Asher Angel and Shazam: Overnight Success Does Not Exist, Fear Used Right, and Laying One Brick a Day

Welcome to the Dearing Acting Studio Podcast, where we discuss the process and dive deep into the craft of acting. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to the Dearing Acting Studio Podcast! I am Matthew Dearing, here with Jason Jackson, John Luke Grubb, and today we've got the Sweeney boys. We couldn't pick, they were fighting over who could be on the podcast, so we said, why not we just bring both in?

We've got Brian and Joey Sweeney here with us. What's up? Today was a crazy day at the studio, and I've got to tell you guys, I'm actually cutting into date night right now. So hopefully I'm not going to get in trouble when I get home, but we'll see. I sent a text, and I don't know if she got it or not. You'll find out after the podcast.

Hey, babe, we're running a little late on our video. We're just about to start the podcast. I love you. It happens to me all the time. Sorry, love you. She's probably all ready to go right now. You mean I'm late for our date night all the time? Yeah, like seriously. Every time we have a date, it's just like, oh, I'm busy. Speaking of dates, you and I did have a date today.

Uh-huh, this morning. Yeah, we went to go see Shazam! Shazam! Shazam! Which was a really, really good movie. Yeah, it was awesome. And, you know, we were inspired by the last podcast. We talked to Frank, who had just gone, and our student from long ago, Asher Angel, is in the movie, and it was really great to see him up on the big screen, too. And, Brian, you're like a super fan, right?

I'm definitely a super fan, for sure. So, would you consider yourself an expert on Shazam and all DC and Marvel? Is that who you are? I wouldn't say an expert. I would say novice and lover of all the comics. Is that what every expert says? Because Frank said the same thing, and then Frank dropped some knowledge on us. It's like, yeah, no big deal. I just know every single thing.

I just am the one. The one. That's what you say, right? Because you all love Matrix, too. Yeah. All of us. We all are clumped into one category. All nerds. We all are just the same. There's nothing different about any of us. The Matrix was a documentary. Silence. It's like, oh, God, weird around here. Speaking of getting weird around here, so, John Luke and I went to the movie this morning, which is a little weird if you think about it.

It was 10 a.m., and we were going to see Shazam, which is sort of a kid superhero movie a little bit, you know? Brian's shaking his head like, no, not kidding. Just take that back. Well, here's the thing. I just want to say it is family-friendly for the most part. Yeah. And it was great. Like, it's great for adults. I enjoyed it from beginning to end. But point being, here's just two grown adult men going to the movie theater at 10 a.m. together to go see Shazam.

So, we walk in the theater, and it's empty. There were two other people who actually ended up saying something to us. They're like, hey, we're all by ourselves, right? Yeah, they're like, is this place still open? Yeah, you having a hard time finding a seat? Yeah, he said that. So, anyway, so we're there, and we're watching the movie, and we're about 20 minutes in or so, and I just feel this presence behind me.

And somebody sits right behind me, and I'm thinking to myself, that's weird. Like, who would, in an empty theater, who chooses the seat right behind the two guys sitting by themselves up in the front, you know? But I turned around, and it was Jason. Jason Jackson. Which was fine. I was going to start just being kind of like a rude guy back there if you didn't notice me until you did.

Well, it was cool, because Jason had to work this morning, so he was trying to get out of it, and he couldn't. So, he's like, I won't be able to make it. You guys go ahead. And then he surprised us and showed up and snuck up behind us. I think I kind of showed up right in the climax of the movie, too, so I showed up just in time.

Well, it was about 20 minutes in, so you missed the exposition, which was all really great, but the movie did just pick up right when you walked in. I had an actual thought. I was like, I wonder if it'll make sense to Jason right now, because of all the stuff that's already happened. Like, I hope you can just, like, because there's so much that was going on in the movie.

Well, I also had all the stuff that Frank had said last week in my head, too, so I was like, oh, this is what he was talking about. Oh, this is what he was talking about. Yeah, yeah. Big and Superman kind of put together a little bit. Yeah, and then after the movie, we made our Acting Made Easy video, episode three. Yeah, so if you haven't checked that out yet, we've got our Acting Made Easy video, so they're actor tips, I guess, so to speak, and they're up on our website.

You can find them there, and also they're on our YouTube page. Yeah, the YouTube is looking so cool right now, so I was able to go and redesign it, and then I was going through videos. I went through so many videos, and they go back, like, nine, ten years. And we saw one of the old Valleywoods, and Asher was in it, and we saw some clips of him.

It was pretty crazy to see. What year was that? Well, 2013, right? 2013, yeah. Yeah, it was really cool to watch him, yeah, like, on our camera six years ago. Yeah. And he was pretty good, I thought. It looked good to me. It looked very good. Oh, yeah. Yeah. He was the love interest, of course. Yeah, it was so funny. Along with Hannah Kennedy back in the day.

We love Hannah Kennedy. So, all right. So, Brian and Joey, the superhero duo that you are, drop a little knowledge on Shazam here for us so we can be caught up. So, we saw the movie, but maybe what do we not know about the movie? Some behind-the-scenes stuff. Go ahead. Well, I mean, to start off. Joey just grabs the microphone. Excuse me. Well, I should, in case people aren't watching, we should say that Brian and Joey are sharing a mic, so Joey just grabs it.

He's like, I have to speak here. Well, I would just say that it's pretty cool that Asher Angel was the lead in the film that ultimately revived the DC movie because- Yo. So, is this a whole new character to the whole new series and then, like, maybe this might start a whole spin-off with the five other characters? Is that kind of stuff you guys would talk about?

Well, I mean, the way that comic book works is you sort of follow each character and they choose, like, which ones to follow in what timeline. So, like, Marvel did that with the Avengers and now that's sort of coming to an end and now DC really stepped up their game. Like, that became one of my favorite superhero movies, so that's really cool. Okay, so speaking of Marvel for a second, Brian was telling me in the lobby something you guys probably don't know.

I didn't know about this. So, there's this whole backstory with Shazam and where things started back in the Marvel days or something. Drop the knowledge, Brian. Okay, absolutely. So, that's actually, Captain Marvel was actually Shazam's original name. So, that's actually what Shazam's actually called. And Shazam was just what the character said. The character would say Shazam to turn in and out of his powers. Are you kidding me?

No, no. Way back when. So, even before DC bought it, that was the case. I hope he's reading, like, the right… I'm not even looking down at it, but… No, no. I mean, like, I hope you found the right blog and this is all true. Oh, no. Like, it is. Is he saying he is Captain Marvel? Did I hear that right? The original? Yeah, absolutely. Okay, and this was back when?

Oh, I see. So, when was the Captain Marvel written? I don't remember how the dates, but it was, like, before the 50s. Like, way back when. And it was before DC even took over that franchise, that part. Okay, so then DC bought this Captain Marvel character? Essentially, yeah. So, there was, like, so the original comic people who were doing it stopped because there was, like, certain copyright things that DC was saying that they were trying, that Shazam was too similar to Superman, that they were trying to do it.

So, originally, they were just like, hey, we're done with the Shazam thing. And then DC absorbed it. No, Captain Marvel thing. The Captain Marvel, yeah. And then DC absorbed it and then turned the name to Shazam because- Because Marvel came along. Marvel came along and had the, yes. So, I mean, you may not know this, but did Marvel come after DC? As far as the character itself?

No, no, like the companies. I'm not sure, honestly. I don't know the origins. Do we have a Google power? Well, because that'd be interesting to think about, right? So, if Marvel already existed and then DC buys Captain Marvel, right? But now Marvel's come back and they introduce this other character, Captain Marvel, which is a totally different character, a female. Yeah, and the crazy thing, because there is that, like, little competition between the two in that sense that they both- Little, it's a tiny competition.

It's huge, it's huge. And they both came out, like, right after each other. Literally within the fact that both those movies dropped within a month of each other is insanity. That is. Like, so crazy. Okay, all right. So, yeah, I'm just, I could keep going. So, we'll probably have to Google deeper to find out all the hidden meanings. It's like one of those bands where they break up, but they're so bitter, each band member makes really great music because he's trying to outdo the other one.

It's always in competition. Yeah, yeah. So, it's like their enemy, I don't know if the enemy is the right word, but their competition is their best motivator. Oh, yeah. Absolutely. So, Joey's had a long day today, too. You set up a great podcast here, Joey. Appreciate that. Thank you. Joey. And he was running around chasing us as the boom man on our video. We're like, we're just a full-fledged production going on here.

We're making it happen. Yeah, thanks to this awesome team. It's unbelievable. I feel so grateful to be sitting at this table with you all. Why was John Luke wearing sunglasses in here when I came in? You'll have to watch episode three to find that out. Watch the episode. I was confused by that. You'll also have to find out later why Shea had water poured all over her head.

And why my dog Champ was here. There's just so many things. There's so many questions that will drive you over to Acting Made Easy. I want to know now really, really bad. I couldn't tell if they were doing something or if they were just messing with me. No, no. Yeah, we were actually filming when you walked in. I know, and I didn't realize it. I thought they were pranking me or something, Joey.

I was so worried, actually, that you were going to walk in the shot because I was rolling, and you started to walk over to Matt, and then you just sort of clenched your jaw and walked the other way. You're like, if they're doing something, I should just turn around. Well, the door wasn't shut or anything, so I didn't realize it anyway. It should have been more obvious.

All right, so back to Shazam. Let's talk about some highlights and some favorite parts, and we can maybe break down some of the acting a little bit. Anybody? I know my favorite part. Okay, hit it. Let's hear it. When he catches the bus and he goes to set it down. Oh, and the dog won't move. My dog and me have that all the time. And I got to tell you, that actor, his name is Zachary Levi.

He plays the grown-up Shazam character. He was funny, like really, really funny. I agree. And just solid from beginning to end. And the second he popped up, I mean, it was like you believed it. And I could tell that him and Asher must have spent a lot of time together because in the whole exposition part, I don't know. You could tell what the directors were doing with Asher as in he had to amplify his personality a bit.

Oh, so that it came out in the other character. Yeah, and he had to kind of bring up a little bit of the silliness, even in like the more serious situations early, so that it justified the grown-up Shazam being that sort of big personality that he was. And then I think you really got to see some of Asher's, I'd say, acting chops a little later when things got really serious for him later in the movie.

Yeah, both characters, like their energies are very similar. So they must have like kind of studied each other. It was really cool. And like, yeah, it was awesome. Asher was great. And then what's the other guy, Mr. Levi? Oh, Zachary Levi. Yeah, so Zachary was great too. Just like their chemistry together. And then also with the other character, his foster brother. Yeah, his name is Jack Dylan Grazer.

Oh my gosh, like just that dynamic between all those characters. Just so cool to watch. It was really nice. Yeah, they crushed it. Yeah, very, very cool. There was a lot of comedy in this. I laughed out loud at least five or six times. Yeah. I didn't realize how much superhero movies are comedy. I mean, if you take away the fact that they're a superhero movie, you just say it's a comedy.

Yeah, and you think about it this way. I mean, this was, I mean, they hit such a perfect formula. I mean, this was a, I think I saw like $98 million budget, something like that, to make this movie. And it's sort of mind-blowing, but you know they know what they're doing. You know, they're going to make that money back and then sometimes a bunch, right? And so, I don't know, to sit in the theater and realize that we were, you know.

Did you guys say $200 million or something like that? No, $99 million, I thought. No, $99 million. That was the budget, and they made about $200 so far. Oh, so they've already doubled. Yeah, they way went over. Yeah, it's awesome. Is that one week? I think almost two now. Two weeks? Yeah. Going back on that emotional thing, man. I got to tell you, I was so emotional during that whole thing, just having known Asher and like coaching him through it when he was here.

Like, it was so cool for me to just see that because I remember, and this idea of this character, Shazam, is one of my favorites because of his thing. His powers were just absorbed by saying a name. Yeah. Like, that was it. It wasn't like some random circumstance. So, you think about it like anybody could be that, you know, as long as they were pure of heart.

And the cool thing about, I remember with Asher is he was such a sweet, just loving kid. I just got chills when you said that because he really is. Yeah. He's a pure of heart kid. I'm grateful to know him and know his family. I mean, they were really good people. And the type of person you hope sees this kind of success. Absolutely. Because you know he's going to do something great with it.

But, yeah, I mean, really, it was an emotional thing. And then to realize that the world we live in, it's such a small world, you know. I mean, here we are now, one away from one of our students is actually in the hottest movie in the world probably right now. And, you know, we had a hand in, you know, we're not taking credit, but we, you know, we had a hand in that.

You know, we helped, you know, nourish his passion when he was here in Arizona. And that's, I mean, that's a really cool feeling. Yeah. That's probably the beginning of a whole huge future for that young man, right? I mean, like, outrageous, right? Oh, yeah. And, you know, he's already seen massive success. Absolutely. I mean, he's on a Disney show that's, I think, ending soon, probably because he's taken off.

I mean, that's probably part of it. Yeah, probably. The Andi Mack show, he's had a lead on that for a long time. And he had some other successes, too. But this is a giant, giant leap. I mean, he's Bruce Wayne to Batman, you know. Yeah, that's what I was thinking. He's like, yeah, where the Transformer kid was, the Transformers, blah, blah, blah. Yeah. I should know their names.

He also just dipped his foot in the music game. He dropped a single with Wiz Khalifa, which was pretty cool. That's a big deal. Yeah. That's really cool. And I didn't even know he sang. I think I remember him taking singing lessons back in the day. Oh, cool. But yeah, you know, and I guess that can wrap us all the way back to just our philosophy for everybody, which is the idea of mastery and continuing to grind and pound the pavement, right?

So for this movie to have just come out, Shazam, that means he was working on it a long time ago. And he landed it a long time before that, right? And then would have been working on that role and then would have filmed it and gotten coaching for it and whatnot. And then what is he doing? He's already pushing himself to, you know, to get better in singing and to put out his first single.

And Smart was able to do so at the exact time that his movie comes out. So, I mean, yeah, just a testament for what it means to work hard. And, of course, hey, I'm the lead in the hottest movie around. I could relax. I have every excuse to relax. Yet, I push myself because I choose to. Right. And he's also a great example of just never giving up.

You know, that whole family. Like, his mom, Coco, was always so supportive of his stuff. And I just, I remember filming audition videos in here with him. And it's like, that's part of the track, man, for all of us. Like, you're doing audition video after audition video after audition video and working. And then it just, the right thing comes when it's time as long as you're doing the work.

Yeah. So. And for us, you know, we're, so obviously we're proud of Asher and we're excited for him. And we talked about what a great kid he is. And, but at the same time, we're just as proud of our other students. Yeah. Who have seen major successes in their own personal lives and who have overcome major confidence issues and whatnot. So, it's just funny because everybody has this path in life and they don't know where it's going to go.

And, and, and, and our, our vision, our goal is just to help along that, that path to get people focused on mastery in their lives, period. And then from there, just know that good things are going to come. I love, uh, I love going on social media and then being surprised at like, you know, the students on set that day. And then they come into class and I'm like, yeah, that's just so cool.

You know, just to know that they're, they're doing that work. The work is so important. And that grind is so important versus like waiting. I got, I got to land that huge role. Cause it's like, you just don't, it's just like, it comes, you know, you can tell by like, by the path, you know, from the experience that the studio has had with Asher. And then, and then to where he is now, like, obviously you were part of that and it's not like it just happened overnight.

Right. Overnight success is kind of like this thing that doesn't really exist. It's always, it's always happening in the background and then boom, all of a sudden everybody knows your name. And if it does happen, it's, it's sometimes the worst thing that could happen for a person. It meant most of the time it is. It's like winning the lottery. Absolutely. Most people who win the lottery end up more broke than before they won because they don't know how to, they don't know.

They didn't change. Yeah. Right. And so ideally the person changes before the opportunity comes. That's, that's the goal. JL, would you mind speaking really quickly on, you were mentioning something to me that I think would be a fun topic here. The, um, the idea of that wrestling match in your own mind. Yeah. You had, you had that, you had the, uh, the, the, um, every, every excuse this morning.

Oh yeah. Let's talk about it. So, um, this, this week I've been waking up at 4am every day and I'm on a challenge right now with one of our students, Miguel. And, uh, you know, I, I have a workout session every Friday with my, um, trainer and he texted me at 5am and he's like, Hey man, I won't be able to make it today. For the first time ever, he's the first time he's ever canceled.

I was like, Oh, okay. And you know, it was early in the morning and I was, I was tired and I was like, okay, you know, maybe I'll, maybe I'll just, uh, just won't go. And I was, I caught myself right then and there. I was like, what are you doing? I had to literally reprimand myself. So I was like, no, no, no, you're going. And I went right then.

I went earlier than my original session would have been. Um, and so I was like, okay, I'm going, I'm going to make this happen. And then I get to the gym and I'm like, the weight's feeling a little heavy today. It really is. But you know what I did? I was like, you know, um, tell me, tell me you added more weight. Just, just do, just do eight reps.

I was like, no, I'm going to do 10. And then I got up and then I was like, I added more weight on it. Cause I told myself, I was like, oh, this is fine. I'll just, I'll just take it easy today. And, uh, and then, you know, I'll still get my workout in. So like, I'm working out, but I'm like, now I'm trying to take it easy on my workout.

Like, nope, nope, nope. So I went on, I put some more plates on and I, and I, and I did another set and then another. And then I kept going and then kept going and kept going. And I was really proud that I did. Cause like my brain is always saying, Hey, take it easy. Take it easy. You deserve it. You work hard. And you know what?

I could be like, yeah, you know, like, sure, sure. Yeah, I can do that. And then, you know, I'll, I'll work out again, but it's, but then that's just one time that I lose out on. And so then I don't take it seriously. And then like Matt, what you say is like, you got to take it as serious as like buying a plane ticket. Cause you wouldn't miss the plane ticket.

Like if we could just all live our lives like that, that'd be really cool. And it was funny. Um, this kind of, I was able to use that today for another student who, um, talked about like how to stay motivated, I believe if I remember correctly. And, uh, I was like, you got to take it. Like you bought a plane ticket. Like you wouldn't miss the plane.

So like you, you can't miss your workout. And, and so, so I'll just talk on that really quick. So why wouldn't you miss the, the, the plane ride? Right. So, so if, if my plane takes off at six 30 in the morning, it's going to be easy for me to get up at four. Yeah. Because I know I'm going to lose money. I'm going to lose to say 500 bucks and the plane's not going to wait for me.

It's basically fear. It's fear. That's exactly what it is. It's fear. And so I, and what am I afraid of? Right. I'm afraid of something good. I'm afraid of missing out on something good. And therefore it's easy for me to train myself that what do you do the night before you're going to leave for a trip? You pack, you set everything up, you make sure everything's perfect.

You have two, three alarms. Like you are in there and you know, you're going to wake up. The problem is we have to talk ourselves into that. As you said, every single day. And how do you discipline yourself to do that? You have to fight up here and think to yourself, I'm, I'm afraid of missing out on the good. Just like I'm afraid of missing the trip.

I'm afraid of missing out on the good things that are going to come in my life. If, if I don't commit to the thing that I promised myself, I'm going to do. Yeah. It's, it's never, there's like, I think the, the thing that we forget is that we think there's an answer, like a 100% answer that's going to solve everything, but that's not really the case. It's kind of like the, the mindset is what matters and how you, how you train yourself and essentially just how you react to the world.

Like I could react to my sleepiness by giving myself a break, or I could actively do something else that will take the place of my tiredness, which is work out or be more active or make a song or read or something versus just giving myself some slack. And then when I do that, that translates to the rest of the day. And if I can, you know, it can be eight o'clock and I've accomplished all that I've done in like a regular four hours.

I still have an extra four hours. It's unbelievable. It's like, cool. I heard something recently that I really, really loved. It went like this, that the difference between people who are, who are massively successful and people who are not. And the people who are not, they make decisions about doing things. Then they'll say, I'll do it when I feel like doing it. When it's convenient. And the people who are massively successful say, I'm going to do it.

And then it's, and then it will make me feel good when I'm done. And that's, and that's really the difference, right? So it felt good after you left the gym, not during, not before. And so you make the choice, you have to fight this thing. And our minds are always going to try to take us to the path of least resistance. That's, that's the way we've been biologically created, right?

So we like, we want to hide from things that are, that would hurt us. Right. And so we have to continually be talking to ourselves and winning that battle. Yeah. I had another example of that. I mean, we talked about it recently when I was making excuses and we had a baby, right? It was a great thing. But I started making excuses and held myself accountable just, just yesterday, the, uh, my, my editor emailed me back with the, um, the, for her first revision of my, my book.

And I mean, she marked up the whole thing and you know, I'm not surprised, you know, this is my first book. I'm, I'm really not surprised by it. No, but honestly, was it more than you thought it was going to be? Oh, way more. Yeah. And well, and we've, it's exciting because I have a whole new vision for the book now and, and it's so much more specific and she knows what she's doing.

She's worked with some amazing, amazing authors. And so I'm, I'm, I feel just grateful and honored to be, to be working with her. Right. But I had to fight my mind because when I got it, I looked at it and then she had this long list and I read her whole thing and, and good for her. Cause at the end she said, my first suggestion is that you just reread this email three or four times and let it soak in.

Cause I know it's a lot. And then, uh, and then there's the deadline that we had already pre-established, which was that my version after hers was going to be, I think it's May 2nd. Right. And I looked at that and I, my jaw just dropped cause I'm like, this is an entire, almost an entire rewrite of this book. In two weeks. Yeah. And, and all of a sudden I started like all my thoughts kept going like, you can't do this and it's not enough and you should move the date and, you know, and, and, and take off other things.

And, and, you know, I, I'm obviously going to have to make some adjustments here, but truth be told, all I have to do is push myself as hard as I can to try to meet the deadline. And if I don't meet it that, you know, fine. And I'll, and I'll push further. But, but rather than pushing it back now because of fear, I need to tell myself how exciting is this, somebody read your book and is giving you these, you know, these adjustments to help you, you know, jump on that.

I mean, that's crazy cool. I almost need deadlines just for accountability and motivation. Yeah. Like in, yeah, I just need the debt. If I had the deadline, if I don't put a deadline, I go into that when I feel like it mode, which becomes, I never feel like it. Yeah. Yeah. And then the other thing is, is a, it's that first step that's the hardest. Cause like all in a project.

It really is. On a construction project and probably those other projects, the first half is, you know, just one foot in front of the other. It's like climbing a mountain, you know, now you can see something. Right. Now it's got to be you. And you got to remind yourself what got you there. Right. So, so let's take Asher. I'm sure he knows what got him there is really hard work and grit.

Right. So as soon as the movie ended or wrapped, he's probably onto his next thing. He's already working and adjusting his habits to make sure that he's pushing himself even further so he can continue to grow. And this isn't the end point, you know, and that's the fear you were talking about. Or you were talking about, it's, it's a great thing to understand fear and use fear to your advantage.

So you say, okay, what got me here? Well, it was a X amount of hours working on my diction and working on my, you know, reading of, of acting and scripts and understanding things and coaching. And, and so you say, that's what got me here. Well, then I'm afraid of not doing that thing because if I, because I associate not doing it, doing that thing with not getting the next gig.

And that's how you use fear to your advantage. And it becomes a really, really good thing in your life. I try to keep awake of good things going with construction stuff. As in the day before, when I wake up and I walk into my house or something, something's different than the day before. Yeah. It motivates me to get started again. In this acting world, it's not tangible.

So sometimes it's hard to see that growth. Right. So that it does, it doesn't feel like anything. But you know what? And I'm not saying it's not, but that feeling is there. But you're right. But let's, let's talk about a different part of the construction world maybe because there's the Will Smith story where he talks about his, his father made him rebuild a brick wall when he was a kid and it took him and his brother two years.

And so he talks about when he first started, he, he actually thought to himself, this can't get done. This is an impossibility. It's, it's a huge, huge wall. He's just a kid. And the point was just to lay one brick perfectly every day. And over time you build a wall. Right. And how many times have I driven by a construction site and you see a building and to me, it looks the same for like three months, you know, because they, because they're doing a bunch of things on the inside that I can't see from the outside.

And then all of a sudden the very end, it's like, oh wow, that building went up overnight. Well, no, it didn't. You know, it, it took every day doing the little things to make that thing a reality. Right. And, uh, and, and, and that's the story is like grinding on the underneath, grinding on the root of the tree and understanding that it's going to grow. You just don't know when, and that's okay.

And yeah, you can't see it, but really it's, it's not just acting. I mean, this is everything, you know what I mean? I was, I was originally going to be a doctor. You, you, you train to be a doctor. You don't get to, you don't get to be a doctor until you've already been training for like someone says, thank God, there's a doctor on this. Is there a doctor on this plane and nobody raises their hand?

You go, well, I'm kind of a doctor. No, no, no. I was in pre-med. No, no, no. I was in pre-med and like, totally not. But, but, but the point being, I have a lot of respect for doctors because I, you know, my dad is one and I, and I coach a few doctors and I just understand what they go through. It's, it's, it's a tremendous amount of sacrifice to become someone that's going to just serve other people their entire lives.

There's such a responsibility too, because the decisions are permanent. Absolutely. And you just think about this, right? Yeah. The doctors have to renew every, every time, every year. They have to renew their license. They have to keep reading. My dad had just stacks and piles of things. I remember. He was reading every night to stay on the top of his game as a doctor because, because he felt people's lives were in his hands.

I do like the fact that somebody's out there doing that. Yeah, absolutely. And you don't want to, you don't want to get operated on by the doctor who's not doing that thing. Right. And so, so that's, that's the idea is, is if we just consider acting to be a profession like anything else and dedicate ourselves all the way into this thing that it's a guarantee you'll be successful to whatever degree that, that means to you, but the gifts are going to come and, you know, Hey, are you going to be on the next, you know, DC major thing?

Maybe, maybe the nugget hasn't happened before. That, but there's no guarantee. It's just a matter of, I, I will guarantee you that you will be a better person. I thought of this example this morning and maybe we can even end on this. The, the idea of, um, what would you rather have? Okay. Would you rather have a $5,000 commercial? You landed the $5,000 commercial, or would you rather have all the skills inside of you to be the actor who lands $5,000 commercials?

Even if you said 50 grand, I might argue with you because I know how fast five grand goes. That's right. That's right. Or 10 grand or however much money. Cause, and that's the same thing with the lottery, right? So if I have the skills to be the one who lands those jobs, I know I can land a bunch of those jobs easy. Right? So I'd rather not have the money.

I'd rather have the skills. And that's the whole point is you're, if you better yourself, you're raising your own value and most people get paid what they're worth. So you have to increase your value. It's like an investment in yourself for everything you do. Yeah. So like, if you can look at it that way too, it's like if you invest in yourself, you essentially are making yourself more valuable in one way or the other versus like, oh, I accomplished this thing.

Now I'm done. It's like, okay, then you're never going to get past that. Right. And if you're okay with that, fine. A lot of people are, I'm not. There's a lot of folks in my world that don't understand that this, this is work. Yeah. They'd be like, all right, maybe not even just my word. I think there's a lot of the general public have no, I didn't have any understanding of how much work it was.

I thought it might be some work. I think it's because it's, it's a, it's a, I don't want to say. When it's done right, it looks easy. Yeah. You know, it's, it's just like any other craft. You have to put work in it, but people think the, you know, acting is just like getting up and just being extroverted. It's really not. And it looks fun. And yeah, it looks easy when it's done well, for sure.

But I mean, it's the same thing too. Like if, if people really wrap their mind around it, they realize they couldn't do it. It's kind of like when I watch you use the table saw and he cuts a perfect piece of wood. No, you cut a perfect piece of wood. And I mean, here's the thing. Jason has a lot of acting talents and he runs this podcast with us, but he is, he's extraordinary with his hands.

And, and there's a reason he's, he's been, you know, successful as a, as a businessman as well outside of the studio. And when you watch him work, it's just like fascinating. And I tried to cut one piece of wood and I'm like, yeah, I'm gonna let you do it. And then he, this is crazy. My, my son comes out and says hi to Jason, literally like four minutes later, maybe less Jason's like, he made him a sword out of wood.

Just like, and it was like Jack's favorite thing he has, like over all of his gifts, he made him a sword right there. And Jack's just like mind blown. Jack had some creative suggestions too. That's so cool. So thank you for that. I want a sword. I know. Right. And the Brazzy did too. So Jason had to go back to the drawing board. I was debating if I had to make it exactly the same size.

I expect a sword here on the next podcast. I think if you could put the Dearing logo on it, that would be cool too. I happen to be right in the middle of making cabinets. So I'm, I'm set up for sword making guys. Cool, cool. All right. Well, thanks for being here, Sweeney boys. Appreciate it. Thanks for having us. Thank you everybody. And actually before we wrap, I'm just going to mention on the, I believe the next podcast, we're going to have Matt Englehart here from Ford Robert Black.

So that's going to be very exciting to get his insights on the local industry here. And Matt's a fascinating, fascinating man. He, he has a writing partner out in LA and he does a lot of really, really, really cool stuff. So I'm excited to talk to him and get his insights for, for our audience. So that's it. All right, everybody have a great, great rest of your day.

Thank you for listening to the Dearing Acting Studio podcast. This episode is produced by Jason Jackson, John Luke Grubb and Matthew Dearing. To enroll in classes, visit DearingStudio.com. This is the Dearing Acting Studio reminding you that to act is to do and to act with passion.