Viv Leacock (Legend of the Lost Locket)

[00:00:00] Hi, I'm Brandon. I love Hallmark movies. I'm Dan and I despise Hallmark movies. I'm

[00:00:10] Dave and I love Hallmark movies and I love acting and other things too. And this is the Deck The Hallmark Podcast.

[00:00:18] Deck The Hallmark, it's his podcast.

[00:00:23] Brandon and Friends host his podcast.

[00:00:28] We hope you like this jolly podcast.

[00:00:31] We hope you like this jolly podcast.

[00:00:38] A very exciting day, Dan. We've gotten to talk to a lot of people in our career.

[00:00:44] That's right.

[00:00:45] Many of which are on a little program called Winged Coastal Heart that is back.

[00:00:48] That's right. It's back for season 11.

[00:00:51] But wouldn't you know we haven't talked to them all?

[00:00:53] We haven't talked to them all.

[00:00:55] Which is why we're excited today.

[00:00:56] Rev Joseph is in the house today.

[00:00:59] And I'm going to introduce him.

[00:01:01] And he is Viv Leacock, who covered all his bases in the intro by saying he loved the movies.

[00:01:05] He acts in them and as we're going to find out momentarily,

[00:01:09] acts in a lot of other things as well.

[00:01:10] Viv, thank you for joining us, sir. How are you doing?

[00:01:13] I'm doing well, guys. Thanks for having me on.

[00:01:15] Thanks for having me on. I love the intro.

[00:01:17] Very cool.

[00:01:19] I appreciate that. Thank you so much.

[00:01:21] Viv, we always like to start at the beginning with our guests.

[00:01:25] When you were a child and when you were a child at some point you go,

[00:01:30] I want to act maybe a little bit.

[00:01:32] Tell us about your childhood and when that first kind of desire to maybe explore acting began for you?

[00:01:40] Yeah, you know, I...

[00:01:43] Comedy has always been a huge part of my life.

[00:01:47] Like storytelling and comedy.

[00:01:49] That's my first love.

[00:01:51] And acting came into my life because of my older brother, Richard.

[00:01:57] He's an actor and he was always telling me, you should be an actor.

[00:02:01] You should be an actor.

[00:02:03] And I was like, no, man, I want to be a stand-up comedian.

[00:02:06] And he kept insisting that he saw the thing in me that's necessary to do what we do.

[00:02:14] And I just was like, no, man, that's not for me.

[00:02:17] But it just kept coming to find me.

[00:02:19] Acting kept kind of coming around in my life.

[00:02:22] And finally I just kind of answered the call and first thing I ever auditioned for,

[00:02:28] I got the part and...

[00:02:30] The first thing you ever auditioned for, you got the part?

[00:02:33] I got the part.

[00:02:34] What was it?

[00:02:35] It was a Canadian show called Neon Rider.

[00:02:41] Okay.

[00:02:42] It was filmed, yeah.

[00:02:44] This is the name alone, I tell you what.

[00:02:48] It was filmed in late 80s into the early 90s.

[00:02:58] And that was the first thing I got on.

[00:03:01] First audition got a recurring role on the show.

[00:03:05] So I was thrown into the deep end.

[00:03:09] I didn't know anything at all.

[00:03:13] And all I used to do is basically just, I used to act.

[00:03:16] I'd be on this side doing what I wanted to do.

[00:03:19] And it didn't matter what you were doing, I was doing this thing over here.

[00:03:23] And yeah, when I look back at those episodes, I'm like, oh boy.

[00:03:29] No good.

[00:03:30] Well, sometimes you have some folks that go through a training and some folks,

[00:03:35] it's like, I taught for 20 years and the best training for me was getting...

[00:03:39] I got in the classroom when I was 20, before I went to school and I was such a bad teacher

[00:03:44] for a few years and I learned...

[00:03:47] You learn because of your mistakes.

[00:03:49] Like it's experiential wisdom.

[00:03:51] And so, you know, when did you feel like...

[00:03:54] Did you go through a period after...

[00:03:55] I mean, you booked your first audition.

[00:03:57] Did you go through a period of time in Canada where it was just,

[00:04:01] you weren't getting anything else and you were tending bar and waiting tables

[00:04:05] and doing all that stuff?

[00:04:07] Yep, that is exactly where...

[00:04:09] I'll tell you, so it started as...

[00:04:12] It started as...

[00:04:13] So after that show was done and I was on it for quite a bit.

[00:04:20] I didn't...

[00:04:21] I still didn't really learn the intricacies of like auditioning for something

[00:04:28] and being able to...

[00:04:31] The audition room is very different than on set.

[00:04:33] On set, you don't necessarily feel such pressure to like...

[00:04:37] You got to nail it right out of the gate.

[00:04:40] When you audition, you know, you're doing this thing where it's like,

[00:04:43] I'm trying...

[00:04:44] You're trying to impress people to get the job.

[00:04:46] You know, when you have the job, you can...

[00:04:48] You relax a little bit more.

[00:04:50] But so getting the job was the problem for me.

[00:04:53] I just didn't audition well because I didn't prepare well

[00:04:56] because of a lot of other things and it just was like,

[00:04:59] it wasn't working, it wasn't working, it wasn't working.

[00:05:02] There was also...

[00:05:04] Added to the mix was the fact that a lot of the stuff that I was auditioning for

[00:05:08] back then was...

[00:05:11] It kind of painted a stereotypical light of, you know, young guys that look like me.

[00:05:18] And I really was like, I don't want to perpetuate the stereotypes.

[00:05:25] I don't want to add to the mix.

[00:05:27] And so I was so frustrated with the process

[00:05:32] that I actually walked away from acting because I just felt like

[00:05:37] it's not the right time for me to be involved in it.

[00:05:40] Things have to kind of get better before I'll get back in.

[00:05:44] And it was actually...

[00:05:47] I left for seven years.

[00:05:49] I did not act for seven years.

[00:05:51] I did a bunch of stuff in that time.

[00:05:54] I moved off to Spurnashire.

[00:05:56] I did stand-up comedy.

[00:05:58] I worked with special needs kids.

[00:06:00] I did a bunch of stuff.

[00:06:02] And in the back of my head all the time was acting, acting, acting.

[00:06:09] If someone asked me, you know, hey, what are you going to be doing

[00:06:12] in a couple years?

[00:06:13] I always said acting.

[00:06:15] Even though I wasn't pursuing it, it was always the answer.

[00:06:20] Eventually I realized that if I wanted to change the way things were,

[00:06:28] as far as some of the roles that I was seeing that, you know,

[00:06:34] like I said, guys, young guys like myself were going out for,

[00:06:38] if I wanted to change that, then I knew I had to change it from the inside.

[00:06:42] I couldn't change it from the outside.

[00:06:44] And so that became the thing that I was like,

[00:06:47] okay, I'm going to decide to go back into acting.

[00:06:50] And it was when I made a decision to go back,

[00:06:54] that's when I got the fortitude to deal with the rejections from,

[00:06:59] from auditions and rejections.

[00:07:01] You hear no way more than you hear yes in this business.

[00:07:06] And because I didn't, because, because I didn't,

[00:07:10] it's such a weird thing because there's a part of me that's still grappling with,

[00:07:14] did I walk away because I wasn't getting parts?

[00:07:19] Or did I walk away because the parts that I wasn't getting were frustrating me?

[00:07:24] You know what I mean?

[00:07:25] Like I, I don't actually know the answer.

[00:07:27] I just know that I did walk away, but I did come back because I decided you got to change it from the inside.

[00:07:33] And as soon as I had that as a bigger mission,

[00:07:37] that's when I started, I started, but I literally,

[00:07:40] I came back and it took about a year to kind of work out the kinks.

[00:07:45] And from that point on, bang, and just never look back.

[00:07:48] It just worked straight through, but it, it, it was difficult to get to that motivator, that thing.

[00:07:57] And I continued to make it bigger than myself.

[00:08:00] And I tell my kids the same thing that they're all actors.

[00:08:04] And I say, we're not doing this to get famous.

[00:08:08] We're not doing this to become, you know, the most important people in the world.

[00:08:13] We're doing this out of service.

[00:08:16] We are the people you guys included.

[00:08:21] We are the people that can put our nerves aside that we can talk to an audience and we can convey the human condition and make it look natural.

[00:08:34] That's the, that's the ability that we have.

[00:08:36] When you have that ability, you are tasked to be someone that helps because when we film these programs and somebody watches it and they go, oh, oh, yeah, that's what I do.

[00:08:48] Or I would never do that or whatever it is, whatever you take from this thing, the people that are tasked with the ability to do it.

[00:08:57] It's our responsibility to do it.

[00:08:59] And that's the way I look at it.

[00:09:00] I don't look at it for like trying to get famous.

[00:09:02] That has nothing to do with anything.

[00:09:03] It has to be an active service.

[00:09:07] That's fantastic.

[00:09:08] You said all of your kids are actors.

[00:09:10] Is that what you said?

[00:09:11] Yeah.

[00:09:12] How many kids do you have?

[00:09:14] Three kids and they all are in the business.

[00:09:17] They're all in the business.

[00:09:18] My daughter, Vienna and my son, youngest son, Elias play Angela Canfield and Cooper Canfield on the show.

[00:09:28] Those are my actual children.

[00:09:31] That's awesome.

[00:09:32] So on the show with us and then my other son, Lennox, he's got a part in one of the mystery series now.

[00:09:42] Oh, wow.

[00:09:43] Yeah, he's one of the leads on the mystery series.

[00:09:47] So I'm just like, okay.

[00:09:49] The whole family full.

[00:09:50] That's fantastic.

[00:09:51] That's fantastic.

[00:09:52] My poor wife has to deal with four actors.

[00:09:55] He never knows telling the truth.

[00:09:58] I know when you were doing stand up, did you have that same like mission about the, the why behinds, you know, the way in which you're doing stand up or did you view stand up differently than you viewed acting?

[00:10:12] Yeah, you know, stand up was, was, was more of a.

[00:10:18] And I know you guys know this too, but there's a when you make someone laugh.

[00:10:22] When you, when that's what you set out to do and you can pull that off. That is such a personal like good feeling.

[00:10:29] It is such a, I guess you're in dolphins and stuff. I don't know what it is, but like that thing of making people laugh was always been my favorite thing.

[00:10:38] Like, I try to, I try to inject, I pretty much inject humor into every interaction I have with anybody.

[00:10:46] I just love the, I love the feeling. So that, that, you know, that's the thing that comics are going after they're going after that, that rush of you setting something up and setting something up and then knocking it over.

[00:11:00] It works, man.

[00:11:02] Who are some of your influences?

[00:11:04] Mount Rushmore stand up comedy.

[00:11:06] Mount Rushmore for me.

[00:11:11] Comedically.

[00:11:15] For me, Richard priors on his top top top of the heat. He's top of the heat.

[00:11:22] I've never seen somebody take absolutely horrific things that had happened to them and help us laugh at them.

[00:11:35] Nobody in the history of comedy has taken their pain and turned it into a punchline better than Richard prior.

[00:11:45] Man joked about being on fire.

[00:11:50] There's no, there's nobody else that that comes close to that guy's skill set to turn his pain into a punchline.

[00:12:03] I have to say, because at the time this person really was massively important stand up comedian and and creator and actor. Bill Cosby was a huge, huge, like, you know, as crazy as it is to even say,

[00:12:21] I grew up in the 70s and 80s and, you know, like there was no bigger comedian as far as like their their their reach. Eddie Murphy is a rock star.

[00:12:35] You know, but Bill Cosby was the king of king of all of it. You know,

[00:12:41] The Bacon Burger dog.

[00:12:43] Bacon Burger dog. Bacon Burger dog.

[00:12:46] Bacon Burger dog.

[00:12:48] You know, like this.

[00:12:51] Yeah, that whole period of time. Red Fox Eddie Murphy. Eddie Murphy.

[00:12:55] You got to do a movie with Eddie. You were in an Eddie Murphy movie.

[00:12:59] I got to hang out with Eddie for four months.

[00:13:02] I spy with Owen Wilson, Eddie Murphy.

[00:13:05] And I saw that on your credits and I heard your stand up comedian and when you said Eddie Murphy, I had to ask you like what is because he's such a like unique individual how he picks his projects.

[00:13:15] And how he goes about work and he doesn't have to work and he does. He's not, you know, the VIV you got 1000 credits over here. Eddie's got like one credit for every for every 50

[00:13:27] VIV Lee cock credits.

[00:13:29] Yeah, he doesn't need to work as much as I tried.

[00:13:34] You guys aren't in the same tax bracket. You and Eddie Murphy.

[00:13:38] I would be nice.

[00:13:41] So what was it that I have to ask? I usually don't ask a what was it like working with question but you're a stand up comedian you watched Eddie Murphy, you're on set with him.

[00:13:49] It's a big budget movie that might be a Brett Ratner movie. That's like a big. That's a big budget movie here. Yeah, what was that like?

[00:13:57] That is Betty Thomas.

[00:14:00] Okay, it was it was the budget was like a, I think it was $140 million.

[00:14:05] Yeah, it was it was it was supposed to be a trilogy. Wow.

[00:14:11] It was supposed to be a whole franchise that they were going to go for. And unfortunately, the script was not very good.

[00:14:20] It just it just was this just wasn't the script was not good, but um, the perfect storming events that had to happen for me to get part on I spy is so crazy you wouldn't even believe me when I tell you try me.

[00:14:37] All right, so.

[00:14:40] So the first thing that happened was that Eddie said, I want to see new faces in these two parts there was a part of an assistant TJ, which is who I played and there was a part of a manager.

[00:14:56] And my brother Richard actually booked the part of the manager.

[00:15:01] And this is so we were slated to do it together, but then stuff happened scheduling wise and he was on a show called dock with Billy Ray Cyrus. Yeah, yeah.

[00:15:11] And, and, and he did scheduling got totally screwed up and he couldn't do the picture with me. But the way I got on this movie is insane. So Eddie said, I want to see new face fresh face.

[00:15:26] So right there, that shut down the Dave Chappelle's the Anthony Anderson's the, the, the, every every up and coming young brother that was funny that shut them all down because he said he wants a new face.

[00:15:41] Wow.

[00:15:42] So that, that helped me that so that was that was helpful. Um, then it was the belief of the producer director, Betty Thomas that she was not going to find what she was looking for in Vancouver.

[00:15:59] That helped me because her expectation is very low.

[00:16:05] So when I did what I did it, it caused this effect it blew her away because she was convinced that there's no way she was going to find someone funny enough to be standing beside Eddie Murphy and

[00:16:18] and so those, those two things. Oh, and then the casting director that that landed the project was the casting director who's who said to me, she has said to me at one point I wish I discovered you know

[00:16:35] So, so I had this I had like the cast and director in my corner Eddie Murphy saying what he's saying and Betty Thomas the director producer saying what she was saying.

[00:16:47] But there's one more little thing that was added to the mix. And that was when I went into audition for the park.

[00:16:56] And the reason the notes on my session from my agency said that it was an audition that was going to only be with the casting director that it wasn't going to be with the director.

[00:17:10] So I was completely relaxed. Okay, cool and calm because it was just with the casting director who was used you know she got my back she's got in my corner.

[00:17:20] So it's all good. I'm going in and I'm sitting away to relax every other dude is pacing and reciting lines to the wall and doing all this type of stuff and I'm so chill that I think like that vibe.

[00:17:36] I didn't know the director was in the room until 30 seconds before I walked in the room.

[00:17:41] Not enough time to get nervous.

[00:17:43] I didn't have time to get nervous. No time to I couldn't get my head. None of that happened. I was just like, Oh what's up and I had chosen my wardrobe correctly. So on the breakdown for the character it said, assistant to Eddie Murphy's character.

[00:18:02] A lot of guys made the decision that they were going to be executive assistant. So they were there in suits and ties, and they were an executive assistant. What I knew was Eddie was playing the middleweight champion, middleweight boxing champion of the world.

[00:18:18] That's right.

[00:18:19] And it's right young brash brother who grew up on the streets and now he's you know a multi millionaire.

[00:18:27] And I knew from watching boxing that all those brothers you see hanging out after the fight everybody with, you know, Jake Paul and his brother also those are guys on the payroll.

[00:18:39] That's right.

[00:18:40] They look like a trainer or some sort of thug or something, but they're on the payroll and they're being paid very well. They just look like his friends because they are his friends. And so I went in looking like a rapper.

[00:18:54] I was wearing baggy leather pads, beanie had shades on. I had this big chain on I went in looking like a guy who would be an assistant to the middle the middle the bottom you know the middleweight boxing champion of the world.

[00:19:10] That's fantastic.

[00:19:12] The second I walked in the door, Betty was like, Oh, oh nightly she liked I had green leather pants on.

[00:19:21] And she was like, Oh nice pants. And I knew from that stat instance I knew that obviously I did something different. It was to the point where the guys that were there auditioning opposite me.

[00:19:34] They were like, What are you here for? Yeah, because they were all wearing suits every single one of them. And I look at me like what part are you here for we didn't see a part of a rapper in this movie.

[00:19:45] And so I chose correctly. Like I said, Betty didn't expect anything of me. Nothing. She already liked what she saw but I hadn't opened my mouth yet.

[00:19:57] And then I told you I had to cast me back on my side. So now we go into the first scene and the reader that they have totally screws up because I add live all the time.

[00:20:11] But I always give you the lead it I'll give you the line that you need to hear to say the line back to me.

[00:20:16] Right. This guy is like this.

[00:20:22] Like straight up like, oh man.

[00:20:26] So in that moment.

[00:20:29] I didn't stop for say hey man I didn't I stayed in character. So he was supposed to say I was supposed to be having a problem with the phone call.

[00:20:38] And he was supposed to say here let me try in the movie. Washington scene with Owen Wilson takes the phone from me and makes the he makes our arrangements for the hotel we're going to in Budapest.

[00:20:52] That's the scene where he's like hey I know how to speak Hungarian give it to me. And he puts us in the basement of the hotel because Eddie Murphy had embarrassed him before, and it's his payback.

[00:21:04] That's what the scene was.

[00:21:06] So he's supposed to say here let me try. Because he looks like a Darren headlight I say, don't you want to try.

[00:21:16] I gave him his line and he goes, Oh, oh, and he starts to give me the rest of the lines and it's really clunky as terrible. And the casting director kicks him out of the room.

[00:21:32] He's like, I'm going to read with them.

[00:21:35] Right. And I didn't say this. This is the last part of the story. And then we can move on.

[00:21:39] This is fantastic. I didn't tell you this little tidbit. This was a tidbit. So when I got called into the room.

[00:21:45] I got up and I was going in and Sue says to me she's like, Are you ready? Are you ready. And she looked very nervous. Like I said, I didn't know Betty was in the room.

[00:21:55] Sue was very nervous.

[00:21:57] And I was like, Yeah, I'm okay. Are you. And then she's like, Yes. And before she could answer this voice came from in the room. Betty Betty Betty's a big woman and she's got a very booming voice.

[00:22:11] Sue get in here.

[00:22:15] Oh man, who waited a minute. I'm like someone's in there.

[00:22:20] I'm like, I'm going to close the room. Close the door for like three minutes.

[00:22:25] She comes back out and Sue's Caucasian, but Sue was even paler.

[00:22:32] She was.

[00:22:37] When I go in and audition, I don't know what Betty said to her when I booked a part and I'd fly to Budapest and do the movie and work with Eddie Murphy for four months.

[00:22:45] I don't know what Sue, what Sue, what Betty said to her until I finished the movie. You know what you want to know what she said to her.

[00:22:52] Let's hear it.

[00:22:53] She said, You assured me that there were funny black guys in this.

[00:23:03] If the next guy is not funny, you're fired.

[00:23:09] Oh my gosh.

[00:23:12] Oh my goodness, you were acting for other people's jobs.

[00:23:16] It all comes back full circle and doing it for everybody, not doing it just for myself. I'm telling you that's unbelievable.

[00:23:24] I didn't know that.

[00:23:25] You didn't tell me that, but I saw it on her face.

[00:23:34] We've got things to do, but you get to Budapest.

[00:23:40] You're working. It's not like you're in an Eddie Murphy movie.

[00:23:42] You're in scenes with this guy throughout the movie.

[00:23:46] What was it easy for you to go?

[00:23:49] Nope. I'm going to go toe to toe with this guy.

[00:23:51] I'm an actor. He's an actor.

[00:23:53] Or was it much harder for you to be like, man, I watched raw.

[00:23:56] I watched it.

[00:23:57] What was it like?

[00:23:59] There's two moments that confirm to me that I'm a funny guy.

[00:24:04] Firstly, Eddie had to approve of the audition.

[00:24:10] So he watched the tape and he said yes.

[00:24:13] Wow.

[00:24:14] So that's information that I had.

[00:24:16] So I knew that he thought I was funny.

[00:24:19] The first time I met him, he said, first thing he said, Hey man, you're real funny, brother. You're real funny.

[00:24:26] You can quit. You can quit. That's it.

[00:24:29] Single tear, single tear.

[00:24:31] Come on.

[00:24:32] Yeah.

[00:24:34] The funniest person I know told me I'm funny.

[00:24:38] And I know Eddie is like Jerry Sainz.

[00:24:41] They are like scientists.

[00:24:43] They know who the next cat is that's going to break because when you do this thing or once you do this thing, you can spot it in other people very quickly.

[00:24:52] You know another comedian when you meet them.

[00:24:54] So he said that.

[00:24:56] But the thing that like has cemented at home is I made him break.

[00:25:00] I knew him.

[00:25:02] Dude, that's you just nothing you could do after that. That is it. That's the mountain top.

[00:25:08] I can literally push an old man down the stairs and people would be like, that's hilarious.

[00:25:16] I'm telling you, man, but you can't convince me. I'm not funny now.

[00:25:19] Yeah, Kevin, Kevin Smith will try to convince you that I'm not funny.

[00:25:25] No, but honestly, that those moments.

[00:25:32] That solidified to me that I can do it.

[00:25:36] It doesn't matter what happens after that.

[00:25:39] I can do it. I did what I set out to do, which was when I was eight years old, I was saying I'm going to work with Eddie Murphy one day.

[00:25:48] Wow.

[00:25:49] And I did just that and it's like, it's kind of a weird thing when you get to that thing that you when you're like, I want to get to the top of Mount Libos and then you're like, Oh, I'm here.

[00:25:59] It's the weirdest feeling in the world.

[00:26:03] Like what I thought was going to happen after that versus what happened after that are the most opposite stories that you could ever possibly imagine.

[00:26:14] But it doesn't matter because did it.

[00:26:18] Man, that's good.

[00:26:19] I did what I did what I set out to do and what I knew I could do and I can hang with him because I made him laugh.

[00:26:27] Yeah.

[00:26:28] I didn't break. I didn't break Hebrew.

[00:26:30] That's awesome.

[00:26:31] We did a scene and we did a scene. And the first thing we did I like I said, I had the bone time and Eddie was cool with it.

[00:26:40] But Betty didn't know if he'd be cool that so she shut me down.

[00:26:44] He was like just say the words just say the words as written.

[00:26:47] And I was like, I was really it was it was very upsetting.

[00:26:52] Yeah, she took me aside just say the words as written.

[00:26:55] Oh, so now I'm like, because it's like I told you the script is not that great.

[00:27:00] I'm really want me to say that he won.

[00:27:03] So we're doing a scene and a thrown out at lives at me.

[00:27:08] He knows I can do it because I did it and she shut me down and he's throwing it out and I'm just batting them away because she told me not to say anything extra and she told me not to do it.

[00:27:21] And Eddie keeps throwing them out and I'm just like, I don't even care.

[00:27:25] I'm going to like lose my job today because I can't not play back and forth.

[00:27:30] Yeah, this is my idol.

[00:27:32] I can't just leave this.

[00:27:34] So the scene literally ends that we're doing as scripted.

[00:27:39] Eddie ad libs the last one and I say something back.

[00:27:43] And he likes that says something back back and forth back and forth.

[00:27:47] We went for another 45 seconds until I broke him.

[00:27:51] I mean, I said something and he fell out laughing.

[00:27:54] And the whole company, everybody on set everybody started laughing everybody's oh my God.

[00:28:00] And like one by one almost crew members different cast members were coming up and they're like, you're so funny. You're so funny. You're so funny because I made him laugh because I broke the king of comedy.

[00:28:13] I got that's awesome.

[00:28:16] Betty came up to me after that. She's like, do what you want.

[00:28:19] Yeah, there you go.

[00:28:20] Paid all paid off.

[00:28:22] Taking a risk.

[00:28:23] Yeah.

[00:28:24] Listen, I feel like we're going to have to have a weekly story time with Viv because I could do in the last 10 years, Viv and not just not to scoot ahead too much in the last 10 years.

[00:28:38] How many IMDB credits of different shows and movies?

[00:28:41] Do you think you've done not how many episodes just how many different programs and movies?

[00:28:45] Have you been on in the last 10 years?

[00:28:48] 10 years.

[00:28:50] 10 years.

[00:28:51] 10 years.

[00:28:53] 12.

[00:28:57] 70.

[00:28:59] It says that you from.

[00:29:02] That's a big gap.

[00:29:04] Wow.

[00:29:05] Viv from 2014.

[00:29:07] Is there a clone working that you're not aware of?

[00:29:09] You are the hardest working man in show business according to IMDB unless they're just lying.

[00:29:15] I mean, throw out a title.

[00:29:18] See if you did.

[00:29:19] I got to scroll back up.

[00:29:20] We're going to play a game called did you do it?

[00:29:22] Did you do it?

[00:29:23] All right.

[00:29:24] Let's play the game.

[00:29:25] Did you do it?

[00:29:26] Were you in an episode of almost human?

[00:29:30] Yes.

[00:29:31] Yeah.

[00:29:32] Were you in bed bugs, a musical love story?

[00:29:35] Yes.

[00:29:36] Were you in an episode of Sign Seal delivered?

[00:29:39] Yes, I was.

[00:29:40] Were you in high moon?

[00:29:42] Yep.

[00:29:43] I think it might be 75.

[00:29:45] Were you in Santa Hunters?

[00:29:48] Santa Hunters, yeah.

[00:29:49] There's 70 after 24.

[00:29:51] Viv, those are all just from 2014.

[00:29:54] He did 12 in 2014.

[00:29:58] That's not individual like it's supernatural.

[00:30:01] You're in three episodes.

[00:30:02] When calls a heart 38 episodes, that only counts as one.

[00:30:06] You're in 70 and that is just in the last 10 years.

[00:30:12] You are working, sir.

[00:30:14] You are you are after it out there.

[00:30:16] I might be working a little too much.

[00:30:20] Wow.

[00:30:21] Yeah.

[00:30:22] Yeah.

[00:30:23] I mean, all this is wild.

[00:30:24] The good night kiss.

[00:30:25] Mommy's secret.

[00:30:26] Sunnyhearts community center.

[00:30:28] That's that show apparently you're in all of them.

[00:30:31] You're doing all of them.

[00:30:33] I guess I stopped counting.

[00:30:35] Have you just become the go to guy for a lot of this stuff in

[00:30:38] Vancouver?

[00:30:39] It's clear you're getting a lot of calls, man.

[00:30:42] Yeah.

[00:30:43] You know what?

[00:30:44] It really, yeah, I guess there was a really good stint there.

[00:30:47] I forgot.

[00:30:48] Viv, you said 12.

[00:30:50] There were 70.

[00:30:52] You missed it by six times.

[00:30:54] Good stint.

[00:30:55] I think I was thinking like significant.

[00:30:57] No, I get you.

[00:30:58] Yeah.

[00:30:59] Some of those are big parts or just small parts.

[00:31:01] I understand.

[00:31:02] I understand for sure.

[00:31:03] Let's play.

[00:31:04] Did he like it?

[00:31:05] Where we do it?

[00:31:06] No, I'm kidding.

[00:31:07] We're not going to do that.

[00:31:08] Well, I want to talk like you have obviously a brother who is

[00:31:11] also an actor.

[00:31:13] Brothers can be competitive.

[00:31:16] Do you feel that is there a little bit of competitive juices

[00:31:20] flown in regards to your brother, even though he's the

[00:31:22] one that told you to get into this thing.

[00:31:24] He's got a lot of things to do with it.

[00:31:26] He's the one that told you to get into this thing.

[00:31:28] He told you to get into it.

[00:31:29] And then you booked your first roller peru.

[00:31:31] I'm sure he was like, yeah, I know you shouldn't have

[00:31:33] been that fast.

[00:31:34] I didn't mean to do that fast.

[00:31:35] But what's it like with both of you being actors?

[00:31:38] No, my brother Rich is, he is my biggest supporter.

[00:31:43] Like number one, he's always had my back and it's

[00:31:48] same with him.

[00:31:49] There's no one happier when he gets something than

[00:31:52] me and there's no one happier than him when I get

[00:31:54] something like.

[00:31:55] I love that.

[00:31:56] That's fantastic.

[00:31:57] I mean, I've never beaten my brother out of any part.

[00:32:01] We've gone up against each other.

[00:32:03] He's a very handsome man.

[00:32:07] So very good actor, very funny guy.

[00:32:11] But he is definitely like the leading man.

[00:32:15] You know, he got, I look like dad.

[00:32:17] He looks like mom.

[00:32:18] That's the way it works out.

[00:32:21] And yeah, he's, he's just always had my back.

[00:32:27] He's six years older than me.

[00:32:29] So this is like that brother that he took, he took me

[00:32:33] everywhere, every movie.

[00:32:36] There's so many, there's so many movies that I would

[00:32:39] never even know about.

[00:32:41] Had my older brother not taking me so many TV shows

[00:32:45] that I would not never have been watching if my

[00:32:48] brother wasn't there.

[00:32:50] Yeah, he's completely responsible for this career path that

[00:32:55] I'm on.

[00:32:56] That's awesome.

[00:32:58] You've been on so many different very, very famous TV

[00:33:02] shows throughout.

[00:33:04] You go on IMDB and list them all.

[00:33:06] I mean, so many credits.

[00:33:08] I just, is there one that, is there a, I know

[00:33:10] everyone always has to say the cast and crew was like

[00:33:13] a family.

[00:33:14] It was the best cast and crew I ever worked at.

[00:33:16] I've never worked with a cast that I've ever had.

[00:33:18] Is there one show that you were not a recurring or regular

[00:33:21] on?

[00:33:22] So not, not something that you like when calls the heart

[00:33:24] where you've been on 38 where you popped in for one, two,

[00:33:27] three episodes that had a just so much of a remarkable

[00:33:31] environment that you remember it or it sticks out to

[00:33:34] you more than, than, than others.

[00:33:36] Yeah.

[00:33:38] The girl friends guide to divorce.

[00:33:43] I did a one episode.

[00:33:45] Okay.

[00:33:46] I think that show probably the most amazing environment I've

[00:33:52] ever seen everyone on that soundstage in the lot in the

[00:33:58] makeup trailer, everyone, everybody was so kind, so nice.

[00:34:03] They were all having such a good time.

[00:34:06] Like the, the, the environment was just so cool.

[00:34:12] And the Jonathan Freaks from Star Trek.

[00:34:15] Yeah.

[00:34:16] Next generation.

[00:34:17] He's, he's been in some hallmark movies.

[00:34:19] Yeah.

[00:34:20] He was one this past year.

[00:34:21] Yeah.

[00:34:22] Yeah.

[00:34:23] And Jonathan was directing and he is such a cool.

[00:34:27] He's such a cool cat.

[00:34:28] Jonathan and my brother actually really good friends and

[00:34:31] they hang out all the time and Jonathan is like,

[00:34:36] when you're on his set, it's like the coolest set you

[00:34:41] ever possibly be on.

[00:34:42] He's just so laid back and like I said, everybody,

[00:34:45] nobody was stressing.

[00:34:47] I was like, what?

[00:34:49] What is like, it stands out in my head completely as you

[00:34:54] know, the, the nicest set I've ever been on.

[00:34:58] Like, like, and the whole thing about it is it was

[00:35:00] still dealing with like the subject matter was still

[00:35:02] like adult, you know, but, but everybody was really cool.

[00:35:06] Like when calls, you know, falls into that category

[00:35:10] because the subject matter we're dealing with and like,

[00:35:13] you know, we're on a hallmark set.

[00:35:15] So you end up having everybody's really nice and you

[00:35:18] have all that.

[00:35:19] That's kind of comes built in.

[00:35:20] But, but the girlfriend's guide to divorce stands out

[00:35:23] for me because I didn't expect to walk into,

[00:35:26] I didn't expect that at all at all.

[00:35:28] You expect that on hallmark sense that everybody

[00:35:30] is really kind of.

[00:35:31] You don't necessarily expect that another sense.

[00:35:34] That's the one that stands out the most.

[00:35:46] I want to ask about auditioning again really quickly

[00:35:48] because you mentioned that was one of the things that

[00:35:50] you had to learn now things have,

[00:35:52] have turned especially since the pandemic to being

[00:35:55] basically on tape.

[00:35:57] How has that kind of evolved for you?

[00:36:00] Do you like putting things on tape or do you find it

[00:36:03] harder?

[00:36:04] Do you like the room because of the energy of,

[00:36:06] of having somebody to bounce stuff off of like,

[00:36:08] what's your preference in regards to auditioning?

[00:36:11] Yeah, you know, it's kind of my,

[00:36:18] my, my kind of theory on all this is a bit

[00:36:22] askew because I haven't had to audition as much

[00:36:26] since the pandemic because of getting on this show

[00:36:30] and a couple others.

[00:36:32] It put me in a position where, you know,

[00:36:35] there's offers and stuff like that, which is cool.

[00:36:38] But I had, I have had to audition for things.

[00:36:41] And yeah, I definitely know that what I can do

[00:36:47] walking into the room is very different than what

[00:36:50] I can convey on an audition tape.

[00:36:53] You know, like you missed that personal interaction.

[00:36:57] Again, I walked in, you know, I walked into the room with

[00:37:00] with I spy and, and I was charming Betty Thomas

[00:37:04] because I'm wearing baggy green leather pants.

[00:37:06] You know, like that was never going to happen.

[00:37:09] I don't think I would have booked that off tape.

[00:37:11] Sure.

[00:37:12] That, I don't think so.

[00:37:14] That would have definitely, that would have had to have been

[00:37:17] an in-person type of situation.

[00:37:18] I thought to say they don't have, like they do that now.

[00:37:21] If you have a chemistry test with somebody or you get down

[00:37:24] to the, you know, the last few people.

[00:37:26] Yeah, they start putting people together in the room,

[00:37:28] which is good.

[00:37:29] I think you need that.

[00:37:30] You see how it works, you know, in, in, in, in live,

[00:37:35] in real time, you need to see that.

[00:37:37] Yeah.

[00:37:38] We, we've got two more things we have to get to before

[00:37:40] Rababfire and we've got to have you back, Viv,

[00:37:42] because I want to talk about Haley Dean.

[00:37:44] I've not seen those.

[00:37:45] Everybody tells us we have to watch them.

[00:37:46] Our producer is going crazy that I've not seen them.

[00:37:49] That everybody says you're the best part of these.

[00:37:51] Wow.

[00:37:52] They're so good is what our producer Aaron just said.

[00:37:55] So we, it's the best.

[00:37:57] Aaron, just relax.

[00:37:58] Aaron, calm it down over there.

[00:38:00] All right, Aaron, you have, you have five seconds to say

[00:38:02] whatever you want to do to Viv.

[00:38:03] Go.

[00:38:04] Oh no, that's so much pressure.

[00:38:05] Five.

[00:38:06] Viv, big fan of Haley Dean.

[00:38:07] You're an awesome part of that cast.

[00:38:08] I love when you rebooted it.

[00:38:10] That's all we got.

[00:38:11] Yeah, that's it.

[00:38:12] It was really kind.

[00:38:13] It was really kind.

[00:38:14] Sorry, it's all the time we have.

[00:38:16] But we do have to talk, we're running out of time

[00:38:18] and we do have to talk about when calls are hard

[00:38:20] before we talk about the, the lost log it.

[00:38:23] When calls are you get on this show?

[00:38:25] This is, if you've done three seasons now of this show,

[00:38:28] is that correct?

[00:38:30] That is correct.

[00:38:32] And this is, you get on a show that's been around for eight,

[00:38:34] nine years and you know,

[00:38:35] you're going to be a series regular.

[00:38:37] What tell me the process of that?

[00:38:39] Like was that a, you got a phone call or they were doing

[00:38:43] auditions.

[00:38:44] What was that like?

[00:38:45] Yeah.

[00:38:46] They were the.

[00:38:49] Yeah.

[00:38:50] I got a phone call and I should say the process of,

[00:38:54] the process of getting the kids on was the thing that,

[00:38:57] where, where we had to jump through some hoops with the kids

[00:39:01] because neither one of the kids had, had acted before.

[00:39:06] My daughter, Vienna had done some commercials,

[00:39:08] but Elias never, never acted before.

[00:39:12] So, so that was,

[00:39:13] there was a different process there for the kids than there

[00:39:16] was for me.

[00:39:17] And I, I kind of, I kind of knew, I knew it was coming.

[00:39:21] I knew, I knew, I knew that call was coming.

[00:39:25] Like the, the world had shifted.

[00:39:29] You know, there were some events that had happened and,

[00:39:32] and it felt like there was a,

[00:39:34] there was going to be some sort of change in,

[00:39:38] in you know, the makeup of the characters you're going to see

[00:39:42] going forward because of everything that happened,

[00:39:46] like the Black Lives Matter.

[00:39:47] Yeah, absolutely.

[00:39:49] Everything that stemmed from that.

[00:39:51] The thought process really was, okay,

[00:39:54] we're going to see things open up a little bit.

[00:39:57] And so I really,

[00:40:00] I really felt like a lot of respect.

[00:40:05] I felt there was a responsibility to whoever was going to play Joseph.

[00:40:10] I just felt like there's a huge responsibility because.

[00:40:15] You know, everyone knew this is, this is the first kind of like

[00:40:18] Black family coming onto the show.

[00:40:20] This is, this is the first time that you know,

[00:40:22] this is going to happen.

[00:40:24] So with that comes a responsibility to tell stories from the past.

[00:40:30] Right.

[00:40:31] But the universe of wind calls is,

[00:40:35] is slightly different than our own in that World War one didn't

[00:40:40] happen in that storyline.

[00:40:42] Right. Yeah, we asked that question all the time.

[00:40:46] We're like, what, what, what, like I taught history and so I don't

[00:40:51] quite understand.

[00:40:53] I know it's supposed to be in the late 19 teens,

[00:40:55] but I don't understand where it falls in because I'm like,

[00:40:58] you know, I know like Fiona's women's suffrage and like,

[00:41:02] and that, and I don't, I don't mean to interrupt you,

[00:41:03] but I do want to ask this because I do think that that is,

[00:41:06] it's the Pacific Northwest.

[00:41:08] It's an all white town and this first,

[00:41:11] you know, this first family of color comes to town and now we do

[00:41:14] have like May Sue and we have some others,

[00:41:16] but also it's a town where they've had a female mayor.

[00:41:19] You know what I mean? Abigail was the mayor.

[00:41:21] And so does this town represent to you more of an inclusive

[00:41:25] what we should hope for town since it's called Hope Valley

[00:41:28] and it doesn't exist in the real world.

[00:41:30] Does that is, is that what we're going for on Hope Valley?

[00:41:34] Yeah, it's a thing where you,

[00:41:36] it's really a situation where you're like, you know,

[00:41:40] if you could create a place,

[00:41:42] if you could have gone back and fixed the wrongs,

[00:41:46] that's really what this looks like more than,

[00:41:51] more than you can look back and say,

[00:41:53] this is based exactly on what happened because it couldn't be,

[00:41:57] couldn't tell this story.

[00:41:59] You couldn't tell the story of the way it's been told

[00:42:03] and really tie it to all of the events that were happening

[00:42:08] because it would be a completely different situation.

[00:42:10] Yeah.

[00:42:11] You know, and like I said, that was the way it was my friend,

[00:42:16] Peter Delweese who directs a lot of the episodes

[00:42:19] and he's an executive and a writer on the show.

[00:42:21] He said, think of it as an alternate universe.

[00:42:25] Think of it like there's a way you got it like

[00:42:27] you have to wrap your head around the circumstances

[00:42:31] of the circumstances, what's happening.

[00:42:33] So there's some things that we pull from like, you know,

[00:42:37] everything that's actually happened and other things where

[00:42:41] there's a little bit of creative license to,

[00:42:44] I guess to some degree to tell this story.

[00:42:48] And it's, yeah, Hope Valley is a place where,

[00:42:54] that'd be amazing if we had Hope Valley.

[00:42:56] That would have been amazing.

[00:42:58] That would have been a bit of a change to everything if there was

[00:43:01] actually a place like that that existed.

[00:43:03] For sure.

[00:43:04] You know, that's why it's, that's why this show kind of

[00:43:08] impacts people as much as it does is because it's taking,

[00:43:12] there's a lot of ideals that we all share,

[00:43:16] you know, that we all love to see rolled into one show.

[00:43:23] That's really the job that this show is doing.

[00:43:27] You mentioned that you took a break from acting because you

[00:43:30] were tired of the stereotype and kind of what you were,

[00:43:34] what was available to you.

[00:43:36] Fast forward now and you get to play a character like Joseph,

[00:43:38] which is not the stereotype.

[00:43:40] And you have this journey of your career from taking that

[00:43:44] break to now where things have evolved.

[00:43:48] Looking at it now, does it feel like change happened really

[00:43:55] fast or do you feel like it took too long?

[00:43:58] Like what's your take on kind of the characters that you have

[00:44:01] been able to play and how those characters have kind of evolved

[00:44:05] over the years.

[00:44:06] Is it what you hope that it would be when you took that

[00:44:09] break towards the beginning of your career?

[00:44:12] That's a really, that's a very good question.

[00:44:15] I'll tell you, it's always been a dangerous thing for

[00:44:25] a TV show or a movie to point the way as to how we should behave.

[00:44:35] It's, it's, it's, there's, because the whole thing about it is

[00:44:39] within, within how things are decided on a TV show or movie

[00:44:48] that still comes with the same problems that exist outside of

[00:44:53] the movie itself.

[00:44:54] So for instance, if I auditioned for, if I see that there's a

[00:44:59] part for a black dentist, right on a show.

[00:45:03] Yeah.

[00:45:04] Unless that casting director has ever seen a black dentist,

[00:45:12] the chances of them saying, oh yeah, yeah, yeah, let us see

[00:45:16] someone who looks like this for this part, they were very low

[00:45:20] at one point because people weren't told, hey man, open it up.

[00:45:24] Go off what you know, what you see, what you think, you just

[00:45:28] get, it's just good.

[00:45:29] It's like when you read a book, when you read a book,

[00:45:32] I, it probably looks in your mind, what you see those pictures.

[00:45:38] It's probably pretty close to what I see because we've all

[00:45:42] seen the same tropes.

[00:45:44] We've seen, we've seen them all so we can kind of jump to that.

[00:45:48] Oh, I know who they're describing there because they describe

[00:45:51] them.

[00:45:52] They tell you what it looks like and we can like, we have that

[00:45:54] mental picture.

[00:45:55] It's the same thing that happens when you see a part,

[00:45:58] you're like, oh, you start reading the character description

[00:46:00] as a dentist and you, what happens is we, people just

[00:46:05] eliminate people from that list.

[00:46:08] And it's like, if I said, I'm a rocket scientist, oh,

[00:46:12] there's going to be someone who is going to look at me and

[00:46:17] question it for a second, but dressed the way I dressed.

[00:46:21] I'm dressed now, but if I put on a tie and have some glasses

[00:46:25] and I started on my rocket scientist, oh, it just,

[00:46:29] that just helped move the dial just because of their own

[00:46:34] interpretation of the same person.

[00:46:37] Right.

[00:46:38] That's all, nothing changed here.

[00:46:40] Same guy, but I'm showing you something else outwardly.

[00:46:45] And so you make another decision.

[00:46:47] And it's the same thing, unless everyone within the system of

[00:46:54] putting movies and television and stuff out, if everyone

[00:46:57] doesn't change, you're going to get somebody's judgment on

[00:47:01] something.

[00:47:02] And that is a personal call.

[00:47:06] Because someone at the top always has the right to be like,

[00:47:09] I don't know, I want someone else in that spot.

[00:47:12] They got the power and if that person is short sighted or

[00:47:16] grew up and they didn't like people that look like that or

[00:47:19] didn't like that name because that's happened.

[00:47:22] What's your name? George.

[00:47:25] I grew up, God, if George beat me up every day, I don't like you.

[00:47:29] That stuff happens.

[00:47:30] That stuff happens and people, that stuff gets ingrained.

[00:47:34] And like I said, they're in a position to pick and choose

[00:47:37] and they just, that is a human reaction.

[00:47:40] You have to tell yourself not to look at someone and do the

[00:47:45] mental assessment that you're doing because that's what we do.

[00:47:48] You see someone and you already start assessing.

[00:47:51] He drives a truck F-14 and F-150.

[00:47:54] And he like, you start doing that.

[00:47:56] You know everything about that guy or that gal for the way

[00:48:00] they present.

[00:48:01] They come up wearing that.

[00:48:03] Oh, you got a Metallica t-shirt on.

[00:48:05] I don't have to wonder if you like Metallica.

[00:48:08] You know what I mean?

[00:48:10] Like it's just because we deck, we deck ourselves out.

[00:48:14] Trying to just describe who we are.

[00:48:17] That's what we do.

[00:48:19] And then everybody, so this is the same thing that's happening

[00:48:22] on film.

[00:48:23] And it's the same thing that's happening with the character

[00:48:25] description that all of us get to see.

[00:48:27] We see the character description.

[00:48:29] And then the case of, like I said, I spy.

[00:48:32] The character description was assistant.

[00:48:35] But everybody thought executive assistant because they saw the

[00:48:38] word assistant,

[00:48:40] they all jumped to the conclusion that the guys were in a suit.

[00:48:43] But I thought something different.

[00:48:45] And it's just because of my interpretation of the same guy.

[00:48:49] That I got the part and they did it.

[00:48:51] And it's based, but it was based off of, you know, a guess.

[00:48:54] You know.

[00:48:56] And yeah, like the stuff I see.

[00:48:59] Happening.

[00:49:01] And I think that's what I'm saying.

[00:49:03] But for me,

[00:49:05] it feels very, very late because there is no minority group.

[00:49:09] That hasn't been saying what they've been saying for a very long

[00:49:13] time.

[00:49:14] Yeah.

[00:49:15] That doesn't, that doesn't exist.

[00:49:18] It's like, if you, if you see a group come out,

[00:49:21] these cats put on an album and that album is amazing.

[00:49:24] Right.

[00:49:25] They put on this CD of a dope music.

[00:49:27] It's so good.

[00:49:28] And it's like, you know,

[00:49:30] I'm not gonna say that.

[00:49:31] I'm not gonna say that.

[00:49:32] I'm not gonna say that.

[00:49:33] But I think they've been together for like 10 years.

[00:49:36] Yeah.

[00:49:37] This is not this unit.

[00:49:38] They didn't just put together this group yesterday.

[00:49:40] And now they got a hit.

[00:49:41] They have been gigging for 10 years before they blow up.

[00:49:43] It's, it's.

[00:49:44] Yeah.

[00:49:45] It's a.

[00:49:47] It's, it's late to the game as far as I'm concerned.

[00:49:52] But I'm really happy that it's actually happening because.

[00:49:57] I think that's what I'm trying to say.

[00:49:59] But it's like,

[00:50:00] I think that's what I'm trying to say is that they're not gonna

[00:50:03] get into this industry the way they did.

[00:50:05] My kids did not get into the industry the way I did.

[00:50:08] The parts that they auditioned for.

[00:50:11] The, the,

[00:50:12] the care and attention that people put into making sure that

[00:50:16] if they're saying something about a race that they are not,

[00:50:19] if they're writing it,

[00:50:20] they go and now I was triple checking in double check.

[00:50:23] They're checking that.

[00:50:24] Yeah.

[00:50:25] And then they're like, you know,

[00:50:27] I'm not sure if it's true.

[00:50:28] You know, somebody.

[00:50:30] So my family's from the West Indies.

[00:50:32] So there's from Trinidad and there's a Trinidadian accent.

[00:50:36] Now.

[00:50:37] I have never seen anyone on film do it right.

[00:50:40] Ever.

[00:50:41] It's never happened unless that active was Trinidadian.

[00:50:44] If somebody was trying to be Trinidadian.

[00:50:46] And it's killing my ears because they didn't do enough research.

[00:50:52] They didn't care enough to do the extra research to do it right.

[00:50:56] And now you're seeing that people are like,

[00:50:59] You're going to offend somebody if you do a lot of things,

[00:51:04] you're going to offend somebody.

[00:51:05] So just do your due diligence.

[00:51:08] Make sure everything is okay.

[00:51:11] And then you can say the things you want to say.

[00:51:13] So we've moved the needle.

[00:51:16] I think to some degree, we, we, we,

[00:51:19] there was a, there was an over correction because everybody was like,

[00:51:24] but we don't want it.

[00:51:25] We don't want anybody to be upset.

[00:51:27] And so, you know, you have to kind of.

[00:51:31] I think, I think we're moving back and we're moving back to kind

[00:51:34] of a middle situation now.

[00:51:36] I think there was an over correct.

[00:51:37] And I think now we're seeing a lot of things changing again in

[00:51:41] the future.

[00:51:42] You know, people talk about woke and all this other stuff.

[00:51:45] And I think it, I think we,

[00:51:47] there was an overshoot and a natural kind of like course correction.

[00:51:52] And you know, but thankfully people know the issues.

[00:51:56] People know everything.

[00:51:57] This is such a fascinating topic.

[00:51:59] And, and I think, you know,

[00:52:01] the thing that I'm hearing that we've heard and we,

[00:52:03] we know to be true is representation matters so much.

[00:52:06] Like people need to see themselves.

[00:52:08] But I think that our,

[00:52:10] those are the things that we've heard from people.

[00:52:13] And that's why,

[00:52:14] and it's,

[00:52:15] you know,

[00:52:16] for the last couple of years,

[00:52:17] we've been really kind of looking at this.

[00:52:19] And I think that it's,

[00:52:20] you know,

[00:52:21] what people see as the other things,

[00:52:23] and I think that's a thing that's going to come into play

[00:52:25] in the future.

[00:52:26] So that's,

[00:52:27] it's like,

[00:52:28] you know,

[00:52:29] I mean some of the other things that we've heard about,

[00:52:31] like,

[00:52:32] we've seen it in the last three years or so.

[00:52:34] You can see that we've seen it in the last three years,

[00:52:36] doing and like show and and like when calls the heart I mean you know what

[00:52:43] that show originally was like you like you know who it was for you know who

[00:52:48] was reading that original book and if you go and watch the early seasons of

[00:52:53] when calls the heart the tone is very specific very specific it is not a

[00:52:59] freewheeling place where we welcome everyone with open arms and you can

[00:53:05] feel free to make something of yourself and you're accepted for who you are and

[00:53:09] you're not asked to change and assimilate that's not the hope valley of 2014 it

[00:53:15] isn't and so I guess my question is is that more do you think do you think that

[00:53:22] happened because of some of the events around 2020 2019 the BLM movement or

[00:53:26] do you think that's a hallmark regime change or COVID or just a culmination

[00:53:31] of all that stuff culturally that that seemed to be something that kicked in

[00:53:37] before any of the other changes that I said I saw anyway like you know I knew I

[00:53:46] got on Haley Dean because I got on Haley Dean that's that's what I knew that

[00:53:51] the Fincher was Fincher was yeah Fincher was supposed to be African-American so

[00:53:56] okay and that was based off Nancy Grace's actual guide like the guy that I'm

[00:54:03] based that Fincher was based off of is an African-American man so so okay that was

[00:54:08] just true to life and I got on there and it was no you know I didn't feel like

[00:54:11] anybody was like gave me a leg up because because of anything it was just I

[00:54:16] was a funny guy and I got on and it was and to Kelly and I clicked and all

[00:54:20] that is the result of us clicking as people but the changes on when calls those

[00:54:27] that kicked in that kicked in a while before before any decisions were made

[00:54:34] to like you know bring me on or bring anything you know Amanda Wong on or

[00:54:39] anybody else that the when calls had already had already started making the

[00:54:46] change when everything when everything did change they had already started that

[00:54:54] the tone of the show changed a lot I think it was a thing where you know

[00:55:03] Hallmark Hallmark read its audience and was like you know what are people looking

[00:55:07] for here you know what what are they what do they want there's there's a

[00:55:13] there's a large degree of you know escapism that exists with it when you can

[00:55:18] just kind of like everybody in the room can watch the show you know there's

[00:55:21] certain shows that I really like but my wife she just can't she can't sit

[00:55:26] through it it's just too she'd be too on edge to watch you know you know

[00:55:31] stuff you know there's different networks that have shows that are just

[00:55:33] a little more heavy-hitting and I think there was a decision made to like

[00:55:38] let's pull back and just present the thing that is very feel good because

[00:55:44] that's you know and it's a good thing that it has that that lane exists because

[00:55:49] you kind of need that sometimes you know there's something is you know you

[00:55:54] want to escape from the world and then you put on your favorite show and your

[00:55:57] favorite character gets killed like that's that's that's hard too so

[00:56:03] there's there's a lot to be said for you know when calls which to me always

[00:56:09] reminded me of like Little House on the Prairie yeah from back today it was

[00:56:13] ironic that Michael Endon Jr. was involved that's right yeah first

[00:56:17] iteration of the way when calls was and it was actually much more like

[00:56:22] Little House on the Prairie then because Little House when I grew up

[00:56:26] watching that show they they tackled lots of stuff they tackle lots of

[00:56:32] things that were uncomfortable and we there was a yeah I think there was a

[00:56:38] decision made to like let's just again if you decide to cut World War one out

[00:56:45] of a series right and that's the whole thing but so the thing for me is again

[00:56:50] when calls has this very interesting place for me where it comes to like

[00:56:55] what I didn't see versus what I now see which is myself and my kids and

[00:57:01] Natasha Burnett like on the show that it that place like I said it's like it's

[00:57:07] like an alternate reality from the from the jump and so when they when they made

[00:57:12] that change it really was to that alternate reality like no World War one

[00:57:17] if you can cut out well and the Spanish flu which was not around

[00:57:24] it should be happening right now.

[00:57:26] You can if you can if you can do that then then this show exists in another lane

[00:57:32] and and and I can I can I can jump on to that like I didn't know how to play

[00:57:38] Joseph at first when I when I I didn't know how to play Joseph because

[00:57:43] you know I had to I had to watch because if you watch the early seasons

[00:57:46] if I based Joseph off of the early iteration of when calls I would have

[00:57:52] been coming in a little too hot.

[00:57:56] I had to I did my research and I knew the tone

[00:58:00] and came in like that because yeah it's such a different show from like

[00:58:06] early days. Absolutely very great show. And like I said I think they made

[00:58:11] that they actually made that choice to like we can exist in another lane

[00:58:15] where we we we've set up the world. We can pull from you know what

[00:58:21] everyone knows that is about we can show the way it could have been.

[00:58:28] And and and you know some some folks might be like oh you know you can't

[00:58:33] really change you can't really change the past like that. Yeah.

[00:58:36] Like you know those shows like Bridgeton that I that I look at and go

[00:58:43] that doesn't that there's things that don't work but I'm like but if

[00:58:46] you can cut it out here then you can cut it out there. Yeah. You can do

[00:58:50] that. It's the story you want to tell. I don't have a problem with that.

[00:58:54] Yeah. Someone wants to tell that story because because because that would

[00:58:58] be like us going Star Wars.

[00:59:02] Wookie can't talk to a wookie like you know what I mean like you've got no

[00:59:06] argument that your problem with Star Wars like that was the thing that

[00:59:10] kind of tripped me out when people were reacting to Finn being a brother.

[00:59:15] I was like there's a wookie. Yeah.

[00:59:19] That doesn't bother you. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:59:22] Like what he's talking to a flying snail. No that's fine.

[00:59:28] But no.

[00:59:29] OK. You know what I mean. Ridiculous.

[00:59:31] This is like if we if we can you know like people Star Wars the greatest

[00:59:36] thing people people that that's that's their religion and it's based

[00:59:40] off of fantasy. So you know I think like I said

[00:59:46] when calls pick the lane and I think they picked right because to be honest

[00:59:52] as a purely dramatic mostly dramatic show

[00:59:59] to be talking about season 11. No sir.

[01:00:02] That is not not with like the the frontier life and all that.

[01:00:07] Woo. That'll beat that'll beat you down.

[01:00:09] That will that will beat you down. Yeah.

[01:00:13] We go ahead. We got to talk about the legend.

[01:00:15] Yeah. Let's talk about it.

[01:00:17] I believe the best man we could do this all day.

[01:00:19] I believe the first Hallmark movie that you're the lead in.

[01:00:26] Is that correct.

[01:00:28] And it's correct. Tell me about it.

[01:00:29] Tell me tell me how it all came to be very cool that it's happening.

[01:00:33] I like the synergy.

[01:00:35] When calls the hardest starting.

[01:00:36] Here you are. Here's this movie with you in it.

[01:00:39] They did the same thing with Aaron last week.

[01:00:41] I like that. But tell me about this movie and how it all came to be.

[01:00:43] You've been killing the word.

[01:00:44] So I've been killing.

[01:00:45] I just heard it.

[01:00:46] I just learned you added it and it is not going to me in the word synergy.

[01:00:50] I have some serious synergy right now.

[01:00:52] It's so synergistic.

[01:00:54] 100% dude.

[01:00:56] So synergistic.

[01:00:57] You know

[01:00:59] so about a year and a half ago myself and Natasha.

[01:01:05] We were talking about like we would like we were like saying each other.

[01:01:10] We'd like to do a romcom together.

[01:01:12] That'd be really cool.

[01:01:14] Now the reason that we really kind of you know saw this as something

[01:01:18] that could be done is that a lot of our costars on on when calls

[01:01:24] they'll do you know romcoms when we're on aatus.

[01:01:29] And so cabin cabin Smith and Pascal they both have done multiple

[01:01:35] romcoms but a lot of they've done a lot of those together.

[01:01:38] So so we spoke to both of them and they were like oh yeah look this is you know

[01:01:43] this is kind of the blueprint do this do this do this do this do this.

[01:01:47] This you can expect this to happen and they really kind of walk us through

[01:01:50] the whole process now because of Haley Dean Mysteries I still had

[01:01:55] there was still some folks that I knew from those days.

[01:01:59] And so I contacted the writer of Haley Dean Mysteries.

[01:02:04] Michelle Ricci is her name and I

[01:02:07] myself and Natasha came up with the concept of Legend of the Lost Locket.

[01:02:13] At the time it was we share a mutual love of the show Colombo.

[01:02:18] Yeah.

[01:02:19] Show Colombo.

[01:02:20] And like so many people know Colombo but they don't know

[01:02:26] no Colombo like we do.

[01:02:27] And I can't even say we do because Natasha she is an expert

[01:02:30] on Peter Falc and Colombo.

[01:02:33] You would not believe what she knows about about Peter

[01:02:38] Peter Falc and Colombo.

[01:02:39] It's crazy.

[01:02:39] Anyways, so we wanted to have like a murder mystery rom-com.

[01:02:45] That's who we wanted to have.

[01:02:47] And Michelle was like well.

[01:02:51] They don't they wouldn't really want to do a romance with a like a corpse

[01:02:55] like a body that you're that you're leaning over.

[01:02:59] They don't want people to fall in love over a body.

[01:03:00] So she was like that's not what they're looking for.

[01:03:03] If it's a rom-com, she's like on the mystery channel.

[01:03:06] Yes.

[01:03:06] But if you want to do a rom-com that's that's not going to work.

[01:03:13] So we changed it now to like the treasure hunt that you see.

[01:03:16] Yeah.

[01:03:17] That that's that change.

[01:03:18] So that was supposed to be a murder that we were trying to solve

[01:03:21] together, but it turned into to what to what you end up seeing.

[01:03:25] So Michelle took the took the treatment to Howard Bronstein,

[01:03:33] our producer, who then took it to Aisha Francis,

[01:03:36] our executive at Hallmark.

[01:03:38] And Aisha used to be one of the executives involved with Haley

[01:03:41] Dean.

[01:03:42] So so I have this this very cool relationship with Aisha

[01:03:47] and she she like spearheaded this whole thing and just like

[01:03:52] walked it walked us through the whole production and how, you know,

[01:03:57] every step of the way.

[01:03:58] And it took about a year and a half to get it from concept to we're filming.

[01:04:03] And and it was it was a trip because the actors

[01:04:09] and actors, writers, strike, director, strike, all that happened

[01:04:15] be just before we started filming.

[01:04:18] And for for about 90 percent of our crew.

[01:04:23] Our show, our movie was the first gig back from not working for months.

[01:04:28] And it was.

[01:04:31] It was one of the proudest, proudest moments ever.

[01:04:35] You know, knowing that a phone call a year and a half ago

[01:04:40] was able to line up with what so many people on the cast and crew

[01:04:45] needed now.

[01:04:46] Like that was it was such a cool, cool thing to to know that, you know,

[01:04:52] something you something you decided on a year and a half ago

[01:04:55] literally came to a head, you know, in another moment

[01:04:58] and ended up helping somebody.

[01:05:00] I just I'm very, very we're both very proud of this of this movie.

[01:05:06] We were made executive producers on this movie as well.

[01:05:08] And again, a lot of, you know, a lot of what

[01:05:13] of how everything went down.

[01:05:16] Cabin in Pascal had had broken everything down for us.

[01:05:19] So we knew what to expect.

[01:05:21] And I couldn't be more proud of this of this production

[01:05:26] because it helped people, you know, not even in so much

[01:05:30] like the cinematic space, like people have seen it and it's done something for them.

[01:05:34] But it actually helped.

[01:05:37] Casting crew in town, people who had not worked for months.

[01:05:41] And so for me, it's already it's like it's already a win.

[01:05:45] We are one because it happened.

[01:05:47] It's fantastic.

[01:05:49] No AI in this movie.

[01:05:50] Nope. No, sir.

[01:05:51] No, sir.

[01:05:52] How now?

[01:05:53] Welcome to here.

[01:05:54] Nope. Synergy.

[01:05:55] There is a lot of AI in this interview, though.

[01:05:57] And I aren't actually here.

[01:05:58] Actually, we're not actually here.

[01:05:59] Yeah, that's actually very scripted.

[01:06:02] Neither.

[01:06:04] Don't work it out great.

[01:06:06] We are going to wrap up with a little rapid fire round.

[01:06:10] Dan and I each could ask you three questions.

[01:06:12] They can be about anything, which is very different,

[01:06:14] right? Very different than what we've been doing.

[01:06:16] That's right.

[01:06:16] But also fast.

[01:06:20] Dan, the best food in Vancouver.

[01:06:25] From the patty shop, the roti, the patty shop.

[01:06:29] What am I? What am I getting there that's so good?

[01:06:32] You're getting West Indian food.

[01:06:34] OK, I'm in for sure.

[01:06:36] Are you a sports sportsman?

[01:06:39] And if so, what would be your sports and team of choice?

[01:06:44] Formula one.

[01:06:47] Driver of choice, Lewis Hamilton.

[01:06:48] Wow.

[01:06:50] Because he's going to be on a different team next year.

[01:06:52] He's going to be on Ferrari next year.

[01:06:54] So I can't say the team is on because I like the team he's on,

[01:06:58] but he's going somewhere else.

[01:06:59] But I like him better.

[01:07:00] I got to be honest.

[01:07:01] I got to get into Formula One.

[01:07:03] I just keep hearing it's amazing.

[01:07:04] And the Netflix documentary or whatever just started all that.

[01:07:08] And like people have been finding it left and right.

[01:07:11] Yeah, I've been I've been watching Formula One since since the late 80s.

[01:07:15] Wow. Yeah, I'm a big I'm a big gear head.

[01:07:18] How about that? I love it.

[01:07:20] Yeah, lots of cars.

[01:07:23] Yeah.

[01:07:25] A favorite memory of a specific movie in the theater your brother took you to.

[01:07:29] Oh.

[01:07:34] Empire Strikes Back.

[01:07:35] Yeah, I mean, come on.

[01:07:37] Yeah, Empire Strikes Back that and and I got to put Rocky three in there because I

[01:07:43] clubber Lang theater came out the theater.

[01:07:46] Now I'm like, oh, buddy.

[01:07:48] That's the one where Hulk Hogan picks up Rocky right over.

[01:07:52] Yeah, classic, classic catch me.

[01:07:56] Yeah. Yeah, classic.

[01:07:58] Do you think you could walk across America?

[01:08:01] What? Like if you had to?

[01:08:04] Yeah. Cool.

[01:08:07] If I had to get if I had to get to my wife and kids on the other side.

[01:08:09] That's what I'm talking about.

[01:08:10] That's not sweet.

[01:08:11] He took that dumb, dumb question and made it good.

[01:08:14] I'm going to make his rapist pops with simple yes or no.

[01:08:17] Is this the last season of when calls the heart?

[01:08:21] Oh, I don't know.

[01:08:25] How about this?

[01:08:26] How many seasons do you think it should go?

[01:08:28] Oh, wow.

[01:08:29] There you go like that.

[01:08:32] It could be 25. 25.

[01:08:34] No problem.

[01:08:34] No problem.

[01:08:36] 25.

[01:08:37] No problem.

[01:08:37] That's a problem for me.

[01:08:41] 25 no problem.

[01:08:42] Hey, man, my kids got to go up.

[01:08:43] That's true.

[01:08:44] Listen, you got to get the third one in there.

[01:08:47] If if 25 means that Vivian is family are still acting

[01:08:51] and this is great.

[01:08:52] This is the hard part.

[01:08:53] You want to break the family up?

[01:08:55] You want to break the family up because you don't like the show.

[01:08:57] Gets to go to work with his kids.

[01:08:59] You don't want to be able to work with his kids.

[01:09:01] Hoping it's the last season.

[01:09:02] I am the I'm the monster here.

[01:09:04] I'm the monster.

[01:09:05] Oh, no.

[01:09:06] No, you just, you know, you know, things work.

[01:09:09] Like I said, right?

[01:09:10] If it was it was a purely dramatic piece.

[01:09:12] Yeah, you can expect you to expect that the last those last six, seven seasons.

[01:09:16] Try won't even be won't even be a great depression in season 25.

[01:09:19] It just be a normal day.

[01:09:21] A normal in the 1930s.

[01:09:25] You know, the thing about it is, yo, it's incredibly hard to write.

[01:09:30] These writers are amazing because it's really hard to write when you extract.

[01:09:34] Yeah, a lot of this stuff that that was, you know, causing so much pain.

[01:09:39] Like if you take that out, it's what we're talking about.

[01:09:43] But then it's like Fiona has gone to be a suffragette and it's like,

[01:09:46] well, you guys have already had a female mayor.

[01:09:48] Like where's the like what where's the voting?

[01:09:51] What's going on?

[01:09:52] Like like she's fighting for women's right to vote, but they already have it in

[01:09:55] Hope Valley.

[01:09:56] That I'm saying different.

[01:09:57] Yeah.

[01:09:58] The rest of the rest of the place hasn't caught on.

[01:10:01] So she's going out to like fight the good fight.

[01:10:03] You know, that's the deal.

[01:10:05] It's kind of like Barbie in that sense.

[01:10:07] You go into kind of a different space and you're fighting for, you know what I mean?

[01:10:12] Yeah, sure.

[01:10:13] I don't know.

[01:10:14] I think there's something there.

[01:10:15] I don't think there is.

[01:10:16] Hope Valley is the Barbie.

[01:10:17] Maybe could he bike across the world?

[01:10:19] I don't know.

[01:10:20] Do you have another question for him?

[01:10:21] Do you have an uping, an uping, an up and coming

[01:10:25] comedian that you're into right now?

[01:10:28] Or do you not have time for that?

[01:10:31] Up and coming.

[01:10:33] There's a cat named Mo Gilligan.

[01:10:36] He's from the UK.

[01:10:37] He's he's very funny.

[01:10:38] Mo Gilligan.

[01:10:39] Oh, Gilligan.

[01:10:40] I love that.

[01:10:40] Yeah.

[01:10:41] Oh, Mo's funny, man.

[01:10:42] Um, for years ago with Sebastian Maddaskalco, we myself and my wife

[01:10:50] ran across his early stuff.

[01:10:52] Like people didn't even know who Sebastian was yet, man.

[01:10:54] And and I yeah, I was like, this guy's gonna blow up.

[01:10:58] He has.

[01:10:59] He has.

[01:11:00] Yes, he's just man likes I can sit down in the room and rap with Sebastian

[01:11:08] about most everything, I'm sure.

[01:11:10] And we light up on a lot of stuff because he's oh, man, he's funny.

[01:11:13] I love that.

[01:11:14] But a bonus question if you had to choose between Lucas and Nathan,

[01:11:17] who would you choose?

[01:11:20] Those are my dudes, man.

[01:11:22] One of them's got to go.

[01:11:24] He's going to choose.

[01:11:25] He's going to choose.

[01:11:25] Kevin, he's going to choose Lee is what's going to happen.

[01:11:27] Lee.

[01:11:30] That I don't know, man.

[01:11:32] One of them's got to go.

[01:11:34] Why like go as in gone or not?

[01:11:36] I mean, you can kill him if you want to.

[01:11:38] It's up to you.

[01:11:39] It's whatever you want, man.

[01:11:40] You're who do you think Elizabeth should end up with?

[01:11:44] I'll say this, you know, given where it might go based on

[01:11:50] some big billboards that I think we know.

[01:11:53] But we thought we knew.

[01:11:55] Yeah.

[01:11:56] I've been here before, man.

[01:11:57] No, we've been here before.

[01:11:59] I've been lied to a number of times here.

[01:12:03] I'll tell you, is it you?

[01:12:06] No, he's already spoken for.

[01:12:07] I will say I've been team Gowen though.

[01:12:09] Let's kill both Nathan and Lucas and have her end up with Gowan.

[01:12:13] Where's that show?

[01:12:15] Gowan loves you love that.

[01:12:16] Abigail got arrested, man.

[01:12:19] There's nothing I can do about that.

[01:12:21] There's nothing I could do about that.

[01:12:23] Abigail's OK.

[01:12:24] She's OK.

[01:12:25] She's OK.

[01:12:26] He knocked on the door at the end of the season.

[01:12:28] Now he's I think that Abigail paid $300,000 for it to be

[01:12:33] made. We're not going to do it.

[01:12:37] Thank you, buddy.

[01:12:38] This is so much fun.

[01:12:39] Legend of the Lost Locket Saturday Hallmark Channel.

[01:12:43] You can watch right here on Philo TV on the Hallmark

[01:12:46] Channel. We're very excited about it.

[01:12:47] Viv, you you join the Hour Plus Club.

[01:12:50] Not many people have done that.

[01:12:52] So congratulations to you and to us because it was it was

[01:12:55] very fun for us.

[01:12:56] And we always end every interview by being the first to wish you

[01:13:00] a Merry Christmas.

[01:13:02] The Homework is produced by Aaron Shea for more information

[01:13:06] on deck the homework.

[01:13:07] You can go to deck the hallmark dot com for more information

[01:13:09] on the deck the Hallmark family.

[01:13:11] You can go to bramble jam plus dot com deck.

[01:13:13] The homework is presented by Philo TV for a free trial of

[01:13:16] Philo. Go to Philo dot TV slash DTH.

[01:13:23] You're about to hear some ads that help keep the lights

[01:13:26] on here in the old studio.

[01:13:29] Thanks for listening or don't listen.

[01:13:31] It's really up to you at this point.

[01:13:33] Is that the end of the show?

[01:13:35] I mean, you're listening to me.

[01:13:36] Hi, but here they come.

[01:13:38] I promise to come.

[01:13:39] Yep, here they are.

[01:13:41] Happy day.