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00:00Hey, everyone, and welcome to Real Talk, where it gets hot, spicy, and to the drama.
00:04Today, we have Luke Charles-Strafford, the star of Accidental Surrogate for Alpha.
00:16Oh, my gosh. Okay, so do you go everywhere on this contraption? Like, tell me about it.
00:23A contraption's name is Roxanne. Okay.
00:24Okay, I've had it for six years. No, having a motorcycle was always a dream of mine.
00:30Mine is a little squirt. And so, I had to get one, and I promised myself I'd get it in my 20s.
00:37So, I do have a car, but I have had times in my life where I was struggling really bad financially
00:43over the last six years, and a car would break down that I had, you know? I think there was
00:50twice over the last six years I would be full-time on the bike for maybe, I think, one time a whole
00:55year I was on the bike full-time. Well, isn't it kind of even better to
00:59have that? Because, okay, for instance, today for me to get here, it took me over an hour
01:03and a half. And, I mean, you can just cut all of that, right?
01:08Oh, yeah. A hundred percent. Yeah, you can, like, if something is an hour, you can get
01:11there in 30 minutes. A hundred percent. So, it's kind of better.
01:13Yeah, but you have to ride, for all the kids out there who want to ride a motorcycle, you
01:18have to ride as if everyone is out to kill you. You just have to. It's a good little tactic.
01:23So, it's, like, fast? Does that mean speed, agility, or, like, or you're just, like, so
01:28laser-focused on that? So, for all the little kids out there, or maybe you want to have a
01:33motorcycle, you have to ride a good safety tactic is ride as if everyone is out to kill
01:37you. Oh, oh. Right? It's just, it makes sure that you ride with extreme safety.
01:41So, with being a motorcycle rider, does, if you see another motorcycle rider, is it kind
01:46of, like, ayo, like, okay, I respect you in a way? That's a really good question. Actually,
01:50there's a code. Oh. So, if you respect, which, I'm from Indiana, I'm from a small town, like,
01:57how you treat people is everything. Okay. And, uh, so, I, even if I don't like the bike or
02:03whatever, I still should, but it's a, it's a peace sign. Oh, oh. 45 degree angle down. Oh.
02:08So, it's this? That's, it's a little code between every biker. That is, it's basically saying
02:13respect. Respect, okay. Yeah. But is this, like, F you? You don't know what you're doing. Okay.
02:19Right. There's, there's only, it's so simple. There's only one thing. And so, but, but I got
02:23to tell you, it's the, just the coolest thing. You'll, like, you'll be in your helmet, because
02:27in LA, we have to have a helmet, right? And you'll kind of see this thing, even if it's a black visor
02:33or you can see their eyes, whatever. It's, it's straight out of a movie. It feels like you see
02:36each other. Yeah. And you just get, zoom away. It's almost like, you know, that when you're like.
02:42Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. The lower peace sign, also to just pay, watch, watch bikers if you're
02:49out there. Um, because you'll see them riding along and especially if they're coming this
02:54way against each other, you'll just see a sound of respect. Nice. Right. Now, there's times
03:01where it's like, you need both hands for the moment you're in, right? And so then it'll just
03:06be a nice head nod down. Okay. But, and every biker kind of understands that that's because
03:11the hands aren't free. Sure. But this is kind of code. Nice. Nice. Cool. Fun fact. I love
03:19that. So now we all know means you're a cool biker person. Oh yeah. You know what you're
03:23doing. Absolutely. Yeah, yeah. I've done it in a car on accident where I'm driving and
03:26I'll go and the guy will kind of. He's like, what is that? What are you doing down there?
03:32Hilarious. So tell me, you said you were from Indiana. Right.
03:36So what was that like growing up there? Uh, I hold it very near and dear to my heart. Um,
03:42just, I mean, some of the most salt of the earth people, um, you know, you couldn't pursue this
03:48there obviously, but I, I hold it so near and dear to my heart because, you know, I grew up around
03:53some really incredible men, guys who kind of instilled and bestowed this Indiana backbone of
04:01what it means to be a good man. I know I'm going the whole philosophical route, but it's the
04:05honest truth. Yeah. And I've held onto that, like white on rice. Like I'm not, I just can't let it
04:10go. And so Indiana is a, a great part of me that has kind of resembled that for me and, uh, out there.
04:19And if you're from the Midwest or, you know, the Midwest, every place has its pros and cons,
04:23of course, like better gas prices out there. Oh yeah. But the people growing up, it was about
04:30the greatest choice you could make is what kind of man you choose to become, how you treat people,
04:35um, is everything. You'll take that to your grave, how you made people feel, how you respected people.
04:41So then as a result, Indiana was this place where all of our choices that might be the same,
04:46like pursuing a career, uh, pursuing wealth, things that we're all doing everywhere or trying to do,
04:52especially in the States has this overarching thing where at the substratum of it is like
04:58to do good for others. So that's, and for some reason like that in my mind, my psyche is labeled
05:06in, uh, like a faith-based Indiana core. And so that's just how the people were. And I also got
05:14lucky the kind of men I grew up around. Um, but I, I catch that popping out of me all the time.
05:21Like I'll say something or do something and I'll think, yeah, there it is. Yeah. Like the Indiana
05:27is like coming out. A hundred percent. Like right now, the way that I, I've, the only thing that
05:32matters right now is this conversation with you. That's my heart. I make mistakes and, and all the
05:39time, like everybody. So, you know, but it's, how can I serve, service my servant leadership,
05:46you know, and all that stuff. So that's very Indiana to me. That's kind of what I would label
05:52that as, but you don't need to be from the Midwest to do good. Right. But that's just kind of a big
05:58part of my heart when it comes to the Midwest. Right. If that makes sense. For sure. I feel like
06:03that is something that is almost, uh, I don't know if it's like, you know, we live in LA now. Um,
06:10and we're in such a crazy industry. If it's like, you have to work so hard to be on set,
06:17to become an actor, to become a musician, whatever your, your creative niche is. And it's almost like
06:22that gets a little bit lost, especially, you know, even like dating nowadays, it's like
06:26chivalry is kind of not there as much. And it's nice for me to hear that you have that. And it's
06:33almost like that's something such a small, like an important detail to instill in, you know,
06:39the future of children and things. And it's like, I feel like it's almost not around that much
06:45anymore. Yeah. And I mean, you know, it, it's, uh, to me, I think if we've lost that, we've lost a
06:52little bit of everything. Yeah. What good is it to have, to gain the whole world, but lose your soul?
06:56Right. And, uh, you know, if, if massive success or whatever should come your way,
07:02I would rather not have that and know that when my time is up, my number is called that I
07:08treated people well. Um, and when it comes to talents and skills like that, I think a craft
07:14is for the purpose of serving. So it's okay. Um, I'm, I'm quite obsessive over my craft, um, in the dark.
07:23Like I, I don't,
07:26I don't, um, I don't like to put out the idea that I'm better than I am. I just like to be as
07:33absolute good as I can. Cause I know I get to serve the story. I get to serve the song. If I'm
07:37doing music, I get to serve the moment right here with you. But if I lose my soul, I've lost
07:43everything. I'd rather have less talent and a better heart than, but then of course, when craft comes
07:50into play, you know, what would it look like to use that for good? Even if you're telling all kinds
07:57of different stories. And I think it's, it's easy. My heart has no malice toward anyone in this regard.
08:03On the other side, it's hard, especially for, you know, for young women who are told your body needs
08:08to be a certain way. Or for young men, you need to look a certain way. You need to be a certain height.
08:12You need to be a certain level of jacked. Your jawline needs to be this or that. You're, uh, there's so much.
08:17And we all smile through it and act like it's not there. Oh, for sure. And so for me, it's not, no,
08:22the best version of you is the best version of you. I could never pull it off. And that's my heart.
08:28That's ultimately what attracted me to storytelling and music. Um, and then I do also have a fitness
08:35business that I've had for a little over a decade, helping people break through. Uh, that to me is
08:43everything. And, uh, it just breaks my heart seeing, you know, uh, identity and worth being put into
08:51things of just the world. And it will ultimately let you down is my belief. It has let me down
08:56if I lean on that. Um, and so it gives me incredible purpose to just kind of go against the fray and be
09:06more humble. Um, acting music, whatever, if you're in front of a camera, even behind a camera, it does
09:12take a very large amount of confidence. But for me, I don't put my confidence in how great I am.
09:20I put it in who I believe I was made to be. And I just do the best I can to serve others. And
09:26honestly, something I'm still learning, still learning. If I just focus on that, the rest kind
09:33of takes care of itself. I don't have to push really hard for you to see me. And then I just kind
09:42of get to serve in the moment. And if I'm seen great, I'm not great, but that's so hard. It's
09:47so hard with social media and everything else where it's all about, you know, we can think a
09:53lot about what people think about us. And anyway, I'll get to talking and we'll be here for seven
09:57hours. No, but it's so true. It's almost like, I feel correct me if I'm wrong, but you are in your
10:04brain like a vessel who is here to serve and make people feel good. And would you say that
10:11that's kind of your approach when you're on set with people? You and I haven't been able to work
10:15together yet on a show, but. We will. We will. Hopefully. Yes. Knock on wood. The whole thing
10:21just falls down. You guys have a great day. I'll see you. Yeah. Bye guys. Love working for you real
10:26short. Exactly. We had a good run. But this industry is crazy. And especially the vertical
10:33industry where it's so quick, quick, quick, quick, quick. You do show after show after show
10:37after show and a lot can happen. And some people have different egos on set. And would you say
10:44that you approach your character and your just your own personality when you're on set with
10:49these values as well? Yes, absolutely. It all has to start. The best place to start from
10:54is human. Everything I'm saying might even just sound a little pretty, but I'm also very
10:59human. I feel everything. You know, I feel. Are you Pisces? Or Cancer? I just am learning
11:05about all this stuff. So I am such a Padawan. I have. What's your sign? What's your birthday?
11:12What's your month? Taurus. I'm a Taurus. A Taurus. Oh, he's a chill baby. What does this
11:16mean? It's good. It's the good vibes. We love Taurus energy here. One of our wardrobe cat Abasco.
11:23Round of applause to Cat Abasco. I hope you see this. New York. She like gave me the whole
11:30rundown. Oh, yeah. You're a Taurus with this moon. Oh, yeah. And I'm like. We want to know
11:35your chart. Cool. You know, so. Yeah. I get to service kind of second. First, I recognize
11:44that I'm at the end of the day, I'm just a man. I'm just a fella. Yeah. And it slows me
11:49down a little bit first because I love acting so much. And I think if anyone has worked with
11:58me, they know I can get quite passionate and really to the point where I have to be careful
12:03because I'll ask real short, can I change this line? Can I blah, blah, blah? To the point
12:08that I'm doing it all the time. And it's not. My demeanor is probably very much like this
12:12because I'm trying to be so soft and gentle because I'm not trying to throw a grenade on
12:17things. I just, my brain sees, okay, what if he's thinking about it this way? And so at
12:24the core level, he's this and that. And man, I know what that feels like. And so I'll slap
12:28that layer on my face, even if we're talking about food or something else.
12:31And to get to that human place, I have to kind of acknowledge my, my darkness, my shortcomings,
12:39my bullshit. Then I move forward. Then service comes next. Then it's like, okay, let me focus
12:46on the scene partner. Let me focus on this and that. If there's intimacy scenes, I take that
12:52stuff very seriously. Like I want the woman I'm working with to feel so safe. I am up to,
12:59I have no agenda. I have no, I have no, there's nothing in me that is trying to extrapolate
13:05or pull from, um, I'm choosing not to enjoy you. Um, there's no part of me that's monitoring.
13:14I want to let myself enjoy her a little bit. No, I'm actually choosing not to enjoy you physically.
13:18Okay. I want you to feel completely safe, right? It's just something I hold near and dear. Um,
13:24anyway, but these are all human things I think about. Right. So that the way the craft and the
13:30story can live, you know? Um, and I really want the people I work with to feel respected
13:36and I want to make the best story possible. Mm-hmm. Well, even if it's crazy and we're slapping
13:41everybody. Like, you know what I mean? Right, right, right. Well, you seem to have a really good
13:46approach to kind of each area of being an actor as far as your set etiquette, how you're treating
13:52your scene partner and everything. So what actually got you into acting from, from the beginning?
13:57That's a great question. Um, storytelling from a very young age. I grew up when I was,
14:03I remember I was three years old, just little, little nugget. Oh. And, uh, I remember snowing
14:08outside. It's Christmas, Indiana. And I remember I found Superman, which is my all-time favorite
14:16character. And I, and I just remember watching this story as a little kid and then that and Lion
14:22King. I remember those two. Mm-hmm. And I remember watching this character fly around in tights and
14:27just, but for some reason I was so deeply moved by a story. Yeah. About something quite, you know,
14:35ethereal, just, you know, and I was so affected by how storytelling could move a spirit and move a
14:41soul. And here I am, a 30-year-old man. Uh, if you didn't know my age, I'm 30. I get questions all
14:46the time by DMs. How old are you? I know. I get it. Trust me, I know. It's fine. It's like, have a guess.
14:52Right. What do you think? Very, uh, 90s baby. And I just remember being so deeply moved by
14:59storytelling, uh, specifically in Superman and how I was walking away feeling so inspired and his
15:07acting was great. You know, the, the craft is a vessel. Mm-hmm. I think acting is not the most
15:12important thing. I think the most important thing is the story. Mm-hmm. It's, story is king. Everything
15:17we do from the set dressing to the makeup choices, to the acting, to the lighting, to all of it is
15:23in servitude to the story. And as a little squirt, I was, I just caught that and I was
15:28so affected. And then same thing with music. I just remember, wait a minute, there's this
15:33language out there that somehow we all speak, even if it's just instrumental, that moves us.
15:42If you speak Swahili, do you speak Swahili? I wish. Beautiful language. It's a great song
15:49called Baba Yetu. I used to conduct choir. Oh. Yeah. And we. Wait, really? Yeah. Yeah. Oh my
15:54gosh. I showed you a video. Yeah. Wait, that's incredible. We should put you in a professor role.
15:58Yeah. Yeah. And there's a great song called Baba Yetu. Uh, it's the, it's, uh, the Lord's Prayer
16:03in Swahili. So, but it's this beautiful thing about humanity. And, but if you speak Swahili and I speak
16:09English, it's difficult for us to communicate. Music, storytelling breaks the mold in a way that has
16:16always struck me. And that's kind of where the obsession started as a little kid.
16:21Yeah. You know what I mean? Yeah. Um, and the fact that it can inspire from just nothing,
16:26that's a magic that I, I have, I'm still trying to figure it out. When you were a kid, were you the
16:32type that, did you, I feel like this is me kind of judging, but were you a sport guy? Like, did you
16:37do sports or were you a theater boy? No. Or was that there in Indiana? Like that type of culture for
16:43the boys? No, I was very overweight as a kid. Okay. Um, I, uh, if I can share a little bit more
16:50about that. Yeah. Um, I'm being, I can be aggressively long-winded. You should meet Bob
16:54Stafford. You should meet my dad. Is he a talker? Oh, I get it from him. Oh my gosh. Bring,
16:59bring in Bob. The only difference between me and I is I'm aware of it. Okay. Yeah. Well, dad,
17:03boomers. I love you, dad. Our parents like don't get it. I feel like. I remember when I was in high
17:08school, my best friend's Nick Anderson asked my dad, we were having a sleeper. He wakes up,
17:12he asked my dad. So how's work going? Six hours. Still talking. Six hours pass. And dad is somehow
17:17telling him about his childhood. Poor guy. He's like, all he asked was how work was. He's like,
17:21I'm starving. Yeah. Anyway, so I get it from him. Um, but no, my, my start, I did do sports. I did all
17:30of that. Um, and the reason I got into fitness probably comes from this little story I'm about
17:35to tell you. Uh, when I was growing, coming up, coming out of childhood into kind of my preteen
17:40years, I got to be about 60 pounds overweight. Okay. Um, you know, and I was bullied for it. I
17:47remember sitting in English class this, but this started my journey in the arts and it launched me
17:53into sports and fitness. It kind of was a catalyst, which is why I probably good to share. And I hope
17:58it brings some of you hope. Okay. Um, cause it can look, this life can look very pretty. Oh my gosh,
18:04for sure. And it's so not, and that's just not, I mean, we're talking about, I was struggling with
18:09bulimia. Um, I was trying to lose this excess weight. Um, I remember sitting in middle school
18:15and there was a girl, I won't say her name cause I hope she's doing well. It was also like 20 years
18:20ago, uh, sitting behind me. And she says, Mrs. Fisher, I can't see the board cause Luke is sitting
18:25in front of me and we had a dress code and I was really insecure. It's funny. My characters
18:30tend to wear the three buttons down. Yeah. Back then when I was in middle school, I had to wear
18:35three buttons down cause I was gaining so much fat. Um, and I was really insecure about it. We
18:40had a dress code in our school. So we had to wear button ups and collars and stuff. And I remember
18:45she sat behind me and she said, Mrs. Fisher, I can't see the board cause Luke is sitting in front
18:48of me. Everyone laughs. It's right out of the movie. And I had just auditioned for my first musical
18:54and I was so scared secretly. I kind of felt like I might've had something. Um, and my best friend
19:03at the time was this incredible singer, incredible singer. This all happened within like the same
19:07week, mind you, the same month. I can't quite remember. And for the audition, we had to sing
19:13in front of everybody. And my, my best friend who was such a great singer, he had never heard me sing
19:21in it. I was so scared that I just yelled the notes. It was spin. The line was spinach and
19:25tomatoes from Oklahoma. That's all I had to sing. I was so scared that I yelled it. Everyone laughs
19:31and someone came up to me and told me, Hey, you're tone deaf. And then I go to Mrs. Fisher's class.
19:39I'm told I'm fat. Um, and then I'm sitting there. I remember I was trying not to cry. And then she
19:46goes on and she says, uh, wow, Luke, your hips are bigger than mine. Um, and so then I was bulimic
19:52and I lost 70 pounds in the next three months. From bulimia? Yeah. Well, it started me just trying
19:58to figure out how to do fitness. So you were working out at the same time. I was just push,
20:03doing pushups, running. I'm just a kid. I'm just a child. Oh my God. Fuck. So all that kind of
20:08happened at once. Um, ironically, I, my brother played saxophone and I had watched the marching band
20:15and all this stuff. So I went over to the office next door. I went to the band office and grabbed a
20:19saxophone and I got really good at the sax. Really, really good at the sax. And saxophone
20:26became at one point in my life, I was a professional saxophonist. Oh, uh, yeah. Fun fact. Yeah. A lot of,
20:31a lot of facts. Yeah. It's been a very, very crazy full 30 years. Um, but it's been interesting
20:37because in the very beginning from age three, the dream was, and there was these early percolations of
20:44acting, singing, songwriting, entrepreneurship that were so heavy on my heart in such an early
20:50stage. And my life has been this beautiful journey of pain that has led me back to that core starting
20:58place, which has been really beautiful. Yeah. So these are just a couple of stories of that.
21:01Yeah. Um, but I cracked, I, I lost that weight. And then when I started eating again, I gained it all
21:06back. Sure. And then I had to get into, and I learned how to do it properly. And then, uh, I started my
21:13fitness business when I was in college and I still have it now. It's entirely online. And yeah. Um,
21:20so I can give all my first fruits, uh, to my clients, but also my acting and my singing. So
21:25yeah. Um, that's how it started. Yeah. Um, and then I, I remember I was a worship leader at a very
21:35charismatic African-American church. And that's where I had to learn how I played piano. I, that's where my,
21:42is, I finally got to kind of explore those gifts and talents. Um, and then I was still in college
21:49and I thought I'm going to do a theater minor. Like it just, when something is in you, you got
21:54to listen, right? Like you have to listen. If something is in you, I don't mean to preach,
21:59but if something is in you, you have to follow that still voice that's in the silence. And as much
22:04as I tried shoving the acting and the music and all that away, it just, I wanted to do it if no one
22:09was watching. So then that turned into studying voice a little bit in college, doing the music
22:16worship thing. Um, and then I remember I, right after college, um, I ended up booking a job on
22:24Broadway and the role. New York? Broadway? New York Broadway. Oh, what, what was the play? It was a
22:31Christmas musical called Home for the Holidays. Um, and I had to play saxophone on stage. Oh. And
22:39since I had that unique skill and the director and I had a relationship, he hired me for that.
22:44But I remember he also hired me. This is very interesting. And I promise that there's a last
22:47arcing story I'd like to share because it all shows how I ended up bending my way back to
22:53what I'm doing today. Yeah. Cause it was there at three. Now it's here at 30. Um, I remember
23:01booking that job on Broadway and he hired me to play saxophone and be on stage. And it's really
23:08cool role as one of the musicians. It was great. It was a very humbling experience. I'm always going
23:13to be grateful for. And, uh, I remember he also hired me to sing backup. And I remember I had shoved
23:21this thing down so far since I was in middle school to then that when I sang for the first time,
23:26it overwhelmed me. I could hear my voice in the monitor on this Broadway stage.
23:31And I like cried and walked off stage and it really affected me. And ironically, I had just
23:40gone homeless in New York. This sounds almost fabricated, but I promise it's the truth.
23:44Uh, I was trying to pay down my college debt. So I was staying with a host
23:47and, uh, she, uh, had something come up personally and said, I need you out by tomorrow morning.
23:53Oh, bye. So I was actually sleeping on the F train. Uh-huh. Cause I didn't, I was a 22,
23:5923 year old kid. Yeah. I could have asked for help. I'm sure. But I, I didn't want my colleagues.
24:05I didn't want the people I worked with on Broadway. I didn't want to attach any drama to my name.
24:09Yeah. Cause I was so worried about what people thought of me. And so I remember I was homeless
24:14that night. I had a dream. And in that dream, I was, I remember God was there. I remember I was
24:23backstage or I was backstage with my saxophone and my vocal mic. And I saw this dude walk out in this
24:29dream. And there's this crowd of all these different people, different ethnicities. And I
24:34could just see him pouring his heart out. He turns around to me, I wake up. And that moment,
24:41while it sounds quite spiritual, I wake up, I'm on the bench. I have to get ready to go to the
24:46theater. I mean, I'm just, and I knew it was like, I've got to go after this thing. I've got to give
24:51it everything I got. And so from that journey from sixth grade to then is what led me from what I
24:58initially wanted to do to finally give it to everything I got. And then I came back to LA
25:03after New York, worked on my voice and my acting for a year in the silence, conducted choir,
25:09had my fitness business. And then I started working on my craft and now we're here. So
25:14Wow. Anyway, that's a bit of my story. I apologize if I've talked too much.
25:19No, not at all. I want to ask you something only if you're comfortable discussing it.
25:23I also, as a female in the entertainment industry and just male, female, whatever your gender is,
25:33it's hard. And I also experienced a spat of bulimia. And I kind of, if you're open to it,
25:41I feel like we don't hear a lot of guys talk about having eating disorders and being uncomfortable with
25:47their bodies. And it's kind of like for women, we're more so able to talk about that. It's more
25:52accepted. I just want to know as a man, if you have any words of advice or just like,
25:57if there's some guys who are watching this, that might feel the same way, like what you would say
26:01to them on how to come out of that or how to look at yourself differently.
26:06Kingship is not found by beating yourself up and hiding in the shadows. I'm saying this as a learner.
26:13Yeah.
26:14Not by someone who seems to say I have all the answers, but masculinity is very deep and dear to
26:19my heart. And a lot of times on the masculine journey, the hero's journey, every man wants to
26:26grow up one day to gain some sense of dominion in the form of respect. Every man wants to capture
26:35the beauty, you know, regardless of your sexual orientation or whatever it may be. Every man longs
26:42for that to be seen and to be respected. But I think at the core level to know that he's earned
26:47it. And my encouragement just from failing so many times is to not hide in the shadows. One of the best
26:57parts about the masculine journey is to be known. Whatever you hide in the shadows owns you. Whatever
27:05you hide rules you. So to be able to talk about it, to be able to pursue a better version of yourself
27:11will also help you detach from the parts of you that are so uniquely tied to what people think about
27:17you or whatever your advice might be. So my humble, humble advice, humble opinion is for the masculine
27:23journey when it comes to, for me, it was obviously bulimia or whatever. If you're struggling with that
27:28or whatever else it is, hiding it is not the answer. It's just not because it perpetuates,
27:34it grows. Whatever you hide in the dark gains steam, gains momentum. And for the masculine journey,
27:41if I could pin it, it would be, it feels more masculine to not talk about it, to hide about it.
27:49There's something about a man who knows his strength and doesn't need to prove it.
27:52Mm-hmm. And because it, it paves the way for things like kindness, like empathy, like stillness
28:01and servitude. I think the best version of man is a servant. I do have some old school beliefs. I think
28:07men were crafted to, you know, like in a marriage, my job in a marriage is to die for her. My job is
28:15physically sure, of course, but also like I'm to serve her. You know, a man, uh, at his best,
28:22um, is like that. He's, he has strength, but doesn't need to prove it. Cause the reality is
28:28we all see it, right? We, but we all know it's a little cringy if someone comes in talking about
28:36how great they are. Yeah. It subconsciously, I think comes off a little more insecure.
28:42Yeah. It's like, what are you trying to prove? Like we, we get it slash we don't need you to
28:47list your accolades. Versus when you get to a state of serving without being
28:52result reliant. Happiness is result reliant. Happiness is, and I hope this is answering
28:56a question thoroughly, but they all tie uniquely to masculinity in my humble opinion. And I'm
29:01still working on it. You know, I, I'm going to be working on it until the day I draw my
29:04last breath. Yeah. Happiness is the lawn got mowed and it looks great. Joy is I'm mowing
29:10the lawn and I love it. Right. And so a man who's steadfast and is strong, real strength
29:18is far more, more about being reliable. Um, owning your difficulties, owning your emotions,
29:25owning your things. Um, it's why men, I think often experience love the most in the form of respect.
29:30Right. Right. So those would be my examples of, of really strong men, uh, really great men. Um,
29:55you know, and then I was very fortunate to have a lot and still have a lot of great examples. Um,
30:03my father, my dad, my middle name is Charles, which I carry because my grandpa, his name was Charlie.
30:09Um, I have mentors in my life, Eric Waterbury, Mike Thigpen. They've been with me for such a long
30:16time. They, they, I make a point because it keeps me in the current state I am while a fan base is
30:24growing, while, you know, things that would be tempting, you know, or would cause me to sacrifice
30:31or maybe make some choices that would be, you know, detrimental. Um, to the end of the day,
30:38it's really not about me. It brings me so much more joy to, I love my life if I know I'm
30:47serving others. And I do think a lot of that does go back to the past that we just talked about.
30:51Right. Right. So would you say then to kind of like put a bow in it, it's for you,
30:57a sense of community is really important to have?
31:02It is absolutely. But you got to be careful because you want to make sure that
31:06you're not community for community's sake. It's better. This took me all 30 years to learn.
31:12I'm the guy I'm very extroverted shocker. Um, so, uh, it used to be about, I remember I used to lead
31:19these music nights on the beach here in LA. We'd have a hundred people. I would have these steak
31:24and wine nights at my house with my roommates. And I was quite distracted from pursuing the arts
31:29for a couple of years. And it was, I had to learn a very hard lesson. I had all these beautiful people
31:34around, amazing people, blah, blah. And then I went through a little bit of a scandal. My reputation,
31:41uh, a few rumors flew around. 99% of those people disappeared. All these people who said,
31:48Oh, we love you, Luke and blah, blah, blah. And I'm not saying that I'm not upset at them. I honestly
31:52hope they're all doing well. I wish them all so well. It has nothing to do with them. It was about
31:57me learning. I remember going to therapy, great man, David Pack, great therapist. And he told me,
32:04I said, I'm, my heart is hurting, man. Like I want people to know that that's not who I am,
32:09but I can't say anything. And he said something to me about masculinity, talking about something to
32:14me. I'll never forget. And here I am living in it. Took me about a year to unpack it. He said,
32:19he had me write down everything I wanted everyone to see about me. Everything. I mean,
32:23as silly as it got all the way down to the fingernails, like whatever it was. And I wrote it
32:28all down. It was very vulnerable. And he goes, what if you knew it and God knew it? And that was
32:39enough. And I don't know, for some reason, that might not be a one size fit all, but it felt like
32:46a big part of my own masculine journey just went. So then I started focusing on, because the answer
32:52is yes to community, but layer, having the right people, the closest to me. Right. So when I walk
32:59away from that person, my heart is more full, that type of community. You know what I mean?
33:04It's like weed out the ones that aren't actually going to be there for you, kind of.
33:10And then knowing the difference between that and like your friends that are party, you know,
33:15friends that are like, you give room for it to grow, you know, but it's like a relationship
33:20is grown. It's not, you don't just, you know what I mean? So it's knowing who is so near and dear
33:27to me that it serves me the best and we serve each other in the verses. And the different
33:32levels of friendships too. Exactly. So there's so many, there's some that you have your party
33:36friends, your out to dinner friends, your actor, colleague friends, your musician friends. And
33:41then you're like people that you go to when you're like sobbing on the phone.
33:45If you, all those friends you have, if you roll into a ditch in your car, you're only calling
33:50one or two people. It's true. It's true. If there's one emergency contact.
33:54Yes. Right. And so giving those other relationships to you, give them the room to grow, see what
33:59it can be. But then when you spot the real deal, serve, you know, I have a buddy I live
34:05with named Matt. And he's just like that. Like he, he makes me a better man.
34:09Oh, I love that. Right. Yeah. Yeah. I don't have anything. It's just like, I get to chill.
34:14We can sit in silence and I'm good. Those kinds of friends you gotta, you know, so when you
34:19forgive someone, you release them. So when you forgive someone, it's not saying, Hey,
34:26that was okay. Cause I've also done wrong things. I've hurt people. My God, let's not get it
34:30twisted. But by forgiving them, I've gained two things. One, I have released the hold it's
34:37had on me and it's made me kind of who I am today and who I'm still pursuing. My hero is
34:42still in the future. I'm trying to be him like McConaughey said. And he does say all the
34:47time. I realize that's where I got it. I'm sure. Um, but like, I also hope that that person
34:54is well. I hope that they healed from whatever it was. And I hope they're doing well. That
35:00might be a hot take. Well, I have a question for you. So I've heard and tried also and accomplished
35:07a little bit of this when there's something traumatic and horrible in your life that happens.
35:11Someone does something bad to you. And then you have to do the work to like, let it go
35:16and forgive. Not necessarily like you're okay. Like I'm okay with you, but it's like,
35:21forgive it so that you, it's more for yourself to benefit off that because then you really,
35:27it's not clouding your thought process and your journey through life. And it's hard to do,
35:34especially with something like of this level too. It's how, how do you work up to that? Because
35:40it seems sometimes impossible if you're like, this person did this to me. Like, I fucking hate
35:45them. I can't forgive them. How, how do you do that? I think it's, it's first, it's, um,
35:52recognizing the part that's hurting within you and it takes time. I, let's just talk about that.
35:57This is not going to be done overnight. Right. Right. It took me, I think 10 years to get to a place.
36:02I was about 23 when I was able to like fully move to a place of, and it's amazing how it makes
36:10you almost better. You don't want those things to happen to you, but they can be part of your
36:14journey of transformation to better. It's interesting. But for me, it was getting to a place
36:20of understanding that I also have darkness in my heart. You know, uh, I, I can do bad things.
36:29I can this and that, uh, and getting to a place of whatever it was that led that person to do that.
36:36Cause there's things I want to do or attempted to do or have done that have caused harm and
36:41recognizing that in me, you know, uh, there's a really great verse somewhere that talks about like
36:47the person who's done no wrong for the first stone. It's basically just saying like,
36:52you know, look into yourself before you start judging other people. And so for me, that was
36:59huge recognizing like, dude, I've got my shit. Um, okay. I've done wrong things. And then moving
37:06on from that to wanting freedom enough to where you can forgive the person. Yeah. That was what it was
37:14for me. And then you kind of start to see the heart of the other person. And also, let me be
37:18very clear. That doesn't mean you then go pursue relationship with that person. That doesn't mean
37:22you invite them back in your life necessarily. You don't have to be best friends or friends at all
37:26with that person, you know? Um, but then you're able to kind of release that person. Yeah. So it just
37:33takes the opportunity of looking at yourself and recognizing how human you also are while also
37:39not excusing it, which is an interesting place to be. Does that kind of make sense?
37:43Definitely. You also mentioned that you go to therapy. Do you currently go? Are you,
37:48or like, what's your, like, just a quick little snippet on that? Because I feel like also with
37:54some of our male followers, um, again, something that isn't the most popular thing within,
37:59you know, the masculine quote unquote, how media perceives it is to like go to therapy. So
38:05you've experienced therapy. You've liked it. Absolutely. No, um, I think it's good to know
38:12if we need therapy or don't. Cause sometimes there is a time where a man just needs to be told,
38:16Hey brother, you got this. Sometimes it's as simple as that. And we don't need to go blow a
38:21bunch of money for therapy. Yeah. But it's just true. Cause I sometimes see that as well.
38:25Sometimes it's a, I like to smoke cigars. Sometimes it's a cigar with one of your best fellas who truly
38:31pours into you and you just need a chance to express it. Yeah. Sometimes it's, but if you don't have
38:35that, then therapy is also still a good idea. But if you have something that's eating away at your
38:40soul and it's yanking you out of yourself and out of the world around you, and it's causing you to
38:46see yourself in such a dark way, therapy is a wonderful thing. And I've utilized it throughout
38:51my whole life. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for that. Has it helped you with acting? Absolutely.
38:55Yeah. Yeah. I feel like, right. For sure. It helps you get there. Oh yeah. All this stuff we're
39:00talking about is just palette. It's tools to use when it comes to, I had a character, actually in
39:05this movie, he loses the girl. And I thought, I remember telling Roku, our director, like, what if
39:14they see, I love it so much. What if everything about this moment is about his shame towards
39:21himself? He's really not feeling so much lost towards the woman. The woman is losing the love
39:26of his life as a reflection on the piece of shit he thinks he is. Yeah. And so it changed
39:32the tonality and color of how that scene came out. I then, for crying, especially crying on
39:38command, there's a few ways to go about that. But for me, I always think about my dad and
39:44I think about some of the words he's told me. Every first time he told me I was a man, I fixate
39:50on that. I think about my father passing one day and then I lean into that. It's a, it's
39:58kind of, it's, there's a method called the Ivana Chebuk method. This is very near and dear
40:01to that. Uh, and I, then I focus on something that today is making me feel exactly what my
40:09character is feeling. And then it just kind of pours right out. Tears just flow. I've got
40:16that thing with my dad that makes me emotional, but then I'm focusing on the areas of my life
40:21where I do feel like I'm a piece of shit. And then by the time action is called, it's
40:25like something about the tonality fits his situation, even though I'm not in his situation
40:32in real life. It's like the lizard brain foundation where you put your, your deep seated emotional
40:38thing back there. And then you, Oh, I'm a piece of shit today. Like my bike's not working
40:42in or like, I feel ugly or whatever it is that you're going through. And then it just
40:46like, I think we have a fun emoji quiz for you. So what we're going to do is we're going
40:52to have you read the emojis one by one and then guess the title. And the hint is that you've
40:57starred in all these shows. So the first one is a crown airplane explosion and a ring.
41:06I know this one. The runaway princess bride is my guess for this first one. You're inaccurate.
41:11No, it's not right. No, a crown. Can I guess again? Yeah.
41:17Aeris crash landing. That one. Aeris crash landing for a
41:20I know that's the thing. That's the thing. You can't remember the title.
41:23Aeris crash lands for a Bella. She wants to marry.
41:26Close. Aeris crash lands on her husband.
41:29Okay. So we've got a heart with an arrow. I'll give you a hint. Okay.
41:34Okay. Married in a heartbeat. Yes. Got him.
41:37With Miss Haley Lorelei. Incredible. She was incredible.
41:42Oh, this one you'll know in a second. Fried chicken flat man.
41:44I, when I saw it on real short. Let's just talk about it.
41:47Yeah. Let's, yeah. Can we dive into this one? What the heck?
41:50So I told them, so I really loved the story and obviously I read the title and you know,
41:56I just said it. Hey guys, is this the final title?
41:59Yeah. And someone said, someone goes, no, I think it's a working title.
42:03And I leaned over and I said, you're not going to change the title.
42:06Are you? And then they didn't change the title.
42:09It was fried chicken, flash marriage.
42:10Next one. You've got mail.
42:12No.
42:13No. The masks.
42:14It's not. I would not get this at all.
42:17I'm pregnant. Let's break up.
42:19No.
42:19Okay.
42:20What do people think of actors?
42:23Dramatic.
42:24Close.
42:24But like, it's like a negative connotation towards us.
42:27Like fake it.
42:28Tell you love me.
42:30Yeah.
42:31Yeah.
42:31Yeah.
42:32That's hilarious.
42:35Okay. The next one.
42:35Accidental surrogate for the album.
42:37There it is.
42:37I couldn't say that when I was introducing you.
42:40The next one.
42:41Oh, this one you'll get.
42:42I think.
42:44Runaway princess.
42:44Yep.
42:45Yep.
42:46I think you'll get the next one too.
42:48You've got mail.
42:49Yes.
42:50A lot of mail emojis.
42:52So you've done a ton of different types of characters here at Real Short, which is super
42:56fun.
42:56So what's next for you?
42:59Well, I'm very, very pleased to share that my last song, Just Little, just came out.
43:07We're getting ready to shoot the music video for that, which I actually don't think I've
43:11announced this on my socials yet, but this music video narrative is a sequel to my last
43:17song that came out called Still Missing You.
43:19So it will follow in that universe, that same storyline.
43:23Go watch Still Missing You because you'll see exactly what we're saying.
43:27So I'm very excited to shoot that, get that out.
43:30So that's next for me in the Real Short world.
43:34I'm really excited about all the movies that we're about to do.
43:36We have a few lined up.
43:37And then speaking of, I have one that's about to come out right here.
43:43Oh my gosh.
43:44Called Let's Pregnant.
43:45No, I'm kidding.
43:46Let's Pregnant.
43:47Let's Pregnant.
43:48Well, I'm wrong.
43:49I'm pregnant.
43:50Let's Break Up.
43:50And we shot that in New York.
43:52It was the last one I did in 2024.
43:54And that one just, if I can share this really quick.
43:58It was so cool.
43:59I've always dreamt of, you know that classic scene where you're like, you run after the
44:04girl in a peacoat and you're like, taxi, taxi.
44:07I've always dreamt of doing that.
44:08Always.
44:09And I got to do exactly that.
44:11And so I told the director and the producer, I was like, we're like, this is a childhood
44:15dream that's happening.
44:16Wait, so was it like the taxi's chasing the girl, trying to get her?
44:19She leaves and I run out after her.
44:22It's like everything we've ever dreamt of, right?
44:24It's like, I run out, peacoat is flapping in the New York wind.
44:28I love that it's a peacoat.
44:28What color was it?
44:29Brown stone.
44:29It was brown peacoat.
44:30Nice.
44:31Yeah.
44:32He runs out, taxi, gets in the taxi, goes after the girl.
44:36And that was, that was a dream come true.
44:38So that's in the movie that's about to come out.
44:40Oh, that's exciting.
44:41Very excited about it.
44:42And I'm sure your fans are going to love that one.
44:44I hope you do.
44:45I hope you do.
44:46I had a great pleasure of making it.
44:48And Miss Illyriana was the lead actress.
44:51She was just spectacular.
44:53How do your fans react to your work?
44:58That's a very humbling question.
45:03I've never gotten the fan mail I've ever gotten that I've been getting.
45:07I mean, immediately it kind of makes me, because it's so humbling, the things that people say.
45:14And so if you're watching, thank you.
45:17I'm deeply, every time I get a chance to kind of look through my messages, and I don't come from all this.
45:22You know, I've come from such a small town and place, and I already shared why I do it.
45:26And so all the words about the movies, I hear a lot of comments about my acting ability, which is so humbly, humbly received.
45:36Because I've just worked, I just am working on that, slaving away.
45:39And then my songs and my singing, and I get just some of the kindest, sweetest comments every single day.
45:46And it genuinely, it motivates me to make me, it makes me feel like, damn, maybe this is making a difference.
45:54You know?
45:55Yeah, like it's working.
45:56Yeah.
45:56And it's inspiring people and helping people, and that's the prayer, that's the hope.
46:01So I'm very humbled by that.
46:03Can you give them a little insight about what they have to look forward to with some of your shows coming up?
46:08Everything in each character, I said yes to each one because there was a golden nugget to me in the story where the character had to overcome incredible odds.
46:21And I would say, I feel like I'm always looking for the human stuff that I know I have dealt with before I say yes, even if it's in a scenario I've never been in.
46:30And so in these next ones, if you felt that you've faced impossible odds, then these next handful of projects with Real Short, I think, is going to be great for you.
46:41Impossible odds, I love that.
46:43Whether it's love or career or whatever it is for the character, it's how in the world do we move past this?
46:50And love finds a way.
46:53Oh, saucy.
46:56Saucy.
46:56And it is very spicy, yes.
46:57This has been so amazing having you.
47:01Do you have anything else you want to say to your fans?
47:06I know I've used the word humbled a lot, but it's just very true to how I feel in my core.
47:16I'm so humbled that there is anyone who likes what I do and makes it a part of their daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly life.
47:26It's very humbling.
47:28And so I just want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for being here, for watching these films, watching me act, watching us together.
47:36To me, this is what it's all about.
47:37This is really what it's all about.
47:39Hanging out with you is the only thing in this moment I want.
47:42And so to each and every one of you, thank you.
47:45I'm deeply humbled and I'm honored to be here.
47:48I'm here.
48:00I'm here.
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