The Wire Star Reveals Hollywood's Dark Secret: Only 3% of Actors Can Pay Their Bills

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If you want to become an actor because you think you're going to be rich, well, there
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your odds.
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You got 3% chance.
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You know him as Chris Partlow from The Wire, but Benga's story runs deeper than any script
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he's ever read.
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We grew up in poverty, so that had a lot to do with my world view as a child, and I was
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fortunate enough to get out of that environment eventually.
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I think my parents were doing the best they could with what they had.
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From surviving the streets of DC to performing on Broadway, Benga has used acting, activism,
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and art to reclaim narrative and power.
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For the longest time, I was very much wanted to roles, Batman and Black Panther.
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On this episode of Afapolitan, we talk Hollywood, healing, and what it really means to play
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a role on screen and in life.
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I don't need to be president, I don't need to build statues, I don't need anything, I just
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want even if it's just a handful of people whose lives are better because they need me.
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If you were an actor, what would you mean?
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So if someone was to watch this interview, what's the one thing you would want them to take
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away from it?
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Ooh.
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As I'm not sure what this interview is about, I don't know.
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That's an open guy.
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That's an open guy.
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Okay, we're going to go into the many, because you have many layers, I found out about
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you.
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So I'm really, really excited to jump in.
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But I think first, we always want to take it back to your childhood, right?
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You grew up in Maryland, you're in parents, how did they shape your identity and worldview?
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That's, you mean my parents?
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Yeah, your parents.
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It's interesting.
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So I grew up in Maryland, I was born in DC for generation.
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I think that, I mean, we grew up in poverty, so that had a lot to do with my worldview as
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a child.
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And one of the things I've learned retrospectively is that children's self, the idea of themselves
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is established by how the world interacts with them.
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They're literally learning who they are by how people treat them, what they see, what
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they're referred to as, which is why it's so incredibly important to shower kids with
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love, because that's how they learned who they are in the world.
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And so that wasn't the environment I was in, and I was fortunate enough to get out of
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the environment eventually.
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But then even more fortunate to recognize the importance of not repeating patterns and
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making an effort to unlearn a lot of things.
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So I think my parents are doing the best they could with what they had, but those, what
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they had definitely wasn't like the skills to raise children.
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Yeah.
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Yeah.
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And I want to also talk about, because you said you got out of that situation, so one
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of the first things that I found out about you is you got a wrestling scholarship, right?
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Which is very different than the one you lived today.
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So I'm curious, when you got that scholarship, did you have a set plan where you're very
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clear, like, you know, I'm going to do this and then go on to that or, or, you know,
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how did you actually land?
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Atlantic.
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Yo.
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So I was in and out of schools and institutions and trouble up until my junior year.
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I'd earn my way out into what was supposed to be my home school for at least a couple
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periods.
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And then I was in the school for trouble to use for a couple periods and I was allowed
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to work for, do enough to school activity and did a job, I worked.
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And then because I was in the regular school for a couple periods, I went out for the,
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for an after school activity for the first time ever, a sport and it was wrestling.
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I did well.
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My coach gave me a pamphlet for wrestling camps that following summer.
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And these camps were at universities and I picked one up that sounded like a university
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at herd of on television, which is Cornell and this school was Bucknell and I called
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them and told them that I was working at work and I was trying to get up there and
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they connected me with someone else at another high school and I got a ride and like all
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these things were happened since and so then the coach saw me wrestling and realized I
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had only wrestled one year.
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He then actively started recruiting me.
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I didn't plan any of that.
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I didn't, you know, just it was different than what I had known.
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It was exciting to me.
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It was some, I mean, I didn't have the vocabulary for it then, but it was like good healthy
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outlets for young people, which is what I needed.
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And I lucked into it later in life than earlier and then, and then when I went back to school
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my senior year and I started telling people like, oh yeah, this, this, about this school
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and this coach who wanted to recruit me, I didn't know Bucknell was a good school until
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I started to see white people's reaction, like one they knew it so I was like, oh, white
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people know it.
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And they're like, oh, Bucknell, I was like, oh, white people like it.
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And so I'm like, then I started looking at it, realized it was a, it was a good school.
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I didn't plan that.
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I was, I was, I was very fortunate, but I had my, I put my teeth in it.
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I wasn't going to let go because this, I, I didn't, I didn't have a plan B. Like once
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I graduated, I was out of that house as far as, like they, they were, they pretty much
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told me when it's some 13, you leave, you will not be here.
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And so I'm like, all right, we'll have to figure something out.
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And was that where you started to understand more about acting or did that happen like
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way after you finished university?
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Way after.
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Like I, so when I graduated, um, and I ended up working for the federal government for
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a year.
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And I got curious about acting, you know, someone came by, came by my cubicle and mentioned
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that they had a friend in town who was acting and, and I, and I never even thought of it as
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something that I, you, someone did as a career, it was television so my baby said, I watched
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hours and hours and hours of really growing up.
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But that was about it.
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So then I started researching it and started submitting myself to auditions in the DC area
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just to see what it was like.
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And it was nerve-wracking.
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And so, and I, and I got a thrill from it.
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So it's like, I want to do more.
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I want to learn more.
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I want to learn the model I was.
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I want to, I started that going online and just, you know, doing research about a bunch
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of books.
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I was excited.
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So I want to call out Chica on something.
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So I'm a huge wire fan, obviously.
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Like I rewatched it.
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I think like maybe even a month or two months ago, I literally watched it again.
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I'm always, there's just so many nuggets as you grow that you just keep picking, picking
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from it.
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No, Chica's never watched the wire.
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No.
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I watch episodes of it.
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I've never watched a full thing.
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Yeah.
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You can't, that's so.
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But she's also from DC and the MV area.
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So I'm like, this is even double, but I'm not from Baltimore.
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So that's the thing about episodes because you have to watch it all in here.
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You're not from Bury from.
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I'm from Germantown.
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That's right.
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It's definitely not both.
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She said.
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She said, that's the tag right at Germantown.
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We're not both.
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I'm a white picket fan.
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It's like that's the top of it.
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Like Sonica Valley.
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Sonica Valley.
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That was my rival school.
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I went to Northwest.
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Northwest.
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Yes.
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Okay.
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She said she said I grew up in suburbia.
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Yeah.
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That's all Germantown is that.
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So the White House did the test of time, like 20 years later.
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What do you think made the show so special?
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I think it was a confluence of a few different things.
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One, the writer.
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It was the writers, you know, like by David Simon at Burns.
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And we also had novelist who were also like part of that team.
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So it wasn't just like writers.
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It's like people who understood story in this long form and deep characters, Dennis Lahane,
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Richard Price.
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You know, we had like amazing writers.
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I think also we were Baltimore.
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We weren't shooting in LA in New York.
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Like we shot on the streets of Baltimore with oftentimes using real people and we're
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telling full stories, not just characters and fun enough.
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So we were, you know, the show never won, you know, any of the big awards if they actually
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wasn't really nominated.
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And so year after year it was ignored.
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And then there'd be a slew of writings in articles and newspapers all over by the critics
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about how crazy it was that this show was ignored.
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But what it did was kind of bond us, like we realized, oh, we weren't doing this show
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for the industry.
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We weren't doing this show for the viewers because we didn't really have a lot of viewers
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when we were on.
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It really blew up after the fact.
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So we were doing it for us.
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We were doing it for Baltimore.
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So we just like got to like stick to true storytelling.
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And there were no, as far as there were no precious cows that the term precious cows on
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there, they would, anybody could get it, you know, they, so even if you were a very popular
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character, like, like, the writers didn't care.
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Like, it was the most, the biggest, it was the most important thing was the story.
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Yeah.
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Yeah.
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Which ended up giving so much credence and credibility to do what happened.
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You know, it's funny.
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As I rewatched it again, I remember your character, Chris Parkler, when it showed up on
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screen, I was like, yo, it's the beautiful aspect of this character is he communicates in
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so much body language where he uses his words, but you also can read his body language
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if you're somebody who's perceptive, right?
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So how did you prepare for that role?
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I started killing a lot of people.
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Oh, is this all?
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I thought you were recording.
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I thought this was the big part of the recording.
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You got to erase the story.
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Okay.
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You know what I'm saying?
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Yeah.
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Um, you have to see them all as full characters, you have to see them as, you know, once
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in desires and not playing a bad guy, not playing a good, but guy is just a guy is someone
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who has a job, someone who has responsibilities and being true to that and then then realizing
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that they just put these people in different circumstances, you know, then you have your
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story.
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Like Chris could have been like Marlow and Chris could have been like, you know, CEO and
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CEO's of like big, big comes like Marlow was brilliant and Chris is the way his mind operates
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so as operations, you know, but they were born in Baltimore, they were born in the life
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they were in.
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And so they, so seeing them as that, I think that's that for me as far as approaching it
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as an actor, seeing every character as a full person, whether it's on the script or not,
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you know, so your job as an actor to make that person a full person is a good place to
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start.
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I think some of our viewers would like to even understand more about the business of
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Hollywood, right?
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So pairing when you first started an industry to now, how has the industry evolved, whether
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it's like the Hollywood strikes just happened, right?
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How do you say the industry has evolved even from a payment structure perspective, are actors
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treated even in a better way today or no?
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Evolved or devolved?
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Yeah.
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Yeah.
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I want to talk about that.
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Like do you feel like it's the industry has moved forward or it's been in this like
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so cool movement?
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It's a, it's a strange time as you, as you both mentioned, they, coming to be frank,
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like the industry never made sense.
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Like I, like I'm very fortunate, I've been able to do what I have been able to do for
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as long as I've been able to do it and make a living, you know, like we're in the industry
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we're three to five percent of the people work, you know, which is wow, that's any industry
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like where that's the, you know, those are the numbers, that's not necessarily sustainable.
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So what do you mean three to five percent?
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Like, so of like sag members, like I have like jobs enough to feed themselves and yeah
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around, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, it's great, yeah, I was like, yeah, people don't realize
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that, you know, and but we still keep plugging at it, we're passionate, we love these
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things, what we do.
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So if you go, if you want to become an actor because you think you're going to be rich,
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well, there you are, it's, you got three percent chance, I mean, actually, that's, that's
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not even rich, that's like to like live bills regularly, you know, the, so the industry
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was like, and then like in the 90s, 2000s, these conglomerates bought out the studios.
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So the studios became just a part of a much larger, you know, someone's portfolio.
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And so you make decisions differently when, when, well, one is just all business people
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running things, but also as it, when you're, it's just part of a portfolio.
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So that necessarily to, to make the most creative, um, um, material or reach, or reach,
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you know, audience is desperate for it to see the storage represented, it's, it's, it's
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the bottom line, uh, so you know, we see, we've been seeing the fall out of that, uh,
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and the writers straight and AI, it's, it's into these are changing times.
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I, I liken it to when that, you know, the music industry, then when that shifts in, you
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know, you add records, you know, people buy records, you know, then you add DVDs, people
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buy DVDs and, like, they want digital, and it, it never went back, that things are, you
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know, music doesn't sell the way it used to sell, and they had to find different profit
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models.
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Um, and then artists have to definitely like, really, really start to look out for themselves.
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Yeah.
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But what would you then say, like the, the advent of the Netflix is the Disney pluses,
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I think some people in emerging markets, like maybe career or even Niger will say, Hey,
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Netflix is not giving us a platform to get some distributions to the rest of the world,
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whereas before, where it was a Hollywood studio going to come and find like some of these
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films.
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So would you say in terms of trade-offs or balance, the streaming platforms have been
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net good or net bad?
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I would say, that's a great question.
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I would say it, they're like South, South Korea and Nigeria, you said, like these stories
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are able to get out, which is great because these aren't new, we've had these stories for
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a long time.
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We have new, like, it's, it's, it's, it's so much bubbling from Nigeria and, and, and
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and Korea and other places.
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And so the streaming platforms have given, uh, given a platform, platform for it.
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The, I would say, it's a net good because we get to tell our stories and see ourselves represented
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that way.
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The, the adjustment of it, the industry, it's been painful because, you know, you have
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the old model, you had this interim model that never, that fully was clutched out, but
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it worked for a few powerful studios.
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And then, and then online came and just like, well, you know, now what?
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So, and then you find, then retroactively, or respectively, we find out like streaming
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didn't work the way we thought it would, the way the studio thought it would.
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So they're, they've been bleeding for years now.
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So it's, but this, you know, disruption happens in all industries, it's about figuring
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your way out and surviving, you know, until things settle.
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Did you ever worry about ever being typecast after the wire?
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Was that something that even, or were you just like, look, I'm even happy that we're
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here.
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But did you, was that a worry you had as your career evolve about being typecast?
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I, I know because I knew, like, I, I love acting, but I didn't love it enough to take
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anything that came my way.
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So, so I'm like, nah, after the wire, I was, I was presented with a lot of opportunities
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that were kind of, you know, lesser versions of that, you know, of, of, you know, Christy's
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a criminal, he's a killer, say whatever.
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And I, and the writing was not, not, not, no.
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And so I said, no, but I also love to do theater.
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But I didn't depend fully on, on just, like, film and TV.
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So if there was, if there weren't, like, TV shows or films that I, that I thought really
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that I dug, then I would, you know, try to, you know, jump into a play and just really,
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you know, dive in.
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And there's a ton of great plays.
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You know, growing up as Nigerian kids, sometimes even in the diaspora, even in first generation
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immigrants, you're pushed into certain career fields, right?
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And sometimes it feels like your parents will be become proud of you when people are
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now saying, oh, this is what your son is doing, and this is what your daughter is doing.
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What was that transition, like, I'm not just even with parents or family, but even friends
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when it's, you know, Chris is on this show.
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And this shows literally today called, the number one show in TV history.
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And that's Benga in the show.
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So what, what was that transition, like, having to navigate those, those, maybe perceptions
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that people might even have?
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Just dealing with, they're proud of me to now, maybe sometimes a transition into something
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that's like, you might not necessarily be comfortable with it, but what did that look
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like?
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The, it was, it was good because, as I mentioned, I was in and out of trouble, in and out
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of a lot of trouble growing up.
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So, you know, they had a different perception and then as you grow, as you change your life,
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you know, they're proud of you, which is great.
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You want the people in your life to feel good about you and your outcomes.
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The, I think, but like, like, most people that see people on TV, I think they have a,
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it's an understanding of what it is.
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You know, I won't name any names, but I'll tell a story.
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Tell the story.
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Yeah.
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So, I gave a gift to someone in my family.
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It was, like, you know, I live in Brooklyn and we have really cool, like, I do my best
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to support, like, black businesses and there's like some really cool, you know, arts and
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crafts and businesses and I give a gift to someone and they looked at it and I'm, and I'm
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like, what?
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Nothing.
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And they looked at me and then they go, oh, me, I didn't understand what they're saying.
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I'm like, what?
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I don't mean it yet.
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And they're like, oh, millionaire, millionaire, I said, why do you think I'm a millionaire?
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The internet says you are a millionaire and I was like, I was like, and just like that,
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I can't give a gift to anyone because the internet says, like, the gifts I should be giving
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because I'm, so I'm some multi-millionaire is should be the, I was like, I was like, so
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I'm like, alright, this is, like, that explains why I've been treated this way.
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Y'all think I'm doing y'all dirty.
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Yeah.
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I'm so, I'm like, so, yeah, give me thought for gifts, son, not snapchatting for gifts.
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And I asked, like, what, what, what would be a gift that you would like?
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I'm Mercedes.
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I'm in trouble right now.
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I'm in trouble.
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I'm in trouble.
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I'm in trouble.
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I'm in trouble.
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I'm in trouble.
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I'm in trouble.
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I was like, okay, okay.
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Good job.
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I tried it at 2010.
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And, and there'll probably be the last car ever drive like I've filed with it.
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I don't need a new, whatever.
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Yeah, you know, so, so yeah, they're like just because you're humble.
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Yeah, yeah.
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Yeah.
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So there's some of those changing perceptions and, you know, and juggling and juggling
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responsibilities. Again, we grew up poor. And a lot of that is the mentality that is poverty,
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like wealth and our mentalities. And so those things were instilled in us. And I remember
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when I started working for the government, I was making like $300, $400 a week. And
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I'm like, I'm going to do different than what I've seen. So I purposely went to go get
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books to learn something different than what I'd seen my parents and my elders doing
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and so on. And I realized then that it's not about how much money you make is what you
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do with that. I'm like, oh, let me do something with this $300 a week. And that's what I
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started doing. When I try to explain that to my family, it's like, I can give you this
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dollar or we can sit down and talk about your debts, your issues, your problems, whatever
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and figure out a plan. And if I give you this dollar, you could maybe spend it for what
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you say you're going to spend it for. But now you don't have it. I don't have it. So
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you know, or we can talk and communicate and have some real like hard to heart and then
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make a plan together. And then I can show you how this dollar can like serve us both
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and still be here, right? Give me the money. Why do you want to be my business? So yeah.
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So I would like to talk about you've done theater, film and television, right? And I think
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a lot of actors don't do all three. So I'm curious, what do you find as different with
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the different mediums? Like, how do you prepare for each type of role?
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The, I mean, there's the obvious where, you know, television and film, you're playing
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for the camera. So it's smaller. The end, it's your, it's about your relationship in
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communication with the other actors in the scene and the director and the writer. Like,
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in theater, it's, it's in the end, it's like, it's you and that audience. And like, no
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matter how much you rehearse until it's the, the piece isn't baked until you start to
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run in front of an audience and you get to do it night of night after night. And it's,
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it's difficult. It's, it's very difficult in live performance, which is why I love it.
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It's like it, it, it sharpens you. Like if you fail, you're going to feel big, you
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know, and so because you're in front of a live audience, it's, it's not another take.
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And that, that affects your work. And it's also a collaborative form, you know, platform.
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So a medium. So I like that. Like learning from the choreographers. I like learning from
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the, the other actor is the writer and so on. Being in the room if you can with the writer.
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So those are some of the ways they're different. And would you say you enjoy one medium versus
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the other and do they serve different creative needs for you?
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Any question? I get something different. Yes. Well, I think one answers the other. I enjoy
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them all differently because I get something different from them all the time. Theater,
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I, it really pushes my craft. And it makes me, especially since I get an opportunity to
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do it again and again. And I have a live audience that's that that I'm working with. It, it,
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it really hits differently. So I love it because of that television and film because like it
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pays the bills, you know, theater doesn't pay the bills. But I've also been fortunate to get to do
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like some really good TV and film. I just did a movie with Katherine Bigelow. So second time I've
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worked with her. She's an amazing director. And just to see her work and to see, you know,
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the stories that she tells, and particularly on this scale that she tells them, it, it, it,
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it helps inform my, my, my, my work. So show that I was on called the old man on FX and Hulu.
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I mean, that was, that was such a, like, it felt such like a ridiculous situation for me to,
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like, I'm like, working with John Lithgow, Jeff Bridges, Amy Berman, like, all these, like,
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amazing, like, like, this is, and then me, you know, and, and then the writing is great. And then,
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and it's shot so beautifully and FX is just like letting us do our thing. And the, and the support
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we got from FX and Disney, especially during COVID, because the show ended up being, like,
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taking many years to shoot because of all the shutdowns. You know, it was, it was great. It was great.
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So you get different things from, I get rich off it, but it's, it was, it's one of the best
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experiences I've had. And speaking of, you know, all the different types of mediums you've done,
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you've done everything from big scale productions, wires, 24 to little, like, more like independent
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productions, right? Would you say that you have to change how you approach the roles depending on
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the scale, the production? Oh, that's a great question. How I approach the role, not necessarily,
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I mean, so like, the bigger productions have more support for the, for the actor. And when the
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smaller, the smaller projects, you know, because you have to, you know, you don't have as, as many
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resources, you, you do have to like, you know, fend for yourself, but the source approach,
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approaching a role that I think is pretty, it's pretty much the same. And is there ever a role you
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take in you, you cringe? After you watched it, you're like, well, that, that's not necessarily
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fair, because I cringe after like every thing I've done, I can't watch, I haven't seen a movie
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I've done in years. Except recently, I was made to watch something that I recently did,
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because of the Q&A, you know, sit there, they're like, no, you're going to sit here, because it's
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a Q&A after. They're thinking these other Q&A, you're going to watch this one. And so the, the,
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but yeah, so then the, but so there are some projects that I'd never talk about.
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He's going to keep that in the top. They're all learning lessons, you know, all learning experiences.
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Yeah, you appear though, and Dr. Phil to talk about the Billy Fallon case. Billy Allen.
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But Billy Allen, sorry. What led you to get involved in that particular fight?
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So a friend of mine reached out to me that this family, you know, Billy's sister, you've had,
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and Billy, they were looking for any help that they could kind of bring awareness of Billy
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being in prison and being innocent and so on. He's been in prison now, the majority of his life
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on death row. And so I started talking to them. And I was like, I want to, I want to help
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what little I can do. I'll do it. And the truth is, I don't care if he, I don't care if he was
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innocent or not. I don't think the state has the right to take a life. And then he happens to be
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innocent. So I've been working with them for, for years now. And we've, we've had some amazing
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progress this past year. And Billy calls me up from death row. Everyone's around. We just talk,
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um, it's, it's well, it's a great, like the people are on this campaign. Like his sister's like
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dedicated her life to this. And, and this woman in Whitney Yang, like the, but it's, it's Billy who's
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running this campaign. And like his, the way his mind works, and he's running it from death row.
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And so like we, we go out there and we do the things we can. And like it's got some really great
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lawyers who are, you know, been fighting this case and we're raising money currently right now
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for, uh, for a legal fund for some things, some moves that need to happen soon. Um, so the,
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it's been, it's been interesting, especially with the transition in, in administrations because
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the previous administration, we spent a lot of time trying to get Biden's attention to, to give,
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to give a pardon, uh, he submitted a, uh, that is pardon application and, and so on. And now, like
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things, things are, you have to, you have to understand the administrative, the administrations
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you're appealing to. And so the moves are different. So it's, it's been, I've learned a lot. This
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is my, the first time I've worked on, on a case like this, particularly for as long, but like,
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Billy's my friend at this point. I was like, now I just, it's about getting my friend out.
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What would you say you've learned about the criminal justice system in the US? Obviously a
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game black, we know it's not necessarily always the first people who look like us, but what are
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some insights that you, you've learned where you're like, wow, like this is either messed up or I
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didn't even understand the intricacies of how this, like like you said, but different administrations
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you have to approach it differently. But by then you might need to appeal to something else,
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but Trump probably needs to appeal to something else. So what are some of the things you've learned
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about the criminal justice system? It's, it's working extraordinarily well,
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as in it's, it's, this is what it was designed to do. And, and it's, it's the, it's us who have the
438
00:28:51.240 --> 00:28:57.320
illusion that it's like, it's, it's about one thing when it was never about that thing, like
439
00:28:57.400 --> 00:29:03.480
justice. It's a tool, you know, to exercise power. If you go into a courtroom,
440
00:29:04.920 --> 00:29:09.720
you know, where you're supposed to be represented in your rights and, you know, as a citizen of,
441
00:29:09.720 --> 00:29:14.280
so the truth is when you're in a courtroom, you have like, you have no power, you have no power.
442
00:29:14.280 --> 00:29:18.600
Like whether you're convicted of a crime or not, you, you speak when they tell you to speak,
443
00:29:18.600 --> 00:29:22.760
you stand while they tell you to stand, you, they tell you who can represent you and like all
444
00:29:22.760 --> 00:29:27.480
those things. It's their interpretation of your rights and so on. And it, so it's,
445
00:29:28.520 --> 00:29:36.040
in all that bleeds into like an outcome, particularly if you are of, of a, you know,
446
00:29:36.040 --> 00:29:43.560
from a quote unquote minority group, um, the, it's, and we've seen it now, like, so blatantly,
447
00:29:43.640 --> 00:29:52.120
like the, the miss, miss, the injustice that comes from, from, from the criminal justice system
448
00:29:52.120 --> 00:29:57.640
on a, on a very small level. And like, and we, we, and when they say it's all, all good, as far as
449
00:29:57.640 --> 00:30:02.440
all equal, we see it on an, and an international scale with like the complete obliteration of,
450
00:30:02.440 --> 00:30:09.640
of, of, of, like, like, of human rights of the, like, world, the, you know, world orders,
451
00:30:09.640 --> 00:30:14.360
far as how, you know, the international courts are supposed to wear everything that they tell us as,
452
00:30:14.360 --> 00:30:19.560
as far as, is this is how the world works in a fair way, or this is how the fair world works.
453
00:30:19.560 --> 00:30:25.720
And we all subscribe to this. It's, it's complete BS. Like, if the, like, we've never sent a,
454
00:30:25.720 --> 00:30:30.120
a US president to prison, you know, how many people we innocent people that we've acknowledged
455
00:30:30.120 --> 00:30:35.720
that we've killed and the no one goes to prison, we, we, we created Guantanamo. We tortured people,
456
00:30:35.720 --> 00:30:39.400
put them down there. And there are people still there. And they, I realize a lot of them didn't do
457
00:30:39.400 --> 00:30:45.000
anything, you know, not that torture is actually legal, even if they did do something, you know,
458
00:30:45.000 --> 00:30:50.760
and no one went to prison, you know, so the, in all the decision-makers are, you know, they all
459
00:30:50.760 --> 00:30:57.080
happen to be from the similar class race and gender, well, speaking in general. And they don't go to
460
00:30:57.080 --> 00:31:02.840
prison. Yeah. So the, when you show that when you continuously rip up the, the, the, the social
461
00:31:02.840 --> 00:31:08.920
contract and then expect people to, you know, adhere to the social contract, if there's a,
462
00:31:09.400 --> 00:31:14.680
it, there's a disconnect, a dissidence that, that, that, you know, makes you nimrod. It makes you
463
00:31:14.680 --> 00:31:21.080
crazy. So it's what, like, Black folk live, like, the lifespan is less in, in the United States.
464
00:31:21.080 --> 00:31:25.080
Yeah. You know, your, your genes, your perception, everything in your, in your body is telling you
465
00:31:25.080 --> 00:31:28.760
this is unfair, but then everything around you is telling you, you're crazy. You complain too much.
466
00:31:28.840 --> 00:31:35.240
We've given you so much. We didn't link in for you. Be grateful. Be grateful. You know, so I say all
467
00:31:35.240 --> 00:31:39.640
that, like, you know, to scale it from what's going on with Billy, to what's going, what's going on
468
00:31:39.640 --> 00:31:45.880
with, with, with, with Congo and, and, and Gaza. It's like, this, these things would never happen
469
00:31:45.880 --> 00:31:50.280
in white nations. You know, that you, you've had, you have leaders who've actually said, you know,
470
00:31:50.280 --> 00:31:54.760
the Hague is meant for African leaders. They said it. You know, that, that's how much they openly
471
00:31:54.760 --> 00:32:00.840
they believe because it's so irate that anyone would even question, you know, white-led nations.
472
00:32:00.840 --> 00:32:07.000
You know, they look at how they, they responded to Ukraine. You know, everyone's like all in
473
00:32:07.000 --> 00:32:12.920
opera, like, yo, let's come together. Let's do this. Yeah. You know, I, I would say what informed
474
00:32:12.920 --> 00:32:19.320
your thought process behind being against a deputy? It doesn't work. I mean, like this, it's,
475
00:32:19.320 --> 00:32:25.160
it's, it's purely to satisfy up the, the, the drive from, for retribution from a bloodthirsty
476
00:32:25.160 --> 00:32:29.720
community that feels like it's been violated. Yes. Understandable. But it doesn't actually work
477
00:32:29.720 --> 00:32:34.200
as a deterrence. So why are we doing it? If it doesn't work, we, like, we say what's deterred
478
00:32:34.200 --> 00:32:39.640
others, but if it doesn't work as a deterrence, then, and we still keep doing it, then that's,
479
00:32:39.640 --> 00:32:45.240
that's not logical. But in the truth is, like, we do it because it makes people who've
480
00:32:45.320 --> 00:32:50.520
violated feel better. But I think we should act in ways that, like, the best ways that help the
481
00:32:50.520 --> 00:32:55.320
community. And if it worked, if it was, if it helped the community move on and grow whatever,
482
00:32:55.320 --> 00:32:59.000
and like, lowered crime, like, it, there would be an argument for it, but it doesn't.
483
00:32:59.720 --> 00:33:06.120
I also don't think that human beings have the right to take a life. You know, I, I, you know,
484
00:33:07.720 --> 00:33:11.800
outside of like, like, immediate self-defense, I don't think human beings have a right to take a
485
00:33:11.800 --> 00:33:16.600
life. And so, and just because the state does it that doesn't like actually give it, give, you
486
00:33:16.600 --> 00:33:23.080
know, give a right. And so, so there's, there's, there's, there's that. I think it's as simple as that,
487
00:33:23.080 --> 00:33:29.560
you know, and I find that the more, the more, I mean, obviously in prison, I mean, the United States,
488
00:33:29.560 --> 00:33:35.160
we, funny out, mix up those words. The, the, like, we, we imprison more people than anyone,
489
00:33:35.160 --> 00:33:42.680
right? And yet, crime is extraordinarily high. I, I always tell people like, particularly
490
00:33:42.680 --> 00:33:47.800
Nigerians who, outside, who, I, the worst things I hear about Nigeria comes from Nigerians.
491
00:33:47.800 --> 00:33:52.440
I'm like, you, you do realize the United States probably kills way more people than Nigeria.
492
00:33:52.440 --> 00:33:56.920
And as far as also dying on a, like, you know, average out in a year. And so,
493
00:33:58.680 --> 00:34:02.760
we have to, yeah, it's, it's, they've really put it into perspective, you know. And I don't
494
00:34:02.760 --> 00:34:07.560
just mean as far as a death, you know, death penalty, I mean, as far as like our actions and so on.
495
00:34:09.080 --> 00:34:11.400
Yeah, I just, I just don't think we have the right to do that.
496
00:34:11.400 --> 00:34:17.880
Yeah. And I'm also curious what prompted you to start getting into activism, right?
497
00:34:18.440 --> 00:34:24.040
Was it that you saw some grave injustice? Was it, you know, something you read? Was it something
498
00:34:24.040 --> 00:34:27.720
that's always innately in you? What prompted you on this path?
499
00:34:28.040 --> 00:34:38.600
I think that I developed the words and understanding for, for this in retrospect when I looked at
500
00:34:38.600 --> 00:34:46.440
my own life. And I thought like, oh, wow, that was a lot harder than it needed to be or a lot more
501
00:34:46.440 --> 00:34:54.920
complicated or really unjust. As far as my childhood and, and, and the lives of my, my family,
502
00:34:54.920 --> 00:34:59.880
my, my parents and so on. And I'm like, well, then I start questioning, well, how, how did you get
503
00:34:59.880 --> 00:35:04.680
that way? Why did you get that way? You know, and then I realized all these systems were set up
504
00:35:04.680 --> 00:35:11.560
way back before, you know, and there's, and, and they continue that way. And then you start
505
00:35:11.560 --> 00:35:18.280
questioning, because most people don't question systems in the ways, the ways we live. We just
506
00:35:18.280 --> 00:35:24.520
think we, you know, these, these things are around because it's obviously the best, it's, after
507
00:35:24.520 --> 00:35:29.880
years and years and years of human evolution and so on, it's been distilled to the best forms of,
508
00:35:29.880 --> 00:35:34.840
of how we, how to operate and how to move. No, that, but we make that assumption on the deep level,
509
00:35:34.840 --> 00:35:42.200
but if that's not true, it's really powerful people who hold, and who hold on to, to control
510
00:35:42.200 --> 00:35:47.400
the means of production and so on, through, through their powerful families generationally. And that
511
00:35:47.800 --> 00:35:54.840
affects, affects and creates governments. That's it. That's it. And so it's not, it's not too
512
00:35:54.840 --> 00:35:58.520
unlike, like, religion, you know, it's like, it's like, you know, some people decided this as
513
00:35:58.520 --> 00:36:03.560
opposed to that. And all of a sudden, we have the gods they gave us, you know, so it's, it's,
514
00:36:04.520 --> 00:36:08.360
so when I, when you think about, okay, well, these things were created by people,
515
00:36:09.640 --> 00:36:15.880
even the bad things, that means that I'm a person, you know, maybe I can do something about it,
516
00:36:15.880 --> 00:36:19.640
you know, these are people, maybe I can work with them, you know, to do something about it.
517
00:36:19.640 --> 00:36:23.000
And then you look and you realize, oh, wow, there are people throughout history who they don't,
518
00:36:23.000 --> 00:36:27.640
they don't necessarily teach us about every single day, who said, we can do something about this,
519
00:36:27.640 --> 00:36:32.040
and Jane and some of them even did it. And so that, that, that encourages me.
520
00:36:33.400 --> 00:36:37.720
And I want to let you know, because you talked about, you know, how you grew up, and I'm curious,
521
00:36:37.720 --> 00:36:45.240
your acting has spanned over 20 years. Is there one? I look, I'm like, oh, you, you,
522
00:36:45.240 --> 00:36:47.240
you have veteran, you have veterans, you have veterans.
523
00:36:59.240 --> 00:37:05.080
But I'm, I'm curious to understand, is there a lesson you wish you knew earlier in your career?
524
00:37:10.920 --> 00:37:15.160
Oh, that's a great, these are all great questions. So the lesson that I wish I knew earlier,
525
00:37:15.160 --> 00:37:16.920
no, because I know everything. No, I'm just kidding.
526
00:37:20.920 --> 00:37:29.080
Being more, I wish that I, earlier in my career, that I was more self-possessed as a, as an,
527
00:37:29.080 --> 00:37:39.240
as an artist, I, I feel like we get trained to feel so grateful, so lucky, you know, and,
528
00:37:39.320 --> 00:37:45.320
and obviously we are, but we also don't advocate for ourselves, because we fear being like,
529
00:37:45.320 --> 00:37:50.200
exercised, you know, and out, or, you know, taken out, or not giving opportunities and so on.
530
00:37:50.440 --> 00:37:56.840
And, and was how that ends up manifesting after years is that we are, you know, for the, for the,
531
00:37:56.840 --> 00:38:02.280
for a most part, like largely underpaid compared to our white counterparts, particularly if they
532
00:38:02.280 --> 00:38:10.200
have a fraction of our careers, the, the, or the studios on value, like, I can't tell you how many,
533
00:38:10.200 --> 00:38:14.920
like Hollywood execs, like they, who actually believed, like, oh yeah, black movies,
534
00:38:14.920 --> 00:38:18.600
that black leads, back to career, that, no, that doesn't know, and so, no, so I've been like,
535
00:38:18.600 --> 00:38:23.160
black Panther billions of dollars and so on. It's like, yeah, because the audience is there and,
536
00:38:23.160 --> 00:38:28.200
and, and it's global, it's not just black folks, and if you give the people, you know, you know,
537
00:38:28.280 --> 00:38:32.840
these things, they will enjoy, but if you also, you know, train and show the people that these
538
00:38:32.840 --> 00:38:39.240
things are valuable, they are, you know, so I would answer your question. I think I, I,
539
00:38:39.240 --> 00:38:45.160
understanding, understanding my value more so as an artist at an, at an earlier stage.
540
00:38:46.280 --> 00:38:52.360
And looking ahead, are there any stories that you want to tell, right, or maybe should be told,
541
00:38:52.440 --> 00:38:56.440
and are there any types of rules that you actively still want to do?
542
00:38:56.440 --> 00:39:03.080
Yeah, yeah. There's a lot of stories. There's some that I'm developing now, and pitching.
543
00:39:05.560 --> 00:39:13.480
The, for the longest time, I was very, I very much wanted like two roles. I mean, like,
544
00:39:13.480 --> 00:39:16.920
there's a lot of great roles out there that I'd love to do, but the ones that I wanted, like,
545
00:39:16.920 --> 00:39:22.760
very much so, was a Batman and Black Panther. You can jiggle what?
546
00:39:25.320 --> 00:39:31.400
And I remember, I remember when they announced that, because they've been trying to make Black
547
00:39:31.400 --> 00:39:38.840
Panther for years, I mean, decades, and I remember when they announced that, like, Chad,
548
00:39:38.840 --> 00:39:41.960
Chad, it was, they were going to make it and Chad was going to be the Black Panther.
549
00:39:41.960 --> 00:39:48.520
I was shooting a TV show. I had like all the swap gear on me. I was shooting the following,
550
00:39:48.520 --> 00:39:55.960
which was fun to do. And I went outside, I sat down on the corner, and I, with his big rifle,
551
00:39:55.960 --> 00:40:02.280
I'm brookling, and I'm like, and I was like, oh, for a second, I was like down, because like,
552
00:40:02.280 --> 00:40:07.640
I wanted to do that. It's one of the roles I was like working towards, hoping for. And then I got
553
00:40:07.640 --> 00:40:16.360
excited because it was Chad. And I knew Chad. I loved Chad. Chad was, Chad was a good, good dude.
554
00:40:16.360 --> 00:40:21.080
And I was like, oh, this is, this is one of the rare times Hollywood gets it right. As far as,
555
00:40:21.080 --> 00:40:27.000
as far as like a good man getting a role that's like, he was already doing well, but this is like,
556
00:40:27.000 --> 00:40:32.760
oh, like, and I was, so I was like, yeah, good, that dude run with it. I knew he would. So that,
557
00:40:33.560 --> 00:40:37.640
I was excited for like, for Chad. And then, and then the world got to really know, they knew his
558
00:40:37.640 --> 00:40:41.400
career, but like with, you know, after the Black Panther, they realized, oh, this guy is a great
559
00:40:41.400 --> 00:40:46.760
human being. And so what his friends have had already known. So, which was really cool.
560
00:40:47.880 --> 00:40:52.200
Actually, speaking of this, this might be a controversial question, but I see this all the time
561
00:40:52.200 --> 00:41:00.920
as it to be on Twitter and threats around sometimes when Hollywood wants to put in place a,
562
00:41:00.920 --> 00:41:05.880
let's say they're doing the Nigerian person, like literally the person is playing a Nigerian.
563
00:41:05.880 --> 00:41:10.600
And they tend to get people, they say from UK, right? Do you have any thoughts around this?
564
00:41:10.600 --> 00:41:18.280
Like, there seems to be this big debate around why can't they find actors in America or in Nigeria
565
00:41:18.280 --> 00:41:23.480
to play certain roles? Or even if it's a black character, a lot of times, there's African-Americans
566
00:41:23.480 --> 00:41:29.240
that feel, I don't know if it's threatened or frustrated that they tend to get these people from
567
00:41:29.240 --> 00:41:31.080
the UK. Is there any thoughts around this?
568
00:41:31.800 --> 00:41:37.960
Yeah, you're right. This has been a big thing in the diaspora for a while, in the artistic
569
00:41:37.960 --> 00:41:44.760
diaspora for a while. And I've had like some casting directors, you know, explain to me in the UK,
570
00:41:45.400 --> 00:41:53.160
and in the United States, explain and producers, I would tend to agree. So you have actors
571
00:41:53.960 --> 00:42:00.280
in many different countries. There's only a few, though, as far as countries where the acting
572
00:42:00.280 --> 00:42:06.680
is already kind of like would go right into what Hollywood produces as far as style, temperament,
573
00:42:06.680 --> 00:42:13.000
and all that stuff. In the UK, it's one of them. There's not a union like there is inside,
574
00:42:13.000 --> 00:42:19.240
as there is inside with SAG. And so you have basically a talent pool that's pretty good
575
00:42:19.400 --> 00:42:27.960
that you can pay less. And that's simple calculation as far as these studios. And then they'll
576
00:42:27.960 --> 00:42:33.880
come, and they'll knock it out of the park because for the most part, great actors. And then
577
00:42:34.840 --> 00:42:40.520
they'll become stars in the States in that their quotes go up higher. And so in the
578
00:42:40.520 --> 00:42:47.240
after a while, they're expensive like a lot of American actors. And so they just get more UK
579
00:42:47.240 --> 00:42:53.640
actors and start the process again. So obviously there's been some, as you mentioned, some
580
00:42:55.960 --> 00:43:00.520
some people who are not happy with that, especially when like some people have noted like,
581
00:43:00.520 --> 00:43:05.640
are you're going to take these UK actors to play these black American circle figures,
582
00:43:05.640 --> 00:43:11.160
you know, when it's not their experience, they, I'm so, some folks have been upset with that.
583
00:43:11.160 --> 00:43:17.960
I think it's a victory when any black worsen works, particularly in Hollywood. I don't care
584
00:43:17.960 --> 00:43:24.920
where you're from, but I understand that like that, then the, the, how some people were upset by that.
585
00:43:25.640 --> 00:43:28.680
Yeah. So where about to go into our rapid fire?
586
00:43:29.640 --> 00:43:34.920
Yeah, nobody started. This is what I mean. So what is it called? No,
587
00:43:35.880 --> 00:43:43.400
so before we even go into that segment, I wanted to ask you, because we were talking about therapy
588
00:43:43.400 --> 00:43:48.600
earlier. What has therapy meant for you? And how did you even get into that? Like, what was the
589
00:43:48.600 --> 00:43:54.840
decision as a black man to say, Hey, am I actually going to explore therapy? Cause the reason for this
590
00:43:54.840 --> 00:44:00.760
is I want us to both, this might be helpful to other black men who are considering going into
591
00:44:00.760 --> 00:44:04.680
therapy. So I wanted to just understand like, what are your feelings around therapy and how did
592
00:44:04.680 --> 00:44:12.200
you also get into it? So I've had an interesting journey with therapy. The, you know, started with,
593
00:44:12.200 --> 00:44:17.080
you know, me as a youth. And so there was like court ordered therapy and court ordered,
594
00:44:17.080 --> 00:44:22.920
you know, psychologist evaluations and psych, all this stuff. And court ordered medication
595
00:44:22.920 --> 00:44:29.080
and psychotropic drugs and so on. And then the institutions that, that was sent away to them.
596
00:44:29.160 --> 00:44:35.880
The, so I, I didn't want any of it. Like, I didn't want to be a part of it. None of it got to the
597
00:44:35.880 --> 00:44:42.520
root of what was, you know, what was wrong. And that's out, you know, yeah, the stable safe place
598
00:44:42.520 --> 00:44:52.680
to be a child. So the, so there's that. But as I got older and I became more self-presessed and
599
00:44:52.680 --> 00:44:58.680
started to really like do my own work and, and, and read the things I, like, that spoke to me and
600
00:44:58.680 --> 00:45:06.440
then I, I really valued therapy and, and, and being able to do it in a way that's like, that isn't
601
00:45:06.440 --> 00:45:11.640
just about processing me through a system that was never designed to form me anyway. That's,
602
00:45:11.640 --> 00:45:19.480
you know, it was only designed to tear me apart. Um, so, so I love therapy. I, I love therapy.
603
00:45:19.480 --> 00:45:27.960
I love my therapist. I love you. And so the, and the cornerstone of, of, of, of me, who I am.
604
00:45:29.560 --> 00:45:36.520
And I, I, I recommend it to my friends all the time. Like, and so much on them, I'm sure they're like,
605
00:45:36.520 --> 00:45:41.720
you sound with this thing. You don't talk about that. It's a buzz word. No, it's, but it's, but it's real,
606
00:45:41.720 --> 00:45:47.800
you know, just, and it's seen as this new age thing, but it's not new age thing. We,
607
00:45:47.800 --> 00:45:53.880
the, it's, it's, it's, it's a, it's a substitute for what we used to have in communities.
608
00:45:53.880 --> 00:45:59.400
It's a substitute for what we, we, for these outlets that, that, that we used to have as far as,
609
00:45:59.400 --> 00:46:05.960
like, like relationships with, with, with people, you know, and as, as those, as those pillars fall,
610
00:46:05.960 --> 00:46:12.360
you know, the need for them don't, you know, so we, we, we, we, we act out. We, we don't know how to,
611
00:46:13.000 --> 00:46:18.760
you know, get what we need, right? I think a good example is, um, rights of passage.
612
00:46:19.800 --> 00:46:26.120
So we don't, we don't, I mean, at least in the States, like, which is a, a culture based in capitalism,
613
00:46:26.120 --> 00:46:30.200
like, we, there's no such thing as a right, or as a right of passage. Every culture, you know,
614
00:46:31.160 --> 00:46:36.120
has, has, has some sort of version of that in which you help a young, a young man and a young woman,
615
00:46:36.840 --> 00:46:41.640
a boy, a girl, a boy and girl learn what it is to become a man and woman in their society.
616
00:46:41.640 --> 00:46:47.240
Yeah. And, and, and with all the raging emotions and feelings and so on, like, that type of guidance,
617
00:46:47.240 --> 00:46:51.320
you know, that those, the testing, the my size, I go out there and hunt, you know, they come back
618
00:46:51.320 --> 00:46:55.800
and whatever and survive, like the testing of who, who it is, and then you've learned who you are
619
00:46:55.880 --> 00:47:00.840
and what you could, what you're hard meant to contribute. Like that, that is crucial in growth.
620
00:47:01.320 --> 00:47:04.440
And when you take that away and then you, and then you have like all these young people,
621
00:47:05.080 --> 00:47:10.520
you know, who are like, just trying to figure out who they are in, in, in, in, understandably violent ways,
622
00:47:10.520 --> 00:47:14.920
which is because, you know, adolescence is a violent time internally and externally.
623
00:47:14.920 --> 00:47:19.160
And if a society doesn't understand that and just, you know, punishes them, you know,
624
00:47:19.160 --> 00:47:22.600
take these drugs, get locked up, whatever, like you have what you have in the States.
625
00:47:23.080 --> 00:47:30.680
Um, so, but if there's guidance, someone to talk to and help you, like, just kind of walk through
626
00:47:30.680 --> 00:47:36.680
your thoughts and emotions and not judge you, like, it's, it's, it's amazing what can be.
627
00:47:36.680 --> 00:47:41.800
And it's, and understand this is just temporal. Like this period, this, or even your depression,
628
00:47:41.800 --> 00:47:46.360
it really is just temporal. You're, you know, your paranoia is just, it's just temporal.
629
00:47:46.360 --> 00:47:50.280
Just someone to help you understand that it can, it can save a life.
630
00:47:50.280 --> 00:47:53.080
Yeah. I agree. I agree. All right.
631
00:47:53.080 --> 00:47:55.480
So we're going to go into a rapid fire segment.
632
00:47:55.480 --> 00:48:01.800
That wasn't it. I'm, you said you don't like to watch your own movies or your shows, right?
633
00:48:01.800 --> 00:48:05.720
So what's, what's your favorite show? That's not obviously a show you're been in.
634
00:48:07.320 --> 00:48:11.480
Oh, I love to get my thrones. I loved breaking bad.
635
00:48:12.440 --> 00:48:14.440
Um, really. Yeah.
636
00:48:16.840 --> 00:48:21.720
Yeah. I love those shows. Best, best, best. Um, so what's your favorite movie then?
637
00:48:23.720 --> 00:48:27.800
I mean, I don't, there's so many great movies. I don't have a favorite movie, but one of them
638
00:48:27.800 --> 00:48:33.240
up there, uh, it's definitely good fellows. Yeah. It's down your perfect hill.
639
00:48:33.240 --> 00:48:36.440
So you hit it on the right. He normal.
640
00:48:40.040 --> 00:48:44.760
I do love princess bride. Okay. Okay. Okay. If you were in an actor, what would you be?
641
00:48:45.720 --> 00:48:51.000
wrestler. I, I, I love wrestling. I miss it every day. I mean, I probably would have aged out,
642
00:48:51.000 --> 00:48:54.280
I definitely would have aged out at this time, but I would, I would have been wrestling
643
00:48:54.280 --> 00:48:59.080
the past few years, wrestling, writing. Okay. What's the role you auditioned? Not WWF wrestling.
644
00:48:59.160 --> 00:49:03.320
Yeah, I was about to say, oh, maybe, what's WWF? No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
645
00:49:03.320 --> 00:49:08.520
John Cena? No, no, no, like, like, like, Olympic wrestling, like, international competition,
646
00:49:08.520 --> 00:49:11.880
real wrestling. Okay. I feel like I knew that that's what he meant, but you have to clarify
647
00:49:11.880 --> 00:49:17.320
these days, though, no. Black Panther.
648
00:49:20.520 --> 00:49:24.120
Awesome. What's the role you auditioned for, but didn't get that you still think about?
649
00:49:25.400 --> 00:49:28.840
Ooh. I usually move on.
650
00:49:28.840 --> 00:49:38.040
Funny enough, there's the Jackie Robinson which is what, you know, there's the thing
651
00:49:38.040 --> 00:49:43.320
that kind of blew up Chad and he went on a roll after that. I'm like, I wonder if I had
652
00:49:43.320 --> 00:49:49.320
booked that. I could have come into the audition differently and so on. So like, I haven't
653
00:49:49.320 --> 00:49:53.480
thought about it in years but I did think about it for a while. I was like, ah, so that
654
00:49:53.480 --> 00:49:59.880
could have happened. Wait, but I'm curious. After you don't get enrolled, do they normally
655
00:49:59.880 --> 00:50:06.760
give you feedback? The industries change. I used to get a lot more feedback which is great
656
00:50:06.760 --> 00:50:11.560
for an artist. Most of my artists don't want it. I get it and me, I like to understand.
657
00:50:12.520 --> 00:50:19.240
But it's, I get not so much anymore. But I am appreciative when people take the time to
658
00:50:19.240 --> 00:50:27.400
get feedback. Yeah, that's very good. And I want to understand, lastly, right, what legacy do you
659
00:50:27.400 --> 00:50:37.000
want to leave? What do you want people to remember Benga for? Hmm. Maybe your father has the answer.
660
00:50:37.080 --> 00:50:48.760
Yeah. That's like, um, take these devotionals. Um, that he, that he, that he gave, he gave
661
00:50:48.760 --> 00:50:56.680
him what he took. Um, and that, like, people's lives were better because he lived. Like, I mean,
662
00:50:56.680 --> 00:51:01.000
it seems like a simple thing but it's also a large thing. I don't need to be president. I don't
663
00:51:01.000 --> 00:51:06.920
need to build statues. I don't need anything. I just want to like, even honestly, even if it's just
664
00:51:06.920 --> 00:51:13.160
a handful of people whose lives are better because they knew me like that. If it can be more great,
665
00:51:13.160 --> 00:51:19.400
but if it's like five, like cool, this life was worth it. Hmm. I love that. And we always ask each
666
00:51:19.400 --> 00:51:24.760
guess, who do you want to see on the Afro-Paliton podcast? Like, whose story are you like, I want to know
667
00:51:24.840 --> 00:51:35.960
their story? Uncle T, and I'm just going to get us in trouble. I want to know this too.
668
00:51:39.160 --> 00:51:50.040
I would like to see when I stay away from all the politicians in the, it's gone the continent
669
00:51:50.520 --> 00:51:56.200
because there's a few that come to mind. Um, there's a couple and I feel bad because I remember her
670
00:51:56.200 --> 00:52:01.400
name was Christa and her, I think her husband's, he's a, he's a chef and they're on Instagram. Um,
671
00:52:01.400 --> 00:52:09.080
they, they're a black couple and they have a huge following. But they're, they, they, you guys
672
00:52:09.080 --> 00:52:14.200
mentioned the troll each other. They troll each other. I know you tongue. Yeah. And she's also like,
673
00:52:14.200 --> 00:52:19.480
always doing like, I know, I know. They look like they have a lot of fun. You know, obviously it's
674
00:52:19.480 --> 00:52:24.200
the Instagram representation. But I love that they even, like, they spend, they get, they've
675
00:52:24.200 --> 00:52:28.760
spent so much time with one another, even just creating content. They have kids or whatever.
676
00:52:28.760 --> 00:52:34.520
I'd love to see the two of you talking to them. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. I like that. We'll make it happen.
677
00:52:34.520 --> 00:52:40.920
Then we'll click into it. Yeah. Side-in-to-date games. Well, thank you so much for being with us
678
00:52:40.920 --> 00:52:44.040
here today. I really, really appreciate you. Thank you very much for having me. Thank you,
679
00:52:44.040 --> 00:52:52.120
Benga. We feed people on their reports and podcasts, guys. It's food. You'll now leave
680
00:52:52.120 --> 00:52:59.400
here starving. And the fast does that. Thank you so much, bro. Really enjoyed it. Thank you
681
00:52:59.400 --> 00:53:01.880
for inviting me this way. Yeah. Of course.