:33] He's just like, Oh, that's so cool.
[00:26:35] He has to connect his edition.
[00:26:36] And he has like my, um, I have 50, uh, Lieutenant Christopher pins that were printed.
[00:26:41] So it's a limited edition.
[00:26:42] I wasn't able to get my hands on one specifically for him.
[00:26:45] And now it's a convention bag.
[00:26:49] Oh yeah.
[00:26:50] I know.
[00:26:51] I was so excited.
[00:26:52] It is so cool.
[00:26:53] So cool.
[00:26:53] Oh, that's awesome.
[00:26:55] Oh my God.
[00:26:55] I love that so much.
[00:26:57] You know, I love, I like how you were talking about, um, uh, the perspective, being able
[00:27:03] to see people from a different perspective, which of course is, you know, or somebody through
[00:27:08] somebody else's perspective.
[00:27:09] And of course it's a beautiful gift for an actor, but I think about like, I was thinking
[00:27:14] while you were talking, like what a valuable gift that is for all of us.
[00:27:19] Right.
[00:27:19] Um, that, you know, as an actor, you're, you're trained to look at through other people's perspectives,
[00:27:25] but wow.
[00:27:27] And you know, what a, what a beautiful thing.
[00:27:30] Um, it is that we could learn, you know, the rest of us could learn from your skill.
[00:27:36] You know, I was just thinking about like learning to look at my mother as the human being that
[00:27:43] she is and not as the title of mother and how long it took me to do that in my life.
[00:27:51] You know, I mean, you know, in my late forties and early fifties, learning to take the title
[00:27:58] off of her and look at her as the human being that she is.
[00:28:02] And, and therefore get a much richer understanding of her and the choices that she's made and,
[00:28:09] you know, everything, you know, and being able to give her some grace instead of holding
[00:28:13] on to that, you know, all those childhood resentments of you didn't do this or X, Y,
[00:28:18] and Z, you know, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
[00:28:19] Like, like all of us have all the time, you know, but being able to really look at her
[00:28:26] as a human being and accept her for that.
[00:28:29] This is beautiful.
[00:28:30] Yeah.
[00:28:31] Like I just, I have, I don't have a question there.
[00:28:33] I just love that.
[00:28:34] But I love, I loved it too.
[00:28:36] Cause when you were saying, and I was like, wow, I said, maybe that's because you're an
[00:28:39] only child that you were able to go through that.
[00:28:42] Cause I have children, I have children your age and yet at, yeah, no.
[00:28:49] I feel like everyone arrives at that perspective is just either they arrive by their own volition.
[00:28:57] They, they did the, the, you know, work, they go to, they try to understand, or just one day,
[00:29:03] they're just like, ah, I finally get it.
[00:29:05] Yeah.
[00:29:07] I look at my mom through that perspective.
[00:29:10] But my dad, I looked at him through a different perspective.
[00:29:13] Like if he's the one that I put the title on because, um, for the first 12 years of my life,
[00:29:17] it's just been me and my mom alone in Jamaica.
[00:29:20] My dad was still in my life, but he was in country.
[00:29:23] So he was still supporting me and everything.
[00:29:25] And when I came up here, uh, it was a complete different energy going for my mom who literally
[00:29:30] doesn't want me to lift a finger to do this to my dad.
[00:29:33] It's just like, it's time to mow the lawn.
[00:29:35] It's time to do these dishes.
[00:29:36] I'm like, what are you talking about?
[00:29:38] It's like, no, that's why I had you.
[00:29:40] I'm like, no one told me it's signed up for this.
[00:29:43] So I always saw him as like the authoritative figure.
[00:29:47] And that was from, uh, one, and there was things that he would do that I just like,
[00:29:51] didn't understand as compared to my mom.
[00:29:53] But as I got older, I find myself in certain situations where I start acting like my dad
[00:29:59] in order to like get through this or to, um, learn something from this.
[00:30:04] And I'm just like, wow, I can't believe this is what you've been teaching.
[00:30:07] It's like straight up.
[00:30:08] Mr. Miyagi is like wax on, wax off.
[00:30:09] What does it have to do with Kung Fu?
[00:30:10] This has nothing to do with Kung Fu.
[00:30:12] It's going to come to a situation where you're waxing on and waxing off and you're, you're
[00:30:17] kicking butt.
[00:30:18] And I was like, this is crazy.
[00:30:20] Yeah.
[00:30:21] Sometimes you arrive at that, those perspectives through experiences in your life.
[00:30:25] And you can fully see, uh, what that person was trying to tell you.
[00:30:29] Cause you never know someone until like you walk in their shoe, you know what I'm saying?
[00:30:32] So you had to, so I had to arrive at that from my dad from a different journey.
[00:30:37] Mm.
[00:30:39] Yeah.
[00:30:39] Yeah.
[00:30:40] That's beautiful.
[00:30:41] I got other questions for you.
[00:30:43] Like I'm going back to this childhood because I'm, I'm, I want to go to the development of Orville
[00:30:50] Cummings, you know?
[00:30:52] Um, you know, so when you are growing up, like you come to, you come from Jamaica and then
[00:30:57] you go through like culture shock, right.
[00:31:00] In, in Canada.
[00:31:02] Uh, but it was, um, you said it was pretty diverse area that you grew up in.
[00:31:07] So, I mean, how was it handling coming from a, I'm interested in a perspective of coming
[00:31:13] from a world that was all black or majority black to this other world where like, you know,
[00:31:21] black people are not the majority and, you know, and it's not just our skin, like, right.
[00:31:26] It's your culture, you know, you're leaving everything.
[00:31:29] How was that transition for you?
[00:31:31] Yeah.
[00:31:32] Yeah.
[00:31:32] So that transition for me, um, went a little bit.
[00:31:39] It was great.
[00:31:40] I'll just say, I'll just keep it short.
[00:31:42] I say it was great because, um, I had so much like time knowing that I was going to come
[00:31:48] to Canada or go to a foreign place.
[00:31:51] So, you know, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm watching my television and I'm getting my perspective
[00:31:55] and based on like what my parents tell me about, like, you know, certain type of people,
[00:31:59] uh, kind of like, kind of like, uh, affects how I, you know, kind of like see them before
[00:32:05] I even meet them.
[00:32:06] So up here, I was just like, okay.
[00:32:09] Uh, these, these type people like this is, it's like very like narrow minded, like ways
[00:32:13] of looking at people.
[00:32:14] But as I got here, hanging out with the kids, I'm just like, okay, the white kids are probably
[00:32:18] not going to like me.
[00:32:19] The black kids are going to think I'm cool.
[00:32:21] I don't know how to talk to the Asian kids.
[00:32:23] I like Indian people because I'm a third Indian.
[00:32:26] So let's go.
[00:32:27] And then when I got here, I'm like, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
[00:32:29] You mean it doesn't matter?
[00:32:31] Nah.
[00:32:33] All my time.
[00:32:34] I've been trying to like figure out how to talk to you versus you when you guys are in
[00:32:37] the same group already liking the same stuff.
[00:32:39] Yeah.
[00:32:40] Shut up.
[00:32:42] You're all Canadians.
[00:32:44] You're all Canadians.
[00:32:45] Yeah.
[00:32:45] So it was very, it was very like welcoming and warm to see that because I put so much
[00:32:50] pressure on myself to try to fit in.
[00:32:52] I felt like funny enough.
[00:32:55] I felt like in, in the school in Jamaica, I had a harder time fitting in.
[00:32:59] And now when there's not no race as like a factor as to like who hangs out with you and
[00:33:05] whatever, people start looking at different things.
[00:33:07] And at least the school I went to was to hang out with the other boys.
[00:33:12] I needed to be as big as them.
[00:33:14] And I wasn't very small in stature.
[00:33:16] I need to be as tough as them.
[00:33:19] Wasn't as tough as these guys.
[00:33:21] It's crazy.
[00:33:21] I'm like, how are you hitting the ball that hard?
[00:33:23] This is crazy.
[00:33:25] Or I needed to be as intelligent as them.
[00:33:29] And I felt like I didn't meet their requirements and I felt it more because it
[00:33:33] was, you know, kids don't have any filter.
[00:33:36] Yeah, right.
[00:33:37] You don't want to hang out with you because of X, Y, Z.
[00:33:40] And I'm like, this is crazy.
[00:33:42] So it was hard for me to get my bearings there.
[00:33:44] I felt like if I stayed in Jamaica a little bit longer, I would have because I was still
[00:33:48] coming into my own and I was a very sheltered kid.
[00:33:50] So these kids had different upbringings.
[00:33:52] So we just, we weren't brought up on the same lessons.
[00:33:55] So I felt like I would have adjusted, but like, it was such a weird feeling, not adjusting
[00:33:59] to my home town, my homeschool in Jamaica.
[00:34:02] And then coming up into a foreign land and everyone's just like, ah, new kids here.
[00:34:06] Ah, let's party.
[00:34:07] Like literally my first friend in school.
[00:34:13] Um, he was sitting in front of me and he turns around and he, he offers me some candy.
[00:34:19] And I'm so, yeah, I'll take it.
[00:34:20] And he's like, you want to be my friend?
[00:34:22] I'm like, all right, sure.
[00:34:24] That was so easy.
[00:34:26] I love that.
[00:34:27] I'm like, I'm like stressing over nothing.
[00:34:30] I'm wearing my shirt incorrectly.
[00:34:31] I'm like, I'm trying to look like dapper or whatever.
[00:34:33] I'm like, I don't even have a sense of style.
[00:34:35] I just put on something that I do.
[00:34:37] So fresh friends.
[00:34:38] Yeah, literally like, like the bow tie and the cap and everything.
[00:34:43] It's crazy.
[00:34:46] You want to be my friend.
[00:34:49] That is the cutest thing ever.
[00:34:53] That is awesome.
[00:34:54] And you got candy.
[00:34:55] You got candy.
[00:35:01] It's such a relief to hear about somebody going someplace and it was easy and it was fun.
[00:35:05] And you got candy.
[00:35:06] It's like, there's, there's hope in the world.
[00:35:08] Yeah.
[00:35:08] Yeah.
[00:35:10] Cause sometimes it just does not turn out that well.
[00:35:13] That's what I was worried about.
[00:35:15] Yeah.
[00:35:15] So glad it did though.
[00:35:17] Wow.
[00:35:18] Wow.
[00:35:20] You still live in Canada.
[00:35:22] You live in.
[00:35:23] Toronto.
[00:35:24] Yes.
[00:35:25] Yeah.
[00:35:26] Yeah.
[00:35:26] For now.
[00:35:27] I am, I am planning on moving out of the city to the United States to the
[00:35:37] the weather and the work, you know, the winter's looming around the corner.
[00:35:43] I see these trees dying every day.
[00:35:45] And I'm like, Oh, ready?
[00:35:47] Oh, ready?
[00:35:48] Oh my God.
[00:35:49] It's coming for me.
[00:35:51] It's coming for me.
[00:35:52] It's coming for me.
[00:35:53] It's coming for me.
[00:35:54] The winter is not nice.
[00:35:56] It is not, man.
[00:35:57] It's, it's a beast.
[00:35:59] I remember the close, as close as I've gotten to that far, like north is either like the
[00:36:04] times I was in Chicago or no Dearborn.
[00:36:08] And then, but like, I went to school in Syracuse, New York and you know, I don't know what possessed
[00:36:15] me, but I was there.
[00:36:16] Right.
[00:36:16] Like my little Southern ass was in Syracuse, like seeing all the time, you know, and I
[00:36:23] mean, and it never stopped snowing.
[00:36:26] Never, especially when we, especially in the nineties, it just never started.
[00:36:30] No.
[00:36:30] Right.
[00:36:31] It was insane.
[00:36:32] It was insane.
[00:36:32] It was insane.
[00:36:33] It was just like, you know, and it's like, I was not there in the nineties.
[00:36:36] I was there in the nineties.
[00:36:37] No, I was 80.
[00:36:38] Yeah.
[00:36:39] You were, you were a couple of years before me, but dude, I mean, it was sick.
[00:36:44] And I was like, Oh my God, I don't care if I ever see snow again.
[00:36:49] I mean, just like, you know, constantly.
[00:36:52] I'm like, and they don't cancel class for this shit.
[00:36:55] It's six feet of snow outside.
[00:36:57] Like, why am I traipsing across the world?
[00:36:59] I was worse than her.
[00:37:00] I was 45.
[00:37:01] I was an hour away from you and Oswego, which is right on Lake Ontario.
[00:37:04] Oh, wow.
[00:37:05] Yeah.
[00:37:05] Yeah.
[00:37:06] Let me tell you.
[00:37:08] They never cancel class.
[00:37:09] Lake effect snow.
[00:37:10] Lake effect snow right here.
[00:37:12] They don't cancel class for it.
[00:37:12] You know, like you put your hand here, like, is my hand really there?
[00:37:16] Cause I can't see it.
[00:37:18] It looks like a blizzard and I still have to go to class.
[00:37:22] They have ropes out.
[00:37:23] You have to follow the ropes.
[00:37:25] Wait.
[00:37:25] Oh my God.
[00:37:26] Gotta get out of that.
[00:37:27] Yeah.
[00:37:27] Yeah.
[00:37:28] I don't blame you.
[00:37:28] Yeah.
[00:37:28] So you're going to leave little Hollywood and go to big Hollywood.
[00:37:32] Right.
[00:37:33] Yes.
[00:37:34] Big Hollywood.
[00:37:35] That's correct.
[00:37:35] And you, and you may end up back in Toronto.
[00:37:42] That's how.
[00:37:43] That's how.
[00:37:43] That's what they're going to film.
[00:37:45] That's where everything is shooting.
[00:37:47] I'm just going to do it for myself as soon as I get there.
[00:37:50] You're going to ship you back.
[00:37:51] How we need you on a flight back.
[00:37:52] I'm like, ship you.
[00:37:54] Ship you right back.
[00:37:55] Keep an apartment there.
[00:37:57] Whatever you do.
[00:37:57] Cause we're, we're at, we're hoping, we're actually really hoping that you'll make some
[00:38:02] appearances on Starfleet Academy.
[00:38:04] You just took the words right out of my mouth.
[00:38:07] Oh yeah.
[00:38:07] We got to, I mean, it makes all the sense in the world to have that bridge crew back on
[00:38:13] TV.
[00:38:14] Cause I believe they were, uh, they did not get their due.
[00:38:18] No.
[00:38:19] And I believe.
[00:38:20] Neither bridge crew.
[00:38:22] No, none of them.
[00:38:23] Right.
[00:38:24] None of the bridge crew.
[00:38:25] Right.
[00:38:25] I don't know why discovery fans have this love affair with the bridge crew that seems
[00:38:31] like Paramount just did not understand.
[00:38:34] And, um, I need to see them again.
[00:38:37] Um, I believe we got gypped in the fifth season because, um, our, we had, we, we had
[00:38:44] new people come in, which I was happy with them, but what happened to my, my original
[00:38:48] crew?
[00:38:49] I mean, I understand the assignment, but I need to, I needed more, you know, especially
[00:38:54] for that last, last season.
[00:38:56] I think, um, it was very heartbreaking that, um, everybody wasn't together.
[00:39:00] So I'm really hoping, um, we get to see you guys, uh, and start from the academy.
[00:39:06] I know you can't tell us anything if it is, but I definitely, uh, would like that.
[00:39:11] Just let you know Paramount.
[00:39:12] If you're listening.
[00:39:13] And we know you are.
[00:39:16] And we are.
[00:39:18] We got the search tags when someone says start.
[00:39:20] Yeah.
[00:39:22] Yeah.
[00:39:23] We already know.
[00:39:25] Oh yeah.
[00:39:27] I'm just saying like, it would make our little hearts happy to see you back.
[00:39:31] Yeah.
[00:39:31] Well, I'm glad to hear that.
[00:39:32] I would, uh, love to be back.
[00:39:34] Yeah.
[00:39:34] Yeah, definitely.
[00:39:35] Yeah.
[00:39:36] So what, what's coming up next for you that you can talk about?
[00:39:40] Uh, so far, what I have is I shot a feature film last year, uh, that was a supporting lead
[00:39:47] in, um, it just premiered in the, uh, Sudbury, uh, film festival yesterday.
[00:39:53] It was the first, uh, it will be coming to Toronto, um, in October.
[00:39:59] Um, what's it called?
[00:40:00] It's, it's, it's, it's called Morningside.
[00:40:03] Oh, okay.
[00:40:04] Yes.
[00:40:05] It's a film based on true events and it's just this community center, this hub, this hub
[00:40:10] of community centers.
[00:40:11] You meet all these characters.
[00:40:12] I go to this community centers for different reasons and how their lives all intertwine.
[00:40:17] And then something happens that, um, kind of shakes the whole community up that, uh, and
[00:40:25] they have to, you know, they're trying to, this is their last hurrah.
[00:40:29] Let's just say it's a very, like, uh, very good story, but it gets, it could go into
[00:40:37] very like dark and serious, uh, matters.
[00:40:40] Uh, so I'm, if the director is watching me promote this, he's just like, why is he smiling
[00:40:44] and so happy about this story?
[00:40:48] He shouldn't be smiling.
[00:40:49] He should be mean mugging.
[00:40:50] Cause I do play a very, uh, dark and serious character in that, in that movie, which is
[00:40:55] very different.
[00:40:56] It's funny enough.
[00:40:57] Um, one of the, uh, uh, PAs was, uh, from Star Trek was on set and he recognized me.
[00:41:03] He's like, or what are you doing?
[00:41:04] Yeah.
[00:41:04] I'm just like, Oh, you know, I'm on this, you know, I'm, I'm the one of the, the, the
[00:41:07] supporting lead on this movie.
[00:41:08] He's like, Oh, what do you play?
[00:41:09] And then I, and then I said, just watch.
[00:41:13] And he saw the scene and just like, wow.
[00:41:16] Then, uh, acting is called.
[00:41:23] That's right.
[00:41:24] That's right.
[00:41:25] So that movie is doing its festival run right now.
[00:41:28] Uh, it should be coming out next February in theaters and Canada and the U S.
[00:41:35] We will be looking for that.
[00:41:37] I am definitely.
[00:41:38] Put that on your, um, festival list, Sabrina.
[00:41:41] Cause we know you're going to be hitting.
[00:41:43] Already there.
[00:41:45] Already there.
[00:41:45] Already there.
[00:41:46] As this guy.
[00:41:47] Remember at the end.
[00:41:48] I know.
[00:41:49] I read the.
[00:41:50] I read the plot.
[00:41:51] Me too.
[00:41:52] I read it.
[00:41:52] I was like, Oh, awesome.
[00:41:56] Awesome.
[00:41:57] Tell me.
[00:41:57] I was fascinated by that.
[00:41:59] So, you know, I kept on going with all of the other things in internet movie database.
[00:42:04] Um, tell me a little bit about, uh, a bite of a bite of mango.
[00:42:08] Cause this is like the same director, same writer that did morning side.
[00:42:12] So, um, so, uh, this director, uh, he hit me up and, uh, he wanted me to tape for this
[00:42:21] feature, his first feature, um, by the for mango.
[00:42:24] And I'm like, yeah, yeah, of course.
[00:42:26] Or just as like right before star Trek, probably like a month before.
[00:42:29] Okay.
[00:42:30] And he needs to cast this role like ASAP because they're shooting next week.
[00:42:34] So, um, within two, three days, he told me I got the part.
[00:42:38] Uh, I pulled up to the set right away.
[00:42:40] I had, I was like, this is the fastest turnaround ever.
[00:42:43] This is crazy.
[00:42:44] I'm doing on set and everything.
[00:42:46] And, um, it turned out to be one of the best things I've done just in the industry whole,
[00:42:55] because it felt like a lot of people on set.
[00:42:57] Um, I knew them from before.
[00:42:59] Like I know them, uh, through work and we hang out and some of them are like a close friends
[00:43:04] of mine, but even the people I didn't know, we all became like really close friends.
[00:43:08] And, uh, 2020 and that movie really allowed me to change my perspective on what family is.
[00:43:15] Because now I'm, I said this to one of my friends that she's so upset if she's watching
[00:43:18] this, she's going to be like, oh, he's going to keep spreading this perspective again.
[00:43:22] I told her that, I told her that you can, uh, you can actually choose your family.
[00:43:26] Like the people who gave birth to you and are just your relatives.
[00:43:29] Oh yeah.
[00:43:30] You get to choose that.
[00:43:32] And that was such a big thing for me because I love.
[00:43:35] You're sitting with ours.
[00:43:36] Yeah, exactly.
[00:43:38] Cause I, I love my family, my, my relatives, but, um, we live so far apart from each other.
[00:43:45] Oh yeah.
[00:43:46] As much time to see each other anymore.
[00:43:48] And I'm just like, these people were hanging out all the time and we're chilling and we're
[00:43:53] doing all the things that I thought I would be doing with my family.
[00:43:57] Right.
[00:43:58] Right.
[00:43:58] And they're my family to this day.
[00:44:01] Uh, everyone in that movie is my brother, my sister, my uncle, my auntie.
[00:44:05] And it was a very special, uh, movie for me as again, it was shot in the pandemic and it was about the pandemic.
[00:44:12] This couple that, um, uh, that, uh, was having a baby and they were trying to figure out what to do with it.
[00:44:18] And, um, they couldn't really decide.
[00:44:21] So the entire story follows that main narrative with the other things going on during that time.
[00:44:26] Okay.
[00:44:26] Um, yeah.
[00:44:27] So there's a lot of political stuff in the story and a lot of like homages to like great films.
[00:44:33] Like she's got to have it and do the writing.
[00:44:35] So.
[00:44:36] She's got to have it.
[00:44:37] This movie has one of the highest ratings I've ever seen on internet movie.
[00:44:41] It's got an 8.8 critic rating.
[00:44:44] And I haven't really checked.
[00:44:46] That's crazy.
[00:44:47] Oh, wow.
[00:44:47] I always check the rating.
[00:44:48] Um, but, uh, you know, you can only get it on one streamer.
[00:44:54] It's like, uh, you know, it's one of those things where, okay, it's a black film and it's going to be on the all black channel.
[00:44:58] And, uh, you know, it's hard to, hard to find it.
[00:45:01] So if you can look for it, bite of a mango or morning side, which will come out later, check it out.
[00:45:06] It is streaming.
[00:45:07] Now it's got an 8.8, which I'm telling you, I don't see 8.8 very often at all.
[00:45:13] What streaming platform is it on?
[00:45:16] All black.
[00:45:16] Oh, okay.
[00:45:17] All black.
[00:45:18] Okay.
[00:45:19] The only place you can get it right now.
[00:45:21] You know what?
[00:45:21] Go in there and hit, you know, add to watch list that.
[00:45:24] Yes.
[00:45:25] Yes.
[00:45:25] Add to watch list.
[00:45:26] Okay.
[00:45:28] If they have a thumbs up, do a thumbs up, you know, do all of that stuff.
[00:45:33] Yeah.
[00:45:33] That's why it's there.
[00:45:35] It's not there.
[00:45:36] It's there for a reason.
[00:45:37] Right.
[00:45:38] If you want to see a film and it's not streaming yet, hit add to watch list and it
[00:45:43] registers.
[00:45:44] And do the same thing for Star Trek discovery.
[00:45:46] I mean, and watch, I always say, watch it, just watch it and make sure you say, I like
[00:45:50] it.
[00:45:51] Give it a thumbs up.
[00:45:52] You know, no matter where you're watching it.
[00:45:54] I know it's only on the platforms for Paramount, but still, if you're honest, not on Pluto yet,
[00:46:01] but in Paramount, just make sure every time they ask you, do you like this?
[00:46:04] Vote for your favorite episodes.
[00:46:07] Yes.
[00:46:08] Right.
[00:46:08] Your presidential candidates vote for your episodes.
[00:46:11] That's right.
[00:46:12] That's right.
[00:46:13] Get it.
[00:46:13] Get used to it.
[00:46:14] Get in there.
[00:46:15] Pushing the button.
[00:46:16] Come on, folks.
[00:46:18] Use your football power.
[00:46:20] That's right.
[00:46:21] Don't forget your purple cake.
[00:46:23] Oh yeah.
[00:46:24] See?
[00:46:24] Y'all think I'm playing.
[00:46:26] No, I'm getting my purple cake.
[00:46:28] I'm getting my purple cake.
[00:46:30] I'm going to put a big S on it.
[00:46:32] Ooh, that's going to look good.
[00:46:33] Oh yeah.
[00:46:35] It's called Bite of a Mango?
[00:46:39] Bite of a Mango.
[00:46:39] Bite of a Mango.
[00:46:40] Yeah, that's correct.
[00:46:41] Okay.
[00:46:41] So when I Google it right now, it says that you can watch it on YouTube, TV, Prime subscription,
[00:46:50] Sling, Amazon Prime, and YouTube TV.
[00:46:54] Awesome.
[00:46:55] Internet Movie Database has got wrong information.
[00:46:58] Mm-hmm.
[00:46:58] Good.
[00:46:59] That's awesome.
[00:47:01] Yeah.
[00:47:01] So I will be going on my Prime account.
[00:47:04] I'll put the link in the description of the show so that people can click on it.
[00:47:10] Yeah.
[00:47:10] Morningside is going to premiere in February.
[00:47:13] I cannot wait.
[00:47:13] That sounds so good.
[00:47:14] Don't forget us from Morningside.
[00:47:15] We'd love to help you promote that if you need it.
[00:47:19] Mm-hmm.
[00:47:20] We're always here for that.
[00:47:21] I did want to ask you, I know when we were in Vegas, you talked about, and then you, I
[00:47:28] think a while ago, you had told me you had to do a vending thing.
[00:47:31] Yes.
[00:47:31] And I was, can you tell us about your, your company that you're a T-shirt, you have T-shirts
[00:47:38] and.
[00:47:38] Oh yeah.
[00:47:39] A hundred percent.
[00:47:40] Again, it's not a visual podcast, but I'll show you guys.
[00:47:42] Oh, I love that.
[00:47:43] That's the one.
[00:47:44] That's the one.
[00:47:44] That's the one.
[00:47:45] You guys, you guys have to see this art.
[00:47:48] You have to go to his website.
[00:47:50] Yes.
[00:47:50] Yes.
[00:47:51] We'll have the website in the description also.
[00:47:54] Yes.
[00:47:54] I'll have that too.
[00:47:56] Um, the, so I have essentially, uh, two companies.
[00:48:01] Uh, my first company is a resistance band company that I started during the pandemic.
[00:48:05] Uh, it was, it was more so for myself because I love going to the gym and I couldn't.
[00:48:11] So I went the resistance band route and I've tried a bunch and there's always something
[00:48:16] wrong with the one I got.
[00:48:18] It was either.
[00:48:19] Right.
[00:48:21] It's either the thin weird ones or the tube ones.
[00:48:24] I get tangled.
[00:48:25] Yeah.
[00:48:25] I even, I even like broke one of them and not to say I'm like the Hulk or anything, but
[00:48:29] I kind of like, so I was just doing some research as to like, you know, what the problems of
[00:48:34] resistance bands are and is there any alternative?
[00:48:37] And I found, um, this new type of like product that they were kind of like doing, which is
[00:48:42] like a fabricated resistance band.
[00:48:44] That was a long, they've had the fabric one for years, but it's like mainly for like leg
[00:48:48] and lower body workouts.
[00:48:50] And I created a long version of it.
[00:48:52] I'm like, Ooh, let me order this.
[00:48:53] And I use it.
[00:48:54] I'm like, Oh, I love this.
[00:48:55] I'm like, no one knows about this.
[00:48:56] It's crazy.
[00:48:57] So I got creative because I got a lot of time.
[00:49:02] That damn pandemic.
[00:49:03] They don't do it to you.
[00:49:06] Well, I had a lot of time.
[00:49:07] So I've been in this company called Taptain Fitness, where, um, my goal was to, um, you
[00:49:13] know, change people's perspective on what, uh, you need to be fake.
[00:49:17] Cause like now they're telling us that we can't go to the gym to work out, but I'm just
[00:49:21] like, they can't stop you.
[00:49:23] And for a lot of people, you know, we can do a calisthenics workout, work out with your
[00:49:25] body.
[00:49:26] But if you know, you want a little bit more juice than that, you know, you're going to
[00:49:28] need some resistance.
[00:49:29] And these resistance band really truly was helping me because I was like, wow, I'm even
[00:49:33] in more shape than I was at the gym and feel tired all the time because my, my, my, my
[00:49:37] joints aren't aching.
[00:49:39] This is crazy.
[00:49:39] Wow.
[00:49:40] I wanted to like, uh, spread that with people.
[00:49:43] And because I started this company, it allowed me to connect with more of my friends and like
[00:49:48] get them outside and we could be meet at the park.
[00:49:50] Everyone got their bands and we all would just do group workouts and I would lead the
[00:49:54] workouts and it was a great way.
[00:49:56] And I built a community and I kind of learned how to be a better leader through that venture.
[00:50:00] And that was really, uh, very important to me.
[00:50:04] And my other outlet outside of that was painting.
[00:50:07] And I would always do these painting.
[00:50:09] My girlfriend loves all these painting, but I just think she's biased because I'm like,
[00:50:12] I'm not Picasso, but all my paintings.
[00:50:15] Uh, please don't be Picasso.
[00:50:16] Yes, he is.
[00:50:17] Yes, he is.
[00:50:18] He's, he's better than Picasso.
[00:50:19] Like, I'm pretty shocked.
[00:50:21] Like now I'm just saying like his, his, what we saw the little bit of your art that we
[00:50:26] saw was amazing.
[00:50:28] It's absolutely beautiful.
[00:50:28] Just astounding.
[00:50:29] It's gorgeous.
[00:50:30] I love the colors.
[00:50:31] Thank you.
[00:50:31] They're so earthy and so real.
[00:50:34] Yeah.
[00:50:35] I love to do earth on colors.
[00:50:37] So when I do my paintings, I always wanted to kind of like invoke an emotion.
[00:50:40] I mean, obviously it's art, so it's subjective, but I do have specific ways I want people
[00:50:45] to feel.
[00:50:47] Um, this one is just like for those of you, you know, cause it's not a visual podcast.
[00:50:51] You can, it's just imagine two people kissing and it's the moment right before the kiss,
[00:50:55] which is the most intense moment.
[00:50:56] And the moment that's like captured forever.
[00:50:58] And I wanted to theme it after one of my favorite chocolate bars, the Reese's buttercups.
[00:51:04] So when the color palette kind of came from that, it was called the painting cocoa butter
[00:51:07] kisses.
[00:51:08] Oh, I love it.
[00:51:12] Oh, I love it.
[00:51:14] I love it.
[00:51:16] I'm in love with that.
[00:51:17] Wow.
[00:51:18] That brings up all kinds of memories.
[00:51:21] The fact that like, it's like a zoom closeup of that moment.
[00:51:25] And like, and it's just like, I mean, oh, I'd love to talk about perspective, you
[00:51:30] know, and those beautiful black.
[00:51:32] We get screen print.
[00:51:33] Yeah, that's right.
[00:51:36] Such beautiful.
[00:51:36] Oh, beautiful.
[00:51:38] Yes.
[00:51:38] So I do a lot of my paintings.
[00:51:40] Some of them are a bit out there because it's a lot of like, it's a lot of like women.
[00:51:47] And it's like a lot of them are just in the nude.
[00:51:50] And so my parents always asked me, why are you always painting naked women?
[00:51:53] And I'm my answer is so lame.
[00:51:55] I'm like, because I don't know how to draw dudes.
[00:51:56] I just I'll just end up with a square.
[00:51:58] But when you draw a woman, you have to do a lot of curves.
[00:52:01] Yeah, that that is satisfying to me, like painting.
[00:52:04] So that's where I found the comfort in doing it.
[00:52:07] Yeah.
[00:52:08] Going to my parents house, you see some painting is like, whoa, you guys really put this out
[00:52:12] there to let everyone see.
[00:52:13] That one was a risky one.
[00:52:14] There's one where it's like a lady.
[00:52:16] He's laying naked on the cloud and the hand of God comes down and strikes her with thunder.
[00:52:20] It's it's it's really out there.
[00:52:22] Wow.
[00:52:22] But I need to see that one.
[00:52:24] But to condense stories about each of my art, a couple of friends have told me that, you
[00:52:32] know, I should put my art on things.
[00:52:34] And, you know, I don't really like I'm not the kind of guy that always wants to capitalize
[00:52:38] off something per se, just for the sake of profit, unless I enjoy doing it.
[00:52:44] So I made the shirt for myself and I liked wearing it.
[00:52:47] I'm like, oh, I like this.
[00:52:48] I go out and people are like, oh, this is a nice shirt.
[00:52:50] This is cool.
[00:52:51] And this one's like, where can I get it?
[00:52:52] I'm like, you can't.
[00:52:52] Haha, it's only one.
[00:52:54] It's like, well, get me one, please.
[00:52:55] I'll pay for it.
[00:52:56] I'm like, okay, fine.
[00:52:58] And then one one one one asked into another answer.
[00:53:01] There's a demand for it because I felt really I wanted my art to be very like exclusive.
[00:53:09] But I always do one little thing to change it.
[00:53:12] So it's not completely like the original.
[00:53:16] Wait a minute.
[00:53:17] What about that?
[00:53:18] I was like, haha, I have the original.
[00:53:25] I love that.
[00:53:26] Yeah.
[00:53:26] So where can people like if they want to like look at your art?
[00:53:30] Where should where should they go?
[00:53:32] So this business is very new.
[00:53:35] New.
[00:53:35] I mean, like a couple of weeks that I really, you know, created like and we caught you right
[00:53:41] in the beginning.
[00:53:41] Yeah, you're probably right in the production.
[00:53:43] Like I'm I've developed like an Etsy page for it.
[00:53:47] In the future, I will be moving to an independent website.
[00:53:51] Cool.
[00:53:52] But for now, when I have the time to go through all that much time that dedicates to that,
[00:53:57] but I'm in the process of moving right now and dealing with my visa.
[00:54:00] So that's kind of like in an automated state where it's just like it's there.
[00:54:03] And if you want it, you buy it, it'll get to you.
[00:54:05] I promise.
[00:54:06] And when in a couple of months, I'm going to put up a lot more designs because I have
[00:54:10] so many designs that I vectorize to go up there.
[00:54:12] I have a full plan.
[00:54:13] I just need to make sure when I start that I'm fully locked in.
[00:54:16] So that's so exciting.
[00:54:18] Exciting for real.
[00:54:19] Yes.
[00:54:20] Yeah.
[00:54:20] The funny thing about the vendor thing that I was like a couple of weeks ago, I've never
[00:54:25] done a vendor before and I want to like, like selling a product like so it's like, put
[00:54:32] both businesses out there.
[00:54:33] I'm saying I don't even have a name for this t shirt company.
[00:54:35] So I just like I'm like, what did I call it?
[00:54:37] So I ended up calling it Coco XOXOA is how it's spelled.
[00:54:42] Oh, okay.
[00:54:43] I'm just like I put it on this like cool little template and I put the design.
[00:54:47] I'm like, oh, wow.
[00:54:48] Did I just come up with a logo in like five minutes is crazy.
[00:54:52] I'll make some customizations to it later because I do also want because again, because
[00:54:57] I'm sharing my art.
[00:54:58] I kind of just want to go all the way with it.
[00:55:00] Yeah, there's more details.
[00:55:03] I want to add to the design that I wasn't able to add in the painting.
[00:55:06] So be a little even more different, but it'll be unique on its own.
[00:55:09] And at the back, I want to share some of my poetry that I've been writing throughout
[00:55:13] the years.
[00:55:14] Oh my goodness.
[00:55:15] Little snippets of it here and there.
[00:55:17] Just little quotables.
[00:55:18] And you're like, oh, that's nice.
[00:55:19] It's like a nice little kiss, you know?
[00:55:21] So yeah.
[00:55:23] So that's where that's at right now.
[00:55:25] You know what?
[00:55:26] I am so in love with you right now.
[00:55:30] I'm just going to put that out on blast right now.
[00:55:34] You're just speaking my language, brother.
[00:55:37] He's an actor.
[00:55:38] He's an artist.
[00:55:40] He's a painter.
[00:55:41] He's a writer.
[00:55:42] He's a poet.
[00:55:43] Yeah.
[00:55:45] Renaissance man.
[00:55:46] Renaissance man.
[00:55:47] That's right.
[00:55:49] I'm like, what can a hit list man do?
[00:55:51] You know what would be cool?
[00:55:52] Like when you start working in these, when you're working in these conventions, you can
[00:55:55] have some of your art out there to sell as long along with your, your autograph.
[00:56:00] Your autograph.
[00:56:01] Yeah.
[00:56:01] Yeah, I could.
[00:56:02] Yeah.
[00:56:03] I've definitely thought about it.
[00:56:04] It's funny thing with the resistance bands.
[00:56:07] Before I even signed to Star Trek, I already thought of the colors I want.
[00:56:10] So it's red, yellow and black.
[00:56:11] Mm-hmm.
[00:56:12] One color off of just, it just being a complete discovery color, like red, yellow, and then
[00:56:16] blue.
[00:56:17] Yeah.
[00:56:18] And it's the same kind of like a tint as the yellow that I wear in the thing.
[00:56:22] So I was just like, whoa, the synchronicity is kind of crazy.
[00:56:24] Yeah.
[00:56:25] It's all meant to be.
[00:56:26] I don't know if I accidentally dodged a lawsuit or not.
[00:56:28] I was just going to say, yeah, watch this though.
[00:56:31] It'll be on in a minute.
[00:56:33] As long as you don't got that Delta on there.
[00:56:36] That Delta's not on there.
[00:56:37] Just don't put no Deltas on there.
[00:56:38] You're fine.
[00:56:39] You're fine.
[00:56:40] You're fine.
[00:56:41] And if you do decide to change it, you know the Trekkies will flock to it.
[00:56:44] It sure will.
[00:56:46] It sure will.
[00:56:47] It sure will.
[00:56:48] I know.
[00:56:48] I know Ford will get it.
[00:56:50] I'm sorry.
[00:56:50] You need money for what?
[00:56:51] You need money.
[00:56:53] Take my money.
[00:56:54] Take my money.
[00:56:55] Please.
[00:56:56] It's funny because one of the vendors there, I went there and they were selling like little
[00:56:59] knickknacks and stuff.
[00:57:00] And I'm like, oh, these are so cool because they're all Star Trek themed.
[00:57:03] And I'm just like, wow, you know what I really wanted?
[00:57:05] I never thought I wanted.
[00:57:06] I'm just like, I asked him and I'm just like, I know you're not going to have it, but
[00:57:10] you should get this.
[00:57:12] I said, do you have a Star Trek shaped Guasha?
[00:57:16] And he's like, huh?
[00:57:17] And I'm like, a Guasha.
[00:57:18] You know what a Guasha is?
[00:57:18] Do you guys know what a Guasha is?
[00:57:20] It's like, no.
[00:57:21] It's like an emerald.
[00:57:22] It's like an emerald or jade stone that you use on your face, your jawline and your eyebrows
[00:57:28] to do a lymphatic drainage.
[00:57:30] Oh yeah.
[00:57:31] Okay.
[00:57:31] The blood gets clogged in her face because we don't massage it a lot.
[00:57:34] So you can wait to like get the blood flow.
[00:57:36] It makes your skin nice and plump.
[00:57:37] Those stones.
[00:57:38] Yeah.
[00:57:38] Yeah.
[00:57:40] My partner is very big.
[00:57:42] She's very big on like holistic stuff.
[00:57:45] They're in jade, right?
[00:57:47] It's like a roller or something.
[00:57:48] Yeah.
[00:57:49] There's the roller and then there's the Guasha, which is more of like a manual kind of thing.
[00:57:52] Okay.
[00:57:53] Oh.
[00:57:53] It's like, yo, it's almost shapes like the sign.
[00:57:56] Almost like a delta.
[00:57:57] Oh, okay.
[00:57:58] Yeah.
[00:57:58] The delta sign.
[00:57:59] So I'm just like, if you just carve it just a little bit more like the tip, you know,
[00:58:02] you can, you know, they can't cover you because I'm like, yo, that's how a gouache
[00:58:09] is basically shaped.
[00:58:10] Just make a little adjustment to make it a little bit closer.
[00:58:12] Yeah.
[00:58:12] I mean, like, you know, they don't own every delta in the world.
[00:58:15] They do not.
[00:58:16] The delta existed before this franchise.
[00:58:19] They did.
[00:58:20] They did.
[00:58:21] They did.
[00:58:22] Exactly.
[00:58:23] But we would buy it.
[00:58:24] Yes.
[00:58:25] I would not know what it was, but I'd be like, look at this pretty delta stone.
[00:58:28] It's so pretty.
[00:58:29] And she'd be like trying to explain it to me, but now you rub it on your face, honey.
[00:58:33] And I'm like, I don't care.
[00:58:34] It's a delta stone.
[00:58:35] Exactly.
[00:58:36] Like, it's really going to be a, you know it's going to be a paperweight, right?
[00:58:40] Just going to sit right here.
[00:58:41] If I look at it, it would be very happy.
[00:58:43] Where other Star Trek things of mine are sitting.
[00:58:46] I know, right?
[00:58:48] Sitting right here.
[00:58:51] Oh my gosh.
[00:58:52] I have Star Trek tarot cards, so you know this is everything.
[00:58:57] That's true.
[00:58:57] Wow.
[00:58:58] I didn't even know there were Star Trek tarot cards.
[00:59:00] I got them at the convention.
[00:59:02] Star Trek Uno cards.
[00:59:03] And why do I not have the Star Trek tarot cards?
[00:59:05] Why?
[00:59:06] Because Sabrina didn't get her sister a deck of Star Trek tarot cards.
[00:59:09] I was trying to tell you all it was over.
[00:59:10] You weren't there that year.
[00:59:11] Right.
[00:59:12] See, it was the first year we went together.
[00:59:14] Yeah.
[00:59:14] And the guy was selling them.
[00:59:15] And the original series has the number of episodes that's exactly what you need for the tarot deck.
[00:59:21] And so every episode is one of the cards.
[00:59:24] I was like, oh, give it to me.
[00:59:25] As you said, Fran, here's my money.
[00:59:28] My money.
[00:59:28] Take my money.
[00:59:29] Please.
[00:59:29] Take it.
[00:59:31] Take it.
[00:59:31] Take it.
[00:59:32] That was the craziest thing I ever saw that had Star Trek on it.
[00:59:37] Oh, my God.
[00:59:38] So, Orva, were you, I know this is like a lame ass question, but I'm always interested to know.
[00:59:44] But were you a Trekkie in any way before you got this role?
[00:59:50] Like, or were you just like familiar with Trek and, you know, like, oh, that's cool.
[00:59:55] Like, you know, what was your deal with it?
[00:59:57] I think I was more familiar with it than a full fledged fan.
[01:00:01] I've always been a fan of sci fi just as a whole.
[01:00:04] Yeah.
[01:00:06] I've, I've grew up watching the sci fi network.
[01:00:09] Um, so I've watched a lot of like, you know, Stargate, Atlantis and all these other and Star Trek and all these other like sci fi shows.
[01:00:17] You know, as a kid, you know, God bless my heart.
[01:00:19] I didn't understand what commercials meant.
[01:00:21] I thought it meant the episode was over and a new episode started.
[01:00:24] So, I think Atlantis finished and then it go to commercials and then Star Trek came on.
[01:00:31] I'm like, okay, good.
[01:00:32] We're continuing.
[01:00:33] This is the other storyline.
[01:00:35] I thought all sci fi shows was one show.
[01:00:38] Oh, wow.
[01:00:39] When I got older, I started piecing it together.
[01:00:41] I'm like, where's this guy right now?
[01:00:43] Where was this guy?
[01:00:45] What happened?
[01:00:46] What's going on here?
[01:00:49] So it's always been in my life.
[01:00:51] Um, but it's never, uh, been something that said that I would, I was like fully like invested in until, um, when I got the audition and I went back on my way.
[01:01:02] Yeah.
[01:01:02] Star Trek came back.
[01:01:03] That's right.
[01:01:04] With discovery.
[01:01:04] They resurrected the French.
[01:01:05] And I remember watching the first, uh, season.
[01:01:09] And I was like, whoa, this is, whoa, this is different than when I was watching when I was.
[01:01:14] I could get behind this.
[01:01:16] I like.
[01:01:16] Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
[01:01:19] Yeah.
[01:01:19] So that kind of like got me into it.
[01:01:21] And it's like, I watched every season.
[01:01:23] Um, I think I watched.
[01:01:25] Yeah.
[01:01:25] I think I watched all three seasons before I even set foot on the set for season four.
[01:01:30] Wow.
[01:01:31] Just like first.
[01:01:32] And I'm like, yo, I'm, I'm down for this.
[01:01:33] I always wanted to be on a show that I would love to watch.
[01:01:37] Right.
[01:01:38] Yeah.
[01:01:38] Yeah.
[01:01:40] That's cool.
[01:01:41] That's really cool.
[01:01:42] I would like to be on a show that I would love to watch.
[01:01:45] No.
[01:01:46] Which that show was.
[01:01:48] I mean, right.
[01:01:49] You were too?
[01:01:50] I would too.
[01:01:52] Yes.
[01:01:52] Well, I do love to listen to us.
[01:01:55] Yeah.
[01:01:55] Yeah.
[01:01:56] Well, I'm here.
[01:01:57] You do love to listen to us.
[01:01:58] I do.
[01:01:59] Like I go back and I listen to the old, like I, I'll listen to our, I listen to our episodes
[01:02:05] over.
[01:02:06] Like I listened to them as they come out and then.
[01:02:09] Yeah.
[01:02:09] You know, like I listened to them on Spotify and then it'll be on the show.
[01:02:12] So do I.
[01:02:12] Okay.
[01:02:13] Like you're done.
[01:02:14] So do I.
[01:02:14] It'll go back.
[01:02:15] It'll.
[01:02:16] I don't listen to them on Spotify.
[01:02:18] I, I have, I have no choice but to listen to them.
[01:02:21] Then like, if you're done with it, it'll go back and loop up to some other older episode
[01:02:26] that you were like halfway through.
[01:02:28] And it was like, you didn't finish this one.
[01:02:30] Ha ha.
[01:02:30] Here it is.
[01:02:31] And then I'll just, you know, and then I'll just keep listening.
[01:02:34] I'm like, I like our show.
[01:02:35] Yeah.
[01:02:36] I forget, you know, I forget what I say half the time.
[01:02:38] So, you know, this is a nice refresher.
[01:02:41] Yeah.
[01:02:42] Yeah.
[01:02:43] Definitely.
[01:02:45] Oh man.
[01:02:46] Orville.
[01:02:47] We love you.
[01:02:48] Thank you.
[01:02:49] Good energy.
[01:02:50] Good energy.
[01:02:51] You know, I'm so glad you, you took time to come on and be on here.
[01:02:56] But like we love, we like, like Yvette said, we love the bridge crew and we always really
[01:03:01] wanted to know a lot more about those characters and you know, no shit.
[01:03:09] We know what, we know what was going on with the show, but every member of that cast made
[01:03:16] those characters in the few moments that we got with them.
[01:03:20] So compelling that our appetites are just wet for more, right?
[01:03:25] Like, we just want more of you guys.
[01:03:28] We want to know what was going on with these characters.
[01:03:30] And like, I swear to God, like, I mean, Trekkies were obsessive anyway, but they just teased
[01:03:36] us.
[01:03:36] Like I, sometimes I just want to, I feel like I want to Bart Simpson, the staff, like, like,
[01:03:42] why did you do that to us?
[01:03:44] You know, because all of you guys had these compelling backstories and we just really wanted
[01:03:48] to know you more as a character.
[01:03:50] So I really hope, I'm praying that we get to see more.
[01:03:55] Yeah.
[01:03:55] And know you more, but you guys did a great job.
[01:03:58] You particularly, you did a wonderful job and we love you.
[01:04:01] We do.
[01:04:04] Yes.
[01:04:04] Yes.
[01:04:04] Yes.
[01:04:04] We hope to see you more at cons because we, you know, want to work, work together as much
[01:04:10] as possible.
[01:04:11] So this is not the last time we'll see each other.
[01:04:15] So, you know, hopefully we'll have some more adventures together.
[01:04:19] So yeah, a hundred percent.
[01:04:20] We will.
[01:04:21] Yeah.
[01:04:22] It's so funny.
[01:04:22] Cause I talk about you guys like so much to my friends.
[01:04:26] I'm at these cool ladies.
[01:04:29] My sisters.
[01:04:30] And I do the whole performance every single time.
[01:04:36] If you haven't, if you, if you haven't followed this man on Instagram, you are missing out.
[01:04:41] Yeah.
[01:04:43] You'll end up on a page and be like, okay, what is the, what's going on here with this
[01:04:48] guy?
[01:04:48] Like he says, he's an actor on star Trek.
[01:04:51] Then he's doing, so he's talking to squirrels in the park.
[01:04:54] Then he's doing, swirling a stick.
[01:04:55] Then he's doing martial arts.
[01:04:57] What's going on with this man.
[01:04:59] He's living his best life.
[01:05:01] That's what he's doing.
[01:05:02] I'm just living my best life.
[01:05:02] That's right.
[01:05:03] And I'm just like, yo, just join me.
[01:05:05] You know, I just, one season and they get inspired to live their best life too, without
[01:05:09] like hearing of what other people might say about how you live your life.
[01:05:13] Because you know, yeah, I know it's weird to be at the park and then see a squirrel and
[01:05:17] go, and then it comes up to you.
[01:05:18] I'm like, Whoa, you understand me.
[01:05:19] It's kind of, it's kind of crazy.
[01:05:21] But like, I, I just believe in just like, not tying yourself to just being about one thing.
[01:05:28] You can have your principles and things that, you know, you hold as your core, but like,
[01:05:32] you know, explore yourself because everything, every time we step into something new, there's
[01:05:37] an opportunity to learn something from that and bring it to the core of who we are.
[01:05:40] There's nothing I do outside of acting that I don't bring back into my craft.
[01:05:44] So there's never any wasted energy.
[01:05:47] It's just like wasted, like lessons that you didn't want to learn or you didn't try to
[01:05:52] like gain from this.
[01:05:54] So just go out there, explore yourself and just be happy, man.
[01:05:59] There's just too many things in life that's going to just bring us down, make us feel bummed
[01:06:03] out because I feel it too.
[01:06:04] You know, people see me as a very positive guy and I try to bring that light all the time,
[01:06:08] but I have my off days.
[01:06:09] I have my days, like, you know, no grumpy.
[01:06:13] I feel sad.
[01:06:14] I feel off my energy, my vibe.
[01:06:16] I feel anxious about something.
[01:06:18] I feel kind of like depressed about something, but I know that that that only can last so
[01:06:23] long if I'm unless I made the conscious choice to try to do something to step out of it because
[01:06:29] there's so beauty in life, but we just were too shrouded by everything to even like take it
[01:06:34] in.
[01:06:34] Like it's crazy.
[01:06:35] If you sit at the park and just breathe in and out eight times for eight second in eight
[01:06:39] second out for just for just five, not even eight seconds for like I do that for like five
[01:06:45] minutes straight.
[01:06:45] You don't have to close your eyes.
[01:06:46] You don't have to do it like a proper meditation or whatever.
[01:06:48] It completely reverse your nervous system back to like just being neutral.
[01:06:53] And from there, you can start adding more.
[01:06:56] You can start adding that stress again, or you can look to your left, see everyone living,
[01:07:00] living their life.
[01:07:01] You can see the beauty.
[01:07:02] You can feel the wind.
[01:07:03] You can feel the energy.
[01:07:04] And then you can just have a moment to yourself because those moments outweigh like the bad
[01:07:09] years and everything.
[01:07:10] And just by being in that space and being present for that one five minute increment.
[01:07:15] And it's helped me so much because that's how I got through the pandemic.
[01:07:19] That's how I got through anything that was going in my life.
[01:07:22] I honestly felt like if I didn't step into that energy, I wouldn't be on Star Trek because
[01:07:27] I wouldn't be as open to receive that because God doesn't give you something you can't handle.
[01:07:33] And he knew that I was building my strength and I could handle this.
[01:07:36] And I came and I handled it.
[01:07:38] So that's why I'm here with you all today.
[01:07:40] So I'm truly grateful for that.
[01:07:43] Oh, you better preach baby brother.
[01:07:45] Right?
[01:07:45] Yeah.
[01:07:47] I'm going to preach baby brother.
[01:07:49] That's it.
[01:07:49] You know?
[01:07:50] Yes.
[01:07:51] We needed that word.
[01:07:52] Yeah, we did.
[01:07:54] You know, I love it.
[01:07:56] I mean, and that's what you call being free, you know?
[01:07:58] And I think there's something that the, one of the most powerful things on the face of
[01:08:02] this earth is black joy.
[01:08:05] Pure unbridled black joy.
[01:08:08] That's it.
[01:08:09] You know, that's called freedom boys and girls.
[01:08:13] So true.
[01:08:15] That was so.
[01:08:16] Yvette, can you let people know where they can give their thoughts on their pure black
[01:08:22] joy or anything else that they heard about that they want to talk about?
[01:08:26] You got it.
[01:08:27] You can find us at sci-fi sisters.com.
[01:08:30] That's S Y F Y S I S T A S.com.
[01:08:36] Join us on the mothership.
[01:08:37] That's M U T H A S H I P.
[01:08:41] And the Sci-Fi Sisters book club, both on Facebook, on Instagram, TikToks and threads,
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[01:08:50] And we're also on that platform, formerly known as Twitter.
[01:08:54] At Sci-Fi Sisters.
[01:08:56] For more interviews, the live show and our infamous top 10 series, subscribe to our YouTube
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[01:09:05] Woo.
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[01:09:35] After listening to this podcast, please rate us and write a review.
[01:09:38] We may just read it on an upcoming episode.
[01:09:43] And we want to thank our associate producers for this episode, which is Sailor Marge, Stephanie
[01:09:50] Baker and Karen Jermere.
[01:09:52] We love y'all.
[01:09:53] We thank you so much.
[01:09:54] And we got to thank the baddest engineer in any and all known universes.
[01:09:57] That's Dose the anonymous one.
[01:10:00] Dose, Dose, Dose, Dose, Dose, Dose, Dose, Dose.
[01:10:03] And so he's responsible for all the music you hear on this show and for the audio production services.
[01:10:10] And if you need his skills, look him up on Instagram.
[01:10:14] He's Dose underscore the anonymous underscore one.
[01:10:18] That's the number one.
[01:10:19] That's it for us, y'all.
[01:10:20] We love you very much.
[01:10:21] Thank you for listening.
[01:10:22] Peace, love and hair grease people.
[01:10:24] W witnessed CRP.
[01:10:24] Will upon a familyuel.
[01:10:24] geme outer station.








